{"sf1_id":850861,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Manuki","author":"The Tailless Bobcat","words":7064,"posted_at":"2015-04-21T17:35:00.000Z","tags":["Arctic Fox","City","Clean","Drama","Fursuit","Human","No-Yiff","Transformation"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/850861-manuki","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/850861","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=850861\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"\"I have to do this. I can't have you\nanymore.\" Tears streamed down the orange-haired man's face as he held out the\nsoft white animal suit in front of him, the bottom parts of it being lifted up\nby the wind every few seconds or so. \"You... were a part of my life for so long,\" the man sputtered out, \"and now...\" He sighed, the slight gust blowing\nhis bangs to the side. \"Now, I have\nto put you down.\" He brought the suit up to his lips with shaking hands and\nkissed its muzzle. \"Goodbye, Manuki, my sweet, sweet fox.\"\nThe man stuffed the suit under his right arm. With\nslow, sorrowing steps, he headed for the trash bin in front of him, lifting its\nlid after several long seconds of dismay. With hesitation, he slowly placed the\ncostume among the garbage, among the bags of waste that purged his nose with an\nobvious stink. His head swiveled this way and that in suspiciousness as he shut\nthe lid. The emotion was too much, for he, Tyler George Lutzmann, had been\nconnected to Manuki for the better part of eight years. In fact, Manuki was a\ncharacter that he had made to represent himself alongside others in a subset of\nscience fiction and fantasy communities called the furry fandom. He had found\nthis particular fandom while browsing on an art website. At the time, it fit\nperfectly, as it would often bring back memories of the books he had read as a\nyoung kid. In the eight years that followed, Tyler became engrossed in that\nsmall community, creating and sharing his own art he'd done of Manuki and of\nother friend's personas he had known from the Internet. He would eventually\nbecome a regular at conventions dedicated to the fandom around his home of San\nFrancisco. In his fifth year at one such meeting, Tyler brought his creation to\nlife, complete with a moving jaw for speech. The suit was by no means terribly\nexpensive to make, but for Tyler, it had all paid off well. He remembered the\nstrange looks people gave him as he strutted by, their countenances shattered\nby a young man in a canine suit. But Tyler didn't care, at least not that year.\nReality always seemed to avoid him, at least, until a couple of years ago. That\nwas when graduation hit. All of a sudden, college began to take up more of his\ntime. What was worse was that he was harassed (by his new dorm-mates, no less)\nat the local convention that year. The memories still haunted him, the\nbeatings, the arrest, and the ultimatum from his parents to \"lose the fursuit\nor never face reality again\". The added pressure, coupled with further\nbullying, was what convinced Tyler to shut down all accounts linked to his\ncharacter two months beforehand. It was too much, and this dumping of the\nfursuit served as the last blow to Manuki, the death kiss goodbye. The arctic\nfox had been life and happiness for Tyler, and in the wake of his symbolic death,\nthe man simply was at a loss of motivation. But thunder was starting to roll\nin, and in his aimless daze, the man rose up, flipped his lapels and walked\naway, his furry diamond left amongst the trash, illuminated only by a single\nflickering streetlamp.\n            The\nstorm flashed and roared with the wind, rattling the garbage container and its\ninterior contents. Another, more vibrant shock of lightning coated part of the\nbin in a bluish-white light, followed by a strong breeze, which toppled the bin\nover onto its side. After rolling a quarter-circle, the lid dropped down,\nrevealing the snow-white fursuit within. The head of it resembled a fox in\nincredibly realistic detail, from the slender canine snout to the lime glass\neyes that nearly spoke the words of life. Suddenly, a violet bolt of\nelectricity struck the costume, the aftershocks sparking and jumping around the\nfur of the garment before stopping dead in their tracks.            For\na moment, not a thing moved.            Then,\nan internal skeleton began to form, beginning with the fox's head. Pops and\ncracks were heard as the head filled out into existence, the eyes twinkling\nwith sentience. The fangs of the developing creature quickly sharpened and\nroughened in texture, gaining the properties of solid bone. Once the skull of the\nfox had been fully formed, the growth moved downward. Muscles, sinews and\njoints began to take shape, all of them being an unevenly split mixture of\nhuman and canine traits. As the slim body continued to form, the fox gained\nsentience, and could suddenly recall his name. He couldn't yet move due to the\nfact that his thin, lean arms were still forming, but he could hear the thunder\nand lightning, their cacophony giving life to the night air. The fox quickly\nsnapped his eyes shut and waited. He normally despised the thought of waiting\n(especially when he was tied to his human creator), but under these\ncircumstances, he had no other option. A grimace formed across his muzzle as\nthe lower half of his chest was created, along with his strong legs and pawed\nfeet. In both cases, it was excruciating as he imagined a rebirth would be. However,\nthey were part of the last areas to take shape, and in being so, they marked\nthe end of the reanimation of Manuki.            The\nwhite fox opened his eyes\nand laid still, his body still on the pavement of the blackened alleyway. The\nquick transformation into a living, breathing specimen had meant that the\ngarbage bin was now a quarter of the size than it had been when he was\ninanimate, and as it happened, his right foot was caught in the green\ncontainer, claws of it digging into the bags within. With a furrowed brow\noverlooking his predicament, Manuki grabbed the sides of the bin and pushed it\naway from his trapped foot, the fur on the digitigrade limb now gleaming in the\nrestored light of the streetlamp. He gave the bin another kick and then rose up\non his feet, his tail slightly wagging in curiosity at his surroundings. He\nswiveled his hand-like paws a few times before looking around, darkly tipped\nears flicking instinctively at sonic details. From a few feet away, a sidewalk stretched\ninto infinity, illumined every now and then by pools of lamplight. With an air\nof interest, the fox took a few steps forward and stopped, his lime eyes\nwidening in remembrance. A tiny convenience store had revealed itself behind\nthe mortared brick wall, its alighted sign written in Old English script, yet\ncompletely legible.            \"Georgina's,\"\nhe read in a slow whisper. The name rolled off nicely on his tongue, as it\nbrought to him a memory of his creator wearing his skin, walking into the store\nto buy an item of some sort. He also seemed to remember that the moniker of the\nestablishment was, in fact, the name of the person working at the cash machine.\nThat last recollection brought a human smile to his muzzle. I'm gonna' go inside, he decided, and see if Georgina can get me any clothes.             The\nradiator in the whitely lit store was loud, buzzing over the tinny music that\nplayed on the antique PA system. Manuki's right ear flicked in annoyance at the\ndroning hum that enveloped his hearing so violently, but after a few seconds,\nit started to bleed into the background. His nose picked up human scent and he\nfollowed it to the cash machine, stopping in front of rows of magazines,\nchewing gum and other mundane objects that workers would place near the\nentrances of such stores. As he drummed his clawed fingers on the wooden\ncounter, he surveyed his surroundings, finding his predicament rather propitious\nin nature despite his current lack of garments. However, that feeling suddenly\nvanished into thin air when Manuki readjusted his gaze back to the clipboards\nbehind the cashier's desk. He had heard footsteps immediately beforehand; now\ntheir owner stood before him, a portly old woman, her face wide-eyed and stiff\nwith horror. Red hair glinted in the dull light of the store as the woman quickly\nscrambled over to the cash machine, her eyes attempting to feign ignorance\ntowards the white humanlike fox. Noticing the lady's apprehensive state, Manuki\ncrossed his arms and leaned in, hunching his shoulders upward as he surveyed\nher with caring eyes.               \"Georgina,\"\nhe said softly, \"it's okay. I'm not dangerous.\" The woman peered up from her\nfumbling money-filled hands, her eyes still enlarged with fear. She pointed a\ntrembling finger at the fox.             \"H-how\nthe devil,\" she exclaimed, \"d'you\nknow my name?\" Manuki smiled, chuckling a little to himself, his tail-tip\ncurling inwards. \"Oh! Well...\" He\nscratched the back of his head. \"That's a very long story, actually. But,\" he\nadded, sticking out a paw, \"we can introduce\nourselves.\" An awkward silence pervaded between the two, with Georgina taking\nthe brunt of it. Manuki could tell that she was trying her best to ignore him,\nto disregard the unbelievable. He had seen this attitude expressed quite openly\nin his previous life as second skin, faint rubbings of fur and leather and\ndenim reminding him of past rejections by humankind. If she accepts my existence, the white fox pondered, then this'll\nbe the first step towards my integration into human society. He smiled, his\nbushy tail animated by his happiness. Hopefully\nI'll get to see my creator again...            Georgina accepted the fox's offer, grabbing a hold of\nhis paw and shaking it heavily. \"Well, y'already know my name,\" she admitted,\nletting it go. \"What's yours?\"            \"Manuki,\"\nthe canine answered. His smile still showed across his muzzle as he straightened\nback up, his lean smooth-furred muscles accentuated by grey-black shadows. He\ntapped a claw at the desk for a few seconds, watching as Georgina plunked more\nmoney into the ancient cash bank. Then he cocked his head to the side and\nasked, \"Do you sell any clothes here,\nby any chance?\"             The\ncashier looked at him quizzically. \"What d'you need clothes for?\" She returned to searching through her change, opening\nthe drawer again. \"You're an animal,\nfor heaven's sake. What would an animal want with clothes?\"            Manuki's\nsmile quickly faded from his muzzle. \"I... just need them for dressing up,\" he\nanswered with a sigh. When Georgina continued to disregard him skeptically, he\nadded, \"It's to surprise a good friend of mine.\" The cashier's eyes darted up\nat Manuki for a second before giving the fox a disappointed scowl. \"Sorry,\" she said, \"I don't have no clothes for you.\nBetter place for you to go is...\" She sauntered around the counter, sidestepping\nthrough the little metal flap-gate before stopping in front of the handsome\nfox. He was not much taller than Georgina. In fact, his head hung only a\nhalf-inch above hers. \"You know this city well?\"Manuki jumped, shocked out of his trance. He had been\nenvisioning thoughts about his creator, how he'd approach him, what he'd say. He\ncould see him, a young man with flame-hued hair embracing his creation. The\nsensation of hands coursing through fur had gripped Manuki, but the feeling\nvanished with Georgina's call.\n\"Oh.\" He blinked and shook his head, readjusting his\nvision towards her. \"Yeah,\" he said, adding with a shrug, \"kind of, yeah.\" \"Well,\nup on this street,\" Georgina explained, pointing a finger for direction, \"is a\nsmall clothin' store. 'S called Goodhill's. Pretty easy t' miss, if you ask\nme.\" Manuki nodded at her suggestion. \"Cool,\" he said. He then gave thanks to\nthe lady and bid goodbye to her with a giddy wave of a paw. \"Now,\" he muttered\nas he stepped outside, \"to find this Goodhill's...\"\nNight seemed to be quickening fast for\nTyler. The storm had passed just as rapidly as it had arrived, and as he had\nbeen heading back to his dorm, he got to catch a bit of lightning here and\nthere. He thought he had seen a bright violet bolt pass behind the trees in the\nmini-maelstrom, but when the next flash came, it was back to its natural white\nlight, tingeing the clouds blue with energizing flickers of brilliance. He had\nthought about that moment for a while, even questioning his sanity, until he\ncame across the door of the college residence building. It was then that Tyler\ndecided to halt his thoughts, partially because of the tiredness that was\nstarting to creep up on him. His body gradually began to feel its effects (drooping\nhead and all) as he lumbered through the halls of the residence. His room was\nnumber two sixty-four, a trip to the second floor. Normally Tyler would use the\nstairs for such a venture, but he was terribly exhausted at this time of night,\nand as such, he decided to use the elevator. As he stepped in and pressed the\nbuttons for the second floor, an aching, dismal sadness returned. Manuki. He leaned back and closed his eyes. Memories came,\nones of wearing that white furred suit, playing the character he deeply loved.\nIt was a part of him, and to throw that all away was akin to losing a very\nclose friend of his. He opened his eyes just as the doors began to pull away,\nrevealing a fairly lit corridor with a saffron carpet. Stepping out, he\nsurveyed the intervals corresponding to the left and right hallways. He took\nthe right side and found his room, unlocking its door with the key he always\nkept in his pant pockets. The room was small and white, the\ncarpeted floor stained beyond repair. A large window at the back overlooked the\ncampus grounds, dark trees complementing a single lonely streetlamp. Tyler's\nbook-filled desk stood in front of it all, a computer flanked by stacks of\ncomic books and adult novels, most of them being furry. Tyler flopped himself\nonto the bed beside the desk, stripping his sneakers off before flinging his\ncoat onto the floor. Forcing himself into a fetal position, he hugged the\npillow and breathed heavily, tears fighting to come out of his eyes. Manuki. He couldn't get the fox, his fox, out of his mind. To throw that\npersona away meant the death of his beloved imagination and the birth of a\nlong, long journey towards \"proper\" adulthood (if there ever was such a thing).\n\"Manuki,\" he breathed out, \"I am sorry... that I had to put you down.\" He\nsqueezed his eyes shut, tears gushing out and wetting his eyelashes. \"May you\nrest in peace.\" After what seemed like hours of quiet\nsobbing, a ringing sound came to Tyler's ears. Jerking his head up, he slowly\nrose to sit on the edge of his bed, his hands groping in the darkness for the\nsound's source. Suddenly, another ring emanated from the black, followed by the\ndistinctive green light of his phone. He had forgotten all day about his phone,\nas he had left it sitting on the desk when he'd hurried to his first lecture in\nthe morning. With shaking hands, he grabbed the device, pushed the call button\nand slowly brought it up to his ear.\"Hello?\" He said it drowsily, rubbing his\nfree hand against one heavy eye. A youthful feminine voice greeted him back. It\nwas Carrie, his girlfriend of five years. They had first met back in eighth\ngrade. Initially, Tyler never wanted to tell Carrie about his interests because\nhe thought that he would be frowned upon. But as he started to know her more,\nhe found that she was very open-minded of unconventional concepts, regardless\nof other's opinions. That realization was what drove him to bring a drawing of\nManuki to school one day. He could still remember Carrie's elated reaction upon\nlaying her eyes on his piece, as he was a very skilled artist for his age.\nSince then, their friendship blossomed, carrying throughout high school and\ninto college. In fact, it was Carrie who would always come to conventions with\nhim, which showed that she highly respected and admired his artwork.\"You seem quiet,\" Carrie noted across the\nline. \"Is something bothering you?\" Tyler closed his eyes, took a heavy breath\nand opened them. \"Yeah,\" he sighed,\nbefore announcing, \"I... I just threw Manuki away.\" There was a brief pause.\nThen, Carrie spoke. \"Wait, you mean your, um, \"fursona\" or\nwhatever you call him?\"\"Yes.\"\"Why?\"\nHe sighed\nagain. He hadn't told her the reason yet. Doing so would surely break his\nheart, his soul that craved fun, imagination and endless creativity. So he told\nher that it was a long story. That he had a promise to talk to her about it\ntomorrow. The two friends shared their goodbyes before he hung up. \nTyler\nLutzmann let his phone drop onto the floor while he leaned against the wall,\nhis tears flowing completely now, wetting his hands, his sheets. It was going to\nbe a long night, and he wanted it to end immediately.\n \"Out,\" cried\nthe shopkeeper, \"out, out!\" The man\nof Indian descent shoved Manuki onto the sidewalk, his distaste apparent in his\nwidened eyes, framed by big thick-rimmed glasses. The fox looked back over his\nshoulder and held out a paw, trying to form a protest with his muzzle. However,\nthe man clearly looked like he had other plans, as he promptly left the door\najar. When it closed a second later, Manuki heaved himself to his feet and\nimmediately started to walk along, emitting a deep growl as he went. His hands\nballed into fists as he recalled what had just happened. There he was, going\ninto the store for some clothes. He had just picked out an old clean jacket and\nsome denim shorts to buy. Then, he'd asked a lady shopping at the place if he\ncould borrow her money to purchase the items. That was when the shopkeeper\nstormed in and exclaimed (in severely limited English) his aversion towards \"beast-people\",\nresulting in Manuki's eventual shoving-out. The fact that the man insulted him\nwas highly bothering the fox at the moment. But it was not like he hadn't been offended before. Indeed, he\ncould recall one specific instant when, in his life as a garment, a group of\nblack-clad humans came walking by and called him names far worse than the\nshopkeeper's taunt. The fox sighed. \"Well,\" he muttered, \"at\nleast he reminded me of how ignorant people can be sometimes.\" He sidestepped\nonto the road without much thought. Besides,\nhe added in his mind, my main goal right\nnow is to blend into society so I can find--A quick flash of light caught the far\nright side of his vision, accompanied by a false clicking sound. He stopped,\nhis bushy tail going rigid and stiff, before slowly turning his wide-eyed\nvisage towards the flash's direction. His mouth immediately went agape, as\nbefore his eyes stood a short brunette he recognized as being his creator's\nfriend, a female by the name of Carrie Ashbury. \"Holy crap,\" he heard her whisper. For what seemed like the longest time imaginable,\nCarrie and Manuki stared at each other and said nothing else. The former\nremained bewildered, even as she stored away her mobile device, while the\nlatter straightened his posture and relaxed his tail. Then, the fox marched up\nto Carrie, stepping back onto the sidewalk, and said, \"I'm happy that you\nremember me.\"She looked at him with an air of confusion. \"Um, no.\"\nHer eyes traced the lean furry body until they met his vibrant eyes. \"Wait...\" The fox smiled at the oncoming\nrealization, watching as the sides of her mouth slowly but surely started to\nquiver. \"Are you,\" she questioned thinly, \"my boyfriend's persona?\"\"Yes,\" Manuki replied, \"yes, I am.\" A smile spread\nacross his muzzle as he said those words, his tail gracefully lashing at the\nair in happiness. The joy ceased to last, however, as Carrie quickly tore\nherself away from the canine, turning her back to him. \"Carrie...\" He put a paw\non her shoulder. \"Carrie,\" he said again, \"I know this is hard to believe, but\nI came back to find your friend, who in essence is my creator.\" He emphasized the last point with a paw to his chest. \"Besides,\"\nhe continued, crouching on his feet pads next to her, \"we have both known you to be quite the wide-open\nhuman being.\" He offered his hand towards her. \"So, with that out of the way,\" he diverted, \"can you promise to show me the\nropes so that I can see him again?\" Carrie stared down at the appendage that invited her,\na hybrid of hand and canine paw, and the tips of each finger ending in sharp\nblack claws that glinted in the light. She then gazed at the fox's calm\nexpression, his eyes showing a sentient form of deep care and understanding.\nSmiling, she slid her hand into his. \"Alright, Manuki,\" she promised, \"I'll try\nto do that.\"His happiness swarmed back into him, and as he sprung\nback up onto his feet, he had thoughts of finally seeing his creator again, of\nbecoming one with the human race, with a proper life to call his own. He\nclapped his paws together and turned to Carrie, a contented purr-like noise\nemanating from his throat. \"Thank you, Carrie,\" he acknowledged, before asking\nher, \"Do you have any clothing for men\nat your place, by any chance?\" She looked at his whiskered face with a disappointed\nfrown and shook her head. \"No,\" she answered, \"but I can get some if you want.\"\nThe canine nodded, watching her turn around to face him. \"Want to go?\"\"Okay,\" said Manuki, \"sure.\" They started to walk\ntogether, side by side, down the dark footway, the supple fox's tail bobbing in\nthe air with each step. A minute later, the duo were waiting for traffic to\ncease, and as they stood on that desolate rounded cement corner, the fox told\nthe woman that she needed scissors and a roll of measuring tape with his\nclothes. \"What for?\"\"My tail. Y'know, for the tail-hole.\" \nShe giggled, said, \"Okay,\" and crossed the street\nwith the fox, a street that just happened to feature a superstore on the other\nside. Manuki read the name and gulped. Here\nwe go, he pondered, another outing,\nthis time at the big store. He pushed such doubts away before entering.\nThus, the quest for anthropomorphic civility in San Francisco had begun, and\nManuki was to be its main focus.\n            A\ntiny jangling tune awoke Tyler from his sleep, its miniature cacophony pulling\nhim out of the veil of dreams. He started to rise, rubbing his bleary eyes, until\nhe caught sight of his phone lying on the floor. The blinking of its message\nalert light prompted him to sit up completely on the edge of the bed. He\nplucked the device off of the floor and pressed its central trackball. A screen\nalighted in front of him, splashing his face in artificial glow. On it, a\nmessage showed, one from Carrie, containing a single image file. He scrolled\ndown and clicked on it.            His\nmind paused in incomprehension. There, frozen in time amid dark yellows and\nblacks stood an anthropomorphic fox, its muscles lithe and lanky, the one ear\nof its narrow-muzzled profile cocked straight at the camera. It stood quite\nbent over on its hybrid legs, as if--he, Tyler\ncorrected--were ready to spring forward in attack. Tyler separated his eyes\naway, blinked them and then returned to the image. It was still there.             Has someone got a hold of my fursuit already?            He\nwas thinking of sending that thought in message form back to Carrie when the\nphone jingled again. Suddenly, a text indicator notice pulled up on the bottom\nof the screen. He scrolled past the photo and clicked on it. A text message,\nplain and simple, sent from Carrie: FYI,\nManuki is real.             There\nwas that name again. Tyler laid back against the wall in skepticism. He had\njust thrown his suit out many hours before; how else could he explain its resurgence\nother than having a new owner? He thought of Carrie's text message, its simple words\nattempting to inform him of an impossible arising that he doubted even\nhappened. But then again, his mind had the capacity to imagine such things, as\nevidenced by the art that he used to create just a few months prior. Regardless\nof this, he was still unconvinced. As he lifted the phone and typed out his\ndoubts to her, he was hoping she'd admit the whole thing to be a hoax.             Time\nstretched out as Tyler waited, rubbing his unshaven beard in impatience. Then,\nthe tune sounded. He read the message. Ty, he read silently,\nI swear to god, nobodys wearing your fur-suit. He's a living thing now. He inhaled heavily, stifling a chuckle as he did so. Carrie, he typed back, you can't be serious. He let his phone\nrest on the seat of his thigh, bouncing it with his leg. Two alerts sounded,\none after the other. Sighing, Tyler studied the new messages. One was a text\nand the other seemed to be a video. \"Hm,\" he droned briefly. He read the text\nfirst.I am, babe, it read, he was\ntalking to me when I saw him. Don't worry I didnt believe him either, until he\nconvinced me. We went to W-M to pick out his clothes. If you still don't\nbelieve me, I have a video of it.Which was, he saw now, the clip below. Hesitation\ngripped him for a second, the feeling of disbelief still fresh in his head.\nHowever, the screenshot behind the play button was promising, as it displayed\nthe same white canid from the picture, his back and bushy tail to the camera,\nflanked to the right by rows of colored socks. As far as Tyler could tell,\nthere seemed to be no telltale signs that the form was a suit, as the fox's\ndelicately shaped back had nary a zipper to be seen. His eyebrows arched down\nin befuddlement. That's pretty... weird.\nHe scrolled down and activated the clip, and it sprung to life.The fox, walking in front of the shakily held camera,\nis telling Carrie about his dressing references as they advance past the rows\nof cheap socks, avoiding the alarmed looks of shoppers around them. \"I prefer nice colors,\" he tells her, \"and also fine\nscents, too.\" His voice is slightly nasal and decidedly medium-pitched. When\nCarrie questions the fox's latter interest, he laughs a yip-like sound and\nflicks his tail to the right. \"I'm a fox,\" he replies, \"remember?\" He scratches\nthe back of his skull, his right ear flicking briefly, as they head into the\nshirt section. The camera stops shaking at this point as it focuses on the canine\nscanning through the various shirts hung in the aisle. He pauses for a moment\nto address the camera, his green eyes succinctly reflecting the lights of the\nstore. \"Carrie,\" he asks, holding up a clawed paw, \"can you please stop filming\nme? It's embarrassing.\" His face shows his irritation, with furrowed brows and\na straight scowl across his muzzle. Carrie begins to explain her purpose behind\nthe filming, but a young boy darting into the scene interrupts her. The child\nis perhaps the age of four, and he is clutching Manuki's tail, grasping at the\nfluffy fur before him. \"Look,\" Carrie says, \"there's someone behind you.\" The fox straightens himself, looking at the camerawoman\nwith an expectant glare. Then a pointing hand darts into the left side of the\nframe. Manuki follows her lead, eventually seeing the child behind him. A smile\nforms across his short snout as their eyes meet. He turns around and crouches\ndown next to the kid, still beaming. He offers the youngster a high-five, to\nwhich the boy happily accepts. They talk a while, the camera shaking a little at\ntimes, before the boy's mother comes. She stops in shock at the fox hanging out\nwith her son, but the canid assures himself to be of no harm. The mother asks\nher son for a picture with him and he innocuously agrees. \"Alright,\" Carrie announces, stilling the\ncamera, \"say cheese!\" After a second,\nshe realizes she has the wrong setting, and the video ends abruptly, mother,\nboy and fox together behind the replay button.For a slight second, Tyler's gaze remained fixed on\nthe image, its preternaturalness blanking out his mind. A severe lack of rest\nhad left him completely lethargic and emotionless. He was certain that if he\nwere to lie on his side, his consciousness would travel into darkness. Not so fast now, he thought, she's probably gonna' reply...\n...And she did. So,\ndo you want to meet him tomorrow? After 9? \nTyler sighed. He was on his back now, his eyes\nfeeling heavy and ready to close. His thumbs could barely move, but he managed\nto type out \"yes\" in lowercase letters before dozing off, his dreams forming\nthe faces of foxes and nothing else.\n            The\ndistant singsong of birds stirred Manuki awake. His highly perceptive sense of\nhearing spotted them out as he rolled onto his back, his eyes glaring up at the\nwood-boarded ceiling of the guest bedroom. He had found Carrie's house to be an\nadequate piece of space to stay in, much cleaner in contrast to the cluttered\nfloors and walls of his former home. The proprietor herself had been grateful\nenough to provide food, clothes and bedding for him, and he'd been all the more\nobliged for his fortune that night. As he got up, he became conscious of his\ntail, alive with the feeling of content and joy. He caught sight of a mirror to\nhis right and smiled, his homo-vulpine form staring back. She helped\nme a lot, he reminisced, and I truly respect her for that. Then,\nhe shook his head and murmured, \"What a fine, fine human being.\" With a newfound spring to his feet, the fox rose,\nglad for his friendly hospitality. He began to grope for his new clothes that\nCarrie had brought him the previous night: a cream-colored polo shirt and some\nlight denim shorts, the latter having been modified to allow his tail passage\nand movement. The faint, airy scent of the shorts hit him as he slid them on,\nrecalling his brushes with fame at the superstore merely hours after he'd first\ngained consciousness. The shocked looks people had given him were a fortunate\ndowngrade from his brief detour at Goodwill, but they were still reminders of\nhow much humanity outright loathed hybrids like him, Carrie and his creator\nexcepted. He grasped his shirt and pulled it on, eliciting more memories; this\ntime of the young boy he'd met that night. He had marveled at the youngster's\ncuriosity, the pure, innocent fearlessness that seemed to escape the minds of\nmost adult humans. If only I could remember\nwhat his name was...Suddenly, a new scent found its way to the fox, meaty\nyet overwhelmingly flavorful, with a hint of smokiness. His stomach rumbled,\nand he found himself at the bottom of the stairwell in a moment's time. He\nlooked around the grand, spacious living room, a wooden-floored area that\nincluded a small kitchen at its very back. His nose could clearly feel the\nscent now, as it was richer and more powerful than ever. He let it carry him to\nthe table with a saliva-coated tongue, barely noticing the form of Carrie\nworking hard on her guest's meal. \"Good morning, Manuki,\" Carrie said. She continued to\ncook on the stove, flipping a pancake with a scraper. The fox sat himself\nslowly and cautiously for the sake of his tail, and then looked across at the\nyoung female, readying his muzzle as he did so. \"Morning.\" He gave her a slight smile, crossing his\narms on the limestone table. \"How are you?\" Carrie turned around with the pan\nand provided Manuki a simple ceramic plate. \"I'm fine, thanks,\" she replied,\nfishing out two brown soft pancakes and three strips of bacon onto his platter.\n\"I just have to go to class in an hour.\" Manuki nodded and then started on his\nbreakfast, as the scent of the meal was too invigorating for the fox to ignore.\nCarrie giggled as she watched her guest from the sink, clearly amused by his\neagerness and his happily twitching tail. When he had completed his meal,\nCarrie fetched his plate and utensils and announced, \"You have a very special\nperson coming here at nine.\" For a second, the fox forgot the time. But then he\nsaw the clock hanging on the wall behind him. The hands were close to reading\n8:25. With an air of blank comprehension, he turned back to Carrie (who had by\nnow begun work on the dishes) and asked, \"Who is it?\" He thought he had sensed\na smile from the young woman, because her answer truly hinted at an approaching\ngreatness: \"It's a surprise. You'll know when you see him.\" Manuki's previously flattened ears perked up. \"Really?\"\nHe stared at her wide-eyed. \"It's not my creator, is it?\" Carrie sighed before\nstoring away the finished plates. \"Well, you're probably right,\" she said, stealing a\nglance at him, \"but let's just pretend it's a secret, okay?\" Manuki shrugged greatly, raising up a paw before\nletting it drop onto the table. \"Alright,\" he agreed, \"Seems fine to me.\" It actually wasn't fine to Manuki (as he dearly wished to see his creator again)\nbut he also did not want to spoil Carrie's offer. \"Manuki,\" she inquired him,\n\"what does the time say?\" He looked back over his shoulder at the clock, then\nto Carrie beside him. \"It's, uh, around nine,\" he responded, adding, \"You have\nto get ready, correct?\" Her eyes went wide at his reminder. \"Oh,\" she said, \"yes,\nI do.\" \nManuki watched as she quickly snatched up her pile of\nsupplies from the coffee table that faced the TV. With all of her materials\nunder one arm, she approached the fox, telling him about the uses of the\ntelevision remote (Big red power button, he\nrepeated mentally) and the location of drinks if needed (Inside the fridge, bottom right). Manuki nodded at her suggestions,\nhis tail swishing nonchalantly. \n\"So, I'll see you later?\"\n\n\"Yep,\" she said, flinging open the door, \"at eleven,\nalright?\" Manuki nodded as the door shut with a short click. \nAfter a minute of standing still, he decided to get\nhimself a drink, as his canine tongue was dying of thirst. His mind was at a\ncrossroads as he scoured the bottom row of beverages. Do I taste one of those flavors, he pondered, eyeing the soft\ndrinks, or do I stick to water? He\nrubbed his whiskers in thought.\n\"Meh,\" he\nmurmured, \"I'll stick to water.\" Just as his paw was ready to grab the clear\nplastic jug, he heard the door open, his ears swiveling back to catch the\nsound. Then a familiar voice called, masculine and unmistakable. Manuki rose up\nand turned around slowly, his instincts becoming aware of who the visitor was. When\nhis eyes finally fell upon the man and his orange-hued bangs, the arctic fox\nbroke into a wide, beaming grin and said (with great exhilaration), \"And so we meet.\"\n            Tyler\njust couldn't get his mouth closed. Try as hard as he might, but he just could not, because what was in front of\nhim far exceeded his expectations placed upon the video. Here was a living,\nbreathing version of his character standing right across Carrie's island table.\nThe fact that this was happening in reality (and not, say, in many of the\nnovels he'd read) boggled Tyler's mind greatly. As the cream-and-blue clad arctic fox sauntered over\nto him, he tried to piece together words, phrases\nthat he could say to his creation. However, his mind was all a mess as the fox\nembraced him, the whiskers of his character's taper-snouted visage brushing his\ncheek. Tyler suddenly realized that he'd breathing laboriously, so he slowed\nhis breath down and shut his eyes. Slowly but steadily, he picked up his arms,\nreached under the cloth and felt Manuki's smooth pelt. So soft. The fox murred in contentment, a soft rumbling sound,\nas Tyler buried his face in one well-rounded shoulder. The two suddenly broke\naway and stared for a second, the moment becoming tepidly awkward. Then, Manuki\nclasped his padded hands together and spoke. \"Well, are you going to say something, or what?\" The fox looked over at Carrie's\nrefrigerator. \"I was just going to have a drink of water...\" Tyler watched as his former fox opened the fridge\ndoor, staring blankly at the morph's fluffy tail. He wondered how his family\nwould be able to accept the presence of such a creature. After all, his father had been the one who persuaded\nhim to discard the fursuit for a real paid job. But now, upon discovering that\nthe fursuit had quite literally sprung to life, Tyler was beginning to question\nhis prospects of employment. He could imagine scenes before him, Manuki\ndisrupting his work, his future boss quarreling with the fox before tossing the\ncanine out, awkward conversations at home...The\nemotion was too much. Tyler bent down over the table nearest to him and rested\nhis head against his crossed arms, sobbing loudly. He heard the door slam\nbefore feeling fur against his shirt. Manuki's face awaited him with concern. \"Go away,\"\nTyler mumbled, his eyes still on the wood of the island. The fox's ears drew back in disappointment. My creator was never supposed to be like\nthis. He set the glass aside, then placed his paw onto the man's hand,\nrubbing it gently. \"My dear creator,\" he crooned, \"please. This isn't you. You\nwouldn't reject me. You wouldn't--\"\"This isn't about me,\"\nthe man interjected harshly, \"it's about my future\nand how you are going to screw it all\nup!\" Manuki's jaw hung incredulously. \"No,\" the fox breathed, \"I'm not going to\nscrew it all up. I just--\"\"No,\" his creator retorted, \"you are!\" The man was furious, his mouth clenched tight under glaring\neyes. \"You're gonna' be a distraction,\"\nhe continued, \"a mind-numbing distraction!\nWhy,\" the man rattled off, \"I can't even see myself having a job now, because I have to take care of\nsome stupid frickin'--\" \nA knock on the door interrupted Tyler's tirade. Him\nand Manuki exchanged glances, and then it opened. A cacophony of chatter and\nflashing cameras ensued a middle-aged lady, formally dressed, one hand\nclutching a reporter's microphone. She regarded Tyler with a nod before turning\nto Manuki, who was watching in wonder at the boom being set up near Carrie's\nTV. She snapped her fingers to draw the fox's attention. \"Standing beside me,\"\nthe reporter began, \"is the world's first bipedal talking fox. Manuki,\"--she turned\nher attention to him--\"how does that make you feel?\" The fox searched around the\nroom, then stopped at the camera. On its side read the grand red letters of\nCNN. He gulped and placed his muzzle closer to the microphone. \"Well, first of\nall,\" he said, \"how do you know my name?\"\n            \"All\nin all,\" Manuki concluded briskly, \"the interview went around fine.\" The arctic\nfox was now sitting at a patio table looking out over the sparkling blue waters\nof the San Francisco pier, flanked on both sides by Tyler and Carrie. Across\nfrom the trio sat Tyler's father (a well-built man with graying hair and thin\nglasses) and mother (a blond woman with a knack for flamboyance). When the two\nparties had met, they'd greeted Manuki with a civility that shocked his creator\nconsiderably, but the fox just smiled, glad for his respect to be honored among\nhumans. Now, as the group sat waiting for their drinks in silence, there seemed\nto be a peculiar air of a coming spectacle. Manuki couldn't place what it was,\nbut his vulpine ears sensed the conversations happening inside, some rushed,\nothers placidly skeptical. It was as oppressive as the solar heat that warmed\nhis back and forced his tongue out, silently niggling at the edges of his\nconscience. Immediately, a man stepped out of the doors calling his name. The\ncanine noticed him right away. \"Excuse me for a moment,\" he announced,\nregarding his friends, \"I'll be right back.\" He jogged to the entranceway,\nstopping near the man. He wore the standard black work uniform of the restaurant,\nwhich contrasted his fair appearance. \"Come inside,\" he said. Manuki followed\nhim in, conscious of his many onlookers, and seated himself in the bar. The\npeople to his left and right had their eyes glued to the televisions, unmoving\nin stillness. He began to ask the man of the reason for his withdrawal, but\nthen he picked up familiar words from the broadcast: \"...of these creatures have been spotted throughout the West, including\nthis latest discovery: a vixen, human-like like the others, found living in\nTwin Falls, Idaho.\" He looked up......And dropped his jaw in wonder. It was a vixen, like\nthe reporter had said, but her fur was a striking red, and orange head-fur hung\nabout her eyes in curved bangs. A shoulder bumped him out of his trance,\nbelonging to a burly, scruffily bearded man in a hanging tank top. \"Hey,\" he drawled, \"how you like 'er, eh? You think\nshe's a cutie?\" Color flushed under Manuki's eyes for the first time.\nHe didn't want to admit it, but he had a special fondness for vixens, and this\none was very... appealing to him. Reasons\nfloated around in his head, all of them rendered indiscernible by his\nembarrassment. How can I\ntell my crea--Tyler--about this? \"I have to... go,\"\nhe told the bartender uneasily. He rushed out to the patio and hastily returned\nto his seat, rapidly smoothing out his tail amid his heart's frantic beating. A\nhand touched him to his right. It was Tyler.  \"W-What's going on? Why are you nervous?\"Manuki panted a few breaths before glaring at his\ncreator. \"I-I think I've found a potential mate,\" he spurted out, \"so I need\nyou to help me hook up with her.\"                      "}