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Pride Bay Chapter 2 By Roofles

The sun was on the horizon and all but a few stranglers were left behind on the beach. Signs were taken down, parasols picked up and lazy cats were picked up, dragged and splashed until they were up and out onto the parking lot. There seemed to be a commotion in the concrete parking lot. Tired bodies wanting to get home did that however.

The trio walked on the beach eating their ice creams after stowing and locking away the stuff they had brought with them. Though Dylan preferred not to Burt added his board with theirs. The tiger was friendly but was rather stubborn as it seemed and the man, not really minding too much, ended up just shrugging with a roll of his eyes giving in. The extra hundred plus pounds on the tiger did seem to help his argument.

Dylan wasn't exactly thrilled on standing on the cold, hard concrete having locked his sandals away with the other guys. Though he did notice neither even bothered to wear them in the first place; he supposed if it began to rain (not unheard of in the shore town) it'd provide some coverage at least. Besides the sand was still warm even if the breeze was cool.

It sent shivers up his legs from the contrast and the man rubbed his arms looking out over the sea. It was still early in his opinion but the breeze was beginning to make the decision for him.

It may have been this why he was so welcome to feel the warm body move to stand next to him. The cougar had watched him move a few paces out staring out over the see when he answered Burt's question. The large tawny brown cat found himself walking over even before he had finished answering his friend. His pelt brushed softly against the mans arm who looked over at him unaware he had moved over on those silent large paws until that fur touched him. The cat's tail swayed behind him two and fro as he stared out over the sea.

"Can't get this effect on a TV." He offered lightly trying to strike up conversation.

"Yes but one has to deal without the cold, nosy kids," he noted watching several (literally) snot nosed cubs run by quickly with an angry looking lioness following quickly behind trying to snatch them up. "I don't see any cougar pups either." He joked.

The cougar grinned toothily his fangs taking up a good portion of the smile.

"And at least at home I'd have something to eat." Dylan rubbed his gut feeling the hunger set in. Not having a bite to eat since morning, and even then coffee didn't exactly constitute as a meal to most.

Neither of the two wished for the night to end and Marty was more than happy to be the first one to offer up the prospect of getting dinner. It was after all a Friday night and though the sun had set it was still young and full of life with cats on the prowl. The beach had grown cool and a bit windy as the sun finally fell behind the horizon and night set around them in a veil of darkness. The clouds spread out revealing the stars high above. The first lights of the night. The moon soon poked its half full head up over the mountain ridge illuminating the town.

The town strip behind them turned on one by one like fire fireflies. No one wanting to be the brave soul to illuminate first until everyone else did. Windows glowed, street lamps buzzed and strips of lighting had been strung along the patio like outsides of several stores and restaurants. Lighting it up in rows showing off a night life a quiet town like this would seemingly never have.

And so it was decided that, being cats on the sea, they would go out for some seafood. A two to one vote. It wasn't logic, it wasn't a question, it was just fact. The cats wanted seafood wasn't up for debate. Dylan had suggested a can of tuna which got such a negative silence from the two he was practically afraid for his well being. It was as if he had insulted their mother or religion, questioned their political views or used the last of the cat nip.

A sorry wasn't enough to make amends.

"Gotta due it man." Marty nodded agreeing with the other large cat. One of the cougar's ears flickered when those green-hazelnut ringed eyes looked at him. The cougar wavered about to falter before Burt spoke up again his burly chest allowing for a rather deep baritone voice to purr from his throat already a bit sloshed.

"So!" The tiger slammed the shot glass back onto the table. "Another shot!" He laughed, ordering the waiter to fill it up again. The red panda just smiled and nodded having been coming by the table every half minute or so.

A clear liquid was poured once more into the ceramic cub from a gourd shaped vase. The saki cup filled up slowly with the strange clouded water. Dylan picked up the wide rimmed, circular cup as if he were drinking wine and lifted it up before him as if to study it as if it were a rare fossil. He balanced it on his ring finger moving with the flow of the water as he swayed side to side trying not to spill before bringing it up to his lips and tipping it back, taking another shot.

Dylan winced at the acrid taste, catching the cup in the palm of his hand slamming it back onto the table to match the tiger across from him. "Ha!" He exclaimed before feeling hot in the face and giggled afterwards leaning down against the table against his hand. It wasn't easy trying to keep up with the orange striped "bastard."

Burt took one side of the table, most of it in fact. The large tiger had pushed the other chair off to the side and sat in the middle of the table with a neat, organized spot in front of him. The largest tray of sushi was directly in front. To the right side was the large bowl of teriyaki eel over rice he had ordered. His own large mug of beer was in the corner between the bowl and sushi platter. On the other side was the miscellaneous ingredients each neatly placed into their own piles. A row of saucers were in front of these each one filled with a different mixture of the dipping sauce. One spicy, one sweet, one that was pure soy sauce and so on. Dylan, after watching the cat take his sweet time setting this all up, could only keep his amusement to himself over this OCD nature of the large cat.

A crossed from the tiger was Dylan. Sat pushed against the corner by the cougar who had, over the course of an hour, scooted from one side of the table to the other. His chair literally pressing against the mans as he watched him giggiled a bit more. The cougar tail was slid out of the circular hole in the back of the chair, swaying from side to side as he watched the man in an enthralled amusement. As with after each drink he would look over at the cat and give him a large grin.

"I'm focusing on school for now, working any hours I can get and surf on my off time." Dylan replied to the cougars previous question that the shot had interrupted. Only turning back towards the tiger as his drink was refilled and the two cats began chanting "chug chug chug" until he, balancing it on a finger, lifted it up and gulped it back down.

Burt soon followed trying to mimic the man. His large padded finger helped greatly with the cats grace allowing him to easily drink it down without much effort.

Dylan followed this up by taking his chop sticks in hand and carefully placing them in position needing his other hand to help. He stacked three Californian rolls before trying to pick them up, fumbling and only ended up making a mess on his plate with a frustrated grunt Dylan frowned down at the mess.

Marty chuckled and reached over with his chop sticks skillfully taking a piece for him. And then crushed the sushi roll between the chopsticks as one black wooden stick slipped over the other essentially slicing the sushi roll apart. And squishing it further as he desperately tried to keep it from falling off. It only ended up as a mutilated mesh with the rest.

The two looked at it.

"I'm taking one of yours." Dylan said leaving the chopsticks where they had fallen and reached crossed the cougar's tray. The man had wanted to try one of the spider rolls ever since the cat ordered it.

"No!" Marty nearly shouted standing up and yet not even attempt to stop the man as he grabbed the Spider roll on the side. "My sushi!" He pouted watching it get taken away.

Dylan looked at him with a smug smile, opening his mouth and slid the roll inside. It was only at this that the cougar tried to stop him nearly shoving his paw into his mouth trying to get it back. The two fought, a very one sided fight, as they argued over it.

"Fine I'll take one of yours then." Marty huffed grabbing a paw full off of Dylan's plate.

"Gah!" Dylan watched as the cougar greedily shoveled the rice into his maw making a worse mess.

The man tried to stop him and got growled at in return. He stopped at this before the cougar bumped into him with his shoulder, adding a wink he grinned rice sticking between his teeth. Dylan smiled and rolled his eyes pushing him away with a hand. The cougar didn't budge however.

It was hard to tell a playful joke of a growl from an actual one. It was more about appearance it seemed than the actual sound. The look in their eyes, the position of their ears, the stance of their tail and even the way their muzzle was positioned baring fangs or not. All obvious and yet subtle signs to the underlying emotions underneath.

A paw was placed on his thigh, gripping it tightly as the cougar leaned over making a very awkward looking, rice covered kissing face. "How 'bout that kiss now?"

Dylan shoved his palm up against his chin pushing him away with a laugh. "NO. I'll pass." The man just smiled though as the paw stayed firmly on his thigh.

It had been a poor joke with the cat. Mocking him Dylan had commented about his whiskered muzzle and Marty had neatly replied "only one way to figure out" and made the same kissing face. Even the Kissing gourami swimming around in the tank at the front (for sale but not as food) looked more appealing than the rice covered cougars face.

A few moments passed as the cougar wiggled his nose wiping the end of his muzzle clean with the back of his paw like a cat grooming himself.

"That's my paw your spooning with." The tiger said rather flatly after taking another piece, swallowing it and after a long gulping drank as if just to prolong the mistake. And thus their embarrassment.

"Sorry." Both Marty and Dylan said before looking at each other and laughing. Burt just rolled his eyes figuring the man couldn't tell the difference but the fact the cougar had played along was enough of a sign for the tiger.

"So how about you then? What are you up too?" Dylan asked repeating Marty's own previous question back to him as if they were playing ping pong. More like beer pong as another round was served.

"Working mostly. Got to get my car up 'n runnin'. Then I won't need to drag this guy around?" He thumbed over at the tiger who frowned, crossing his arms as he looked at the two.

"I AM sitting right here." Burt said rocking back in his chair with a slightly raised eyebrow and folded ears. Dylan wasn't sure if he was mad, annoyed or just amused by it. It was rather hard to tell without being able to see his tail or just flat out ask him.

"Well maybe you shouldn't be." Marty said turning towards him and sticking his tongue out. The cougar leaned back in his own chair, crossing his tawny brown arms over his exposed creamier tan fur chest. The cougar had a smug look on his face for a few seconds before it turned into one of terror as a striped hind paw moved over and was placed between the cougar's legs. "Don't you dare." Marty warned. And with a swift push, pushed the mountain cat back.

The cougar's face was one of shocked horror for a split second before his arms waved in front of him trying to gain balance. The chair fell back and the cougar was standing bolted to the ground with all his claws out huffing a bit before glaring at the smug looking tiger.

The two bickered; well more so that Marty tried to get some kind of reaction from the other cat who just smiled and grinned back in that smug silence. Marty was still standing pointing a clawed digit at him telling him off for it, ranting about random things. Dylan could only figure that they were inside jokes as the cougar faked cry before laughing the other cat smiling in return.

"You'll get your poster boy eventually." Burt said back in return still leaving Dylan clueless about what the hell they were talking about.

"Only after the bottle of milk."

"Cask of milk" Burt corrected wagging a finger at him. The two laughed and Dylan just rolled his eyes picking at the mess on his plate with his chop sticks. He took a few bites of rice looking at the two as they continued their charade.

"SO!" Burt turned towards him suddenly. Dylan just lifted an eyebrow. "What kind of food do you like?"

There was a hidden meaning behind that and though Dylan tried to think of some implication he couldn't fully pick just one so he replied honestly to the last thing he had with his buds. "Cheese stuffed pizza, covered in cheese, with the chocolate that hardens over time you use on ice cream?" He asked before just continuing. "Then we took cheese poofs and broke them up on top of it. With a side of cherry vanilla ice cream."

The two cat's looked at him before at each other. They shrugged before stating together "Catnip." And the two laughed.

"Munchies are the devils play thing." Dylan shrugged. At the look he got he clarified. "My mum's a bit crazy religious." He shrugged it off however. "Used to say everything was the devil's plaything."

"Speaking of playthings," Burt asked leaning crossed the table and grinning at him. "What strikes your fancy? Cats or dogs."

Dylan didn't question why it had to be one of the two and just went along with it. "Cats." He said if only in present company. He had no particular fancy but finding himself between a hard place and a cougar he thought it best to play it safe.

"Big cats or small." The tiger went on.

"Bigger is always better." Dylan replied a bit snidely with a wink playing along with the tigers game.

"And your plans for the future?"

"Well I'm focusing on school mainly. Rents kind of killing me and waiting for lease to come up so I can move but overall its pretty good. I plan on moving," he added seeing the tiger's eyebrow raise. This was beginning to feel far more like an interview than anything else. "Once that's settled in I can finish school up, save some money living at a cheaper place and from there..." He rolled his hand. "And so on."

"Could've been better." Burt grumbled leaning back now and rubbing his chin.

"Ease up." Marty said laughing a bit at his friend. He understood what he was doing but sometimes the cat could be a bit overly protective. Something the human missed. "Just back off a bit."

The two had been friends since they were kittens. Growing up, moving together after High School, going to all the same schools, working at the same temp jobs. Seeing Burt string along dumb broads every other day, having Marty getting hurt after one relationship after another wasn't easy for either of them. Marty who envied the tiger and Burt who wanted to help his friend.

"Fine you can do what you like. I'm not about to waste my time! I'm out of here, find your own way home." Burt growled standing up.

"Wait, Burt." Marty said folding his ears back. His voice was meek and it shook a bit as if nervous his friend really would just leave.

Tossing a few bucks down for his share the tiger turned his back and marched outside without even looking back.

"Was it something I said?" Dylan said looking at the cougar. "I didn't think he'd..." Some guys could be so sensitive, let alone when they were drinking.

"Nah, he's a bit...touchy." Marty frowned glaring after the cat. His phone buzzed and he pulled it out frowning down at it. It read simply "tell me if you get laid" and with that the cougar shut the phone and took a seat once more.

A poor ploy in the end of things they had agreed on another night. If they ever found themselves out and with someone else the other party would throw a tantrum and leave hoping to score points for their friend and if nothing else getting them pity sex. Marty never thought the tiger had been serious about it, after all they had been drinking, but seeing it for himself he couldn't exactly complain now that it was just him and Dylan left alone. At a table no less under the dimming lights in a nice restaurant.

It was as the main door shut and the tiger had left that the room itself seemed to have have nothing but couples within it. The lights were low, only the soft candles on each table providing any illumination for the room. Every table had only two souls at it. Dylan wasn't too surprised to see all the other cats in the room.

Two white tigers had taken a table in the far back crossed from each other as they pawed at, purring to one another in low soft tones forgetting the world around them. A cheetah had brought his sweet heart out, the two only being "kids" in the end. A corny display of affection as he offered him a rose before he had even sat down. Two lion couples had taken up one of the central tables. An odd sight because at first one would think the lioness was with the lion but it only took watching for a couple of seconds to realize that the lions next to each other and the lionesses were in fact a couple.

And then there was Marty. Next to him sat the only and most charming cougar in the whole room. Dylan could argue that he was also the most ugliest being the only cougar there. Seeing those emerald green eyes looking at him such thoughts quickly faded from the man's mind as he placed a hand on the table and a paw soon was rested on top of it.

"How's the sushi?" Marty asked lightly, off handedly, almost wearily though that smile on his face was genuine and the large cougar had scooted a half inch closer his tawny brown fur side now touching the bare flesh of the man's. There arms were resting against one another, the cougar had lowered his arm down so Dylan could rest his own on top.

"It has fur in it." Dylan joked picking at the mess the cougar had previously molested. Though he looked over at him with a smile on his face and just then the music began to play.

A local band singing classic songs in a soft, indie tone. "Why do birds suddenly appear." And it was at this that the cougar's black tip tail pulled out from the chair and wrapped around the man's side.