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Characters and story copyright Kyell Gold", "writing": "Spring was nearing its transition into summer and life at Forrester University was nearly back to normal. Spring break was over, and the class schedule was filled with extra classes for those students who may have needed to catch up for the semester. Kory didn't need any of these extra classes since he was well ahead of his coursework and looking forward to summer vacation with Samaki. As he was walking back to his dorm from the campus library his thoughts drifted to spending time on a white beach somewhere with his fox, where the days would be spent laying on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and enjoying each other's company, The nights would be spent in bed, naked and making love to one another, caressing and holding each other in their arms. A smile crept across the otter's muzzle at this thought and his sheath swelled in his pants in anticipation with those wonderful thoughts. \n\nKory was nearly at his dorm, walking along the well-travelled pathway he had taken hundreds of times already. His thoughts only on his fox, wondering where they should go to dinner tonight and what they would be doing afterwards. Kory's thoughts were interrupted by a flash of bright light and searing pain in his muzzle. The otter was confused to find himself staring at the ground now. ``What happened?'' he said to himself, did he trip over something? Another jolt of pain in his side shook him into reality as the pain continued into his groin now. Kory reflexively curled into a tight ball, trying to protect his body and head. His fuzzy brain registered screaming now, someone was screaming at him. ``Hey faggot, how's that feel? Huh? Your kind make me sick to my stomach. ``Kory looked up to see a wolf leaning over him, a look of hatred on his muzzle, his ears flat back against his head and his muzzle in an almost feral snarl. The wolf kicked him again, pain shot along his back at the contact as the wolf continued screaming at him. ``God damn faggots ruining everything in the world today.'' \n\nKory was frightened, he didn't know this wolf at all. Why was he doing this to him? Kory tried to speak ``W.... what are you... ``His words were interrupted by a fist to his muzzle. Kory saw stars and flopped onto the ground flat on his back now. The wolf kneeled onto his chest, that hatred and snarling still prominent in his face. ``Fuckin faggots. You all are the same. Thinking you're better than everyone else.'' The wolf bent down into Kory's face. ``You're no better than anyone, you just pollute the gene pool and should be eliminated.'' Kory's head was spinning, the screaming loud in his ears as he folded his ears back out of fear and the screaming. Kory then heard another sound, one that brought new fear into his head. The sound of cloth tearing, his body being pulled around. The wolf was tearing the clothing from his body. Kory tried to get up but was pushed back down as his shirt was torn away, his chest and back hit with a rush of cool air offering a glimmer of reprieve for just a second. The wolf then tore his pants and underwear away, more cool air hit parts of his body that should not feel air in public. Kory pulled his tail around himself. His brain starting to panic now. What was this wolf doing to him? Why was he doing this?\n\nHis brain in his panicked state heard more voices now, people yelling and screaming but he was in too much of a panic to understand what was being said. He registered paw pads hitting the ground around him now. Convinced he was set upon by an angry mob, they were going to beat him to death like he had read about at other schools. Kory inwardly pleaded with God to let Samaki be taken care of, resigning himself to being taken away from his love in such a horrible manner. Kory closed his eyes and waited for the end to come.\n\nA gentle voice spoke to him in his ear and a paw lay on his shoulder. ``Are you OK? Come on get up. Someone get me a blanket to cover him up'' Kory opened his eyes to see a female panther kneeling over him, a look of genuine concern on her face. Kory looked around and saw the wolf that attacked him, now with some other people on top of him holding him down. Kory sat up, bewildered and in pain and looked at the panther again. She smiled a bit at him as she helped him to sit up. ``don't move too much just in case something is broken. Oh my god how could this happen here?'' Kory coughed as he sat up, his sides and muzzle hurt, and he felt cold. Someone draped a blanket over him, shielding his body from the cool air and the eyes around him. Kory looked around him, his bag was laying a few feet away with his homework strewn over the ground. His clothing was torn and shredded about his body, his pants and underwear were half off and clung to his leg. Kory whimpered and pulled his tail over his exposed sheath. He looked at the panther again, ``what happened? I.... Who are you?'' The Panther spoke softly to him, ``This asshole jumped you. We saw what was happening from our dorm and ran down to help you. He's not going anywhere.'' Kory looked at the wolf who was protesting loudly about his rights and they should let him go but no one moved from him, a tiger and a bear keeping him pinned firmly to the ground ``Shut the fuck up asshole'' the tiger said as he pushed the wolf's muzzle into the dirt.\n\nA short time later Kory was sitting on a bench nearby, his bag was by his side and all his homework returned to it. The campus police were almost done questioning him and kept insisting that he go to the hospital for treatment to which Kory shook his head. ``I'll be OK'' he said repeatedly, ``just want to go back to my dorm room'' His thoughts focused on Samaki. Kory wanted nothing more than to be in his fox's arms right now. The panther was still sitting by his side, her arms across his shoulders to comfort him. ``I'll make sure he gets back to his room officer'' she said. Kory looked at her and smiled softly. ``Thank you'' he said. She smiled back at him. ``I'm only glad you're ok. That asshole is going to jail and you're going to rest in your own bed.'' The officer told them that Kory could go back to his room and to call if he needed anything and a detective will contact him in a day or two. The panther helped Kory to his feet and grabbed his bag for him. Kory winced at the pain in his body but stood, gripping the remains of his clothes and the blanket tight around his body as the pair walked the rest of the way to Kory's dorm room.\n\nKory unlocked the door to his room and opened the door, Samaki was sitting on the couch watching TV and almost didn't notice him coming in. ``Hi hon, did you have... Oh my God'' Samaki leapt to his feet and was at Kory's side in a flash, helping him to the couch with the panther. A panicked look across his face now. ``What the hell happened? Who did this?'' Samaki was angry and concerned at the same time. The panther spoke, ``Some asshole wolf jumped him and beat him up fairly good. It sounded like he didn't like gay people on campus.'' Samaki growled and snarled at this, ``fucking asshole. Where is he?'' The panther put a paw on Samaki's shoulder, ``it's OK he's in jail, we stopped him and held him for the cops. He has a lot of explaining to do.''\n\nSamaki relaxed a bit and sat beside Kory holding him softly, tears started streaming from the fox's eyes now as the one person he loved more than anything was hurt, and he couldn't do anything about it. He looked at the panther ``Thank you for helping him, I don't know what I...'' his words trailed off as the tears flowed freely. ``My name is Krystal, I'm just glad I was able to help.'' Kory looked at Samaki and held him as he also started to cry on his shoulder. ``Thank you, Krystal,'' said Kory ``I owe you guys my life.'' Krystal waved the praise off, ``Don't think anything of it. I'm only glad we could help.'' Krystal scribbled on a piece of paper from the table, ``This is my number, call me if you need anything, either of you.'' Samaki smiled a bit at Krystal and nodded. ``My name is Samaki. I can't thank you enough for helping Kory.'' The panther smiled and patted Samaki on the shoulder reassuringly ``I better get back to my dorm, Kory, you need to clean up and get some rest. Remember, I'm only a phone call away if you need anything.'' Krystal showed herself out and closed the door, leaving the couple on the couch, crying in each other's arms.\n\nThe next morning came too soon, as Kory woke up from a night of throbbing pain in his body and little sleep. He turned to see it was 8am, he had class at 10 but the way he felt he wasn't sure if he could make it. He turned and saw Samaki sleeping in the chair next to the bed, his feet propped up on the end of the bed and sleeping in what looked to be an uncomfortable position. Kory Tried to get out of bed but the pain in his body protested, causing him to wince and flatten his ears. He finally managed to sit up and swing his legs over the side of the bed. He had some bandages on him where the wolf clawed through his skin. Kory reached a paw up to his muzzle and winced as he found it swollen and hurting where he touched it. Running his tongue around his muzzle he was thankful that all his teeth seemed to be there and there wasn't anything out of the ordinary inside his mouth. Samaki stirred and looked up at Kory. ``Good morning hon, are you OK?'' Kory tried to smile at the fox but found it hurt his mouth to try. ``I think so, everything hurts.'' Samaki moved over to Kory's side and held him while caressing his face gently. ``I was able to get you cleaned up and bandaged up before helping you into bed. I called my mom and she told me what to look for as far as any broken ribs or other serious injuries. I don't think anything is broken but it may be bruised for a while. Mom said she'll come over today and look at you.'' Kory showed a concerned look on his face, ``She doesn't have to bother, I don't want to be any trouble.'' ``Nonsense'' said Samaki. ``You forget that she's a nurse and does this for a living. She is all too happy to come see you and make sure you're OK. She loves you almost as much as I do. You're family as far as she's concerned.'' Kory resigned and nodded'' OK, OK, but I have classes today.'' Samaki shook his head. ``No way. You are staying in bed until you feel better.'' Kory protested but knew it was a losing battle. ``Then help me to the bathroom and I'll get back into bed.'' Samaki put his arms under the smaller otter and guided him into the bathroom and then back into bed, helping him lay down and giving a gentle kiss on his lips. \n\nKory laid in bed, resting as best as he could as Samaki found a reply from Nick on his cell phone which simply said ``OMW.'' Samaki sat beside Kory, ``It looks like Nick is coming also.'' Kory groaned softly, ``How did he find out?'' Samaki looked at Kory sheepishly, ``I texted him last night, I felt he needed to know.'' Kory closed his eyes hoping his mother wasn't going to come also, but since Nick was living in his old apartment with Malaya there was a good chance, he wouldn't tell her. Kory closed his eyes and imagined what his mother would say to him ``God punishes sinners in ways such as this'' ``That's what happens when you go against the teachings of the lord, and with a fox no less'' Kory groaned louder at those thoughts. Samaki looked at Kory with a puzzled look on his face. ``Are you OK hon, do you need an aspirin?'' Kory shook his head slowly, ``No, I just hope Nick isn't bringing my mother here too. I'm not in any mood to hear anything from her today.'' Samaki patted Kory softly on his leg. ``I don't think you have to worry about that. Nick hasn't really spoken to your mother much since he moved out. She refuses to visit him because of Malaya.'' Kory nodded ``Lucky him'' Samaki laughed. ``At least you're sense of humor is still there. Now get some more rest, I am going to get some breakfast for us both. I'll be back in a bit.''\n\nKory was woken by the sound of Samaki coming into the dorm room, he heard another voice with him that he did not recognize. Samaki opened the bedroom door slowly and peeked in. ``Kory? Are you awake?'' Kory tried to sit up slowly. ``Yeah, I'm up'' \n\n``There's a detective here to see you about last night. Are you up to it?'' Kory nodded and Samaki let the detective into the room showing him to the chair. The detective was a German Shepard, he seemed to be younger than Kory expected him to be based on his experiences with movies and books. \n\n``Hi Kory. I am detective Klaus with the campus police department. Are you up to talking with me about what happened last night?''\n\nKory nodded to the detective as he was presented with a business card identifying him. Kory answered the questions that were presented to him by the detective, mostly repeating the same questions from the police officer last night, as the detective wrote down everything Kory said onto a pad. The Detective then asked Kory to allow him to take some pictures of his injuries for evidence, which he shyly agreed to but wasn't very happy about. The detective then took Kory's torn clothes and placed them in a bag for more evidence of the crime.\n\n``Kory, I think you are really lucky that there were people around to help you. This could have been much worse if you were in a more secluded place.'' Kory looked a bit frazzled. ``I have no idea who this guy is, I never saw him before and have no idea why he attacked me.'' The detective nodded. ''Well we have already looked at the standard commonalities, classes you both attended, sports teams, clubs, nothing points to anything where you could have crossed paths. This guy made some statements this morning and he claims that he caught a scent of arousal from you as you passed him on the walkway, he presumed it was because you looked at him and that's why he attacked you.'' Kory looked at the detective with a look of shock now. ``Aroused at him? Me? I never even saw him near me. That seems like one hell of an excuse if you ask me.'' \n\nThe detective nodded. ``I have heard a lot of reasons why people do things and this one is just way out of the ballpark. He already confessed to attacking you because you were gay and we have several witness statements describing everything that happened, including tearing your clothes off, which we still do not understand why he did that to you. I suppose he was just in a state of rage but rest assured that he is getting several felony charges brought against him including sexual assault and a hate crime, being listed as a sex offender for the rest of his life, along with immediate expulsion from school. You won't have to worry about him again.''\n\nKory nodded and sighed, a look of relief on his face. ``Will Kory need to go to court?'' Samaki asked. ``It's possible.'' Said the detective ``He has the right to a trial by jury but more than likely the DA will offer a plea deal for a reduced sentence which will negate the trial. The DA will go over that with you once they start processing the case for court.''\n\nSamaki growled at that thought. ``A reduced sentence? This guy could have killed Kory or someone else. He deserves to rot in jail.'' \n\nDetective Klaus nodded. ``I know how you feel, but one thing is certain, his life is pretty much over. He'll never attend another school, will never hold down any meaningful job, and will have to answer for his crimes for as long as he lives.'' Samaki huffed and nodded. ``I suppose so, but it's still crazy to think about.''\n\nThe detective stood up and shook paws with Kory and Samaki. ``I believe I have everything I need now. I will forward all this to the DA and they will contact you in about a week. You have my number if you have any questions or if I can help you in any way. Also, you may expect a visit from the Dean soon. They take something like this very seriously here and I'm sure they will want to make sure all your needs are taken care of.''\n\nKory nodded and thanked the detective as Samaki showed him to the door. Kory sighed and laid his head on the pillow again. Samaki joined him in bed and snuggled up against him softly. ``I'm really happy that you're going to be OK hon. I... I don't know what I would do... without you.'' Tears streamed down Samaki's face as Kory reached his paw up to wipe them away. \n\n``I prayed to god last night, that he would protect you and keep you safe if he took me from you'' Kory said tearfully. ``I'm glad he decided that I should stay here with you.'' Samaki smiled ``Me too.''\n\nA knock at the door interrupted the mood and Samaki went to answer it. The room filled with people now as Nick, Mrs Roden, and Malaya came into the dorm room. Nick led the trio into the bedroom and looked at Kory with a look of shock. ``Oh God Kory, you look terrible.'' Kory whimpered at his brother, ``I feel terrible.'' Malaya came into the room and waved a wing at Kory, smiling at him but with a genuinely concerned look on her face. ``you've looked better, that's for certain.'' Kory rolled his eyes and scoffed ``Ya think?'' ``At least you're not in the hospital, that's something.'' Kory remembered how Malaya looked when they visited her in the hospital last year after her father beat her and broke her arm. \n\n``Ok you guys'' Mrs. Roden said, ``let me have some time alone with Kory so I can make sure he's OK and get his bandages changed. Samaki, can you get me a pot of hot water and some towels?'' Samaki nodded and took Nick to help. Malaya said from the living room, ``I don't think he's going to have a baby, that's just fat.'' Mrs. Roden tried not to laugh but couldn't help it. Kory threw the TV guide at Malaya, who ducked and laughed. ``See, he's better already.'' \n\nSamaki and Nick returned with the water and some towels and Mrs. Roden shooed them out of the room, closing the door. ``OK Kory, lets get a good look at what hurts.'' Kory felt embarrassed, but he knew that with her being a nurse, she would be exposed to all kinds of people with all kinds of injuries. Kory nodded and relaxed as she cleaned his wounds and examined him thoroughly, making sure there were no obviously broken ribs or permanent injuries. ``I think you're lucky Kory, I don't see anything terribly bad here. You will be sore for a few days though so take it easy.'' \n\nKory smiled. ``Thank you, Mrs. Roden. I'm incredibly grateful.''\n\n``Think nothing of it Kory.'' Said Mrs. Roden ``You're family as far as we're concerned.''\n\nKory nodded and sighed in relief. ``I was scared something would have been broken, but I figured that since I was able to move around with no real increase in pain, I may have gotten lucky.'' Mrs. Roden patted Kory on his head and gave him a gentle nuzzle and a warm smile.\n\n Opening the door again she gave the anxious trio the good news. ``Nothing seems to be broken and all the injuries should heal without any scars or other problems. Samaki, you'll have to make sure he rests but still gets out of bed, so he doesn't get any stiff muscles.'' Samaki nodded ``Sure thing mom, thanks.''\n\nEveryone sat around Kory and chatted quietly, keeping Kory in good spirits during their visit, but soon the trio needed to leave and return to their lives back home. Kory thanked them all for coming, giving Mrs. Roden a nuzzle, and Malaya and Nick a fist bump. He assured them that he would be fine in no time. ``You better.'' Said Nick with a grin. \n\nSamaki walked everyone out to the car then returned to the dorm room, returning to Kory's side. ``I'm glad my mom helped fix you up properly. I was worried I wasn't doing it right.'' Kory smiled and pulled Samaki into bed, hugging him gently and just holding him close. ``Thank you for everything hon. I don't know what I'd do without you.'' Samaki smiled and kissed Kory lovingly.\n\nThe following week was mostly uneventful. He received visits from the Dean of students, some of his professors, and even Krystal stopped by a few times to make sure he was OK. The dean made sure that Samaki and Kory were officially excused from attending classes until Kory felt better enough to attend in person once again. Samaki made sure that that he went and retrieved all their course work from each class, and their homework assignments were kept up to date. \n\nKory was feeling better physically each day, with less pain as he progressed. Psychologically was another matter. Bad dreams were keeping him awake at night, even though he knew he was safe and Samaki was by his side, terrible dreams kept him up at night. He didn't tell Samaki though, no sense worrying him about something that will go away on its own he thought. He remembered what Father Joe always told him, ``Face your fears.''\n\nEventually the swelling went down, and the day came where he felt he could go back to classes once again. Kory and Samaki dressed for class, and they walked down together. ``Are you sure you're going to be all right hon?'' Kory smiled and nodded ``I'll be fine, if I need anything I'll be sure to call you right away.'' Samaki smiled and waved to Kory as he headed to his classes while Samaki walked in the opposite direction to get to his classes. \n\nKrystal saw him walking and joined him. ``Hi there Kory. I'm glad to see you're feeling better.'' Kory smiled at her. ``Yeah, I'm fine now. Back to the grind I guess.'' They both laughed. Krystal fished through her bag and found a paper handing it to Kory. ``I was talking with some friends, and there is this support group should you need to talk about anything. Sometimes victims of these types of crimes may have some issues dealing with returning to a normal life afterwards. If you find yourself having any issues, they can help.'' Kory looked at the flyer. ``Forrester Lesbian and Gay assistance group.'' Krystal smiled and pointed to the smaller print. ``They meet every week at this building, usually an informal get together over coffee, but there to help if you need to talk about anything.'' Kory nodded, smiled, and put the flyer into his bag. ``Thanks Krystal. I'll see about going to their next get together. Maybe Samaki will come also.'' Krystal nodded and looked at her watch. ``Oops I'm going to be late. See ya Kory.'' Kory waved and continued walking as they each went to their respective classes.\n\nKory was glad to be back on a somewhat normal routine, going to classes helped him feel better about his surroundings, helped him feel safe. Almost like being in the water, the water always helped him feel better but this week the campus pool was closed for repairs. ``Just my luck.'' Kory thought. As he listened to the professor in his last class for the week. \n\nThe professor dismissed the class and wished everyone a good weekend, reminding them that homework was due on Monday. Kory got up and headed towards the library, only a few buildings down. He needed to look up one last item to be able to complete his homework assignments and then he could have the rest of the weekend free, to spend with Samaki. \n\nKory sat at a table and started searching through the book he retrieved from the reference shelf. He needed to find a proper reference for a scientific formula his professor added to the homework assignment. His eyes flicked through the pages, searching for the right passage he would need. After a short time the words were a jumble of letters, his brain tried to make sense of what his eyes were looking at but, in his sleep deprived state he was having trouble focusing. His eyes grew heavy, and he wished inwardly he had gotten a coffee before coming here. Kory's eyes blinked slowly as he tried to focus but eventually sleep caught up to him and he put his chin against his chest and drifted to sleep. \n\nKory was woken by the librarian tapping him on the shoulder. ``Young man,'' she said, the library is closed now. You have to return to your dorm room.'' Kory jolted awake and checked his watch. It was 7:35.'' I should have been back in my dorm room hours ago.'' He said to no one in particular. The librarian helped Kory gather his belongings and let him out of the locked door. Kory stood on the steps of the library, looking down the well-traveled pathway that led to his dorm. The same pathway where the wolf jumped him only a bit over a week ago. Kory shuddered as his fur bristled, his thoughts remembering that night, the pain across his body, the cool air washing over his fur as he was stripped naked by the wolf, all coming back to him. Kory tried to shake off the feelings as he started walking down the path. He looked around to see if anyone was nearby, ``maybe someone could walk with him.'' He said to himself but saw no one. He could see across the grass to Krystal's dorm, ``maybe she would be outside tonight.'' He thought but looking around he didn't see her. ``OK'' he said, ``just a short walk to the dorm. No big deal...right?'' As he walked down the pathway.\n\nAbout halfway to his dorm, in nearly the same spot he was attacked, he thought he heard something in the bushes. Kory stopped and looked into the shadows, trying to see if there was someone there. He looked but saw nothing. ``My imagination'' he said to himself and resumed walking even though he was shaking now. A twig snapped by the trees and Kory froze in his tracks, his eyes were wide as saucers and his fur was standing on end over his entire body. Kory slowly turned his head and tried to focus into the tree line, his eyes darting around looking for something, or someone. He thought he spotted a figure in the shadow of a large oak tree looming just out of his sight as Kory tried to see into the darkness. He found himself wishing Samaki was here, foxes have excellent vision, and he was sure Samaki would be able to see into the darkness easily. \n\nKory was shaking more visibly now, his heart was pounding, his legs were turning to jelly, and his ears were flat against his head, he was pleading inwardly to make his legs move again. Kory took a couple of steps and he saw the shadow lunge at him. ``It's the wolf again'' he thought, telling himself to run. Run towards his dorm, run to safety, run to Samaki he told himself, but without looking where he was going, he tripped over his feet and fell to the ground. Kory scrambled to try and stand now, his brain screaming at him to move, his feet trying to find some traction on the cobblestone path as he felt the shadow envelope his body. His fear overwhelmed him now and he screamed as loud as he could. He felt paws grip his shoulders, ``This was it'' he thought, ``this is how I meet my end.'' Someone was saying his name repeatedly, his shoulders being shaken by paws gripping him tightly. Suddenly his eyes regained focus, and he saw Samaki's face yelling his name. Kory blinked, panting heavily as his fear slowly subsided, looking into those violet eyes again, those eyes......... ``S...S...Samaki?'' he said almost in a whisper. ``Kory it's me, snap out of it.'' Samaki said, a look of desperation in his face. Kory threw his arms around Samaki and held him tightly, tears streaming from his eyes as he started sobbing uncontrollably. Samaki just knelt there, holding Kory tightly in his arms, ``I'm here my love. It's all right.'' He said. Krystal knelt behind Kory and petted him softly oh the head, trying to calm him down but not saying a word. The trio stayed there for several minutes before Kory regained his wits enough to realize that it was just his imagination playing a dirty trick on him. Samaki, his fox, was here, holding him and keeping him safe. He registered the soft petting on his head and turned to see Krystal there also, comforting him and giving him a reassuring look. ``What happened?'' Kory said weakly. ``I got worried about you when you didn't come back to the dorm.'' Said Samaki. ``I called Krystal and we came looking for you and found you here, on the ground screaming.'' Kory looked down ashamedly. ``I fell asleep in the library'' he said softly ``I started walking back to the dorm but I... I thought I saw the wolf again. He was coming after me from the shadows. I tried to get away, but I couldn't.'' \n\n``Kory?'' Krystal said to him softly, ``Have you been unable to sleep?'' Kory nodded. ``Did you speak to anyone about this? Anyone at all?'' Kory shook his head. ``I didn't want to be a burden to anyone.'' Samaki kissed Kory on his cheek, still holding his shoulders gently ``You didn't tell me you were having trouble sleeping. Were you having nightmares?'' Kory nodded again. ``Oh hon...'' Samaki said, ``You know I would have done anything to help you.'' Kory looked at Samaki ``I thought it would just go away. I guess I was wrong.'' \n\nKory stood on his feet with the help of Samaki and Krystal, regaining his composure. The trio walked back to the dorm room, where Kory knew he was safe and with people who cared about him. Krystal sat on the couch next to Kory. ``Did you go to the group that I told you about?'' Kory shook his head ``I was going to, but I thought once I got back into a normal routine, I'd be OK.'' Krystal looked at her watch. ``It's 7:45, the group meets tonight at 8. Why don't you clean up a bit and we will all go over there and see someone? I know just the person to see. He helped me get over my fears too.'' Kory and Samaki looked at Krystal with a bewildered look. ``You were attacked too? Kory said softly, Krystal nodded. ``I'll tell you about it sometime, right now let's get your problem resolved. OK?'' \n\nKory went into the bathroom and washed his face and paws while Samaki got some clean clothes out for Kory. Once Kory was dressed, they all left and started walking towards the local coffee house. They entered and filed towards a small corner alcove where several students sat and conversed amongst themselves. Krystal introduced Kory and Samaki to those present and motioned towards a muscular ferret with White and Brown speckled fur. ``Jerry, we need your help.'' The ferret perked his ears and stood. ``That's what I'm here for, lets go in the other room where we can talk a bit.'' All four of them went into the other room which was reserved for private parties but was empty tonight. Jerry closed the door and sat down. The ferret greeted Kory and Samaki with a paw shake, ``I'm Jerry McAllister. It's nice to meet you both.'' Krystal sat beside Kory, ``Jerry is a senior in Clinical Psychology. He is very good at what he does, and he helped me when I needed help. You can trust him.'' Kory nodded and looked at Samaki, the fox reached his paw over and placed his on top of Kory's and squeezed reassuringly. Kory sighed and began telling Jerry about the attack, and the nightmares that followed. Jerry sat in earnest, listening to everything Kory had to say.\n\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Spring was nearing its transition into summer and life at Forrester University was nearly back to normal. Spring break was over, and the class schedule was filled with extra classes for those students who may have needed to catch up for the semester.  Kory didn't need any of these extra classes since he was well ahead of his coursework and looking forward to summer vacation with Samaki. As he was walking back to his dorm from the campus library his thoughts drifted to spending time on a white beach somewhere with his fox, where the days would be spent laying on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and enjoying each other's company, The nights would be spent in bed, naked and making love to one another, caressing and holding each other in their arms. A smile crept across the otter's muzzle at this thought and his sheath swelled in his pants in anticipation with those wonderful thoughts.

Kory was nearly at his dorm, walking along the well-travelled pathway he had taken hundreds of times already. His thoughts only on his fox, wondering where they should go to dinner tonight and what they would be doing afterwards. Kory's thoughts were interrupted by a flash of bright light and searing pain in his muzzle. The otter was confused to find himself staring at the ground now. ``What happened?'' he said to himself, did he trip over something? Another jolt of pain in his side shook him into reality as the pain continued into his groin now. Kory reflexively curled into a tight ball, trying to protect his body and head. His fuzzy brain registered screaming now, someone was screaming at him. ``Hey faggot, how's that feel? Huh? Your kind make me sick to my stomach. ``Kory looked up to see a wolf leaning over him, a look of hatred on his muzzle, his ears flat back against his head and his muzzle in an almost feral snarl.  The wolf kicked him again, pain shot along his back at the contact as the wolf continued screaming at him. ``God damn faggots ruining everything in the world today.''

Kory was frightened, he didn't know this wolf at all. Why was he doing this to him? Kory tried to speak ``W.... what are you... ``His words were interrupted by a fist to his muzzle. Kory saw stars and flopped onto the ground flat on his back now. The wolf kneeled onto his chest, that hatred and snarling still prominent in his face. ``Fuckin faggots. You all are the same. Thinking you're better than everyone else.'' The wolf bent down into Kory's face. ``You're no better than anyone, you just pollute the gene pool and should be eliminated.'' Kory's head was spinning, the screaming loud in his ears as he folded his ears back out of fear and the screaming. Kory then heard another sound, one that brought new fear into his head. The sound of cloth tearing, his body being pulled around. The wolf was tearing the clothing from his body. Kory tried to get up but was pushed back down as his shirt was torn away, his chest and back hit with a rush of cool air offering a glimmer of reprieve for just a second. The wolf then tore his pants and underwear away, more cool air hit parts of his body that should not feel air in public. Kory pulled his tail around himself. His brain starting to panic now. What was this wolf doing to him? Why was he doing this?

His brain in his panicked state heard more voices now, people yelling and screaming but he was in too much of a panic to understand what was being said. He registered paw pads hitting the ground around him now. Convinced he was set upon by an angry mob, they were going to beat him to death like he had read about at other schools. Kory inwardly pleaded with God to let Samaki be taken care of, resigning himself to being taken away from his love in such a horrible manner. Kory closed his eyes and waited for the end to come.

A gentle voice spoke to him in his ear and a paw lay on his shoulder. ``Are you OK? Come on get up. Someone get me a blanket to cover him up'' Kory opened his eyes to see a female panther kneeling over him, a look of genuine concern on her face. Kory looked around and saw the wolf that attacked him, now with some other people on top of him holding him down. Kory sat up, bewildered and in pain and looked at the panther again. She smiled a bit at him as she helped him to sit up. ``don't move too much just in case something is broken. Oh my god how could this happen here?'' Kory coughed as he sat up, his sides and muzzle hurt, and he felt cold. Someone draped a blanket over him, shielding his body from the cool air and the eyes around him. Kory looked around him, his bag was laying a few feet away with his homework strewn over the ground. His clothing was torn and shredded about his body, his pants and underwear were half off and clung to his leg. Kory whimpered and pulled his tail over his exposed sheath.  He looked at the panther again, ``what happened? I.... Who are you?'' The Panther spoke softly to him, ``This asshole jumped you. We saw what was happening from our dorm and ran down to help you. He's not going anywhere.'' Kory looked at the wolf who was protesting loudly about his rights and they should let him go but no one moved from him, a tiger and a bear keeping him pinned firmly to the ground ``Shut the fuck up asshole'' the tiger said as he pushed the wolf's muzzle into the dirt.

A short time later Kory was sitting on a bench nearby, his bag was by his side and all his homework returned to it. The campus police were almost done questioning him and kept insisting that he go to the hospital for treatment to which Kory shook his head. ``I'll be OK'' he said repeatedly, ``just want to go back to my dorm room'' His thoughts focused on Samaki. Kory wanted nothing more than to be in his fox's arms right now. The panther was still sitting by his side, her arms across his shoulders to comfort him. ``I'll make sure he gets back to his room officer'' she said. Kory looked at her and smiled softly. ``Thank you'' he said. She smiled back at him. ``I'm only glad you're ok. That asshole is going to jail and you're going to rest in your own bed.'' The officer told them that Kory could go back to his room and to call if he needed anything and a detective will contact him in a day or two. The panther helped Kory to his feet and grabbed his bag for him. Kory winced at the pain in his body but stood, gripping the remains of his clothes and the blanket tight around his body as the pair walked the rest of the way to Kory's dorm room.

Kory unlocked the door to his room and opened the door, Samaki was sitting on the couch watching TV and almost didn't notice him coming in. ``Hi hon, did you have... Oh my God'' Samaki leapt to his feet and was at Kory's side in a flash, helping him to the couch with the panther. A panicked look across his face now. ``What the hell happened? Who did this?'' Samaki was angry and concerned at the same time. The panther spoke, ``Some asshole wolf jumped him and beat him up fairly good. It sounded like he didn't like gay people on campus.'' Samaki growled and snarled at this, ``fucking asshole. Where is he?'' The panther put a paw on Samaki's shoulder, ``it's OK he's in jail, we stopped him and held him for the cops. He has a lot of explaining to do.''

Samaki relaxed a bit and sat beside Kory holding him softly, tears started streaming from the fox's eyes now as the one person he loved more than anything was hurt, and he couldn't do anything about it. He looked at the panther ``Thank you for helping him, I don't know what I...'' his words trailed off as the tears flowed freely. ``My name is Krystal, I'm just glad I was able to help.'' Kory looked at Samaki and held him as he also started to cry on his shoulder. ``Thank you, Krystal,'' said Kory ``I owe you guys my life.'' Krystal waved the praise off, ``Don't think anything of it. I'm only glad we could help.'' Krystal scribbled on a piece of paper from the table, ``This is my number, call me if you need anything, either of you.'' Samaki smiled a bit at Krystal and nodded. ``My name is Samaki. I can't thank you enough for helping Kory.'' The panther smiled and patted Samaki on the shoulder reassuringly ``I better get back to my dorm, Kory, you need to clean up and get some rest. Remember, I'm only a phone call away if you need anything.'' Krystal showed herself out and closed the door, leaving the couple on the couch, crying in each other's arms.

The next morning came too soon, as Kory woke up from a night of throbbing pain in his body and little sleep. He turned to see it was 8am, he had class at 10 but the way he felt he wasn't sure if he could make it. He turned and saw Samaki sleeping in the chair next to the bed, his feet propped up on the end of the bed and sleeping in what looked to be an uncomfortable position. Kory Tried to get out of bed but the pain in his body protested, causing him to wince and flatten his ears. He finally managed to sit up and swing his legs over the side of the bed. He had some bandages on him where the wolf clawed through his skin. Kory reached a paw up to his muzzle and winced as he found it swollen and hurting where he touched it. Running his tongue around his muzzle he was thankful that all his teeth seemed to be there and there wasn't anything out of the ordinary inside his mouth. Samaki stirred and looked up at Kory. ``Good morning hon, are you OK?'' Kory tried to smile at the fox but found it hurt his mouth to try. ``I think so, everything hurts.'' Samaki moved over to Kory's side and held him while caressing his face gently. ``I was able to get you cleaned up and bandaged up before helping you into bed. I called my mom and she told me what to look for as far as any broken ribs or other serious injuries. I don't think anything is broken but it may be bruised for a while. Mom said she'll come over today and look at you.'' Kory showed a concerned look on his face, ``She doesn't have to bother, I don't want to be any trouble.'' ``Nonsense'' said Samaki. ``You forget that she's a nurse and does this for a living. She is all too happy to come see you and make sure you're OK. She loves you almost as much as I do. You're family as far as she's concerned.'' Kory resigned and nodded'' OK, OK, but I have classes today.'' Samaki shook his head. ``No way. You are staying in bed until you feel better.'' Kory protested but knew it was a losing battle. ``Then help me to the bathroom and I'll get back into bed.'' Samaki put his arms under the smaller otter and guided him into the bathroom and then back into bed, helping him lay down and giving a gentle kiss on his lips.

Kory laid in bed, resting as best as he could as Samaki found a reply from Nick on his cell phone which simply said ``OMW.'' Samaki sat beside Kory, ``It looks like Nick is coming also.'' Kory groaned softly, ``How did he find out?'' Samaki looked at Kory sheepishly, ``I texted him last night, I felt he needed to know.'' Kory closed his eyes hoping his mother wasn't going to come also, but since Nick was living in his old apartment with Malaya there was a good chance, he wouldn't tell her. Kory closed his eyes and imagined what his mother would say to him ``God punishes sinners in ways such as this'' ``That's what happens when you go against the teachings of the lord, and with a fox no less'' Kory groaned louder at those thoughts. Samaki looked at Kory with a puzzled look on his face. ``Are you OK hon, do you need an aspirin?'' Kory shook his head slowly, ``No, I just hope Nick isn't bringing my mother here too. I'm not in any mood to hear anything from her today.'' Samaki patted Kory softly on his leg. ``I don't think you have to worry about that. Nick hasn't really spoken to your mother much since he moved out. She refuses to visit him because of Malaya.'' Kory nodded ``Lucky him'' Samaki laughed. ``At least you're sense of humor is still there. Now get some more rest, I am going to get some breakfast for us both. I'll be back in a bit.''

Kory was woken by the sound of Samaki coming into the dorm room, he heard another voice with him that he did not recognize. Samaki opened the bedroom door slowly and peeked in. ``Kory? Are you awake?'' Kory tried to sit up slowly. ``Yeah, I'm up''

``There's a detective here to see you about last night. Are you up to it?'' Kory nodded and Samaki let the detective into the room showing him to the chair. The detective was a German Shepard, he seemed to be younger than Kory expected him to be based on his experiences with movies and books.

``Hi Kory. I am detective Klaus with the campus police department. Are you up to talking with me about what happened last night?''

Kory nodded to the detective as he was presented with a business card identifying him. Kory answered the questions that were presented to him by the detective, mostly repeating the same questions from the police officer last night, as the detective wrote down everything Kory said onto a pad. The Detective then asked Kory to allow him to take some pictures of his injuries for evidence, which he shyly agreed to but wasn't very happy about. The detective then took Kory's torn clothes and placed them in a bag for more evidence of the crime.

``Kory, I think you are really lucky that there were people around to help you. This could have been much worse if you were in a more secluded place.'' Kory looked a bit frazzled. ``I have no idea who this guy is, I never saw him before and have no idea why he attacked me.'' The detective nodded. ''Well we have already looked at the standard commonalities, classes you both attended, sports teams, clubs, nothing points to anything where you could have crossed paths. This guy made some statements this morning and he claims that he caught a scent of arousal from you as you passed him on the walkway, he presumed it was because you looked at him and that's why he attacked you.'' Kory looked at the detective with a look of shock now. ``Aroused at him? Me? I never even saw him near me. That seems like one hell of an excuse if you ask me.''

The detective nodded. ``I have heard a lot of reasons why people do things and this one is just way out of the ballpark. He already confessed to attacking you because you were gay and we have several witness statements describing everything that happened, including tearing your clothes off, which we still do not understand why he did that to you. I suppose he was just in a state of rage but rest assured that he is getting several felony charges brought against him including sexual assault and a hate crime, being listed as a sex offender for the rest of his life, along with immediate expulsion from school. You won't have to worry about him again.''

Kory nodded and sighed, a look of relief on his face. ``Will Kory need to go to court?'' Samaki asked. ``It's possible.'' Said the detective ``He has the right to a trial by jury but more than likely the DA will offer a plea deal for a reduced sentence which will negate the trial. The DA will go over that with you once they start processing the case for court.''

Samaki growled at that thought. ``A reduced sentence? This guy could have killed Kory or someone else. He deserves to rot in jail.''  

Detective Klaus nodded. ``I know how you feel, but one thing is certain, his life is pretty much over. He'll never attend another school, will never hold down any meaningful job, and will have to answer for his crimes for as long as he lives.'' Samaki huffed and nodded. ``I suppose so, but it's still crazy to think about.''

The detective stood up and shook paws with Kory and Samaki. ``I believe I have everything I need now. I will forward all this to the DA and they will contact you in about a week. You have my number if you have any questions or if I can help you in any way. Also, you may expect a visit from the Dean soon. They take something like this very seriously here and I'm sure they will want to make sure all your needs are taken care of.''

Kory nodded and thanked the detective as Samaki showed him to the door. Kory sighed and laid his head on the pillow again. Samaki joined him in bed and snuggled up against him softly. ``I'm really happy that you're going to be OK hon. I... I don't know what I would do... without you.'' Tears streamed down Samaki's face as Kory reached his paw up to wipe them away.

``I prayed to god last night, that he would protect you and keep you safe if he took me from you'' Kory said tearfully. ``I'm glad he decided that I should stay here with you.'' Samaki smiled ``Me too.''

A knock at the door interrupted the mood and Samaki went to answer it. The room filled with people now as Nick, Mrs Roden, and Malaya came into the dorm room. Nick led the trio into the bedroom and looked at Kory with a look of shock. ``Oh God Kory, you look terrible.'' Kory whimpered at his brother, ``I feel terrible.'' Malaya came into the room and waved a wing at Kory, smiling at him but with a genuinely concerned look on her face. ``you've looked better, that's for certain.'' Kory rolled his eyes and scoffed ``Ya think?'' ``At least you're not in the hospital, that's something.'' Kory remembered how Malaya looked when they visited her in the hospital last year after her father beat her and broke her arm.

``Ok you guys'' Mrs. Roden said, ``let me have some time alone with Kory so I can make sure he's OK and get his bandages changed. Samaki, can you get me a pot of hot water and some towels?'' Samaki nodded and took Nick to help. Malaya said from the living room, ``I don't think he's going to have a baby, that's just fat.'' Mrs. Roden tried not to laugh but couldn't help it. Kory threw the TV guide at Malaya, who ducked and laughed. ``See, he's better already.''

Samaki and Nick returned with the water and some towels and Mrs. Roden shooed them out of the room, closing the door. ``OK Kory, lets get a good look at what hurts.'' Kory felt embarrassed, but he knew that with her being a nurse, she would be exposed to all kinds of people with all kinds of injuries. Kory nodded and relaxed as she cleaned his wounds and examined him thoroughly, making sure there were no obviously broken ribs or permanent injuries. ``I think you're lucky Kory, I don't see anything terribly bad here. You will be sore for a few days though so take it easy.''

Kory smiled. ``Thank you, Mrs. Roden. I'm incredibly grateful.''

``Think nothing of it Kory.'' Said Mrs. Roden ``You're family as far as we're concerned.''

Kory nodded and sighed in relief. ``I was scared something would have been broken, but I figured that since I was able to move around with no real increase in pain, I may have gotten lucky.'' Mrs. Roden patted Kory on his head and gave him a gentle nuzzle and a warm smile.

 Opening the door again she gave the anxious trio the good news. ``Nothing seems to be broken and all the injuries should heal without any scars or other problems. Samaki, you'll have to make sure he rests but still gets out of bed, so he doesn't get any stiff muscles.'' Samaki nodded ``Sure thing mom, thanks.''

Everyone sat around Kory and chatted quietly, keeping Kory in good spirits during their visit, but soon the trio needed to leave and return to their lives back home. Kory thanked them all for coming, giving Mrs. Roden a nuzzle, and Malaya and Nick a fist bump. He assured them that he would be fine in no time. ``You better.'' Said Nick with a grin.

Samaki walked everyone out to the car then returned to the dorm room, returning to Kory's side. ``I'm glad my mom helped fix you up properly. I was worried I wasn't doing it right.'' Kory smiled and pulled Samaki into bed, hugging him gently and just holding him close. ``Thank you for everything hon. I don't know what I'd do without you.'' Samaki smiled and kissed Kory lovingly.

The following week was mostly uneventful. He received visits from the Dean of students, some of his professors, and even Krystal stopped by a few times to make sure he was OK. The dean made sure that Samaki and Kory were officially excused from attending classes until Kory felt better enough to attend in person once again. Samaki made sure that that he went and retrieved all their course work from each class, and their homework assignments were kept up to date.

Kory was feeling better physically each day, with less pain as he progressed. Psychologically was another matter. Bad dreams were keeping him awake at night, even though he knew he was safe and Samaki was by his side, terrible dreams kept him up at night. He didn't tell Samaki though, no sense worrying him about something that will go away on its own he thought. He remembered what Father Joe always told him, ``Face your fears.''

Eventually the swelling went down, and the day came where he felt he could go back to classes once again. Kory and Samaki dressed for class, and they walked down together. ``Are you sure you're going to be all right hon?'' Kory smiled and nodded ``I'll be fine, if I need anything I'll be sure to call you right away.'' Samaki smiled and waved to Kory as he headed to his classes while Samaki walked in the opposite direction to get to his classes.

Krystal saw him walking and joined him. ``Hi there Kory. I'm glad to see you're feeling better.'' Kory smiled at her. ``Yeah, I'm fine now. Back to the grind I guess.'' They both laughed. Krystal fished through her bag and found a paper handing it to Kory. ``I was talking with some friends, and there is this support group should you need to talk about anything. Sometimes victims of these types of crimes may have some issues dealing with returning to a normal life afterwards. If you find yourself having any issues, they can help.'' Kory looked at the flyer. ``Forrester Lesbian and Gay assistance group.'' Krystal smiled and pointed to the smaller print. ``They meet every week at this building, usually an informal get together over coffee, but there to help if you need to talk about anything.'' Kory nodded, smiled, and put the flyer into his bag. ``Thanks Krystal. I'll see about going to their next get together. Maybe Samaki will come also.'' Krystal nodded and looked at her watch. ``Oops I'm going to be late. See ya Kory.'' Kory waved and continued walking as they each went to their respective classes.

Kory was glad to be back on a somewhat normal routine, going to classes helped him feel better about his surroundings, helped him feel safe. Almost like being in the water, the water always helped him feel better but this week the campus pool was closed for repairs. ``Just my luck.'' Kory thought. As he listened to the professor in his last class for the week.

The professor dismissed the class and wished everyone a good weekend, reminding them that homework was due on Monday. Kory got up and headed towards the library, only a few buildings down. He needed to look up one last item to be able to complete his homework assignments and then he could have the rest of the weekend free, to spend with Samaki.

Kory sat at a table and started searching through the book he retrieved from the reference shelf. He needed to find a proper reference for a scientific formula his professor added to the homework assignment. His eyes flicked through the pages, searching for the right passage he would need. After a short time the words were a jumble of letters, his brain tried to make sense of what his eyes were looking at but, in his sleep deprived state he was having trouble focusing. His eyes grew heavy, and he wished inwardly he had gotten a coffee before coming here. Kory's eyes blinked slowly as he tried to focus but eventually sleep caught up to him and he put his chin against his chest and drifted to sleep.

Kory was woken by the librarian tapping him on the shoulder. ``Young man,'' she said, the library is closed now. You have to return to your dorm room.'' Kory jolted awake and checked his watch. It was 7:35.'' I should have been back in my dorm room hours ago.'' He said to no one in particular. The librarian helped Kory gather his belongings and let him out of the locked door. Kory stood on the steps of the library, looking down the well-traveled pathway that led to his dorm. The same pathway where the wolf jumped him only a bit over a week ago. Kory shuddered as his fur bristled, his thoughts remembering that night, the pain across his body, the cool air washing over his fur as he was stripped naked by the wolf, all coming back to him. Kory tried to shake off the feelings as he started walking down the path. He looked around to see if anyone was nearby, ``maybe someone could walk with him.'' He said to himself but saw no one. He could see across the grass to Krystal's dorm, ``maybe she would be outside tonight.'' He thought but looking around he didn't see her. ``OK'' he said, ``just a short walk to the dorm. No big deal...right?'' As he walked down the pathway.

About halfway to his dorm, in nearly the same spot he was attacked, he thought he heard something in the bushes. Kory stopped and looked into the shadows, trying to see if there was someone there. He looked but saw nothing. ``My imagination'' he said to himself and resumed walking even though he was shaking now. A twig snapped by the trees and Kory froze in his tracks, his eyes were wide as saucers and his fur was standing on end over his entire body. Kory slowly turned his head and tried to focus into the tree line, his eyes darting around looking for something, or someone. He thought he spotted a figure in the shadow of a large oak tree looming just out of his sight as Kory tried to see into the darkness. He found himself wishing Samaki was here, foxes have excellent vision, and he was sure Samaki would be able to see into the darkness easily.

Kory was shaking more visibly now, his heart was pounding, his legs were turning to jelly, and his ears were flat against his head, he was pleading inwardly to make his legs move again. Kory took a couple of steps and he saw the shadow lunge at him. ``It's the wolf again'' he thought, telling himself to run. Run towards his dorm, run to safety, run to Samaki he told himself, but without looking where he was going, he tripped over his feet and fell to the ground. Kory scrambled to try and stand now, his brain screaming at him to move, his feet trying to find some traction on the cobblestone path as he felt the shadow envelope his body. His fear overwhelmed him now and he screamed as loud as he could. He felt paws grip his shoulders, ``This was it'' he thought, ``this is how I meet my end.'' Someone was saying his name repeatedly, his shoulders being shaken by paws gripping him tightly. Suddenly his eyes regained focus, and he saw Samaki's face yelling his name. Kory blinked, panting heavily as his fear slowly subsided, looking into those violet eyes again, those eyes......... ``S...S...Samaki?'' he said almost in a whisper. ``Kory it's me, snap out of it.'' Samaki said, a look of desperation in his face. Kory threw his arms around Samaki and held him tightly, tears streaming from his eyes as he started sobbing uncontrollably. Samaki just knelt there, holding Kory tightly in his arms, ``I'm here my love. It's all right.'' He said. Krystal knelt behind Kory and petted him softly oh the head, trying to calm him down but not saying a word. The trio stayed there for several minutes before Kory regained his wits enough to realize that it was just his imagination playing a dirty trick on him. Samaki, his fox, was here, holding him and keeping him safe. He registered the soft petting on his head and turned to see Krystal there also, comforting him and giving him a reassuring look. ``What happened?'' Kory said weakly. ``I got worried about you when you didn't come back to the dorm.'' Said Samaki. ``I called Krystal and we came looking for you and found you here, on the ground screaming.'' Kory looked down ashamedly. ``I fell asleep in the library'' he said softly ``I started walking back to the dorm but I... I thought I saw the wolf again. He was coming after me from the shadows. I tried to get away, but I couldn't.''  

``Kory?'' Krystal said to him softly, ``Have you been unable to sleep?'' Kory nodded. ``Did you speak to anyone about this? Anyone at all?'' Kory shook his head. ``I didn't want to be a burden to anyone.''  Samaki kissed Kory on his cheek, still holding his shoulders gently ``You didn't tell me you were having trouble sleeping. Were you having nightmares?'' Kory nodded again. ``Oh hon...'' Samaki said, ``You know I would have done anything to help you.'' Kory looked at Samaki ``I thought it would just go away. I guess I was wrong.''

Kory stood on his feet with the help of Samaki and Krystal, regaining his composure. The trio walked back to the dorm room, where Kory knew he was safe and with people who cared about him. Krystal sat on the couch next to Kory. ``Did you go to the group that I told you about?'' Kory shook his head ``I was going to, but I thought once I got back into a normal routine, I'd be OK.'' Krystal looked at her watch. ``It's 7:45, the group meets tonight at 8. Why don't you clean up a bit and we will all go over there and see someone? I know just the person to see. He helped me get over my fears too.'' Kory and Samaki looked at Krystal with a bewildered look. ``You were attacked too? Kory said softly, Krystal nodded. ``I'll tell you about it sometime, right now let's get your problem resolved. OK?''

Kory went into the bathroom and washed his face and paws while Samaki got some clean clothes out for Kory. Once Kory was dressed, they all left and started walking towards the local coffee house. They entered and filed towards a small corner alcove where several students sat and conversed amongst themselves. Krystal introduced Kory and Samaki to those present and motioned towards a muscular ferret with White and Brown speckled fur. ``Jerry, we need your help.'' The ferret perked his ears and stood. ``That's what I'm here for, lets go in the other room where we can talk a bit.'' All four of them went into the other room which was reserved for private parties but was empty tonight. Jerry closed the door and sat down. The ferret greeted Kory and Samaki with a paw shake, ``I'm Jerry McAllister. It's nice to meet you both.'' Krystal sat beside Kory, ``Jerry is a senior in Clinical Psychology. He is very good at what he does, and he helped me when I needed help. You can trust him.'' Kory nodded and looked at Samaki, the fox reached his paw over and placed his on top of Kory's and squeezed reassuringly. Kory sighed and began telling Jerry about the attack, and the nightmares that followed. Jerry sat in earnest, listening to everything Kory had to say.

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