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The loneliness and longing soon become hard to bear for both of them.\n\nThis series contains scenes of occasional coarse language, explicit sexual themes and violence, oftentimes involving \"cubs.\" It's also a novel and contains actual plot. Enjoy!\nThis particular chapter contains scenes of sexual and adult themes involving cubs. You have been warned.\n\nNote: I ask that you download the actual document to see this novel as it was intended. However, for those without patience, I am going to allow the InkBunny preview window to hold the entire story. I repeat: downloading the actual file is VERY much recommended.", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Tai and Mike finally realize their love goes far beyond mere dirtiness, and they find themselves closer than ever before... but Tai must go, back to his own apartment, and back to his own uncaring mother. The loneliness and longing soon become hard to bear for both of them.

This series contains scenes of occasional coarse language, explicit sexual themes and violence, oftentimes involving "cubs." It's also a novel and contains actual plot. Enjoy!
This particular chapter contains scenes of sexual and adult themes involving cubs. You have been warned.

Note: I ask that you download the actual document to see this novel as it was intended. However, for those without patience, I am going to allow the InkBunny preview window to hold the entire story. I repeat: downloading the actual file is VERY much recommended.", "writing": "Tai’s Story - Chapter 6\nBy Kichigai Kitsune\nCopyright 2005 onwards.\n\nDisclaimer: This story contains coarse language, violence, adult themes and scenes of an adult nature involving two young “cubs” (young anthropomorphic non-humans). If you are under the legal age as prescribed by the laws under which you are subject to reading such material, do not continue beyond this disclaimer. \n\n\tNot long into the afternoon, Robert returned, and Jake bid the boys goodbye, regretfully. Mike asked if he could stay the night too, but the alsatian claimed he had things to attend to in the morning. Both the kits weren’t happy about that.\nThus, the rest of the evening was uneventful, with the two kits spending most of it in their room, lying together on the bed, holding paws, staying close, and talking in low voices. After the unexpected shock of the previous night, where they both felt their new friendship was about to abruptly end, the two felt a powerful closeness all of a sudden. The likes of which neither had felt before.\nBut they were quiet, reserved. Unusually so, even for them.\n\tTai knew, as did Mike, that tonight was going to be the last night he was their guest. Barring anything unforeseen, Eraline would be back late tonight, maybe even coming into this apartment and whisking her son back to their own despite the lateness of the hour – and there was no guarantee the vixen would ever allow her son to stay the night in Mike’s bed ever again. So of course the boys wanted to make the most of it.\n\t“Wonder how mom will act when she hears about the guys who chased me,” Tai muttered during a lull in their rambling conversation.\n\tMike blinked. “What do you mean?” \n\t“I dunno…” Tai shrugged and stretched out spread-eagled on the bed. “I hope she takes me out of that place… she’s done it before.” \n\t“She should,” stated Mike, frowning. “I’ve never heard of a school that bad before. It’s just crazy.”\n\tTai snorted. “She’ll probably yell at me for not going to school for the last few days.” \n\t“That’s not fair. Does she do stuff like that?” \n\t“Sometimes.” \n\tMike draped an arm across the smaller boy’s chest and squeezed him a little. “It’ll be alright,” he said brightly. “I’ll always be around. If you ever need anything, just come by here. It’s only one floor. Dad likes you too.” \n\tSmiling, Tai twisted around and laid a skinny leg on Mike’s back. “Thank you.” \n\t“No problemo.”\n\t“Did you want to…” Tai blushed beneath his fur, a sheepish smile on his muzzle. “Play or anything? You know…?” \n\t“You bet I do,” said Mike softly. “But we can’t do anything complicated and it’s still early.”\n\tTai nodded and stretched out on the bed. “I know.” He had an idea. “Wanna show me your toys?”\n\tAfter a moment, Mike beamed and sat up. “I thought you’d never ask!” He rolled off the bed and knelt on the carpet, pulling out a box on wheels that seemed to be attached to the bottom of the bed-frame like a drawer. It rattled noisily as the contents were sharply jolted. “Ta-da! Hidden treasure chest.” \n\tTai yanked himself to the edge of the bed. “That’s neat!” \n\tSitting on the floor, Mike popped the top off the box. It wasn’t a big toy-box, but it was still nearly twice the size of Tai’s. It was filled to the brim with stuff: old plush toys, small toy vehicles, fake firearms, as well as things that Tai didn’t immediately recognize. It truly was a treasure chest.\n\tMike withdrew a small, blue creature with four legs constructed from sturdy plastic. It was a blue-skinned creature, equipped with large fangs, sharp claws and a tail that twisted like a snake into the air behind it. It seemed to be a weird amalgamation of various species, almost like a chimera. “I have no idea what this is,” he said, looking a little bemused. “Dad got it for me because he heard all the kits were getting them. It’s cool though.” \n\t“It’s a Thunder-Kirin,” Tai supplied instantly. “From Battle Eidolon ZERO?” A completely baffled look was his response. “Um, it can breathe thunder-clouds and teleport around as a bolt of lightning. They guard the temples of…” He flushed and trailed off. “It’s a TV show. Everyone at school watched it.” \n\t“Must be popular…” Mike frowned, evidently imagining something. “Breathe thunder-clouds…? Whoa, that’s awesome!” He looked closely at the toy, his tail twitching. “It’s even cooler than what I was doing with it.” \n\t“What was that?” \n\tMike shrugged. “It has big teeth,” he replied simply. “I haven’t watched that show.” \n\tTai felt a little bitter at that. “I wanted one,” he admitted, “but mom told me it was way too expensive.” \n\tIn fact, he’d watched that show because it was popular at school and because it was on TV on Monday and Thursday mornings. But Mike didn’t go to a school, and was probably able to sleep in on those mornings. His friends were older too, and even if they mentioned the show, he probably didn’t give it any thought. \n\tThat made him a little jealous; Mike didn’t need to know the fads, know what he was supposed to know. The things Tai had struggled to keep up with at school, but never could – isolating him even more from his friends and peers. It didn’t seem to matter to Mike.\n\tIt wasn’t fair. What was Tai doing that was so wrong?\n\t“This is really cool,” Mike said, extracting a life-like dinosaur as big as his forearm. It stood on two legs and looked fierce, with a huge sickle-like claw on each foot. He placed it on the ground and hit a switch, resulting in the toy taking a step forward, bowing down and let out a harrowing- if tiny- snarl. \n\t“Wh-what’s that?!” Tai asked, lying onto his back. \n\t“Velociraptor!” Mike told him, shooting him another baffled look. “I thought you’d love dinosaurs.”\n\t“How come?”\n\t“Well, they’re interesting and cool. They existed millions of years before even the humans. If you wanna borrow anything, you can!” Mike replaced the toy, rummaging around for another. He pulled out a jet plane. “Oops, not what I want. Let’s see!” \n\tTai looked around the room with a silent sigh, trying to conceal his sullen depression from his friend. \n\tHe looked closely at the older kit, digging through his toys. Mike wasn’t like him. Unlike him, Mike was confident, social and active, wearing fashionable clothes that Tai’s mom could never afford, and he was so incredibly smart. Mike wasn’t totally ignorant of kids’ culture, as the posters and other toys in the room showed. Oh, what the heck did it matter? Why did he care? He knew he should be happy for Mike, but he couldn’t be.\n\tWhy was he jealous of his closest friend just for having a toy he wanted?! \n\t“I play with these all the time.” Suddenly there was a gigantic, real-looking, lizard-demon in his face. “T-rex! Rawr!” Mike chuckled. “Check it out! The skin is so real.” \n\t“Whu? Oh, wow, it does,” replied Tai, reaching out and poking it. He forced a smile. “Like a big lizard. Eww.” \n\tMike took the tyrannosaurus and jammed an ‘unwilling’ human doll in its fearsome jaws before handing it to Tai. “It’s hard to feed him,” he said seriously, grinning cheekily. “He likes humans, but they’re all gone, so he’s always hungry. Ravenous dinosaur!”\n\t“That why he’s so small?” \n\tMike grinned even wider. “You’re the expert.” He rummaged some more, clearly happy to be showing off his toys. Show and tell continued for a little while, before Mike stopped and stared at the floor momentarily. “Hey…” he said tentatively. “Want to hear some music? I know it might not be your thing… but, um, I got a new album last week.” \n\tTai looked at the hopeful upraised face and blinked. He almost said no, but something… “Sure!” he said, watching in bemusement as Mike stood and bounced over to his music player on the dresser at the other side of the bed. \n\tMike wanted so much to show these things to him. It was as if it was the first time he’d shown anyone, probably aside from his dad. Maybe he’d never had a friend over he wanted to show these things to. That was curious.\n\tMaybe he’d… never had a real friend before. Not one he could feel comfortable around. Not one he could have in his room, to talk to about anything and everything.\n\tTai suddenly didn’t feel jealous anymore. \nThey were more alike than he could’ve hoped.\n\n\tThe two fox-pups had to go to sleep early, their ‘naughty’ plans unfulfilled. Instead they had played with toys and one another for hours together until they could stay awake no more.\n\tHowever, early the next morning, Mike’s bedroom door cracked open and Robert slipped into the room. He gently shook the boys, waking them up with a quiet whisper. \n\t“Dad?” Mike mumbled when he finally got his eyes to flutter open. “Wh-what is it?” \n\tRobert looked apologetic. “Sorry boys, but Tai’s mom got back a few hours ago. She wants him home now.” \n\t“Tch.” \n\tTai roused himself quickly afterwards, almost unfazed by the early hour, slipping into some of his clothes and zipping up the carry-case he’d recovered from his house filled with clothing. He yawned and looked back at the warm bed with Mike still in it, looking out at him. \n\t“You’re going home, huh,” Mike said sulkily. \n\t“Uh-huh.” Tai slung the case over his shoulder. “Thanks for…” he paused. What to thank Mike for first? The list was huge. Caring about him? Listening to him? Being his best friend ever? “Everything.” \n\tMike nodded and smiled. “Thanks for being my friend,” he said sincerely, sitting up in bed and pulling the warm covers to his chest. “I…” \n\t“Yeah.” Tai sighed and looked at his still bare paws. “I hope it stays that way.” \n\t“Huh?”\n\t“Well, none of my other friends are still my friends are they?” \n\tMike looked at Tai, perplexed. “You don’t think I’ll be like that, do you?”\n\tTai returned the look. “I don’t know… all my friends have been like that.”\n\t“I’ll be your friend forever.”\n\tThe tawny kit smiled and put on his socks and shoes. “I hope so. See you soon?” \n\t“Whenever you want!” Mike chuckled sleepily. “I’ll come round your place next time.”\n\tWhen Tai dragged himself through the apartment to the door, his mother was talking with Robert out front in the dingy corridor. The grownups were still chatting away. Tai hung back, not wanting to intrude, or unnecessarily hasten his departure.\n“You need to be careful though,” he heard Robert mutter softly, likely trying to avoid waking the neighbors. “Things aren’t the same as, well…”\n“I suppose so,” Eraline said conversationally. “But the more things change, the more they stay the same.”\n“Not so sure about that myself. A lot can happen in nine-” Robert glanced over his shoulder and grinned at the patiently waiting kit behind him. “Oh, there you are, Tai!” He changed position, leaning on the door-frame and allowing Tai a direct line of sight to his mother – her hair was slightly frizzed and dry, her fur not as clean as normal, and she appeared totally exhausted.\nNonetheless, when she saw Tai, Eraline smiled as best she could. “Well, I think we’ll go sleep now,” she said, a longing in her tone. “It was nice to meet you. I’m glad Tai gets on well with your son.”\n\t“Nice to meet you too,” Robert replied, shaking her paw. He was grinning slightly. “We’ll have to do something together sometime. Soon.” He ruffled Tai’s hair as he passed, eliciting a shy smile. “Come by anytime, Tai. You’re always welcome.”\n\t“We’ve got little choice with our kits being pals now, I think.” Eraline chortled and reached out to pull Tai to her. She gave him a brief hug. “Good morning, baby. Still sleepy, huh?” \n\tTai nodded sullenly. Actually, he just didn’t want to be leaving. Couldn’t his mom just stay over too?\n\t“Good, because I’m gonna need a long nap.” Eraline directed her beautiful, if worn-out, smile back to Robert. “I’ll see you soon, then?”\n\t“I hope so. Sleep tight, both of you.” Robert returned the smile. After a moment, it seemed to waver. “… Take care of yourself.”\n\t“You too.”\nTai once again thanked his new friend’s father, and he and his mother returned to their own residence and their own beds for a few more hours before getting back up. Or at least Tai did.\n\tHis mother slept the entire day, leaving him alone, bored and unfed.\n\t\n\tThe unmarked gray corridor seemed to be endless, and Tai stumbled, breathless, into the dull wall. He clutched at his chest, struggling to fill his lungs. His legs felt heavy, like lead, and he was weak over all; he couldn’t keep up. \n\t“Come on, Tai!” said Mike’s voice. Tai looked down at his friend, running further down the corridor without even pausing. He had the grace to at least look back. \n\tWhimpering lowly, Tai forced himself to keep jogging. “W-wait! Please!” he pleaded, frightened for some reason he could not recall. \n\tHe was dreaming. But he was just a very young fox; he did not even know it was a dream. It was so real! He wasn’t going to wake up from it… this was truth, and he was afraid.\n\tAfraid of being left behind.\n\t“No!” Tai yelled as Mike, laughing, took a corner at a sprint. He hauled himself to the corner, willing himself to run as fast as he could, still much slower than the older, athletic boy had been. \n\tHe collapsed against the wall again, grabbing the edge and pulling himself around the corner. He felt like he’d been running for hours; so heavy, so weak. \n\tAround the corner, his legs shook and he fell to his hands and knees. \n\t“What’s wrong with you?” demanded a familiar female voice. He didn’t have to look up to see who it belonged to, but did anyway. Eraline was frowning down at her son, disappointment and even disgust on her features. Standing beside her was Mike, leaning affectionately against his father’s hip. He looked down at his friend too and shrugged. \n\t“Whaddaya expect,” he said offhandedly, “from Tai? He’s a bit of a loser.” \n\tTai gasped, looking up at his best friend in horror. “N-no!” he blurted half-heartedly. It hurt so much, just hearing that from him. “I’m not!” He sobbed, shaking his head violently. \n\tNow it was Robert’s turn to speak. He shook his head in pity, squeezing his son’s shoulder. “Acting like that doesn’t help…” he said quietly.\n\t“Yeah,” added Mike, not even looking down anymore. “It’s just annoying.”\n\tTai struggled to get to his feet, but he felt just too weak. He couldn’t even run from this horrific scenario. \n\t“Oh, look!” chirped Eraline suddenly. “It’s one of your school friends! Don’t be so rude, Tai! Say hello.” Tai blinked in surprise and turned… \n\tDarron was suddenly there, with a wild expression and his cruel looking knife raised above Tai’s shocked face, held tightly in an ice-pick grip. “Hey there, fag,” he said calmly, before bringing the knife down violently. \n\tEverything whited out in the instant before the knife could hit him, and suddenly it felt like he had been plunged into the dark sea he hated so much. Soon, the dull-gray surface of an unfamiliar ceiling was all he could see.\n\tTai’s own screaming had jerked him free of the nightmare, and he sat up immediately in his oversized, empty bed, hurling the covers to the floor. He clutched at his chest— it felt like something was trying to burst out of it. His heartbeat thumped loudly in his ears, he could feel his pulse throbbing in his mind somehow, and his entire body tingled unpleasantly. As per what usually happened after a nightmare, his senses seemed clouded, perception just beginning to return to him as he still fought to tear himself from the dream. \nA powerful sensation of swaying vertigo kept him incredibly dizzy.\nUnder his fur, he felt sweat, clammy and disgusting, clinging to his body.\n\tHe whimpered, looking around blindly in the darkness. Unwilling to stay in the dark any longer, he scrambled to his feet, ignoring the dull ache in his damaged ankle, and hit the light switch, the illumination searing his tear-blurred eyes.\n\tNightmares and bad dreams were nothing new to Tai. In fact, they were common, but this one was so strange. Normally he was running from some- often unseen- threat that he was convinced was trying to kill him, but this was something totally different. Much scarier, even before the delinquent wolf tried to stab him, in a very different way. \n\tTai sank to the floor, sniffling quietly and covering his eyes. He even felt a little sick. \n\tHe cast a glance at the room door, knowing how unlikely it was that his mother would come through it to comfort him, but he hoped she’d heard anyway. Maybe she’d come in to make him feel better…\n\tShe didn’t.\n\tHe bowed his head and sighed. Then he tensed his paws into fists. “That’s not true,” he whispered shakily to himself. “They don’t think that! Th-they don’t.”\n\tSo then why was he dreaming it? \n\n\tIt was quiet around the Donaldson apartment, now that Mike’s latest friend had gone home two days ago, and Robert felt that things were kind of dull with all back to normalcy again as he sat in the leather couch in his modern, bright den. Even he missed the quiet little kit from upstairs. \n\tMike walked in, looking a little dejected and more than a little bored. “Hey, dad…” he said, without much vigor.\n\t“Hey, Mike,” Robert replied, looking up from his newspaper. “What’s happening?”\n\t“Not much.”\n\tThe grownup shifted in his chair. “Just so you know, I have to go out tomorrow evening. If I make you dinner before I leave, will you be alright after practice?”\n\t“Yup.” Mike shuffled his paws, something clearly on his mind. “Um, a-anything interesting in the newspaper?”\nAdjusting his glasses, Robert looked down again. “Not particularly. This family-values idiot here says here that kids are behaving more and more condescendingly to their parents nowadays.”\n\t“Well, no duh dad,” Mike retorted with a completely straight face.\n\tHis father eyed him impassively.\n\t“Want some help with that crossword?” Mike added.\n\t“You know,” Robert finally said, narrowing his eyes, “if this is what you’re like now, I’m dreading your teenage years.”\n\tMike smiled. “I’ll be good.” Then that smile disappeared and Mike’s expression became sad. “Dad, can I talk to you?”\n\t“Of course.” Robert put his paper aside and motioned for his son to sit on his lap, which the barky-furred vulpine boy did. “What is it?”\n\t“Well,” the pup began, looking very thoughtful. “Tai said to me that all his friends have left him. When he left, he said he thinks our friendship would be the same.”\n\t“He’s one pessimistic little boy, isn’t he?” mused Robert.\n\t“I don’t know. Is he?”\n\t“He might be right, maybe it’s happened to him before. You never know how things can change, Mike. Friends drift apart over time.”\n\t“Yeah, but what if you don’t want it to happen?” Mike demanded, hugging his father tightly. “What if you don’t want to lose a friend? Aren’t friends supposed to be special?”\n\t“Some are. But sometimes… it can be hard.” Robert brushed his son’s ears. “You might have to keep working on it all the time; it won’t always come naturally. Someday, you may even regret you had Tai for a friend. Who knows? Of course, I don’t. You’ve only just met Tai after all.”\n\t“You mean, I might lose him as a friend?” Mike asked. His father nodded. “… I don’t think that’ll happen.”\n\t“I know. But who can tell the future? You never can. You just have to be ready for it, and handle it as best you can. Hopefully, you won’t be alone when things go wrong, and someone will be there for you.”\n\tMike sighed sadly. “Life sucks.”\n\t“I don’t think so,” Robert told his cub gently. “There are good things in life. For instance, all the fun you just had with Tai recently. It’s just, well, you two are only kits – you have a long road ahead. And I don’t think anything is as unpredictable as friendship; or relationships in general. In a month, you two could hate each other for some silly, trivial reason. In half a century, you might still be best friends.”\n\t“I don’t want to think about that. In half a century, you probably won’t be around any more…” \n\t“And when I do finally piss off, I’ll know I’d left behind a wonderful boy of whom I’m incredibly proud. Yeah, life can suck, occasionally. Most of the time, if you know what you’re doing and have the advantages we have, however…” he left it hanging for a second. “You can change a lot, Mike. Not everything is out of your control.”\n\tMike said nothing for a whole minute, and then he chuckled dryly. “I’m glad I’m your son, and not anyone else’s.”\n\t“I’m glad too,” sighed Robert, cradling the melancholy kit in his arms. “But that’s why you don’t need to worry. You’re the sweetest kit in the whole world, and you’ll make friends as you go along. You have a good chance of keeping them, too. As for Tai… time will tell.” Robert squeezed his son gently. “You really like him, don’t you?” \n\tThe brown furred pup snorted a little laugh. “Yeah.” There was another lengthy pause before Mike elaborated. “I like how he listens to me and knows what I mean. He’s smart and can be fun without doing anything dumb.” \n\t“You like having someone near your own age that understands you?” Robert smiled knowingly. That was always Mike’s problem with getting close to kits his own age. He always complained they were dumb or irritating, even if he seemed to get along fine with them. It made sense he’d want a friend that could engage him so well. Even if, ironically, that friend turned out to be younger than him.\n\t “Wish he wouldn’t say stuff like that though,” Mike admitted, referring to what started this conversation in the first place. “And he’s so shy. He acts like everyone is going to hate him if he says anything wrong. It’s annoying.” \n\t“Maybe that’s what he’s used to.”\n\t“Why?”\n\tRobert shook his head. “Kits at school can be very mean sometimes, Mike. I think Tai was badly bullied.”\n\t“…Oh. He said something about that.”\n\tRobert hesitated a moment. “Well, I think they were most likely kits your age, actually,” he elaborated. “Bigger boys. Stronger than him.”\n\tMike froze for a second. “Oh,” he muttered sourly. “That’s why he was so scared of me the first time we met, I guess.” \n\t“Be careful with him, Mike,” warned Robert, deadly serious. “You don’t want to hurt him. It might be hard to deal with him sometimes.”\n\t“That just makes me want to be his friend even more, dad.” The boy’s face was steely with determination. “He needs a friend more than I do.”\n\n\tThe next morning, Tai was up almost at the crack of dawn, his lonely bed cold and boring.\n\tHowever, he had absolutely nothing to do while convalescing, and could only lounge around his generously sized bedroom alone. He considered making the short trip down the corridor and traversing a few flights of stairs to Mike’s apartment, but after spending so much time there he was unsure whether he should. Though both Mike and his dad had said he was welcome, Tai knew Mike had home lessons and Robert had a job too. Which did beg the question of what Mike did when his dad was at work, but until he knew for sure he was welcome around there at those points, Tai wasn’t going to risk it.\n\tBored as he was, he definitely didn’t want to head back to school now, though he likely could manage it. His ankle still throbbed when he put weight on it, but at least he could walk with an almost normal gait without the aid of his crutch. He’d figured that his new school was considerably worse than normal, but that was little comfort – he still never wanted to return.\n\tWhen restlessness got the better of him at last, Tai made his way to the kitchen, to pour himself a drink. On the way, his mother emerged from her own doorway, yawning widely and looking terrible. She nearly bowled the little kit over but for him nimbly leaping aside, and she immediately berated him. “Look out, Tai!” she grumbled, as if he’d been at fault and not her.\n\tWith a flicker of irritation, Tai didn’t apologize or even say good morning, just continued on his way. When they were both in the kitchen, Tai looking for the milk and Eraline flicking on the kettle, there was a kind of strained silence. Tai knew that, normally, his mother would take him to task for ‘his attitude’ there, but she seemed too tired to really notice it.\n\tPulling the milk out and pouring himself a generous glassful, Tai’s brow furrowed in thought. His mother hadn’t asked him anything about why his left foot was currently wrapped in stiff, tight bandaging. Did she already know or just not care? \n\tHis mother’s apathy was another not-new thing this morning, however, and he decided not to give it any thought. \n\tQuite suddenly, she spoke to him. “What did you eat at Mr. Donaldson’s house?” she asked, not looking away from her cup. \n\t“Chinese curry,” Tai replied quietly, taking a sip of his milk. \n\t“Did you thank Mr. Donaldson for everything?” \n\tAgain the flicker of irritation. Of course he’d said thank you! “Yeah.” \n\tEraline stirred her coffee and walked over to her boy, warmly ruffling his head-fur and rubbing an ear. “Good,” she said, and Tai forgave her almost instantly. Mostly.\n\t“You aren’t going out again tonight, are you?” he asked, setting down his milk. \n\tEraline nodded her head and collapsed into the excessively soft sofa and stared listlessly at the blank screen of the TV. “Yes, but not all night,” she said wearily, cradling her coffee. “I couldn’t handle another night shift. I won’t be out long, I promise.” Her ears seemed droopy and her expression was exhausted, maybe even haunted. Tai, remembering his milk, came over to her and sat down beside her, looking worriedly at her. \n\t“Mom?” he asked. “Are you OK?” \n\t“Just tired.”\n\tTai nodded and leaned onto the tired vixen’s side, resting his head on her flank. She promptly snagged him in a loose hug. “Sorry,” she muttered into his pointed little ear. “I missed you. Sorry for being away for so long.”\n\t“It’s alright mom, I met a new friend while you were away.” \n\t“I know. Mike, wasn’t it?” \n\tTai suddenly realized that he still had many questions, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask his worn-out mom. She just looked so tired. He didn’t want to bug her. She’d never answer anyway, all it’d do is upset both of them.\n\tEventually, Tai got back up and wandered back to his room, leaving his mother to stretch out on the sofa and fall asleep again. He couldn’t wake her up when she was this exhausted, but once again he had nothing to do. \n\tHe sat cross-legged on his bed, looking miserably down the spines of the books on his finally re-stocked bookshelf; he’d read them all already and they were old, intended for a much younger kit. He drained the last of his milk, fell backwards onto the bed and amused himself for a while trying to balance the empty tumbler on his chest.\n\tWith a sigh he closed his eyes and resigned himself to boredom.\n\tHe had an idea then, placing the tumbler on his bedside cabinet and pulling his t-shirt over his head.\n\tTai lay back again with closed eyes and placed a paw on his exposed lower belly, slowly sliding it down through his fur, under his shorts’ waist-band. He curled the paw around the warm, sensitive package, enveloping his soft shaft tightly. \n\tIt hardened slowly with almost no encouragement, Tai’s heart-rate increasing alongside it. He’d not done this for a little while, and Mike had shown him there was a prize waiting at the end if you do it right. Maybe it was time he experienced it again; not like he was busy. \n\tHe pulled the foreskin back slowly, the skin slipping over the head quite easily and sending a shiver down his spine. The shiver only got worse when he gently rubbed the tip with his fingers, but that was alright. The fox pup liked that shiver.\n\tThe small paw began to move up and down the entire shaft, taking it to its maximum level of stiffness. \n\tTai mewled and gasped, moving his legs apart. It felt very nice, but he sped up the movement to make it even better.\n\tAs it always did, his other paw came to land on his chest, running through his own silky smooth, warm fluff. It eventually brushed over his small right nipple and he shuddered. He started to rub over it, the thing stiffing just like his privates had. \n\tIt took him some time at this leisurely, sensual pace, but eventually his features screwed up and his body tensed, the climax approaching suddenly. \n\t“Uhhnnhhh…” he breathed in a strained voice, wriggling and curling his toes. Orgasm shook his little body, and he fought to keep a loud gasp inside him. The sensation still making his skin tingle, he flattened out on the bed, tired, the world around him unfocused. It had been such an intense sensation, but not quite as intense as when Mike gave it to him.\n\tIt didn’t last long, but when he finally sat up again, he felt relaxed, refreshed and cheerful. \n\t“Why didn’t anyone tell me about this?” he asked himself dreamily, stroking the little member once more.\n\tIt was still stiff. Maybe he could go again…?\n\t\n\tIt stank. The apartment hadn’t been cleaned in a little while, nor had its occupant. A middle aged ferret lounged indolently on the sofa, his small eyes empty. Garbed in simple, unwashed street clothing, he stared motionlessly at his reluctant guest. Keeping his paws concealed in his jacket.\n\tAcross the room stood a powerfully built, though still young, wolf whose expression indicated very firmly he didn’t want to be here. They’d been staring at one another for minutes now. This was a very uncomfortable meeting, and the wolf was almost sure the guy he was ‘talking’ to wasn’t all there upstairs.\n\tBut he’d been useful before. Maybe he could be useful again.\n\t“Well?” The young wolf grumbled. “Are you clear on what you’re s’posed to do?” \n\tThe ferret didn’t even blink, sitting motionless for a few moments before answering. “Yes,” he said, sitting forwards. “Tell your father I don’t appreciate him sending furs I don’t know directly to my home, even if it’s his son.” \n\t“What, you think I wanted to come here?” sneered the young lupine. “He was too busy to come himself, that’s all.”\n\tThe beady dark eyes scanned the small photograph once again. Face unreadable. “So… it was you who saw her?” he asked softly.\n\t“Right. At the docks.”\n“Alright. What about the-?” \n\t“I don’t give a fuck about him,” lied the wolf immediately. “But maybe. There’s a better option than him anyway, probably doesn’t know a thing. Whatever you feel like.”\n\tSuddenly, the scraggly ferret chuckled. “I see.”\n\t“Is it a problem for you?”\n\t“Yes. But I’ve done worse.” He stood and shucked off his disgusting jacket. He headed towards the back of the apartment. “Let yourself out. I’m going to shower.”\n\t“You fuckin’ need one.”\n“It’ll be done soon.”\n“Sometime this week. Can’t pass this shit up.”\n“Sooner.”\n\tThe wolf said nothing, just walked out the door briskly, desperate to get away from the ungodly stench. When he shut the door he fell against it, gasping for air. “What the fuck is wrong with that guy?”\n\n\tAnother day passed, bringing some light rain to the streets of New York.\n\tTai stared blankly at the ceiling, picking up and dropping a small plastic toy onto his belly again and again as he stretched out on his bed. Finally, he flung the model ninja to the side, letting it hit the floor with a carpet-muffled thud to join the other toys he’d discarded over the afternoon. \n\tHe didn’t feel like playing with toys. One by one he’d taken something out of his little suitcase only to be bored with it within a minute. \n\tHe wondered what Mike was doing; thought about how much he’d like to be playing with him right now. Talking with him. Listening to him make dry jokes and playful comments.\n\tWhat was going on? Tai knew he never used to feel like this… he always used to be able to entertain himself, to be happy by himself. Being alone sucked, but boredom itself was never a problem. Was it because he couldn’t bring himself to go for a walk in this strange city? Was he sick of his toys?\n\tHis eyes started to sting and he drew the back of his paw across his eyes, sniffling while tears started to slowly blur his vision. \n\tAt last, he realized the truth. “I’m lonely…” he said quietly. \n\tAnd he was. He wanted so much to spend time with someone right now. Mike, Jake, his own mom, Robert… anybody! He wanted to talk to them, to play with them, to touch them… someone. He was so lonely it hurt and he couldn’t relax. \n\tIt had been just less than a week before that he’d been sleeping in the same bed as another young fox pup, and the cold, boring solitude of his own bedroom was already unbearable. Yet, at the same time, he was desperately fighting the compulsion to spring to his paws and bolt upstairs to Mike’s apartment.\n\tTai restively sat up on his bed, staring blankly at the space between his legs. The bed clothes he had seen on the first day in the apartment were still there – black nylon sheets with gray and white pillowcases. The bed felt totally alien to him… it was massive, sure, but it just wasn’t a young boy’s bed. It felt so bleak and boring.\n\tWith a sigh he looked around his room. The walls were creamy white, and adorned with nothing aside from the polished wooden clock, with its indecipherable, formal-looking roman numerals. Aside from the bed all there was in the room was the oak bed-side table. There was nothing; no warmth or personality at all. At least not to Tai.\n\tHe longed to decorate it somehow. To give it some… to make it like Mike’s room! It didn’t need to be big and have a huge bed in it that dwarfed the little kit sleeping in it…\n\tBut that couldn’t happen, because aside from his old bed-clothes, now too small for this gigantic bed, he didn’t have anything. His mother never bothered getting him any of that sort of stuff, and to be fair, he never asked. For some reason, he was only noticing it now, but it was suddenly such a big deal!\n\tYet he didn’t want it to be!\n\t“Uhhnn…” he moaned, getting to his feet sullenly. Maybe he could go watch television; it was only four in the evening after all. \n\tHe paused. Mike had a television in his room, and he even had that Gamestation thing there too. Maybe his mom would get him one? Let him keep it in his room like Mike did. But how much did one of them cost? Could his mom afford it? Would she buy it for him? She did seem to have a lot more money all of a sudden… but why should she spend it all on him?\n\tWhat was going on? He stopped and chewed his bottom lip. Something was wrong. Why was his mom telling him so little? Why was she away so often? Where did the money come from and… well, his mom didn’t buy stuff for him often, but she hadn’t gotten him anything at all recently.\n\tHe huffed and sat back down. \n\tToday sucked.\n\tIt all sucked.\n\tAnd he didn’t even know why.\n\nChapter Six – Fin. \n\n-- By Krazy Kitsune/Kichigai Kitsune\nCopyright 2005 onwards.\n\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Tai’s Story - Chapter 6
By Kichigai Kitsune
Copyright 2005 onwards.

Disclaimer: This story contains coarse language, violence, adult themes and scenes of an adult nature involving two young “cubs” (young anthropomorphic non-humans). If you are under the legal age as prescribed by the laws under which you are subject to reading such material, do not continue beyond this disclaimer.

\tNot long into the afternoon, Robert returned, and Jake bid the boys goodbye, regretfully. Mike asked if he could stay the night too, but the alsatian claimed he had things to attend to in the morning. Both the kits weren’t happy about that.
Thus, the rest of the evening was uneventful, with the two kits spending most of it in their room, lying together on the bed, holding paws, staying close, and talking in low voices. After the unexpected shock of the previous night, where they both felt their new friendship was about to abruptly end, the two felt a powerful closeness all of a sudden. The likes of which neither had felt before.
But they were quiet, reserved. Unusually so, even for them.
\tTai knew, as did Mike, that tonight was going to be the last night he was their guest. Barring anything unforeseen, Eraline would be back late tonight, maybe even coming into this apartment and whisking her son back to their own despite the lateness of the hour – and there was no guarantee the vixen would ever allow her son to stay the night in Mike’s bed ever again. So of course the boys wanted to make the most of it.
\t“Wonder how mom will act when she hears about the guys who chased me,” Tai muttered during a lull in their rambling conversation.
\tMike blinked. “What do you mean?”
\t“I dunno…” Tai shrugged and stretched out spread-eagled on the bed. “I hope she takes me out of that place… she’s done it before.”
\t“She should,” stated Mike, frowning. “I’ve never heard of a school that bad before. It’s just crazy.”
\tTai snorted. “She’ll probably yell at me for not going to school for the last few days.”
\t“That’s not fair. Does she do stuff like that?”
\t“Sometimes.”
\tMike draped an arm across the smaller boy’s chest and squeezed him a little. “It’ll be alright,” he said brightly. “I’ll always be around. If you ever need anything, just come by here. It’s only one floor. Dad likes you too.”
\tSmiling, Tai twisted around and laid a skinny leg on Mike’s back. “Thank you.”
\t“No problemo.”
\t“Did you want to…” Tai blushed beneath his fur, a sheepish smile on his muzzle. “Play or anything? You know…?”
\t“You bet I do,” said Mike softly. “But we can’t do anything complicated and it’s still early.”
\tTai nodded and stretched out on the bed. “I know.” He had an idea. “Wanna show me your toys?”
\tAfter a moment, Mike beamed and sat up. “I thought you’d never ask!” He rolled off the bed and knelt on the carpet, pulling out a box on wheels that seemed to be attached to the bottom of the bed-frame like a drawer. It rattled noisily as the contents were sharply jolted. “Ta-da! Hidden treasure chest.”
\tTai yanked himself to the edge of the bed. “That’s neat!”
\tSitting on the floor, Mike popped the top off the box. It wasn’t a big toy-box, but it was still nearly twice the size of Tai’s. It was filled to the brim with stuff: old plush toys, small toy vehicles, fake firearms, as well as things that Tai didn’t immediately recognize. It truly was a treasure chest.
\tMike withdrew a small, blue creature with four legs constructed from sturdy plastic. It was a blue-skinned creature, equipped with large fangs, sharp claws and a tail that twisted like a snake into the air behind it. It seemed to be a weird amalgamation of various species, almost like a chimera. “I have no idea what this is,” he said, looking a little bemused. “Dad got it for me because he heard all the kits were getting them. It’s cool though.”
\t“It’s a Thunder-Kirin,” Tai supplied instantly. “From Battle Eidolon ZERO?” A completely baffled look was his response. “Um, it can breathe thunder-clouds and teleport around as a bolt of lightning. They guard the temples of…” He flushed and trailed off. “It’s a TV show. Everyone at school watched it.”
\t“Must be popular…” Mike frowned, evidently imagining something. “Breathe thunder-clouds…? Whoa, that’s awesome!” He looked closely at the toy, his tail twitching. “It’s even cooler than what I was doing with it.”
\t“What was that?”
\tMike shrugged. “It has big teeth,” he replied simply. “I haven’t watched that show.”
\tTai felt a little bitter at that. “I wanted one,” he admitted, “but mom told me it was way too expensive.”
\tIn fact, he’d watched that show because it was popular at school and because it was on TV on Monday and Thursday mornings. But Mike didn’t go to a school, and was probably able to sleep in on those mornings. His friends were older too, and even if they mentioned the show, he probably didn’t give it any thought.
\tThat made him a little jealous; Mike didn’t need to know the fads, know what he was supposed to know. The things Tai had struggled to keep up with at school, but never could – isolating him even more from his friends and peers. It didn’t seem to matter to Mike.
\tIt wasn’t fair. What was Tai doing that was so wrong?
\t“This is really cool,” Mike said, extracting a life-like dinosaur as big as his forearm. It stood on two legs and looked fierce, with a huge sickle-like claw on each foot. He placed it on the ground and hit a switch, resulting in the toy taking a step forward, bowing down and let out a harrowing- if tiny- snarl.
\t“Wh-what’s that?!” Tai asked, lying onto his back.
\t“Velociraptor!” Mike told him, shooting him another baffled look. “I thought you’d love dinosaurs.”
\t“How come?”
\t“Well, they’re interesting and cool. They existed millions of years before even the humans. If you wanna borrow anything, you can!” Mike replaced the toy, rummaging around for another. He pulled out a jet plane. “Oops, not what I want. Let’s see!”
\tTai looked around the room with a silent sigh, trying to conceal his sullen depression from his friend.
\tHe looked closely at the older kit, digging through his toys. Mike wasn’t like him. Unlike him, Mike was confident, social and active, wearing fashionable clothes that Tai’s mom could never afford, and he was so incredibly smart. Mike wasn’t totally ignorant of kids’ culture, as the posters and other toys in the room showed. Oh, what the heck did it matter? Why did he care? He knew he should be happy for Mike, but he couldn’t be.
\tWhy was he jealous of his closest friend just for having a toy he wanted?!
\t“I play with these all the time.” Suddenly there was a gigantic, real-looking, lizard-demon in his face. “T-rex! Rawr!” Mike chuckled. “Check it out! The skin is so real.”
\t“Whu? Oh, wow, it does,” replied Tai, reaching out and poking it. He forced a smile. “Like a big lizard. Eww.”
\tMike took the tyrannosaurus and jammed an ‘unwilling’ human doll in its fearsome jaws before handing it to Tai. “It’s hard to feed him,” he said seriously, grinning cheekily. “He likes humans, but they’re all gone, so he’s always hungry. Ravenous dinosaur!”
\t“That why he’s so small?”
\tMike grinned even wider. “You’re the expert.” He rummaged some more, clearly happy to be showing off his toys. Show and tell continued for a little while, before Mike stopped and stared at the floor momentarily. “Hey…” he said tentatively. “Want to hear some music? I know it might not be your thing… but, um, I got a new album last week.”
\tTai looked at the hopeful upraised face and blinked. He almost said no, but something… “Sure!” he said, watching in bemusement as Mike stood and bounced over to his music player on the dresser at the other side of the bed.
\tMike wanted so much to show these things to him. It was as if it was the first time he’d shown anyone, probably aside from his dad. Maybe he’d never had a friend over he wanted to show these things to. That was curious.
\tMaybe he’d… never had a real friend before. Not one he could feel comfortable around. Not one he could have in his room, to talk to about anything and everything.
\tTai suddenly didn’t feel jealous anymore.
They were more alike than he could’ve hoped.

\tThe two fox-pups had to go to sleep early, their ‘naughty’ plans unfulfilled. Instead they had played with toys and one another for hours together until they could stay awake no more.
\tHowever, early the next morning, Mike’s bedroom door cracked open and Robert slipped into the room. He gently shook the boys, waking them up with a quiet whisper.
\t“Dad?” Mike mumbled when he finally got his eyes to flutter open. “Wh-what is it?”
\tRobert looked apologetic. “Sorry boys, but Tai’s mom got back a few hours ago. She wants him home now.”
\t“Tch.”
\tTai roused himself quickly afterwards, almost unfazed by the early hour, slipping into some of his clothes and zipping up the carry-case he’d recovered from his house filled with clothing. He yawned and looked back at the warm bed with Mike still in it, looking out at him.
\t“You’re going home, huh,” Mike said sulkily.
\t“Uh-huh.” Tai slung the case over his shoulder. “Thanks for…” he paused. What to thank Mike for first? The list was huge. Caring about him? Listening to him? Being his best friend ever? “Everything.”
\tMike nodded and smiled. “Thanks for being my friend,” he said sincerely, sitting up in bed and pulling the warm covers to his chest. “I…”
\t“Yeah.” Tai sighed and looked at his still bare paws. “I hope it stays that way.”
\t“Huh?”
\t“Well, none of my other friends are still my friends are they?”
\tMike looked at Tai, perplexed. “You don’t think I’ll be like that, do you?”
\tTai returned the look. “I don’t know… all my friends have been like that.”
\t“I’ll be your friend forever.”
\tThe tawny kit smiled and put on his socks and shoes. “I hope so. See you soon?”
\t“Whenever you want!” Mike chuckled sleepily. “I’ll come round your place next time.”
\tWhen Tai dragged himself through the apartment to the door, his mother was talking with Robert out front in the dingy corridor. The grownups were still chatting away. Tai hung back, not wanting to intrude, or unnecessarily hasten his departure.
“You need to be careful though,” he heard Robert mutter softly, likely trying to avoid waking the neighbors. “Things aren’t the same as, well…”
“I suppose so,” Eraline said conversationally. “But the more things change, the more they stay the same.”
“Not so sure about that myself. A lot can happen in nine-” Robert glanced over his shoulder and grinned at the patiently waiting kit behind him. “Oh, there you are, Tai!” He changed position, leaning on the door-frame and allowing Tai a direct line of sight to his mother – her hair was slightly frizzed and dry, her fur not as clean as normal, and she appeared totally exhausted.
Nonetheless, when she saw Tai, Eraline smiled as best she could. “Well, I think we’ll go sleep now,” she said, a longing in her tone. “It was nice to meet you. I’m glad Tai gets on well with your son.”
\t“Nice to meet you too,” Robert replied, shaking her paw. He was grinning slightly. “We’ll have to do something together sometime. Soon.” He ruffled Tai’s hair as he passed, eliciting a shy smile. “Come by anytime, Tai. You’re always welcome.”
\t“We’ve got little choice with our kits being pals now, I think.” Eraline chortled and reached out to pull Tai to her. She gave him a brief hug. “Good morning, baby. Still sleepy, huh?”
\tTai nodded sullenly. Actually, he just didn’t want to be leaving. Couldn’t his mom just stay over too?
\t“Good, because I’m gonna need a long nap.” Eraline directed her beautiful, if worn-out, smile back to Robert. “I’ll see you soon, then?”
\t“I hope so. Sleep tight, both of you.” Robert returned the smile. After a moment, it seemed to waver. “… Take care of yourself.”
\t“You too.”
Tai once again thanked his new friend’s father, and he and his mother returned to their own residence and their own beds for a few more hours before getting back up. Or at least Tai did.
\tHis mother slept the entire day, leaving him alone, bored and unfed.
\t
\tThe unmarked gray corridor seemed to be endless, and Tai stumbled, breathless, into the dull wall. He clutched at his chest, struggling to fill his lungs. His legs felt heavy, like lead, and he was weak over all; he couldn’t keep up.
\t“Come on, Tai!” said Mike’s voice. Tai looked down at his friend, running further down the corridor without even pausing. He had the grace to at least look back.
\tWhimpering lowly, Tai forced himself to keep jogging. “W-wait! Please!” he pleaded, frightened for some reason he could not recall.
\tHe was dreaming. But he was just a very young fox; he did not even know it was a dream. It was so real! He wasn’t going to wake up from it… this was truth, and he was afraid.
\tAfraid of being left behind.
\t“No!” Tai yelled as Mike, laughing, took a corner at a sprint. He hauled himself to the corner, willing himself to run as fast as he could, still much slower than the older, athletic boy had been.
\tHe collapsed against the wall again, grabbing the edge and pulling himself around the corner. He felt like he’d been running for hours; so heavy, so weak.
\tAround the corner, his legs shook and he fell to his hands and knees.
\t“What’s wrong with you?” demanded a familiar female voice. He didn’t have to look up to see who it belonged to, but did anyway. Eraline was frowning down at her son, disappointment and even disgust on her features. Standing beside her was Mike, leaning affectionately against his father’s hip. He looked down at his friend too and shrugged.
\t“Whaddaya expect,” he said offhandedly, “from Tai? He’s a bit of a loser.”
\tTai gasped, looking up at his best friend in horror. “N-no!” he blurted half-heartedly. It hurt so much, just hearing that from him. “I’m not!” He sobbed, shaking his head violently.
\tNow it was Robert’s turn to speak. He shook his head in pity, squeezing his son’s shoulder. “Acting like that doesn’t help…” he said quietly.
\t“Yeah,” added Mike, not even looking down anymore. “It’s just annoying.”
\tTai struggled to get to his feet, but he felt just too weak. He couldn’t even run from this horrific scenario.
\t“Oh, look!” chirped Eraline suddenly. “It’s one of your school friends! Don’t be so rude, Tai! Say hello.” Tai blinked in surprise and turned…
\tDarron was suddenly there, with a wild expression and his cruel looking knife raised above Tai’s shocked face, held tightly in an ice-pick grip. “Hey there, fag,” he said calmly, before bringing the knife down violently.
\tEverything whited out in the instant before the knife could hit him, and suddenly it felt like he had been plunged into the dark sea he hated so much. Soon, the dull-gray surface of an unfamiliar ceiling was all he could see.
\tTai’s own screaming had jerked him free of the nightmare, and he sat up immediately in his oversized, empty bed, hurling the covers to the floor. He clutched at his chest— it felt like something was trying to burst out of it. His heartbeat thumped loudly in his ears, he could feel his pulse throbbing in his mind somehow, and his entire body tingled unpleasantly. As per what usually happened after a nightmare, his senses seemed clouded, perception just beginning to return to him as he still fought to tear himself from the dream.
A powerful sensation of swaying vertigo kept him incredibly dizzy.
Under his fur, he felt sweat, clammy and disgusting, clinging to his body.
\tHe whimpered, looking around blindly in the darkness. Unwilling to stay in the dark any longer, he scrambled to his feet, ignoring the dull ache in his damaged ankle, and hit the light switch, the illumination searing his tear-blurred eyes.
\tNightmares and bad dreams were nothing new to Tai. In fact, they were common, but this one was so strange. Normally he was running from some- often unseen- threat that he was convinced was trying to kill him, but this was something totally different. Much scarier, even before the delinquent wolf tried to stab him, in a very different way.
\tTai sank to the floor, sniffling quietly and covering his eyes. He even felt a little sick.
\tHe cast a glance at the room door, knowing how unlikely it was that his mother would come through it to comfort him, but he hoped she’d heard anyway. Maybe she’d come in to make him feel better…
\tShe didn’t.
\tHe bowed his head and sighed. Then he tensed his paws into fists. “That’s not true,” he whispered shakily to himself. “They don’t think that! Th-they don’t.”
\tSo then why was he dreaming it?

\tIt was quiet around the Donaldson apartment, now that Mike’s latest friend had gone home two days ago, and Robert felt that things were kind of dull with all back to normalcy again as he sat in the leather couch in his modern, bright den. Even he missed the quiet little kit from upstairs.
\tMike walked in, looking a little dejected and more than a little bored. “Hey, dad…” he said, without much vigor.
\t“Hey, Mike,” Robert replied, looking up from his newspaper. “What’s happening?”
\t“Not much.”
\tThe grownup shifted in his chair. “Just so you know, I have to go out tomorrow evening. If I make you dinner before I leave, will you be alright after practice?”
\t“Yup.” Mike shuffled his paws, something clearly on his mind. “Um, a-anything interesting in the newspaper?”
Adjusting his glasses, Robert looked down again. “Not particularly. This family-values idiot here says here that kids are behaving more and more condescendingly to their parents nowadays.”
\t“Well, no duh dad,” Mike retorted with a completely straight face.
\tHis father eyed him impassively.
\t“Want some help with that crossword?” Mike added.
\t“You know,” Robert finally said, narrowing his eyes, “if this is what you’re like now, I’m dreading your teenage years.”
\tMike smiled. “I’ll be good.” Then that smile disappeared and Mike’s expression became sad. “Dad, can I talk to you?”
\t“Of course.” Robert put his paper aside and motioned for his son to sit on his lap, which the barky-furred vulpine boy did. “What is it?”
\t“Well,” the pup began, looking very thoughtful. “Tai said to me that all his friends have left him. When he left, he said he thinks our friendship would be the same.”
\t“He’s one pessimistic little boy, isn’t he?” mused Robert.
\t“I don’t know. Is he?”
\t“He might be right, maybe it’s happened to him before. You never know how things can change, Mike. Friends drift apart over time.”
\t“Yeah, but what if you don’t want it to happen?” Mike demanded, hugging his father tightly. “What if you don’t want to lose a friend? Aren’t friends supposed to be special?”
\t“Some are. But sometimes… it can be hard.” Robert brushed his son’s ears. “You might have to keep working on it all the time; it won’t always come naturally. Someday, you may even regret you had Tai for a friend. Who knows? Of course, I don’t. You’ve only just met Tai after all.”
\t“You mean, I might lose him as a friend?” Mike asked. His father nodded. “… I don’t think that’ll happen.”
\t“I know. But who can tell the future? You never can. You just have to be ready for it, and handle it as best you can. Hopefully, you won’t be alone when things go wrong, and someone will be there for you.”
\tMike sighed sadly. “Life sucks.”
\t“I don’t think so,” Robert told his cub gently. “There are good things in life. For instance, all the fun you just had with Tai recently. It’s just, well, you two are only kits – you have a long road ahead. And I don’t think anything is as unpredictable as friendship; or relationships in general. In a month, you two could hate each other for some silly, trivial reason. In half a century, you might still be best friends.”
\t“I don’t want to think about that. In half a century, you probably won’t be around any more…”
\t“And when I do finally piss off, I’ll know I’d left behind a wonderful boy of whom I’m incredibly proud. Yeah, life can suck, occasionally. Most of the time, if you know what you’re doing and have the advantages we have, however…” he left it hanging for a second. “You can change a lot, Mike. Not everything is out of your control.”
\tMike said nothing for a whole minute, and then he chuckled dryly. “I’m glad I’m your son, and not anyone else’s.”
\t“I’m glad too,” sighed Robert, cradling the melancholy kit in his arms. “But that’s why you don’t need to worry. You’re the sweetest kit in the whole world, and you’ll make friends as you go along. You have a good chance of keeping them, too. As for Tai… time will tell.” Robert squeezed his son gently. “You really like him, don’t you?”
\tThe brown furred pup snorted a little laugh. “Yeah.” There was another lengthy pause before Mike elaborated. “I like how he listens to me and knows what I mean. He’s smart and can be fun without doing anything dumb.”
\t“You like having someone near your own age that understands you?” Robert smiled knowingly. That was always Mike’s problem with getting close to kits his own age. He always complained they were dumb or irritating, even if he seemed to get along fine with them. It made sense he’d want a friend that could engage him so well. Even if, ironically, that friend turned out to be younger than him.
\t “Wish he wouldn’t say stuff like that though,” Mike admitted, referring to what started this conversation in the first place. “And he’s so shy. He acts like everyone is going to hate him if he says anything wrong. It’s annoying.”
\t“Maybe that’s what he’s used to.”
\t“Why?”
\tRobert shook his head. “Kits at school can be very mean sometimes, Mike. I think Tai was badly bullied.”
\t“…Oh. He said something about that.”
\tRobert hesitated a moment. “Well, I think they were most likely kits your age, actually,” he elaborated. “Bigger boys. Stronger than him.”
\tMike froze for a second. “Oh,” he muttered sourly. “That’s why he was so scared of me the first time we met, I guess.”
\t“Be careful with him, Mike,” warned Robert, deadly serious. “You don’t want to hurt him. It might be hard to deal with him sometimes.”
\t“That just makes me want to be his friend even more, dad.” The boy’s face was steely with determination. “He needs a friend more than I do.”

\tThe next morning, Tai was up almost at the crack of dawn, his lonely bed cold and boring.
\tHowever, he had absolutely nothing to do while convalescing, and could only lounge around his generously sized bedroom alone.  He considered making the short trip down the corridor and traversing a few flights of stairs to Mike’s apartment, but after spending so much time there he was unsure whether he should. Though both Mike and his dad had said he was welcome, Tai knew Mike had home lessons and Robert had a job too. Which did beg the question of what Mike did when his dad was at work, but until he knew for sure he was welcome around there at those points, Tai wasn’t going to risk it.
\tBored as he was, he definitely didn’t want to head back to school now, though he likely could manage it. His ankle still throbbed when he put weight on it, but at least he could walk with an almost normal gait without the aid of his crutch. He’d figured that his new school was considerably worse than normal, but that was little comfort – he still never wanted to return.
\tWhen restlessness got the better of him at last, Tai made his way to the kitchen, to pour himself a drink. On the way, his mother emerged from her own doorway, yawning widely and looking terrible. She nearly bowled the little kit over but for him nimbly leaping aside, and she immediately berated him. “Look out, Tai!” she grumbled, as if he’d been at fault and not her.
\tWith a flicker of irritation, Tai didn’t apologize or even say good morning, just continued on his way. When they were both in the kitchen, Tai looking for the milk and Eraline flicking on the kettle, there was a kind of strained silence. Tai knew that, normally, his mother would take him to task for ‘his attitude’ there, but she seemed too tired to really notice it.
\tPulling the milk out and pouring himself a generous glassful, Tai’s brow furrowed in thought. His mother hadn’t asked him anything about why his left foot was currently wrapped in stiff, tight bandaging. Did she already know or just not care?
\tHis mother’s apathy was another not-new thing this morning, however, and he decided not to give it any thought.
\tQuite suddenly, she spoke to him. “What did you eat at Mr. Donaldson’s house?” she asked, not looking away from her cup.
\t“Chinese curry,” Tai replied quietly, taking a sip of his milk.
\t“Did you thank Mr. Donaldson for everything?”
\tAgain the flicker of irritation. Of course he’d said thank you! “Yeah.”
\tEraline stirred her coffee and walked over to her boy, warmly ruffling his head-fur and rubbing an ear. “Good,” she said, and Tai forgave her almost instantly. Mostly.
\t“You aren’t going out again tonight, are you?” he asked, setting down his milk.
\tEraline nodded her head and collapsed into the excessively soft sofa and stared listlessly at the blank screen of the TV. “Yes, but not all night,” she said wearily, cradling her coffee. “I couldn’t handle another night shift. I won’t be out long, I promise.” Her ears seemed droopy and her expression was exhausted, maybe even haunted. Tai, remembering his milk, came over to her and sat down beside her, looking worriedly at her.
\t“Mom?” he asked. “Are you OK?”
\t“Just tired.”
\tTai nodded and leaned onto the tired vixen’s side, resting his head on her flank. She promptly snagged him in a loose hug. “Sorry,” she muttered into his pointed little ear. “I missed you. Sorry for being away for so long.”
\t“It’s alright mom, I met a new friend while you were away.”
\t“I know. Mike, wasn’t it?”
\tTai suddenly realized that he still had many questions, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask his worn-out mom. She just looked so tired. He didn’t want to bug her. She’d never answer anyway, all it’d do is upset both of them.
\tEventually, Tai got back up and wandered back to his room, leaving his mother to stretch out on the sofa and fall asleep again. He couldn’t wake her up when she was this exhausted, but once again he had nothing to do.
\tHe sat cross-legged on his bed, looking miserably down the spines of the books on his finally re-stocked bookshelf; he’d read them all already and they were old, intended for a much younger kit. He drained the last of his milk, fell backwards onto the bed and amused himself for a while trying to balance the empty tumbler on his chest.
\tWith a sigh he closed his eyes and resigned himself to boredom.
\tHe had an idea then, placing the tumbler on his bedside cabinet and pulling his t-shirt over his head.
\tTai lay back again with closed eyes and placed a paw on his exposed lower belly, slowly sliding it down through his fur, under his shorts’ waist-band. He curled the paw around the warm, sensitive package, enveloping his soft shaft tightly.
\tIt hardened slowly with almost no encouragement, Tai’s heart-rate increasing alongside it. He’d not done this for a little while, and Mike had shown him there was a prize waiting at the end if you do it right. Maybe it was time he experienced it again; not like he was busy.
\tHe pulled the foreskin back slowly, the skin slipping over the head quite easily and sending a shiver down his spine. The shiver only got worse when he gently rubbed the tip with his fingers, but that was alright. The fox pup liked that shiver.
\tThe small paw began to move up and down the entire shaft, taking it to its maximum level of stiffness.
\tTai mewled and gasped, moving his legs apart. It felt very nice, but he sped up the movement to make it even better.
\tAs it always did, his other paw came to land on his chest, running through his own silky smooth, warm fluff. It eventually brushed over his small right nipple and he shuddered. He started to rub over it, the thing stiffing just like his privates had.
\tIt took him some time at this leisurely, sensual pace, but eventually his features screwed up and his body tensed, the climax approaching suddenly.
\t“Uhhnnhhh…” he breathed in a strained voice, wriggling and curling his toes. Orgasm shook his little body, and he fought to keep a loud gasp inside him. The sensation still making his skin tingle, he flattened out on the bed, tired, the world around him unfocused. It had been such an intense sensation, but not quite as intense as when Mike gave it to him.
\tIt didn’t last long, but when he finally sat up again, he felt relaxed, refreshed and cheerful.
\t“Why didn’t anyone tell me about this?” he asked himself dreamily, stroking the little member once more.
\tIt was still stiff. Maybe he could go again…?
\t
\tIt stank. The apartment hadn’t been cleaned in a little while, nor had its occupant. A middle aged ferret lounged indolently on the sofa, his small eyes empty. Garbed in simple, unwashed street clothing, he stared motionlessly at his reluctant guest. Keeping his paws concealed in his jacket.
\tAcross the room stood a powerfully built, though still young, wolf whose expression indicated very firmly he didn’t want to be here. They’d been staring at one another for minutes now. This was a very uncomfortable meeting, and the wolf was almost sure the guy he was ‘talking’ to wasn’t all there upstairs.
\tBut he’d been useful before. Maybe he could be useful again.
\t“Well?” The young wolf grumbled. “Are you clear on what you’re s’posed to do?”
\tThe ferret didn’t even blink, sitting motionless for a few moments before answering. “Yes,” he said, sitting forwards. “Tell your father I don’t appreciate him sending furs I don’t know directly to my home, even if it’s his son.”
\t“What, you think I wanted to come here?” sneered the young lupine. “He was too busy to come himself, that’s all.”
\tThe beady dark eyes scanned the small photograph once again. Face unreadable. “So… it was you who saw her?” he asked softly.
\t“Right. At the docks.”
“Alright. What about the-?”
\t“I don’t give a fuck about him,” lied the wolf immediately. “But maybe. There’s a better option than him anyway, probably doesn’t know a thing. Whatever you feel like.”
\tSuddenly, the scraggly ferret chuckled. “I see.”
\t“Is it a problem for you?”
\t“Yes. But I’ve done worse.” He stood and shucked off his disgusting jacket. He headed towards the back of the apartment. “Let yourself out. I’m going to shower.”
\t“You fuckin’ need one.”
“It’ll be done soon.”
“Sometime this week. Can’t pass this shit up.”
“Sooner.”
\tThe wolf said nothing, just walked out the door briskly, desperate to get away from the ungodly stench. When he shut the door he fell against it, gasping for air. “What the fuck is wrong with that guy?”

\tAnother day passed, bringing some light rain to the streets of New York.
\tTai stared blankly at the ceiling, picking up and dropping a small plastic toy onto his belly again and again as he stretched out on his bed. Finally, he flung the model ninja to the side, letting it hit the floor with a carpet-muffled thud to join the other toys he’d discarded over the afternoon.
\tHe didn’t feel like playing with toys. One by one he’d taken something out of his little suitcase only to be bored with it within a minute.
\tHe wondered what Mike was doing; thought about how much he’d like to be playing with him right now. Talking with him. Listening to him make dry jokes and playful comments.
\tWhat was going on? Tai knew he never used to feel like this… he always used to be able to entertain himself, to be happy by himself. Being alone sucked, but boredom itself was never a problem. Was it because he couldn’t bring himself to go for a walk in this strange city? Was he sick of his toys?
\tHis eyes started to sting and he drew the back of his paw across his eyes, sniffling while tears started to slowly blur his vision.
\tAt last, he realized the truth. “I’m lonely…” he said quietly.
\tAnd he was. He wanted so much to spend time with someone right now. Mike, Jake, his own mom, Robert… anybody! He wanted to talk to them, to play with them, to touch them… someone. He was so lonely it hurt and he couldn’t relax.  
\tIt had been just less than a week before that he’d been sleeping in the same bed as another young fox pup, and the cold, boring solitude of his own bedroom was already unbearable. Yet, at the same time, he was desperately fighting the compulsion to spring to his paws and bolt upstairs to Mike’s apartment.
\tTai restively sat up on his bed, staring blankly at the space between his legs. The bed clothes he had seen on the first day in the apartment were still there – black nylon sheets with gray and white pillowcases. The bed felt totally alien to him… it was massive, sure, but it just wasn’t a young boy’s bed. It felt so bleak and boring.
\tWith a sigh he looked around his room. The walls were creamy white, and adorned with nothing aside from the polished wooden clock, with its indecipherable, formal-looking roman numerals. Aside from the bed all there was in the room was the oak bed-side table. There was nothing; no warmth or personality at all. At least not to Tai.
\tHe longed to decorate it somehow. To give it some… to make it like Mike’s room! It didn’t need to be big and have a huge bed in it that dwarfed the little kit sleeping in it…
\tBut that couldn’t happen, because aside from his old bed-clothes, now too small for this gigantic bed, he didn’t have anything. His mother never bothered getting him any of that sort of stuff, and to be fair, he never asked. For some reason, he was only noticing it now, but it was suddenly such a big deal!
\tYet he didn’t want it to be!
\t“Uhhnn…” he moaned, getting to his feet sullenly. Maybe he could go watch television; it was only four in the evening after all.
\tHe paused. Mike had a television in his room, and he even had that Gamestation thing there too. Maybe his mom would get him one? Let him keep it in his room like Mike did. But how much did one of them cost? Could his mom afford it? Would she buy it for him? She did seem to have a lot more money all of a sudden… but why should she spend it all on him?
\tWhat was going on? He stopped and chewed his bottom lip. Something was wrong. Why was his mom telling him so little? Why was she away so often? Where did the money come from and… well, his mom didn’t buy stuff for him often, but she hadn’t gotten him anything at all recently.
\tHe huffed and sat back down.
\tToday sucked.
\tIt all sucked.
\tAnd he didn’t even know why.

Chapter Six – Fin.

-- By Krazy Kitsune/Kichigai Kitsune
Copyright 2005 onwards.

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