Sometimes, a little push is all you need to start a relationship. _______________________________________________________ A cold rush of wind blows past you, the sound of rustling autumn leaves filling the dusk sky. Shivering slightly, you pull up your flat cap, looking up at the familiar glowing sign of the corner cafe, the word ‘Timbers’ brightly lit above you. Tipping your hat down, you ‘greet’ the cafe’s mascot sitting next to the large lettering, a happy and proud Timber wolf smiling at passersby. Continuing on, you push the door open, a bell chiming out as you take a few steps inside and give a polite wave to the Aardwolf worker. “Hey, Belle. I’ll take the usual, feel free to take however long, I don’t have much to do this evening.” She’d let out a dry chuckle. “You know we have more than just our special blend coffee, right?” Shrugging the Aardwolf would continue. “Buuuut, as long as it keeps you coming back I won’t complain,” she says, finishing with a wink, followed by a snicker a few seconds later. Rolling your eyes, you raise your arms in faux surrender. “Don’t blame me when you guys are the only shop here that knows how to make a good cup of coffee.” Giving her a light smile you look around the decently sized cafe, inspecting the Canid workers lazing around during this late hour, a thought that never crossed you suddenly coming to the forefront of your mind. “Belle, why does it feel like this place only employs Canines?” Tilting your head slightly as you ask. Placing a hand on her hip she looks upwards slightly and lets out a quiet ‘hmmm’ as she thinks, “No clue, it’s always been like this. I’m not gonna question it.” She finally answers with a shrug. Sighing you sarcastically reply, “Gee, thanks Belle, that was very enlightening. Would you please indulge me by sharing more of your wisdom about your job?” Finishing with a laugh. She’d give you an evil grin while putting on her best customer service voice. “You’re welcome, I’d love to tell you more about this amazing job I have.” Shaking your head you give a final smile to her before sauntering off to a free table, pulling out your phone you look at the time, ‘Huh, nearly 9 already. Oh well.’ shrugging, you place your phone back in your pocket and stare out into the starry night, letting your imagination go wild. You’re only pulled out of your trance-like state when someone taps your shoulder. “Uh, sir? Your Woods mix coffee.” Looking around you come face to face with a tall Black back Jackal woman holding your cup. “Oh- Erm... T-thank you.” You sputter out as you try to regain your composure “Uh, take this.” Fumbling around you quickly take out your wallet and pull out 5 dollars and hand it to her. “Just a little tip for you.” Her yellow eyes widen a bit in surprise before taking the bill. “Thank you, Anon!” she’d excitedly say before turning back around, a bushy black tail wagging behind her. A single thought hits you. ‘Wait, how’d she know my name?’ but it’s quickly shot down by another ‘You’re a regular here, of course the workers would know your name.’ As you drink your coffee, Belle sits down next to you giving a cheeky smile. “Got nothing else to do for the next hour, why not just talk to the only interesting person here?” You’d merely chuff in response to the Aardwolf. As you two talked the night away, the other workers left early as customers weren’t coming in, leaving you and Belle as the last two souls in the cafe. Saying your goodbyes to each other, you’d leave the cafe and let her close it for the night on her own as you walk the same familiar sidewalk home. Taking a few steps away from the cafe, the smile on your face quickly disappears. Pulling out your phone, you open your texts only to be greeted by a mostly empty wasteland, the only names on there being your mother’s, father’s, and Belle’s. Pressing your mother’s tab, you’re greeted by a photo of her in a hospital bed, cables hooked up all around her body. You want to put your phone back down but continue on, a voice mail attached to the photo. Pressing it, you move your phone to your ear, quietly listening to your mother’s frail voice. “Oh, Anon. Honey I’m doing fine, don’t worry sweetie.” Tearing the phone from your ear, you let your arm fall limply to your side, tear droplets stinging the corner of your eyes. Taking a deep breath, you close your eyes and try to get your feelings back in control. Sighing, you start to move again before you’re suddenly pulled into the alleyway you stood in front of, an odd smelling piece of cloth shoved against your mouth and nose with a furred arm wrapping around your neck. It takes you a few seconds to register what’s happening, before you start to fight back in a futile attempt, as your eyelids begin to get heavy and your vision blurs. The last thing you see is a pair of glowing yellow eyes piercing the darkness enveloping you. As you fade off into unconsciousness, faded images dance around your vision as sounds repeat themselves in your mind. Your mother’s words, your conversation with Belle before you’re suddenly torn from them. Groggily lifting your head you slowly open your eyes before hissing at the light suddenly intruding on your adjusting eyes. “Agh! Jeez… these dreams are getting weirder and weir-” You stop yourself as you try to move your sore arms to find them bound in rope sitting on your stomach. Panicking you quickly look around your surroundings suddenly realizing. This isn’t your home. Your panic quickly elevates into a full blown freak out, you scream for help desperately looking for any possible escape routes. Struggling against your bindings, you hear quick footsteps moving to the room you were in, swallowing the invisible lump in your throat, you hasten your actions, trying with more futile desperation to get the ropes off. Giving up on trying to wear the ropes out, your eyes immediately lock on the door waiting anxiously for the footsteps to finally stop. As the doorknob twists and the door creaks open, you’re greeted by the same Jackal from yesterday, her worried expression suddenly changing to one of total glee. Nearly skipping towards you, she kneels down a bit, bringing her lanky frame down to be face to face with you. “Oh Anon, You’re awake!” She’d happily squeal out before making a gesture towards you. “Oh oh oh, I made your favorite! Bolognese… Erm, heh heh… Let me go grab it so you can eat.” Standing up to her full height, she would hurry off leaving you in a confused stupor. You lie there slack jawed at a total loss of what to say, questions fly through your mind, the biggest at the forefront. ‘What’s my plan to get out of here.’ Glancing down to the restraints around both your hands and feet, you throw away the idea of sneaking out. As you lie on the bed thinking of escape plans, you don’t realize the Jackal snuck back in holding a bed tray of assorted food items, and like she said, all of them being your personal favorites. As she places the tray over your legs, she sits on the edge of the bed and gives you a loving smile. Staring at the food on the tray you look her in the same yellow eyes you saw that night. “How the fuck did you know this?” She’d giggle in response. “Oh, Anon. Why wouldn’t your girlfriend know this?” You’d cringe back at the use of the word ‘girlfriend’. The two of you were the farthest you could be from the term ‘girlfriend’ and ‘boyfriend’. Deciding not to push your luck farther with more questions you opt to look at the tray of Bolognese, your baser instincts yelling at you to eat it while your rationale tells you to keep your wits about you, you don’t want to develop some sort of Stockholm syndrome towards her. As you stare at the food the woman stands back up and rounds the bed soon finding herself nestled up lying next to you, a fuzzy arm finding itself draped over your chest. Snuggling closer to you she’d turn on the T.V across the room and place down the remote, then grabbing a fork and stabbing it into the untouched meal. “Honey, you know you have to eat. Here let me help.” lifting a chunk of a meatball towards your mouth, pulling yourself as far as you could away from her you’d look away and grunt, a sudden jerking bringing you closer to her again. She’d let out a huff, “Anon, don’t make me pry your jaws open just so you eat.” finishing by lightly raking her claws against your clothing. Begrudgingly you face forward and open your mouth slightly only to be assaulted by the breakfast she prepared being shoved down into your mouth. Coughing a bit you give a side eyed glare to her noticing a gleeful smile plastered onto her muzzle, as she finishes forcing the rest of the food down your throat you’re forcefully pushed into her embrace. You stare at the T.V for what seems like hours now, your eyes growing heavier by the second. Grunting you shift yourself into the most comfortable position you could, turning your back to her you try to lie on your side, only stopping when you hear a light snore and muffled groans emanating from her. Despite your current… predicament you decide now is better than never and spring into action. Slowly wiggling away from her, your plan is almost immediately shot down by her, squeezing you closer to her she mumbles out in a half asleep stupor. “Mmmgh… Anon, you can’t leave yet… just... a few more -yawn- hours…” before returning to what you believe is sleep. Groaning, you lie on your side, trying to force yourself to stay awake but soon slip into unconsciousness without noticing, as you slip into a dreamless sleep you stare into the vast emptiness of the black void faint images and sounds appearing once more, your eyes snap open as you gasp for air looking around to find yourself in the same room as yesterday. Sitting up, you realize the Jackal was gone, looking around the room once more you take a deep breath, ‘If you don’t take your chance now, you’ll never get it again.’ Kicking your legs off the sides of the bed you stand up and start an awkward waddle towards the door. As you continue your waddle you think to start hopping towards the door, thinking for a few seconds while you move, you shake your head ‘I don’t trust myself enough to not make noise when hopping’. With the internal debate settled you keep slowly pushing forward, muttering about the ropes binding your ankles together before continuing the waddle, soon enough finding yourself at the room’s door. Carefully twisting the knob you put in your best attempt to muffle the noise of the door opening. Looking down the hallway you continue your awkward waddle constantly surveying the area for your captor, rounding the corner you come face to face with the Jackal woman. Letting out an involuntary yell, you trip and fall hitting your back on the wall, slowly sliding down to a sitting position. She’d stare down at you for a minute with a confused gaze, quickly being replaced by a smile instead of an angered glare “Oh Anon! I was just about to bring you out here. Hah, guess you must really like me if you did this on your own?” She’d let out a chuckle before pulling you to a standing position and dragging you to a sofa settled against a wall. Pushing you down to sit on the sofa she takes a seat next to you before leaning down and placing her head on your lap. Looking downward, you stare at the Jackal lying on your lap, her attention fully on the TV in front of you both, dropping your head onto the back cushion of the sofa. You close your eyes and try to force yourself asleep hoping this’ll all come to an end soon. Taking a few deep breaths, you mutter under your breath, ‘This is all just a horrible dream… you’ll wake up soon enough.’ Repeating this to yourself, you soon slip into the inky darkness of unconsciousness without noticing. As shapes and images fly past you, you’re thrusted back into consciousness by the sound of sniffing. Snorting, you lift your head up and look around the room… same as before, looking down to the Jackal still on your lap. She’s now sniffing at your body, and touching all around your legs. You shift slightly in discomfort and surprise prompting her to look up at you with a smile. “Oh Anon! You’re awake, I forgot to make breakfast for you,” she mutters, placing a finger and thumb to her chin.. “Must be why you fell asleep during the movie.” Shrugging, she pulls herself off your legs and stands up with a stretch, quickly walking to the kitchen as she hums a melody to a song you can’t make out. Looking around, your eyes land on a door. Taking no chances, you immediately set your plan into motion to get out of here, slowly scooting on the couch to get as close to the door as you can. As you push yourself closer to the armrest of the couch, you can barely make out something the Jackal was singing to herself, “Stop, drop, and drag me into place...” Ignoring it you push on continuing to overhear her, “Lock the fire escaaaapes...” Reaching for the armrest, you steel yourself before starting your hobble towards the door. You hesitate as you clearly hear her sing out, “I’ll break your pretty face. Yeah, yeah… Oh! You! clever little thiiiing…” Glancing around the corner you look at her idly chopping peppers and swaying her hips side to side as she hums. Backtracking on your plan, you push yourself into the cushion of the sofa and groan inwardly, waiting for her to finally come back. The light tapping of paws and a metallic clink pulls you from your stupor, and you look to the doorway. You watch her place an omelette on the small table that sits in front of the sofa. Closing your eyes, you don’t bother to fight back against her. As the plate empties, you idly sit by, far too mentally taxed to do anything else.