The Start
Cal sat down in the cool grass. The green blades comforting him as a a wafting breeze cascaded across his rosy cheeks. The Chipmunk wasn't like the others. It was the end of spring and all the other cubs clambered across the playground. Cal, on the other hand was some distance away sitting cross legged on a hill. Almost looking cliche atop his perch. He closed his eyes. The warm rays of the sun were an amazing contrast to the rather chilly day. Still, he liked it. The colder days gave him an excuse to wear hoodies. Reaching down, Cal pulled the zipper up snug to his chin. The red neoprene fabric was perfect for this weather. Unfortunately his black skinny jeans with holes in them, were not. He didn't have new clothes like the others at his school. Hand me downs, whatever his older brother outgrew. Cal's mind was left to drift. He thought about all kinds of things.
The one thing he thought about the most was the new MMO being developed. It was in a Beta phase but he loved it. Electro Luminescent Online. Also known as ELO. The game was virtual reality and was very club like. Imagine that the world was rather dark, as the space was lit by the objects. Lines of light ran along surfaces. Their glowing outlines gave the world a unique look. He loved every moment of it.
Reality set back in, Cal looked towards the school. The other kids payed him no mind and he preferred that. Rather he liked to be alone at here. Most of his friends were online anyways.
At school he would have had to deal with the bullies and the like. The things the other furs did, it changed his perspective. Cal remembered the first time he started public school. All the other furs called him names. The usual things for sure, but there was something else. Cubs had started rumors of him being Gay. At that young of an age it confused Cal more than anything. He had no idea what Gay was. Only that it was something used to ridicule him.
Cal shook his head to clear the thoughts from his mind. That was a few years ago. He learned to just move on and do his own thing. Well, the best he could amongst the hate. The sun was shining with puffy and soft clouds dancing in the sky. He gave a deep, heavy sigh. Relieving himself the tension from the moment before. Laying back, he brought his arms under his head to recline. A day like today was perfect for a brief nap.
Earbuds dangled down to his phone. It may be expected for a chipmunk to be listening to "Alvin and the Chipmunks", but he didn't care. Well, he didn't care what others thought about him right now. In his quiet place, nothing mattered to him. He told himself he would see the band live one day. Images of the group filled his head as he began to daydream
Cal's eyes snapped open as his headphones were ripped from his ears. A chubby fur loomed overhead, blocking out the sun.
"Hey faggot, wacha listen'n to?"
The voice belonged to a cub by the name of Syrus Quell. Even though he was smaller, he tormented the chipmunk constantly. God, he hated it so much. The rumors he spread were eaten up by the his classmates. What could he do but just try to get by a day at a time. His family suggested talking to the teachers but it never worked. Fact of the matter was that Syrus found out and made him pay all the more for it. Best he could do was go along with it. 
"Stuff you wouldn't like."
Cal answered the wolf's insistant questioning as he stood.
Syrus raised an eyebrow in an almost challenging manor.
"Is that so? "
He continued to tear the phone out of Cal's paws and was about to put the earbud in. Another fur that was standing down the hill before now had decided to join the two. He bounced up to Syrus, leaning over him.
"Hey man, wad'ya find? Oh, nice phone." 
Sirus shook the husky off his shoulders.
"The fuck, I told you to wait!"
Jack, the white husky, looked hurt. He paused before moving close again to his friend to whisper.
"Look, I didn't want to break up your love fest over here but I got bored."
Syrus shot the young husky a look of pure hate. Narrowing his eyes, he belted back.
"I'm not the faggot here asshole, he is!"
A long barraging bell clamored in the distance. The bully turned to see their teacher walking towards the group.
"Your lucky fucking day."
Jack chimed in excitedly, oblivious to the malicious intentions of Syrus.
"Saved by the bell!"
Rolling his eyes, the chubby wolf turned to his friend.
"God, could you not think of the gayest thing to fucking say?"
Syrus thrust the phone back towards Cal. Pushing it to his chest, knocking the poor munk on his tail. The two canines turned laughing to themselves, leaving the twink to lay in the grass. Sprawled on his back, Cal shifted to reach for his phone. He gave another deep sigh. Why couldn't they just leave him alone?
The exasperated Chipmunk composed himself, gathering his things before heading into the school. His tail gave a final flick, as if waving goodbye to what used to be a good day.
School was the typical boring work. You did what you had to as the clock hands slowing moved to the three. By the time the loud ringing of the school bell had subsided, Cal was halfway to the door. Everyone swarmed the halls. Lockers on either side swung open and closed. The constant clang almost like a beat. Despite Cal's bully being smaller than him, he was still short. Compared to everyone else, he felt like a midget. Swarms of students made it impossible to just get down the hall.
A lot of his friends would be online soon. He needed to force his way through the chaos. Backpacks filled with heavy textbooks slammed mercilessly into his frail body. Almost there, he told himself. After what felt like hours to Cal, he finally managed to reach the door. Suddenly a large paw tore at his shoulder.
"God damn it Syrus can ya…"
His words were cut short as he realized who it was. Standing tall and elegant before his eyes was Kate Jennings. Not the prettiest girl in school, but certainly not ugly. Her breasts had started to come in; her green V-neck leaving little to the imagination. She proceeded to flick her shortened brown hair to the side, blowing the last strand from view with a huff.
"Better not fuck this up."
She blurted out through clenched teeth before continuing her rant.
"Our project is due in a week and what have you done?"
Glancing to the side, Cal retorted in exasperation.
"Look, we can go over this tomorrow, after school. Right now I have a program to get to."
He wasn't entirely lying. His game technically was a program. Granted she didn't need to know. The girl was way to involved in her school work. Something told him she would do well in the world. Probably find some great boring desk job. Yeash, he thought to himself. She needed to get a life and get off his ass. Kate was about to bitch him out further when two sets of familiar pointed ears came into view.
"Well, good pep talk Kate."
He interrupted her with a quick pat on the arm.
"But gotta run. You know, homework and shit."
The words had hardly left his mouth as the chipmunk scampered away. If Syrus had caught up to him...He didn't want to think about it. Continuing across the lawn, he quickened his pace. A black and red bike lay tied to a tree. It wasn't a trick bike. Generic features adorned the bike. Still, the bike was a gift from his Grandma and he cherished it deeply. The "U" shaped lock was undone and secured promptly under the center frame of his bike.
Freedom was within his grasp as sneakers hit the pedals with extreme ferocity. In a few minutes he would be sitting in his chair, diving into the world of ELO. Cal often liked to take a shortcut through the neighborhood park. The decrepit swings and jungle gym equipment gave the playground an eery and uninviting look. Still, it was worth the risk to save time. Any minute now his friends would be logging in, looking for him.
The chipmunk had an equally small room to match his stature. A wooden bunk bed took up one half of the room. Leaving just enough space for his desk on the other. Nestled neatly in the middle was his chair. It was one solid piece that curved up from the floor. Allowing the user to recline and lean back with it. Side panels on the chair normally held rudimentary volume controls and the like. This unit however, had been modified by its user to hold a plethora of new features.
ELO was a virtual reality game. Many VR games had been developed in the past, so interfaces were quite common. A non invasive helmet with millions of nodes rested on the user's head. These nodes sent signals to the brain through Close Proximity Technology. This resulted in full Virtual Reality, without needing to plug electronics directly into the body. Goggles sporting four thousand pixels per square inch gave full spectrum and full peripheral vision.
Granted some gamers are so dedicated to their games they get a skull chip. Attached at the cerebellum, this chip sent signals directly to the brain in a way that made you feel and see absolutely everything as if it were real life. These chip sets were also expensive. Some users feared of the invasiveness of the technology. To Cal the chipset sounded like a dream come true. Normally he had to sit in his chair with the helmet on. After long sessions of gaming the user would be very sore. Having the chipset though, would allow him to lay in bed and visit worlds amongst his soft sheets.
His alternate reality was unlike anything in the real world. He could be whoever he wanted. Do whatever he wanted. The choices were endless and freeing. Ethics of morality often become a heated discussions in the media. Would these games cause cubs to become mindless sociopaths seeking bloodlust. Cal didn't see it that way. After all, this was just a game where no one could really get hurt.
A groan escaped the chair as he sat down.  As he flicked the power switch, loud whines erupted from the computer console fans.