Hey everyone! First time writing a story here, this is just a little experimental story intro I've been working on, already planning on writing the second part, tell me what you think.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BE- SLAM

Mornings, ugh. How can one battle the feeling of tiredness when the only thing that you can think about is going back to sleep. 

Mmm, speaking of sleep...

"Kai!"

Crap. 

"Just a second I'll be right down!"

My mission: get ready for the most dreaded thing there is in the eyes of a 16 year old pup- the only thing worse than getting your cheeks pulled by your crazy relatives when you want to be in your room watching TV: school. High school to be exact. A time of education (for the best of us), awkward exchanges in the locker rooms and, best of all, hours of homework. 

I still wonder why I even get up at all.

As usual, heavy sighs fill the early morning as things just don't go my way. We're out of shampoo, 

Great, again?

 The milk spills out of my bowl of cereal and get all over my nice outfit, 

*Sigh* Of course, 

And now my fur will have a wonderful subtle aroma of old milk the rest of the day. But, of course I am used to this now, with a full year of high school under my belt already, there's nothing that can surprise me. 

"I'm leaving for school!" I call to the office, where my mom usually works this early in the morning.

"Have a nice day, Kai!"

Yeah, sure. It hasn't happened yet and using my extensive knowledge of my life, it's not going to happen today.

The morning still hangs heavy in the air, a cool mist obscures my view - underfoot, and the crisp grass still holds its little droplets of early morning dew. The sun is nowhere to be found but I know it's out there, past the clouds and fog. One day I will walk out and the sun will warm me up through my thick coat of fur, touching me with its toasty tendrils of warmth, but until then, fog and clouds will be my welcoming into the outside world.

Boy do I know how to lighten up my day.

A big sarcastic grin spreads across my face as I open up the garage to grab my bike. Helmet on. Feet to the pedals. Balance. Ride. I pull out of the driveway and head towards the school. 

This is the time I get all to myself. Just me, my bike and few passerbys that happen to be crazy enough to be up this early in the morning. I live quite a distance from the school so I get plenty of time, but it never feels like enough. My emerald green eyes stare straight ahead almost without noticing my surroundings. I ride through the mist of the early morning in almost meditative state, hearing, but not listening, looking but not seeing. Lucky for me, my subconscious knows when to turn otherwise I would still be going down the same road to infinity. As soon as I see the building, my meditative moment is broken, shattered by the reluctance of being at school. 

The sign on the front lawn reads, "WELCOME TO FOREST HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL"

I think they mean: Welcome to Hell.

High school has been an.... Interesting experience thus far. Being an un-athletic scrawny husky doesn't *ahem* get me much attention. Not that that is such a bad thing, I believe the less you are noticed in high school, the better. This philosophy has placed me at the top of my class, as far as grades, at the lowest end of the social spectrum. Sitting at the back of all my classes rigorously scribbling down the teacher's notes and keeping to myself. But hey, at least they don't make fun of me. That's more than can be said for some others at the school. As long as I can maintain this mutual, I don't exist and you don't make fun of me relationship with the rest of the student body then I think I can make it through the rest of my high school career.

I hope... I think about how hard it has been getting through these past two year without so much as an acquaintance.

Nah, I'm good. Just two years left and then I'm out of this place.

The heavy oak doors of the administration building squeak loudly as I slowly pull them open. As the creak, the opening slowly releases the scent of high school: a noxious mix of day old perfume and cheap cleaning chemicals. My nose has grown to hate me because I return it to these awful scents on a daily basis. I stand outside, taking a few final breaths of the crisp outdoor air and then embrace the pain, stepping through the threshold into the epitome of hell in everybody's life: Monday morning school.

I grudgingly trudge my way through the swamp of people in the main hall towards my first hour class. Math. Some furs complain about it, but I secretly enjoy the subject. The only part I object to is starting the day off, at seven in the morning with this class, or any class for that matter. 

As I'm walking, with my head completely in the clouds, I bump into the backpack of the fur in front of me. He doesn't seem to mind but I apologize anyways. I realize that the there is a commotion by the lockers to my right- a wolf, slightly shorter than me, was being pushed around by some of the seniors. 

Geez, they should chill out. They're like twice his size.

That's when the first fist was thrown. One of the older seniors, who had obviously been held back a few times straight out punched the wolf right in the face. 

What the-

The wolf stumbled around until another one of the seniors opened up the locker next to them and grabbed at the wolf. I stopped and stared at this group aghast. Not only stunned at what they were doing, but also the fact that nobody around me seemed to care or even notice. The wolf wasn't even showing any resistance. He curled up in a ball and tensed up.

Don't bother them, they don't bother me, don't bother them, they don't bother me,

They started to shove him into the locker. Forcefully pushing him into submission until he gave up and let them have what they wanted.

Dammit wolf,

"Hey, HEY! Back off will ya?!" I betray all that I have taught myself about high school etiquette. Not only confronting someone but also calling them out in the middle of a busy hallway.

Two of them turned around as the other hesitates, then returns to shoving the poor wolf in the locker. They were basically gigantic walls of muscle, the far opposite end from my body type.

Nice going Kai, how are you going to get outta this one?

"What do you want?" a grizzly, looks down at me angrily.

God, I bet I weigh about as such as one of his fingers

"Why are you beating up that pup?" I nervously speak, trying to keep my tone as even as possible, "he doesn't look like he could hurt ya."

The locker slams shut and the third member of the senior group walks over, crossing his arms and putting on a scowl of annoyance.

"What pup?" he says, looking around as if he didn't know.

My eyes flick between the group and the locker that holds the wounded pup. 

"Well..." I was cut off by the bear as he grabbed me and dragged me over towards the lockers. 

Great, the first time you try to interact you get shoved in a locker.

I quickly discovered fighting back was useless and just let them drag me over. They, of course did not ease up on their efforts, in fact, after I stopped resisting they increased their forcefulness tenfold. They pushed me hard into the locker and slammed the door loudly.

"You stay there," the bear declared through the small slats at the top of the locker.

The inside of a locker is a cold place. A tiny metal box with only slivers of light shining through the slats at the very top of the door. I tried the door, but they locked it from the outside. I tried to get as comfortable as possible but to no avail. I bumped the side especially hard with my shoe and heard a small whimper from the other side. I had almost forgotten I wasn't the only one being held captive by the upperclassmen's evil doings.

"Sorry, sorry," I attempted to speak with a soothing tone through the metal of the locker, " are you alright?"

I heard him shift a little, bumping up against the wall that separated us. 

"Yeah," he spoke softly though suppressed tears, "I'm fine. Thanks for what you did back there"

It was just pitiful to listen to him. His little sniffles followed by tiny whimpers of pain. I wished right then I could reach through the wall and give him a big hug.

"What getting thrown in a locker too? * sigh* Yeah no problem," I say in an attempt to cheer him up a little, "What's your name?"

There was a silence for a while, I couldn't tell if he just couldn't hear me or if he was legitimately stunned by the question.

"Jason," he answers hesitantly, as if he was unfamiliar with the sound of his own name.

Oh boy, they really did a number on this kid.

"Although these aren't the best of circumstances, it's nice to meet you Jason, I'm Kai."

"Nice to meet you too," he says, gaining confidence little by little.

"Well my tail is pinned against this wall," I say, "And my faced is squished on the other, I say it's about time we got out of these things, don't you?"

A soft "mmhm" comes from the wolf, barely audible over the sound of my shifting.

How are we gonna do this? Oh-

"Well lucky for the both of us I've been in this situation before and it just so happens-"

My locker door pops open after the lock disengages. I look out confused as to who might be the one to have unlocked it.

"Jas-" I peer out into the brightness of the hallway, my eyes adjusting to the new amount of light, "How did you do that?"

"Umm, well," he looks down and scratches the scruff of his neck, "It's not my first time either."

I look up the see a clock that hangs from the ceiling and realize that first hour is almost over.

"Oh crap," I mutter under my breath, "I've got to run to my first hour class I'll see-"

I look at his face and see the gash of his left cheek. 

"Okay, you know what that can wait," I say, walking over to the hurt pup, “Let's go see the nurse to get your face fixed up. Alright?"

He is noticeably blushing but I ignore it. He nods and we head down the hall to the nurse's office. 

I grabbed the handle ad held the door for Jason as we both entered the office to find that the nurse wasn't there at the today.

"Well," I say, weighing my options, "If it's okay with you, I can get that patched up for you," I say pointing lightly towards his open cut.

"I-If it's no trouble," he looks down at the floor again, ears folded with shame.

I grab some cleaning fluid and a bandage. I lightly dab his cheek, his eyes flicking up sometimes to meet my gaze, but mostly he just stares at the floor. His coat is soft to the touch, silky smooth, almost like running your paw through a calm stream. Each time he glanced up, he flashed his azure eyes- it was as if I was looking into a bright summer sky. It's probably good that he only flashed his beautiful eyes at me otherwise I would be caught staring, losing myself in their azure tint.

Wow, getting a little carried away there.

I shake my head a little, getting focused on the situation at hand. 

“Well look at that," I throw out the last of the bandages, “It's not so bad after all."

He looks up and smiles, wincing a little as he does, “Thanks," he hops down from the chair and starts for the door, “I'm gonna go to class."

“Wait, Jason," I call to him as the door to the office is closing, “Let me come with you. There's no telling how many lockers and upperclassmen are between you and your next class."

He looks back and smiles at me, his pace pauses allowing me to catch up. We walk slowly towards the staircase in silent unison, a mutual exchange without words but full of respect for one another. The sun finally decided to come out, shining brightly down the stairs, diffused by the still apparent mist outside, giving the entire staircase a warm ambiance. I look over to Jason, who seems to be enjoying the sun's warmth as much as me. The light gave his fur a glow, a sort of yellow-orange halo that surrounded the entirety of his face. I want to stay in this place forever, sharing this surreal moment with him. Just me, Jason and the warmth of the morning sun, but as we continue up the flight of stairs, the window got further and further away and the sun no longer engulfed us, our moment of peace was lost for now.

The bell rung, marking the end of first hour, its shrill metallic tone brought us back to our senses and back to the reality of school. We quickly finish the next flight of stairs knowing that an onslaught of hurried students would soon be crashing through the place where we stand. After pushing our way through the crowd, we arrive at Jason's class. A few stragglers remain, packing up their backpacks and heading for the door.

“Thanks," Jason calls back to the teacher with an appreciative tone. He walks back over to the doorway and we both exit into the bustling hallway of students.

“So…" I pause not really knowing what to say, “I guess I'll see you later."

“Sure, I hope so."

We head our separate ways, turning in opposite direction down the busy hall. I head back towards the sunny stair case from whence we just moments ago. Although only a few minutes have passed since that tranquil moment, I stand in the same place I stood, the sun still shines through the window but I feel no warmth, at least not the same kind I had felt before. 

I guess the people around here are just cold, they're taking that warm feeling for themselves.

I sigh, disappointed that warmth I had before no longer comforted me. I take out my phone, plug into my headphones and journey on through the crowd, unnoticed by the crowd, moving along with the flow of students and feeling a bit excited for some reason.

The rest of the day goes by slowly. Pencil to paper, nose to grindstone, rigorous note taking but all of this seemed light and transient in my mind. I can't seem to focus on anything the teacher is saying for any of my classes.

What is wrong with me today? As if countering my core philosophy isn't enough, now I can't even do five straight minutes of work without getting carried away in my thoughts.

At first, I really didn't think about anything, just random thoughts that floated through my teenage brain. But then they start to manifest into something I never would have never expected- Jason.

Those deep blue eyes keep on crossing my mind. I get lost in them even though I can only see them with my mind's eye. I keep imagining their color, like a cloudless sky reflecting off a calm ocean, light blue with hints of a darker indigo, swirling around to create the most intense shade of blue I have ever seen. His soft smile, complementing his silky fur, pushing his cheeks up and subtly crinkling his eyes-

“What did you get for number six Kai?" I look up to see that half the class is staring at me, along with the teacher.

Great. This frickin' wolf has got to my head.

“Umm, sorry I actually missed that one," I say quickly, justifying to the teacher and to myself why I hadn't been paying attention.

“Right… Anyone else want to give it a try?" a flurry of hands raise to attention, trying to prove themselves smarter than I.

The following hours go by in a blur, I don't think I picked up anything that any of my teachers said. I walk out of my last hour classroom with an unsatisfied sigh. As I make my way to exit the building I see Jason, walking by himself, ears back and looking at the floor.

“Hey!" I call out over the commotion of the end of school rush, “Jason!"

His ears flicker, hearing his name. He perks up a bit and searches for the source of his call. His eyes finally find my face in the crowd and he gives a small grin, trying to conceal his excitement. We start to walk towards each other, pushing our way through the seemingly endless sea of backpacks and tails until we finally meet in the center of the hall.

What am I doing?

“Let's go outside so I don't have to scream over these noisemakers," I suggest, not really knowing where this is going. I had never had this feeling before- just the pure desire to be in the presence of another, no matter the reason if there was one at all. I felt like we just connected at first sight. The best of friends without having to exchange more than a few sentences, just being near one another was enough to make me feel like I have known his my whole life. 

A gust of brisk wind pushes through the open door as Jason and I left the school. He winces slightly as the icy wind blows across his still tender wound. He immediately tries to cover up the pain but he knows I saw his wincing.

“Still hurts?" I look at his cheek. It looks pretty bad but I don't want to make him feel any worse than he is right now.

He nods slightly trying to stay strong against the cold of the wind.

“You know what, we're going to go over to my house to get that properly taken care of,"

What?!

“Come on you can spend the night if you want, I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind,"

WHAT!! Mouth what are you doing? Brain, keep that mouth under control.

Jason looks about as stunned about that statement as my brain is. He looks pale for a moment and then looks away scratching at the scruff of his neck.

“Yeah, sure," he says softly, barely audible of the wind, “I guess."

“Alright," I say completely astounded by the words coming out of my mouth, “Did you ride a bike or something here? It's kind of, a ways away."

He shakes his head, “No, sorry. I guess I can just walk."

“Nonsense," I give him a light grin, “You're in no condition to be walking. We'll just have to share mine."

“Wait, wha-"

“Come on let's go!"

I may as well go with it if my mouth just won't stop.

I hop onto my bike, leaning forward, I pat on the open portion of the seat, “Come on, or else I'm leaving without you!" I say jokingly as I steady myself as he jumps on, “Just tell me if my tail gets in your face."

I start to pedal slowly trying to acclimate to the addition person riding with me. It is a bit wobbly, as I have never had more than just me on the bike at one time but eventually I get the two of us stabled out. Once we get going, I realize that Jason hasn't said a word since we left the school.

“You know it's gonna be hard to get to know you if you insist on silent communication," I turn my head slightly to see how he's doing. He's gripping the seat so tightly, it looks like he's terrified of falling but doesn't know where else to hold on, “You can hold the handle bars if you want."

“No," he says shakily, “I'm fine," digging his claws deep into the bottom of the seat.

I think he needs a little bit of help.

I “accidently" run into a pot hole a little too hard, causing the bike to jump violently. I hear a little yelp from behind me and then feel Jason's arms pull tight around me, hanging on for dear life.

He gives me a little playful scowl, “You saw that pot hole didn't you?" 

“Maybe… You're squeezing me pretty tight though," I tell him giving him an enormous cheesy smile, “Not that I'm complaining."

Alright mouth you have officially gotten out of control.

He immediately started to get red all over, he loosened his grip a little but didn't let go. “You make a great wind blocker."

“Well I'm glad I'm good for something," I start to feel a burning sensation in my cheeks as well. I clear my throat, trying to break the silence. 

I come to a stop at a busy intersection waiting for the light to turn green, that's when I stop to take a moment to take in my surroundings. I am being hugged tightly from behind by this almost complete stranger and I don't mind it at all.

Well, actually, it feels kinda good....

I start to take in his scent: a light odor that smells like a perfect mixture of fresh air and a hint of home baking. I'm so caught up in the moment I don't even notice that the light has turned green. A light push from behind me snaps me back to the real world. 

What is wrong with me today?

I clear my throat again, trying to deflect any attention that may have been drawn to me in the time I spent fantasizing in my head. “So who are you Jason," I say, trying to ignore my senses, "And why do you smell like freshly baked cookies?" 

Alright only a slightly weird question.

I turn back to see his face light up a little bit, "I like to bake I guess. I make a batch of cookies every morning before I go to school," he admits, a little imbarassed, "It's kinda weird I know."

"Hey don't worry about it, if you make it, I'll certainly never deny an opportunity for a cookie. You'll have to let me try one sometime."

"Really?" he sounded surprised and excited that I would do such a thing.

"Like I said, I'll never deny a cookie," I smug grin flashes across my face, "Plus if you're making it, it must be good."

Wow, flirt much?

"In fact, I bet I have supplies to make some at my house, which is riiiiiiiiiiight..." I say searching for my humble abode, "Here!" I stop the bike abruptly eliciting a yelp from Jason as he is flung forward into my back, his body hugging mine for a brief second.

Jason stayed in that position for just a moment then quickly went wide eyed and dismounted the bike,"Sorry I didn't mean to-"

"Right, like that was your fault," I cut him off trying to make him feel more comfortable, "Come on, let's go inside."

I enter in the four digit code on the garage door and enter with my bike and Jason into the empty garage. "Guess my parents aren't home yet," I say, relieved it'll be a little less awkward for Jason. He looks relieved as well, letting out a little sigh as I lead him though the door into the house.

"So Jason," I look over towards the wolf who was taking in his surroundings, "You like to play video games?"

"I guess, I haven't really played many though."

"What have you played?" my curiosity spiking.

"Well..." he looked towards the ground, "None really."

"Oh, Jason," I place my paws on either of his shoulders, and begin to push him towards my room "We're going to have fun tonight!"