Here's Part 13 for your reading pleasure!

Just to note - from here on in, the narrative's point of view will shift between the two lead characters in order to allow us to get to know them, the world and the story itself a little better. For clarity, each chapter will be marked with whose view we're taking. :)

Once again: thoughts/comments are welcomed and appreciated. Hope you enjoy!

Part 13 - Generation Gap

(Alexei)

A degree of calm and normality gradually returned during the couple of days that followed Monday’s unpleasantness. Despite the reconciliation that followed, the reasons behind his falling out with Nathan still played on Alexei’s mind.

He’d padded off to bed happy enough that evening, as did the husky as he bunked up in his little bedroom. At least, that was the impression he gave the wolf. Despite this, Alexei struggled to drift off to sleep, his mind rushing along at a mile a minute. He spent an untold amount of time alone in his bed assessing what, if anything, he could do to truly help Nathan in his desire to ‘stand on his own two feet’.

Tuesday proved peaceful; a day for rest and recuperation. It would also prove the perfect chance for Alexei to make a fresh start with how he treated his little guest, putting into action the ideas he came up with during that restless night’s sleep.

At lunch time, he allowed Nathan to serve food onto his plate himself. The wolf only helped when he couldn’t quite cut through a large flank of meat, or reach all the way into a deep serving bowl. Things continued in a similar vein after the meal, with the husky cleaning his own dishes, albeit in a small bowl of soapy water beside the kitchen sink that Alexei provided.

These gestures, while small, did appear to be a step in the right direction for offering Nathan some form of independence. The gentle squeeze of his paw and grateful smile that the little canine offered up in return appeared to confirm this. Still, Alexei realised it would take more than this to fully appease his guest.

Late afternoon saw the appearance of one of the few welcome faces from their trip into the city. Yana, Alexei’s friend from the now infamous riverside cafe made a short visit, expressing her sorrow for what happened there. The pine marten stated to Nathan that while she couldn’t change the past, she hoped that the Pirozhki she’d brought for him to finally try would go some way to helping him feel better.

Alexei listened in with a happy smile throughout, watching over the husky as he sampled the fried meat and vegetable-filled rolls. His smile grew even wider when Nathan stated they were just as good as the wolf had promised.

A relaxed evening followed as Tuesday slowly drifted into Wednesday. They headed to their separate beds not long after midnight, preparing to ready both themselves and the apartment for the day that Alexei’s grandfather would be paying a visit.

“I’m sorry your trip downtown on Monday wasn’t all that great for you,” Erik stated from the opposite side of the workbench, sanding down the unattached legs of a dining chair while Alexei brought him up to speed on what had occurred that day. “It’s a shame there are some people out there who still have a problem with Polcians... even some of my family.”

“It was not all that bad. I enjoyed the first few hours so much,” he replied, carving a design into the back panel of the chair that the snow leopard’s legs were intended to fit. “After all the problems, the argument, it finished much better than it could have.” Alexei put his knife down with a smile. “Things have been happier between us since.”

As much as he truly loved spending time with Nathan, the wolf enjoyed this opportunity to converse in his mother tongue, something that required a lot less effort compared to speaking in Polcian.

“Thanks again for helping, Alex,” Erik said, placing down the now fully-sanded chair leg before wiping his sawdust-covered paws down his blue apron. “I would have never had these chairs ready for finishing by tomorrow without it.”

“It is not a problem,” Alexei answered, turning to see the clock on the wall display the time as a little after three. “I also think it would be best for me to be working when my grandfather arrives.”

“What time is he due?”

“Five.” He retrieved his carving blade once more and resumed his work on the chair’s floral design. “This is also a good opportunity to let Nate do some work.”

“He wants to work? On vacation!?” Erik chuckled, proceeding to grab another of the patterned chair legs and a fresh piece of sandpaper. “Polcians are odd.”

Alexei gave a snicker and wide, lupine grin in response. He glanced over to the office door at the back of the workshop that Nathan sat the other side of. “He offered to sort through the accounts, computerise them. He explained some more, but... I am not sure if he was using complicated finance words, or if my Polcian is not good enough, because I stopped understanding soon after this.”

“And he really doesn’t mind?”

“No, really. He could barely wait for me to finish translating the accounts for him.” The wolf gazed down at his paws thoughtfully. “We had a talk. He wishes to do things like this.”

“If I was him, I’d be asking for some money in return.”

“Oh, I know you would,” Alexei replied with a quick laugh, making one finishing touch to the chair’s design before grabbing a section of sandpaper of his own. “Come, if we are fast, we may have the finishing applied today, ready for polishing first thing tomorrow.”

They upped their work tempo over the next hour and a half, cycling through several rounds of waxing and sanding until the set of chairs were fully prepped for polish and assembly. They kept chatter to a minimum, mostly focusing on the task at hand until Erik brought the topic of discussion back to Alexei and Nathan.

“So, Alex. Have you made the move yet?” The white leopard grinned, sliding his completed woodwork over to the corner of the bench.

“No,” the wolf muttered bashfully, sensing his face going warm.

“But you love him,” Erik replied, drawing out his words with a taunting smirk.

“It... has not felt right to say anything.”

“Really? Nothing at all?”

Alexei fidgeted with the neckstrap of his apron, sighing heavily. “I tried Sunday... to ask if he wanted to share my bed.” That statement earned an expression of teenaged amazement from Erik, to which he huffed and rolled his eyes. “By the stars, Erik. Are you twelve?”

“Sorry,” the leopard answered, visibly struggling to bring his grin under control.

“Besides, he did not accept. I think maybe I pushed too fast.”

Erik set his tools down. His amusement disappeared almost instantly, leaving only the corners of his mouth flickering with a smile of sympathy. “Do you think he likes you the same way?”

“I do... or, I think so.”

“Maybe he was scared?”

“Scared?” Alexei gasped. “Of me?”

“Alex, he is what? As tall as the length of your paw? Sleeping together in the same bed could be...”

“I would be careful. I think it would be possible to make sure he was not hurt.”

“I’d say something.” Erik stated boldly, reaching back to untie his apron. “I would say how I feel. It’s the only way to know for sure.”

“This is easy for you to say.” Alexei downed his own tools with a grunt. “It is not you who...”

“Who what?”

His ears folded back as he peered down to the floor. “I find it difficult. I worry that if he does not actually feel this way...” he tailed off, picturing Nathan with a look of horror on his face after he’d revealed his true feelings for him. “This is not so normal.”

“Listen, Alex.” The leopard removed his apron, draping it over his arm before moving around to Alexei’s side of the bench. “I won’t pretend to understand how you can fall for a Little, but--”

“It is easy... a person is a person,” the wolf retorted defensively.

“Sure, but--”

“A Polcian looks just like a Velikan in a photo. They sound just like a Velikan through the computer, and with their little machines. It is not until you see them in person that the difference is visible. Even then, it is not a problem for me... I like Polcians.”

Erik smiled as Alexei concluded his passionate explanation. “I think that’s a good attitude. It’s a shame the sizeists can’t see things like that.” He stared vacantly into the distance, snapping back a brief moment later. “As I was saying. I really do think Nate likes you too.”

Alexei narrowed his eyes with suspicion. “Why? What have you said to him?”

“N-nothing, nothing. Just... when we first met Sunday, I said that you had been looking forward to having him here.”

“What!?”

“Why’s that bad? It’s not like I said you have feelings for him.” Erik retorted with bemusement. “The happiness in his reaction from that alone told me that he’s fond of you too, that’s for sure.”

Alexei growled softly, considering the argument put forward by his friend. Was he right? Was Nathan really keeping his feelings bottled up inside too? It’d be perfect if so. Maybe too perfect. He shook his head quickly, gazing back up at the wall clock that now read a quarter to five. “At this moment, I am more concerned about today... my grandfather. He will be here soon.”

Erik twisted on the spot, scanning the workshop. “Everything is tidy, we are ahead of schedule on this piece and we have stock to sell. Why are you worried?”

“He will be in a bad mood.” Alexei huffed, folding his arms. “He wished to come here before now, but I made him wait since I had plans with Nate. We argued over the phone about it on Sunday. He asked where my priorities were.”

“Really? What did you say?”

“I told him with the store and my guest.” Alexei grumbled, turning his head towards the office door before continuing. “But this is not the only reason I am worried.”

“Nate?” The silence that greeted the snow leopard provided him with an answer in itself. “Come on, Alex. I know Maxim can be a little...”

“Aggressive? Confrontational?”

“...I was going to say passionate--”

“I do not know how he will react to him.”

“Because he’s a L--Polcian?” The wolf nodded back. “He doesn’t hate them though, right?”

“Not like he used to... before the car accident, but I would not say he likes them either.”

“Have you told him?” Alexei cocked his head at Erik’s question, wearing a confused expression. “I mean, have you told Nate about him... fighting in the war?”

“I have not.” He followed his colleague in unfastening and removing his apron. They padded over to hang them upon the wall that split the workshop and shop front. “I am thinking about it, but I do not know if it would be best to prepare him, or to just hope that it does not come up.”

Erik rubbed the underside of his muzzle in thoughtful silence. He opened his mouth to speak, but the high-pitched ring of the bell attached to the shop’s front door cut him off. “Maxim?”

“No, too early,” Alexei answered, quickly shifting his gaze towards the archway leading out to the shop front.

“Then it’ll be a customer. I’ll go.”

“Thank you.” He watched his apprentice hurry off, disappearing through the arch before turning his attention to the door at the back of the shop. “I will go and speak with Nate.”

“Hey, Alex,” Nathan said cheerfully as the wolf entered, scampering about the paperwork upon the office desktop.

“Hello, Nate. How is your work?” he replied, switching back to Polcian for his little guest’s benefit. He couldn’t resist a chuckle, wondering how it must feel to be that small, where even everyday objects would stand at unbelievable sizes.

“It goes well!” The husky’s gaze turned back to his laptop, rested atop one particular stack of paperwork acting as a makeshift workspace. His tail wagged while he produced a quick burst of typing. “I’ve pretty much finished computerising your accounts, organising them.”

“Already? That is great. Thank you so much!” Alexei walked over to the desk slowly, ever mindful that he too must appear enormous through the canine’s eyes. “You did not have to do this.”

“I wanted to, you know that.”

“This I do.” The wolf leaned down, carefully hugging Nathan against his nose. “I am happy that you have.”

“There’s still lots more I can do before I send it on to your computer, like set it up to calculate--”

“Anything you can do, I will be happy for,” he quickly interjected, “but maybe at another time, if this is okay? Grandfather will be arriving shortly.”

“Oh, okay. Sure thing.” A huge grin spread across Nathan’s muzzle, clearly content that he could help out. “Would you like me to quickly explain what I have done so far?”

“I would like this.” Alexei answered with a chuckle, steadfastly listening to his newfound helper as he patiently walked him through the new system. The wolf’s face beamed with delight; not just over the improvements, of which there were many, but also from knowing just how much being able to do this meant to the little husky after their argument two evenings before.

“This all sounds much better than old paper system.” Alexei stated jovially. “It will be easy now to stay up to date, leave me more time to craft.” The slow scratching of his ear however revealed the anxiety slowly creeping into his mind. “Nate... I wish to have talk.”

“Oh,” Nathan responded with a furrowed brow. “Sure, what’s up?”

“It is not anything bad... just... something you must know...”

“Come on.” The husky flickered an uncertain smile. “If it’s not bad, then why be nervous?”

Alexei took a short breath. “I wanted to tell you a little about my grandfather.”

“Right.”

“About him... being a soldier in the war.”

Nathan’s expression remained steady, masking the rapid processing surely happening behind his eyes. “I... I see.”

Alexei looked past the desk and out of the window. He couldn’t help but notice the grey clouds massing above his small back yard. “He turned seventeen one month before, left school that summer to train as carpenter under my great-grandfather. Government of this time, they had system where they made some people fight in the army, so he was not a full soldier. It had been this way since the wars with our neighbours. They were... what is word?”

“Conscripts,” Nathan answered mutedly, without eye contact.

“Okay. Yes. He was made to join just before... war with Polcia.” His ears drooped with the word ‘war’. “He did not want to, but there was no choice... he...” Suddenly the wolf’s mind went blank, words failing him as he struggled desperately to continue the preemptive defense of his grandfather’s actions. Only then did his eyes return to the little husky standing silent on the desktop.

“Pretty young to do that,” Nathan murmured with paws firmly in pockets.

“Yes. I could have not have done this.”

“So, was he stationed here... or did he fight in Polcia? I’ve a feeling I know the answer already, but hey.” His words were tinged with a hint of annoyance, an observation not lost on Alexei.

“H-he went to Polcia for a period, late in war.”

Nathan rocked on his feet, scanning the desktop with a silence that filled the wolf with dread.

“I do not know much of what happened. He does not like to speak of it.” Alexei felt his tail start to tuck through the fabric of his trousers. “I thought you should know... Maybe it would be best not to speak of.”

“To be honest, Alex, that wouldn’t have been high up on my list of conversation topics regardless.”

“Yes, of course.” He ran a paw through the brown tuft of fur atop his head, grimacing with a hint of embarrassment at his own words. “You will be safe, if this is a worry. He will not hurt you.”

Nathan’s calm exterior held firm, though his own part-tucked tail and constant rubbing of his muzzle suggested this tranquility was not shared internally.

“Nate? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Alex,” came the response, almost surprised as he at last made eye contact.

“Good,” Alexei mumbled with a sad frown, knowing this to be a lie, but unknowing of how to draw the truth from the husky.

A faint ring of a bell from outside the office moments later made the wolf’s heart sink. With a grumble to himself, he slowly moved his head to face the clock on the wall of the small, furniture-strewn room. It displayed the time as two minutes before five.

“That him?” Nathan muffled from the desk.

“I think yes. My grandfather feels very strong about being on time.” A knock at the office door a few seconds later would confirm this.

“Hey, Alex,” Erik’s voice called from the inside the workshop, proceeding on in Polcian for Nathan’s benefit. “Maxim is here.”

Deathly silence befell the tiny office, with only the faint ticking of the wall clock audible as time passed on by. Alexei sighed, offering out a paw. “If you like... you can stay here.”

Nathan gazed past the wolf’s open palm, up to his muzzle before quietly looking about the desktop again.

“Alex?” Erik repeated.

“Yes,” Alexei said sternly. “A moment.”

That seemed to spur the husky on to make a decision. “Okay, Alex. Let’s go.” He stepped up into the grey wolf’s white-furred paw, settling down to take a seat upon his palm pad. “Y’never know, maybe I can win him over.”

“Maybe,” Alexei chuckled lightly, smiling. “I promise he will not hurt you, Nate.”

“Yeah... I’m sure it’ll be fine,” came the uncertain reply.

“This will go well.” He ran a finger pad down Nathan’s back, proceeding to head over to the door to exit the office. Grabbing the brass handle and twisting, he fleetingly wondered just how true this would prove to be.

A cold chill hit Alexei as he stepped out into the workshop, as did a strong, familiar musk rising above the usual scent of sawdust. He strode past an unusually timid Erik, finding the unmistakable figure of his khaki trench coat wearing grandfather, Maxim.

The older grey wolf, smattered with far more white fur than his grandson, stood at the workbench upon which the day’s work sat. “The quality could be better,” he gruffed, voice almost a roar.

“It is not finished yet,” Alexei replied in Velikan, matching his grandfather’s language of choice. “I have not had a complaint about our work quality for years.”

“Some people are too polite to say.”

“Some people are not polite enough not to,” he mumbled to himself. “Hello, Grandpa.”

The old wolf moved back from the bench and slowly approached. All the while, he seemed to ignore Nathan’s presence. “You know, there was nobody in the front of shop when I entered. What if I were here to steal?”

“The bell above the door is for this reason,” he retorted, looking into the greenish-yellow eyes of his elder. “The till and much of the stock is in the workshop, while the money and the high-value crafts are locked in the office.”

“Also,” Erik said quietly from behind Alexei, still standing beside the office door, “we make sure that at least one of us can see through the archway when working at the benches.”

Maxim looked to the leopard with a disparaging scowl. “It only takes a moment for something to be stolen, especially in this area of the city. Many thieves roam around here.”

“S-sorry, Mr. Korolev... The front door is now locked for the day.”

“We have not had any theft,” Alexei interjected, hoping to bring an end to this topic of conversation. He looked down at the husky in his paws, finding him watching back with wide, nervous eyes. With a soft smile to his guest, he stated in Polcian, “Grandpa, I would like you to meet... my friend, Nathan. Nate, this is my grandfather, Maxim.”

“I am Mr. Korolev,” the older wolf grunted, glaring down at the husky as he picked himself up to stand.

“Hello,” Nathan replied politely, holding out a paw. “N-nice to meet you.”

Maxim didn’t return the gesture, merely keeping his focus locked on the small canine before grunting again. “Hello.”

Alexei watched on as Nathan pulled his arm back, sitting himself back down with folded ears.

“Alexei, I did not come here to meet your friend.”

The young wolf looked up sharply; happy that the conversation had returned to his mother tongue so that Nathan could no longer understand, but annoyed at his grandfather’s dismissiveness of his guest. He turned to Erik, subtly gesturing for him to take the husky out of the workshop. “We will not be long.”

The leopard nodded, pacing over with a smile. “Hey, Nate... Shall we go upstairs and leave these two to talk business? We can catch some TV or something.”

“S-sure.” Nathan stood again, quickly swapping lupine paws for feline before being carried out of the workshop’s side-door.

“Could you not have been nicer?” Alexei grumbled, spinning to face his grandfather.

“Did I not say hello to him, in his own language?”

“Would it have hurt to shake his paw?”

“How can I shake the paw of a... Little?”

“His name is Nathan.”

“Alexei, listen.” The elder wolf folded his arms, glaring up to his grandson who stood the length of an ear taller. “I have come to speak about you and the business.”

“Again.” Alexei matched Maxim’s stance.

“And what does that mean?”

“It means that while I am happy that you come to make sure I am okay, you do not need to do it twice, three times a week. Also, I do not wish to be a bad host. Can we please be quick?”

“We will take as long as it needs,” the elder snapped. “I want to be sure all is well.”

“Fine... Shall we begin?”

The two wolves went on to discuss how things had been since Maxim’s last visit the week previous. While the business itself earned the occasional mention during their conversation, Maxim seldom veered away from pressing into how his grandson had been faring in his personal life. In response, Alexei offered as blunt a reply as possible to each query, until he felt compelled to try and derail the line of questioning altogether. “Grandpa, are you here for me, or the business?”

“For both.”

“I only ask, because you have not spoken of supplies, what we are making. You do not even wish to see the accounts. This is just about me so far.”

“Okay, we shall speak of business.” The white-streaked wolf grumbled, reaching out to scrape a claw along the workbench closest. “You need to get a third; a shop assistant to replace the one who left.

“Larisa? She left six months ago. We are coping fine. I would rather bring another in to craft once Erik is more experien--”

“You leave the store unstaffed! This is unacceptable.”

“There was not enough to keep the old assistant occupied! There are only so many times the same pieces of furniture can be cleaned.”

Maxim barked a laugh of either humour or derision. “Maybe use the Little. Half a dog for half a job.”

“I said his name is Nathan,” Alexei growled, fighting to stop himself snarling, “and he is not ‘half a dog’.”

“Why do you not like that I care for you?” the elder wolf queried, apparently ignoring his grandson’s statement. “That I care how things are going?”

“It is fine to care...” Alexei trailed off, hackles rising to meet the anger he held towards both his grandfather’s attitude towards Nathan and the incessant questioning. “There is caring, and then there is this. It is too much.”

“Too much? Nonsense!”

“Yes, too much! You do not need to check up every other day.”

“I cannot visit?”

“Visiting is fine, but this is not that. This is... an interrogation.”

“You have never said this before,” Maxim answered, appearing to calm as he fiddled with a discarded handsaw lying atop the adjacent workbench.

“I... I have wanted to for a while.”

The older wolf pushed the saw away and grunted. “I started this business, and you are my grandson! I have a right to be sure it is okay, and that you are okay, too.”

“The business is fine, I am fine,” Alexei gruffed, throwing his arms up in desperation. “I...I am a grown man.”

“You think I treat you as a child?”

“What do you think this is?”

“I look out for you, like I have since your parents passed.”

“But you do not need to protect me like when I was a cub.” Alexei glared at his elder, well aware they’d begun to stray off-topic, but failing to care. He had wanted to speak of this for as long as he could remember. “How much time did you spend looking over my shoulder, having me stay in the workshop after school to help you?

“You enjoyed working here, learning--” Maxim barely got a full sentence in before the younger wolf pressed on with his tirade.

“Yes, I did, but there were many times where instead of letting me go out with friends, you kept me here, guarded me. Grandma would always say you were too--”

“Your grandmother is not here though, is she!?” the elder erupted, his pained words shocking Alex silent as he turned from the workbench. “Just like your parents; your mother, my daughter, she is gone... Now, I only have you!”

Alexei kept quiet, folding his arms and staring back evenly. To draw this kind of reaction, a part of him feared he must have overstepped the mark. Another part however felt pleased to have finally worked up the courage to vent his feelings; something he had Nathan to thank for. Since hearing in detail about the husky’s ‘overbearing’ parents and the effect they’d had on him, Alexei realised just how many similarities existed between them and his grandfather.

“Grandfather, I do not need protecting. I love you… but I am a grown man. You must treat me as one.”

Maxim scoffed, shrugging as if trying to shake off the younger wolf’s words. “To be treated like a man, you must act like one.” He jabbed a clawed finger. “This store is your responsibility now that I have retired, and to see you leaving the front unmanned is anything but responsible.”

“We have discussed this! I am talking about more than the shop--”

“Instead of looking after your responsibilities, you waste your time with this... Polcian you are so insistent on associating with.”

“He is nothing to do with this, and I have told you his name is Nath--”

“Why do you never listen?”

“I could ask the same!” Alexei kicked out at a splintered piece of lumber resting beside his footpaw. “So, with you now focused on the business, do you still not want to see the finances?” Out of spite, he felt tempted to mention that Nathan had computerised them, improved upon the paper version Maxim insisted be used. The way that this visit had gone so far, and his grandfather’s apparent disdain for the husky however led him to conclude this as being a terrible time to mention it.

“Maybe later.” Maxim strode off towards the workshop’s side-door, brushing a paw through his silver head fur. “I would like to have a drink. Can we continue upstairs?”

Alexei nodded in agreement, knowing this to be less of a request than a statement of how things would proceed on this visit. He padded off past the lifeless machinery of the workshop, reaching the door before his grandfather and turning the handle.

“I suppose your... friend will be there too?”

“He is staying here, so yes, I would think it is likely,” Alexei stated with far more confidence than he felt. He walked out into the small reception area, stepping up onto the staircase that led up to his apartment. “I hope you two will get on better this time.”

Another cold chill ran down Alexei’s spine as he slowly scaled the stairs, wondering just how things would go between his elder and his guest. The silence that greeted his statement did little to assuage his anxiety, nor did the utterance that finally broke it.

“As long as he behaves as he should... it will be fine.”