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--Naki--

Forced removal of Requorans from campus would be an overreaction to what should be obvious. What do you think we were doing? Neotrians and Requorans are not so dissimilar from one another. What would you have done? We were finding jobs, building families, and hiding from those that might otherwise try to drive us to extinction. We don't need to be reminded that we lost the war; we're reminded daily of what norms think of us. News reports talk about Requorans committing crimes against one another and against Neotrians but where are the reports of Neotrian crimes against Requorans? Neotrians always 'save' or 'spare' Requorans that wronged them. Or find nifty ways to train us and 'put a roof over our heads'. We're on campus to learn just like any of you. If anything, our cloakers should prove that we're the same as you! Our natural height might not be the same but when you remove that? You can't see the difference. I hope other campuses follow Phalance's example.Justice might finally be served if Neotrians would give us a chance.

I can't help but smile a little every time I think of the article Fen and Sy wrote. It sounds just like them, or at least just like Fen. Even so, I can never help but feel it's a little... whiny. I know Requorans have had it bad and we haven't really helped them out any. It probably is a bit unfair that we kind of just took everything away from them. Still, I find myself wishing he would've approached it differently... I mean, he has to convince other norms to join him, not feel like he's attacking them. I don't tell Fen how I feel, though. We have enough to deal with already. Classes aren't bad and I find myself warming to Beign much more quickly than I thought I would. He has this way of making you want to impress him. Every time you give an answer he likes he just gives that grin of his and it feels great. Like a handshake or a pat on the back from your boss or something.

I convinced Motley to join the football team the other day, after spending the last week trying. This makes things a bit messy for escorting Sy around campus but the 'coon seems confident that Rory will help out and bet Ian would too if we asked. As a result, Motley gets busy with football practice but his usual mood seems to return. He'd been really silent over the last week or so but he comes back full of grins and laughs. That's the Motley I remember.

We did talk about his parents after they didn't show up for move-in. It was hard to get him to open up but playing his football game with the door shut seemed to help. He doesn't like announcing his problems even if I know Fen and Sy would happily listen. Oh well, I'm just happy he told me.

In the past, Motley had always been pretty quiet about his own problems. He'd talk about anything but what was happening at home. Mom would always forbid me from going over to his place for too long, and the few times that I did I only saw his parents for short periods of time. Motley would insist we go somewhere else or just hang out in his room. His house was... well, dirty is an understatement. Not only that, but even the difference between our neighborhoods was drastic. He only lived a few blocks away but it felt infinitely worse in terms of the people. I bet that's why he'd always spent most of his time on the football field. Mom would let him stay over a bunch when we were younger but that was only ever a temporary solution.

Anyway, his parents had apparently been gone the week he moved up here with us. He.. didn't know where they were-- still doesn't as far as I know. They don't have cell phones, and the only reason Motley has one is my mom and dad have him on our plan. I think Mom feels responsible for him, maybe she realized that Motley would be a bit at-risk if someone didn't intervene. I'm glad she did. Motley told me it's not a big deal; I didn't believe him but he pointed out that this isn't the first time they've disappeared. I -do- believe that.

Of course, whenever I try to comfort him he just gives me this look. It's almost like he's laughing at you for thinking he needs you to feel sorry for him. I know he appreciates it, though. I hope the team is a good fit for him.

Fen and I avoid "the" topic for now. I think we're both just happy to ignore it. That and we've been enjoying the extra freedom; he's more or less comfortable with having his cloaker off, which is great. In fact, over the last week or so he began to remove it whenever he's not doing something else-- like homework or playing video games. It's a lot of fun carrying him around or holding him. It never gets old. Sy doesn't do it as much as Fen, but there are a few times he joined us in watching a movie with it off or something.

I do notice lately that Fen seems more stressed than usual during the first couple hours he returns from class. Maybe that's why he's so ready to just shrink and settle in my palms at the end of the day. After writing his article in response to Bridget I know he'd been anxious to see what happens. Online comments on the article were pretty mixed. Some agreed, some pointed out that the entire piece is just a grab at sympathy, others felt it an attack, and still others simply used it as an excuse to make cheap shots. I don't think that's what really has him bugged, though.

Registration will be ending soon and the only people talking about it seem to be news anchors and talk-show hosts who all zoom wildly in one direction or another. Some say the government is planning to start another war, if it can be called that, while others wonder if this is the beginning of citizenship for Requorans.

I try to comfort him as much as I can; I know what it's like not being certain of the future... even if my experience is different than his. I'm not as worried as he is even if I do want to know what's going to happen. I've been telling myself that I'd protect him even if things do go south. I could hide him easily enough, he's not big. We could be together even if they come after Requorans. It wouldn't even be hard to keep his parents with us too. It's hard to be certain, though. I really hope it just never comes down to it. The Requoran group we joined meets again tonight, something I'm rather thankful for. Maybe it'll help Fen and Sy to be around other like them.

"Welcome back, guys!" Lilly announces. "Today we'll be walking around campus in groups and chalking the sidewalks with announcements to try and get people to attend our meetings. We'll also be passing out posters for people to put on boards outside of classrooms at their colleges if you feel comfortable with that. First, though, please get into groups-- try to group up with people you don't know! That's why we're here: Get to know one another. Err , but uh... also, we'd prefer if you have at least one Neotrian in your group. Just for safety."

I feel bad since we're hogging Neotrians with Motley and I in the same group. I kind of figured we'd all walk together, though. Even if it does defeat the purpose. The more I think about it the more I feel we should at least -try- to split up. Instead of mentioning anything, though, I decide to bother Khole who'd been there staring down at his phone and tapping at it every now and then for the last five minutes or so. "Everything alright?" I ask.

He puts his phone into his pocket when he realizes I'm watching. He shifts a little on his paws and gives a nod. "Yea, sorry. Got a message from my parents." He looks around for a moment. "I guess I kinda didn't pick a group. Mind if I join you guys?" he asks.

"Of course you can. I assumed you'd come with us," I chuckle.

"Really? Well, thanks," he smiles just as Lilly makes another announcement.

"We need to split off at least one more group..." Lilly says gently, peering at ours for a moment. "Any... takers?" She asks. "It's around the old dorms, where they're housing the Requorans."

No one speaks up for at least fifteen seconds. "Well..." Khole looks at me for a moment. "Well I could go. I do live that way anyway."

"Awesome," Lilly smiles. "But-uh... who'll go with him? At least one Neotrian..." I shift a bit on my feet and look at Fen for a moment. The other groups are smaller than ours. Declan and Lilly are already taking Mitch, Guy, and Nick. Motley can take Fen and Sy; Ian and Sam would join them later, I think.

"I can go with him," I offer, looking to Fen for a moment.

"Alright, that sounds good. Thanks, Naki," she says before starting to pass out little buckets of chalk.

"Sorry," I say to Fen.

"No, it's fine. Don't want Khole to go alone and we're kinda breaking the rules anyway. You don't have to apologize for that," he chuckles. "Plus Motley's enough for us. We can't hog all of the muscle." He grins. That makes me feel a bit better.

"You gonna be okay with them, Motley? You know how mouthy these two get," I grin.

"Heheh, they're only about a handful. Think I can deal with'at."

"Keep it up and we'll have you carrying us," Fen mutters in mock-indignation. "Actually, that's not a bad idea. That'd be so much easier than walking ourselves..."

"I'll carry you. But I get to pick where." Motley grins. Fen perks his ears at that, glancing at Motley He doesn't question any further, though. Neither do I, I don't know if I want to.

"Alright, guys. We'll meet back here in an hour. Take care and be safe out there." Declan says as we all start shuffling out of the room.

"That was nice of you, you didn't have to," Khole says as we make our way outside. It's starting to get dark out but there's still sunlight shining over the horizon, giving everything an orangish glare.

"Well, we wanna cover the area and I didn't want you to go alone. Not that... you can't take care of yourself but, y'know."

"It's safer with someone else, yea. I don't know many other people on campus so I've been walking around on my own anyway. Or convincing you to walk around with me." He chuckles, tugging his phone out to look at it again. I see him frown and tap at it a few times but as soon as its in his pocket he's all smiles again.

"Hey, just ask. I'm happy to help you around campus whenever I'm free," I say. While we're walking out I spot Rae, the fox with an indentured Requoran we'd met at the last meeting.

"Did I miss it?" she asks. "It should've just started..." she looks at her phone.

"No, we're chalking today," I say.

"Oh! That's right... damn..."

"Well, you could come with us," Khole offers. "It's just us two and the other groups have more in'em."

"Really? Alright, we'll go with you then." She walks over to us and we start moving towards north campus. "You're Naki, right? And Khole?" She looks between us.

"Yep. Rae and Otto, right?" I ask in return, peering at the fox settled on her shoulder.

"Yep! Maybe Otto will actually talk more tonight." She pokes at the smaller, orange-furred vulpine whom lowers his ears a bit.

"Sorry," he says gently.

"No no, it's okay," I chuckle. "I don't think I got a chance to really meet you last time. How're your classes going? You two settling into campus well?"

"Mostly, yea," Rae says. "My classes aren't hard so far and I have a few other friends that're here. None of them'll come to these meetings with me, though," she mutters. "Maybe John will, one day..." she says to herself.

"John?"

"My boyfriend," she states. "Otto here has kept me company, though." She picks the little fox up with an ease I wish I could have with Fen. I mean, she just plucks him right up and settles him into her palm. I noticed this last time, too. She just handles him without worry. I'm always afraid I'll squeeze too hard or something. "I wanna find Otto some people to hang out with, though. Other Requorans especially. He's... never really known any except his parents."

"You said he's an indentured, right?" Khole asks. "His entire family is indentured to yours?"

"Yea," she responds before furrowing her brow. "But he should be answering these questions," she prods at him again and he shifts a little, giving a sigh.

"My family is indentured to Rae's, yes," he says in a familiar, high-pitched tone. "I've been with her since middle school. Umm... you have a boyfriend who's a Requoran... right?" He directs at me.

"Yea, Fen. We met before high school ended."

"How's that... work?" Otto asks.

"Uhh," I'm not sure how to answer at first. "Well, like normal I guess. He's only started taking his cloaker off a lot in the last week or so. It's fun to see him at his normal size, though. You guys are too cute," I smile a bit.

"Aren't they?" Rae chuckles, petting down Otto's back with a finger. "Hey! We should get your boyfriend and Otto together someday. You'd like that, Otto. Wouldn't you?"

"I guess," Otto says gently, peering at Khole for a moment.

"Oh comeon. Say it with some excitement. You want to just hang out with me all day long for the next four years? You have to make other friends sometime and this is the perfect place." Rae smirks. "You're not going to find a nice Requoran girl by clinging to my ears all day."

The look he gives her in response is a little strange. It's like he's both flustered and speechless all at once. "Sure, I think Fen would enjoy it too," I say. I do recall him being curious about the indentured thing. Of course, he probably hates the notion of an indentured Requoran. I hope this isn't a bad idea...

"Awesome," Rae says just as we make it to where we need to be. She sets Otto down around the spot where we'll be drawing and we try to figure out what sort of message we're going to make. While we speak, Otto seems to take an interest in Khole. He doesn't approach, but I notice his gaze shifting to stare at the other otter on occasion while Rae makes a few suggestions. Khole's busy tapping at his phone again so I don't think he notices at first. At least, not until he puts it away again and moves closer to stoop over the smaller fox, offering his palms nearby. Otto takes a few steps back at first but Rae encourages him with a prod to the back. He climbs into Khole's palms and the otter smiles a little bit, petting over his smaller kin. "So the Requorans you've met here are the only ones you've ever met?" Khole asks while I start drawing with Rae... or trying to, at least.

"Well, I've seen others... but yea. The Requorans in the group are the only I've ever met besides my parents," he says gently. "Where did you come from?"

"Kupai. What was it like being an indentured? It seems like Rae takes good care of you. Couldn't have been bad, could it?" He asks. I almost feel awkward that he's asking with Rae standing there but I'm kind of curious too.

"Their family took care of ours," he says gently, looking over at Rae for a moment. "And... I guess I don't feel like I missed much. Mom and Dad always told me that life outside for a micro is hard. We didn't have a cloaker before we worked for Rae's family."

"That sounds nice," Khole smiles a little. "Are you part of Les Gardiens?" He asks, turning to look at Rae who'd been filling in the letters of our little picture with me. After asking, he lowers Otto to the ground and picks up a piece of chalk to help. He snaps off a little piece and holds it near to Otto.

The fox smiles and takes it, working next to Khole to try and fill in one of the letters.

"Well, yea," Rae states with a slightly guarded tone. "Why?"

"Just asking is all," Khole says gently. "I've only really heard of'em, I've never actually met someone that's part of it. You join because you wanted to or because your parents were in it?"

"I... well, probably because of my parents, honestly. Les Gardiens has their issues but I suppose they aren't all bad. I'm just glad I got to bring Otto with me. I think the worst part about the indentured thing was that he didn't really get to go out more. That and I don't really get the whole Requorans are lesser thing. I mean, yea, he's pretty small but he's also pretty smart. That's gotta count for something." She smiles a bit.

"You don't think we should be second class citizens, then?" Khole asks. He's good at this awkward question business.

"Hmm-- I guess I wouldn't want Otto to have to fend for himself. Not at that size. I'd wanna take care of him and even his family if it came to it... but I'd want it to be his choice too. If he really wanted to go out on his own... I'd try to talk him out of it but if he really wanted it..."

"You're a lucky little fox," Khole says with a smile, petting down Otto's head. Otto just lowers his head a little. I think he's holding back a smile.

We finish our message and admire it for a moment before moving to make another one. I get to hold Otto at one point even if I'm nervous about it. He seems to warm up to being in my palms after a while, but not nearly as quickly as he seemed to warm up to Khole. We talk and draw at least two more messages on the sidewalks around north campus before we head back to meet with everyone again. By the end of it, Otto seems comfortable with me, which is nice. Raelyn and I exchange phone numbers so that we can get in touch about him and Otto meeting up. I can't wait until I get Fen again tonight, though. I already miss the wolf a bit.

--Fen--

Welcome to the debate, ThoseAfoot. Emotionally blackmailing us is not going to work; Requorans are not innocent and we owe them nothing. No one is afraid of another war with Requorans, such a thing would be suicide for your people. What we're worried about is the fact that your civilization has taken an active part in its own destruction through misinterpretation of the meaning of the word 'fair'. Read the news, look at your protests, read through online forums. The only consistent argument Requorans have been making through any public medium is that Neotrians have been needlessly mean and that Requorans deserve special treatment because they were here first. Requorans were here first, but that's about the only fact. Neotrians are the dominant race of this landscape now, and Requorans need to accept that fact. You say that the news is biased against you? I understand that may be hard and I know many of you don't want this to be the case, but we had the advantage and we used it. What Requorans should have and should be doing is actively seeking negotiations with our government and its people; admit defeat and finally accept that you're going to have to prove yourselves to us before we'll feel comfortable integrating you into our civilization. Who knows? Maybe you could get full rights with enough time. Instead of being reasonable, though, Requorans have turtled into their underground cities, turned to a life of crime; living in our walls and around our cities, stealing from us, becoming aggressive with us. You think this is productive? Micro-aggressions committed against Neotrians have increased steadily over the years post-war. Instead of making peace you continue to egg us on. Even those of you who've simply been using those MMDs are, at best, escapists; avoiding the real issue of your people's cognitive dissonance by simply pretending to be something you aren't. It's time your people decide they're done pretending they don't need to adapt.

Neotrians are not the evil ones here. We came to this land, helped you fight off your natural predators and for a century we never touched your civilization. We were better equipped to tame Neotria and refine its resources-- and that's what we did. Now you've suddenly revealed that a likely small percentage of your population has been living among us for maybe the last few decades and you want citizenship because of it? That's not how this works, my little friend. Your race has a lot to prove before we can even discuss your citizenship. My words may sound harsh but they're true. Requorans have done nothing to better themselves post-war let alone approach us with anything but some trife about fairness. Reasonable demands and a moderate approach to negotiating the terms of your place in Neotria may take your people further than you think.

"Of course," I mutter to myself when I read Bridget's response to our article. Unfortunately, I'm between classes so I don't have much chance to think about how we'll respond. I'll have to ask Sian about it later. For the last few days he's been hanging out with Rory in the evenings... I actually wonder if he managed to find out if the bat's gay or not. Another thing to ask. I try to put the article out of my head but with Registration ending I can't help but feel especially sensitive about the topic. Anyone saying anything negative about us just wears on my patience. Mom and Dad helped calm me down yesterday; I'd called them just to catch up but, of course, we couldn't just not talk about it. They say they'll let me know if they hear anything but I should focus on my studies. Typical response but it was nice hearing their voices.

"Hey, Fen. How's classes goin'?" I'm snapped out of my thoughts by a familiar-ish voice. I look up to see Chip and feel just a little annoyed. I'd been trying to avoid them but I guess I couldn't do it forever. Orin isn't far behind and soon both are standing nearby.

"They're... okay. And yours?" I ask, looking between the squirrel and wolf.

"Not bad! Dr. Crotsley's been assigning a lot, though. Do you have him this semester?" Chip asks and I give a slow nod.

"Yea." I recall how that class had been going. Maybe it's just me but that professor seems to like directing questions my way. And then when I don't have everything -completely- right he has the nerve to act like I should've known the answer. As if anyone else knew what it was.

"Now, comeon. You're not still sore about last time are you?" Orin says gently when I don't say more than a single word. I shift my muzzle to answer but don't know what to say. Honestly? Yes. But I'd rather avoid a confrontation.

He chuckles and sits down next to me, causing the chair to tremble a little beneath his weight. It's something I've only noticed recently but I think Neotrian wolves are larger than Requoran wolves even with our cloakers. Well, maybe not just wolves. I don't know that this is a universal fact, but from what I've seen, Requorans tend to be shorter than their Neotrian counterparts even with cloakers on.

"I was only curious about your ring, man. I wasn't gonna take it off of you or something," Chip says, remaining stood. I watch other students walk past, only a few staring our way. I wonder if any of them would help if someone -did- try to take my cloaker off.

"Look, I was just nervous you'd try something is all. It's not like walking around on my own with a bunch of norms nearby is all that safe. Just... remember it, alright? Don't touch a Requoran's cloaker."

"Aww," Chip smiles. "Even if I did get it off of you I'd just wanna hold you for a while," he says.

"It is kind of weird seeing one of my own. A wolf, that is... but much smaller than a real wolf," Orin states before I can even answer Chip. A "real" wolf? I frown a bit.

"What do you mean a real wolf? I'm a real wolf," I state defensively.

"Er.. I didn't mean it that way, little guy," he says while waving his palm dismissively.

"Why do you guys want to talk to me anyway? There're other students you could pick on," I mutter a little.

"We're not picking on you," Chip says. "We're just interested. Saw you sitting out here alone and thought we'd come say hi again."

"Then why all of the jabs? I'm a Requoran but that doesn't mean I'm not a wolf and it doesn't give you an excuse to call me little," I state.

"But you are little," Orin states. "Chip is little, too. The wolf thing was a slip of the tongue. We think of you guys as different, that's all. You called us 'norms' a second ago, didn't you? Even you do it."

"It stands for normal. We-" I frown. I really should stop using that word; I'd just gotten so used to it. "If anything it's kind of a compliment," I mutter. He's right about one thing: I do use the word 'norm' a lot.

"I know it stands for normal. My point is that you don't think you're the same as me. The terms we use came from how we grew up. I didn't mean to say you're not a real wolf... just not the same kind of wolf."

I sigh a little at that. I don't really want to argue, especially not in the hallway.

"I'm not that little," Chip mutters, peering at Orin for a moment. I can't tell if he's actually indignant or just trying to break the silence that'd come over us after what Orin said.

"Don't you start too," Orin chuckles over to Chip. I just stare between the two for a while, but eventually give in. Maybe I am overreacting a little.

"Fine, I might've been overreacting some... but you guys -have- been a little pushy. Just lay off a bit, alright? Sorry for my assumptions..."

"It's cool, I bet it is pretty scary knowing someone could try to take it away from ya. Anyway, 'bout time for class isn't it?" Chip says and Orin nods.

"Yea, it's close. Don't worry about it, Fen. We'll have to talk again soon," Orin states, moving a paw to tousle my headfur gently. I cringe; again with the treating me like a kid.

"Seeya, Fen," Chip says. I give a little wave as they walk off. I still don't know about those two. With class coming up again soon, though, I put it out of mind. Over the next few days Sian and I try to come up with another reply to Bridget's response but homework is starting to pick up so we don't have as much time as we did before. Not only that but we need something good... and it'll take some time to get what we want to say together.

I keep my cloaker off around the dorms more often now. At first I didn't mind moving between rooms with it off but Naki was worried he or someone else might come in and not see me... and he's right, so I keep to higher areas now. It feels refreshing, honestly... which is a welcomed feeling considering how stressful the days have become. Fall ticks closer every second and, right after that, winter break wouldn't be far behind it.

Naki and I talk more about his parents but we don't really get anywhere. It'd have to wait until winter break. I find I can't be as offput with him as before, though, when Wednesday evening, after he gets back from classes, he lets me at his feet. I'm not sure if he's just taking advantage of the fact that I like it or not but I'm not complaining either way.

"I could actually get used to this," he says with a playful grin while I press my thumbs into the soft ball of his foot and cause his toes to splay some. I admire the webbing between and begin to circle my thumbs about the bottom. His feet are fairly large. Even with my cloaker on it's thirteen or fourteen inches against my five foot four inches. I haven't taken it off yet but I'm tempted.

"Hopefully we can get used to going further before long," I grin back, leaving him to blush a bit.

"One day," he says gently, curling his toes and spreading them again. I bring my muzzle down and press my nose to the sole for a moment. I feel him tense up from the feeling and even tug backwards just a little.

"What're y-- ohh..." He relaxes suddenly when I begin to rub my tongue against the sole, gliding it up the length and towards his toes. I keep an ear perked just in case Sy and Motley decide to come back unexpectedly.

"That actually feels really nice," he chuckles a little shakily, flexing his toes again. I smile a little but it's hidden by his foot. The scent is light but certainly there and instead of answering him I simply do it again. I start at the heel and glide my tongue up towards his toes, taking the liberty of pressing my tongue between a pair to get at the webbing and areas between the digits.

I do this for at least a minute or two; sliding my tongue over the bottom of the otter's foot and trying get every inch of it wet. When I start to pull back I feel him shift a little and press me against the arm of the couch with his other paw. He keeps his foot there in my face and before I can complain he lets a little chuckle escape his muzzle. He curls his toes around my nose and I decide to go with it. God I wish he'd just get over this religion thing already.

"Heheh, you really do like this huh?" He asks, clasping my nose with his toes and leaving me to force myself out of the mood. I tug my head back, panting a little.

"I told you I do!" I state, my cheeks warming with slight embarrassment. I'd only ever rubbed his feet before, it's only today that I actually dared go as far as to lick them. I don't regret it.

"It's alright! I told you it felt good." He sighs a little and flexes the paw I'd been licking a moment ago.

"So what about the other? You only licked one," he peers at me.

"I..." my cheeks warm even more.

"You wanna take your cloaker off?" He asks, seeming a bit hopeful. He did seem to enjoy it-- which is good because I really like taking it off around him.

"You're uh... okay with that?" I ask.

"I wouldn't have said it if I weren't."

I hesitate for a moment, then empty my pockets quickly. In a moment I'm tugging my cloaker off and those paws shoot up in height to loom overhead. All I can do is stare for a moment, taking in the size and power those two huge paws carry. I walk up to one of his heels and nuzzle against it gently. "Sheesh, I can't even see you behind one!" I feel him shift suddenly. A great force plows against my chest. It's not painful, but it's more than I can simply resist. I realize he'd just flicked his toe forward and now has one of those enormous paws hanging overhead. Before I can even scramble backwards he presses down and pins me there against the couch cushion, holding me in place.

"Gotcha," he states, rubbing a single toe over my muzzle gently. I admit, I'm dazed from the entire altercation... and speechless... and then suddenly more aroused. "Big bad Neotrian is going to make you lick his toes~" he grins above me.

"Dammit," I grumble, leaning up to nuzzle into his toe. This is embarrassing but I don't want it to stop.

"Huh? This isn't too much... is it? I thought you might enjoy it but if I'm being too rough..." I hear his worried tone and can't help but smile.

At that I perk my ears and look up at his looming, worried face. I guess he mistook my swearing. "You're too cute," I respond with a chuckle before planting a kiss against the toe resting over my nose. He smiles in response and presses down a bit more, leaving me firmly set beneath the warmth and lightly strengthened, ottery smell emanating from his foot.

"What do you like about them anyway?" he asks after a while, shifting his foot to the side so that my face isn't entirely covered anymore and spreading his toes again so that the webbing between them stretches taught overhead. I bring my palms up to press against the flesh and sigh.

"I don't know, really," I say gently. "I'd say Sy infected me with it to be honest. He's... uh, he has a big thing for them and..." I hesitate for a moment. I'm more aware of my reasoning than I let on, partially because it's... embarrassing. I like the fact that he's a giant when my cloaker is off. I've always been interested in... trying things with a norm someday. But do I tell Naki that now...?

It seems like he senses the hesitation because he starts petting over me gently using one of the toes nearby. "I'm just curious, that's all. If you don't feel comfy telling then I won't be mad." He smiles.

I blush a little and close my eyes. "Mom and Dad would never let me have it off for too long even in the house. Ever since I can remember, I've been really interested in seeing the world from my natural height. Especially... people." I cringe a little, trying to get the word out. "I'm uh... well, I'm what you'd call... a macrophile." I pause for a while, trying to let that sink in for a bit. I feel my cheeks warming even more but try to push forward while his entertained gaze rests on me. "And... as part of that... well, I guess being at your feet is kinda symbolic of how big you are compared to me. That kinda thing," I say, level of embarrassment increasing. I'd never told this to anyone but Sian until now. "I know it's weird," I state, hoping I haven't weirded him out.

"Yea it is." He laughs and closes his toes around my head gently, simply embracing it. "But it's cute, too. I like you little and you like me big. It works, doesn't it?" He lifts his foot off of me but I remain flat on my back, staring up at his handsome face hovering in the distance. He leans down and nuzzles into my body, planting a huge kiss against my chest. I hug at his nose as best I can feeling a little relief. At least he seems to take it well.

"God I wish we could just do this forever," I sigh, flicking my tail quickly. "Screw all the other issues; parents, registration, Requorans and Neotrians. I could just do this forever."

"We'll just have to do it as often as we can," Naki replies, picking me up and cradling me in his palms. My tail flicks and I climb onto his muzzle, crawling over it so that I can sit between his eyes.

"What're you up to?"

"What's it look like? I'm resting. That was hard work I just did," I smirk. I feel him smile a bit and he shifts to prop his feet up on the coffee table near the couch.

"Sounds good to me," he states, flicking the television on. Still no news about what's going to happen now that Registration is over. They're sure taking their time. Instead, the news talks about violence picking up in normal cities nearby where Kupai and other Requoran cities exist. I did do a little research into what Khole said the other day. There's not a lot of information online about it but some have talked about tension between Requorans with and without cloakers. In-fighting and violence going one way or the other. Some cloaked Requorans had even gone as far as to hire people to help clear their homes of non-cloaked Requorans. That twists my stomach a bit. I don't want to understand what could push someone to do that. Even around this area things have escalated a little. The university has actually taken a number of steps to protect us both from danger and humiliation but the city, apparently, doesn't quite feel the same. It'd been argued in one of the local newspapers that discrimination against Requorans is justified considering events around the nation, especially out west. I can only hope no one actually acts upon that kind of trife.

"You alright, Fen?" Naki asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yea, I'm alright," I say even if the calm from before has faded into light stress again. I just want things to turn out okay.

"You know I won't let anything happen to you, right?" He asks and I smile at that. It did always make me feel a bit better knowing that Naki would be there for me if things did get bad. We'd be okay somehow.

"Yea, I know. Thanks, Naki," I smile.

"So what's on your mind, then? What's bugging you?"

I blink and twist to peer at those huge eyes of his staring cross-eyed at me. My paws move to rub over the bridge of his muzzle while I think.

"I dunno... just feels like... something bad's gonna happen. Probably just me being a pessimist or something but I can't help but feel... I don't trust the government. I don't think they've ever had our best interests in mind. I'm just worried, that's all... ignore me."

"Nah, I think it's natural that you'd be worried. I'd be more nervous if you weren't afraid of what could happen because-- well, that just isn't my little wolf."

I smirk at that. "I'm that bad?"

"When it comes to Requoran equality? Yea, you're pretty bad. It's a good thing, though." He pets over my head a little and I give a small nod.

"Thanks, Naki." I lean down to kiss his nose once, smiling a little. I don't know what I'd do without him. I don't -want- to imagine what it'd be like if we weren't together. The thoughts bounce around in my head for the rest of the day. Even in my sleep I can't help but dream about days past.

As Sy and I were growing up, our history courses repetitiously went over the events leading up to the micro war. Almost every year of my primary school life we'd touch on the topic at least once. It's scary... some of the similarities between then and now. There were no cloakers before or during the war as far as I know... I guess maybe some may've had them and just kept quiet.

The norms had all but taken the land we'd already settled from us. We were outmatched both technologically and physically; they were in an industrial revolution and we were still fighting off natural predators. Their civilization surrounded ours on all sides before we could really react and I can only imagine Requorans back then felt like strangers in their own homes. A Neotrian will tell you that they didn't start the aggression but I'd argue that settling the way they did was aggressive enough. There were property disputes as their land encroached on our own. Property that Requorans owned was not recognized by the Neotrian government. We protested against their actions and seemingly ceaseless expansion into our territories but they didn't take it very well.

There's an old story about a family of skunks that suffered property damage and tried to sue through Neotrian courts. I'm not particularly fond of it because it simplifies what happened way too much. Property damage by Neotrians wasn't limited to one family and one familiy's ills were not what triggered backlash from our community. This was widespread. There is no trustworthy number for how many Requorans suffered from norms simply wiping their property off of the map to settle or create farms or whatever else but it was enough to leave us little choice.

Officially, the Neotrian government opposed the destruction of our property but every law that was passed to protect our homes was purely symbolic in nature. They didn't care what happened to us and were happy if a Neotrian simply said that the land was uninhabited when they arrived in any dispute. The beginning of the war was when we decided to retaliate as a whole, as a consequence of these actions.

There was violence before our official, concerted efforts, though. Isolated incidents saw the use of a lot of... admittedly terrifying attacks on both sides. Neotrians, of course, had their height advantage so stories of people ending up flattened, eaten, torn to pieces, and worse weren't uncommon. Some Neotrians used weapons, which were even more effective. A single Neotrian bullet was devastatingly powerful to us. On the other side, entire Neotrian families would end up dead overnight. Norms started having to screen their food and water because we'd started attacking their sources. Some of the braver or, perhaps, more violent Requorans would invade their homes directly and use poisons that would leave terrible images behind for whoever eventually came to check up on norms that hadn't been seen in a few days.

What happened to us never made it past word of mouth, of course. We didn't have Neotrian technology. They, however, publicized every killing of a normal family. They publicized the heightening crime-rate committed by Requorans, they highlighted our increased unrest and protest of their being on 'our' land. If you had no contact with Requorans and simply focused on watching the normals' news channels, you'd think we were horrible little monsters... and this is exactly what happened. We became terrorists.

They're doing it again now. Admittedly, we're getting more news coverage than before, at least. But it's always us. We're always the bad guys even when we're the victims. The Requorans attacking other Requorans? They might sympathize with us but it always highlights our own dischord. The news around here has talked about some attacks directed towards us from norms but in many of those cases the Requoran was saved and alright or freed after the norm "saw reason" or "had mercy".

I know there's a way out of this. I just hope someone finds it before something bad happens again... and the helplessness; the feeling that I have very little hand in where things will go haunts me as the weeks progress. I talk with Sy about it every now and again but it's mostly preaching to the choir. Dr. Crotsley continues to pick on me in class and I'm starting to think he might just be anti-Requoran or something. It's like he keeps asking me questions just to prove I don't have the answer and when I try to tell him I don't know he just tells me to guess with that smug grin on his face. Every time. I'm not looking forward to the midterm in his class as I'm certain he'll just fail me no matter what.

The Requoran and Neotrian Friends, or RNF, which is the name we gave our little group, saw a small growth in membership since our trip around campus to draw advertisements. I'm actually happy with how the group has developed and hope that it continues. This is in contrast to how well our articles are faring against Bridget's over the next month. People seem to agree with her on the newspaper's website, but it might be due to lack of experience on our part. Perhaps we need to rethink how we voice ourselves. Strangely enough, it doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would. Naki and I seem to get along even as the school year creeps through October. We haven't solved our problems but I think we're both waiting for winter break to see what we're going to do about his parents. I'm happy enough to have access to his paws every now and then... as embarrassed as I am to admit vocally.

Sy reminds me of Rory's party on the 30th as we close in on it. It'd been pushed back from its original date so that it could have a halloween theme. I'm still not thrilled but... Rory does seem like a decent guy and we'll have Naki and Motley there to keep us safe. I guess we can't stay cooped up in the dorms every weekend. Still haven't asked Sy if Rory's gay or not. Naki's suggested we spend more time downtown but by the time weekends roll around we end up lazy or someone comes over to our dorm instead. I guess I'm content with the fact that things are going smoothly. Not exceedingly well, but smoothly. The stress from the first couple weeks of classes seems more distant than ever before and, for once, despite a number of loose ends, I feel like I'm on top of things. No new problems to solve and I'm slowly managing the old problems.

I haven't seen much of Valan though I know he's around. I admit I'm a little afraid of running into him when Naki or someone else isn't around but I try not to think about it. A couple of Requorans have gone missing around campus, which is scary but I try not to think about it. As long as I stay with Naki or our friends I'll be alright.

"Ugh," I groan, grogginess and head-pain making me feel like I should sleep for another hour. Instead, I trudge into the living room, wiping crust from my eyes and perking my ears when I see everyone else already awake. The smell of Fall is everywhere, even inside; mixed with Naki and Motley's scents.

"Good morning," I state, walking over to sit down. The television is on and when I don't get an immediate reply, I turn to see what they're looking at.

"Fen..." Sy starts to say but he doesn't have to continue. The headline at the bottom of the screen is enough. While I stare at it, reading it over and over again to see if it's actually real... if I'm really reading this, I feel Naki's arms wrap around me.

"Prime Minister attacked; Subterranean villages demolished by Neotrian Army."