Aftermath
Cory Windrunner slumped, exhausted, barely able to keep herself on the hassock she had sat upon... how long ago? Hours? Months? Years? She had heard every word of a story spanning nearly a decade, felt as if she had somehow lived it, survived it, and...
The Stallion's Tale, Part 3
**_Eight Months Ago_** _BARRETT: Holy fucking hell, Gabe, I thought you knew._ The words on the Internet chat screen were left unattended as Gabriel fell back in his chair, fighting off emotions and thoughts that clawed and screamed for attention....
Collar 4 -- Need to Talk
I passed my forepaws over my face briefly, trying to regain my wits, then settled them in my lap. The events of the past week, not to mention the past hour or so, were taking a toll. I couldn't blame it on lack of sleep; I'd been sleeping like a happy...
Collar 3 -- Self Discovery
"He's in a spot o' bother, isn't he, little 'un?" "Very much so, Master, very much a spot of bother." "Quite the pickle, wouldn't ye say?" "A particularly large gherkin, Master, a prize-winning dill." "Kosher, d' ye think?" "It would not be my...
Collar 7 -- Verbum Dei
If you ask the average fur on the street (or library, or wherever), few would say that their favorite morning of the week is Thursday. Personally, I love it; it's my day of the week to sleep in, and I usually avoid making appointments on Thursdays. As...
Collar 6 -- No Secrets
Time is a fickle thing, as Kafka's parable "A Common Confusion" tells us. When waiting, time lengthens; when unnoticed, it flashes by. In my case, both sensations were occurring -- pun intended -- at the same time. Thad Whitlock made certain things...
Collar 9 -- Faith
The next few weeks were a study in contrasts, from frustration and relief (careful where you go with that) to hectic and calm. I announced my guardianship at both Sunday masses, receiving a positive response from the vast majority of the congregation....
I Know You Don't Want Me
Look, I already know you don't want me. Can we just back the fuck away from that for a minute? _ I don't want to hurt you._ You'll hurt me a gods-damned sight worse if you push me away. _ Why do you keep coming back to me?_ Because I love you. ...
Collar 8 -- The Calling
The vicarage was rarely so quiet as it was in those moments after Fletcher's release. I heard the pup's panting breath gradually slow as he collapsed in my arms, falling into a light doze that I was loathe to disturb. All around, stillness gave us a...
What It's About
"Why do you suppose no one's written porn about us?" The young meerkat nearly dropped the bar of weights that he was trying to bench press. He was saved from an untimely crushing of his chest by the intervention of a large, black, silver-striped...
Attar of Blue Roses, Part 1
"If you value your life, drive." A fury of feathers and feathers, of wings and hooves, of two or more shades of white and a spun white-gold of mane and tail, of speed and desperation, earth and wind in fear-full motion. The large side door of the...
The Stag and the Ocean
_A beginning is a delicate thing..._ _The old wolf sat alone at his table in the café, waiting to meet his friend. "I have a story to tell," his friend had told him, "of how I came to be born. I have told the story in music; it's time now for you to...