[Ch01] Musings
#1 of The Improvement
It's been a while since I last tried my hand at writing anything. I have no formal training or experience, so don't expect the moon. There are many extremely talented writers in the furry community, and I've been both inspired and intimidated by their stories. This will be my first (and hopefully not the last) foray into writing stories for SoFurry's guests.
Rated 'Adult' for sexual vocabulary and imagery. No sex occurs in this chapter, but if you'd like to see it happen, you gotta let me know what you thought of this chapter. Not much reason to write if nobody is paying attention, is there? ;)
Seriously, though - let me know your thoughts. Positive, negative; private message or comment, whatever you choose. Just let me know I have an audience. I apologize in advance for this one. I wrote and edited it between 4am and 6am, while dead-tired. I know I shouldn't post it under these circumstances, especially not as my first public work, but I've been wanting to do this for a long time. I'm not backing down now. wink
Hope you enjoy!
Musings
"Damn it!"
Dieter stared at the box of now-shattered tiles on the concrete floor beneath his feet. The attempt to pick the box up from the elevated pallet on the forks of his lift had resulted in a fumble, and instead of them making it safely to the shelf, they made a hasty retreat to their demise below.
"Who the hell designed these boxes, anyhow?," he mumbled to himself as he stared at the mess. For reasons that eluded him, the boxes were designed with the majority of their largest two sides missing - basically just a cardboard wrapper around the edges of the 30-pound box.
Dieter shoved the box a little to the side with his foot and turned before walking out of the aisle. The black-furred wolf, standing almost six-and-a-half feet tall, hated having to clean heavy things up from low places, and this wasn't the first box of tile he'd had to recover from the ground. He putzed around near the desk of the Flooring Department, looking for a broom in all the usual spaces. Leaving the shards that had blasted out of the box on the ground wasn't an option, as the smaller wheels of his lift, known as a "reach truck" for its ability to extend its forks outward, would only hang on the pieces of ceramic and cause him further problems. He also didn't particularly enjoy leaving work for others, especially if it was work he'd created.
A relatively short shift during the night at work while the store was closed was beginning to feel much longer than it should have. "Ah!," he said to no one in particular as he spotted the handle of a broom leaning out from behind one of the tall upright supports of the store's shelving.
He grabbed the small trash can from the desk on his way back, since the pile of shards wasn't particularly big. He was frustrated - more irritated, really - but he wasn't inconsiderate. Had the entire box emptied its deceased contents, he would have never filled an ordinary wastebasket with them. He set to cleaning up the chaos gravity had helped him create, and got back to work.
Marc was just about to round the corner into the Receiving Department when he heard a loud, exasperated half-groan, half-yell come from inside. The somewhat tawny-colored wolf rounded the corner to find Dieter shaking his fists dramatically at the ceiling. Since the ebony lupine wasn't facing Marc's direction and seemed more interested in staring at the pallet in front of him in frustration, he took the opportunity to check the black canine out a bit. He'd steal glances when he could here and there, but still tried to keep it to himself. He wasn't "out" yet at work, or really anywhere else, for that matter. To be caught checking out another guy would be the stuff of his nightmares. Some people got off on the idea of getting caught in compromising acts or situations, but Marc was definitely not one of them, and wasn't ready for the world to know his true self.
He'd had his naughty thoughts about Dieter here and there, and wished he could see more, but even though Dieter was openly gay and everyone knew it, Marc could never summon the courage to try to confide in him, let alone express his interest. He knew he didn't know the wolf well enough to decide on relationship material, but he'd pawed off several times to the thought of him and knew he wouldn't mind a romp in the proverbial hay.
Marc's sharp green eyes surveyed the object of his desire while they could. The black wolf's fur was so rich, so deep, that it seemed to absorb all light. Detail was a bit difficult to make out, but the satin sheen of the coat gave a little definition to the exposed curves and such. Dieter's fur had a strange quality to it that not many had - it was a tad iridescent with a purple so deep that it wasn't noticeable unless you were really looking. Dark eggplant was the closest thing Marc could think of to cement the color in his mind's eye, but even that didn't really do justice to the shimmering quality.
Dieter was tall for... well, anyone. While most guys seemed to exist between five-ten and six-two, Dieter seemed even taller than that. His build wasn't super slim, nor super-built; he had muscles on his arms and legs along with definition in other areas, and a well-toned belly, but wasn't someone Marc would describe as "buff". Rather, Dieter's body was nearly perfect - tall, dark, and handsome. His rump was neither small nor large - it was... perfect, as far as Marc was concerned. Above it sprouted a tail almost as long as the wolf's legs, and surprisingly bushy. It wasn't huge in terms of fluff, but it was still large for the average wolf tail. Marc had thought about it frequently - what he imagined it felt like, what it must be like to snuggle into the bushy fur and hold it close to him...
As far as the most important bit was concerned - the black wolf's cock - Marc had no idea what Dieter was packing. Employees spent almost all their time hidden under their bright orange aprons, and catching a glimpse of Dieter's package on the rare occasion he wasn't "in uniform" had proven unsuccessful, especially since Marc had no desire to be caught looking.
"You okay?." Marc finally asked while Dieter was rummaging through the pockets of his apron with the look of someone not expecting to find what they'd hoped for.
"Hmm? Yeah," Dieter said after looking up and seeing Marc at the door. "Just realized I left my tape half-way across the store, and I need to attach a bunch of pallet signs to these damn things," he said as his arm swept wide, indicating several pallets of new product for the Garden Department that had come in on the night's delivery.
"Oh, here," Marc said as he dug into his apron and produced a roll of packaging tape that everyone was supposed to carry if they worked the overnight freight-handling shift. Marc gave a quick nod as he tossed the roll to Dieter, who snatched it out of the air. "Thanks, Marc."
"No problem."
"I don't suppose you've got the time and inclination to help me with these," Dieter said as tore a piece of tape by biting the edge and ripping the strip in two.
"I think I can manage that," Marc said.
How long had Marc been standing in the door? He wasn't moving when I first saw him, Dieter thought to himself as he secured the first of several tags to the pallet he was kneeling in front of. He let his mind wander and picture Marc as he began with the next sign. He pictured layers - the apron, the shirt, the pants, the underwear; he mentally stripped Marc as he had a few times before. Under all those layers of superfluous (as far as Dieter was concerned) fabric lie what Dieter imagined to be a very attractive young body. He didn't know Marc's age, but knew he couldn't be younger than twenty-two or twenty-three, which Dieter still considered acceptable at his twenty-eight.
Most of Marc's body appeared to be covered in a light-brown fur that traversed his arms, legs, part of his torso, and most of his head. The creamy-beige color that began at Marc's chin splashed down the front of his neck before spreading out just above his pecs and disappearing behind whatever shirt he was wearing. Dieter had never gotten to see more, but certainly wouldn't mind seeing all. He imagined the tawny color covering most of Marc's front - a front that didn't have quite the muscle definition Dieter's did, but was definitely still within the realm of "highly attractive" for the black canine. Marc was by no means fat or chubby, but he didn't have quite the "solid" build Dieter did. The black wolf imagined the younger pup's body having just a bit of padding, which was something Dieter liked on some guys. Marc was no exception.
He wasn't interested in a relationship with anyone, but he wouldn't mind a good, juicy dick to slurp on, either. Marc sure as hell was cute - no, not cute... somewhere between cute and handsome. He kept his headfuzz short, and his muzzle supported a pair of glasses that suited his face. He kept his beard neat and clean. It was a style Dieter happened to like. The brown facial fur started at the chin, following the lines of the jaw, then suddenly shot upwards before meeting the sideburns in front of Marc's ears. The black wolf had no clue what the style was called, but he liked it, particularly on Marc.
Dieter had stolen glances at the tan-and-brown furred pup from time to time, but tried to keep it under wraps. Last thing he needed was any sexual harassment claims or the like. Awkward situations at work were best avoided, as he'd learned from a less-than-pleasant experience from a few years prior.
The two of them worked in silence, and were done shortly. Dieter handed the roll of tape back to Marc with a nod and a "Thanks."
"Nee-, uh, want any help with anything else?," Marc asked with a slight change of expression. Most people wouldn't notice, but Dieter did. He caught a hint of what he thought to be a mix of desperation and deflation, and didn't know where he got the idea that there was desperation of any sort in Marc's face. He figured the deflation probably came from the stutter at the beginning of his sentence, though.
"Nah, I'm good."
Was that... did his shoulders just droop?, he thought as he turned to let his eyes follow Marc's exit. Shut up, horndog. Don't go barking up the wrong wood. Wood? Really? Put your dick back in your mou- PANTS! Put it back in your PANTS, dumbass! He shook his head and chuckled at his own ridiculous state of horniness as he resumed his work.
One o'clock in the morning had arrived, and it was time to clock out and head home. He was a bit bored and nowhere near ready to sleep, and the night's work had helped him build up a bit of an appetite. He had a strange craving for the kind of breakfast food served at the large chain restaurants that crossed the country. Didn't happen often, but the cravings were hard to resist. As he walked across the store towards the front employee exit used during the night, he weighed his options. He didn't really relish the idea of sitting in a sit-down by himself, no matter how strong the craving was. Maybe he'd just grab a couple burgers from a drive-thru on his way home.
He nodded towards Jared, his supervisor, as he approached the door, which had to be slid open manually as the power to them was shut off after closing time. As the lithe cougar pulled back on the divide between the doors granting passage for Dieter, he tossed out one of his usual departing lines.
"Have a good one, Jare."
"You too, 'Deet'," the catamount said, knowing the response he'd get. Dieter obliged by snarling sarcastically at the buff-colored feline, who just chuckled as Dieter slipped through.
A moment passed before he heard Jared say, "Take it easy, Marc."
"Likewise."
He's leaving, too... huh. What the hell, why not...
The black wolf turned with his hands in his coat pockets, one of them fishing out his car keys. "Don't suppose you're hungry, are ya?"
"Yeah, I could eat. Why, whatcha thinkin'?" The lighter lupine cocked his head slightly to the side as he looked to Dieter, wondering what the black lupine had in-mind.
"I've got a bad craving for Benny's, but I hate sitting alone at those places. Wanna come?"
Both of their spirits jumped a little as Marc nodded. "Yeah... I do."