by David Sharp
"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come on to you like that."
"That doesn't matter."
"It does. I'll bet you don't have any gay friends, do you?"
"I have friends."
"Ones you don't sleep with?"
"Well...does that make me a bad person?"
"No. You just need to take care of yourself."
"I'm trying to do that. It's hard. That's all."
"Hey, if you need to talk about anything else, you can."
"No, everything else is way too complicated."
"It's all going to be okay." Wesley gave Daniel a warm hug.
Daniel let himself go, and together they gently rocked back and forth in the small room with Madonna singing her sultry lullaby. Daniel held the stranger, Wesley, close and enjoyed the warmth of his body next to his, knowing that it too would soon pass. There was a bigger world of furries, and Wesley was proof of that. But Daniel felt in his heart that he was a lone wolf when it came to the animals, knowing deep down that it would take more than a koala to save him from the wild.
Chapter Twenty-One:
Daniel paced around in circles through the empty loft, trying to sort everything out in his head. The phone rang and he reluctantly picked it up.
"Hello," he spoke into the corded receiver.
"No," he listened to Patrick's voice.
"Nothing's wrong," he sighed and continued, "Look, I'm busy. I need to let you go. Alright...fine...goodbye."
The receiver clattered in its cradle. Daniel looked at the phone, thinking about calling someone else. But he could not think of who to call, so he changed his mind. Back in his small guest room, he grabbed the next envelop from the pile and heard Chad's disembodied voice in his head again.
"Hey dude, bored as hell in here. I have not gone to trial and my lawyer said the evidence may be misplaced. It's funny how that happens. I think Patrick put some money in my commissary because I don't know who else would. He can be a good guy sometimes. Come up and see me if you get a chance. - Chad Bering SPN-1378534621"
Daniel tore open the next one, but before he could read the first line there was a knock at the door. Daniel rushed through the room, kind of hoping it would be Patrick so that he could make amends. He opened the door without looking through the peephole and was surprised to see James, muscle bound and bull-like.
"Well, well, didn't expect to find you here."
"What's up, James?"
"I came by looking for Chad."
"He ain't here. He's locked up."
"I knew he was, but the word is he's getting out soon."
Daniel wondered about the rest of the unread letters and felt a pang of guilt.
"He is? I thought he was writing you."
"Yeah, I haven't been here to get my mail."
"It happens." James paused and decided. "You make a hot little wolf cub."
"Yeah," Daniel felt uneasy, "I saw you watching me when you were with Chad."
"You're cute. I couldn't help it."
"Well, you ain't so bad yourself."
"Can I come in?"
"Patrick's not here."
"I don't care to see Patrick. Can I come in?"
"Yeah," Daniel moved to let James wander inside.
"Do you still do Tina?" James offered a bag and a cut off straw.
"Sure, let's go to my room." Daniel led the way, closed the door, and snorted some.
James did twice as much, and in their mutual rush he pulled Daniel's pants down. The wolf tail twirled and fell to the side when freed.
"You are perfect."
"So I've been told," Daniel said more confident than he felt. "Show me yours."
"Go ahead and see for yourself, Danny boy."
Daniel maneuvered onto the bed and undid James' pants. Repositioned, they sixty-nined in a frenzy of drug fueled passion. Daniel saw the wolf head in the closet staring at him and the thought of the soft blue fur took him over the edge and James with him.
"That was fucking hot. Do you want another line?"
Daniel straightened out his clothes. "Sure."
James buttoned his jeans and tilted his head. "Have you ever danced?"
"No, I've been around some of the dancers at Trade and the ones from Straps that stay here, but I've never done it."
"Do you want to?" James was eager.
"When and where?" Daniel could not believe that James was serious about him stripping. The idea seemed so out of the blue.
"Tonight at Straps," James rubbed his abs as he pulled down his muscle shirt.
"That's Patrick's bar." Daniel checked himself out in the mirror and felt insubstantial. "I don't know if I could do that. I've seen what those guys look like."
"Sure you could. I'll pick you out a t-back and drop it off later." James knew he had Daniel in a trap.
"Okay," Daniel decided, ignoring the nagging doubts about why James had showed up in the first place.
"And you'll have to trim up a little too." James petted the side of Daniel's leg.
"I can do that." Daniel's mind whirled with crazy thoughts of him stripping at a bar, a return to his last night at Trade, but in a different way.
"Trust me. You can make some good money doing it." James grabbed a hold of the wolf tail, and thinking twice, he let it go. "Alright, I got to split, but I will be in touch."
"Yeah, I'll see you later." Daniel watched as James rushed out of the loft, and he remembered his alter ego, the Minotaur. In Greek mythology, the beast had to be slain to pass through the labyrinth.
Maybe this is some sort of test, thought Daniel, chuckling at the ridiculousness. I must be high.
*
Daniel stood nervously in Wesley's bedroom, still not quite believing his impulsive course of action. He did need a job, though, especially with Trade in the rearview window of his young life.
Wesley laughed at the audaciousness. "Are you going to do it?"
"I guess so," Daniel felt sheepish.
"Well, take your clothes off, bitch."
"Hey, watch it."
"Do you want to do this or not?"
Reluctantly, Daniel stripped naked and stood awkwardly in the middle of Wesley's bedroom, shifting foot to foot on the carpet. Katie, the Terrier mix, stared at his dangling parts, making him more nervous. Wesley returned from the small bathroom with a straight razor and some shaving cream.
"Sit down on the bed and lean back."
Daniel lay back and felt vulnerable. "You'd better be safe with that thing."
"Put your legs apart." Carefully, Wesley lathered up Daniel's pubic hair and shaved one swipe at a time around his balls.
The metal softly scraped the skin, removing the hair smoothly as if wiping off lotion. Wesley cleaned off the blade with a towel and continued.
"That's pretty close." Daniel flinched at the touch of the sharp metal blade.
"I know you just want to be friends, but damn, this is hot."
"Are you finished?"
"One last bit." Wesley wiped away the excess shaving cream and admired his work. "Now it's done."
Daniel stood up, feeling quite bare. He walked to a mirror and was stunned at the sight. "Wow, I look bigger."
"Phew. Look, you should get dressed."
"Right, um, thanks Wes."
"You are one hot mess."
Daniel pulled on his jeans and t-shirt. "No, really, thank you. I owe you one."
Wesley folded the razor. "Well, when I need my ass shaved, I know who I'm calling."
"Fair enough," Daniel put on his boots and felt his heart beat hard in his chest. He caught his eye in the mirror and mouthed the words: "You can do this, Daniel."
Chapter Twenty-Two:
The smoke-filled interior of the leather and Levi bar, Straps, was dark. Sitting at the corner of Patrick's bar, Daniel slammed down his third drink. His ex-boyfriend had barely said a word to him, an unspoken commentary on his new companion, no doubt. In that moment, he disliked James too.
"It is time." James
pointed to the backstage door hidden across the bar. "Go back there and change."
"Alright, I got it."
Daniel took his mostly empty duffel bag and made his way from the barstool. He felt Patrick's eyes burning into his back, but he refused to look. The crowd was a bit older and on the rough side. Between the two iron cages at the end of the dance floor was a concealed door, painted black like the wall around it. It opened into a tiny chamber, the dressing room. Daniel sat down on the wooden bench and confronted his scared reflection in the body mirror. Breathing out, he stripped bare and slid on the tight silver t-back, sitting back down to lace up his combat boots. Kind of freaked, he stood and adjusted his pouch.
"Okay, okay...you can do this." Daniel hyped himself up.
Reaching into the duffel bag, he retrieved his confidence. With the cock ring snugly in place, he attached his wolf tail. The reflection looked more appealing to him and he breathed in to steady his nerves.
"It's show time."
Walking out of the dressing room and back into the main part of Straps, Daniel felt the hungry eyes upon him. He climbed into the cage on the right. The other cage was occupied with a more professional looking dancer. Daniel shaded his eyes from the competition and moved, slowly at first, then faster upon recognizing the song as Boom Boom by Paul Lekakis. Knowing the music, he was able to find the beat along with the irony of the lyrics. The grey wolf tail made him unique, so he worked it to his advantage.
A grizzled guy who looked like a trucker reached between the bars with a folded twenty dollar bill. Daniel squatted and let the man place it along the edge of the t-back.
"Nice," the trucker type commented as he slapped Daniel's leg.
Daniel felt a little more confident after the first one, and putting on a show, he collected many more dollars. Climbing up the cage to its top, he deliriously swung around and accidentally slammed his thigh into the cage. On impact, he felt a shift in the air, not feeling comfortable anymore.
The crowd began making fun of his tail. Some of them were even laughing at him. They were giving dollars, but it was more for a freak show than something sexy. James had tricked him, finding him weak, and used him for this: a payback for whatever Chad owed him the night he was busted. A different stranger groped him, sliding a dirty hand under his t-back. He pulled back from the probing fingers as disgust washed over him. Daniel wanted to be out of the cage, not trapped in it like an animal in the zoo. The Minotaur had used this labyrinthine trick to make some money off of him. The thought left his head reeling. The mythology was right.
Daniel left out of the side of the cage, squeezing through where a couple of bars were farther apart, and made a bee-line to Patrick's bar. James was gone, the barstool empty. Patrick looked him over with a smirk.
"I can't do this."
"I could have told you that."
"Give me my money."
"James took it in advance. You didn't know that, did you?
"Damn it, I am so stupid."
"I could have told you that, too."
"Very funny," Daniel glanced back at the cage and saw how predator-like the other dancer worked the crowd.
"Have another drink so you can finish your shift." Patrick slid over a tequila sunrise.
Daniel slammed the drink in one gulp. "I can't."
Patrick fought back a grin as he thought it over. "You have been here awhile. Plus, you used to be with me. And it was pretty damn funny. Here's fifty bucks."
Daniel snatched it. "Thanks, Patrick."
"Now go get your stuff and make yourself scarce from Straps from now on," Patrick chuckled.
"No problem." Daniel half-heartedly twirled for Patrick. "I should never have done this with my wolf tail."
Patrick laughed again. "Right, there will be no more dancing or prancing for you in this bar. Now go on, get out of here."
Daniel was relieved to be free from the cage and vowed never to be caught like that again. For too long, he had been apart from the wolf. That is when the date struck him like a thunderbolt. It was Furry Friday at Steam. There was plenty of time to transform, get there, and go wild.
*
Daniel was experiencing a fugue inside of the hide of the blue wolf suit. Furry Friday was in full force at Steam and the wolf danced, even with Daniel's mind off balance from the failed venture of stripping at Straps. The speed from earlier was still streaming through him. In his mind, it enhanced his lupine form. Through a long crazy straw, he slurped up his orange juice and as it was called. Except this time the "and" was Everclear, pure grain alcohol. Daniel, the wolf, set the drink on the rail and danced.
A roan horse danced close, rubbed sides with the wolf, and spoke, revealing Adam's voice, "Hey, Wolfie, do you want to ride a horse?"
"How fucking cool." The wolf tilted his head. "I was hoping I would run into you, Adam."
The horse massaged the wolf's jaw, fur to fur. "Are you still dating those two guys?"
"No, it looks like I am single again."
"Damn, that can be trouble for me." The roan horse hoofed twice on the dance floor in appreciation.
"Damn right it is." The blue wolf pointed his snout up and howled.
The horse whinnied and said, "Let's yiff."
The wolf moved in on the horse, and as cumbersome as the fur suits were, they managed to paw at each other, feeling the contours of their fur lined bodies. With the dance floor left behind, they banged into the side of the bar.
The tall, spiky haired blond bartender, Alec, interrupted. "Well, look at you tramps."
"What?" The wolf pulled back from the horse, his tongue licking the edge of his maw.
"So are you two boyfriends?" Alec put a hand to the side of his head, admiring the strangeness of the coupled animals at his bar.
"No, I have a boyfriend." The horse hung his head low.
"We're just friendly." The wolf perked up the horse with a grope to the flank.
Alec watched them horse play and lightly kiss in the fur, finding the right angle to get to each other's tongue. With a genuine smile on his lips, he said, "Let's go to the office and do some drugs."
Inside of the small rustic office located in the attic of the club, the horse nibbled on the wolf's neck, stirring up trouble.
Alec watched the animals. "So, are y'all fuck-buddies?"
"Yeah," the horse chomped at the bit, "fuck-buddies."
The wolf bit back. "Check this out."
The blue wolf thrust the roan horse down onto the office floor. With zippers pulled, the animals rotated and went head to crotch, to Alec's amazement. A knock at the door threw him out of his shock.
"I'll get it," Alec laughed.
Alec opened the door to a tattooed staff member whose eyes widened at the animalistic display on the floor.
"Um, we need some more ones," the pierced and inked guy nonchalantly said.
"I'll bring them out after the yiff."
Alec smoked a cigarette and watched the surreal feat until its finish. "That was fucking amazing."
In the aftermath, the wolf and the horse straightened out their fur suits and made their way out of the office with only a nod to Alec. On toward the dance floor, they paused at its edge.
The horse spoke, "I have to go. I'll see you around?"
The wolf bit his lip. "Yeah, you will see me around."
Awkwardly, they parted ways. No longer in the mood for dancing, Daniel took off the wolf head to cool off his sweaty face. He watched the horse, Adam, as he disappeared into the mostly furry crowd. A tap at his shoulder surprised him, even more so with the sight of the Minotaur's hoof retracting from the touch.
"I've been looking for you. What happened at Straps?"
Daniel felt the anxiety of fight or flight and somehow stood his ground. "I had to go. I couldn't hang with stripping."
"That's cool, I guess." James, the Minotaur, paused and scratched his bare side. "Do you want to go back to my place?"
"Sure, why not? You took my money anyway." Daniel p
ut the wolf head back into place.
"Oh shit, that's back at my place," the Minotaur lied.
"You tricked me because of Chad. I get it."
"Fine, you got me. But you should still come over." The Minotaur stood taller on its hooves. The horns made him look like a devil of sorts.
The wolf flexed the claws on his blue paws. "Why would I want to do that?"
"Because I will share the drugs I bought with your money." The bull man smiled, knowing he had the upper hand.
"Alright, I'll go...but just because you owe me something." Knowing it was going to be wrong, Daniel half-heartedly left Furry Friday for the Minotaur's lair.
*
The lair was just as dingy as Daniel, the wolf, had remembered it. He sat down next to James, the Minotaur, and noticed the two horns on his head and the third one from the zipper between his wooly thighs. Worn out from the speed, the wolf was also hot under the fur, and the cottonmouth made his tongue feel like sandpaper. The bull worked on his third horn.
"Do you want to suck me?" The Minotaur spread his hooves further apart to display.
"My jaw hurts," the wolf rubbed along his whiskers. "Let's just paw off."
A strange Japanese animation porno clicked on the television, anthropomorphic in detail. It reminded Daniel of the Thundercats if they had gone really wrong. Tried as he did, the wolf could not get into it. He needed real flesh, not pretend. Maybe Wesley was right that fur should not be a fetish. An image, a reflection of a man-goat, filled the screen, blocking the boy/cat action.
"Who's that?" The blue wolf was startled and tried to hide his limpness with a blue paw.
"What?" The Minotaur turned and nodded to the Satyr. "Oh, him. You're my surprise to him, the reason I brought you here."
The wolf looked over the Satyr: a broad chest, wooly legs, cloven hooves, and the ears and horns of a goat. The Satyr nodded back. Inside the skin, Daniel realized that it was Paul, feeling trapped in a moment of Greek tragedy.
Paul, the Satyr, rubbed himself up to a point. "I told you I would be seeing you around, wolf boy."
"What the hell?" The blue wolf got up, his fur slipping down to expose his mid-section and below.
"Just relax, Daniel." The bull hoofed the wolf's paws behind his back.
The Satyr reached into a dark corner of the lair and unfolded a sling, a leather hammock used for sex. He brushed away the sweat dripping down his chest along his blond hair. The wolf felt ill, but let them lean him back onto the sling.