Turning Away

S.M. Wolf

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Tobias/Toby, Ezekiel, Mr. Wyrm, Principal Ellesmere, Frank and this story are copyrighted 2016 by S.M. Wolf. Turning Away (music and lyrics by Dougie MacLean and published by Limetree Arts and Music) is used without prior permission. The Connemara Stone Company version of the song, available on Amazon.com, is the inspiration for this story. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental. This story may not be reproduced in part or in whole without prior, written permission of the author.

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The older skunk walked down the city street. His tail snapped back and forth in time to the Celtic rock music blaring from his earbuds. The few adult pedestrians on the street glared at him as he walked by them. He was far too old to be acting so childish.

He just smiled at them, too happy to care what they thought.

As he walked past the stoops of the tightly spaced brownstone houses, the music continued on.

_In darkness we do what we can In daylight we're oblivion Our hearts so raw and clear Are turning away, turning away from here

On the water we have walked Like the fearless child What was fastened we've unlocked Revealing wondrous wild And in search of confirmation We have jumped into the fire And scrambled with our burning feet Through uncontrolled desire_

A van drove by him. He gave it a casual glance. His eyes narrowed the slightest bit for just a moment, but he was having too good a time to let things bother him.

It was one of those pseudo-holidays where the government including the schools were off but few if any others were closed. Kits and cubs ran past him on their way to the small neighborhood park. He watched them go and smiled even broader.

_In darkness we do what we can In daylight we're oblivion Our hearts so raw and clear Are turning away, turning away from here

There's a well upon the hill From our ancient past Where an age is standing Still holding strong and fast And there's those that try to tame it And to carve it into stone Ah but words cannot extinguish it However hard they're thrown_

The van went by again. This time, he looked at it closer and frowned. He noted the blacked out windows and how it slowed to a crawl as it went past the playground. From a block away, he followed it as it turned left and circled the playing children before disappearing down an alley.

The skunk frowned even more. With a sigh, he exclaimed to no one in particular, "Two days retired, and they are already pulling me back in!"

The skunk slipped into an alleyway between two Mom-and-Pop stores. The feral cat looking for dinner in the garbage cans stared at him as he walked into the shadows. She hissed when he disappeared into nothingness, leaving behind nothing but muted music.

In darkness we do what we can In daylight we're oblivion Our hearts so raw and clear Are turning away, turning away from here

Toby kicked the soccer ball and watched as it curved slowly past the diving goalie and into the net.

"Goooooooooooooooooooal!" he yelled as he went down to his knees and raised his fists in victory.

"Yeah, Hot Dog," the black cat goalie sulkily told the ten-year-old collie. "Don't rub it in."

Toby just laughed as he stood up.

"You beat me every time we go rock climbing, Frank," he told his best friend. "Let me have a moment of fun."

Frank could not stay mad at his canine friend.

"Okay, but next time you get to be goalie and I get to take shots at you!"

The pair laughed.

Neither noticed the van pass by the playing children.

They and their friends played soccer for another hour before calling it quits. Most headed home, but Toby decided to stay a bit to enjoy the bright, sunny Spring day. He plopped down beneath a budding tree and propped his head up on his soccer ball. The sunlight and warmth dulled his senses and made him sleepy. He did not notice most of the other kids heading home for dinner or the van that passed by him several more times.

With a start, Toby came to his senses. He looked at his watch. It was a quarter to four.

"Man, Mom is going to kill me if she gets home and I'm not there!" he said aloud as he jumped up, grabbed the ball and sprinted for home.

There was no way that he could make it in time, unless...

Toby had been warned several times about cutting through the back alleys, but if he stayed on the streets, his Mom would get home before him. What she did not know would not hurt her, he reasoned.

Toby ran down the back alley at a full sprint. He was so intent on getting home that he did not see the van in the side alley.

He did feel the wolf hit him hard enough to knock him down. His soccer ball went flying down the alleyway as the young dog landed hard.

"Nothing like stupid little shits like you making my life easy," the strange wolf said as he rolled Toby over onto his belly.

"Ow! Quit that!" Toby cried out in anger and surprise.

"Aw, did I hurt the little doggie?" the wolf said in a patronizing voice.

He rammed his right knee hard into the small of Toby's back. The young collie cried out in pain.

"Too bad!" the wolf said as he used a zip tie to secure Toby's paws behind his back. "You better get used to it, little fuck!"

Toby screamed again, but no one seemed to hear.

"Shut up, little bitch, or I'll give you a good reason to scream!" the wolf snarled as he hit Toby in the head again.

Toby's vision blurred from a combination of pain and tears.

"As a matter of fact, maybe I will give you a reason to scream.

Dully, Toby felt the wolf reach underneath him and grab the front of his pants. Adrenaline caused him to come fully alert as he felt the wolf unzip his pants and pull them down to his knees. He suddenly realized what was happening. He screamed and thrashed about in a desperate bid to get free.

Toby's rear hit the wolf in the crotch hard enough to cause the wolf to instinctively pull back from the pain in his testicles. It was just enough of an opening for the athletic young pup to squirm free and get to his feet.

Toby had taken three steps when the wolf grabbed him and slammed him face first into a brick wall. The air whooshed out of his lungs, and he slumped to the ground.

"Dirty little fucker! That hurt!" the wolf growled at the cowering dog. "I'm going to make you pay for that when I get you home!"

The wolf looked down and realized that Toby's small prepubescent testicles were exposed and unprotected.

"Maybe I'll just start now, though," he said as he drew back his right foot to kick the helpless pup.

Toby's face took on a look of utter fear.

"Oh, finally realizing what I'm going to do to you, before I skin you alive?" the wolf asked.

Toby made no reply.

"Well?" the wolf demanded. As he waited for the young dog to say something, it slowly dawned on him that the dog was looking past him. He turned.

The wall was covered in utter darkness. Seemingly from within it, music played.

By Loch Etive they have worked With their highland dreams By Kilcrennan they have nourished In the mountain streams. And in searching for acceptance They had given it away Only the children of their children know The price they had to pay

As the song played, two glowing golden eyes appeared within the darkness. At first, they were mere specks, but they kept getting bigger and bigger until they were the size of basketballs set ten feet apart.

A huge, heavily scaled, taloned hand reached out of the solid wall and grabbed the wolf. The wolf's lanky body was engulfed in the claws. With a swift jerk, it pulled the wolf into the darkness. The wolf screamed in terror as he disappeared into the darkness.

The eyes and the darkness disappeared, but Toby's sensitive ears could faintly hear something still coming from the wall. It seemed to be a cappella singing.

In darkness we do what we can In daylight we're oblivion Our hearts so raw and clear Are turning away, turning away from here

Toby stared at the wall, wondering what would happen next. He did not have long to wait. After a few moments, the darkness and the Celtic rock song returned.

In darkness we do what we can In daylight we're oblivion Our hearts so raw and clear Are turning away, turning away from here

A ten-foot-tall anthropomorphic winged black dragon strode out of the wall, dragging the wolf by his tail. He dropped the body of the wolf onto the dirty pavement and knelt beside Toby.

"Easy, son," the dragon said as he turned Toby to get at his paws. Toby felt a talon brush against his forearm and a slight tug on his arms. The zip tie parted, and his arms fell free.

"Did... Did you kill him?" Toby asked as he stared at the lifeless wolf.

"No," the dragon said in a deep, rumbling voice. "He took one look at me and fainted."

Toby could understand why. He could only imagine what it would be like for this dragon to be angry with him.

Toby frowned.

"Wait a second! Weren't you a lot bigger a second ago?" he asked.

The dragon winked at Toby and replied, "Optical illusion."

Toby opened his mouth to protest that the hand that had grabbed the wolf was no optical illusion, but the dragon started pulling up Toby's pants and secured them. The young dog blushed a bit both because of his nudity and because of the way that this stranger was treating him like a little pup. However, he said nothing. The dragon picked up Toby and the tie. He set the dog on his left shoulder and wrapped his left wing around him protectively.

The dragon craned his neck around to come muzzle-to-muzzle with Toby and asked, "What's your name?"

"Tobias, Sir," Toby said uncertainly. He was a bit afraid of this huge dragon. "Most furs just call me Toby, though."

"Don't worry, Toby. No one is going to hurt you while I am here," the black dragon reassured Toby as he picked up the wolf and slung his limp body over his right shoulder.

The dragon walked out of the alley and onto the main street. Toby could see police cars coming from all directions.

"I took the liberty of calling the police," the dragon explained when he saw Toby's confused look.

The police cars screeched to a halt. Several large policefurs jumped out of the cars and drew their guns. The dragon cocked an eyebrow, and the guns were hastily holstered without a word being said.

Toby had no idea who the dragon was, but he started to get the uncomfortable impression that he was far too important to be rescuing young pups from the way that the police and later his parents treated him.

Toby had to tell his story a couple of times to the detectives and someone from a place called Cub Services. He saw the dragon briefly. He was surrounded by policefurs who kept calling him "Sir". Once again, Toby wondered who this strange dragon was.

Night had fallen before his parents took him home. After a late dinner, his mother put him to bed.

"You have had enough excitement for one day, Young Man!" his Mother told him firmly a she marched him to his bed.

"And you have school tomorrow," she reminded him as she kissed him goodnight, the first time that she did so since he was three.

"Aw, Mom!" he protested as he pulled the covers up.

"Can't I stay home tomorrow?" he asked.

At the door, his Mother paused and turned off the lights.

"No, the psy- police said that we should try to keep things as normal as possible for you," she told him as she closed the door. "Now go to sleep, Dear."

The door shut, and Toby was left in darkness.

"Yeah, like that is going to happen any time soon!" he grumbled as he stared at the ceiling.

"I just wish I knew who the dragon was," he mused.

"My name is Ezekiel," a familiar rumbling voice said.

Tobias bolted upright to a sitting position. Darkness was gathered at the other end of his room where light should be coming in under the door. Inside the darkness were two glowing eyes.

"Who are you?!" Toby demanded. "Why is everyone afraid of you?!"

The darkness disappeared. A midnight-black dragon sat down on Toby's bed. He smiled at the collie.

"Don't you know me?" he asked the youngster. "And they are not afraid of me, really. Just... respectful."

"No!" Toby replied almost angrily.

The dragon tsked.

"We really need to improve public school education these days," he said cryptically.

Ezekiel cocked his head and asked, "Do you know what the Council of Dragons is?"

"Sure! Everyfur does. They are ancient dragons that..."

Toby's voice trailed off and his eyes got very big. He stared up at the dragon.

Toby was too young to follow the news, but he and everyone else was aware that the ancient Guardian black dragon who founded and led the Council had stepped down and disappeared from sight. Toby suddenly realized who his late night visitor was.

The collie gulped.

Ezekiel just laughed.

"It is nice _not_to be recognized at times,' he reassured Toby.

"Why?" Toby asked in a small voice.

"Why what?" Ezekiel replied.

"Why me? Why were you in that alley? Why did you stop that wolf?" Toby demanded, suddenly wanting answers to all his questions. "And why did the wolf want me and not the others?"

"Why you? Because you needed my help. Why did the wolf select you? Because you were the easiest target he could find. Cowards like him only prey on the weakest that they can find. Why was I in the alley? Because that was where you were. Why did I stop the wolf? Because he needed stopping."

Ezekiel reached out and ruffled Toby's headfur.

"I hate to tell you this, kid, but I would have done it for anyone in need, Toby," the dragon told the pup with a smile.

Ezekiel stood.

"Time for us to get to sleep. I am getting too old to stay up all night, and you have school tomorrow."

"Aw, man!" Toby said as he flounced back on the bed. "I'm way too awake to go to sleep!"

Ezekiel reached out and touched Toby's eyes. As he gently pulled the young fur's eyelids down, he said, "Sleep."

"Yeah, like that is going to happen," Toby grumbled.

"What's going to happen, Toby?" Toby's Mom's voice asked.

Toby's eyes snapped open. Morning sunlight was streaming into the room, and his Mother was standing in the doorway again. Toby looked around, but there was no sign of his nocturnal visitor.

"Noth- Nothing, Mom," he replied.

She looked at him uncertainly but said nothing.

"Get ready for school, Dear. I'm going to drive you today," Toby's Mom told him before closing the door.

After breakfast, Toby's Mom took him to school. Apparently, the whole school had heard about what had happened. He was mobbed as soon as he got inside the doors. He was glad when Principal Ellesmere, a musk ox, and several of the teachers stepped in and herded the other students away. He was very much aware of the stares as the principal walked him to his first class, History. He just wished that it was not also the most boring class of the day.

Toby took his seat near the back of the room just as the bell rang. He slumped down in his seat and tried to hide. He was very much aware of the other students staring at him.

"Dude!" Frank hissed from the seat to his right. "What the hell really happened? Did a fire-breathing dragon torch that wolf and burn him alive?"

Toby cringed. It seemed that the stories were already totally out of control.

Before Toby could answer, Principal Ellesmere bellowed, "Class! Your attention up front."

When several students refused to stop staring at Toby, he added sharply, "Now!"

Toby and the other students turned their attention to the front of the classroom. For the first time, Toby realized there was an elderly male skunk sitting on Ms. Erminea's desk. His fur was laced with gray, but his eyes seemed to dance as he looked over the class.

"As you know, Ms. Erminea has gone on maternity leave earlier than we expected. We were fortunate enough to find a retired History teacher to replace her on short notice. This is Mr. Wyrm. He will be your instructor for the rest of the year."

The skunk stood and said, "Thank you, Principal Ellesmere."

Toby's jaw dropped. He knew that voice, even if he had only heard it twice!

The skunk looked over the class and said, "While I am new to the area, I have had the pleasure of meeting one or two of you."

His gaze stopped on Toby for just a moment. He gave Toby a slight smile and a half wink before continuing.

"I will be teaching you history from a slightly different perspective than most teachers in the coming weeks. I hope that you will enjoy it.

"Now open your history books to page forty-five and we will begin discussion of the establishment of the First Dynasty by the Felines in Ancient Egypt..."

Toby suddenly realized that History was likely to be anything but boring anymore!