Hello everyone, sorry for not posting something in a while. I've had very little free time as of late. Anyways, if you’ve read my other works you’ve probably notice I’m not the best writer and tend to get carried away with details and wording in my stories (Coffee Shop turned into a slice-of-life story with little conflict that I hope to fix soon). I’ve received a lot of helpful criticism and some great advice so I wanted to try and use those in a new story to help me improve my writing.

I should warn you that you will find violence, homosexuality, bullying, and other topics inside. I’m not sure if I will include any adult scenes but we will see as the story progresses.

Comments, criticism, advice, and words of encouragement are always welcomed and make me very happy :D

It was the first day of the new school year and Alex was already well known amongst the upperclassmen as a big bully. It wasn’t hard to imagine him as such; it was almost expected of him, he was a rather large imposing bull after all. He was the biggest kid in school and he knew it, whether it was a genetic trait or the result of all the working out he does, he was over two hundred pounds of beefy bull. Everyone in school tried to avoid him but that was hard when such a large person walked down the crowded hallways of the school. He always seems to be on edge, always huffing and snorting, ears always flicking and twitching, his tail lashing around like a whip. The bullring and horns didn’t help to put on a friendly demeanor either. Alex pushed his way into his math class, nearly knocking over the poor deer that was in the doorway, and made his way to the back of the room to take his seat.

“Aw man, look. That Alex guy is in our class,” the husky pointed out.

“Dude, don’t make eye contact. Let’s just sit on the other side of the room away from him,” the petite fox said.

“I can’t believe he still hasn’t graduated, isn’t this his second year being held back?”

“Yeah, I heard he didn’t even show up to any of his finals last year so they had to flunk him.”

The two canines made their way to the opposite side of the room to avoid the intimidating monster sitting in the corner. All the while talking in a whispered tone afraid the bull might pick up that they were talking about him and come charging at them. Tim was a slender fox who took pride in his fur, like many other foxes. His was a rusty orange that was only interrupted by the black glove like coat around his paws and the edges of his ears and the white that covered his under belly, inner ears, and the tip of his tail. He was always stylish wearing skinny jeans, a nice fitting shirt, and pricy sneakers. He was well liked and could always be seen hanging with a bunch of friends. His black and white friend on the other paw was the shy smart type. David imagined himself as the typical husky. He had black fur on top that seemed blend into brown when it mixed with his white undercoat. The brown fur wrapped around his emerald eyes before it gave way to the white on his muzzle and the black on his head. He had a bit of a paunch that made the husky feel, well, husky and he didn’t dare try to squeeze into skinny jeans. He preferred loose jeans, a neat polo or a nice shirt and some decent shoes.

The two met during freshman year at a club meeting for T.E.A., Tolerance Education Awareness. David was new to the area and Tim was nice enough to show him around. They found out they lived close to each other and soon started hanging out. Tim helped introduce him to other furs and would drag him out to socialize. David suspected Tim had other reasons for befriending the shy husky but he would never admit to having a crush on his best friend.

The final bell rang and the students began to flood out of the school. The pair leisurely made their way to the senior parking lot, catching up with friends they hadn’t seen a lot during the summer along. It was their last year here at high school and one of the perks of being a senior was being able to drive to school and using the designated parking lot.

“First day of school and I already have a book I need to read, a ton of math homework, and an essay coming up,” the fox complained.

“What are you complaining about? You only have three hard classes. It’s your fault for scheduling them all on one day. Besides, you had a free period today and isn’t your B-day is all of your electives.”

“Not all of us are nerds that like to take hard classes.”

“Maybe if you paid more attention in class they wouldn’t be so hard for you.”

“Yeah, whatever, I’ve got some free time before work. Want to go to the mall with me. I’ve been eyeing these new pair of jeans and they just went on sale.”

They climbed into Tim’s BMW hoping to race to the mall and beat the crowd there. Unfortunately they got stuck behind all the school buses leaving and had to wait for them to clear out.

“Hey look,” David pointed to the sidewalk, “It’s that bull. Is he walking home?”

“I’m not letting him in this car if that’s what you’re insinuating. He’d probably break it in half or punch holes in it with his horns.”

“No, I don’t want you to ask him if he wants a ride. It’s just; doesn’t he live on the other side of town?”

“Well that sucks… to be him,” Tim chuckled. “Oh, speaking of sucks, guess what Jennie told me about Samantha Wayne.”

The next A day Tim and David walked into their math class and took the same seats they had last time and waited for class to begin. The late bell rang and the large brown ursine in his blue dress shirt and black slacks greeted the class in a booming voice to gather everyone’s attention. Mr. Thompson was his name; he taught several of the upper level math classes and was known to be very friendly and easy going.

“Hello everyone and welcome back, don’t get too comfortable with your seats. Just so I don’t have to do a roll-call each day, I’ve made a seating chart to make things easier.”

A universal groan went around the classroom as all of the students protested to the idea of assigned seats.

“Now, now, this is only to make things easier. Once I get to know everyone, you guys can go back to sitting where ever you want. But for now let’s have everyone get up and move to the front of the class.”

Everyone did as they were told but you could tell who wanted to sit next to who by the groups everyone stood in. Mr. Thompson began calling out last names and seating everyone in alphabetical order. Tim and David looked at each other disappointedly knowing that they wouldn’t be next to each other since their last names were Bradford and Smith respectively. Tim ended up being second from the front in the first column while David was in the middle of the fourth column. The last column began to fill up and it wasn’t until the last fur standing was the annoyed looking bull alone in front of the class. David looked to his right at the empty seat next to him. His ears sank low and his curly tail tucked its self under the seat to seek shelter.  The leopard in front to his right must have also had the same feeling as him because his tail was wound tightly around the leg of the chair and his ears were twitching to each thunderous step the bully took as he made his way to his seat. Hell, even the German Sheppard in front of David looked a little nervous.

?

Alex hated assigned seating, even if he was usually in the back because of his last name, he’d prefer sitting in the very back where everyone usually put a seat in between the bull and themselves. He didn’t know why everyone always seems to be on edge around him, he hadn’t done anything to them. He hadn’t even been in a fight since his sophomore year and that was only because the little ass wipe had threatened to blackmail him. That incident followed him where ever he went and had earned him a reputation as a bully because everyone saw it as the big ole bull beating up on the defenseless badger for badgering him. The badger even told everyone the information he was trying to blackmail Alex with but everyone took it as the badger trying to spread another rumor. Regardless though, no one wanted to mess with Alex, or even talk to him for that matter.

Alex took his seat, the furs around him twitching nervously. He huffed in frustration causing the bull ring to smack against his nose. He sat there disinterested having been in the class already and not caring much for what the bear was talking about.

?

Tim and David sat on the bleachers during their free period today.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you got stuck sitting next to him in math. I feel sorry for you man.” Tim placed a paw on David’s shoulder.

“Tell me about it. I just hope Mr. Thompson memorizes everybody fast so we can go back to sitting where we want.”

“Well I heard he might be getting expelled or at least suspended. Did you hear what happened to the principal’s car on the second day of school?”

“Yeah, it was full of dents like someone had thrown a brick at it.”

“Or punched it, word is someone saw Alex going into the principal’s office on the first day of school and remember how you saw him walking home. Well he passes through the teacher’s parking lot where the principal also parks and they say he punched all those dents into her car.”

“You don’t believe that do you?”

“I don’t know, but I can imagine he could put a big dent into a car if he was mad enough.”

“Yeah, anyways did you set a date for the first T.E.A. meeting?”

“Pfft, that prima Dona Tevin is trying to run the whole thing and keeps shooting down my ideas. I’m trying to get it on Wednesdays so it doesn’t interfere with drama and a lot of other furs’ job but Tevin keeps arguing against it. It’s bad enough he’s president of the drama club but now he’s trying to take over my position in T.E.A.”  

Tim quickly went from being agitated to happy if his wagging tail indicated anything.

“Hey, look,” Tim said nudging David, “some of the football team is coming out to do a little practice.”

“Is that why we are here? So you could get some eye candy.”

A smile spread over his muzzle, one of those sly smiles that only a fox could pull off. “I thought you’d enjoy a nice view while we talked,” he said and turned to look at the players on the field.

David facepawed himself at his friend’s antics and sighed. He opened his eyes and looked at the field through his fingers and saw some of the bigger furs removing their jackets and heavier clothing. When in Rome.

The first three weeks of school passed by with some bumps as everyone got use to their schedules and the norm of school life. That also meant the teachers were piling on more homework it seemed and classes were getting harder. Tim and David were sitting halfway up on the bleachers under the overhang for shade during their A Day free period as usual. Tim was looking over his script for Little Shop of Horrors, the play that the drama club had decided for this semester. He didn’t get the main role of Seymour Krelborn, which went to that queen Tevin, but he did get the next best male role as Mr. Gravis Mushnick. David was busying looking at the players on the field through his viewfinder. He needed an action shot for his photography class so he brought his camera with him. Both were unaware of the large defensive lineman sneaking up behind them.

“Whatcha fags doin’ here!” shouted a voice from behind.

Tim nearly scattered his script all over the bleachers, his ears stood straight up and his tail fur bristled from the sudden shock. David would have dropped his camera if it weren’t attached to the strap around his head. His ears flattened from the loud voice and his tail curled itself to his front.

The boar looked down, a smug smile of satisfaction on his face for scaring the shit out of the pair. He turned his attention to the chubby looking husky with the camera. The boar was breathing harshly, his big frame moving up and down with each breath as he moved closer to tower over the shaking husky.

“You taking pictures of us for your queer club to jack off to?”

“N…n…. no, I… was…” 

“He was just taking pictures for photography class, he needs and action shot,” Tim cut in.

The boar turned his attention to the fox now and was about to bark something in his face when another voice interrupted him.

“Ben, stop playing with your gay friends and get your fat ass down here!” the team’s quarter back hollered.

Ben looked down at the wolf in anger but followed his directions. He pushed himself between the two making sure to knock them hard and step on some of Tim’s script pages as he made his way down the bleachers. David let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding while Tim straightened up the pages of his script.

“Maybe we should find somewhere new to sit for a while,” David said .

“Yeah let’s go to the library for the rest of the period.”

?

Alex was walking the halls of the school heading towards his final period of the day. It was a literature class that he didn’t care too much for. The books they chose he had already read once and they were boring the first time. Not to mention the mare teaching the class was boring and droll which made him nod off only to be woken up when she clacks her teeth together when ever she was done talking. He saw a jaguar at one of the locker banks in the hall fiddling with something. As he drew closer to the jaguar a strange smell hit his noise that made him snuffle. He recognized the smell and after inspecting the feline now that he was closer he had a pretty good idea of what it was. The jaguar was a known stoner and often hung around the back of the school in one of the secluded places with his friends where the same strange scent could be smelt much stronger. As he was about to pass the cat, he peered inside his locker to see what he was doing. Inside, the cat had a text book open but the middle had been cut out to form a hidden container which was filled with some green leaves and rolled up pieces of paper.

The jaguar stopped rolling his latest joint and closed the textbook and clutched it close to his chest when he sensed someone behind him. When he turned around he was staring at the heaving chest of the big bull, his ear flattened and tail wrapped its self around his ankle.

“Oh … uh… hey Alex, would you like a drag?” the feline chuckled nervously.

Alex slammed the locker close. The cat flinched thinking the big bull was going to punch him but instead just heard a loud metallic thud. The bull’s massive arm was still leaning against the locker cutting off one path of escape for the helpless kitten while the bull positioned himself so that the feline could not run past him easily. Alex simply grabbed the book from the jaguar, intending to dispose of it.

“Hey! Come on man, give it back. I need my book back,” the jaguar pleaded as he tried to grab his book with his weed stash hidden inside. Alex simply raised his hand and moved it out of the stoner’s reach.

As his luck would have it, the bell rang to dismiss the classes for the next period and the halls were instantly filled with student, students who just so happened to notice Alex towering over the frightened jaguar. Naturally a circle formed around the pair, the poor kitten was pleading for his textbook back from the menacing bull that trapped him against the lockers. Everyone started murmuring at the scene and all eyes were on Alex. The bull gave one big huff, his bull ring lifting off his snout from the force, and shoved the book back into the arms of the jaguar. He then turned and made his way through the parting sea of furs to his class.

?

It was a nice day outside, there was a light breeze that rustled the fur, furs were out shopping and having fun, and the sun was setting over the downtown main street area making for some great scenes. David snapped a few pictures of the shadows of furs standing at the bus stop in front of the bakery. Their shadows leaning up against the brick foundation and peering into the large window of the delicious smelling shop making it look like they were staring at the mouthwatering goodies inside. It was late afternoon on a Saturday and David had nothing better to do than go out and do some schoolwork. Tim was working an afternoon shift and he didn’t feel like being the third wheel with Stacy and her boyfriend though she had offered to ask Candice to come. His father had even encouraged him to go out to a party going as far as to give him a bottle of Henesys as a gracious offering to the host. The husky wasn’t much of a partier though, especially if he wasn’t going with anyone he knew.

No, David was happy to spend this weekend afternoon working on his photography assignments. The eccentric bespectacled lion thought that a month of practice was enough to send them out to work on ideas for a portfolio. David was focusing on shadows for his and he had gotten some pretty good shoots. He looked up at the sun sinking below the skyline. He had maybe an hour left of light before he could get some night shots. He made his way to the parking hoping to get some nice photos of the park benches in this light. It was a little cliché to do a series around benches but he thought incorporating it into his focus on shadows would make for a different perspective on the idea.

The entrance to the park was in the middle of Main Street. A large company wanted to buy the land to add a couple more stores and bars to the area but the community had banned together and protested against it. The park was an oasis of green in the busy tourist district. The city made sure to keep it maintained, the grass was cut, the bushes trimmed, flowers and other plants were neatly arranged, and the brick paths were swept daily. It was a really peaceful place, benches were scattered around, some in secluded private areas, and there was a water fountain in the middle that made the sounds of a babbling brook.

As David made his way into the park he started looking for some benches whose shadows would make for an interesting shot. He kept searching around until he found what he was looking for near the back of the park in a secluded area. There were two young looking trees that were situated on one side of the path and there was a bench on the other side. Because of the angle of the sun the shadows they cast were elongated but that worked to his advantage. The shadows of the trees lay onto top of the shadow of the bench which made it look like they were sitting on the bench. The best part was that their branches made it look like they were reaching out to each other while sitting on opposite sides of the bench. It was a great shot and he immediately started shooting the scene.

He was so engrossed in capturing the moment before the sun retreated for the day that he didn’t sense the group of furs coming his way. It was only until a large shadow flanked by two others interrupted his image that he stopped taking pictures and turned around to see who ruined his scene. It was that big boar Ben and he had two of his cronies with him, an equally large brown bear and a slightly smaller pit bull. Nothing about Ben’s smile spoke friendly to the nervous husky whose heart was racing now, his ears had drooped down and his tail was no longer wagging but tucked in between his legs.

The bear was the first to speak, breaking the sinister stare Ben was giving the scared husky.

“Did you really drag us back here to say hi to your friend?”

“He’s not my friend,” the boar barked.

“Whatever, I’m heading to the club without you guys.”

“Hey, Stan, common,” said the pit bull.

“Just let him go, we got someone else we need to deal with.”

David watched as the bear walked away down the path to the center of the park. He frantically looked around to see if anyone was near, anyone who would come and save him, anyone who would stop them from hurting him. Panic began to grip him as he realized he was alone, the sun had disappeared with only a few fleeting rays making it over the horizon. The park lights had turned on at some point highlighting the menacing looking boar and creating shadows that made the scene of a large creature looming over its quivering prey. David let a whimper escape and he was about to yell for help when the large hand of the boar clamped over his muzzle. Before he could even struggle to get free the pit bull had gone around to his back and put him in a full nelson. The difference in their strength was obvious when the pit bull lifted the chubby husky off his feet and retreated back behind some bushes. He struggled regardless, hoping he could get free and make a run for it. The whole time, the boar held his muzzle shut and kept pace with them, a sinister glint in his eyes.

The first blow took the wind out of David, air escaping harshly through his clenched teeth and bringing tears to the corners of his eyes. Another hard blow to the side made him whimper. The hand released his muzzle for a moment and he used the opportunity to gasp for air. Each breath ragged and caused his stomach and side to hurt. Ben took his camera from around his neck and pulled it up choking the poor husky. David tried sucking in air but the make shift noose constricted is air passage making him wheeze each time he breathed.

“Little fag, I’ll teach you to make a fool out of me.”

The next blow made him cough and rasp.

“The queer like messing with me? Answer me you piece of shit.”

Another blow he saw flashes of light.

“I bet you like this, don’t you? You fags are into this shit. I bet you wish you had my cock in your mouth huh? That’s what you really want.”

“Dude you should muzzle fuck him, bet he’d like that.”

“The little fag would, wouldn’t you?”

Tears were now streaming out of David’s eyes soaking the fur around them and dropping on to his shirt. His heart was thumping so fast and so hard it hurt, his lungs burned for air, it felt like his chest was on fire. He kept whimpering but no one seemed to hear him, no one was coming to stop them, everyone was just going to let them beat him up. Would they really fuck his muzzle? Were they going to rape him? He shut his eyes which did little to stop the flow of tears coming out. He heard Ben laughing and felt the rumbling chuckles of his partner as they looked over the pathetic state of the husky.

?

Alex was heading home after grabbing a bite to eat at the diner his mom worked at. He had stayed later than he intended to because Louie kept shove plate after plate in front of him and he didn’t want to waste any of it. The fact that it was mouthwatering delicious didn’t help either. By the time he said goodbye to his mom and the crew the sun had already dipped below the horizon. Looks like the walk back home is going to be a dark one, not that it bothered him, the walk would help him burn off all the food he ate and everyone steered clear of him just like at school. The diner was located on the city’s main street which is a little over an hour’s walking distance from his house which isn’t too bad considering the walk from school to his house is longer. Alex took the short cut through the park like he usually does. He liked the park; it was a refreshing place amongst the commercial and hectic brick and mortar of the city. The park was usually crowded and busy with furs meandering about and kids running everywhere but the outer reaches offered some isolation and seclusion, especially the area leading to the back entrance of the park. It leads to the run down shady area masked by the boisterous and busy commercial district on the other side. Not many furs like to visit it because it seems like the place where shady deals go down. If they did take the time to walk through it they would know it just looks rundown and that a lot of older furs live in the area. The back gate is usually kept closed but never locked, the community didn’t want drunken furs coming through and making more of a mess.

?

As he was entering the park there was a large bear he recognized from school. It was one of the football players. He often saw him hanging around with a boar and some dog. They come down here often to the clubs and bars. He’d even seen them in the diner once or twice, being loud and noisy and his mom told him they were bad tippers too. The bear was actually a pretty decent guy and Alex had wondered why he hung out with those other two who were as bright and good mannered as a muddy stick. It was odd not to see him with the other two. He caught the bear mumbling something about picking on gay furs as he made his way towards the neon lights.

David was waiting for the next blow to come. He took as big a breath as he could, his muscles, what little there were, tightened up, and he steeled himself for the next punch. He didn’t expect the next thing that came. He fell to the ground on his side, his camera coming down on his muzzle and settling next to his head. He hadn’t realized how numb his arms felt, the hold he was in leaving little sensation in his limbs. He let out the breath he had been holding and gratefully filled his lungs with fresh air. His limp form heaving on the ground as he tried to steady his breathing.

His ears flicked at the sounds of grunts and loud thuds coming from somewhere behind him. Some shouting followed as he heard someone scampering away and soon it was quite save for the sounds of heavy breathing. David braced himself on his arm and he tried to turn over. Someone’s hands were on him forcing him to sit up but he instantly fell down on his back when he saw who it was. It was the big bully Alex. His large heaving form looked bestial, the light from the lamp post behind him casting him in a horrifying shadow. David scooted back and curled into a fettle position, he had escaped from two Neanderthals to be placed in front of a raging bull. He began to whimper and cry some more, unable to yell out because of how scared he was. He heard the bull give a big snort; David could feel the air brush against the fur on his arms that covered his head. Then the light of the lamp hit him as the giant moved and lumbered on down the brick path into the back of the park. David laid there wondering why he wasn’t flattened into a pancake. That only lasted a moment as a shock sent him up to his feet and running the opposite direction to safety.

“Dude, we’ve got to tell someone! They can’t get away with it.”

“No Tim. Don’t worry I can handle it.”

“You’ve got to tell the school, they can’t let those bullies do that.”

“What can they do, we weren’t on school grounds and it’s not school related. If I tell them then everyone will know and I don’t want anyone else finding out.”

“WHAT!! What about your parents, have you told them yet?”

“No, it’s not like my dad would do anything. He’d make it seem like it was my fault and I should have stood up for myself. And my mom would just recreate a big fuss out of it and the whole town would know the fat gay kid at school got beat up.”

“You can’t just do nothing.”

“I’ll handle it I swear, just don’t do anything.”

“Eh…”

“Promise me you won’t tell anyone else and make a big deal about it.”

“…”

“Tim, please!”

“Fine, fine, but I’m not letting this go. *Sigh* Is there any pain?”

“It’s not too bad, just a little sore and there’s some bruising.”

*Snort* “You got lucky this time but what about the next time? Or what if Alex had done worse than those two?”

“I… I don’t think he was going to beat me up. I think he actually came to help me.”

*LOL* “Rrriiiiight. And he also likes knitting, helping little old ladies, and cock more than me. That bull was probably going to finish the job but got scared off by someone coming close. You got lucky.”

“Either way he stopped those other two who were definitely going to finish me off.” Or worse. *Shudder*

“I have to get back to work but I’ll meet you at your house when I get off.”

“Alright, bye.”

“See ya later then.”

David gave a big sigh as he threw his phone onto his bed and plopped down along with it. This only caused his abdomen to hurt and he doubled over clutching his sides and rubbing the sore spots. It was a bright sunny day today, a great day to go out, have some fun, maybe shoot some more photos, or whatever, but the husky didn’t feel like doing anything today and he wasn’t particularly looking forward to seeing his friend later. He wasn’t looking forward to going to school the next day either. He decided to get some reading done to pass the time and distract him from worrying too much.

David pulled into a parking spot, the roar of the engine dying as he turned off the ignition. Tim had offered to drive but David didn’t want him to start acting differently just because he got beat up. Tim had agreed that he wouldn’t say anything about what happened to David without the dog’s consent but the husky could sense the fox still had something up his fur. They hung around the steps outside one of the side entrances to the school like always, talking to friends. Everything seemed normal and no one was talking about him and he felt relieved for that. Stacy was telling them about her weekend and how Justin slept through the movie when Jennie showed up. She’s a raccoon with the typical markings and has a great figure that turns a few heads, probably from being on the tennis team. She also likes to gossip more than the other girls and had come up to the group with some unwanted news for the husky.

“Did you guys hear what happened to Brian and Ben over the weekend?” she asked excitedly. “They got into a fight down at the bars!”

The bell cut her off and everyone started heading into the school. David could still hear Jennie talking to some of her friends about the incident before they separated in the hall and he felt sick to his stomach. He was so scared Tim would spill the beans that he hadn’t thought about Ben and pit bull, Brian he guessed, going around and telling everyone. He was a nervous wreck, his ears were twitching at every sounds and his tail kept trying to bury itself between his legs. He was so worried he couldn’t really remember anything that day.

Tim could see his friend was clearly worried about the whole situation, so much so that he wouldn’t let David drive in his current state. He had been keeping an ear out listening to any gossip about Ben and Brian but hadn’t heard anything about them beating up David. He hoped that would ease the shaking husky a bit.

The next day David didn’t fare any better and was still a nervous wreck. He almost panicked when he saw Brian and that bear in the hall. David made sure to be on the opposite side of the hall and was hunched over to hide beneath the crowd. They didn’t seem to notice him when they passed each other. His next class was math with Tim and he hoped the fox could help him calm down a bit. He was grateful Mr. Thompson had let them sit where ever they wanted now and he took the seat right next to Tim when he entered the classroom. The fox said he had some news to tell him during their free period together and assured him that it wasn’t bad news exactly.

?

Alex walked in just as the bell rang and moved to the back of the class to take a seat in the deserted corner that had become his spot. No one sat in the chairs around him creating a barrier between him and the other students. He scanned the room quickly and spotted the husky he had helped at the park. They made eye contact just briefly before the dog turned to his fox friend. He could swear he saw the dog’s fur bristle and his body shiver a bit. He snorted his dissatisfaction. Why was the husky so scared of him after he had helped save the poor guy from those two jocks? He scowled and the area around his right eye stung a little from the punch he received there. He was also a little bruised on this left side and thigh from a couple of kicks and punches the boar got off. He guessed news had traveled about what happened over the weekend. On his way to class he noticed a lot of furs glancing and staring at him followed by some murmurs as he passed and this only agitated him more.

David quickly turned away from Alex’s gaze once he saws the bull was looking at him. His fur bristled and he quivered a little. The right side of the bull’s face looked a bit swollen; he must have gotten hurt while fending off Ben and Brian. David’s ears flattened against his skull, he wanted to go over there and thank the man for saving him but he was nervous now. Alex had gotten hurt because of him and he didn’t look particularly happy when the bull had spotted him. He sank lower in his chair wishing he could disappear but the big brown bear up front had started talking about integrals.

David followed the white tip of his friend’s tail as it swayed from side to side as he walked to where ever the fox was taking him. When they stopped David looked around he saw they were alone at some benches on a side of the school. He had been here before and had taken some pictures of the benches for his photography class. It was another hot day outside, “summer in the middle of fall” the weather guy had called this week, but he didn’t mind and enjoyed the slight breeze that rustled his fur.

Tim told David that he had been listening to all the gossip going around the school and that David wasn’t in any of it. Apparently the two jocks hadn’t told everyone that they were beating up a faggot when the big bull came and clobbered them. Instead, they had spun it around to make themselves the victims. They were out for a night of fun when Alex had cornered them looking for a fight and they had fought their way out of it but not before making sure the bull got a few bruises.

“They are trying to make themselves look fucking cool for taking on the school’s toughest bully. Can you believe that?” Tim exclaimed throwing his black furred paws in the air.

“That’s a relief.”

“Well I hope you are happy that those two got away with beating up one of us. That’s exactly what we want.”

“You don’t have to put it like that.”

“Then how should I?”

David gave a sigh. Tim had put a damper on the good news that had his tail wagging. He was right though, he basically let them get away with beating him up but he still found relief in that no one knew. Tim was still looking at him, his black tipped ears flicking in agitation, he wasn’t about to let this go but the husky really didn’t want to continue the conversation.

David had a hard time getting to sleep that night. Despite the relief he felt when Tim told him that no one knew the gay dog was beaten up by two jocks; his conscience was still nagging at him. He tossed and turned a couple of times, adjusted his tail, fluffed his pillow, but he just couldn’t get comfortable. He laid on his bed sprawled out going over in his mind what Tim told him. Tim had also mentioned that Alex was being dragged through the mud. On top of that, big guy didn’t leave without some marks from the park all because of him, and he had yet to thank the bull, his savior. David knew what he had to do; he needed to let Alex know how grateful he was for what the bull did.

Unfortunately, the next day was a B day so he didn’t have math that day. He was hoping that he could easily spot the large bull in the halls but he had no luck. He didn’t see him leaving for school in the direction David had seen the bull usually take. He couldn’t stay waiting too long because he had a T.E.A. meeting to get to. One that he wished he skipped because this particular meeting Tim had brought up the topic of ‘bulling in the gay community’ to discuss and it was clearly directed at him, even if no one knew it.

Alex didn’t show up to math class the next day and David was a little worried that maybe he got in trouble with the administration and got suspended or something. Could they even do that, the fight didn’t happen on school grounds so they can’t punish someone for it?

David said goodbye to Tim who is on his way to drama club. The husky flopped himself into the driver’s seat of his car. He was disappointed that he didn’t see the bull today and that the next chance he might see him would be on Monday. He couldn’t wait that long. With an idea in his head he took out his smart phone and opened the Facebook app. He typed ‘Alex Wyatt’ into the search field and pawed through the results. He sighed in defeat when no bull going to his school showed up. He thought he could find a way of contacting the bull through his Facebook but he didn’t seem to have one. The husky looked up in his rear view mirror as he was backing out and caught a glimpse of a figure walking along the street. As he approached closer to the fur he saw that it wasn’t the bull he was looking for but a scrawny looking wolf, probably a freshman he thought. David slowed down to drive alongside the wolf as cars honked and drove around him. The wolf looked over at the sports car to his side causing all the commotion.

David rolled down the passenger window, “Hey, um… hi. I was wondering if you’ve seen Alex, Alex Wyatt walking by.”

The wolf gave him a curious flick of his ear.

“You know, large angry looking bull.”

“Oh, yeah, I’ve seen the guy before. He usually takes this route when he walks, otherwise he takes the bus.”

“The bus?”

“Yeah, since a lot of students are at clubs and what not, the bus is not as crowded.”

“Which bus does he take?”

“That one I think.”

The wolf pointed to a bus with the number 482 on its back side as it turned the corner. David yelled thanks to the wolf and sped up to catch the bus before he lost it. He followed it about five miles to the edge of the suburbs. He tailed the bus looking at the furs as they get off searching for Alex. This had to be the last stop because going further led out of the residential area into the woods that separate the suburbs from the rural country side. He rolls down the window again and shouts to the otter to get her attention.

“Do you know if Alex was on the bus today?”

“That big bull right? Naw, I haven’t seen him thank god. He would have probably killed everyone on the bus. I don’t think he’s been at school for the last few days. I heard from a friend that he got suspended for picking a fight with a couple of guys from the football team. Can you believe he would do that? Well I guess it’s not that hard.”

“Okay, okay. Do you know where he lives?”

“Down the road in the rural area. Someone said his family is quite poor and can’t afford much…”

David cut her off as he peeled away down the road and shouted thanks. He drove for another mile or two before he saw where the trees turned into fields and farmland. He hadn’t seen any house along the way and he couldn’t search the entire country side for the guy. The husky was just going to have to wait until next week; he only hoped it wasn’t too late by then. He spotted a driveway just beyond the tree line and decided to turn around there and head back home. As he pulled into the dirt driveway he saw a scene that looked like it was cut out of a storybook. There was a two story white house with blue shutters on the window, a big porch with rocking chairs, and complete with white picket fence on the sizeable lot and just behind the house was a small red barn. The woods on the side made a nice contrast to the picturesque house. David sat there for a minute wondering if he could make the scene into a nice composition for his photography assignment. Movement in the background broke the stillness of the landscape. It looked like a fur was working behind the house and upon further inspection it looked like a bull.

David pulled out of the driveway and parked his car near the edge of the trees for cover. He didn’t want to just drive down some stranger’s driveway and walkout to be met by a bull that wasn’t Alex. That would be too embarrassing. Instead he wanted to get a closer look to be sure it was Alex before he walked up to the mysterious fur. He made his way through the woods, using the trees and brush as cover, as he crept closer to the back of the house to get a better view. He stopped and peered from behind a bush and saw that the bull was indeed the one he was looking for.

Alex was wearing some overalls, the shoulder straps hung loose below his waist and he had on a pair of tan work boots. What he was not wearing was a shirt and you could see every muscle on the large bull’s torso. Around the bull’s broad shoulders was a harness that was connected to a small metal grid with spikes at each intersection that dug into the earth turning up the ground. He was pulling the harrow across a dirt field behind the house. David could see the sweat on the bull glistening in the sun, every muscle bulging and gleaming with each step he took, his impressive chest rising and falling with each breath. When the bull hit a spot in the field that snagged the device he was toting he would hunch down for better leverage and with a couple of snorts and deep breathes he used his mighty strength to overcome the obstacle. Alex appeared to grow larger as every muscle in his body strained to move the harrow; the doggy swore he could see the muscles in the bull’s thighs as the stretched against the material covering them.

David himself was panting a little by now thanks to the unusual warm fall weather. He probably shouldn’t have worn his jacket, it was suppose to be a hot week after all but the canine that gave the weather report said it might rain. He watched Alex work for a little while longer before he decided that it was probably best if he didn’t disturb the guy right now. David was actually a little intimidated by the sight of the large bull working out like that. He looked agitated and aggressive with his whip like tail flicking around behind him. The husky started to back up when the arm of his jacket got caught in a branch. He tried wiggling himself free and started to back way when he tripped over something a fell to the ground. He happened to fall on the side that took the most beatings from the bullies and gave a loud whelp when he felt the pain and soreness return. He rolled over clutching his sides as he tried to relax but his ears shot up to attention when he heard the sound of someone walking towards the forest.

The husky froze as his heart began racing. What would Alex do if he found him here? It would look like he was spying on him. How could he explain himself? Would Alex beat him up? David could hear the deep breathes of the bull coming closer as he lay on the forest floor. Just then, a couple of squirrels chasing each other scurried across the ground rustling up some leaves and running up a nearby tree. The silence that followed was filled with tension for the prone husky; he could only hear the pounding of his heart thrumming in his ears and the harsh breathing of the bull. Alex gave a loud snort as he turning around and walked away. David let out a quiet breath, he decided to wait a minute for Alex to get far enough away before he made a move to get up and escape. When he heard a thud he took that as a cue the bull was back to work and got up to check and make sure.

What he saw instead was a mass of brown beef on the ground, his body rising and falling to his raspy breathing. He gasped as he pushed his way through the bush over to the collapsed bull. When he knelt down to see what happened he saw how fast Alex was panting, the rasp in his breathing, and how dry the edges of his maw looked. He wondered how long the bull had been outside working this hard on such a hot day, he must be dehydrated. David didn’t have much time to spending thinking of how the bull got into this situation. He dug his paws under the bull’s shoulders, the coarse fur tickling his paw pads and the sweat covering him making it hard to get a grip. There was no way the unfit canine was going to care this large heavy bull so he had to drag Alex to the shade of the forest. He huffed with each heave as he tugged the bull to the shadows until he could prop him up against a tree. Alex wasn’t looking any better, his breathing was still harsh and his tongue hanging out the side was as dry as the rest of his muzzle, he had to get the guy some water. David quickly turned around and surveyed the area. He stopped at the barn and jogged over to it, there had to be a hose or something there that he could use. He ran to the side facing the field and saw what he was looking for. There facet was covered by a white cloth that turned out to be a shirt, must be Alex’s he thought, and there were even a couple of buckets and a ladle. David quickly grabbed the shirt and started to fill a bucket. When it was full he threw the ladle in and picked it up to bring over to Alex. Well, he tried to pick the bucket up at least. It was a lot heavier than he anticipated and he ended up dropping it and spilling its contents all over the ground. He cursed to himself and quickly refilled the bucket, half way this time, and waddled over to where he left the semi conscious bull.

When he got to Alex’s side the bull was still the same, his head resting on this shoulders and his eyes closed. David called out his name to get his attention and make sure he didn’t pass out. All he got in return was an ear flick.

“Hey, come on. I got some water. You need to drink this.”

David brought the water filled ladle closer to Alex’s maw. The bull managed to tilt his head up a little and part his mouth. David brought the water to his lips and slowly tilted the ladle so he could drink. Streams of water slipped out of Alex’s maw and cascaded down his throat and over the hills of his chest and abdomen. David took the shirt he grabbed and soaked it in water and draped it over Alex’s head, the bull’s horns poking the fabric forming a make shift tent. The husky sat by his side feeding him water making sure not to overdo it. After several long minutes the bull’s breathing began to steady and he started to stir.

When Alex opened his eyes all he saw was a bright whiteness, he flitted his arms to shield himself from the sun which he thought was blinding him but that did little to clear his view. He then realized something was covering his head and pulled the fabric from over him. This time he did have to shield his eyes from the sun as they adjusted to the bright light. He could hear someone talking to him on his right but it sounded distant. He wondered for a second who it could be but only saw a black, white, and tan blur. He positioned himself to stand up but felt paws on his shoulders trying to push him down. He wasn’t about to let whoever this stranger was hold him back and he heaved himself up right. This caused his world to spin as he stumbled a few steps. The stranger was behind him now saying something about not moving. He stumbled backwards and he could feel he was losing his balance and braced himself to hit the ground. Instead he landed on something soft and squishy that made a loud grunt when he impacted.

“Whoa, easy big guy, I don’t think you should be moving around just yet.”

“Who… are you? What are you… doing here?”

“I’m… I’m David, David Smith,” he said embarrassed. “I, um, came by looking for you.”

David sat there leaning against the tree as the large bull lay on top of his belly. He looked down at the bull getting a better look at him now. He had a very impressive body; he wasn’t a chiseled statue of a Greek god but had a very stout build. Everything seemed to be in proportion from the size of his massive arms to the broad shoulders to his thick chest to his belly, it wasn’t washboard but had a layer of fat that still didn’t hide the strong muscles underneath. He couldn’t see the definition in his thighs but they were equally large and the view of his ass before he collided into him was well rounded. The silence started to get uncomfortable as they lie there like this. Luckily Alex seemed to come to life again and spoke.

“You’re that husky from the park.”

“Yeah, I… I actually went looking for you to thank you for that. You saved me from those two and I never said thanks. I’m sorry.”

*snort* “No problem, I’m just glad your okay but thanks for saying that. It means a lot.”

David had to chuckle at that sentimental bull.

“You’re thanking me for thanking you? You’re silly. I’m the only one who should be saying that and I’m sorry I didn’t do it earlier. I really am grateful for what you did for me.”

Alex felt a paw on his shoulder as the husky showed his appreciation. It really did mean a lot that the dog came and thanked him. All the rumors and talking behind his back had really gotten to him lately, so much so that he decided to skip school the rest of the week hoping it would blow over. He was tired of always being pegged as the bad guy and when the canine that he saved didn’t even want to thank him he felt terrible. For once someone noticed something good he did. He stayed like this for a little while longer, enjoying the moment. He started to relax and after the laboring job he was doing, it felt good to just lie here. The gentle rise and fall of the husky’s body was calming. His ears were pressed against the dog and he could hear his heart beating, the rhythm having soothing effect on him. Alex felt happy for the first time since school started. 

So hopefully you've gotten through the story without too much difficulty. I know the ending is very weak, I plan on continuing the story but wanted to post what I had now to get some feedback on how I am doing so far. I’ve received a lot of helpful criticism and some great advice so I hope it shows in this.

Please tell me what you think:

• Is it bad or good?
• Did I improve/is it better than my previous stuff?
• Where can I do better and improve?
• Am I getting too wordy and adding too much detail/unnecessary things?
• Is the pace too slow?

As always be as honest and as brutal as you want, it really helps point out my mistakes and helps me improve. I know there are nitpickers and grammar nazis out there so please take a look. You can comment anonymously at http://iwontbyte.tumblr.com/ask if you want :D

 :iconFrost Byte: