Maybe it was because my brother Tobias felt bad for me, wanted to protect me or something else, but these past few days have been weird. First off, after we set up the Christmas tree we went out and he treated me to some burgers at McDonald's. Saying it was the least he could do for me. Second off, on the 23rd he tried his best not to let me deliver bastion's birthday and Christmas gifts to his front door. He strictly told me to mail them and even gave me money for them. I tried to argue with him about it but he knew that I was making up an excuse to see him.

'Damn he caught me' I said in my head as he took me to the post office and made me deliver the two packages. Sadly, due to the holidays coming up delivery was going to be delayed until a day or two after Christmas. If only he didn't have a car, he wouldn't have driven me here and I wonder how he came up with the idea. Lastly, on Christmas Eve and day I think he spent more on me than himself. He literally got me a Blue and Black Nintendo 3DS XL along with a few games and a gift card valued at $30 for the Eshop. Along with some clothes and a new pair of big ear covering headphones. Seeing all these presents actually made me happy in a long while. I asked him how much did he spend on me.

“You just let me worry about that." he keeps telling me every time I ask, which was alot.

"But I do have a right to know. It's my duty as a little brother." I said, still baffled at how much he got for me.

"Oh come on now, don't pull that crap on me. Besides I already got you the system and one of the games, the extra stuff was just because I felt like It." he told me. He went into the kitchen while leaving me with the 3DS as I mess with the settings to my liking.

As much as I liked all the stuff he's doing for me, it would be better with bastion. It's been days since he ran off on me after I confessed that I loved him. I tried my best to contact him via text or calling him but I always get ignored. I even tried to go to his house once while my brother was out. He didn't answer the door but his mom did and told me he was out.

Head hanging low as I reminisced about it I was interrupted by my brother.

“Hey grumpy Gus, instead of staring at the screen how about we enjoy some cookies?" He brought a whole tray of them along with two mugs of hot chocolate.

I cringe a little at the smell of the drinks. I beginning to hate the drink now as it reminds me of that night. Toby saw my face and realized what he did.

"Aww crap...sorry pup I forgot. I'll get rid of it." grabbing the mugs he starts to take him away but without warning my paw shoots up towards his arm to stop him, some of the liquid spills on the tray.

“N-no....it's ok" my voice shaking as I pleaded with him. "Just...leave it there. I'll drink it eventually."

“Look you really got to forget about him and that night." he sighs. Putting back the mugs down and comes down on the floor, eyes locked into mine. "It's going to end up eating you up if you keep remembering. Plus it doesn't help that you're going to be afraid of some drink that one should never hate. Am I right?"

All I did was sigh as a response. I really could not think of anything else to say at this point. Silence filled the room for a moment then my brother spoke up in a voice I never heard before.

"Kris I'm going to level with you. This isn't healthy for you, for the past few days I noticed something."

I look up at him with ears perked, a look of surprise and shock all over my face. He never calls me by my first name unless he's serious or I'm in trouble. Frankly, it felt like both. He continued not noticing me looking up.

“There have been some changes with your attitude and it all started when you told bastion your feelings. Look I know it was painful and you had plenty of time to mourn in my opinion, but now and from here on out you gotta stop moping around and it's high time you let him go. Permanently!"

“What?!?" The last word made me speak up. “What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that it's high time you stop trying to be friends with him altogether and erase him from your life. Time to forget about him." Toby then gets up and sits down. Grabs a cookie from the tray and takes a bite.

I mull over everything that has happened and what Toby told me. As much as I want to, I just cannot. He's been my best friend for so long, the thought of doing such a thing would be too painful not to mention difficult.

"I...I don't think I even can..." I whispered, so softly even my brother couldn't hear.

"Huh? What was that?" His ear twitched, trying to notice my words.

I really want to fight and argue with him, but my mind already ran that scenario and it did not go so well. Therefore, I decided to keep quiet and say nothing. Toby quickly shrugged and drank his hot chocolate. He then continued on saying that I should find a way to forget about him and that to find a friend who does care. I have very little friends to be quite honest and he was my first best friend. I argued that I didn't want to and that finding someone like him will be hard. He then retorted the following.

"Come on now, it's easy! If you like ill introduce you to some people I know, maybe you will like them. What do you say? At least try it please?" Toby then provided to mock beg, got on his knees, and whimpered, giving me a horrible sad puppy dog look. I couldn't help but snicker since I'm the only one who can do it properly in the family.

Growling at him and giving him a slight grin, I ponder at the thought of having a new friend. 'Well it's a start of a new friendship; then again Toby has a tendency to choose the opposite of what one wants. But might as well shut him up about the subject at hand.' 

"I'll try it dude. But if I make an enemy you owe me big!" I say to him.

His face lit up as if he won the lottery after he heard my reply.

"Great!!! I'll call him right away. Trust me you will not be disappointed one bit. You can meet him when we have lunch at school when we go back." As soon as he said that, he rushed to his room. I guess to make the special phone call. If I didn't know any better, it's as if he was setting me up on a date or something. If it is, well it seems like I got into another mess.

My stomach began to growl all of a sudden and hunger began to settle in. I get up and try to fit the handheld in my pocket. It slides in and fits snug. Content that I can carry it with me in my pocket, I go fetch myself something to eat.

--------Four days later------

The day has finally arrived. My Birthday. I would be happy but sadly, I'm not. Still no contact from Bastion and with my brother still trying to stop me from contacting him, it's getting highly annoying. Nevertheless, today he says he's only gunna focus on me.

Tobias takes me out to a nice (and really expensive) bistro where he let me order the biggest, tastiest, and most juiciest steak on the menu. He gets a few beef wellingtons and after the first four he was about to order more but I stop him with frantic paws. Knowing him, he would have bought 100 if he could. After that, we cruised around downtown as our meals digested. Pass a few building that were weirdly shaped like castles and we end up at our city pier and walked along the boardwalk, cold and breezy due to the big lake but I didn't mind it one bit. Looking across the vast waters made it feel like I was near a ocean. After buying me some funnel cake and riding the huge Ferris wheel we decided to head back before the sun starts to dip below the horizon.

We make it home. The sun is setting painting the sky with a orange hue. My brother gets out quickly to use the bathroom and tells me to make sure the car locks before I go. I get out the passenger side of the car and rezip my jacket. I look around the street just to look around and I see bastion walking along the sidewalk across from me. I whistle to him as so my brother doesn't notice while he unlocks the front door. Bastion looked up as I waved to him. His face scrunches up to as if he saw something disgusting and quickly hurried to him home, slamming the door shut as he entered. I was utterly shocked and my good mood instantly dissipated. My ears flatten against my skull, my tail curls under my legs and I lose my smile to a sad frown.

I enter the house and Tobias is standing in the living room, tapping his foot impatiently.

"How long does it take to close and lock a car door?" He says but noticed my facial expression. "Hey...what's wrong? Didn't u have a good time out?"

"Yea, I did." I answered solemnly. But I sighed and that sigh betrayed me.

"Ok cut the crap. You saw him didn't you?" He began to glare at me with his dark blue eyes. 

"Huh?" confused as his tone was instantly harsh.

"Answer me! Did you?" He asks again.

I ball up my paws to fists and I emit a low growl. I was getting really fed up with this. The constant pestering of if I saw bastion or not. I had enough!

"Why the hell do you care?!?" I bare my fangs as I raise my voice.

Tobias didn't move but I saw his face twitch ever so slightly, he was taken aback from my outburst but he's holding his ground.

"Look Kris, I'm looking out for you by-" I cut my brother off before he could finish.

"By constantly making sure I don't see my friend anymore?" I begin to glare at him coldly.

"A friend wouldn't make the effort to avoid you and ignore you, let alone hurt you the way he did!" he growled. Baring his own fangs.

"And a big brother shouldn't control the actions and accounts of his own little brother!" I point out.

Tobias began to puff up his chest a little. Something my dad taught him if he ever felt threatened. They both don't know that I know. This works in my favor. Then I continue after a few seconds of silent glaring.

"I'm now old enough to make my own decisions! Also to learn from my mistakes! I don't need someone breathing down my neck about every little thing I do! Isn't that something you always taught me to believe?!?" I say almost to the point of yelling.

The last statement caused Tobias to gasp and look away from me. I saw that his ears drooped down and his chest went back to normal. I also looked down and took a deep breath to calm myself down. Then without saying a word, I slowly backed away. Grabbing the doorknob, I turn it and I end up going out the front door, quickly locking the doorknob before closing it. Outside the sun has set and was barely giving off light and the streetlights began to turn on. Putting my hood of my jacket on, I quickly go down the steps and run off to my left towards the park. I reach the intersection and take another left. I'm running halfway though and I slow to a stop to catch my breath. I lean against a nearby tree and try to breathe properly and then I notice that my muzzle is wet. Checking my face, I feel wet patches of fur and then I realize that I was crying. Wiping away the tears with my sleeve, I check my surroundings. I see that I'm near a main street and I walk towards it. I try my best to forget what happened to no avail. The tears still kept going no matter how hard I tried to make them stop.

I didn't notice until I hit a door that I somehow reached the main street. The door that I ran into was a door to a McDonald's. For some odd reason I instantly smiled and began to laugh uncontrollably loud. I received random glares from bystanders and I blush with embarrassment. 

'Great I look like a complete idiot. I might as well go in.' I think in my head.

I enter the fast food chain and I'm greeted with heat from their heaters. My slim body instantly warms up, pulling off the hood my ears spring up with a twitching start as they register the array of sounds. Looking around it seems rather empty. I was somewhat surprised that it wasn't bustling as much as it should.

'Why I walked here ill never know. But since I'm here I might as well buy something.' pondering this I pull out my leather wallet and pull out a $50 gift card sent by my grandpa as a present. I walk up to the counter where a lioness who seemed like she was happy to see someone actually here. I make my order and pay with the card. The lioness then gives me my receipt and politely tells me that my order will be called when it's ready. Then I go sit at a nearby table and wait until they call my order number.

"Well now what?" I say quietly to myself. I Dig in my pocket and pull out my 3ds and begin to fiddle with it, collecting some DLC for certain games with the wifi given here. Then unexpectedly I see a shadow fall over me and looking up slowing I was assuming it was my brother who found me. What my eyes saw was not another husky but that of a tiger.

I thought it was Bastion and I was about to say hi but who I saw was unrecognizable. Instead, it was a different tiger that I never seen before in this neighborhood. He was wearing a green hooded sweater, blue jeans that were stained with different colors of paint and what I assume is dirt as well. Sure, he had the same fur as bastion but it was a darker yellow mixed with orange and darker stripes. Speaking of stripes, I saw a few of them on his arms since the sleeves were rolled up. They were shaped like arrows and were pointing downward across his arms, maybe all of his stripes are like that. He was looking at me with a toothy grin.

"Hey there. You don't mind me asking a question right?" He asked.

My throat began to tighten up quickly and my eyes go wide. I for one when meeting new people is very shy especially if they say something first or approach me. This instance it was both and I tried to say something but it felt as if my muzzle was sealed shut. Therefore, I just nodded my head.

"Great!" the tiger digs in his pockets and pulls out a Regular sized Red 3DS and shakes it with his paw. "Do you have Pokémon?" 

I couldn't help but smile a little as I nod again this time with a little more enthusiasm.

"Even better! What version? I got Y." the tiger says as he sits down in front of me.

"I...uh... got X." my voice was so squeaky and quiet I don't think he even heard me at all.

Yet he did and he got ecstatic. “That's great! Want to trade? I need some random Pokémon."

“S-sure. What do you need?" I ask as I boot up my game of Pokémon as the tiger does the same.

“Just show me what you got and we can take it from there." He says with a toothy smile. 

We ended up trading around 25 Pokémon to one another, it seems like he needed a lot and the ones he offered I needed to fill up my pokedex. We stopped when my order was called. I came back to the table with at least four burgers, large fries, and a large soda. Somehow, I knew the tiger wanted some; either the look he gave me or the drool coming out of the side of his lips gave it away. So assuming he was hungry, I let him have two of my burgers.

“You didn't have to give me any ya know." He said after he wolfed them down.

“And you didn't have to eat them so fast." I said, chuckling.

Laughing with me, he said, “So now that the ice is broken, what's your name?"

“Oh! It's Kris. What about you?" I extended a paw to shake his hand.

He waved it away and chuckled. “No need to be formal, names Hiraku. I just moved here a few weeks ago. Also if you haven't noticed I'm a construction worker."

“Yikes! How old are ya mister?" I said with a grin.

Hiraku just glared at me, which caused me to get a tad uneasy, but then he bursts out laughing. “Oh god that never gets old. I'm barely 17."

I end up choking on my soda and coughing franticly. “Ack…what?!? Your 17? But you look so much older! I just barely turned 18 today."

“Now look whose old mister. Ha! But happy birthday dude!" he said. Then he got up from his seat and zips up his sweater.

“Huh? Where are you going?" I gave him a confused look.

“Give me a few minutes; I'll be back, and finish eating." And with that, he ran out of the building. However, he came back in and added, “Close your eyes till I get back, or at least look at your system until I come back." I gave him a loaded look before he left again.

“He is a weird one, but I guess I'll just stare at th-." Cutting off my sentence a vibration went off on my leg, I reach in my pocket to grab my phone. Quickly unlocking the screen, I see I have a text message. From...bastion?! I freeze and just stare at the screen.

'What does he want all of a sudden?' it was all I could think about, my digit was hovering over the open button but was also twitching towards the delete button.

“Hey-o I'm back! You can look now!" the voice of Hiraku bellowed and caused me to spaz, almost dropping my phone.

“Jesus Christ! Don't do tha-" I again stop talking to see that a somewhat large cupcake with a candle on it right in front of me. “What? But? Why?"

“Well it is your birthday after all. Can't have one without some type of cake." Hiraku then pulled out a single match and lit the candle.

“I have so many questions for you…" I said but then I looked at the cupcake again. I couldn't help but smile a little.

“Go on make a wish already, I want that cake." Hiraku said with anticipation.

“Man it's like you're hungry every moment." I chuckled. I quickly try to think up a good wish. I blow out the candle and I get the sound of clapping from Hiraku. He then proceeds to take off the candle and rips the cupcake in half, and gives me one-half of it.

“Thank you." I say softly as I take a bite of the cake. The dessert was so soft and moist in my muzzle and the chocolate was so sweet and savory. Honestly, it's the best cupcake I ever had. My tail wagged with such happiness.

“It's not a problem really!" Hiraku said, almost eating his half of the cake in one bite. 

We finish the cake and clean up the table, but now I have no idea what to do now. We both sit back down. I begin to stare at him, just waiting for something else.

“So…what now?" I ask.

“Well a few things, number one is that I get you number, two we can keep talking here till closing, or three disappear from one another's lives and never be seen again. How's that for options?" Hiraku said.

“Geeze your blunt aren't you? Well give me your phone and I'll give you mine and we can save our numbers on there." I give him my phone and he slides his on the table. Once we input one another's phone numbers, we tested them by sending a text.

“Great! Now I know someone from this area, school will be a breeze now!" Hiraku said but shook his head. “Oh wait you don't know, I just moved in here last week. The house were working on is actually my house. My dad and I are just fixing some problems with it. Actually, it's not far from here. I can show you if you like?"

I look at the clock on my phone and I see it's getting late...I should probably go back, and apologize. “No not today but maybe next time?"

“Oh…" Hiraku's ears flatten as if he heard something bad but they perk up just as quick. “Well maybe next time, maybe by then the house will be ready too."

I nod and shake my phone at him. “Sure just let me know when. But until then this is goodbye." I get up and go near the door, I look back and he's waving at me.

“Sure! See ya later Kris!" Hiraku says. I leave the restaurant and make my way back home.

Walking home, I think as to what he said about how his house is near here and is in construction. Then I remember something when I was running towards the McDonalds. A house I passed by was in construction and it is near where I took a breather from running.

“That son of a bitch. He watched me and followed to see if I was ok." I chuckle with a smile. I get to my house and unlock the door; I take a deep breath and slowly enter.

“Hey…Tobias? Are you home?" I'm greeted by silence. 'Maybe he isn't home.' I thought to myself.

I walk around the house a bit searching for him until I hear something in the bathroom, I check and I hear Toby grunting accompanied with water rushing from the sink. I knock on the door and I get a startled yelp from him.

“Crap…sorry about that, is everything ok?"

All I get is more rushing water from the door, I open my mouth again but then I hear the water turn off, I step back and the door opens. I see Toby with small cuts on his face, something stained on his shirt and bandages on his paws.

“I've…got something to explain to you." He said coldly.