《Fur a Better Tomorrow》 1. Every Story Has a Beginning I wasn¡¯t always a rabbit. The last thing I remember as a human was the aspen grove, and then falling. My eyes closed in anticipation for the hard impact, but I kept falling. It was dark around me to the point where I couldn¡¯t tell if my eyes were open or not. A light grew beneath me, a flash of brown, and then I hit the ground. I rolled onto my back, gasping for breath. ¡°Um, hi. You ok?¡± a deep voice said. I looked up into the face of a gray bear. My back pressed against something cold and soft before I¡¯d even realized I was scrambling away. The bear towered over me, looking down at me with confusion. ¡°Where did you just come from, little buddy?¡± he asked. ¡°Please don¡¯t eat me,¡± I squeaked. ¡°Eat you? You definitely aren¡¯t from around here. Look, rabbit, no one eats other people anywhere anymore, not to my knowledge anyway.¡± I got a better look at the bear as he stepped to the side, and the glow from a skylight shone on his front. He stood on his back paws and was dressed in basketball shorts and a band t-shirt. The room came to life suddenly. I noticed the TV playing a movie that looked vaguely familiar but the characters were all similarly animals on two legs in cowboy costumes. ¡°Hello? I asked you where you came from?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh.¡± I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my hands to my head. Fluffy. I looked down at myself and only saw tan fur. Fur¡­ ¡°I¡¯m naked!¡± ¡°Yeah, I noticed. I¡¯m honestly more concerned why you fell from my ceiling.¡± ¡°I was¡­in the forest. I tripped, and now I¡¯m¡­here? That doesn¡¯t make any sense. I also wasn¡¯t a, well whatever I am now.¡± ¡°You look like a totally normal rabbit to me, buddy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a rabbit, I¡¯m human. Or, I guess I was. I don¡¯t remember much all of a sudden.¡± ¡°No idea what that is, but you¡¯re a rabbit now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a¡­¡± How do you explain a human to a bipedal bear? ¡°Like a gorilla? You know what a gorilla looks like?¡± ¡°Of course. Nosy old fellow at the end of the road, Abe, he¡¯s a gorilla.¡± ¡°Imagine that but hairless. Thinner, but a bigger penis.¡± I immediately clapped a hand¡­paw¡­over my mouth. Why did I say that. The bear blushed. ¡°I have no idea or want to know what Abe¡¯s penis looks like. Probably prunish, the guy¡¯s like fifty.¡± ¡°Well, humans are bigger.¡± ¡°And hairless. Only hairless person I ever met was this sphinx cat in middle school. Shrewd little girl.¡± I looked down at my now-fur-covered body again, tracing the lines of my figure. It felt completely normal, like I¡¯d always been like this. I knew I¡¯d been human, but there was only that memory of falling. ¡°Do you have a mirror?¡± I asked. ¡°So I can look at myself?¡± The bear narrowed his eyes at me, and then closed them and shrugged. I followed him into a hallway and across to a bathroom. He flicked on the light and gestured to the mirror. Perfect, except the bear was easily twice my height and the mirror was positioned for him to see. ¡°I¡­I can¡¯t see. The mirror is too high up.¡± ¡°Ope, yep, sorry about that.¡± The bear¡¯s paws wrapped around my chest and lifted me up so I was in front of the mirror. Yep, a rabbit. Long ears that shifted as I turned my head, short wiggling snout, and twisting in the bear¡¯s paws there was the small tuft of tail. ¡°Why am I a rabbit?¡± I muttered. ¡°Well, when a mommy and daddy rabbit love each other very much¡­¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying. I was a human before I fell from¡­well before I fell.¡± ¡°I believe you, I¡¯m just messing with you. No reason to lie about something like that.¡± I suddenly remembered I was naked again, like a punch to the gut. I scrambled out of the bear¡¯s paws and dropped to the floor, covering my crotch. ¡°No point now, fluffbutt. Not like I haven¡¯t been seeing it this whole time.¡± ¡°Do you¡­have any clothes I could borrow? I know I¡¯m a complete stranger, but I have no idea what¡¯s going on and I don¡¯t know where I am and¡ª¡± ¡°Calm down, calm down. I¡¯m not just going to throw a guy out on the street. We¡¯ll figure this out, just stop panicking.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s¡­thank you.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. He reached out a paw. ¡°I¡¯m Gray, by the way.¡± I took his paw and shook it. ¡°Is that because you¡¯re a gray bear?¡± He laughed. ¡°Complete oversight. My parents named me Grayson.¡± ¡°Mm. I¡¯m Des, short for Desmond. Not ironic to my current situation unfortunately.¡± Then it hit me. ¡°But my last name is! Des Thumper. Hah, cause rabbits thump. That¡¯s dumb.¡± I laughed. Gray laughed too. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, a lot of animals have ironic last names. Mine¡¯s Growler. Gray Growler, my friends always said I sounded like a superhero.¡± ¡°Definitely. So, about the clothes¡­¡± ¡°Right, right. Sorry, you¡¯re probably freezing to death.¡± I was cold. Gray led the way up the stairs and into a dark bedroom, the windows barely visible through black-out curtains. A thick wardrobe stood in a corner which Gray began to dig through. Dig, in this case, meaning he threw this and that article of clothing onto the floor as he checked piles of clothes. ¡°Where was¡­¡± He dug some more. ¡°Aha! You¡¯re in luck, I still have an outfit one of my friends left here and never took back.¡± He handed me the clothes and ushered me into the connected bathroom. He shut the door, and I slumped onto the toilet seat. The weight of it all was beginning to set in. Even though I had no memory of being a human, it felt like there was a hole in the middle of me that a rope ran through. Like I was being pulled from all directions into the void. At an insistent knock on the door, I realized I¡¯d been spacing out for a while. ¡°You finished?¡± ¡°Almost. Sorry.¡± I flushed the toilet to make it seem like I¡¯d just been going to the bathroom, and quickly put on the clothes. Short shorts, a t-shirt, and a hoodie that swallowed my hands and hung below the shorts. It¡­felt right somehow. There was the impression in my mind that this is how I had wanted to dress. Was this what I¡¯d worn when I was human? I opened the door and looked up at Gray. ¡°Do I look okay?¡± The bear looked me up from paws to ears. I blushed and crossed my arms, his gaze feeling like an x-ray. ¡°You look¡­great.¡± He blushed too. ¡°Not in a weird way! I mean¡­sorry, bad habit. You look fine. I¡¯m totally not hitting on you.¡± I smiled and leaned against the door frame. ¡°But you want to?¡± Gray grimaced and scratched his head. ¡°Yes? I¡¯m sorry. I promise, I don¡¯t have ulterior motives for helping you. I¡¯m just gay and lonely.¡± I laughed. ¡°Aren¡¯t we all.¡± Another feeling passed through me. Like a piece sliding into place. This felt right too, in a way. ¡°Just queer and lonely.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re attracted to other guys too?¡± ¡°Attracted to guys, yes. I¡¯m not a¡­well, I have the parts of¡­.but I¡¯m not, you know. I¡¯m more of a they than a he.¡± ¡°Oh, okay, sorry.¡± ¡°You apologize a lot.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Stop.¡± ¡°S¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say it.¡± He clamped a paw over his mouth and nodded. We stood like that for a minute. ¡°Hungry?¡± he finally said. ¡°A bit. I can cook, it¡¯s the least I can do to make up for you helping me.¡± The bear grinned. ¡°You can cook? Oh, thank you, universe. You¡¯ve sent me an angel.¡± I laughed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t cook for shit. I was gonna offer you, like, fruit or ramen or something.¡± ¡°Well, lead the way, and I shall prove my skills.¡± We went back down to the kitchen, and I started pawing through the fridge and cabinets; an immediate and recurring problem emerged. Even the counters came up to my shoulders. Forget the cabinets, they might as well have been in the sky. The fridge had a long handle that reached down to the bottom, and it took all of my strength to pull it open. Nothing, really. Some half-filled condiments, a small plastic container of blueberries, a couple eggs, and beer. I did eventually find a step-stool that I had to have Gray pull over to the counter. The contents of the cabinets were no better. A box of minute-rice, a small collection of spices, a packet of soba noodles, and luckily a single packet of vegetable bouillon. Half-assed ramen it would be. Water, bouillon, noodles, and a splash of soy sauce. It was¡­well, it was edible. I carried two filled bowls carefully into the dining room. ¡°Dude, you literally have nothing in your kitchen.¡± Gray came over and sat down. ¡°Tell me about it. I never know what I¡¯m supposed to buy from the store. I can¡¯t cook, so where do I even start, you know?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m your rabbit in shimmering armor. I¡¯ll point you in the right direction.¡± Gray licked his spoon and rolled his eyes. ¡°And you just assume I¡¯m taking you to the store? I¡¯m not rich, you know.¡± ¡°Oh, I mean, I wasn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Messing with you again, fluffbutt.¡± ¡°Wow, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve only known you for an hour, and I already hate you.¡± Gray winked. ¡°There¡¯s more to come.¡± I blushed, no point in lying about it. That deep voice flowing through a self-satisfied smile tickled me. ¡°Anyway,¡± he continued, ¡°We can go tonight. I don¡¯t like going while the sun¡¯s still out. Too many people, you know?¡± ¡°Are they open that late?¡± ¡°Twenty-four hour convenience.¡± ¡°How hip and modern of them.¡± Gray nodded. When we¡¯d finished eating, he rinsed the dishes and loaded the dishwasher. I took the time to look around. The only addition I found to the main level was a coat closet and a small laundry room. Upstairs, there were three other doors besides Gray¡¯s room. Another closet with towels and medicine, a spare bedroom, and an office. I lingered in the office for a while. It was the only room so far that had the curtains drawn back. The wall behind the door was covered completely by bookshelves. Reading through the titles, I found that Gray had no particular taste. Books of every genre sat on the shelves, from romance to sci-fi to picture books. I pulled this and that off to flip through until I struck the real jackpot. Shoved behind a long row of westerns was a thin erotica book. I flipped through for a while before there was hot breath in my ear. ¡°You¡¯re really enraptured there, huh?¡± I jumped and threw the book at the shelf. ¡°What¡­no¡­I¡ª¡± ¡°No shame. That would be my reaction if someone snuck up on me reading smut too. That¡¯s why it was shoved behind other books.¡± Gray bent down and returned the book to its spot behind the others. He jingled his keys at me and jerked his head back towards the door. I followed, my face hot. ¡°I was just flipping through. I wasn¡¯t, you know, reading it.¡± ¡°Mmhm. I stood there for a while. You were practically drooling, bunny.¡± He chuckled at my deepening blush. ¡°No shame of course. Like I said: gay and lonely.¡± I followed him out the front door and down the driveway. I expected a bear dressed like him to drive what was probably his mom¡¯s old sedan. But we left the sidewalk, the sidelight clicked on, and I was floored. 2. Theyll Do It Eventually ¡°718 Cayman, in the flesh. Get your jaw off the floor and into the car.¡± ¡°And what is it you do for a living?¡± Gray slid into the driver¡¯s seat and roared the car to life. He reversed out of the driveway and headed off towards the store with the grace I¡¯d imagine from someone with a $100k sports car. Once we weaved our way through the neighborhood and onto the highway, he coughed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. What was your question again?¡± ¡°Work. What do you do?¡± ¡°Oh, right. Graphic design. People will pay if you draw logos for them. Plus they pay even better to make sure it doesn¡¯t look like anyone else¡¯s.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­huh. Cool.¡± Gray just nodded. It was a short ride to the supermarket and fairly dead when we parked near the entrance. When we were inside, he grinned like an idiot as he pulled over a little kid cart with one of the giant flags that sticks up. It was more embarrassing when I realized it still came up to my chest. ¡°Dude, how the hell do small animals get by in this world.¡± ¡°Beats me. Never been small.¡± ¡°Mmhm, lucky fuck.¡± ¡°Language.¡± I mimicked him in a high-pitch voice, but we both smiled at each other. Inside, I started in the produce section. Something told me this was out of character, but then again my rabbit heart soared when I stopped beside the wall of leafy greens. I found another issue immediately, that being I couldn¡¯t really reach anything, and so summoning up as much dominance as I could I started ordering Gray around. Two heads of lettuce, a couple bunches of scallions, a bag of carrots (stereotypical, but I felt I had to test it for myself), a bag of potatoes. We also attacked the fruit, grabbing a pack of raspberries, and having to circle back when Gray absentmindedly ate half of it before we even checked out. Afraid to miss anything, I took us down every aisle. Bread, pasta, sauce, chocolate, pancake mix. I paused at the fish counter, Gray licking his lips as he eyed up some of the better looking cuts, but I couldn¡¯t get the idea out of my head that a rabbit eating any kind of meat felt wrong. Similarly, I avoided eggs and dairy. Gray disappeared at one point and returned with a couple frozen fish filets. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can¡­¡± ¡°Neither do I. But I also don¡¯t think I can avoid meat. I can just defrost them if I get hungry and you¡¯re not around.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Makes sense to me. Sorry.¡± ¡°Now who¡¯s apologizing for no reason?¡± I punched him in the thigh, to which he looked around quizzically asking if I felt a draft. Instead of trying again, I just kept moving. I picked up some cereal as well and concluded we were probably good for the time being. No self-checkout, which itched my introverted bones, but as soon as we stepped into the single open lane, the hyena behind the counter cocked his head. ¡°Yo, Grayson, dude. ¡®Sup. What¡¯s with the kid?¡± The hyena¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, even from my low vantage point, but otherwise he was vaguely attractive in a punk sort of way. He had two piercings through his lower lip, a small amount of eye shadow, and large arthouse glasses. ¡°That there is an adult rabbit, believe it or not. I forgot how small they are too. Don¡¯t see a lot of them around here.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t see them, no.¡± The hyena blinked slowly, licking his lips. I started putting our items on the belt. ¡°Right, anyway. You guys, like, a thing?¡± Gray shrugged. ¡°I mean they¡¯re wearing my clothes, and it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t stare at their prick half the morning.¡± ¡°Cool, cool. Random question. Do you¡­fit?¡± Gray laughed loudly. ¡°No fucking way. I¡¯m like three times their size. We¡¯ll find a way though.¡± The hyena just nodded along, absolutely ignoring the groceries waiting to be scanned. Gray ended up clearing his throat, to which the hyena cocked his head again. Then he looked down at the belt. ¡°Shit, sorry. Guess I should do my job, huh. I forgot to cut my treat before work and was too lazy to do it in the parking lot. At least I¡¯m off in an hour, I need a good meal and a nap.¡± Gray stepped around me to help the hyena bag the groceries, and he paid the total. Less that I would have thought, but still more than I¡¯d expect someone to spend for someone they just met. I tried to help at least put the bags back in the cart, but the bear shooed me away. He fist-bumped the hyena, and we went back to the car. All the boring details: load the car, drive home, unload the groceries. Soon enough, Gray let out a wide yawn, and I felt myself growing tired as well. ¡°So, um, do have like a spare bedroom or something¡­or¡­¡± Gray raised an eyebrow. ¡°And take the risk you grab my card and run? Then I have to call the bank, and I hate calling people. It gives me anxiety.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not gonna¡­¡± ¡°No risks, no regrets, fluffbutt.¡± Without another word, he scooped me up with one arm around the waist and hauled me upstairs to his bedroom. He tossed me onto the bed before walking out again. I kicked my legs absently, listening to the sounds of Gray once again rooting through some cabinet or another down the hall. He came back with a toothbrush still in the packaging and a towel. ¡°No way I¡¯m gonna sleep next to a slob though. Go freshen up, you can just use my body wash for now until we get you something¡­.I don¡¯t even know, bunny-appropriate.¡± He scratched his chin thoughtfully. ¡°Not that I mind you smelling like my soap, of course.¡± I nodded and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. ¡°Oh,¡± Gray called through the door, ¡°I don¡¯t really have any other clothes in that size, so make sure you¡¯re at least dry if you¡¯re not going to put them back on.¡± I rolled my eyes but made a sound of affirmation loud enough for him to hear. I spent a minute figuring out the shower¡ªamazing, really, how every shower was either cold or hot, but each was so hard to figure out the first time¡ªand when I had it running, I perched up on the toilet. I took a deep breath. Though Gray had been a good host, the events of the day still spiraled through my head. I knew I was human before¡­before all of this. What had I been doing in the woods? I just remembered I was walking, walking, and there were words I had been repeating to myself. And then I started falling, and I ended up in Gray¡¯s living room. It was a conundrum, but once I realized that I¡¯d already had the water running long enough to fog the mirror, I hurried into the shower. Having wet my fur thoroughly, I squeezed some of Gray¡¯s soap into my hand. The smell of juniper and wood overtook me. I lathered it into my pits, my groin, making sure to pass over my arms and legs and torso too. It smelled good, I didn¡¯t really mind smelling like Gray either. When I¡¯d washed all the soap out, I made sure to do my footpaws as well. Surprisingly clean, despite having been barefoot (bare-pawed?) all day. I dried myself off well, and I brushed my teeth. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I considered the clothes and decided that the sweatshirt alone covered enough for me right now. A cold rush of air made me shiver as I walked back into the bedroom. Gray was laying on the bed, scrolling on his phone, when I cleared my throat. Something came over me suddenly, and when his eyes came up to meet mine, I grinned and posed against the doorframe. ¡°Hey. See something you like?¡± I lifted the sweatshirt just enough to show I wasn¡¯t wearing anything underneath. Gray coughed loudly, almost throwing himself off the bed. If it were a real thing, I thought his nose would have started bleeding. ¡°Fuck, ahh. Why is it so much sexier when you do that with clothes on?¡± I giggled maniacally. ¡°Because now you know there¡¯s something waiting for you to discover.¡± He squeezed his eyes shut and marched past me into the bathroom. ¡°I¡¯m not having this conversation until I wash up too. Go¡­entertain yourself until I¡¯m done, okay?¡± He shut the door, almost making me fall over with the impact. As I crawled into the bed, and picked up a book I saw on the nightstand, my momentary lust turned into anxiety. Is this what I wanted? Well, okay, yes. It did make me feel sexy in a way I knew deep down I¡¯d never felt before to see Gray get so flustered. But, I¡¯d also never done anything like this before. There were too many feelings of things I felt like I knew about myself without actually knowing them. The book, as it turned out, was a fantasy novel. I flipped through it casually, not really reading so much as skimming for lines that sounded interesting. I heard the water turn on, and eventually I did end up getting hooked by a particular passage. I barely registered when the water shut off, or when the sound of an electric toothbrush came muffled through the door. It was only when he¡¯d opened the door and stepped out in nothing but his boxers that I looked up. ¡°You like it?¡± he asked with a groan, stretching his arms over his head. I felt my face grow hot. Gray had seen me naked already, but this was the first time I¡¯d seen him stripped down. He was chubby, but I could still see the muscles stand out around his arms and shoulders when he stretched. ¡°What? Oh, um, yeah. My dad never let me read stuff like this, said it would turn me gay. Jokes on him I guess.¡± Where did that come from? I set the book back on the nightstand, and Gray motioned for me to scoot over. I did, and when he plopped down beside me in the bed, I was already in motion. I rolled on top of him and hoisted myself up so I was sitting on his stomach. And¡­then I lost all semblance of my calm. ¡°I have no idea what I¡¯m doing!¡± I said, my nose starting to twitch of its own accord. Gray just smiled and reached up to wrap his paws around my waist. ¡°You realize we don¡¯t have to do anything, right? I mean we did literally just meet this morning.¡± I sighed. ¡°I know, but I¡­want to. I just don¡¯t know how.¡± Gray rubbed a finger along my thigh. ¡°Just take it slow then. No need to rush. Plus, I don¡¯t even know if I like you yet.¡± ¡°What?¡± I yelled, and clamped a paw over my mouth. ¡°Sorry. That was really loud.¡± Gray just snorted. ¡°I¡¯m joking. You really suck at this whole comedy thing. Good thing I have enough for both¡­¡± And an evil idea popped into my head. I rolled back off of Gray so I was sitting beside him now. ¡°That¡¯s true. I mean, you got to stare at my dick all morning, and I haven¡¯t even seen yours yet.¡± ¡°I¡­what?¡± {SEX SCENE INCOMING, PLEASE SKIP IF YOU DON''T WANT} I slid a paw under the hem of his boxers, and slowly pulled them down. All fur. I groaned, and carefully stroked around, not looking so much as hoping my efforts would coax it out by itself. It did, and¡­yeah, he wasn¡¯t lying to that stoned hyena. I wanted this, but even semi-hard it was almost as big around as my forearm. Without really stopping to convince myself otherwise, I leaned in further to sniff it. Mostly it just smelled like his soap, but underneath there was the barest hint of his natural musk. A shiver ran through my body suddenly. Gray growled softly. ¡°I¡¯m literally already about to conclude.¡± I snorted loudly and laughed until I had to wipe tears from my eyes. Gray just blushed fiercely. ¡°Conclude? Did you really just say conclude? God, you¡¯re a dork.¡± I tried to stifle my laughter, but it just kept going. ¡°Conclude. I¡¯m gonna die.¡± Gray pouted. ¡°Well what would you call it?¡± I wrapped both of my paws around it as best I could, barely able to make my fingers meet, and started slowly stroking. Gray bit his lip, and he brought an arm up to cover his eyes. I gave a small lick to his tip, and he whimpered under his breath. I started to speed up until his breathing picked up, and he let another moan escape. ¡°Des, I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m gonna¡­¡± ¡°Cumming. I would call it cumming.¡± In the spur of the moment, I wrapped as much of my mouth as I could around his tip. It was a lot, like thinking your drink was almost empty but when you dip it up it all comes rushing at your face. I swallowed as much as I could, but it mostly just squelched out and ran down my chin and onto my sweatshirt. If you had asked me what Gray¡¯s¡­stuff¡­would have tasted like, I probably would have said pretty bitter, like something you¡¯re really not meant to eat. But, it was actually vaguely sweet and salty, not that bad. ¡°Sorry,¡± I gasped, trying to catch my breath, and I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. ¡°I kind of made a mess.¡± Gray scooped me up beneath the arms, causing me to let out an involuntary squeak, and brought me up to kiss me. It was, surprisingly, way better than the other thing. He pulled me away again, and there was a look in his eyes I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever seen before. ¡°Gods, I¡¯m keeping you.¡± ¡°Good to know you¡¯re not a man who shies away from his own products.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I needed to kiss you.¡± ¡°Same, honestly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious. Fuck where ever you came from. You¡¯re mine now.¡± ¡°Prove it,¡± I whispered, feeling my cock press against his chest. Had I been less horny, I might have felt embarrassed that it took Gray only a finger and a thumb to do what I¡¯d needed both hands to accomplish. Then he stopped suddenly, rooting around in the nightstand drawer, and pulled out a surprisingly normal-sized plug for someone. He placed it against my hip, measuring I guess if he thought it would fit, to which I smiled and shrugged. He ruffled around for a bottle of lube too, and greased it up before handing it to me. I went slow, having of course (I think) never done this before, but it slid in easily. I waited, but there wasn¡¯t any confetti or overwhelming feeling of ecstasy like when we¡¯d kissed. Gray grinned and opened his phone. ¡°Is this supposed to do something, or¡­¡± He tapped away, and suddenly the plug began to vibrate. Again, at first nothing, and then a spasm of warmth passed through my pelvis. ¡°Oh, wow,¡± I whined shakily, ¡°I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all yours too, now. I, um, don¡¯t always read the sizing before I order things.¡± Gray pulled me up again so my dick pressed against his lips, and he took the entirety of me in easily. The warmth spread through the whole of my lower body, and I tried to find something to grab onto for stability. My toes curled as I felt myself rising to climax, and I didn¡¯t even have time to say anything before I exploded into Gray¡¯s mouth. It had felt like a lot, but when my eyes managed to roll back open there was no trace that I had even cum except Gray licking his lips. He clicked his tongue as he eyed me up, and motioned for me to lift up my arms. I did, and he pulled the sweatshirt up over my head and used it to wipe the rest of his stuff off of me. At his affirming nod, I slid off and laid beside him. Another tap, and the plug turned off, but Gray grabbed my wrist when I went to take it out. ¡°Not yet. Leave it in for now. I¡­well, unless you want me to try and put it back in tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Absolutely not. I don¡¯t trust you not to tear me open in your eagerness.¡± ¡°I wish all bottoms were as¡­subby as you.¡± ¡°Who said I¡¯m a bottom? You could put a collar on me, and I¡¯m still going to assert I¡¯m the one in control here.¡± Gray kissed me again. ¡°Don¡¯t give me any ideas.¡± ¡°And it better have a bell. The bell makes me feel special.¡± I winked. Gray just booped me lightly on the nose. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± He reached over and flicked off the lamp, plunging the room into blackness. I crawled under the covers beside him, and he reached a paw under my shoulders to rest on my head. He started to slowly scratch behind my ears, and I felt my eyes roll up slightly. It was heaven, and then I fell asleep. 3. What We Miss Most When We Leave Gray hadn¡¯t lied. I woke up the next morning when the low buzz of the plug started, and a rush of warmth flooded my lower half. I moaned softly, stretching under the covers. If I could wake up every morning feeling like that, I would. I hoped I could. I still felt Gray¡¯s chest under my head, still smelled his scent all over me, and so I slid my way up without opening my eyes and pawed around for his mouth. I grabbed both sides of his head and mumbled a good morning as I kissed him. We stayed like that for a while, my ears only now registering the faint sound of Gray watching some video on his phone over my head, now pressed into the crook beneath his chin. The plug kept vibrating, driving me closer and closer to finishing without him even having to touch me. I grabbed a fistful of his fur as I arched and did my best to hold it in, moaning louder. ¡°H¡­hey,¡± I said shakily. ¡°Go ahead, we both probably need to shower again anyway, and your clothes are still in the wash.¡± With his permission, I let go and the rush of the orgasm swept over me. I came all over his belly, feeling the stickiness bind our bodies together. Gray reached up his other arm to his phone and pressed a couple buttons, shutting the plug off. He yawned loudly, right in my face, and I got a lungful of his morning breath. ¡°Ugh, what have you been eating?¡± ¡°You,¡± he growled softly and kissed the top of my head. I couldn¡¯t even argue with that. I had the split second thought to find out if I tasted as good as Gray, but when I slid off of him and moved towards his belly, he rolled out of bed. ¡°You¡¯d had enough, you little imp. Come on and get in the shower.¡± I got out of bed as well, sliding the plug out carefully and washing it in the sink before setting it on the counter. I turned the shower on, and heard the door click shut behind me. ¡°You going first?¡± ¡°Nah, just don¡¯t want to wait for you to take forever. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re shy, we can just shower together.¡± I shrugged, and gestured for him to step in first. He did, heaving a sigh as the warm water trailed over his shoulders, and then I slid in too. Gray wasted no time in lathering me up, scrubbing around my torso and ears, cleaning around my parts. He did with such force and efficiency, I was almost surprised he didn¡¯t flip me over and do my paws too. I offered to return the favor, but he just grunted and did it himself. Rinsed and clean, we stepped out and again Gray didn¡¯t hesitate to towel me off. I didn¡¯t try to offer again, I just picked up the towel and started. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to¡­¡± he started. ¡°Why not? I¡¯m just supposed to let you be nice and not return the favor.¡± ¡°I¡­kind of? I don¡¯t know. I just¡­don¡¯t really expect others to be nice, I prefer to do things for others.¡± ¡°So acts of service, but not in return?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You know, like the languages of love? Touch, affirmations, acts of service, gifts, and quality time. It¡¯s the way people express and receive love.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that. Where¡¯d you learn all that?¡± I just shrugged. If I knew that, I would know where I came from. What happened to turn me into a rabbit. The whole mystery still ate at me, but I let the thoughts move to the side in favor of returning my focus to Gray. ¡°So do any of those sound like things you like?¡± ¡°You know, now that you mention it, I kind of like gifts and quality time. Those were always what touched me the most.¡± ¡°Noted. I don¡¯t mind acts of service, if that¡¯s your thing, but I really love physical touch.¡± ¡°Oh I bet you do.¡± Gray laughed. ¡°Funny, you¡¯re so funny. It¡¯s not a sexual thing. Like I like holding hands and just like leaning on you and stuff like that.¡± ¡°And if I combine these two things¡­¡± ¡°I hate the way your mind works.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Gray ensured he was completely dry before promptly scooping me up in his arms and carrying me downstairs to the laundry room. When he had managed to not only get my clothes off while I was sleeping, but also to sneak out of bed to wash them, I had no idea. I guessed I was a heavier sleeper than I thought. Luckily, the dryer had stopped, and I shivered slightly as I put the warm clothes back on. Gray as well had washed his shorts from the previous day, and I noticed the advantage of this right away as my sweatshirt smelled just like him. In the kitchen, I decided eggs were probably the best bet for a quick breakfast. I cracked them into a pan with some butter, and came out a little crispier than I¡¯d wanted, but it wasn¡¯t bad for possibly never making eggs before. Gray had disappeared again at some point up the stairs, and when I called for breakfast and set the plates on the table, he reappeared. He had changed, now wearing cargo shorts and a blue polo. He¡¯d even taken time to brush the fur on his head into a more manageable shape. ¡°You don¡¯t have to dress up to impress me,¡± I said, ¡°I already touched your dick.¡± ¡°Oh, you did more than touch it.¡± He grinned and winked at me. ¡°And it¡¯s not for you. I have a meeting with a client online in about an hour, and they don¡¯t love it when you look sloppy. ¡° ¡°Ah, well, I¡¯ll stay out of your way. Maybe I¡¯ll find out if I can bake, I can go door-to-door selling muffins or something.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the worst idea I¡¯ve ever heard. You should definitely do that.¡± He started ticking off his fingers. ¡°Meeting should take about an hour and a half. Plus, they¡¯ll want some sort of draft by the end of the day, so add another two hours.¡± He thought for a second. ¡°Let¡¯s say five. Around five, we can go clothes shopping.¡± ¡°And when you say we¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to drive you to the clothes store and make you try on everything I pick up. You get no say in it.¡± ¡°Wonderful. I love this.¡± I stuck my tongue out at him, and he just gulped down his eggs before returning upstairs. I ended up drifting around before deciding to just plop on the couch and watch TV. I flicked through the channels, making sure to keep the volume low. News. Fire somewhere I¡¯d never heard of, old polar bear running for governor of wherever we were, local school kids volunteering at elderly home. Soap operas. I didn¡¯t really care which of two fox brothers had fathered Eliza¡¯s baby. Kids channel. Yes. The pinnacle of my unfounded nostalgia came with discovering Mr. Fox Rogers. A greying red fox in a cardigan, smiling at the camera as he talked to the mailman who was an owl. It tickled some part of my brain, as if I should absolutely recognize these people. I supposed it must be a show humans watched too, albeit with humans. Still, I was engrossed. Only when it went to commercial did I notice the hairs on the back of my neck standing up, and I caught the lion out the corner of my eye. It was crouched low, exactly in the corner where Gray had found me, eyes glued onto me where I sat. It licked its lips, and stalked forwards slightly on all fours. ¡°What is this place,¡± it growled in a deep voice. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Who was this, and why¡­why was the voice so familiar. It tickled worse than the show, as if it was imperative at that very moment that I knew who this lion was. And though I imagined briefly it could be that the beast looked ready to tear me apart, there was something else. Then a memory came unbidden. That same voice, growling at me still, echoed in my memories, and I saw somewhere else. A truck, carrying me somewhere as I sat in the back. As I was made to sit in the back. There was a man, a human, driving and talking in that voice. ¡°...worthless. You don¡¯t even deserve to die like a man. You can die like an animal¡­¡± The memory faded to black, and returned in a forest. I was against a tree, the bark rough against my bare skin. The man was above me, his face in shadow. He was still talking. ¡°...no son of mine. You¡¯re an abomination, a parasite. Die out here with the other beasts, Desmond.¡± I tried to move, but my limbs were bound to the tree, and I felt the cool breeze lick me from head to toe. The man turned, and I caught only a glimpse of his face before he disappeared, and the memory ended with me crying out after him¡­ ¡°Dad!¡± The lion cocked its head. ¡°Desmond? That¡¯s you? But you¡¯re¡­¡± He looked at himself for the first time. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m an animal too. Hmm.¡± He looked back at me. ¡°You¡¯re alive.¡± ¡°I¡¯m alive.¡± Just then Gray came down the stairs. He saw me, smiled, and came into the living room just far enough until he saw the lion and stopped. ¡°I was wondering¡­.who you were talking to, but I guess that answers my question. Is this a friend of yours?¡± ¡°This is my¡­dad. I¡¯m not really sure. I¡¯m only just now remembering that¡­¡± ¡°You should be dead,¡± the lion growled. ¡°Well, yeah, that, but I meant more so remembering my life as a human.¡± ¡°You should be dead,¡± he growled again. Gray saw the lion tense, but he was too slow. I saw with only enough time to spring to my feet, feeling the lion¡¯s jaws clamp into my side where my neck had been a second before. The teeth were fire ripping through until I could almost hear them make contact with my spine. I screamed. By then, Gray was in motion. His claws tore into the side of the lion, leaving long gouges that sprayed blood across the bear¡¯s face. The lion flew back, catching itself just before it slammed into the wall. My vision swam as I saw Gray charge, his teeth bared as he bore into the lion with all his might, shaking the whole house as they went right through the drywall. My legs gave out, and I had only enough energy to put my arm out as I fell. Everything shrank to a tunnel, and I could feel every breath bring with it a spurt of blood. The whole of me was numb, unable to move, otherwise I would have grabbed the guts now torn and hanging out from me. The lion¡¯s claws tore Gray¡¯s shirt to shreds, but the whole thing ended a second later when Gray¡¯s teeth closed around the lion¡¯s throat, tearing it clean out. My vision closed off again, completely black, but I felt strong paws on my face. Gray¡¯s voice came as if from a far way off. ¡°Hang in there, Des. Oh fuck, oh god, fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK.¡± I love you, I tried to say, thank you for even this small moment of happiness we¡¯ve shared. But there was nothing left in my body to form the words. And then I was gone.