Always so dark. It
might have seemed scary to some, though I couldn't care less as I lay
in the dark closet with Shadow. Finally, I made the first move. I reached past Shadow's
shoulder and fumbled around in the supplies until I found the towel I
had used earlier. I sat up to kneel over Shadow, and toweled our mess
up. Shadow sighed his content as I wiped us clean.

"Did I get it
all?" I asked, feeling around with a paw.

"Think so,"
Shadow mumbled.

I already missed his
warmth, kneeling above him. He was already reacting to the loss and
reaching for me. The towel in my paw dropped somewhere to the side.
Following his welcoming arms, I wiggled in close on top of him,
avoiding bandages. I slipped my leg between one of his and settled my
weight down.

My mind wandered in
the silence. I remembered the searing light from the doorway and my
fight with Bradley. My favorite moment these past hours was when
Shadow woke up and said my name. I couldn't ask for more completion
to a day. I got to keep Shadow. He had said my name again only a few
minutes ago, but I couldn't quite recall what else I'd heard.

"Wait. What was
that?" I mumbled. It was hard to pull any sense from the
impressions I had. That space of time we were coming down from our
high.... What had he whispered just a short time ago? My stumbling
mind went back to the moment when he removed his fingers from my
tailhole.

"What?" he
mumbled into my neckfur.

"You whispered
something. I thought you said...." What had I thought I'd heard
in that moment?

He shifted beneath
me, and mumbled, "Ummm...."

Shadow had said it
was nothing. It probably wasn't important.

No, his words had
seemed important. "Inside"... something. I mulled over what
I'd heard. Had I heard right? I thought a moment. A strong blush
stung my skin.

I mumbled, "You
want to be inside me? Is that what you said?"

Shadow froze for an
instant, then made some movement beneath me. A nod? A no? Maybe it
was a shrug.

Ah, I remembered.
"You whispered something about how badly you wanted to be inside
me. Was that it?"

Shadow put gentle
paws on my back and pulled me in. "Don't be scared or mad. I
just..." he faded.

"I-" I
what? How did I feel about that?

"I'm not
expecting anything," he said softly near my ear. "Um, I've
been wanting to try playing... further with you. Don't feel like you
have to. I like this just fine, too!"

I thought a moment,
lost in thought, while I could feel his paws fidget in my backfur. "I
wouldn't mind trying something like that with you."

"Really?"
he whispered, stilling. "I- I didn't want to ask you when you
were all worked up and not thinking straight."

"Honestly, it
makes me a little nervous," I admitted, "but I know you can
make it feel good. I want to... I want to-" How could I say it?
"I want to be closer to you, but I don't want to bind you to me
when you might enjoy an experienced fur more."

His words were
brighter, as he said, "I enjoy being with you more than any fur
I've ever met. I won't mind being with you that way too. No. I want
to be with you in every way." He nudged his nose into my
cheekfur.

I blinked in the
darkness, wishing I could see his face. I didn't have to lie and
wonder. I fumbled around on the floor, just past the sleeping bag's
edge. Finding the flashlight, I flicked it on.

Ooouch! The light
stung. I angled it away and half-hid it under a bag of snacks. The
muted light was a little easier to take as my eyes adjusted.

I was lying on top
of a familiar black wolf. He was looking at me, golden eyes blinking
rapidly in the light. What was he thinking? I hoped it was something
good about me.

I was greedy. I
wanted him to think about me. I wanted him to want me. "I want
you," I said, staring into his yellow eyes. "And... I want
you to take me. I want you to be in control, because you've been
without control too many times."

He licked his lips,
staring intently at me.

"Besides, I
don't want you hurt any more. Especially if I screw up." I bent
down and gently kissed him. My lips placed to his, but I waited for
him to respond first before I used any tongue. I wanted to give him
the feeling of being free and in control.

He withdrew his
muzzle, looking up at me. "I've held back so many times,"
he admitted with a sigh. "You have no idea how hard it is with
you. You respond so easily to everything I do."

"So why haven't
we done this already?" I asked. "I don't mind. I've gotten
used to things better, but I think I wouldn't have minded too much if
we'd moved quickly."

"It- It hurts.
Being taken the first time hurts because you don't know how to handle
it. I couldn't stand the thought of you in pain. I didn't want to see
that face in pain," he finished, stroking my cheekfur with his
paw.

"I can manage
some pain if it means we can get closer. Really," I reassured
him when I saw him get apprehensive. "I trust you to find a way
that won't hurt too much."

He held me close
with paws on my head and back. I could hear him breathing. His
breathing increased and he sounded scared.

This was going to be
a hurdle for him, I realized. "Ah, we don't have to. I don't
want to see you scared." I drew him closer by his shoulders.

"No!" he
said loudly. "I... Ah... I want to. I have wanted to for a long
time, but I couldn't ask right when we were playing." He let out
a long breath, "I wanted you to decide when your head was
clear."

"I feel pretty
clear now, and I'm telling you how I truly feel."

He broke into a
laugh, "Tyler, I'm finally going to make you mine!"

"Finally? We
haven't known each other that long," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Do you want to
wait longer? I don't mind," he replied, quite serious.

"No, I don't
want to wait. I can't wait. Each time we play, I feel I want to be
closer to you." I paused, "But not in this closet. It feels
too dangerous here. I want to be somewhere safer."

"Why? Aren't we
safe?"

I had let my tongue
loose. We were safe from the Curtain here, but I wasn't sure about
the furs outside, in the store.

"Well," I
began, "I don't want to be in here... smelling cleaner while
trying to focus on you." Not very smooth.

"Later then,"
he agreed, "I need some time before we play again anyway."

"Well, It'll be
a while before we try playing again, right? We should relax a while,"
I stated. I needed time to find an escape from my worries too.

He slipped from
under me and guided me to lay on my side. The sleeping bag was all
rumpled from our movements. In the dimmed light, I felt him lie
behind me, edging in as close as he could. I heard the slight crinkle
of bandages, but he didn't make any pained noises.

It was still, dark,
quiet. His comforting presence behind me kept me away from any
worries.

He sighed into the
fur at the nape of my neck. He snuffled and licked there... then
froze.

I tensed too. Had he
heard something?

"Tyler?"
he asked, carefully sniffing. "What is this?"

"What?" I
whispered.

"I thought when
I smelled blood earlier, it was from my injuries. Why is there blood
on your neck?"

Blood? Oh, that. I
stiffened as I realized.

"I, um... I got
hurt," I said vaguely.

He snatched the
flashlight from under the package. I could tell he shone it on my
nape. He drew back a little to see, but gripped me close with the
other paw.

No chance of
avoiding this, huh?

I felt strong
vibrations as he growled loudly. "What is this!" he
demanded. "It looks like a, grrrrr, bite!" he snapped on
the last word.

I sagged in defeat.
He would find out. I was marked. Marked as a violent fur. "I'm
sorry," I whispered, barely making myself heard over the growls.
"It's fine though. It closed up right after. I'll clean it.
There's just dried blood, right?"

He choked on a
growl, "What happened, Tyler?" He sounded upset.

"I was bad...
and I got bit. I'm sorry." I snuffled into my paws.

"By a...
zombie? Bitten like I was?" he asked, stroking my neck.

I shook my head,
unable to reply.

He dug into the fur
with his tongue, licking at the sore areas. He growled and whimpered
in turns, digging his wet nose down to my skin.

My ears drooped in
sorrow. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

I could feel his
tongue licking, cleaning away the remaining blood traces. "Use
the towel with some water, Shadow."

He growled in
response and kept licking. Neither of us spoke for long minutes as he
methodically licked away all traces of dried blood.

When he was done, he
nuzzled in, sighing. This felt right. With him, I could relax, even
after I had been bitten by a "civilized" fur.

He seemed to be
gathering his thoughts. After a long moment, he shifted and said,
"Tyler...."

Clunk-clunk.

I startled before
realizing some fur was knocking at the closet door. I had been
getting tense, anticipating Shadow's questions.

"You okay in
there?" asked Burt's muffled voice.

"Y-Yeah!"
I called. "We're fine. Shadow's awake too." I nudged behind
me with an elbow, bumping his ribs, "Say something, Shadow."

Shadow sighed, then
called, "Hi, Burt."

"Good," he
called through the door. "Curtain's coming soon. I just wanted
to give you warning."

We had messed around
in here a while.

"Just stay in
there for now," Burt's voice returned. "Things have settled
down out here, but it's crowded in the bathrooms. We've got a lot of
furs."

"I want to talk
to you after!" barked Shadow.

"I'll come this
way after it's over," agreed Burt. "I need to gather up
everyone. You have a little bit of time, maybe ten minutes."

I listened to Burt's
hooves clip-clop away. In the distance beyond the door, a whistle
blew, signaling every fur to come in somewhere safe.

I felt Shadow
breathing behind me. Our bare fur mixed.

"Should we put
on our clothes?" I asked.

"Wait until
after," Shadow mumbled.

I could hear worry
in his voice. He fidgeted and growled unhappily behind me. His
worries must be building, but this was a bad time to bring up a new
subject.

Something was needed
to relieve the silence. "Shadow?" I started. "After
this Curtain, let's set up on the roof. I feel like I haven't seen
the sun in years. I don't want to be down here forever."

He licked into my
neckfur, rousing more of my scent. After a long sigh, he said, "Yeah.
I miss the sun. And I honestly don't like to be confined by walls all
the time."

I nodded my
agreement. The dim light from the half-covered flashlight couldn't
compete with my memories of a greater light outside.

Shadow's paw slipped
over my waist and held me close. His questions didn't matter in this
single moment before the Curtain dropped.

A hum.... I felt it
before I heard it, causing me to twitch. A hum and a shiver coursed
through the building as the Curtain approached.

Shadow nuzzled
closer, humming contentedly, and I focused on that feeling. Quiet
contentment, and Shadow. I relaxed under his arm.

The Curtain dropped.

It dropped with a
whisper, which grew into a scream. A scream that crawled over every
inch of my skin. The vibrations were so fine, they slipped through my
pores. They scoured every sense like sand-paper.

But the vibrating
scream that invaded every sense had a pattern. One I was beginning to
recognize. I could dance around it, avoiding the worst and enhancing
the good.

But there was no
good in such a thing. There was only the lesser torture.

Even though I
recognized the pattern, there was no way to follow it. I was swept
away with the vibrations.

It stopped.

And for a brief
instant I stopped existing too.

But the backlash of
my senses, pursuing the vibrations, smashed into me. I shuddered
hard, but pulled away, trying to remind myself what I could actually
feel. Separate the real from the Curtain-produced feelings.

Shadow, behind me,
shivered and breathed hard. I could feel his fur shift against mine.
I could feel his paw holding me close.

He sighed hugely,
shifting me forward, "That wasn't too bad, huh?"

I shook my head, "If
only they were all so ordinary." I felt numb and distant, but I
was okay. It was too early to move, but I could speak just fine.

He nuzzled deep in
my nape with his nose. "That's better. I didn't want you
smelling like blood."

I didn't know what
to say. After a moment of silence, I sat up and gathered my clothes.

He watched me pull
my shirt on as he wiped, propped up on one elbow. "You going to
tell me what happened while I was out?"

I sighed, trying to
avoid looking at him. "I-" my voice trailed off. Clearing
my throat, I tried again, "Some furs heard you'd been bitten and
they came here."

Out of the corner of
my eye, I saw him nod, "Okay... and?"

"And I ended up
getting bit, but you were unharmed." I looked at him as I pulled
up my shorts, avoiding the meat of the question.

He was biting his
lip in thought. It looked cute, really. Finally, he grinned and said,
"Well, let's get out of here."

"You get
dressed first."

"What?" he
complained, wagging tail giving him away. "You can't appreciate
a 'natural wolf'?"

That got a laugh out
of me. "Yes, I see you're very natural."

He gave a chortling
laugh as I tossed his boxers in his face.

"Sorry," I
explained, "it looks like you're shirtless again. They had to
cut it away when they treated your wounds."

He would have to
show off all his bandages and muscles until we could get more clothes
for him. I started to gather up the supplies Burt had left us. Shadow
started on the sleeping bags.

We were almost
finished when Burt's knock came at the door. "Hello?" he
called.

"I'll let him
in," I said, finding the key.

When I opened the
door, I suddenly wondered if the closet smelled like us... playing.
If it did, Burt gave no indication of having smelled anything
unusual.

Smiling and trying
to look behind me, he said, "Shadow's all good?"

"I'm here,"
Shadow waved from the interior. He passed me the blanket-bundled
supplies and flashlight. He hefted the two sleeping bags with minimal
wincing.

Burt grinned and
scratched his chin, "Glad to hear it." He held up a small
green bundle of cloth, "Shadow, I got you a shirt on my way
over. I hope it fits." Burt passed it over.

Shadow quickly put
the bright t-shirt on. It fit.

Burt nodded in
satisfaction. "Yeah, that's not bad." He looked around the
dim closet, "It's a bit crowded at Camp, but we'll find you
somewhere to set up." Burt turned to me, "Tyler, is your
tent still in your car?"

I nodded as I
flicked the flashlight off. "Yeah, my camp gear is all in my
car. And don't worry about the space, we want to set up on the roof,
where it's sunny."

"Right,"
Burt nodded his big, black head. "I'd move everyone up there
myself, but most furs here don't want to listen to those zombies. I
can't leave them to Steve and Sally right now. Also, we ran out of
tents last night, and let's just say there were some complaints. We
have to find even more places for those idiots who came here last
night."

"Hey, Burt.
About that. Tyler won't say anything about what happened." He
stopped Burt with a sleeping bag-laden paw, "I want to know how
he got hurt. Who hurt him?" he growled.

"I'm fine,
though," I insisted.

"Ah," said
Burt, eyes darting around the store. "Some idiots thought you
might turn into a zombie, and they came here... thinking they'd 'take
care' of you."

Shadow stared
wide-eyed. Even after the event, the idea was frightening.

"Tyler..."
Burt began, rubbing a horn. "Well, Tyler held them off and made
a lot of noise until Steve, Sally, and I could get here."

Shadow frowned,
growling under his breath. I dropped my gaze, and my ears in
embarrassment.

"Here, let me
take that," Burt took the sleeping bag from Shadow's paw.
"You're still injured," he insisted.

Shadow shrugged as
he gave up the sleeping bags. He glared at Burt, "And?"

"And I thought
he was fine. He'd injured a fur and was being held still. No... I
thought that fur Bradley had bitten him on his neck to subdue him,
but Tyler insisted he was fine."

"Bradley,"
Shadow sounded out the name.

"He and Isaac
were at the forefront of this," Burt continued walking, leading
us towards the back of the store.

I could see the
lights of Camp nearby, but we angled away from it.

"We'll drop
this stuff off here," said Burt, setting down the two sleeping
bags by the roof access stairs.

I set down the
flashlight and my bundled blanket. Looking around, it seemed mostly
quiet. A few furs were making noise at Camp, but they sounded pretty
mellow.

"Tyler got in a
fight," Shadow gazed at me with a little bemused wonderment.

"Got himself in
a fight protecting you, I'd say," Burt said as he headed through
the loading area for the exit.

Shadow paused,
looking at me for an instant longer. He grabbed my paw with a grin
and pulled me after Burt. "Tough little guy, aren't you?"
he teased, still grinning.

My ears lay back in
embarrassment. But I had to admit I preferred a cheerful Shadow. At
least Burt hadn't said anything about-

"Tyler even
went after that big honey badger with his teeth, as I understand it."

I drooped, even as I
hurried along after them.

Shadow stopped and
looked at me. I couldn't tell what expression was on his face as I
glued my eyes to the floor. He turned to Burt with a growl, "A
honey badger?"

"Yeah, why?"
asked Burt stopping.

"Not too many
honey badgers around this part of Furdom," said Shadow growling
under his breath, "but they have pretty short fuses. Once you
get them going after you, they tend to not give up."

I shivered.
Suddenly, I wished the big lion, Isaac, had gone for me instead.

At least Shadow had
not seemed to care that I had bit someone. The knowledge was
comforting and reassuring.

"Well,"
said Burt looking over his shoulder as he walked, "I don't know
if it was enough for that particular honey badger. He didn't look too
displeased to get out of the closet after we came."

Shadow glanced
worriedly at me, and I forced a weak smile to my muzzle.

When we came to the
exit, Burt paused, "Okay, we need to get to your car quick. Who
knows how fast they'll recover this time."

Burt cracked the
door open, pausing to carefully examine the silence outside. With a
nod to us, he slipped out the door.

There was a cloud in
front of the sun, and the day was quiet. Insects were recovering, but
no sound from the birds yet.

Where had I parked?
I groaned inwardly. Almost at the front of the store. I patted the
pocket of my dirty clothes. They were mine, but my keys were in the
car, right? Had I left the lights on?

We made our way
across the parking lot, covered in motionless creatures. The eyes of
zombies were dark and empty of any sign of life.

No trusting a "dead"
zombie. They would be up soon.

The corpses which
had never risen had been stripped to the bone. There was a pile of
rotting corpses to the far side of the store's parking lot; they were
the bodies from inside the FurShopper. Blood and fur, there were a
lot of them. They appeared to be rotting too fast for any but a few
stunned crows and vultures around them. I could see many more carrion
birds in the trees past the parking lot.

Were the birds next
to the pile dead? They were upright, but unmoving. As if nesting,
their feet were tucked under them; their birdy heads resting
sightlessly against their shoulders. No real point in checking, we
needed to get to my car.

Frankenstein! My
heart leaped when I saw its rusty hide.

"Get your stuff
from the car, I'll keep watch," whispered Burt when we got
close.

Shadow and I nodded.

"Should I just
try to drive my car close in to the door?" I asked.

Burt looked serious,
"Don't bother right now. Also, I don't know how much I trust
some of these new furs."

I nodded my
agreement and returned my attention to my rust bucket.

Frankenstein! I
tried my best to ignore the much diminished frost inside the windows.
I was in my mental celebration mode. A breath of familiarity, a
memory of a time when things had been safe.

Smiling, I took the
camp gear box from the roof. The contents were safe and dry, so it
had not rained. I put the box near Burt, who was ignoring us and
focusing only on the collapsed zombies scattered around us.

Shadow was already
at the rear passenger door, pulling out his backpack with a relieved
sigh and gathering clinking pawfulls of air-freshener bags.

I opened the front
door and rescued Kaylee's cat angel and my family photo. Sticking
them in my pocket, they were joined a moment later by my car keys. I
wanted to take the ice scraper this time, even if I could find others
in the store. I wanted it, so I took it too. I grabbed the jar of jam
and gave the zombie kitty a "farewell for now" poke.

I hurried the to
rear hatch of the Frankenstein car and pulled out the two fur tent.
Everything appeared to be untouched. I closed the hatch firmly, then
looked around.

"Any zombies
twitching?" I asked.

"Don't think
so. It's a bit early for them yet." He eyed a still husky a few
pawlengths away.

Nervously, Burt
shoved at the husky corpse with a foothoof. It rolled over, exposing
a grimacing face and old wounds covered in translucent flesh. That
must have been the stuff Peter had wanted to show me yesterday.

Absently, I wondered
what had become of the zombies out front which burned. Curious, and
not feeling the urgency of time, I knelt down to get a closer look at
the husky.

"Tyler,"
Burt warned with his deep voice.

With a little wave
in his direction, I leaned in closer. Slowly.... If this zombie
started to wake up, I didn't want to be caught unawares.

The translucent
flesh did look strange. Sort of a pale bluish color. I picked up a
small rock and dropped it on an area of knotted and pale flesh.

Nothing. Even though
the rock landed without incident, I was nervous. The flesh was pale,
bluish, and completely furless. It seemed stiffer than the regular
zombie flesh when I dropped another rock there.

What was it? Now I
was curious. Peter had said it felt funny when touched. I reached and
brushed the surface with a fingertip.

Mmmmmm.

I yelped.

Burt looked alarmed,
but hushed me softly. I nodded, feeling shaken.

I recognized that
vibration... that pattern. The Curtain was somehow a part of the
flesh. A horrified shudder rippled down my spine, and I jumped to my
footpaws. The sooner we were back within the FurShopper, the better.

I grabbed a few bags
of duct tape and air-freshener from the pile Shadow had pulled out.
After shoving the ice scraper and jam in a bag, I nodded my readiness
to Burt.

"Got
everything?" asked Shadow, sparing the husky corpse a brief
glance.

I nodded again.

Burt picked up my
family's camping gear box and the tent. With a quick nod, he hustled
for the door. I couldn't find fault as I joined Shadow in following
him.

I opened the door
and we all slipped inside without any zombie knowing. With my tail
sagging to the floor in relief, I set my bags down for a moment. Even
though no zombie had stirred, I kept having the feeling they were
watching.

Shadow took the
opportunity to retrieve his bat, which was lying near the door in the
shadows. Burt set down the tent and box for a long stretch. We didn't
speak, only took the opportunity to not feel threatened.

We started the long
walk through the loading area to the roof-access ladder.

"I don't like
it out there," I mumbled, shifting my grip on the bags. My paws
weren't nearly as sore today, I noted.

Burt nodded at me,
"See? I couldn't have left you two out there on your own."

Shadow shrugged.
Everywhere must seem dangerous for him.

And here was no
exception, I thought bitterly as I watched Helaina bounce up towards
us.

"Shadow!"
she called happily. "You're alright! I was so worried when I
heard you got bit."

"Hi, Helaina,"
Burt said with a smile, shifting the camp gear box in his arms. He
stopped us as Helaina neared.

I noticed my teeth
were bared. Consciously, I relaxed them. I didn't have to be hostile,
but I needed to make myself clear. I had found my path in this
matter. I was through being polite. Even after she grew to know him a
little, she had no inclination of fighting for him. She only wanted
to fight for herself. I had made my decision regarding her.

Stepping close to
Shadow, I dropped my bags and faced Helaina.

Pretty wolf that she
was, her face took an unattractive grimace when she saw me in her
way.

"We've got
things covered here, Helaina," I gestured to our loads. "We
don't need your help, but thanks for checking in."

Helaina turned to
the dark wolf behind me, "Shadow, let's-"

"No," I
stated, moving to interrupt her gaze. "You've made your
motivations as well as your intentions clear. This is where it ends.
You can't have Shadow. Back off. He's mine," I finished with a
low growl.

I could feel the
other two males' stares as my hackles rose in response to Helaina. I
tried, but I couldn't hold it back. I let a little of the red anger
from last night seep into my gaze. Even my tail puffed out.

Helaina took a step
back, "Er.... Why you savage, disgusting little fox! You'll-
you'll-" she gripped her paws into fists. "You will regret
this!" she snarled at me.

With a casual flick
of her tail, she turned away. Her back to me, she said, "Shadow,
if you ever grow tired of this brat, join me. I'll show you how a
real female can treat a male."

Shadow coughed back
a chuckle as she left.

Burt stood, muzzle agape. He looked confused and shocked, as he
watched Helaina leave. His lower lip flapped as he tried to recover.

Shadow grinned at
me. "Well, I guess I'm unavailable to date now."

Burt's muzzle
snapped shut, but he still appeared too shocked to speak. He was
looking at me with a mixture of shock and new appreciation.

Never knew I had it
in me.

I finally relaxed my
rigid ears. I felt... refreshed. I turned to Shadow with a grin of my
own.

He snickered, "Good
going, pup. Let's head to the roof, eh, Burt?"

We made it to the
ladder, while Shadow occasionally snickered to himself. Burt went up
first, while Shadow and I passed him bags and boxes from below.

It looked so bright
outside. I wanted the sun on my fur without having to deal with the
fear of zombies.

"Okay,
everything is up there," said Burt. He nodded to the roof hatch
as he came down. "I need to head back now. You pups be careful
up there."

"Thanks, Burt,"
I said.

"Always glad to
help," he deflected, blinking at me.

Shadow climbed up
the ladder and I followed. The bright light welcomed me. Where a
shadowy, bright-eyed wolf waited for me.

We left the dark
realm in favor of the light.