The Trouble With Furries

by David Sharp

  The wolf pricked up his ears when he heard the sound of a zipper. The fight or flight response quickened his pulse until the stray paws comforted him to the sight of the bull.

  "Go ahead," the beast ordered with a twitch of manliness.

  The wolf snorted the dust with his snout and his long tongue licked up the residue. The electric moment caused the rest to happen fast, with the three animals trying to meld with each other and become one twisted animal. The wolf was taken down to the bottom of the fur pile and groaned from the agony of the tip of the driving bull. Not able to take the pain, he fought off the Minotaur and crawled to the side, panting in order to let the fox take his place for the insatiable bull. The wolf pawed off watching the surreal image of the horned bull with the fox bouncing on its lap. Like a Japanese anime to the extreme, he thought of one he had ordered and about how dirty he felt when he watched, yet he still pawed off, unable to look away. That dirtiness soaked his soul in the strange moment in the rundown apartment lair. The pounding was rough and sped up with howls from the fox. The Minotaur pumped on, and suddenly it looked as if oil had been struck and the bull beast mildly roared in disgust. The blue wolf turned and gagged as he hopped off of the bed to the safety of a corner, no longer sure of his animal self.

  Chapter Eighteen:

  In the loft the following day, Daniel woke with a thumping headache lying on top of the comfortable king sized bed.

  Patrick was sitting up in a terry cloth robe smoking a wooden pipe. "Morning sleepyhead, do you want some?"

  Daniel rubbed his eyes blearily, "You know I don't smoke that stuff."

  "Maybe you should. It would mellow you out."

  Daniel saw the blue wolf hanging in the closet. "I doubt that. More likely, it would make me into useless Jell-O."

  Patrick exhaled smoke. "I'd like it if you jiggled more," he chuckled.

  "Ha, ha, ha...do you have any aspirin? My head is killing me."

  "I imagine so. Check in the kitchen cabinet downstairs."

  Daniel yawned, "Do you need anything?"

  "I'm fine." With a detached face, Patrick clicked through the cable channels with the remote.

  Daniel slowly got up, the pain behind his eyes nearly blinding him, and went about searching the floor for some shorts and a t-shirt that seemed fresh enough to wear. Weakly, he made it down the seemingly long spiral staircase. The loft looked clean, perhaps too clean, and it set off an alarm in his head. Snapping open a Dr. Pepper from the refrigerator, he drank the refreshing carbonation and swallowed the pill. Daniel tried to piece together the end of the night, but with the flashes that came to him, he decided that it was best forgotten. Fully awake, he realized that Chad was not there and had not been there late last night. In a panic, he rushed up the stairs to look at Patrick in a new light.

  Patrick stared blankly at a languid game of golf on the television. "Did you find them?"

  Daniel gazed at the closet, seeing more space next to the wolf from the absence of the fox. "Where's Chad?"

  "I don't know." Patrick's eyes followed the tennis athlete's swing and the small ball landing further down the greens to be hit back.

  "He was here this morning, wasn't he?"

  "He was." Patrick relit the pipe.

  "Don't fuck with me. Tell me what happened."

  Patrick exhaled a cloud of smoke. "I told him to leave."

  "Why would you do that?"

  "He's a mess." Patrick flicked the lighter, putting it to the bowl until it glowed orange. "He's a junky."

  "You do that shit with him. What does that make you?"

  Patrick's tone changed with a flare of anger. "I'm as much a junky as you."

  "I don't have any holes between my toes."

  "Stop it!" Patrick calmed himself as best he could. "Daniel, he's gone. It's just you and me now, okay?"

  Daniel was upset and lost. "Just like that, you could let him go."

  "No, no, I thought about it. I really did and this is the best decision for all of us."

  "So you decided."

  "I did. Now, you need to make a choice."

  "You don't own me."

  "You are my boyfriend, aren't you?"

  Daniel hesitated and then grudgingly said, "Yes."

  "Then come and give me a kiss."

  Daniel felt a wave of detachment as he walked over and sat down next to Patrick. He allowed himself to be undressed and handled, but the emptiness inside of his heart was great. Daniel looked into Patrick's eyes and saw nothing but ego. Averting his gaze to the mirror, he watched what happened like a faded old film. In that moment, he hated himself for being so easily used.

  *

  Time and a dreamless sleep had passed and Daniel awoke alone in the loft. Patrick was temporarily gone and Daniel was glad. He sat up and stretched, running a palm across the warm sheets. Daniel missed Chad and his wily ways. He realized how fun Chad was to the straightforward seriousness of Patrick, and he sighed. He also knew that he should not get involved in Chad's underworld and that nothing good would come out of it. Daniel shook off the thoughts as he whipped back the sheet and got out of bed naked. A little light-headed, he stubbed his toe on an empty lube bottle. A disdainful look crossed his face as he wiped his toes on the carpet.

  Daniel confronted the bathroom mirror. The tell-tale signs of the slaughterhouse were few, but one smear of blood brought a flash of the past chaotic night. The mirror never lied and Daniel found his body still attractive, but something had changed. He ran a finger across his teeth, wishing for the beast within.

  "At least I'm not sick," Daniel spoke to his reflection. One thing he respected about Patrick, regardless of how crazy he could be, was that he always used a condom every single time. Satisfied, Daniel turned his thoughts away from the plague and lightly walked to the closet.

  Inside, the blue wolf awaited him. One bare leg at a time, he stepped inside the furry skin and felt instantly changed. Different than the moment before, he no longer was himself. Daniel was something wild.

  Chapter Nineteen:

  A giant disco ball spun pin lights over the throwback gay costumed crowd in nineteen seventies attire as retro dance music permeated the air. Above the stage loomed a huge silver glittery crescent moon with a face. Tilted up to its nose was a large spoon filled with cotton. Daniel whipped through the crowd and made a beeline for the back of the club.

  Inside of the bathroom, he ignored the comers and goers and quickly changed. Daniel took off his blue jeans, bare skin sans underwear, and pulled up a pair of blue short shorts of the gym variety from two decades past. Combat boots back in place, he slid out of his white t-shirt, stood bare chested, and felt drafty. Reluctantly, he stowed away his wolf tail by rolling it up in the shirt.

  Daniel shook his head at his reflection and spoke to his image, "You look like a porn star." Folding up his clothes, he pulled a little blue pill from the change pocket of the jeans and swallowed it. On last look, he thought he looked pretty good and smiled at the thought of the potential attention and money he could bring in wearing so little. He stroked his tail for luck and put his belongings away on a high shelf.

  Daniel was flying through work from the start and loving every minute of it. He made a new batch of sour mix at station seven for Eddie, stopped midway to open a beer for another random admirer of his shorts, and finished with a shake. He was right about the get-up. In fact, the boys loved the shorts, especially the way he worked them to a tease. He took another proffered tip and put it into the jar, having to cram it down to make room.

  Eddie, in a good mood from the money their station was making, was shirtless and ripped, modeling a pair of painted on bell bottom blue jeans. He slapped Daniel on a bare shoulder. "Hey stud, go get us some more vodka."

  "Sure thing, big daddy," Daniel was out from the bar in a flash feeling a draft again from the movement.

  Pushing through the crowd and avoiding groping hands, he ran into Chad by the DJ booth. Both clad in similar short shorts, they paused and
looked at each other, realizing that neither had a tail.

  "Hey, Chad," Daniel was happy to see him, but weary from the domestic trauma.

  "Dude, I'm sorry about the other night."

  "It's cool...shit happens," Daniel joked, breaking the tension as they both laughed.

  "You are not right for bringing that up. How are things with you?"

  "Good as can be. It ain't the same without you there."

  "Well, that fucker kicked me out."

  "I know." Daniel felt at a loss.

  "Do you want to hang out later?"

  "No, I can't."

  "Plans?" Chad asked.

  "I'm not a hustler, Chad."

  "Hustler? What are you talking about?"

  "I get it. That is what you have to do to survive, right?"

  "Yeah, but it's not like that, dude."

  "It is. You sell drugs or your ass. I can't do that and I do miss you. I don't have anyone to dress up with and runt around."

  "We can still hang out, right?"

  "Sometime...but not tonight," Daniel kissed Chad, letting his lips linger. "Things with Patrick are sort of wrong now."

  "I get it, you don't..." Chad was drowned out by a ruckus from downstairs.

  They gave each other an odd look and descended the steps, Daniel on Chad's heels. At the bottom of the stairwell, a group of lesbians were yelling and fighting. Marie had moved off into the dark recesses of the corner, out of harm's way. The fight escalated as one heavy set girl tore into another, no slaps or claws, but full on punches being traded by the burly girls. Chad barged through them and opened the side door wide.

  "Get out!" Chad pushed at the throng.

  Daniel joined in, arms out. "Outside, all of you go out!"

  The last aggressor, a mean butch, lunged forward. "You can't kick us out, faggot!"

  "Who are you calling faggot, you stupid bitch!" Chad pushed her out the door and slammed it shut.

  "What the fuck was that?" Daniel smiled at the insanity.

  "Fucking dykes, I swear..."

  A banging louder than the music rattled and shook the door. Chad opened it and the butch girl slapped him open handed across the face. The others tried to pour back inside and Daniel helped head them off. The scuffle took on the fury of a riot, and the fight swirled outside. The door closed, locking them all out of the club with an ominous metal snap. Flashing lights illuminated the chaos and the police were into the mix. Tempers had flared hot but were stymied by the authorities.

  A young, hard looking rookie cop took control. "Alright, what's going on here?"

  Daniel stepped up. "These girls are drunk and started fighting, so we threw them out."

  One of the girls yelled, "You liar, that's not what happened."

  "Hey, that bitch hit me." Chad spat on the ground.

  The ring leader of the fight acted innocent. "Those two started it and that one," she pointed at Chad, "he threatened me."

  "Who are you?" The officer, his name tag with M Reeves on it, eyed Chad suspiciously.

  "I work here."

  "Yeah right, both of you up against the wall."

  "We both work here," Daniel pleaded.

  A second police officer, a little older and meaner, joined in, "Up against the wall, you don't want us telling you again."

  Chad gave Daniel a resigned look as they turned around, faced the grey concrete, and put their hands on the wall.

  Chad mouthed, "Oh fuck."

  Daniel felt the hands grope him over his shorts in search of contraband. "Hey, watch it."

  The older officer scowled in disgust for having touched Daniel's privates, and he wiped his hand on his uniform pants. "That one is clean."

  Officer Reeves frisked Chad, stopped on his shorts, and felt a little longer. He then reached in to pull out a bag of white, with separated bags inside. He caught his partner's eye. "Hey Jenson, we got a live one. Bring the car up here."

  Officer Jenson handcuffed Chad's hands behind his back. "Don't you move, punk."

  Daniel's mouth formed a perfect o shape as he watched the fear in Chad's eyes.

  "Put your hands down," Reeves demanded with a second pair of cuffs.

  "Hey, what are you doing?" Daniel was appalled at the proceedings.

  "I'm arresting you. That's what I'm doing."

  The side door opened with a bang and a harried Stina entered the fray. "What is going on out here? These are my employees for Chrissakes."

  Officer Reeves' shoulders slumped. "How was I to know?"

  "You should know because I pay you to be here." Stina gave a mean eye to the lesbians.

  "That may be so, but I have to talk to my partner about something."

  The police car pulled up and Reeves conferenced with his partner, Jenson. The gang of girls, now over their personal issues, gloated at the proceedings.

  Stina looked from Daniel to Chad. "I knew you boys would be trouble from the start." Exasperated, he asked, "What happened?"

  Chad said in a shaky voice, "We were throwing them out for fighting." The cuffs clinked behind him and he stumbled forward slightly.

  "And we got locked out," Daniel added glumly and eyed the police officers in discussion under the red and blue lights.

  The original butch instigator butted in, "he hit me."

  "No, that ain't right. She slapped him," Daniel defended.

  "That's right," Chad muttered plainly.

  "He's lying..."

  "Shut up," Stina cut her off and dared her to challenge him with a look as cold as steel.

  The mean girl was surprised and even more shocked when the police returned.

  "I need to see all of your IDs."

  "You've got to be fucking kidding me?"

  The second officer grabbed her and put her into restraints. "No talking back, do you understand?"

  The first officer held up the bag for Stina to see. "You can have that one," he pointed to Daniel, "but we have to take the other one."

  Stina cussed under his breath. "I see. Go inside, Daniel."

  Daniel's heart felt stuck in his chest and he hesitated. "I will try to get you out. Maybe Patrick will help."

  "No, there is nothing you can do."

  The officer turned Chad around, pulled him by the cuffs, and led him away.

  "This ain't right." Daniel felt the tears start, but held them back.

  "I'll write you when I can." Chad's eyes reflected the pain as he was taken to the car.

  Daniel knocked on the side door. Marie silently answered, and Daniel stepped back into the club. Shutting the side door, and the turn of events out with it, he was glad to feel some of the effects of the blue pill. The crowd seemed to have doubled in size. Those on the dance floor were doing the hustle under the sparkling disco ball. Feeling frazzled, Daniel ran a hand through his hair, and for the first time that night being half naked in public did not make him feel sexy.

  Marie slinked back to her post and took a seat on the stool. "Oui est les personnes qui sont heareux?"

  Daniel smiled over his dark feelings. "Not now, Marie."

  The gay mob roared as Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive took control of the revelers. A strong muscled arm took hold of Daniel and yanked him into the ice room.

  Eddie, wearing nothing but some skin tight bell bottoms unbuttoned at the top, looked Daniel over. "Are you alright?"

  "No, they took Chad to jail." Daniel remembered the blue pill he had taken earlier again and wondered exactly what he had said to the police.

  "No shit? I knew he was going to get popped one day, just not today."

  "Well, what's done is done."

  Eddie leaned in Daniel's face. "You're fucked up."

  "Yeah, I guess I am." Daniel's eyes rolled. "It's nice."

  "Damn, mine hasn't totally kicked in yet." Eddie was envious. "What color was yours?"

  "Blue." Daniel made a hand gesture to describe the color. "It just hit me."

  "I have to go. Damn you." Eddie paused.

  "Come here." Da
niel moved in closer.

  Eddie got it and reached a strong arm behind Daniel's head and roughly kissed him. The kiss seemed to last for an eternity and when they pulled apart, Daniel was breathless.

  "Nice," was all Daniel could say.

  "See you," Eddie, sure of himself, hit the door, leaving Daniel stunned.

  The door swung open and Gustavo appeared long enough to say, "Ka-tee," and disappear again. Daniel felt off balance as he left the ice room.

  From the strangely exotic blue darkened corner, Marie spoke, "Savez-vous meme qui vous etes?"

  Daniel stared at her blankly and felt irritated. "What are you saying?"

  "Je pense qui mon," she finished.

  *

  Daniel was no longer off balance, but rather plainly conflicted by his emotions and the blue pill amplifier. He retrieved his bus tub from the floor upstairs by the DJ booth and headed into the mass of gay humanity. With the tub poised to part the people like butter, he made his way. Downstairs and out of breath again, he kicked into the routine of the rail: stack and dump. Two guys made out in the mix and one tripped and fell, taking the other with him. Daniel laughed at the slow motion spectacle. The crowd moved in waves. The song by Gloria Gaynor was playing in a loop. Fog flowed, covering everything in view. Hands reached out to touch and grope Daniel, who laughed as he made his way to the office.

  Yolanda batted her long eyelashes at the door. "What happened to you, sexy?"

  Daniel held out his free hands and realized that he had lost his bus tub. "It's just another night at Trade."

  "You are one hot mess." Yolanda put one hand on her hip and the other to her lips in a thoughtful pout.

  "Excuse me," Daniel happily stumbled past her into the office in his short shorts and felt the cool blast of air conditioning on his mostly bare body.

  Stina and Patrick stopped mid-conversation and stared at Daniel.

  "Well, look at boy wonder." Stina officiously straightened some invoices on his desk.

  "Eddie needs vodka," Daniel stuttered.

  "No problem," Stina smirked.

  "Awe, he's so cute when he's messed up." Patrick smiled like a shark.

  "Whatever." Daniel tried not to make eye contact with Patrick.