This story is based on Fur-Piled by Leo-Magna, all characters related with Fur-Piled belong to their respective owner.
-Rin
(rin86@ymail.com)
Next in turn step to the light.
Part 1 “Unexpected meeting”
Searchlight cover the scene with different colors, as much as everything near it. The crowd starts to cheer when the king of the scene took his place. One by one, the arm, the foot, and there he is, fully and magnificently standing there, waiting to begin his angel dance. It was an ordinary red fox with orange and black fur and sharpened ears, like all red foxes, dressed in a sleeveless shirt, capris and a jacket with fur collar. But deep inside, in a place that no one can see and he never shows it to anyone, right there he was different, special. His name is Andy.
While the music changes its rhythm, Andy change his moves that totally fit to it. He likes that very much, watching how the crowd rivets to him, when he burns a fire within them, controlling them somehow in that moment.
Somewhere in the crowd trying to out voice of the music around, one dog says to another,
“Hey, I think I never tired watch on this,” a girl in a peaked cap said.
“Yeah, he’s definitely the flame boy.” The other replied.
They were his friends, Ian and Husky. Both cute, and both brown-furred. Ian almost never removes her peaked cap. Not so far from them stands an otter, as if hypnotized he follows Andy’s every move. While everyone else dances, or runs from one place to another, or kissing without any embarrassment, he just stands and watches like Andy is the most beautiful thing he has seen in this world and he is afraid he might not see this anymore.
After Andy’s dance scene about half of the club always wants to go out with him, anywhere, anytime, just to go. While Andy dances, Ian and Husky do the stuff that they always do, enjoy the time as much as they can, So it was not boring for them. The Otter tried to have enjoy the party too, but he never lost sight of Andy, and looked on him every time he could. When Andy end his dance and went out from stage, the otter tried to spy on where he went. Then Ian and Husky call him from the other side of the crowd.
The otter runs through the crowd trying not to lose sight of pair of sharpened ears with 3 rings on one of them, excusing himself every time he accidentally steps on someone’s foot or punches with his elbow someone. Finally he catches up to Andy almost near the exit when, Ian and Husky walked in front of him.
“Um…w..wait!” his voice was little muffled. “Wait a second!” the otter shouted louder this time. The fox turn to him.
“Hm?” Ian and Husky stop and turn around too. “Another fan wants a kiss before I leave?” Andy said with smile. Husky and Ian start giggling behind his back.
“No…” the otter gulps, “I Just want to…” He put a paw in the pocket of his pants and blushed a little. Then nervously took out a wrinkled piece of paper. “Bribe?” Fox said with more wide smile than before tried to understand the situation but it seemed that doesn’t work much. Ian and Husky giggle louder this time. The otter blushed more and was stunned for a moment.
Ian lightly punched Andy on the shoulder “Come on! Give this little fellow a chance, he’ll become one big red spot if you continue this way”
“Okay give me that, I wont bite” Andy stretched his arm to take the note.
“I just want to give you this,” the otter said with little stammer and gave the piece of paper to Andy.
There were a few numbers and one word below them: “Jack”.
“So, your name is Jack?”
“Yeah,” Jack said lowering his eyes down.
“And this numbers is your cell phone number I suppose?”
“Yeah,” he said almost automatically, still looking somewhere down.
“And that’s supposed to mean that you want me to take you on a date?” Andy smiled wide again trying not to scare down the otter.
Jack put his paw behind his head with a little confusion. “I know that a little…”
“You know what, I think I don’t mind,” Andy interrupted him. “Usually I don’t act like this, let’s just say this is a reward for your bravery”
“You don’t?” Jack was little surprised.
“Yeah, I’ll call you,” Andy stroked his neck and chin with his fingers and the otter shivered. Ian and Husky shut each others mouth with paws trying to not laugh too loud.
“Okay…” the stunned and shocked otter mumbled, “I will wait for your call.”
“How about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow is okay” Jack said with a sigh.
“Okay then, see you tomorrow,” the fox lowered his glasses from his nose a little and looked above them to the otter. “Cutey.” After this word, he turned around and walked away putting the little piece of paper in the back pocket of his capris.
The otter became as red as a fire hydrant. Standing in the crowded place while people walk from here to there, Jack, little by little, started to come to his consciousness; when he finally realized what just happened a smile covered his face.
They walked from the club; it was night outside and the stars sparkled everywhere in the sky by now.
“So, you really want to call him?” Ian asked.
“Yeah, why not?” Andy said with a crafty smile. “I think I could spend a night or two with this little fellow,” he dreamy bite his lip.
“Come on! You really think about him like that?”
“I think that`s what he wants.”
“He stood there shaking like an autumn leaf in the wind, I thought he might faint for a moment,” Ian said trying to convince him that everything was not so simple.
“So what? Just a shy otter, there are many people like that in the club. I’m surprised how he even made up his mind to come to me.”
“Exactly!” Ian said loudly. “He did that because there is something more about it.”
“Yeah, or at least something different,” Husky flung into the conversation bending his head towards Andy.
“Then why did he do that? He love’s me? It was love at first sight?” Andy interrogatively looked at them.
“I didn’t say that,” Ian answered, “And why did you decide that it was his first time when he saw you?”
“I didn’t see him earlier in a club.”
“Maybe he saw you out of club.”
“Yeah, somewhere else,” Husky flung in once again.
“Maybe…” Andy put his paw in his capris pockets to take out the note and unfolded it.
“Jack…I don’t think I know him or have seen him before,” Andy said looking at the note. “Anyway, I can figure this out tomorrow can’t I?”
“Yeah, and try your best to not upset him.”
“Of course not! Did I ever upset someone?” Andy chuckled.
“I think I won’t answer on this question” Ian said jokingly causing Husky to giggle.
“Okay boys, see you tomorrow same place as always!” Andy said going in the opposite direction.
“Boys?” Ian said with surprise. “Hey! I so look like a guy?” She shouted in Andy’s direction.
“Actually yes!” Andy said still facing the direction he walked .
“And what about these two things?” She pointed on her chest area.
“They are too small for someone to notice that actually you are girl.” He lifted his paw and waved it, still with his back to them.
“He always teases me” She said to Husky.
“That only means that you two are good friends”
“I suppose you’re right” Said Ian looking in the direction where Andy went and smiled.
***
Sunbeams flowed through the window and warmly washed over the bare orange-furred fox chest, Andy stretched on his bed near an electric clock. Somewhere in the room a cell phone started to ring. Andy yawned and shook his head. “Damn, where is that stupid phone?” he said with little anger and started to scan the room with sleepy eyes. “Ah, there you are you noisy bastard,” he slid to the chilly floor and got the phone. “Diva on the phone,” he mumbled with sleepy voice, while rubbing his forehead.
“Andy! Get up you lazybones, didn’t you forget something?” a girl’s voice echoed from the phone.
“I am already up, thanks to you and…” he scowl to phone “this squeaky rascal”
“Who?”
“I mean my cell phone. Relax!”
“I almost forgot what melodies you set on your mobile”
“Yeah, so what’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” Ian said louder, nearly growling, “You haven’t looked at the clock do you?”
“No, I just say to you I am only just woke up, and you did this,” He glanced at the electric clock near the bed.
“Dammit!”
“Exactly!, You are late we all waiting here”
“Be there soon!,” he turned off the phone and started to search the room for his pants in a hurry. While dressing up, he accidentally found a note in the back pocket of his capris. “Oh, don’t worry buddy, we will have time for this today,” he thinks out loud and goes out the door.
Ian and Husky are sitting at their usual table. They already ordered some drinks and were waiting for Andy to come.
Rose stand near them. She works as a waitress in that café.
“Where is yours sharpened-ears friend?” She asked.
“He is late; I talked with him on the phone a few minutes ago,” Said Ian with a little disappointment on her face.
“Andy? Late? I thought he never could be late,” Rose said surprised.
“Me too, but sometimes life brings you unexpected surprises,” Ian took a sip from her glass causing Husky to giggle.
“What? Others pain makes you happy, fluffy dog?” Ian said scowling at him.
“No!” Husky waved his paws from side to side and smiled. “There is cream on your left lip.” He pointed at her face.
“Oh…” She wiped her face. “Better?”
“Like never before,” Husky made an “OK” sign with his fingers.
“What Is this by the way?” she asked while turning the glass in her paws, searching to find the name of the drink on it, but unsuccessfully.
“It is a fruit-milk cocktail,” Rose said.
“I didn’t order that.”
“No, you said ‘bring something tasty’, so I brought this”
“It’s tasty,” Ian said and give an approving smile to Rose.
“See?” Rose wagged. “I’m a good waitress because I always know what the clients want.”
A shadow appeared near the entrance. The door had opened and a fox walked in. “Hey, hello there boys!” He waved his paw in the direction where Ian and Husky sat and went to them. “Boys?” Ian scowled at him. “He’s starting this again!” she turned to Husky. “He is late and he still has some cheek to do this again!”
“Relax Ian, there is nothing odd about it,” Husky said. “By the way, you look much prettier this way, than if you wear some kind of princess dress or something like that.”
“Thanks.” Ian said and smiled.
Andy sat in front of them. “Sorry I am late”
“Yeah, you were never late before, what’s happened?” Ian asked.
Andy thought for a moment “Ah, nothing. I think my clock didn’t work; that’s it”
“What will you order Mr. “Sleepyhead”?” Rose said to Andy.
“Hello Rosy,” he waved his paw. “I will order my usual,” he said with smile.
“Okay,” She left them to bring the order.
“Your clock?” Ian said. “We both know that this clock is nothing more that a decoration in your apartment. You never wake up by the beep.”
“Then I think I just became too tired after yesterday’s show”
“What are you hiding, Andy? This is us, you can tell anything to us”
“Yeah” Husky said resting his chin on his paws with pitiful eyes. “Pleeeease?”
“Nothing’s wrong, I just overslept. That’s it!”
“Yeah, tell me about it!” Ian said. “You thinking about that otter? You like him?”
“No! I already told you about it, nothing’s wrong! Let’s leave this subject, okay?”
“Okay okay, don’t get wrought-up,” Ian said and waved her paws.
Rose returned with some drinks and put them in front of Andy.
“Thank you sweetie,” Andy said to the Rose.
“By the way, when will you call him?” Husky said.
“Soon,” He mumbled.
“How about right now?” Ian said.
“Yeah,” Husky flung in and sipped his own drink.
“Okay, okay I’ll do it,” Andy took out the paper and started to dial the number on it, then he put the phone to his ear. After a few beeps a voice said “Hello?”
“Hello Jack, it’s me Andy, from the club, remember?”
There was a little pause until voice in the cell phone started to speak again “Andy?” Jack’s voice became a little nervous and stammered. “I didn’t expect you to call me”
“I think we already figure that out yesterday, I said that I would call you, and so I called”
“Yes, I remember, but I didn’t think that you would call so soon.”
“Sooner or later, it must happen anyway. So when did you want to meet?”
They arranged a place and time for when and where they would met--about an hour from the moment when Andy called. Andy pushed the red button on the phone to end the call.
“So?” Husky asked.
“Soon, in a place not so far from here,” Andy answered.
“Why not this café?” Ian said.
“He suggested this one, I don’t mind, nevertheless I don’t want it to be this one, something more neutral fits now.”
“I get it,” Ian answered.
“By the way, how’s your progress in this kind of thing?” Andy turned his head to Husky and sipped from his glass.
“What kind of thing?” Husky looked at Andy with surprise.
“Dates, fluffy dog, I mean dates,” Andy took another sip.
“I don’t date anyone,” Husky replied.
“I know, but every time we are at the club, you can’t take your eyes off one guy.”
“Which guy?” Husky pretended that he didn’t know anything about what Andy said.
“Stop being a fool, you know about who I speak.”
“Yeah, that cute Blondie…” Ian said and thought “What is his name…Saetto? Yeah I remember, it’s Saetto!” She shouted with victorious voice, making some visitors turn around.
“Shh…” Husky put his paw to Ian’s mouth “Not so loud, yes I like him, so what?”
“So what?!” Ian shouted again but Husky’s paw blocked hers voice so it became muttered. “Get off me!” She shook his paw from her mouth. “What do you mean “So what?” She repeated again. “You like him, so tell him that.”
“I tried, believe me I really tried, and not just once, but he always answers that I am joking and he can’t be as pretty as I say,” Husky lowered his head.
Ian slapped his shoulder. “Then try again”
“Yeah,” Andy said. “He’ll definitely figure out someday that your words are true, you just need to express them a little differently.”
He finished his drink. “Okay, I can’t be late, I need to go”
“Don’t hurt him, understand?” Ian said and gave him a serious look.
“I won’t, I won’t, don’t worry” Andy smiled and stood up from the table. He waved his paw as always and walked to the exit, leaving Ian and Husky on their own again.
“I hope he`ll be okay,” said Husky when Andy left.
“He will,” answered Ian.
Andy walked some streets and corners until he reached the place where he was supposed to meet with Jack. He walked to the entrance of the café and saw Jack already waiting for him there nervously looking around. Jack saw Andy and waved to him, with some blush on his cheeks.
“Shall we?” Andy said opening the door.
The otter said his usual “Yeah” word with his usual facial expression, as he did earlier in the club.
The door closed behind them leaving the street full of people walking from one way to another and cars riding from one side to side.
End of Part 1.
To be continued…