FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

Moon Phase - Full

Shane wasted not a second before closing in on Alex's bedroom window. As he did, the part of Alex's brain that was running wild with questions, the part of him that was making him quake about Shane being right outside his home, was losing ground to how much of a relief the meat he was holding would be.

Alex leaned back as Shane came within ten feet of the window. His muzzle showed no hint of viciousness, but what he demanded was delivered with some concern in his tone. "Let me in."

The scents from the meat relaxed Alex's stomach, slowing his response and making Shane's lips lift. "You're...kidding me."

"You're hungry. I knew it would happen."

"You insisted. One each."

"And you lost yours. Wasn't my doing." Alex missed his window to respond, being left wondering how Shane knew that. "I'm not playing games with you. Let me in, and I'll hand this over. If that's too much to ask, then I'm keeping it."

Alex swallowed as the meat scents continued to taunt his stomach and brain. He couldn't. Who was this guy to demand that he do anything of the sort? But then, his hunger was still building. If he let it get too severe... How much would he be letting this guy learn about himself and his family by letting him in? "The garage is open. Use that."

Shane was shaking his head before Alex finished. "You let me in, you'll get fed, and then I'm gone come sundown."

"You came all this way in broad daylight, though."

"Because I know what I'm doing. And be thankful that I did; you don't want that hunger pushing you to kill your dog, or someone else."

Alex looked away from Shane as those thoughts went through his head, the sound of paws on carpet making him turn fully around. Bailey was standing at the door, his tail still but his attention fixed on the window.

When Alex closed his eyes before a lengthy exhale, Shane continued. "That other room. Is it empty?"

"Yeah." Alex said after looking at him again.

"Then that's all I need. You don't want me bothering you or going anywhere else inside, fine."

Alex swallowed again. Four hours of him around, in exchange for being fed and sating his hunger. Would he really leave him to suffer if he refused? And his mother would be home before nightfall. What if she saw him? Those concerns and questions, and more, turned over and over for the next minute.

"Behind the house." Alex at last said. "Use the window."

"Fine by me." Shane stepped away when he finished speaking.

As he did, Alex rushed to close the door to his parent's bedroom, and then his; Bailey recoiled into the hallway and tucked his tail from how quick he'd moved, but stayed silent. When Shane was at the window, despite the part of Alex's brain screaming that this was a bad idea, he picked at the window until he could get a hold of it and let him in.

As soon as Shane had both hind paws on the carpet, he thrust the meat into Alex's chest; his body was trembling from what he'd just done, and his ears were laid flat as well, even once the meat was in his hands. "Like I said," Shane began, "I won't go anywhere if it bothers you that much." He then sat down on the futon in front of the window, his eyes glancing around at the books on the wall opposite.

Alex let out a few more shaky breaths before turning his attention to the meat. The slab was easily half the weight of the pig he'd lost, all of which looked edible to his stomach. It was tense yet moist where his paws held it, though whatever warmth the meat once housed was fading.

Where Shane had gotten a slab like this was put aside as soon as his first bite was taken, and the seals around his stomach vanished. If this was enough, not much would be left.

Between his first few bites, Alex's attention stayed on Shane. Only once did he look away from the bookshelves, up at him. Nothing about his face or muzzle was in line with an emotion to be cautious of, but his animalistic stare wasn't calming either.

When his mother came back to mind, Alex looked towards the closet. If the door to the room was closed, his mother would likely avoid it...but if she didn't, she'd find him. That concern raised another: Had his father told his mother about the hunger, about what he said he needed to do? Alex saw no reason to think he hadn't, and if that was so, he had to leave the house at sundown too.

"My folks will be home before you leave." Alex said after licking his teeth and muzzle.

"I figured." Shane said before he looked aside. "You thinking of hiding me in there?"

"It's big enough."

Shane took a second before responding, his muzzle curling the longer he took. "I hate cramped spaces, but whatever. If you think it'll work."

"It will." Alex said before he bit off another chunk of the slab. He held off on telling Shane any more than that, and when his stomach was at last filled, what was left of the slab was little more than one mouthful. Though relieved that his hunger was gone, when he next looked at Shane, Alex found saying even just 'thanks' difficult.

Shane noticed his reluctance when he finally got it out, and his response was delayed. "If you really want to thank me, make sure what you catch from now on doesn't have a chance to get away from you."

"I'll do that." Alex said. After his attention returned to what was left of the slab, the dry feeling of his throat got him to leave the room. Once out in the hallway, the question of where Shane had gotten that meat returned. He couldn't have killed something for it; the piece had been too clean-cut, as though a butcher had cut it. Did he know someone who was able to get him the animals he needed? If he did, why had he killed so many a month before?

Several more questions went through Alex's head as he found a paper plate, freed his paws from holding the sliver of meat, and then filled a glass with some water and ice. There was still three and a half hours or so left until Shane left. The idea of questioning him came to mind as Alex sipped his drink. He had plenty of time to do it, but outside of simple stuff, he couldn't see him doing anything more than blowing him off or, at best, feeding him a line.

The water he was drinking soon gave him an idea, and Alex filled another glass, this one bigger than his. With three straws set, he headed back to the bedroom, finding Shane resting his head on his propped arms and paws. The sight pulled Catherine's remark, about him looking like a sleepy dog, out of memory, getting his lips to raise into a canine smile before Shane opened one eye, and then the other.

Alex lifted the second glass a bit when he was certain Shane's attention was on him, and then set it on the nearby table. 'Read one if you're bored' he said after tossing his head to the left.

"Not my kinds of books." Shane said.

"I'm guessing reading is mostly what you do on these days."

"Until night comes."

Alex weighed his next words for a second. "So how did you get here? The creek, or that lot across the way?"

"I wasn't seen, if that's what you're getting at."

"In the middle of the day?"

"I'm guessing you think every window, house, car and the like is something to be worried about." Alex stalled on answering. "If that's even a bit true, you're too paranoid."

"Then you've not noticed the increase in police patrolling around here."

"Different issue, and yes I have."

"So, you traveled at least three blocks, meat in one hand, and no one saw you?"

Shane's response came after a second. "Yes, and don't think I'm telling you where I live."

"You know where I live, and you're in my house."

"In exchange for what you needed to not turn on your dog, or your family, and use them as something to feed on." That response locked Alex's throat. "I'm not here trying to get something out of you, but I wasn't lying when I said I'm keeping an eye on you. I could hear that pig squealing as soon as you lost it, and I knew what that meant."

"And so, you killed another animal, or what?" Alex replied, hoping Shane would take the bait.

"Just be thankful you got fed, and that what you were feeling didn't get any worse."

With Shane's answer, the places where Alex had found his scent returned to mind. If he really was that certain about traveling the streets in broad daylight, the areas south and west of the skatepark, places he knew were packed with houses, were where he likely lived. And whatever direction or location he'd come from, he would leave a trail on his way back.

"Somehow I doubt you would've left me alone if I refused."

The sudden guttural growling from Shane, and the stare he gave, shook Alex's chest before his ears folded back and his head lowered some. "Don't you fucking dare act like that was something you were willing to ignore."

It took Shane ceasing to growl, plus a few seconds after, for Alex to recover his courage. "I wasn't...wasn't my idea."

"It was waiting until the sun went down, wasn't it?" Alex didn't answer. "I don't care how tough or careful you think you are, you would've been just as willing to feed on human flesh by that point."

The injection of anger, disgust, and now what sounded like fear, into Shane's tone sapped Alex's urge to ask how he was so certain of that, although now he couldn't help wondering if he'd lived through that, and if so when.

"No, I wasn't about to leave you alone. Because I didn't want to hear that you'd murdered and eaten someone. And talk tough all you want, you would've accepted that meat at some point."

Alex sighed as his eye contact with Shane broke; the noise came out layered with a growl. Any response he could think to give for the next few minutes was tossed aside out of worry of pissing Shane off again, or simply said in his head. For the same length of time, he didn't budge from where he stood, until the sound of Bailey's paws against the carpet reached him.

His pet came to a stop in the hallway, several feet from the door. When Alex checked on him, his attention shifted between him and a scent near the floor, which he was certain was Shane's. "You want out, boy?" His pet glanced at him before taking in more of the scent. With Shane so close, the thought of opening the door to his parent's room, of allowing his 'guest' access to their scents, was countered with speculation about why Bailey had come. Had it been the raised voices, or was he looking to get into his room? Both felt plausible, and Shane had already approached him with that room's windows open, but his pet stayed at his current distance once Alex opened his bedroom door.

Alex glanced at Shane again, and his eyes shifted to meet his. Though he said nothing, his stare remained just as piercing, and Alex soon left the room in favor of his own. This time, Bailey followed him and laid down on his doggy bed. Good boy.

The house remained quiet until Alex heard Shane lapping the water from the glass he'd left him, a stretch of almost an hour. He set the novel he was reading aside and inched past Bailey to find Shane leaning over the glass, his paws cupped around the rim to catch the water that sloshed from his muzzle between each lap. When Shane noticed his presence, he stopped. "Never thought of that," was how Alex responded, and Shane went back to drinking. As soon as he was done, he sat back down.

The urge to question Shane inched its way back as Alex stood in the doorway. He had to have calmed down by now, and the hunger was still foremost on his mind. After picking up the glass, which was currently half drunk and missing the straws, Alex managed to get out an 'Uh' instead of a full question.

"What?" Shane's tone held no extremes.

"About this animal hunger..."

Shane sighed out his nostrils and shook his head before Alex finished. "I'm not giving you any excuse to think you can fight that."

"I can handle it for a few hours."

"And that's all you deserve to know if you were about to let it claw at your guts all day."

"Then, was I was supposed to hunt in broad daylight, possibly risk being seen, chased and shot at?"

"No, you were supposed to kill what you caught, not let it get away. You'll always have a night to hunt, and a month to prepare. You screwed up the first part, and if I hadn't come, you would've killed someone."

Before Alex realized it, he'd blurted out, "And how would you know that?" The temperature of his skin fell a few degrees in turn, and stayed that way as Shane locked his gaze onto him.

"Because the first time I made that mistake," Shane began, his voice becoming more growl-laced with each word, "someone I cared for smelled like an easy meal."

Alex's thoughts returned to his parents at that. To how easily his stomach relaxed when he'd caught their scents while hungry. Some of his distress resurfaced in turn, clogging his throat.

"No, I didn't kill them. Because that scared the shit out of me, and I kept away from them until I found something I could kill. No, I don't know what will happen if that 'animal hunger' builds for as long as you were about to let it. Because I'm not about to risk finding out, and if you're smart, you won't either."

Shane went quiet after that; though Alex didn't want him to have the last word twice in a row, speaking now would give away that something had gotten to him. Hoping refilling their glasses would give him the time to clear his throat, he did just that, with a few easy breaths taking most of the tension out of him.

After a final swallow, he returned to the room. "I'm not trying to piss you off, you understand." Alex said after setting the glass down.

"Then whatever beef you have with me, stop letting it lead your head and tongue."

"You say that like it was and still is in my best interest to be kept in the dark."

"As far as I can see, you put the pieces together and didn't make stupid mistakes that destroyed your livelihood."

"So, it was out of the question to say even one thing to me? Even a warning that I'd be hungry for fresh animal meat?"

This time, Shane took a second to answer. "I'll give you that."

No shit you should.

"But what's done is done. You know what to expect now, and you know what I don't want to do, so how about we leave it at that?"

An urge to snap back at Shane hung in Alex's head at that response, until he closed his eyes and exhaled out his muzzle. He couldn't see himself getting any further with this guy, at least for right now. Refusing to answer him on that front, he checked on the closet. "If you hear a deadbolt unlock, or my dog run for the front door, get inside."

"And when the coast is clear?"

Alex shut the closet door, and then tapped it with two digits.

"Works for me. Do it after six fifteen."

The next hour went by with neither Alex nor Shane speaking to each other. The sound of water being lapped only briefly got Alex's attention away from the novel in his paws, the arrival of 5:00 getting him to listen for the sound of the front door unlocking.

When he heard what he thought were tires on pavement, he set the book aside, his pulse rising a few beats. The still open window in his room was pulling in scents from the outside, but nothing came on the currents to support his guess. At the same time, he began fretting about what his mother was expecting. If his father had mentioned the hunger to her...

The remaining sliver of meat, which he couldn't recall removing from the kitchen counter, then returned to mind, and his pulse went up even more; the creaking of his chair and his heavy steps against the carpet didn't draw a response from Shane. Once the room temperature meat and a fresh paper plate were in his hands, Alex headed back to his room, seeing no hint of his mother's sedan through the bay window. The meat was still appealing, if only by scent at that point, leaving Alex to ponder if he should keep it for a snack or just dump it at the first chance he got.

As 5:40 closed in, the front door deadbolt clicked. Before Alex moved, he heard Shane get up and slip into the closet, closing the door behind him. After Bailey got up and rushed for the door, Alex followed Shane, leaving his bedroom door open and closing the guest room door behind him. Heart racing, he thought over what to tell his mother as he heard her come inside, speak sweetly to Bailey, and then lead him back towards the room.

"It's okay." She said after Bailey's paws stopped impacting the carpet a distance from the door. "Alex?"

"In here." Alex responded, faking a weakened tone.

"Are you okay?"

"I will be." He then heard his mother walk past the door, open her bedroom door and then call for Bailey. When he didn't budge, she lead him outside through the front door instead.

She returned to the hallway afterward, and then stopped by the door. "Can I come in?"

For a moment, Alex wanted to allow it. "No. I'll be fine."

"What's wrong?"

Oh, boy. His mother's responses felt in line with being told he'd be hungry. "Couldn't catch anything. Stomach feels like it's collapsing." His mother didn't respond. He pictured her putting her hands over her mouth, edging closer to tears. "Keep inside tonight. I'll be alright."

"Why?"

Alex breathed out slowly, hoping his mother would hear. "Not now. Just please, stay in."

He was met with silence again, but when his mother spoke up, he heard the hints of her holding back some emotions. "Alright. Be safe."

Alex released his caught breath only when he was certain his mother had left the hallway, and even then, he released it with no audio. Feeling like all he'd done was give cause for his parents to question his behavior, he sat against the door and watched the outside as the sun continued to set.

As he did so, his ears stayed alert for any footsteps nearby. For the moment, his mother was staying on the northern end of the house, around the kitchen and living room; she did but once go into her room, and only to use the bathroom. Bailey meanwhile had headed back into his bedroom after sniffing at the underside of the guest room door.

With no idea how much time had passed since Shane had started hiding, when he felt it was dark enough, he listened one last time for anything nearby, and when he was ready, got up, slid the window open, and waited for the air conditioner to start up.

He tapped the door as soon as it did and stood back. Shane was quick to slip out, keeping the door from making a sound as it opened, and gave him a look after checking the room. "You're not following me." He said, his voice just louder than the whir of the fan blades.

"You stay here, you'll get caught, and then we're both screwed." Shane looked aside at the window, and then back at him. "That what you want?" Alex then looked towards the door. "Then keep standing there."

Shane let out a frustrated huff in response. Alex curled his lips and muzzle as if to snarl back at him, to at least look aggressive. When Shane at last started moving, after several seconds of unflinching staring, Alex relaxed his jaws, and then waited for the sound of him jumping the fence again. Within five seconds, he was over.

Alex gave him until the fan blades stopped whirring, which felt like a couple minutes, before leaving the house himself, the sliver of meat held in one paw. Right away, he found his trail, but opted to leave through the side gate instead, slipping under the bay window as he went. I'm sorry, Mom. Shane's trail had run under the window as well, and into the wooded area across the street. So that's the route he took. Alex thought as he followed Shane's trail as far as he felt comfortable with; he'd gone behind the row of houses to the west of his house.

With that knowledge in mind, Alex found a spot far back in the mass of brush and trees to wait out another hour or so, the meat at the ready to eat or toss away.