{"sf1_id":956238,"sf2_id":"ve3K9Lve","title":"Burdens - Chapter 108: Deal","author":"Zerink","words":1092,"posted_at":"2016-01-19T19:50:00.000Z","tags":["Fox","Lion","Plot Development","Short Story","Story","Wolf","plot"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/956238-burdens-chapter-108-deal","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/ve3K9Lve","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/11/fa/11fa708a-c860-4bd1-ab23-736b4ebc35eb","description":"#108 of Burdens\n\nHope you guys like it. Sorry for the long hiatus. I'm working on them, but uploading is going to be an issue.","content":"Chapter 108: Deal\n\nRoger's attention was brought back to his computer when he heard the notification pop up. His lion friend, Greg, had sent him a message, which seemed a bit more common than the fox sending any.\n\nThe lion told the fox that he was sorry to hear that he was in pain, to which the fox said that it was fine.\n\nRoger typed in his own way of shrugging off the problem and changed the subject. He asked the lion what he was doing these days, and what his plans were for the future.\n\nGreg took a bit of time to respond, but when he did, he spoke of his work. It had been a fairly busy time at the office, according to the lion, and subsequently, he had been going around on business trips for the past few weeks. He listed off several places, most of which the fox was not familiar with, that he had visited. He mentioned that he had one more place to visit before he could finally return home and relax.\n\nCurious, but mostly out of politeness, the fox asked where the next place would be, and where home was for the lion, specifically. He did not really know much about his friend, only that he was a lion and in his mid forties. He only just then learned that he worked in an office. He wondered if that would be his life in the future.\n\nIt took a moment once more to acquire a response. For a while, the fox stared at his screen unblinkingly, rereading the name of the city.\n\nConfused, he asked about it. The name of the city was coincidentally the same as one not twenty minutes from him, but it was not that uncommon of a name. He thought for a moment, and figured that even if it were nearby, it would not matter much to him, but it was still interesting for the fox.\n\nThe lion confirmed that it was indeed the city near him, or more specifically, it was merely a part of the city he lived in. The fox thought to himself that it was quite a small world if such things could occur.\n\nHe explained to the lion that he lived relatively nearby. He jokingly mentioned that perhaps they could grab lunch together one day, but it was only partially a joke.\n\nGreg agreed, however. He said that he would be there until that Sunday, and the meetings ended Friday, so he had a little time to spend and explore. He expressed to the fox that it would be nice to finally meet him, and if possible the wolf that he had heard so much about.\n\nA nagging thought in the back of the fox's mind came to light, and hesitantly, he asked if it would be odd for them to meet. After all, they had only spoken on the internet and they hardly knew each other except by a first name and now where they lived. Roger was still in high school. Greg was much further in his life.\n\nThe lion agreed that it might appear odd to some, but he assured the fox that he had no ulterior motives. Still, there was not really any way to prove it, so he offered an idea. They would meet in a public venue, and the lion would send him a picture in but a moment so that the fox knew what he looked like, but he would not know what Roger looked like. If the fox got cold feet, he could retreat at any point and just message him, calling the meeting off.\n\nIt was an acceptable proposition.\n\nNow the issue was the time. The only viable options were Saturday or early Sunday. Sunday, however, was to be reserved for packing and traveling, so it narrowed the day down to Saturday.\n\nRoger offered the name of the café they had been to, which, unfortunately, turned up several results. He searched for the one nearby and after a moment was able to give the lion a proper address. It was a short walk for the fox, and he hoped would not be too painful.\n\nThe deal was made. They would meet around lunch, Saturday, at the aforementioned café. Roger planned to arrive a bit earlier to scout the lion out and ultimately determine whether or not the meeting should take place. He just hoped that his friend was not a pedophile and it were all just a trap. He had read somewhere online where such things happened.\n\nHe needed to tell Hunter, as well. He did not worry about the wolf being able to protect himself from such a threat, but he did worry about himself. Still, he knew the wolf would protect him if it really came down to it. A bodyguard, but a bit more invested into what he was guarding, in more ways than one.\n\nHis head pulsed and throbbed. He said his goodbyes to the lion, who had wished him better health.\n\nIt was getting late into the night and he needed to rest up for the next day, if not just for school, to wish the wolf well and hold him dear.\n\nHe crawled into bed, but sleep did not come. Instead, it felt like lying down caused more blood to rush into his head and made it throb much more painfully. He got up, which made him slightly dizzy, and walked over to get more painkillers and a glass of water.\n\nGulping them down, he immediately felt better. A placebo effect, he figured, but maybe he was also a bit dehydrated. He would see pretty soon if the painkillers would be worth their weight, which was not much.\n\nUnder the covers, he tossed and turned, each motion causing him a little more agony, but it was beginning to dull. He really did need to see that doctor, he thought. Maybe it was the flu. Maybe it was something else. Either way, he could not act his best if he felt such a way.\n\nPerhaps he was just tired. A night's rest would help him.\n\nLess than a week to meeting a stranger. Roger began to feel a little anxious, but he smelled Hunter in his sheets, and a little bit of their lust in the air. He smiled to himself and felt reassured. There was nothing to worry about, he thought to himself.\n\nHe thought about the lion for a moment longer. Had he made the right decision?\n\nTime would tell.\n\n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Burdens","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/956236-burdens-chapter-107-struggle.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/956243-burdens-chapter-109-lapse.json"}}