[Chapter One: It's nine o'clock on a Saturday somewhere]

>It’s was late on a Sunday night
>The time slowly crawled towards eleven at night
>The pub was packed tighter than a tin of sardines
>In the booths, at tables or by the bar, people mingled and socialized with one another 
>Everyone seemed hell-bent on having a great time, despite the roaring blizzard that relentlessly battered the city streets outside
>Of course in here, no one needed to threat about that
>They had the heaters on full blast, the majority of the patrons culminating around their warm aura 
>The atmosphere was heavy with the scent of beer, bar-nuts and cheap schnitzels 
>The room was full of laughter; crying and drunk folk spewing forth elaborate tales of their mundane escapades after downing one too many pints of their poison
>You’d never be able to hear your voice above the charismatic chaos
>Good thing people weren’t there to listen to your voice
>You’re Anon, piano man for your local hole in the ground surrounded by adoring broken-dreamers and barflies alike
>If people didn’t come for the cheap beer and cheaper food, you were certain they came to here you play
>By no means were you Beethoven, but yeah, you managed to earn a bit of a following amongst the locals as the man they came to listen to in order to forget and forgive
>Be it the sorrows of the blues, or some soothing classical, you could spin a tune that got everyone in the room captivated enough to perhaps loose track of how many drinks they had on their tab
>Which the sea otter behind the bar, Dex, was glad for
>Tonight, you were spinning one of your own –fast paced with a tempo like a racing leopard, but carrying some unexpected punches here and there, just to give yourself the excuse to spasm over the keys like a maniac
>As usual, you’d managed to work yourself into a bit of frenzy over your set
>Sweat was beading down your forehead and the piano’s keys were slick, the white shirt underneath your tuxedo looking like it’d been dunked in the wash and not dried 
>As you begun to approach the climax of your piece, the voices in the room died down as they listened to the notes dancing forth through the air
>Their eyes watched as your fingers danced effortlessly from one side of the piano to the other 
>You were part of the very small human population within the city, most of all the way on the other side
>Your crowd tonight was entirely anthros
>In the back of your mind you wondered if their allure to your music was due to, in part the, the novelty of seeing a human play
>Your hands were far more dexterous than that of the average anthro, and you were sure some just came to see ya, and then settle down for a few drinks
>Again, Dex would be happy for this
>You came up to the grand finale
>Stopping for a few seconds to allow the last note to echo out across the bar into silence
>…
>Then, 
>Beginning at the lowest note, you quickly danced your fingers across every note until you reached the very top, culminating your music with a final ‘Dun-duuuun!’
>The pub erupted into a chorus of cheering, catcalls and the occasional howl
>You delightfully stood up from your seat, facing the adoring crowd and taking a long bow, wiping the sweat off your forehead as you walked off stage to the bar
>The fervour of the crowd died back down to the normal clutter of voices and drinking as Dex signalled for you to come over
>He poured you a shot and poured you some tequila
>The brand he knew you were a sucker for
>You grabbed it and nodded your appreciation, swigging it back and grimacing as it burnt your tongue and throat
>That was the stuff
>“Beaut’ of a set as always Anon.” He spoke as he poured a second shot
>“Cheers,” you take the second one back as the first, the familiar sting much easy to handle now “got to say though, thought I’d drop dead soon as I took that bow!”
>“Me too! Playn’ yourself to death kid!”
>“Anyother way?” 
>He chuckled “Not in this town there ain’t.” He put away the tequila
>“Aw come’on, Dex, just one more.”
>“No kid, you know I’ve gotta keep you outta trouble.”
> “Bah, I’ll have ya know, mistaaa,” you spoke, your speech slurring a bit as you blinked and regained your composure, “that I’m an adult. An adult man who can take care’o imslef.”
>“Hm. You can play but ya can’t act kid.”
>The night dragged on for a bit more 
>You chatted with a few folks who were cordial enough to talk
>Most admired your playing
>Some said the usual
>‘You know my friend knows a human and she is the nicest- 
>‘Gotta say you don’t see a lot of humans making it fine like yourself. I’m so glad-
>‘Now I’m no spiciest but-
>You’d heard it time and time again
>But these folks are paying Dex, who was paying you
>So as far as you were concerned, their drunken ass could say whatever stupid things they wanted all night long till it was closing time
>It wasn’t like you were going to chimp out over it
>…Pardon the pun
>By quarter to eleven the last lingering barfly and been swatted out
>With the chairs all rested atop tables and the booths wiped clean, you sat alone, resting your heavy head against the maple table top of the bar, the smell of liquor and varnish dancing into your nostrils
>You’re startled out of your dream by Dex slapping you on the back
>“Rise and shine goldielocks.” 
>You stretch and yawn, shaking the inebriation off of you and nearly falling of your stool, Dex quickly steadying you “Woah, easy there kid.”
>“Welp, guess I ought ta get going huh?” 
>“You alright kid? Need me to call you a cab?”
>You dismiss his suggestion with a wave of your hand, trying your hardest to not appear like your minds on autopilot “No I’ll be fine Dex. See ya tomorrow pal.”
>With a hop, skip and stumble you make your way out of the bar and into the night, the blizzard having calmed down into a gentle snow
>Now alone, Dex couldn’t help but mutter to himself as he wiped down the bar top “That boy needs a lady in his life to straitn’ him out.”
>Meanwhile, you were out in the snow breath-taken by its magical wonder
>Over everything was a thick blanket of snow, with the streetlights shedding light on the snowflakes that fell down from the black abyss of the sky above
>You shivered, tightening your coat and trudging through the snow across the street to your bike
>With Dex’s your only reliable source of income, a car really wasn’t an option, and so your trusty old bike which has been by your side ever since you came to this city is the only way for you to get from A to Z
>Of course getting through a foot of snow in a reliable-but-admittedly-shitty-bike is going to be hell
>Everyday is leg-day for you
>By the time you make it home halfway across the city its half past midnight, the only people out being nocturnal anthros and yes, even the occasional human
>Those guys were mostly working on the roadwork’s that seemed to run non-stop around the city
>You waved as you road past and they did the same
>You didn’t even know them, but it seemed to be something humans here did with one another
>Cultural bonds and all that jazz 
>Of course that was really all the interaction you would have with other humans on average
>You lived in an ok part of the city, not too far from Dex’s but way off from where the majority of humans lived
>Sure, you visited family whenever you could, but for the most part you talked with your folks out that way over the phone 
>Your apartment was an old high-rise, made during the city’s long gone industrial boom where all the hustle and bustle used to be
>Not much of that here now
>At least it means rent is on the cheap
>Too bad you got to ride a tour de force to get anywhere and everywhere
>Hey, got to take the good with the bad right?
>Speaking of which…
>“HEEEEYYYY! ANON! MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE HAIRLESS-MONKEY!” 
>This individual who has greeted you in ever-eccentric fashion is, for better or worse, your roommate, Andy
>Andy ‘Handy’ Mandersnout your Florida Panther roommate
>From Montana 
>His father was some big-shot CEO of some faceless multi-national state-toppling corporation
>Andy was…well…Andy
>The youngest of a little of 8, he was your stereotypical youngest of a corporate dynasty kid, 
>Except in addition to getting high to a metric shit-tonne of weed every day, he somehow managed to pull off being one of the smartest motherfuckers you knew
>The dude already had a doctorate in a type of math you couldn’t even pronounce and was hard at work at becoming something that would make Stephen Hawking proud
>You were certain that people at NASA, MIT and Harvard are just salivating over the premise of snatching him up
>Really you can’t think of a logical reason why he’d ever want to live in a place like this when his father could buy him a whole skyscraper downtown
>He insists that its because he wants to “Live the genuine life of a student in modern day America.”
>Your certain its because he’s a hilariously cheap fuck who wants to save every dime he can for weed, going out with the ladies and of course FUCKING RENT REEEEE
>Huh, guess he does live the genuine life of a student in modern day America
>Before you can lament how successful someone five years your junior is he grabs you in a bear hug, making you wheeze 
>“How ya going pal?”  
>“Come on man, its like…tomorrow in the morning.”
>He laughs as he closes the door behind you “Man I’ve got my thesis due tomorrow, now is not time for sleep for me.” 
>“Well can ya keep it down and let me get some shut eye?”
>“Sure can buddy, sleep tight mister Joel!” He laughs as you shut your bedroom door, quickly stripping down to your bare ass, too tired to have a shower at this point
>You jump into bed and snuggle into the covered, setting your alarm clock early for tomorrow 
>As dad always said, it’s another day


[Chapter Two: Falln' Down with The City]


>You’re awoken by the sound of your bedside alarm clock
>Not really bed side, considering it’s on the floor
>As is your ‘bed’
>Your mattress 
>Your shitty old mattress that’s as soft as cardboard and as comfortable to sleep on as slamming a piano lid on your fingers
>You knew this from personal experience
>The euphemism here is that it’s horrible and because of it you’ve got the spine and morning face of an eighty year old pensioner with a shitty attitude and disposition towards the world
>You stumbled up off of bed, hunched over as your stiff joints seized up from the cold
>Andy always said you looked like a zombie that woke up on the wrong side of the mattress
>Which was true, for most days
>Slowly but surely, you managed to get into the shower, the warm pitter-patter of the water a welcome touch 
>You closed your eyes and threw your head back, letting the water stream down your face, your neck and your chest 
>You let out a relieved sigh, as it seemed the daily stress that weighed down your shoulders melted away
>If just for these few, sacred minutes, you found tranquillity 
>“Oh, hi-ya Anon.”
>Your attention was snapped away from your relaxing shower to whom else but Andy
>Sitting on the toilet in the bathroom across from you, door casually swung open
>He looked up from his phone and threw you a toothy smile, toothbrush handing out of his mouth
>You felt your cheeks burn a bright rosy red, and you quickly turned around to face the wall and shield your sausage and eggs 
>“Jesus Andy what the fuck?”
>Andy nonchalantly replied, seemingly oblivious to the rancid embarrassment that radiated off of you “Hey man chill, I’m good.”
>“Well I’m not fucking good!” You stammered
>“Are you fucking high right now?” You snapped, feeling like you just wanted to crawl up into a bawl
>“What? Naaww.” 
>“Oh my god you’re fucking high right now!”
> “Dude, seriously, chill the fuck out.” 
>Knowing that you had no time this morning to waste getting out of the shower and wait for Andy to finish his business, you just continued washing yourself, cautious to not make any movements that could expose anymore of what has already been seen
>Andy continued brushing his teeth, the sound of his brush scrubbing back and forth the only thing that broke the growing silent awkwardness
>Until Andy opened his big ‘old trap
>“It’s not like anything I haven’t seen before.” He murmured 
>“OH MY FUCKING GOD MAN!” 
>‘To hell with the shower!’ you thought as your grabbed a towel and stormed on out
>What Andy had referred to specifically was an unfortunate lapse in judgment on your part
>See, you liked to sleep with it all hanging free
>While a dubious act in a shared apartment, you and Andy held enough respect with each other to knock whenever entering the other’s room
>One time you had awoken with a bulging bladder late at night
>For a short while you tried to ignore it, but eventually you craved into your need
>On this night, Andy had texted you how he was staying back at Uni, and he wouldn’t be home until tomorrow morning
>So you felt safe to forebode your regular procedure of donning the pair of jocks you had next to your bed
>And that doing so could run the risk of you pissing yourself mid-way to the bathroom
>And so you went, with your crown jewels swinging back and forth
>You somehow managed to navigate the many pitfalls of the dark apartment without a busted knee or stubbed toe
>You’d tell this story to your grandkids and their kids
>Now you started the next step of your master plan
>Pissing in the toilet
>With no spillage 
>After completing your business, and with a satisfied grin, you strode back to your room
>Just as you walked past the corridor leading to the front door, the lights turned on and the door swung open
>And, low and behold, there was an exhausted Andy
>His drowsy expression evaporated from his face and was replaced by a mixture of surprise, shock, confusion, fear and astonishment
>All you could do was freeze
>Like a deer in the headlights
>It may have just been a split second, but it felt like an eternity 
>After your brain was finished having a stroke, you opened your mouth to say something
>Anything
>But all you mustered was “Ughhhhhhh…”
>Then you booked it to your room mortified, slammed the door, panicked about the whole endeavour, and then you and Andy never spoke a word about it to each other or anyone else –as far as you were aware
>This was eight months ago
>As you dried yourself off, the premise that the ungodly sight of your unholy trinity still being present enough in Andy’s mind for him to recount it sent a shiver down your dripping spine
>You dried your body off, putting on a black pair of denim shorts and a simple button up shirt
>After breakfast, which consisted of some nearly-burnt toast and a cup of coffee you and Andy left the apartment
>The two of you descended the flight of stairs 
>You would have liked to take the elevator, but ever since you’d moved in it been ‘Under Maintenance’ 
>You doubted that much like Andy’s sunny disposition, it would change anytime soon
>And so down the pair of you descended, your feet aching and surely calloused by the time you reached the lobby
>“Alright, Anon, I’ll see ya tonight.”
> “Yeah ok Andy, have a good one mate.” You said as you mounted your bike
>Andy waved and went to cross the road, heading off to the multi-story car park where he would take his car out to the university 
>Nearby an amass of anthro students laden with heavy backpacks and towering book stacks had gathered around the stop, and it was quite difficult for you to find you way through
>You took the upmost care to avoid any stray tails 
>And did your best to ignore the occasional odd glance or glare
>You managed to make it through, somehow, and after slipping off the pavement into the bike lane you went about your business for the day
>You had a few things you wanted to get done before heading out to Dex’s for your shift, and in a city this big, time was of the essence 
>You really wished you had a car
>Your first trip today was to your chiropractor within the city’s CBD
>This meant you had to ride along one of the busiest highways in the city
>You would have loved if the city planners had at least made a walkway that didn’t force you to take a two and a half hour diversion to get inside the CBD, but unfortunately for you, you had to ride next to cars, vans, trucks and semi-trailers in peak hour traffic 
>Lucky you
>Your luck didn’t seem to fizzle out with the breaking dawn however
>As you managed to get through the traffic’s peak hour bottleneck without a scratch or even a disgruntled driver
>You were only about ten minutes away from the chiropractor, and you were waiting at the traffic lights in the right-most lane
>As you waited for the lights to change, you noticed a baboon wearing some massive headphones jamming to punk rock
>They must’ve been hand-me-downs from some elephant friend, because they were way too big for his head
>Even though you were at least 10 meters away, you could hear every note as clear as crystal 
>During your pondering on the curious tale of how the tale baboon-with-the-outrageously-oversized-headphones came to be, you failed to notice that the traffic lights had turned green
>Furthermore, you dared to stay stationary at a traffic light for more than a picosecond behind a taxi
>You were insulted by a flurry of honks and profanities 
>Instead of pulling into the vacant left lane and overtaking you if they were in a hurry, the drive felt like he needed to give you a piece of his mind
>The bright yellow bastard pulled up beside you
>He proceeded to roll down his window; the taxi was an old smoke-spewing piece of shit
>And the driver was in no better shape; an overweight hog with so many neck rolls that you could tell his age and a cigar hanging out his snout
>“GET OF DA FUCKN’ ROAD YA BRAINLESS MONKEY MUDAFUCKA!” He screamed before pulling off in a burnout
>You stood there astonished, and noticed how the baboon also had a look of bewilderment on his face
>Seemingly unable to determine if the insult was hurled at himself or you
>For the remainder of your ride, you pondered further how the hell the baboon was even able to hear the crazy taxi driver
>Eventually you managed to arrive at the chiropractors
>Margaret, an elderly doe receptionist, greeted you at the front office; she signed you in as you took a seat in the lobby
>Across from you was a wolf anthro and her young cubs
>A boy and a girl, they looked about five, maybe six
>You noticed how the two of them were starring intently right at you, their noses sniffing the air
>They could smell your fear
>Naw there was nothing to fear over these kids
>Although it didn’t exactly help the feeling building in the pit of your stomach at their beading eyes 
>The mother seemed to notice your discomfort, and motioned for her kids to stop their inquisitive inquisition 
>Margaret calling out that Julia was ready couldn’t come soon enough 
>You entered the cream-coloured room, a chiropractic table in the middle of the room bathed in sunlight
>“Good morning Anon.” Spoke Julia, busying herself with some x-rays “Please, get yourself comfortable.” 
>Julia was a spotted hyena anthro, standing easily a foot above your head, and with a muscular and robust body frame to boot 
>She could easily lift you up with one arm 
>Which she proceeded to do awhile back during a New Year’ s Eve party where the two of you got really drunk
>The demonstration of strength culminated with you vomiting up everything you’d drunk earlier 
>Everyone at the party reaffirmed Andy’s claim that you broke the record of the longest distance a projectile was vomited
>Which he still maintains to this day
>Funny how that’s the thing he hangs over your head, amongst others, and not the nude incident
>Anyway, you took off your shirt and laid face down on the chiropractic table, the warm touch of the sun a welcome feeling to your back
>“Well Anon, how’s things?”  
>“Oh you know Julia, same-old, same-old.”
>“Still playing at Dex’s?” She walked over to you, stretching her arms and cracking her fingers
>“Mmm-hmm.” You responded as you felt her massive paws glide over your back, gaining a feel for its taut and troubles landscape
>“That’s good, he’s a good bloke to work for.”
>“That he is.” You felt Julia put some pressure on your spine, giving you some relief of the pain in your lower back
>You let out a sharp breath
>Julia seemed to notice
>“You’re back’s in a lot of pain Anon. Have you been sleeping on a pile of rocks?” 
>“Still –argh, on that mattress.”
>“Oh gosh no Anon,” she spoke in a tone that held a hint of, what was it?
>Disappointment?
>“I told ya you got to sleep on a proper bed.” She then moved her paws to your shoulder blade, right on your Trapezius, and pushed down hard. A loud ‘crack’ echoed throughout the room
>Your body was flushed with sudden pain, and then immediate, near-euphoric relief
>All you could muster was a mix between a groan and a chuckle
>Julia nodded approvingly and continued her work “Honestly Anon, you’ve got the back of a sixty year old man.”
>“Too bad I don’t have any of the wisdom.”
>Julia let out a bellowing laugh that resonated power “Jesus kid…don’t make me fracture your shoulder blade. In all seriousness though, are you at least trying not to sleep on your side. ” 
>You nodded
> “Good, that’ll reduce the damage on your back over time, but you really should look into a proper bed soon.” She pushed down on a few ore pressure points, your back cracking with every downward thrust
>“Alright Anon, enough of me yapping in your ear, just close your eyes and relax, you’ll bee walkn’ out of here feeling like a new man.”


[Chapter 3: Open Your Eyes and Smell The Roses]

>By the time Julia had gotten her way with you, you found yourself in somewhat of a daze
>Your aching back and strained muscles had been alleviated, for now, and Julia had given you the go-ahead to pop your shirt back on
>You were sure she copped herself a cheeky peeve of your chest as you slid atop your shirt
>“Feeling better?” Julia warmly asked 
> “Yup,” you nodded, grimacing as you stretched your arm and felt a familiar sting in your shoulder blade
> “You ought to give yourself some time to recuperate, Anon.” She continued “Take it easy on the ridding today, and make sure you tuck it in early tonight.” 
>‘Might be a bit tough to,’ you thought to yourself 
>“Sure thing Julie.” You replied with a chirpy smile
>“Alright, and one more thing.” She turned to face you, you looking up at her
>She had that big grin on her face, the one where she puts her fang-stuffed maw on full display
>“For the love of god Anon, get yourself a decent bed. Hell, even a cheap one is better than sleeping on dang floor!” She chuckle a bit, but you can’t help but feel a wee-bit embarrassed at your inability to take care of yourself 
>“Alright, alright. I’ll make sure to look for one real soon.”
>“Don’t you forget, mister!” She leans down and playful pokes at you, like a mother telling their kid why they’ve got to wash behind their ears “Otherwise the next time you come in here, you’ll look like an eighty year old.” 
>“I’ll have to make up for it with my lack of beauty with my senior citizen wisdom.”
> “Let’s hope so.” You two laugh, exchange a hug and wish each other a good day 
>You were still a little sore as you hope onto your bike
>You really should look into getting an actual bed
>Maybe you could see if Dex could give you some hours busting tables or something 
>For now, you continued about your jobs for the day
>First was shopping to stock up where the apartment had been getting low; chiefly toothpaste which always seemed to last longer than you expect and run out exactly when you didn’t 
>That and the other bare necessities
>Toilet rolls –the good shit that isn’t sandpaper of course
>Some lentils that Andy loved to eat but hated to restock whenever you wanted some
>And a six-pack or two
>Like you said, the bare necessities  
>This left you just enough time for some grocery shopping 
>Thankfully, your local fruit market was close to the apartment 
>You knew the owners of the little-family run establishment pretty well 
>Mister and Missus Whu with their two sons, Chen and Xi 
>A big happy family of Panda anthros 
>Mister and Missus Whu had been some of the first to immigrate from China, and they’d run the little shop going on fifty odd years
>You knew Chen and Xi way back from pre-school, and you had managed to build up a pretty good repour with them over the years
>“Oh Anon, so happy to see you today!” Mister Whu exclaimed as he always did whenever you entered the shop
>Well, he did it with everyone but it still made you feel special 
>“Evening Mister Whu.” You waved at the boys at the back of the shop, who were busy restacking some shelves near the back 
>“You here to buy groceries yes?” 
>“You bet!” 
>A massive grin grew across his fuzzy whit muzzle, and you could almost make out his eyes through his markings
> “Okay, okay. Now’s not time to socialise, but take time and pick out best produce, boys will get good stuff out back for you.”
>Shopping took a little longer than you expected
>Largely due to Mister Whu barking at his boys to get some fresher stock from out back for every second item you put in your trolley 
>If you didn’t have a basic grasp on Chinese, you would have thought you’d broken some centuries-old tradition and Whu was smiting you a thousand curses
>By the time you were done, it was approaching noon, and you hurriedly got home, unpacked your bags and neatly put everything away in the fridge and cupboard 
>You wanted to make proud your old mother Hubboard
>For a bit you deliberated between your tuxedo that you usually wore or just dressing up in smart casual  
>You decided on the latter
>Checking your watch as you made it down the stairs, you realised that you were barely going to make it
>So you rushed out of the apartment, jumped on your bike and furiously peddled your way over to Dex’s 
>Like last night, winter had enthralled the city in its icy (heh) grip, and even under your heavy woollen jumper you couldn’t help but shiver your butt off
>You lift yourself up on your bike’s pedals as your trudge through the snow, which has already encased the footpath in a white blanket 
>By the time you made it to Dex’s, your legs felt like jelly and your breathing was more akin to exhausted panting 
>When you opened the pub doors, the warmth that struck you was sobering 
>Dex invited you over to the bar just as he was setting up
>Apparently he wanted a more relaxing play of the piano tonight
>Fair enough
>You doubted you could pull of an energetic set without falling asleep face-first onto the piano halfway through  
>You were thankful that you had a stool to sit on while you played, even if the old thing was a rickety piece of crap and felt like it would land you flat on your ass at any moment 
>Tonight, you played a relaxing set, lulling the bar to sleep as the hours crawled on and on and the patrons’ numbers dwindled fewer and fewer
>As per usual, you and Dex sat alone at the bar, the old otter drying the last few pint glasses as you rested on your arm
>Rather than down a shot or two, you found yourself unable to starve off sleep, drifting in and out of consciousness as Dex chatted away, seemingly oblivious 
>“So Anon, you’ve much planned for tomorrow?”  
>His question brought you out of your delirious wandering 
>“W-wah?” You answered back as you tried to get your bearings
>“You know Anon? Tomorrow? What’ve you got planned?”
>“Why, anything on?”
>He stares at you blankly for a few seconds, and you blankly stare back
>Then a massive grin grows across his muzzle and his whiskers arch into a massive, jolly laugh that seems to rock the whole pub
>“Cheese and crackers Anon! Didn’t ya realise Valentine’s Day was coming up?”
>Oh no
>This started feeling like the start to a bad romcom 
>Apologies in advance 
>“Guess I just forgot?” You shrugged “Never really been into that lovey-dovey crap all that much anyway.” 
>“Well surely you’ve got a lady-friend you’ve been miring.” Dex continued
>You shrugged, the otter continuing his praise which you had come to realise, may have been influenced somewhat by a bit too much whisky
>“Honestly Dex you’re too kind.”
> “No, no. Listen Anon; I’m being honest with you. You’re a top bloke and it pains me to see ya without as much as a tail to chase after –mind you I don’t think your women have much of a tail now do they?” 
>“Yeah, and you don’t really see many living out this way do ya Dex?”
> “Well,” cocked his head and shot you a sly smile “not like you’ve got slim pickings of eligible bachelorettes out this way Anon.”
>“Oh Dex you know I’m a committed man!”
>“Oh really,” he questions in a mocking tone “and whom may I ask is the lucky lady?”
>“I’m dedicated to two women in my life Dex. My music and my bank.”
>“Huh,” he gestured to the piano resting on the stage “never took her to be into polygamy.” 
>“Well Dex, I can say that the quaintest ones are into the kinkiest shit.”
>“Is that from experience Anon?” 
>No it wasn’t 
>“Yes it is.”
>You’d never really had much luck in the romance department
>Although as God as your witness you knew you had tried
>Despite the dozens of dates, nothing seemed to click and everything had ended in a sexless one-night stand
>At some point, you had grown tired of it all
>Still, you couldn’t help but notice some of the predatory glances the patrons would swing your way
>Some nights you found yourself glued to the piano, waiting out the lustful growls of the predatory anthros below
>You felt like on some nights you were nothing more than a delicious meal served up on a silver platter for the taking
>Ladies’ Night were the worse 
>Especially that time that wolf pack came in after a night of clubbing thinking they were in some high-end lady’s club and started howling for you to strip down there and then
>To this day Dex never opens the bar without a spray-bottle and portable vacuum on hand
>You checked your watch, realising you’d been sitting down having a good chin-wag with Dex for far longer than usual 
>“Welp,” you said as you stood up and gathered your things “I think I ought to get going.”
>“Yeah I should get going home too. Don’t want to keep the missus waiting!” He bellowed laughter as he stood out of the bar and slapped you on your back
>The two of you slowly walked out of the shop
>Dex almost stumbled a few times, and it took all of your might to catch his massive frame
>“Thanks kid,” he spoke in his raspy old voice like the star of an old western “this old body doesn’t hold up like he used to.” 
> “You ok Dex? Need me to call you a cab?” You asked, concerned at the way he staggered against his car’s side under the softly falling snow
>“I’m a tough old otter, Anon. I’ll be alright, you should hurry along yourself, before this snow gets real bad.” 
>“Alright then, see ya around old timer.” You waved him off and were just about to cross the street when Dex suddenly yelled out your name and as he plodded up behind you
> “Anon, before you dash on off, I’ve got something I want to give ya,” he fished a pink card out of his wallet and handed it to you
>You took it and quickly stuffed it into the toasty pockets of your coat
>“Its something I’ve had buried on me for awhile. Fell out of my wallet as I was getting into my car, and I figured Hey, Anon might want this!”
>“What is it?” You asked as you took the card out of your pocket, struggling to examine it under the frosty darkness of the night
> “Something that I think might do good for a young whipper-snapper like yourself!” He checked his phone, mouthing ‘Shit!’ when he noticed the half-dozen missed calls “Listen Anon I’ve got to get going, have a good one alright?” 
>“Yeah ok Dex. Have a good one.”
>Once Dex’s car had pulled off into the night in a massive cloud of disturbed snow, you found yourself just standing there
>For how long, you couldn’t really tell
>Alone you stood there, under the halo of moon high above clouded by the curtain of snow that cascaded down with nothing more in your pockets than your cold hands and Dex’s card


[Chapter 4: The Night Begins To Shine]

>The morning sun gently filtered through your blinds as the day broke 
>You stretched your aching arms and legs, sore from the gruelling ride home
>You reached over for your alarm clock and realized that you had slept in for far longer than usual
>Still, it felt like invisible weights restrained your wrists and ankles against the floor 
>With all of your mortal strength, you bought yourself up from your mattress and out to the bathroom 
>This time, you made sure that Andy was nowhere to be seen
>At least now you could enjoy your shower in peace, and you made sure to draw it out for as long as possible
>After you dressed yourself, you went to the kitchen to fetch something to eat, surprised when you still saw no sign of Andy
>A note on the dinning room table resolved your befuddlement
> ‘Had to leave for uni, something got 2 fix –Andy’
>Typical Andy
>Dropping everything at a moment’s notice when he wasn’t partying like an absolute madman
>So you poured yourself a bowl of cereal and milk and sat alone at the table in the empty apartment 
>Once you had finished and washed up, you wondering what the hell you would do with your day
>You figured you might just lounge around the apartment until work came up 
>Or maybe you could drop in and see your folks
>It’d be a pleasant surprise
>…
>Yeah…
>Maybe not
>They’d probably out doing something romantic for Valentines 
>Come to think of it, you figured it’d be more awkward than surprising anyway
>Maybe for another time
>You decided on just watching some television for a while, or until it became unbearable  
>Which occurred in record time 
>Nothing clogged up the tube more than crappy rom-coms and soap operas
>One channel was playing a valentine’s special of COPS –domestic violence edition
>Quite inappropriate, but expected of the low, low bar set by the station
>After flicking through every channel and finding nothing that you could stomach, you resolutely turned it off and got up from your position sunken into the worn leather couch
>Funny how the old thing was the most valuable item in the apartment
>Apart from all of Andy’s books
>God that panther loved to read
>Guess you would too if your textbooks costed as much as a house
>Better to try and get your money’s worth out of them than just leave them as a conversation piece gathering dust
>As you browsed some of Andy’s textbooks you remembered the card that Dex had given you, and out of curiosity, you headed back into your room to go and have a look
>You had hoped that despite your exhaustion and delirium last night, you still would have had the common sense to put the thing on the floor next to your bed along with your wallet and phone
>Of course your hopes were dashed when the floor and wallet yielded no card
>Hoisted by your own petard, or whatever the hell that saying was 
>Your next option was in you shoes
>Nothing
>The cabinet where Andy kept all of his keys?
>Nothing
>Somewhere within the towering stack of sheet music and piano books that soared higher than the Eifel Tower in your room?
>After a fall and crash, you discovered nothing
>You begun to wonder if you had dropped it on the wide over, in which case whatever the card was, it would have been long gone
>A tad bit disheartened, nether-the-less you decided that, with the day slowly wasting, you might as well have an afternoon on the town, and maybe see if any fish are biting in the big blue sea
>You glanced outside, and noticed how it looked like there was still a cold front rolling in over the city
>Which meant sooner rather than later it’d be pissing down with rain 
>As you threw on your coat, you realised there was something sharp protruding from one of your pockets
>To your surprise, half-expecting a syringe, you found Dex’s elusive card
>What was even more surprising was that, of all the things he could have given you, Dex had given you a card for a car repair shop
>Well that could be useful, if you had a car
>Sometimes you couldn’t get your head around that otter
>So, now what?
>You decided to just go out and have an evening on the town
>Maybe with the holiday, love would be in the air
>A dozen time’s the charm right?
>You knew of a few local holes-in-the-wall
>Unfortunately you’d been out of the dating scene for so long you doubted you had the knowledge or the bravado to go with
>Plus, you doubted there would be any human chicks out this side of town
>Not that there was anything wrong with the bachelorettes available –anthros always did send a bit of a thrill up your spine
>You could thank your teenage years for that
>You were raised in a good Christian household of course, all moral tenets mercilessly beaten into you with the backside of a ruler 
>But no matter how hard you tried to resist, you eventually caved to the enticing sins of the Internet
>O how glorious were your adolescent years of sexual exploration, experimentation and liberation
>And yes, eventually through the winding corridors and avenues of chartrooms and message boards, you finally found it
>The Holy Grail 
>Anthro porn beyond your comprehension 
>You got into the thick of it: tail and ear pulling, biting, BRED, TAMED and every other human x anthro porn genre under the sun
>And this was only a precursor to your truly degenerate fetish
>Handholding
>However as you grew, you came to believe that these fantasies were something that you would never really realise
>Back in your home town, anthros were few and far between
>That was until you and your family moved to the big city, and a little demon you’d managed to keep locked up and buried deep inside of you burst alive
>With a vengeance
>A horny, sexual vengeance
>When those wolves started howling at you to get down and strip, their fangs bared and eyes hungry with lust
>Well, lets just say you felt something you hadn’t felt in a long time
>And ever since it had been quietly simmering below the surface
>Perhaps tonight, you’d allow it to boil over, just a little
>You could only hope that you would not get burned 
>Oh what the hell, the brightest stars burnt quickest didn’t they?
>You jumped aboard a bus heading towards the city centre
>For much of the journey you found yourself sardined between a pair of elephants 
>Barely squeezing out before the bus pulled away from your stop, you brushed yourself down and took in a deep breath of the warm afternoon air
>The sky was the colour of honey, and golden fluffy clouds swirled above like vast swaths of mashed potatoes 
>Admiring the beautiful atmosphere, you made your way down Main Street, which wounded up and down with dozens of bars, restaurants and shops snaking along its cobblestone path
>Couples sat and fawned at each other, holding each other in love-radiating embraces  
>You could help but glance enviously at them as you walked past
>You stumbled upon a small bar that had an appealing, affable atmosphere about it
>Its walls were dark red clay bricks, and a large stained glass bay that revealed an assortment of individuals inside underneath the dim overhanging lights that did not seem to cast the laughing crowd in light more than darkness, nor that any of them seemed to mind
>As you stood and watched the fun inside, wondering weather you should go in and check it out, the front door burst open, flushing the sounds and smells of the inside atmosphere out into the open air
>A guy who’d obviously drunk too much stumbled out, nearly tripping over his own feet
>His collar was a mess and tie wrapped around his head, and laughing his face off
>The most stunning addition to his person was a red panda anthro, who looked equally as flustered and hysterically giggling, wrapped around him like her life depended on it, 
>Well her aspirations for the night certainly did
>Finding some newfound confidence, or thirst, overcome your body, you decided to head right on in, and see where the little bar would take your night
>The place is packed
>All of the tables, booths and bar stools are taken, and the majority of patrons had resorted to standing
>The first thing that hit you was the thick atmosphere of booze
>It was just like Dex’s but lacked the familiar feeling of homeliness, instead carrying a trendy, gentrified sort of feeling
>Everyone looked like they were drinking some mad concoction of science and the music blearing was some strange mixture of folk and techno
>Heading over to the bar, the antelope behind asked what you’d have
>“Just a pint of lager please.” You told her
>“Coming right up.”
>Quietly sipping on your larger, you looked around the room
>A jovial atmosphere resided over it, and even without the beer in your hand, you found yourself relaxing amongst the chatting voice and beating music
>However, you failed to find any women, anthro or otherwise, who looked like they were in the mood to be chatted up, or that you could chat up in the first place
>You contemplated the possibility of relaxing your inhibitions with a few more generous pints of lager 
>However, remembering the wise advice of Dex, you realised that you could handle your liquor just as well as a schizophrenic could handle a conversation
>*ba-dum tisss*
>Yeah ok that was bad
>The point was, you were just going to stay with the one
>After some more time, you decided to leave your position by the bar and go out into the fray
>Of course any semblance of a plan you had in your head disintegrated as soon as got more than a few feet away 
>You found yourself drifting through the shifting crowd, not risking making an ass out of yourself by starting a conversation and subsequently falling flat on your face
>A few times you spotted a nice looking anthro girl sitting all by her lonesome and your little demon badgered you onward
>However as you approached you found your resolve withering, and no sooner had the thought of entered your mind that you had turned right on your heels and dissolved back into the crowd 
>The futility of the night caused by your lack of confidence only caused you to further ponder the entire enterprise 
>Why we you out here?
>Honestly, this whole scene wasn’t you. You’d much rather spend your night in front of the television with a steaming bowl of porridge or something
>Not out in the night, clubbing with a bunch of randoms
>Honestly, you kind of knew that any premise of hooking up with someone tonight was a long shot at best 
>At that point, you decided to just finish this beer and call it a night
>That was until someone actually took notice of you enough to call out your name
>“Hey Anon!”
>You spun around to where the voice had called from, and were surprised to see Julia emerge from the crowd, martini in paw
>She was in a beautiful blue  one-shoulder dress that cascaded down to her ankles with a cut up along her legs, with a pair of black high heels
>This only added to her height, and she stood easily a foot and a half above you
>You were surprised that you didn’t spot her earlier
>“Wow, hey Julia, fancy seeing you here.”
>“I could say the same about you Anon! I didn’t know clubbing was your thing, or that you went here of all places.”
>“It’s not really,” you laughed as you rubbed the back of your head, the booze suddenly seeming to make you a heck of a lot more giddily “I just figured I’d have a night-out for once and this place looked nice enough.”
>“Huh. You know if it was I’d have invited you for some drinks ages ago, the guy who runs this place is a good buddy of mine.”
>“Small world huh?” The two of you shared a laugh and a drink of the pint or a sip of the glass
>A brief silence fell between the two of you, contrasting the flurry of conversations happening around you
>You decided you’d rather not let this thing go like stale bread and elected to keep the conversation going
>“That dress looks very fitting on you.” You compliment Julia on her attire for the evening, which seemed far too elegant for the evening’s setting
>“Oh, why thank you Anon.” You could almost make out a subtle blush beneath her fur, although you were unsure whether that was because of the alcohol “You know my mother gave it to me years ago. I’ve actually hardly ever worn it.” She spun it around a bit “Glad I’m getting some use out of it.”
>“Well,” you continued, “I think it looks wonderful on you.” Wow, surprisingly smooth Anon. Wait, were you checking her out?
>Julia was quick to return your compliment “Well you don’t look bad yourself Anon. If I was a betting Hyena I’d wager you were trying to seduce one of these fair maidens tonight.”
>You couldn’t help but choke on your drink at her inference, and you felt your face flush red
> “Wh-what? No, I’m just out for a good ‘old night on the town! Can’t blame a fella for wanting a little bit o’ fuc- you half slurred out the word before your brain pulled the breaks and shut your trap up
>All you could do was watch Julia and pray to any god that the music and crowd covered up whatever you said
>A sly smile grew across her muzzle 
>Nani.mp3
>“…What did you just say Anon?” She questioned with an ever growing smirk plastered across her face, knowing she had caught you in the headlights, and she was going in for the kill
>“FUN! I said fun I swear to GOD!” Yeah that sounded convincing “Heh, I’m uh, surprised you can even hear me over all this music!”
>She cocked her head to the side, her eyes carried nothing but mischievous intent “What music?” She asked you in a mocking tone 
>It dawned on you that there was, indeed, no music that pumped over the crowd, seemingly having evaporated into the night air
>All you could muster was a defeated “Nothing…just forget about it.” As you dismissively waved your hand
>Yet it was to no avail
>If anything it seemed to make things worse
>She took a step forward and bent down so that the two of you were eye level, which caused you to do a double take and take a breath, astonished
>You’d never really noticed it before, but her eye truly were something striking
>They were a stark Jade, contrasting with her brown fur, grey snout and blue dress
>They seemed to cut through yours, and your heartbeat fluttered as you became entranced in them
>Her voice broke you out of it and put you in another
>“You meant fuck didn’t you Anon?”
>“Julia I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
>“You aren’t denying it are you.” God how was she this smug “You went out tonight, on the prowl, to look for a girl to conqueror.”
>You couldn’t help but chuckle “You kind of sound like you’re making me out to be the bad guy.”
>“Oh heavens no Anon. You’re not a bad guy, far from it. But what you are is inexperienced, optimistic and tad bit naïve. It’s cute” You blushed and she gave you a tsk-tsk as she rose from her bent over position “Oh stop it you, you’re too adorable.” 
>She took your empty pint –which seemed to become empty out of nowhere –and her martini glass away through the crowd before shortly returning and you noticed the music distinctly abrupt as she did so 
>“Come here you!” She said with an outstretch paw
>You initially went to grab it, but hesitated for just a moment before Julia bridged the gap and took it fully and drew you in close to her
>“You aren’t seducing any of these girls here tonight Anon.”
>“I know.” You dully replied, unable to help but smile as you looked up at her “But this isn’t such a bad way for my night to go so far.” 
>“Now there’s the spirit! And besides,” slowly, a relaxing jazz rolls over the bar, and Julia begins to take the two of you into a sway corresponding to its rhythm “None of these girls know you like I do.” 
>Julia takes your hand and places it against her hip while her other comes up over your other arm and against her back
>You respond by moving your other arm on her other hip, and gently resting your head against her powerful chest
>You couldn’t explain it, but something about the whole embrace felt so…right
>There was a natural calm about it all
>You wondered if Julia felt the same
>Should you be leaning into her?
>Its not weird right?
>“Wow.”
>“What?”
>“You’re tense even now.” She was right
>“Can I help it?” You joke.
> “What have you got on your mind Anon?” She asked you with a soft and caring voice, one that made you a sort of maternal warmth off of her
>“I don’t know…stuff?”
>“What sort of stuff?”
>“Hm. Are you a masseuse or a therapist?” You joke as the two of you continued to sway back and forth with the music, time seeming to slow down to a snail’s pace to you
>“You get to learn to be both in my profession.” The two of you look at each other, and you could read the concern in her eyes clearly “What’s wrong Anon?”
>“It’s just…” You felt a lump for in your throat, and suddenly the world seemed to speed up to you “I don’t know. I guess I’ve just got some butterflies in my stomach.” 
>“I’m not taking this too fast am I?” She asked, some worry in her eyes and a feeling of cautiousness in her voice. 
>She had stopped moving with the music, and the two of you stood still in each other’s embrace under the bar light 
>“No, no Julia it’s not you.” You took a deep breath “I mean, we’ve known each other for ages. What’s it coming up on? Five, six years?”
>She nods “About six yeah.” She shrugs “Time flies don’t it?” 
> “Sure does. And during this time I’ve known you, you’ve always been so wonderful.” 
>She really had. Ever since the first day you’d met here –at one of Andy’s parties as a matter of fact –you found yourself head over heels for the Hyena 
>Not just her looks, but the way she spoke, how she walked, the way she’d rub her mane whenever you got nervous, it was an added benefit that she was one of the best chiropractors in the city
>And it was true, that you’d subtly fancied her all of this time
>Of course through your own inhibitions and fears of the dating you’d melted it all down and poured it into your music as someway of filling the longing that grew in you 
>Was that why you came out tonight?
>Not to have a good time, but to find something?
>Was this it? Was Julia what you’ve been looking for –what you’ve been denying yourself –this whole time?
>In your reflection, you’d begun to just stare up at her, taken in by her magnetic gaze “Anon?” She softly spoke to you, sharpening your attention to her once more
>“Yes Julia?” You softly spoke back, although there was no reason to whisper
>“Let’s get out of here.” She spoke with a smile that warmed your heart, and for now put your rising fears to rest
>“Where?”
>“My place of course, you naïve little space cadet.”


[Chapter 5: We'll Tread These Unknown Waters Together]

>From that point onward, the time that passed like a blur between you leaving the bar and arriving at Julia’s place 
>One moment you were slowly dancing with her, letting the world revolve around the two of you without notice
>The next she’d taken you by the hand and whisked you away from the pumping music and dancing feet
>She raced around to a nearby parking lot, where you squatted down as you struggled to catch your flagging breath
>Julia turned with surprise “Oh, sorry Anon. Forgot I was walkn’ with ya for a minute there!”
>“Don’t…huff…huff…worry ‘bout it. I need the…exercise.” You took in a deep breath and straightened up “If that’s walking I’d hate to have to keep up with your running!” 
>She beamed a bright, wide smile “Aw shucks Anon.”
>“So, your place or mine?”
>“We’ve already decided on that you silly!”
>You shrug “Guess I just up and forgot. I’ve had too much to drink I think.”
>“After one pint?” Julia asked in disbelief
>“I’m a lightweight!” You trumpet in your defence, seemingly having lost your volume switch. All Julia could do was chuckle and shake her head knowingly
>“I’m glad you’re not getting a nickel for every time I say this but, you really are adorable. I honestly don’t know how no one hasn’t snatched you up yet.”
>“Maybe I’ve been saving myself.” 
> Without a second hesitation she lifted you right off the ground to her face level, and took you in a deep kiss
>You wrapped your arms around her head and neck as she supported your body, losing yourself as your tongue feigned resistance against the dominance of hers
>Your nose could only take in the smell of her perfume and fur, and your eyes locked with hers, and held nothing but messages of ecstasy and desire
>You closed your eyes as you allowed yourself to be fully over taken by this old but new, and wholly welcome sensations
>You couldn’t tell how long Julia held you there, but when the two of you broke for desperate gasps of air, a stream of saliva trailed from her mouth to yours, and the two of you broke the evening air with rapid, fast panting
>Anyone watching would have gotten quite the show 
>Neither of you said anything for some time, your slowing breath was the only thing to break the silence
>“Wow…” was all you could say as you tried to find your breathless voice
>“Well, that’s a reaction.” 
>“I’m breathless.”
> Julia leaned down to softly whisper in your ear “And the night’s still young.” There was a slight chirp in her voice, and it sent a thrill up your spine
>“So I guess we’ll get going to your place.”
>“You took the words out of my mouth lover-boy, follow me.” You followed her through the maze of SUVs and sport cars before eventually coming to a flashy looking motorbike “Whelp,” Julia puffed, “it ain’t no magic pumpkin, but for you, Cinderella, I think it’ll do.”
>“How are you going to ride in that dress?”
>“Simple.” She retorted, immediately throwing her dress over her shoulders
>You quickly attempted to shield your eyes, but were surprised to see underneath not her naked form, but a tight, black, leather-racing suit, that somehow stuck to her frame like wrapping 
>Perhaps it was your infatuation with her features or the beer, or both, but you found yourself dumbfounded at how you didn’t notice it before, or how she even managed to move around so gracefully in a dress with that underneath  
>Then again, it did seem to wrap against her oh so tightly
>The natural curves in her hips and chest, and her firm muscular build were accentuated as if nothing was there
>Julia was quick to notice your interest
>“I may not take this off tonight if it elicits that out of you.” You blushed as she got her bright yellow helmet on and slapped on its black visor
>“Here,” she said as she handed you your own 
>Except this was a bright neon-pink with dandelions and bee decals all over it
>You glared at her with all your might to appear outraged, but you most likely came off as adorable from her smirk
>“Sorry Anon you can’t ride me without it. It’s the laaaawwww.” She teased as you donned the helmet and sat behind her on the motorcycle 
>Wait did she say ‘ride me’?
>Suddenly she revved the bike to life, sending a low rumble all through your body and causing you to hold onto your seat unstably 
>Looking behind her, you could make Julia’s eye roll through her helmet as she took your arms and wrapped them around her waist “Don’t be afraid to get cosy with me Anon.” Holding on, you leaned into her as she sped up out of the parking lot and onto the road
>You weren’t sure whether it was the bike or not, but you swear you could feel her purr, which you were unsure if hyenas could do in the first place
>The two of you sped on through the evening, Julia effortlessly weaving the bike in and out of traffic like a thread of silk woven in and out by a swift needle
>To start with, you couldn’t help but have your heart try to jump out your throat and beet in your chest a hundred miles a minute as Julia leaned in and out of the road, and it felt like the two of you were going to topple over more than once
>But eventually as the sun sunk beneath the luminous moon over took the distant horizon and the foggy clouds and beaconing skyscrapers of the city, a calm over took you 
>Being so close to Julia seemed to put your worries at ease
>Not just about the ride, but about a lot of things
>Stuff at the forefront of your mind
>Some stuff you had buried deep in the back
>You mind had soon wandered off as Julia rode on with you tightly holding onto her, and in your wandering you once again found yourself eclipsed by her
>Did it mean something? You questioned without really knowing, or wanting, an answer
>Maybe, the unknown would be good enough for you for now
>Julia motored on through the emerging night, taking the two of you away from the city centre and out to the suburban sprawl that stretched out away from the towering skyscrapers like a blanket
>You hadn’t been to this neck of the woods, and looking around, it seemed like a nice place to grow up
>Certainly a lot prettier than the squallers of your youth
>Julia eventually bought her bike off the road with a soft bump over the curb and onto the driveway
>“Well, here she is, my humble abode.”
>It was a quaint little home, with white rendered walls and dark green terracotta roof tiles
>The front yard was large and well manicured, a garden of bountiful roses and tulips swayed gently against the soft breeze 
> “Well come one, let’s not freeze out butts off out here.” She said as you followed her inside 
>Inside the house seemed remarkable more modern than its external features
>It was all an open plan, with the front door opening up to a immaculate living room, complete with a luxurious sofa complemented by a plasma TV above a fireplace 
>Julia invited you to have a seat and make yourself comfortable as she went and fetched the two of you something to eat from the kitchen
>At first you insisted on at least lending a hand, but Julia quickly dismissed your offer. “You’re my guest here Anon, it’s the least I can do. Besides, you’ll be able to pay me back later.” She said with a wink as she went off to the kitchen with a spring in her step
>So you sat there in the quiet with the sound of banging pots and bubbling food echoing from the kitchen
>You quickly smelt your breath, recalling back at the pongy beer smell and regretting that you didn’t have a breath mint on you or something
>All the while nervousness crept up your spine
>Your mind raced back and forth questioning if this was all moving too fast
>Seemingly less time than your commute on the bus and you found yourself in a beautiful women’s home, preparing to have dinner, and potentially going to do oh so much more
>Listen Anon, you just need to take a deep breath, play it cool and just let Julia guide you through these unknown waters
>When Julia returned, she came back with two large steaming bowls in her arms
>You found yourself hooked by the nose by their alluring odour, and you graciously thanked Julia as she passed you your bowl
>“This smells amazing Julia. Surprised you were able to whip something like this up so quickly.”
>“Oh, thanks Anon. You know it’s a-um, stir-fry, I made up earlier. Yeah I had some left over and I figured why let it go to waste!” 
>“Heh. The only way you’d see something like this back at my place if I’d bought some Chinese.” You were grateful that your ‘joke’ landed as you shared a laugh with her
>The punch line being that you’d never be able to afford Chinese in the first place
>You took a spoonful of something crispy-white but meaty in texture and some beans and briefly closed your eyes as your tastebuds were overwhelmed by its taste “Well?” Julia asked, as she slowly ate her own, not taking her gleaming eyes off of you
>“It’s good, really good!” You spouted as you hungrily took another spoonful, but doing your beast to not crazily burrow it down
>You were in front of a lady, after all
>You figured it best to keep the conversation going “What meat is this by the way?”
>“Oh its crab. And you know I got those vegies from my garden out back.”
>“You grow a veggie garden?”
 >“Yeah, it’s something me mom and I used to do when I was a kid way back. Something I like to do to remember her by, you know?” 
>“That’s nice.” You took another spoonful “So I guess you got your cooking from your dad’s side.” She blushed a bit and continued eating, but you couldn’t help but notice her body language shift a little
>“How about a movie?” Julia prompted you with the remote as she finished the last of her stir-fry and placed it down on the floor beside you
>“Ugh sure.” You began to flick through the channels, looking for something particularly interesting on
>While usually you would have flicked strait to the 24-hour news, you decided to scout out something a bit more light-hearted for tonight “Anything in particular?” You asked 
>“Nothing in particular, I’ll watch whatever you want to watch Anon.”
>“What’s your favourite movie?”
>“You know that.” She smugly retorted
 >“Oh yeah that’s right; romcoms.” 
>“Oh my god No Anon!” She laughed as she lightly socked you in the arm, nearly making you drop your bowl
>Out of the corner of your eye you could see her face recoil in terror, so you made a show that you were alright “Yeah, yeah. I’ll get something…hey how about this?” You asked as you flicked it over to a rerun of some long forgotten sci-fi flick, and looked like it was about half into its runtime
>“Yeah alright. I know how much of a sucker for corny sci-fi you are Anon.”
>You almost wanted to say the movie wasn’t corny, it was ground-breaking, but you bit your tongue because you didn’t want to come off as an asshat and you realised reacting in such a way would only prove her point
>You settled into the couch and made yourself comfortable as the movie continued on
>You noticed Julia inch ever closer, and you responded in kind by closing the gap yourself
>It seemed that the two of you shuffled towards each other, searching for one another’s touch in the flurry of sexual tension that bubbled just below the surface
>Until eventually, the two of you met, and you quickly snuggled into each other 
>Her soft fur is like delicate velvet against your skin
>You could also feel her firm muscles and from this angle, underneath her impressive bust, you could make out her well-defined midsection 
>Your heart almost bust out of your chest when she wrapped her arm around you, and dragged you in close enough to close the gap between atoms
>Your heartbeat slowly relaxed to a subdued calm, although you couldn’t calm the nervous thoughts that swirled in hour head
>You gently rested your head on her shoulder, listening attentively to the thumping rhythm of her heart
>It palpitated with a soothing power, drawing in your attention further away from the movie and to Julia
>As the movie continued on, and the two of you became more comfortable at each other’s touch
>The two of you laid down with each other on the couch as Julia spooned you and held you with a soft tenderness
>You wound up using her forearm as a furry pillow as her muzzle rested on your neck, sniffing and inhaling inquisitively and making you spasm slightly
>At one point her damp nose touched a particularly sensitive part of your skin, and within an instant all of your hairs were on edge and you let out a bout of laughter and your body convulsed at the sensation
>This, caused Julia to raise an eyebrow
>“What the hell was that?”
>“You ugh…tickled me I guess.” You said, feigning aloofness as to the cause of your reaction, although you knew all too well
>Julia seemed to pick up on this
> “I’ve been your masseuse and chiropractor for nearly six years now and I’ve never known you were ticklish from how you’ve let me go to town on you.”
>“Well I can keep my cool when I need to. Guess I just let my guard slip a bit.”
>“You let you guard down?”
>“Yeah. It’s nothing don’t- 
>You weren’t able to finish your sentence as Julia suddenly tightened her hold on you, constraining your arms in hers, and wrapping her legs so that yours couldn’t inch
>Within a millisecond, the night seemed to have suddenly taken a sharp turn from slow and comfy to freakish
>Your heart really felt like it would’ve leapt out of you if it weren’t for Julia’s muscly arms bracing against you
>The movie seemed to go mute, and you could hear the bead of sweat slowly slime down your neck as Julia bought her muzzle to her ear
>She whispered softly, but her words carried a whip-like sharpness “Oh my sweet little space cadet. We’re going to have a hell’ova time tonight.” 
>She gently exposed a bit of your shoulder from under your shirt
>Before you could react, she took her tongue and took a long, slow lick from your bare shoulder, up along your side before finishing at the nape of your neck with a kiss
>Oh god
>Your body wasn’t ready
>At the sensation your body buckled into itself sharply, ripping your legs from Julia and sending you toppling onto the carpet 
>Julia’s playful domination stopped in an instant as she leapt from the couch next to you “Anon are you ok?”
>Panting, you could only respond with a vague ‘yea’ and a weak thumbs-up  
>She let out a sigh of relief, letting out a high-pitched chuckle “Think I let myself get a bit…carried away there.”
>“Don’t beat yourself up Julia.” You sat up and Julia leaned back to sit back on your knees. “If I’m honest with ya it was pretty hot.”
>She shrugged with a guilty smile “I try to…keep a lid on that sort of stuff.” She scratches her mane and looks away “I’m not like…that usually.”
>“I push ya buttons do I?”
>She nervously laughed, “I guess you do.”
>“Seriously Julia I’m fine. If anything I was along for the ride.”
>“You see that’s the thing Anon.” She looked back to you, her voice carried with a distinct fragility to it. “I –shouldn’t –be taking you along for a ride. I mean you know what everyone thinks hyenas like me are.”
>You nodded quietly, letting Julia huff as she tried to get whatever it was off her chest
>“I –I…kinda have grown to hate that legacy you know? I mean sure, I know about a dozen hyenas who are legitimate bitches are fully do all that… dommy…stuff.” 
>“But I’ve never been really like that…you know? Never wailed on my brothers, I mean fuck it’s hard enough with everyone thinking I’ve got a third leg let alone people thinking I’m gonna’ break their legs it they looked at me sideways.” 
>“You know I’ve never gotten that impression from you. You’ve always been so kind and heartfelt to everyone you meet through all the years I’ve know you.”
>“Well that’s you Anon. You’re as sweet as sugar, unlike half the assholes I’ve had to put up with –anthro and human alike let me tell you.” She broke out into a crackle mid sentence, wiping a tear from her eye “I fucking remember this one guy hots for back in high school. I tired to oozy up to him and asked him out for prom and he said, point blank; ‘I don’t want to go out with you because I’m afraid you’ll rip my head off,” she shrugged “guess he had some balls for telling someone he thought would do that to him right in their face.” 
>“I’m unloading my baggage onto you aren’t Anon?”
>You took her hand, squeezing it tightly and not breaking eye contact “Julia, I think I’m falling in madly in love with you.” 
>“Always the poet Anon.” she smiled. 
>You took a deep breath “I’m ready to work with you through anything we face. I’m think, no I know I’m ready for whatever this brings us.” 
>She tried to hold in her crackle as she wiped her tear-soaked cheeks on her shoulder “Look at me. A big old softie right now.”
>“Aw, where’s the strong independent dominatrix who just had me wrapped around her claw just then.” 
>She laughed, now a much more jovial, natural laughter “God it feel like I’m going through a year’s worth of therapy within a minute.” She took a sharp inhale before letting out a drawn out exhale
>“Well, now what?” She asked
>“Well now,” you said as you stood up “You can carry off your strapping young human for a night full of love and kisses.”
>She laughs as she stood up, and promptly scooped you up in her big arms and started walking through the house to her bedroom “Are we going to do much more than that Anon?” 
>“Nope, just love and kisses and plenty of hugs.” You responded as she bobbed you up and down with each step
>“Great!” She exclaimed, “That’s my type of night!”