FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

18 and up only. Gay male animals blah blah blah. On with the story!

Chapter 4

Andrew arrived at the gym before he was due, having been woken up on time. Thoughts of Matt were running through his head as he walked up the front steps. He couldn't get the thoughts of the dream out of his head. And as he went to unlock the gym with his key, he could almost hear Matt saying, "Hey there Andrew."

Andrew turned the key and opened the door. He walked inside and felt a paw upon his shoulder. He turned around, and there standing behind him was Matt. Matt was wearing different clothes than a couple hours before. Andrew stared in wonder at the fluid way the otter moved when he gesticulated. After a couple of seconds gawking at the otter, he managed to sputter, "W-what a-are you doing h-here?"

"Do you always stutter when you talk?" he chuckled. "Oh well, I'm here because I'm off the clock and I thought I'd come and get a good workout. Seeing as how you have to open today, mind if I use the treadmills?"

"N-no, I don't mind at all. In fact, let me get them ready for you."

"There's no need for that. I've got it.." With these words, the otter walked off and left the lab standing in the door way. Andrew decided to leave everything as it was for the time being, and walked off to finish opening.

Andrew went and turned on the lights and music, then he went to his post and started stocking the bar. He finished stocking the bar just as Jenny walked in.

Jenny was a white rabbit, who's another of Andrew's co-workers. Most of their shifts coincided. Andrew waved at her as she walked in, and moved off toward the courts. He unlocked the weight room and walked in. The smell of sweat immediately engulfed him. Somebody had forgotten to turn on the air fresheners. He walked over to the side wall and flipped the switch that turned on the ceiling fans and the swamp cooler.

Walking into the little store/juice bar, Andrew's thoughts were drawn back to the dream. He shook his head to force away the images. They would only distract him. He got out ingredients for smoothies and energy drinks. After looking in the mirror behind him, he realized he had neglected to change into his uniform. He grabbed his bag and rushed into the employee locker room. He jumbled with his lock till it finally clicked. He opened his bag and reached inside to grab his clothes but dropped it and spilled it's contents. This upset him and he bent down to pick it up but stopped half way when he heard laughter. He looked up and saw Matt clapping his hands. Andrew's face flared up and he quickly gathered his things. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He continued getting dressed and walked by Matt, who was still chuckling.

Once back at the juice bar, he looked into the mirror. He fixed the last of the wrinkles in his shirt and straightened his name tag. He moved the hair from his eyes and finally noticed that he still had a shade of red under his eyes.

"How could you do that?" he asked his reflection. "Why do you have to be an idiot most the time?" He mentally slapped himself and got ready for the early workouts.

In no time at all the gym started filling up nicely. Andrew was having a somewhat hard time with people wanting snacks and gear, but he managed. As the last customer left, he flopped down in his seat behind the counter and let out a heavy sigh.

"Glad to see business is good this morning," said Jason as he walked up to the canine. "What's the matter? Are you tired already? I see we're gonna have to up your training, huh?" he asked with a toothy grin.

Andrew groaned. "Come on. That's not fair! I'm the only one working in here. So of course I'll be a little tired." Jason rubbed his chin. A sign he was thinking something. And usually that meant a harder workout. Jason started smiling again.

"Wait right here," he said and walked off.

"Like I have any choice?"

Andrew pulled out his laptop from under the counter and started playing Step Mania 4, using the arrow keys in place of a DDR pad. After three games, Jason returned.

"Put that damn thing away and listen. I'll make you a deal pup." Andrew put his laptop away and listened to what his boss had to say. "You stop saying how tired you are and I'll assign you a new trainer." Andrew couldn't help but smile. He nodded without considering the rest. "Glad to see your happy about this. I'll handle things here and you go meet your trainer for a brief chat. He's in the locker room." Andrew nodded and jogged to the locker room. He didn't think about who it was going to be. He was too happy about being with someone who, hopefully, wouldn't be so hard.

He looked around the locker room, but found no one. He heard the showers and peered inside. The steam blurred his vision so he called out.

"That you Andrew? Hold on, I'll be right out," They shouted.

Andrew couldn't tell who it was. The sound of the water muffled the voice. Andrew sat down on the bench and waited. He heard the squeak of the shower turning off. Jason should really get that fixed. Then suddenly, everything went black. All Andrew could see was an endless darkness. Then he could smell it. Something wet and musky.

"Yuck! A used towel!? Whose is this!?" He pulled the damp towel off his head and threw it to the side. He stood up ready to yell at the one who tossed it but the words got caught in his throat. The one who had pulled the joke was Matt. There he stood in all his glory. Andrew quickly realized that the towel was the one that should have been wrapped around his waist. Andrew's face flared and he quickly turned around. "Umm...I was t-told to m-meet with m-my new t-trainer."

"There you go with that stuttering thing again. Hmm? Is something wrong? How come your talking at me and not to me?" Matt walked in front of Andrew so he could see his face. Andrew quickly thought up an excuse.

"Well I was s-surprised it was y-you. I-I mean, I didn't th-think..." Matt chuckled and walked over to his locker. Andrew let out a sigh of relief and sat back down on the bench. Matt continued talking as he put on fresh clothes.

"Jason came and told me that you were having troubles under his instructions. That the routines he set for you were too much for you too handle." Andrew's face grew redder. He only nodded. He was so embarrassed about his strength, or lack thereof.

Matt looked over at him and saw the sadness on the canine's face. He closed his locker and sat down next to Andrew. He placed his paw on the canine's shoulder, "It's alright. So your not that strong...yet." He leaned towards Andrew and whispered in his ear, even though there was no one around. "Don't tell anyone this but I use to be skinnier than you." Andrew found that hard to believe, but Matt's smile told him otherwise. He smiled back.

"So how did you get this big?" asked Andrew. Matt pulled him to his feet and walked to the door of the locker room.

"You'll find out a little later. And don't worry. I'll go easier on you then that old reptile would." Andrew couldn't keep from laughing. Matt stared at him and smiled. It was the first time he had heard the canine laugh, and he couldn't help but laugh himself.

"That's not really too hard to believe by the way. That you were once my size, I mean. My friend Daniel is pretty skinny, and he is almost 3 times as strong as me. But that's because he's practiced melee weapon combat since he was young."

"Oh? He sounds interesting. Will I get to meet him?"

"I seriously doubt..."

Almost on cue, Daniel walked in and ran up to Andrew and Matt.

"Don't you have something to be doing other than standing here and chatting?" Andrew glared at his fried but it went unnoticed. "I brought you some real food. Not that stuff they sell here." Daniel tossed a bag from Bakers at Andrew and turned toward the door. As he walked out he shouted, "I'll see you later."

A few seconds passed before something was said. "And who was that feline? He seems pretty confident. Maybe I'll make you more like him."

"That would be Daniel. He always acts that way with me. I never give him any reason to treat me this way either. Oh well, at least I have food. Let's see what we have here? Two chicken sandwiches, a bean and cheese burrito, and a pound of fries? Does he really expect me to eat all of this?"

Matt smirked. "If you don't want it, I'll eat it. But if you are going to start training with me, you will need more food. You can't gain muscle without any energy in your system. I suggest you start eating more."

Andrew looked at his food and decided he might as well eat. He took out a chicken sandwich and started eating. He'd been at the gym awhile and he didn't notice until now how much he was starving. In a matter of seconds, he had devoured the sandwich. He looked at Matt who then began laughing again.

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

Daniel sat, waiting, on the corner. His bike was parked a few feet away. The silence of the night filled his mind with a hollow feeling. He looked around, but caught sight of nothing to take note of. He was supposed to be waiting here for Roy. The horse hadn't shown up yet and Daniel had been waiting for almost an hour now.

"I wonder where Roy is. This night just doesn't seem right. It feels like the crash. I wonder where Victor is currently. Is he alright? What about Ned? Wait, Why did Ned just pop into my head? Hmmm. Something seems wrong with that boy. I just don't get him. I wonder. That's it. I am not waiting any longer. I'm gonna go see Roy. See if anything is up."

Daniel stood up and standing in front of him was Ned. Daniel was so surprised that he just punched out, knocking Ned to the ground. He turned and ran toward his bike. He got on, Started it, turned, and fled.

He felt bad about punching Ned. "It was an accident. What was Ned going to do?" He shook the thought from his head. "Knock it off Daniel! You're turning into Andrew. Stop being so paranoid!"

Daniel drove his bike down a side street that he had never been on before. He wasn't watching exactly where he went. After awhile, his surroundings began to focus.

At first, the trees to his left looked gnarled and warped. At a second glance however, he noticed that they were whole and extravagant. He slowed his bike and began to watch the trees go by, reveling in the fresh air. After awhile, he began to look for a familiar sign. Something to use to gauge where he was.

The first thing he spotted then was a street sign. It said, "Walnut." Daniel checked his compass, and decided to head north. Once he reached foothill, he decided he knew where to go. He drove over to Roy's parents' house. Whatever he was expecting, what he saw was not it.

In front of Roy's house, was Roy's vehicle, and Roy was getting into it. Five feet in front of Roy's car, was an ambulance. The doors were closed, so Daniel didn't see who was in the ambulance. He drove up next to Roy and said, "Roy! What's up? Is everything ok?"

Startled, Roy toppled out of his car. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to meet me by the Fuddruckers. I was just about to go meet you."

"You didn't answer my question. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah yeah, Everything is fine. My mother just had a minor heart attack. She's fine now, but Dad called the ambulance, and when they arrived, they insisted on taking her to the hospital. She says she feels fine though."

As these words entered Daniel's head, he began to frown. 'Could the mysterious aura around Ned have affected Roy's family? After only a brief meeting? Was it possible that Daniel's thought about Ned were true? This is exactly why I asked Roy out.' These were the thoughts that went through Daniel's head as he listened.

"Listen, Roy I need to talk to you. Lets go grab a bite to eat. This can't wait."

Roy and Daniel went to the closest fast-food restaurant Daniel could think of. Bakers was the place. Not the best food in the world, but still a good place to hang out and talk. Daniel used to come here everyday after school and hang out what he had come to call, "the bakers group."

"The reason I asked you out had nothing to do with my personal interests."