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_ Fences _

Lili slammed closed the cabinet beside our stove. "You can't seriously be considering this?"

"Actually..." I watched her storm across our tiny kitchen. "I am."

"But why you?" She looked down, groaning loudly at her empty paws. "Have you thought about Dimi, Lara? How do you plan on explaining it to them?"

I used the time it took for her to march back to our stove. She yanked the cabinet open and snatched out our big metal saucepan. I hoped she planned on using that for dinner.

"I'll tell the them exactly what I told you." I reached out for her empty black-furred paw, squeezing softly. "That I've been asked to go abroad for work. That while I'll miss them a lot, I'm doing this to help us live better."

She shook herself free, white muzzle creasing with anger. "But two_months_, Artem!?" An almighty racket rang out as the pan slammed and skittered across the worktop. Gods knew what our neighbours must have thought. "This is crazy."

"Lili, please--"

"Ma was right." She slapped my paw away. "You must be the most stubborn, single-minded badger in existence!"

"Really? More than her?"

"How can you do this!?"

"Lilya," I snapped, louder. "I _can't_turn this down." A long sigh helped my hackles settle. "I can't in my right mind turn down work. Not with how many projects have been put on hold lately." Finally, she allowed me to hold her paw again. "And for almost six months' basic pay doing two months' work, I_definitely_can't turn down a chance to help get us out of this damn tenement once and for all."

Her arms didn't feel so tense. The anger and upset remained in her eyes, but this was a start.

"Come here." I pulled her gently into me, muzzle resting neatly between her ears. Maybe if I held her here long enough, all her sadness would slip away. "In a way, it's a privilege, really. To be one of those picked for the contract... My company _and_me."

She tore herself from our hold. "You expect that to make me feel better?"

Me and my big mouth. "I know this is hard..." I followed after her, reaching out to help wipe the tears from her matted black fur. "...But I don't leave for another two whole weeks yet."

"Go tell the children to wash up for dinner. It won't be long."

"Lili--"

"Please," she sobbed, pushing me away to retreat to the stove. "Maybe you can try to explain all this to them at the same time."

Making it out into the cold, dark hallway gave me space to breath. For all the thinking I'd put into explaining this on my way home from the site, things had gone as bad as they possibly could. I knew this would be hard, no doubt. Not only trying to explain, but also to get my head around just how long two months away from home really was.

Before this, I had only been away for work a few days at a time. A week max, when the company I work for had a big renovation job at some business park out in Zelengorod. But two months? Two whole months? How badly Lili took it shouldn't have been surprising. Truthfully, I couldn't work out how to take it myself.

As upsetting as this might be for all of us, a part of me was... excited, too. Not just over the money, as much as that would _really_come in useful, but also for the new experience. Never before had I been overseas. On top of that, knowing how things are going here in Sokolka, in Velika in general, it probably wasn't an opportunity that would come up again for a long while at least.

I looked along the hallway, towards Dimi and Lara's bedroom door. It sat there ajar. How much of all this had they heard? Even more reason to head in there and get this over with.

The squeak of their door made my ears flick. I pushed it slowly, letting more and more light shine out past me. I slipped my head through, expecting I might find them playing, or doing their homework. Instead, I found them just quietly sitting there on their beds. Dimi's toy box untouched. Lara's doll house abandoned.

"Hey..." I took a step inside. Just one. "Ma said dinner will be ready soon. Best think about going to wash your paws."

Dimi's head hung low, as if expecting punishment for something. "Is Ma okay?"

"Ma? She's fine."

"We heard..." Lara pointed her muzzle to the carpet, squeezing her little stuffed fox doll tight. "You was shouting."

"Oh, don't worry about that," I answered as carefully as I could, padding towards them even more so. "She's... a little upset is all."

"Why?"

I stopped at the gap between their beds, waiting for Dimi to scoot along and let me sit at the foot of his. His golden-brown eyes shone up at me, expecting. Lara on the other paw, she just kept on showing off the narrow strip of white running through her head fur.

"It's nothing either of you have done." I took in a breath, patting Dimi on the knee and smiling in the hope that Lara would look up to see it. Seeing them both so sad only twisted the knife digging into my chest. "It's me." It only made biting the bullet and coming out with it even harder. "See, soon... I have to go away for a little while..."

---

"For the last time, Bryan. No means no."

"But Mum!" I chased her into the living room. No way was I giving up. "That ain't fair."

"I don't care about fair." She stopped so fast I almost bumped into her. "It's not safe, you're not going, and that's final."

"But... but, that's not fair!"

"Listen to your mother," Dad mumbled from his chair, nosedeep in his tablet. "We've made our decision."

"I'm fifteen! I ain't a little kid any more."

"It's not about how old--"

"And all my friends'll be going... It's just not fair!"

"So you keep saying," Mum snapped, sitting in her chair across from Dad. "The answer won't change, though. So stop asking."

This was total balls! I threw myself onto the couch. Why in the hell were they being so damn... _parenty_about this? Acting like I was planning on heading half way 'round the world or some shit? Made no damn sense to me.

"It's not like we're gonna get close," I explained. "We just wanna take a look is all."

"How many times, Bryan!?" Mum threw up her arms. Even Dad dropped his tablet to start staring at me. "You're not. To go. Anywhere near."

"I don't get why this is such a--"

"What would your grandad have said?"

"Oh, Dad, c'mon--"

"No, tell me." He sat forward, pointing up at the family pictures we had hanging over the mantelpiece ahead of me. Even when we weren't talking about him, the big portrait of a very serious-looking badger in army uniform always stood out from the others. It'd been there since I was little, taken during a reunion he, Grandma and my parents had gone to for the anniversary of Victory Day. His medals meanwhile had all been framed, and put on display below. "It's a shame he'll not be around for the 50th anniversary in the new year," Dad muttered to me, I think. Either way, he'd forgotten his question. Thank the gods.

"I don't even know _why_they've brought them over to Polcia," Mum moaned. "Velikans... As if we want them anywhere near here."

"Cheap, quick manual labour," he answered. "All they're good for. Mind, I hoped these daft 'special access' permits would stop being given out after the sizeists got back in control..."

Oh great. Here they went. I tried not to roll my eyes too hard. No chance I'd win them round during another of their political talks. This was the first time in years any giant folk had come to work in Linvendia. Back then, we had some Bolstrovans helping to build a dam, but that was all the way up north.

"Having_them_ come over to lay the foundations for a new town... When _they're_the reason there's space for it here on the coast." Mum shook her head, getting more and more worked up. "What's more, _paying_them for the privilege!?"

"It's a mad world." Dad sat back into his chair. "TV on. Channel 8 News."

The set lowered from its space in the ceiling above the mantel. Time to make my exit. No need to watch another news report on 'them' and their awful visit.

"Fine." Mum and Dad said nothing, not even looking my way as I disappeared into the hallway. "Whatever."

I kept going all the way to the staircase, grabbing the banister to stomp extra nosily up to my room.

---

I did all I could to comfort my wife after announcing this job in Polcia to her. Told her how we had a whole two weeks between that talk in the kitchen and my time to leave. Only after those 'whole' two weeks had rocketed past did I see how shit my attempts had really been.

There were tears from all sides. From her, from Dimi, Lara, and a few from me, too; all before I stepped into the pissy elevator of our tenement block that morning. There might have been even more had known how awful the journey would play out.

Back when my boss had first mentioned the idea, he failed to fill me in on the details. After a flight to Bolstrovo came a second, longer, even more cramped trip to some old airport on some small island across the Sovereign Ocean. As if that hadn't been enough, myself and my other travelling coworkers had to endure an unbearably choppy boat ride straight after. Only then did we finally arrive at the flimsy temp dock set up on the Polcian shoreside.

All in all, with the time spent dealing with security checks, scans and questions added on, I'd suffered through a full day of travel with next to no sleep.

Even after a week in this job, still I lacked energy. Still went stiff when I tried to move or bend too fast. Maybe after the eight weeks we had remaining here, I'd make a full recovery...

Oh, and to round thing off nicely, compared to what I had imagined visiting Polcia to be like, the reality fell incredibly short. Never did I expect to be allowed close to any of the towns or cities here. Those were kept out of reach by the wire fencing all around us and our site.

All that left us however were plain grass fields, hillsides covered with forests of small trees, and the sea we had sailed across to reach here. Honestly, I hoped that we would have got to see more than that.

Frustrations forced to one side, I threw myself back into my work. Most of the day that far had involved simple, skilless tasks for me. Flattening and preparing the land, clearing trees and other obstructions to prepare for the laying of more building foundations. I hoped to get involved in some of the actual building work at some point, what with it being my job and all...

Still, I had to admit... I had more fun clearing the greenery from the building sites than I should have. Forgetting that I stood taller than most trees around here, that their branches were more like the twigs of bushes, it wasn't often you could rip them up and pull them down with bare paws.

Making my way to the next plot with work to be done on, the fruits of some of my previous prepping had already taken shape. At the middle of the site, what would surely be the main area of this new town, the outer structures of apartments and office buildings were going up. It was easy to be amazed by the sight, knowing that you were looking directly level with what would become the fifth or sixth storey of not a model, but an _actual_building. In this otherwise plain, empty place, they almost seemed like something from a fantasy.

"Hey! You, look!" I stopped fast, almost jumping out of my fur. "Down here!"

The only movement I made was to start peering down to my feet. There it was that I found one of our foremen, a Polcian skunk... whose name I couldn't remember, standing as tall my work boots. "Badger, please." At least I wasn't alone in forgetting names... "What is you see?"

I watched him gesture down to the freshly-laid asphalt, running between a number of grass plots awaiting their building foundations. It was a road, no question. What I wasn't sure of was why he had to make such a display of this... "Road?"

"Yes, road," he cheered, as if I had just revealed the answer to the meaning of life. "Your step, on road, no good. Will break. Break road, no good."

My 'step', while long enough to almost fill a lane of his precious road widthwise, had been nowhere near it. In fact, none of my steps taken to get here had found anything but grass. Whatever. It was too late, and I was far too tired to argue. "I see."

"If step, be soft." By the stars above us, he even took the time to demonstrate what he thought to be a light step. "Soft step, make not break. Okay?"

"Okay." I wiped a paw over my eyes, trying to hide their clenching. "I understand. Sorry."

"Good. Okay." His little tail flicked about as he gave me a nod. "You. You work good. Good work."

"Thanks." He hurried over to one of the small carts the Polcians used to travel around here. A few of my coworkers working on foundations a couple of blocks away seemed to be his next destination. I hoped they would enjoy their training lessons, too.

Here I stood, conflicted. Other than the fact he often spoke to me like an idiot... and that I really struggled to take a supervisor small enough to pick up seriously... He was by far the friendliest of the lot. Plus, unlike the others, he at least _tried_to speak our language.

Not that there were a huge number of Polcians around here, carrying their fancy laser saws and other super-modern equipment. Most of their workers and engineers I figured would move in after we had left... when it was safer for them to be here.

Politics aside, while meeting locals that were not bad-tempered security guards or unpleasant supervisors would be a great experience, perhaps it really _was_for the best not to have so many roaming around here. An accident involving a careless Velikan worker and a Polcian in the wrong place at the wrong time wasn't too hard to imagine... and neither was the outcome.

A loud, shrill whistle rang out came not long after; the signal to mark the end of another work day. Everybody dropped their tools like they were hot, starting the walk back to the outer edge of the project site. There, we'd trudge through the mud and file into our shabby temporary accommodation; more like a set of wooden sheds than housing.

"...All I am saying is if you did it, not many people would notice."

"The others would."

"Then bury them under the foundations, too. Problem solved!"

Loud laughter forced my eyes open. A short nap was better than nothing, I suppose. Not much chance for peace sharing a room with five others.

I rolled over, feeling every hard lump in my mattress. A few of the others were in the kitchen area, gathered around the old table and chairs that looked barely able to hold us.

The only one I truly knew was Marik, the wolf, who was one of my coworkers from back home. We should have had a third joining us, if not for some last minute revoking of his travel permit.

The bull and bear with him were Yan and Borya; a pair of labourers from some small town way out east.

"The problem would be 'solved' until whoever runs this site realise the supervisors are all missing," Marik suggested, smirking.

"Not until the end of the job, when we are on the boat home," Yan replied.

"I think they will notice when they stop returning home each evening," said Borya. "You know, they do not stay on the site like us."

"Okay, okay. You know it was just a joke, right?"

"Yes. And I was only showing how much your joke did not work--"

"Hey, Artem," Marik called. "What do you think?"

I sat up. "About?"

"What we could do with all the supervisors that keep talking down at us."

"I do not think any of them are talking down." Borya didn't give me a chance to reply. Not that I minded. "In fact, more that they are talking up. Very up."

Another round of laughter was enough to shake these flimsy wooden walls. The others here all seemed to be adjusting to this whole place so easily. That only pissed me off more. I just wanted to talk with my wife and children, to ask how they were and how their days had been. The fact that none of our phones worked here made that more difficult than I'd ever known. A public phone had been set up for us, but would be swarmed for the next hour at least; right up until the time difference made calling home all but worthless. You could get better access to the outside world in prison than you could here...

"...Trust me, if another Polcian talks to me like I'm broken, or an idiot, telling me to 'watch my step', or 'take care of where I put tools', I swear..." Yan snorted loudly, bashing a fist on the table. "I will stomp on the concrete as hard as I can right in front of him, just to see his face."

"And get us kicked out for a bad job?" Borya replied.

"With no pay?" Marik added.

"Hey, it would be an accident, right?"

I stood up from my uncomfortably low, achingly firm bed. It had barely been an hour and already I needed space.

"Where are you going?"

"Maybe a walk." I glanced back to Marik as my paw gripped the doorknob. "I need air."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just..." Our room looked even smaller from here. I gestured to no place in particular. "I have to take a break from such luxury."

All three of them started laughing, giving me the chance to slip outside for an easier breath.

---

"I'm off to watch the rest of my programme in bed, Bryan, so I'll wish you goodnight now."

I might have spent the last couple of hours alone up here, watching TV on my bed and not doing not much of anything else, but I'd not calmed down any. I tried to ignore Mum, standing there at the doorway in the corner of my eye. Why the hell did she have to treat me so much like a kid? Dad, too. It was such crap!

"Goodnight," she repeated, firmer. Guessed I'd have to suck it up, or just deal with even more hassle later.

"'night."

"Listen." She stepped into my room. I didn't expect this. "I know you're annoyed, but it's for the best."

I didn't reply. Instead, I just lied there, watching her, wondering where she planned on taking this.

"It's not all about us not wanting you to go near those Velikans working over the hill... It's just not safe full stop. It'll be getting dark soon, and I don't want you traipsing through the woods with your friends, going all that way to do gods know what."

I didn't know what to say to that. None of what she said got me any closer to having permission to go out, so... "Alright."

That got a smile. She backed out of my room, offering me another, "Goodnight."

My door slid closed, followed by the sound of footsteps heading towards my parents' room. Mum's muffled command to turn on the lights rose above the ad playing out on my TV. Finally, I heard the gliding sound of another door closing. Time for action.

I jumped up off of my bed, catching myself before I stomped down too hard on the carpet. "TV volume. Forty." The lady advertising some new, ultra efficient hydro... hybrid... fancy car got louder. I started towards the door, keeping my steps small and quiet. The game show I'd been watching would be back soon. Not that I'd be around to see it.

Even as I crept downstairs, I went over everything again and again in my head. Like I'd told them, I'm fifteen now. I wasn't some kid any more, needing to get permission for everything he does. I'd figured they might say no on my way home from school today, but I'd also figured what I'd do if they did.

The sound of my dad groaning from the living room froze me to the second-bottom step. I clamped the banister hard, held my breath and leaned forward.

Through the archway, I saw the flickering of our TV against the far wall. Some narrator was mumbling on about something or other. Guess Dad had stayed down here with a show of his own. No matter. Knowing him, he'd be a while. I'd be gone and back again before he even knew it.

Making it down the hall, I did my best not to slap my paws on the kitchen tiles. It made things tricky, but I made it across to the back door without issue.

I raised my paw to the scanner, snapping my arm back from the squeaky, ear flicking beep that rang out. Maybe it was me, but it damn sure sounded _way_louder than normal.

I cringed hard, gritting my teeth and closing my eyes. I hoped Dad hadn't heard it. I hoped he'd not march in to ask what exactly I thought I was doing.

The door slid open in front of me. All I heard was the sound of birds singing from the back garden. No angry snarls from behind me. Thank the gods.

I had a chance now. Time to get out outside, grab my bike and get going to my friend Aidan's house as fast as I could. Having to wait around for the coast to be clear meant I'd be late, no doubt. Hopefully the guys wouldn't leave without me...

Lucky for me, Aidan lived a couple of minutes away at most, way down at the bottom of the hill our road sat on. Plus, at this time of the evening, with the street lights flashing on and electric blinds rolling down over windows, traffic would be non-existent. I'd be able to ride extra rapid down to him. Perfect.

Parked cars, gardens and the white brick houses around me raced on by as I let gravity take over. Faster and faster I went, ducking down to get every bit of speed I could out of my bike. I gripped the handlebars tighter, eyes starting to sting. My heart raced, adrenaline pumping. If this didn't get me in the mood for Velikan-spotting, nothing would.

"Damn, Bryan," I heard Aidan call. "Where's the fire at?" He and the rest of the guys were here waiting, sat on their own bikes a few houses further down from his.

I squeezed my brakes hard, tyres skidding and bumping along the tarmac. "Thought I might've missed you."

"Almost did!" He pulled out his phone, long rabbit ears bobbing as he leaned down for a better look. "Been waiting near on twenty minutes. Was gonna leave in a bit."

"Sorry. Got caught up with my parents. They totally tried to shut me down when I told them about tonight. Had to sneak--"

"Wait, what?" called Danny, the skunk on the bike behind him. "You told your _parents_about this?"

"Well, yeah--"

"No wonder they freaked on you." Jack's turn to start giving me shit. "Why d'ya tell 'em? You numpty."

"It... just kinda happened--"

"Should've just said we're going out down the park or something," the fox snorted, shaking his head at me. "That's what I told mine."

I saw Jack's little brother next to him, not paying much attention. "So, why's Matt here?"

"He saw me leaving... Wanted to come."

"I said I'd tell Mum and Dad you were sneaking out if you didn't let me come--"

"Hey!" Jack shouted. Far too late, though. "Shut up."

"You shut up, Jackson."

I joined in with Aidan's and Danny's laughter, right before telling him, "You're so full of shit."

"Yeah, whatever." He slapped his paws to his handlebars. "We gonna do this, or what? If we leave it much longer, we won't see much of anything."

"Good shout." Aidan looked further down the street, where the hills and trees rose up over the houses. "C'mon, before any of our parents see where we're headed."

We pushed off together, racing on through the windy streets of our neighbourhood. In just a few minutes, plus a couple extra to keep clear of anyone who might've spotted us, we'd made it to where the houses ended and the woods started.

The sun had got pretty low by this point, making trails we knew like the back of our paws tricky to ride up, even with headlights. No matter. We made it to where the hill got steeper without any major scrapes or crashes. Excitement started to grow. We were really doing this!

"Did you guys charge your phones?"

I finished fixing my bike to a tree skinny enough to get my lock around, turning back to Aidan. "Not since this morning, but I'm all good."

Danny and Jack confirmed as well, leaving Matt to ask, "Phones?"

"Yeah, phones," Jack groaned. "So we can see where'bouts we going."

"No-one told me."

"No-one invited you!"

"Four'll be plenty," Danny said, nudging past the fighting foxes with phone raised in front of him. Its light flashed on, shining through the thicker trees off to the side of the trail. "We found the hole up here last weekend. Come on, it ain't far."

We left our bikes and followed his lead, trailing his big, black and white tail with our own phones helping to light the way.

"So," Aidan piped up from the rear. "How many of your guys've had to listen to your parents bang on about the big, bad Velikans?"

"My Dad's been okay about it," Danny replied, crunching over the leaves and twigs underfoot. "He said he was nervous about being on site with them at first. Hated all the security, too. But after a while, he kinda got used to it." He ducked under a low branch that thwacked his tail as he passed. "Now, he can't shut up telling us about his day every time he gets home. Or stories about how the more clumsy ones have come close to breaking things. I think he loves it really. Especially his whole trying to speak Velikan thing. Thank the gods for music and headphones, that's all I say."

"Trade you," I said. "My Mum and Dad have spent most of the time echoing what they hear on the news. Talking about how it's a disgrace that we're paying them to come here and build when it's them that bombed everything in the first place."

"Good to know it's not just my parents, then," Aidan said. "The way mine go on, you'd think this is some kind of first attack wave, coming ashore to do some scouting and shit. Paranoid. No trust."

"They've kinda got a point," Jack muttered from beside me. "_Can_we really trust them?"

"Really?" I smirked at him. "You think they'd let Velikans come here if they honestly thought something could happen?"

"Probably not, but it's not like they'd ever know for sure."

"My Dad says they've got guards stationed all around the site," Danny added. "Soldiers, too. And anyway, it's not like this is the first time they've been brought over here to work."

"How long ago was that? Things change in... ten, fifteen or however many years."

"Look, they ain't gonna come marching over the hill to start trashing your house, Jack. Don't worry."

"_You_live closer. They'd trash your place first."

"Don't chat crap. They'd come by mine, and I'd be like 'Hey, nice to meet you. Small piece of advice, don't go down to Fairweather Street. There's a guy there, Jack, bit of a bell piece'."

"Fuck you."

"You_are_ a bit of a bell piece," Matt piped up from behind his brother.

"You're gonna give me shit, too?" Jack shoved him by the shoulder, sending him stumbling towards the darkness. "I'll send you home if you don't quit--"

"Guys," Aidan called, brushing past all of us to where Danny had come to a stop. "We're here."

I lifted my phone higher, lighting up a big sign saying 'No Trespassing' in big letters. The council's logo had been added to its corner, hanging upon this huge fence they'd put up about a month before. It stood twice my height, swerving through the trees all the way down to the coast. They really didn't want us locals getting by.

Aidan took a few steps along it, bending down over a big heap of shrubbery. He started pulling it all aside. "They must have missed this."

I moved closer, joined by the others to get a better look. Slowly, he revealed to us a small dip in the soil.

"It'll be a squeeze, but... We can crawl on through." Not waiting for an answer, he threw himself down into it. It looked to take quite some effort, and his big ears getting pushed painfully flat to his head by the fence's underside, but in a few moments, we watched him stand up on the other side. "Come on!"

Danny didn't hang around, and nor did little Matt behind him. My turn came next, although it took me a fair amount of effort to tug my shoulders and backside through. That gave the others a damn good laugh, but I made it. In the end, that just left Jack.

"I ain't sure about this."

"Ain't sure 'bout what?" Aidan cried. "We're nearly there!"

"What if we get caught?"

"We won't. Not if we stop yelling and bitching and standing around like idiots."

"And the Velikans?"

"What about 'em?

"What if they don't turn out to be so friendly?

"Shit, you make it sound like they'll be able to reach out and touch us. We don't even know if we'll be able to get anywhere near yet."

Jack didn't look convinced, not that Aidan seemed willing to stick around. He carried on up through the trees, leaving Danny to chase after him.

"Stop being a wuss," Matt moaned. "For once."

"I'm not."

"Mate, you pretty much are," I replied. "If we don't hurry up, they'll go without us."

Jack didn't answer. At least not until me and his brother turned to walk away. "Hey! Wait up!"

It didn't take long for the five of us to reach the top of the hill. Surprisingly, even this close to sunset, we didn't need our phones to guide us any more.

Through the trees, bright lights shone from below. Taking a moment to look closer, I thought I could... no, I knew_I could see the outlines of something big. _Huge. We'd made it. Not far to go now!

We kept low, quiet, all the way down to where the trees got thinner and the ground flatter. Aidan told us all to keep an eye out, rattling on constantly about the number of guards that'd be here. They'd be out patrolling, he said. Carrying their big guns, and maybe even wearing those new armour suits that'd been shown off at this year's military parade. Maybe he'd been over thinking, or maybe we'd just managed to steer clear, because I for sure didn't see a damn thing like that.

"So much for those guards," Jack grumbled, lagging behind.

"They're probably more concerned with what's _inside_the Velikan fence," Danny suggested, keeping his head, tail and voice down. "What's outside won't be much interest to them."

"If there even is a fence."

"Gods above, anyone'd think you don't wanna be here."

"Just saying is all--"

"Fuck me," Aidan shouted. "Look at that!"

Me and Danny both bumped into him, with little Matt following into me. All of us made our own choice of cursing to come out with, and with damn good reason.

"Here's your fuckin' fence, Jack."

I looked up, and up, and up some more. Gods above, this was absolutely fucking huge. Way bigger than the trees around us. Even the strands of wire looked more like metal bars. "And I thought the fence back up on the hill was big."

"What are those?" Matt squeaked, stepping closer. We all followed, but didn't get too close. For one thing, we still wanted to see. The base alone of this thing was as tall as me. "...Buildings?"

Past the metalwork, in the distance, giant wooden structures rose up to almost the same height. They had what looked like windows, lights shining bright behind the glass. No doors in sight as far as I could see.

"That must be where they sleep," Danny gasped. "They're just like Dad said!"

"Fuck... it's real." Aidan muttered. "Real live Velikans. Right there. Shit..."

"This is amazing." For some reason, I started to laugh. "Just... I... wow."

We stood there for... I've no idea how long, taking in this whole sight. These massive buildings, built from planks way, way too big to have come from any local tree, weren't the only things that caught my attention. The towering lights let us see all the tools and equipment lying around the site. Shovels with blades long enough to have dug out a basement in one go. Hard hats so huge I reckon all five of us could've climbed inside. Not to mention a bright red tool box as tall as a single decker bus. Everything was just... way bigger. It was like _we_had shrunk.

"I gotta get a photo of this." Aidan stepped forward with phone in both paws. Didn't take long for the rest of us to join him. Even Jack got involved, despite his bitching the whole way here.

I didn't stop at just one photo. Click after click, I snapped off a picture of more and more, carrying on until something _really_caught our attention.

"O-Oh shit!" Jack barked, jumping back towards to treeline. The rest of us did the same. My heart skipped a beat.

We all stared at each other, jaws set to drop right off. None of us said another word. Out from between two of these wooden buildings had stepped... the fucking biggest guy I'd ever seen! There was just no other way of putting it. Wearing a fluorescent jacket helped him to stand out under the lights. Not that he needed it. Our school had four floors, and I'm pretty sure this guy could have looked straight onto its roof.

My heart jumped again. His boot planted down with a faint but solid thump, even while a fair way into the distance. Each step after did exactly the same; thud after thud sounding until he stopped beside the hut directly ahead of us. He leaned back against its wall, giving a grunt that made my ears flick.

"Fuckin' brilliant," Aidan sang. "Can you believe it?"

"They're bigger than I thought they'd be," I said, creeping closer. "Way bigger."

"He looks like a giant version of your Dad," Danny snorted.

"Oh, what? All us badgers look alike?" I grinned. "Speciest."

"Hey," Matt cried.

Turning, I saw Jack grab him by the shoulder. "Don't get too close."

"Relax," I said. "What're you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid... But, cool as this is, I guess I don't trust 'em s'much as you guys."

"Come on, look at him," Danny called. "He's real threatening standing there. Ready to start tearing his way through town at any moment."

"I never said shit about him tearing through town."

"Well then stop pissing on everyone's parade! Why'd you even come if you're so scared shitless?"

"I'm not scared!" Jack stepped forward with arms out. "Just careful."

"Well... go be careful back at home if you're gonna keep on!"

"I'll do what I want, thanks!"

"Guys," Aidan snapped, throwing an arm to point back at the fence. "Gods damn... you _really_gotta stop shouting."

We all did. Instantly. That Velikan badger, he wasn't resting back against the hut any more. He'd leaned forward, lowered his head and narrowed his eyes right at our position. Never mind my heart skipping it beat. It damn stopped.

"Has he seen us!?" Jack gasped, prodding Aidan. His voice more like air than actual sound.

"I don't know--"

"We should go. We should leave." He grabbed his brother again, trying to drag him deeper into the woods. "Matt, come on."

"Stop moving," I yelled through my teeth. "He _will_see you, else."

Another thud sounded, pulling our attention back towards the site. The Velikan had taken a step forward. That really started things off.

"He's coming!" Jack shoved me by the shoulder. He'd started stumbling back, pulling Matt along with him. Matt didn't look to mind so much by then.

A second thump of the ground made them jump. The third made them yelp, spin and sprint straight off into the night.

That left the three of us, standing, watching. This huge badger would come forward, pause, start again, stop again. It didn't help me decide whether I'd be better off running myself.

We all kept quiet, slinking back into the cover of the trees. I watched this guy get bigger and bigger with increasingly loud steps. Steps that started to make the ground itself shudder. The ground. Shudder.

The only thing that stopped me freaking completely was the way his head moved, peering all around him. He'd not spotted us, even halfway to the fence. Perhaps we were too small to see in all the darkness?

"What... d'we do?" Aidan whispered. "Jack ran."

"Y-Yeah," Danny answered, almost crouching. "Dunno."

Boots as tall as me, taller even, kept on coming. The branches above us swayed with every thud. A powerful scent started to fill the air. Weirdly familiar.

One last rumbling stomp, enough to start leaves raining down upon us, saw the Velikan stop just short of the fence. His huge, bright vest started to get closer overhead. A loud sucking of air seemed to rattle through the trees. Another pulled a few more leaves with it. If he couldn't see us, he could definitely smell us.

"This is too real." Aidan almost tripped, bumping squarely into one of trees hiding us. "Run!"

He'd moved so fast. I only saw his long ears and short tail for a second they disappeared into the dark.

"Bryan, come--" Danny squeaked, cut off by another huge sniff. He started to pull me.

Amazing, frightening, incredible, insane: I didn't really know which of these suited this whole thing best. I'd started to let my friend take me with him, but stopped. Staring all the way up to this Velikan's striped face, a badger, just like me, looking more curious than anything... Something told me to stay. Even as he stood so close that I could see _nothing_beyond him, and so big that he could have pushed these trees aside to reach us... My fear was fading.

"Let's go!"

"No." I pushed Danny's arm away. "No... Wait."

---

I knew that this wasn't just my imagination. Something, someone had been making noise from over here. Some kind of squeaking from behind this fence. I may not have been able to see it, but I could_definitely_smell something here. Something I knew. So much for my quiet walk around these shitty sheds to get some air. Here I was, investigating... I couldn't really be sure what.

Another look back over my shoulder made sure nobody else was around. It was best to check, since I wasn't sure if I should be close to the edge of the site like this.

I sniffed again, almost smiling at how I could make these smaller trees rustle. Breathing out made them move even more. Now, that _did_make me smile, until another squeak caught my attention.

"Hello?" I crouched down, but kept my distance from the fence. No answer came. "Are you there?"

If I could speak even a few words of Polcian, it might have helped. So much I wanted to at least see some of the locals. Normal ones, not those working here. If I could, I would have said it out loud. Instead, I had to just hope that a soft voice could earn some trust. "I would like to meet you."

My ears flicked at the small sound of cracking. Then again. I got closer still to the fence, almost touching it with my nose. Now I could see. There _was_somebody here, in the trees. In fact, they weren't alone. There were more.

I stayed still, afraid to move. I hoped that I wouldn't scare them away.

Slowly, out from the dark stepped... this tiny person. Not by much, perhaps by the width of two fingers, but smaller even than the Polcians here on the site. He didn't come far, stopping after only a couple more steps. It was hard to see, even with the lights behind me, but the familiar scent made so much more sense now. I had not met many Polcians, but this was the first I had ever seen who was a badger, too.

Then, with the same tiny steps, came another! Another little one with the same black and white fur, but owning a much bigger tail. A skunk. They looked up with their mouths wide open, staying as still as possible. A lot like me.

I wasn't able to go and meet the locals, but it appeared that wouldn't stop the locals from coming to meet me. Despite the risks, I had to get closer.

Carefully, I wrap my fingers around the wiring of the fence, trying to get as close as I could to their level down behind the fence. They were barely teenagers, perhaps not all that much older than my boy, Dimi. What in the world they were doing out here, alone, in the dark, I had no idea.

The skunk... was still too far away to tell for sure, but he smelt... familiar. As if he were someone I knew. That made little sense to me, but it owed trying to move for a better look.

In an instant, the muddy ground beneath me gave way. My left boot slid back wildly. It forced me to slap my free paw to the ground. The fence shook hard as I grabbed tighter with the other. It could have been worse. I could have fallen over completely.

However, to my bitter disappointment, when I looked back through, only one Polcian remained behind the fence.

Balanced again, I spun to peer back to our housing. If someone had been here to see it, they might have gotten the wrong idea. I could breathe easily however. Still I was alone, thank the stars.

Only my fellow badger remained here, further to my right and close to one of the tiny trees now. He was close to running, too.

I held up muddy paw and gave him a smile. Where he'd moved to, the light from one of the big lamps caught him perfectly. I could see him so much better.

His brown eyes shone bright, much like my Dimi's. Also, in spite of the way he had brushed his head fur, I saw he had the same skinnier white stripe as my daughter, Lara. That made me forget myself, and smile even wider as I pushed my muzzle through the wiring.

On reflection, that could have gone one of two ways. It could have seen him run off into the trees, never to return. Or, as is what fortunately happened, the Polcian badger could have taken a step forward.

He had to peer further and further up the closer he got. The base of this fence was barely the length of my paw, but just as tall as the company I now had. He really was so very small.

A faint voice sounded out, not all that much more than a squeak. Sadly, with the language barrier between us, squeaks are what they might as well have been.

Not that it would stop my excitement at the fact he'd simply tried. "Hello!"

He winced sharply, reaching up to cover his ears. It was only after he pulled them away again that I realised. Unlike the locals working here on site, this little one lacked one of their sound machines. A Normaliser. I'd have to be careful not to hurt his ears, and definitely try harder to hear his words.

"Sorry," I said, one step above a whisper. "Big voice." No chance he could have understood me, but at least he appeared calmer. I decided to try and bridge our gap further, placing and patting a paw on my chest. "Artem."

He stepped closer again; a very good sign! As was him raising a paw to do as I had. I held my breath, focusing all my effort into hearing his gentle reply of, "Bryan."

"Bryan..." I must have been grinning by then. My little friend got closer still. I reacted in kind, and then some.

It was tight, but I succeeded in slipping my fingers between the wiring near the base of the fence. With some twisting, the rest of my paw followed. I managed to push all the way to my wrist before realising how far Bryan had retreated.

"Wait." I stopped, holding up the paw still here on my side of the fence. "Stay."

He seemed to listen, or at least, changed his mind about slipping away.

Part of me wondered why I was here on my knees, putting in all this effort. There were Polcians living back home in Velika. Quite a few in fact. Something made this different, however. Being in 'their world', so to speak, helped make this feel... special. Unique.

That pushed not to pull back, but to turn my palm up towards the sky. Step by step, Bryan closed in, studying me and my offering carefully. It asked of me a lot of patience, but finally, my visitor had come close enough to touch.

I reached out for him, taking as much care as possible in wrapping my fingers around his body. Small paws tickled my palm pad as they pushed against them. I smiled, amazed by this; my first experience of holding a Polcian.

He was so warm, so light. Fragile against my fingers. I made doubly certain to keep my grip loose as I eased him up into the air. That did little to stop the pressing at my paw. In fact, Bryan started to struggle. "It's okay. I won't drop you."

Still he tried to battle me, squeaking something over and over. It all got worse once I carried him through to my side of the fence. His tiny words turned into something close to screams. Small legs, exposed at the bottom of my paw, started to kick out. Poor Bryan. On reflection, I suppose I did take him by surprise.

"It's okay," I whispered. "Don't be afraid."

He flinched at my other paw approaching, but didn't fight for long against my finger rubbing through his head fur.

Stroking my Dimi always helped to calm him down when he was smaller, helped him relax when something like a thunderstorm had got him scared. No reason why it would fail to work on a young Polcian I figured.

His squeaking stopped, as did his struggling. The soft thumping of his little heart against my fingers slowed. A tiny sigh ruffled the fur of my paw. I couldn't stop from chuckling. "See? No need to worry."

While I may have helped calm him, I decided it probably best to set Bryan back down. Let him have space.

I reached down, placing him atop the least muddy patch of grass in front of me. As I remained kneeling here, Bryan barely stood taller than my knee. That only helped to bring home our difference in size even more.

A sharp shudder suddenly cut through me. My ears flicked like crazy at the loud pair of voices that they picked up. I twisted around in a flash, hoping to the gods that I'd not see them coming.

Our accommodation buildings still stood quiet atop the mud. Only the lights visible in some of the windows gave a sign that they were occupied, even if the dirty, worn woodwork suggested otherwise.

A roar of laughter started next. I followed it, back to an open window between the two buildings closest. That sight, and a big sigh helped_me_ to calm. At least they did, until I looked back down in front of me. "Bryan? Where did you go?"

I pushed myself forward onto paws and knees. Could he have made to the base of the fence in such a short time? Managed to climb it and get back through to the other side? I hoped not.

Leaning closer, I did my best to scan the area beyond it. Even in the dim light, I was certain he'd not made it this far. Not even the most athletic of Polcians could have in such short time.

A glance back down to my right side offered nothing, so I turned to do the same on my left.

"Found you," I sang, happy to have him still here with me... and curious to know where he planned on going as he strolled across the grass.

He stopped beside my calf, looking around in all directions. Everything apparently was of interest. The sheds we slept in, the tools and supplies we stored beside them, even a bootprint of mine in the mud, stretching longer than he stood tall. A brainwave struck right there and then. A perfect idea.

"Perhaps you'd like to see more?" Carefully, I settled back down to kneel beside him. "Actually, I _know_you would. Come on, let me take you."

I moved a paw towards him, but suddenly found him backing away as fast as he could. Bryan reached out, pressing against my fingers until I stopped. He said something. Shouted, even. It sounded like 'no'. A very angry one. I pulled away. Too much, too fast. Damn my stupidity.

To my shock, Bryan didn't carry on towards the fence. In fact... he actually started to approach me, reaching up to gently pressing a paw atop mine.

The whole time I just sat there, watching and waiting for what would come next. Again he pressed. Then again. A third helped me finally to realise. "Oh!"

I started to laugh, placing my palm to the ground in front of him. He called out something with a big smile, making a circle motion with his finger. "Got it."

Bryan watched me turn my paw over, reaching for the tip of my thumbpad. He stepped up carefully, tiny shoes treading delicately across my palm. It tickled so much, but I did my very best to stay still

He moved around my palmpad, settling down onto it as if it were a cushion. Suddenly, holding him in this way made a lot more sense than inside a fist. Even if it made standing back up again much harder.

"I feel like I could drop you at any second like this," I mumbled. Using my other paw as a guard around him, I pushed and wobbled my way onto my feet. "Maybe it _is_a good thing you can't understand me."

I padded off towards the edge of our housing area, his tiny paws gripping my palm for support. It felt right to bring him closer to my chest. To keep him guarded. My grin must have been as bright as the lamps above us. This was going to be interesting.

The further I walked, the less and less light I had to show the way. Nighttime hadn't arrived completely yet, but the sun had very much set. It gave another reason to tread carefully away from our housing. The last thing I wanted to do was drop Bryan, with the second last being accidentally stumbling over something we had been working on so far.

My little passenger had stopped squeezing my paw so tightly by now. Instead, he'd started to lean over, poking his muzzle past its edge to watch the ground go by below.

We soon arrived at where the crisscrossing roads started; still bare of houses, cars or any other interesting things you'd find in a city street. Not that it disappointed me. The real sights I had to show him were not too far away.

Just another minute or so of walking brought us to the centre of our site. Here, I had to step even more lightly, what with the outer shells of office and apartment buildings rising up all around me. Not only that, but the broken Velikan of my skunk supervisor also came back to me. His words, 'Break road, no good,' in that awful accent he put on played over and over in my head. A combination of the two stopped me close to a crossroads in the unfinished city. Most of the buildings that were closer to complete so far were around here. This would be the perfect place.

"Hold on." I bent all the way down to the street, guiding the excitable Bryan out of my paw and onto the tarmac. "There. Take a look. Not too many of your kind will see this just yet."

He soon began bounding about, exploring everything he could get access to. The base of a large, intricate iron frame caught his attention, stopping him in the street beside it.

"This will be one of the highrise offices... I think." I bent my knees, bringing the top of the scaffolding and Polcian-sized walk boards to eye level. "When it's finished, it will be way taller than even that the biggest Velikan."

Looking down to my feet, Bryan seemed far more interested in the metalwork than my attempt at guiding. Understandable. I decided it best to leave him to his adventure for a while, having to think over every move I made in the meantime.

With so much around to take care of, I did my best to stand narrow. Even after I shifted them together, my boots stretched wide enough to still cover at least a part of all four lanes. I kept my elbows to my sides and my paws to my stomach, but still I worried about turning too fast. It wouldn't take much to damage the walls or bend the beams of the structures around me. What I would have given to be a fox or an otter right then, or any species that generally had narrower hips and shoulders than us badgers.

By the time I found him again, Bryan had moved on to a building just around the corner.

Understandably, he looked to be taking far greater interest in this one. It was a smaller, four storeys tall, but had an almost completed exterior, save for missing windows. I was glad for it, to be honest. Its roof gave me somewhere to reach up and rest my arms upon. I didn't feel quite so cramped and closed in any more.

A squeak sounded out from below, then another. Little Bryan was getting so animated. "What?" He started waving his arms, then put a paw to his head. "What have I done?"

My worry came and went quickly. For a second, I thought I might have broken something. Maybe cracked a wall from knocking or leaning to hard against it. Then it hit me.

"I'm guessing this is new for you." I grinned wide. "Seeing someone using a building as an armrest... To be honest, this is new for me, too."

I watched him step back into the street, reaching into his pocket for something. It was hard to see from up here, but when he held it to his face, a little light flashing again and again, I understood.

"I hope you don't show these to anyone who works here," I snorted, holding my pose... and to be honest, doing my best to try and stand a little taller. "We _really_shouldn't be doing this."

The flashing of Bryan's camera stopped. He got closer, shouting something up at me from in front of the toecaps of my boots. His arms were waving, legs bouncing. That frightened little badger from earlier had very much disappeared.

"What next?" I didn't want to stop here, but glancing around, the lack of truly interesting sights became clear. Getting just a few big buildings up in the space of a week was impressive in my book. After another, parts of this site really could start to resemble something like a city. Not that this helped at that moment.

I looked past the frames and beams around me, off towards the sea. That part of the site I hadn't been to since the first day or so. "There might be more to see there by now."

Bryan of course didn't resist or object. He climbed back into my paws and we carefully made our way further along these silent city streets.

On the way, we did at least see a few points of interest. A neighbourhood of townhouses had been started just outside the city's centre. Again, most were little more than shells of metal and wood, with a few holding more identifying features like front steps and porches. Standing three floors tall, the tops of the frames hovered around my hips. That gave Bryan another photo opportunity; one I was happy for him to take advantage of.

Fun as this was, I hoped the real kind of sight I wanted to show would be just a short walk ahead.

"Yes! This is better." Silly as it may sound, it was difficult to contain my excitement. Difficult to stop myself from running, putting big cracks in the roads and deep prints in the grass that wouldn't go down well with the Polcians.

After all, a standard show home, sitting at the outer edge of the still growing road network, wouldn't be anything impressive in most cases. It served as nothing more than an example for the hundreds of normal, everyday houses that would follow. Of course, for both me and Bryan, none of this was anything like normal.

This two storey building stood not much taller than knee-height, surrounded by trees that came level with my waist. I stopped there behind it, on top of grassland that would eventually contain gardens and the foundations for other homes in the area.

Little Bryan, well, the moment I set him down, he ran as fast as those tiny legs could take him to the front of the house.

I could still see him from here, armed with his camera not far from the street. He gestured to me with both arms, asking me to get lower, and lower.

I bent down, trying to get as close to the rooftop as I could without losing my balance. "Gods above, if I fall onto this." I had to correct myself, shifting my feet wider. "I'll probably be on the first boat out of here."

In the end, he had to make do with as far as I could go. Not that I hadn't made a good effort. I had practically draped myself over this small house, casting a faint shadow against the slowly brightening moonlight almost as wide as it was. That gave Bryan his cue. His camera went off like a strobe light. I'd definitely made the right choice in bringing him here... even if my aching back disagreed with me.

"It's a shame I can't make this bigger," I chuckled, lifting my boot to take another balancing step. "I would love to take it back for my family to live in."

I planted my foot, sensing resistance, a crack, then a crunch all before I even had a chance to react. "Oh gods--!" Turning quickly, throwing my paws up in the air, the branches belonging to one of these small trees poked at my underbelly. I stepping into them without thinking. They were shoved back fast, cracking getting louder. The roots below began churning up the soil around them. The trunk started to snap, splitting and bending even after I had stepped away.

"Damn it--" Another bunch of prods started against my backside, harder and harder until the cracking started all over again. I could turn in time to see another set of roots tearing from the ground as this second tree crashed down, too.

I lost my balance, forced to throw out a leg to catch myself. Just my luck to find a third.

My boot smashed into the ground, toe end arcing down against another tree trunk. It offered little resistance, roots not even able to churn up the soil before snapping loudly in two.

The little tree's top half clattered down, leaves scattering all across the road it fell upon.

"Shit..." I lifted up my foot, revealing the large print I'd driven into the grass. The lower part of the trunk had also been left behind, crushed like a twig. Wood shards rained from my sole to join those scattered across the soil. Thank the gods I didn't fall into the house at least.

I had the good sense not to make another move, resembling the biggest, clumsiest statue here in this part of the world.

Bryan's small steps shuffled far quieter than mine across the grass, bringing him here to the back of the house. He stopped here next to me, gawking silently at the aftermath of three smashed trees all around him.

"Now you see... This is why we don't have so many Polcians around here right now." I rubbed at my neck. "Safer. Much safer."

Another flash of his camera caught me off guard. I lurched back, stopping short of taking another step. I'd done enough of that for the time being.

He'd started laughing, holding a wide smile as flash after flash followed. He even hopped down into the print I'd left behind, almost knee deep in it as he took a good look around.

"Well, then," I snorted. "I suppose... that went better than expected."

I turned back to the first tree, left standing forty-five degrees and with trunk broken and bent towards the ground. "I think it might still be a good idea to get rid of the evidence."

I reached down to pull at it, feeling its bark start to crumble away between my fingers. The soil turned and tore again, eventually releasing the rest of the roots still planted up into the air.

Bryan staggered away from me, and the stones and soil raining down around my feet. For the first time, there was no flashing from his camera. Instead, as I stood there holding this tree like it were a branch from back home, his little jaw dropped wide open.

"I'll put these with all the other trees being taken for lumber... Hopefully nobody will notice."

Once I had got the remains of my accident cleared up as best I could, I took a few moments to look out over the sea with Bryan settled in my paws. In the darkness, the moonlight rippled so much brighter on the water, while the stars starting to appear shone so much bolder. As pretty a view as this was, it reminded me of how late it was starting to get. It would probably be smart to get back to my room soon. I started to smile. "I think I have one last thing to show you, Bryan..."

We made it back out of the main site without any more missteps. Back under the lighting around our housing, I could finally walk more confidently. At least, as confidently as I could through slippery, muddy alleyways with a Polcian in my paws.

For most of the way back, Bryan had been the same curious badger I'd first taken out into the city. By this point however, winding our way through these narrow walkways, with voices all around us, he sat an awful lot smaller in my palms.

"It's okay," I whispered. "You're not in danger." He couldn't understand a word, but still I hoped I could help him. "Don't be scared."

We made it back to 'House 17' soon after, slapped uncaringly across the door in blue paint. I opened it slowly ajar, finding darkness inside. Another nudge and I could slip my head inside for a proper look. All the beds were empty, and no-one was creeping around in the dark. Great.

"The others must still be at the site canteen," I said, reaching for the lightswitch as I kicked the door closed behind us. "Getting themselves a proper meal. Better than anything we can cook up in here."

Everything was a mess. Things had been left all over the place, with barely a surface left uncovered. Hard hats and site jackets scattered our table, as did our imported newspapers. Someone's tool box filled the majority of our small countertop. Not even the crappy, two-seat couch we had was safe. That for the time being served as someone's dresser, covered in piles of both folded and screwed up shirts, with a jacket and a pair of trousers draped over the arm.

"So what do you think?" I walked over to the table, letting Bryan get a look at everything piled upon it. "I'm sure this is all much larger than what you are used to at home."

I set him down, letting his small shoes crunch across one of our Velikan newspapers, clearly in amazement at what he found around him. The grin I'd gained while watching him wander didn't last too long. Seeing the heading of a story state that 'Discrimination against Polcians' had_'Increased since May election'_gave another instance where I was glad for Bryan's lack of Velikan language skills.

"Hey, Bryan," I said quickly, grabbing his attention. "My turn for a photo." He might not have understood my words, but the picture-taking motion I made in front of my face started him smiling and nodding.

Our bright yellow hats stood out at the best of times, but even more so now. I flipped one of those left on the table, turning it into a bowl that I could carefully set Bryan inside of.

"Oh, this is too good." He could just about push his muzzle out over its brim, tiny paws gripping to make it look as if he were trying to climb out. I reached into my pocket as fast as I could, getting my phone ready to snap off this perfect picture. "My family will love this so much."

I made sure to get at least a few good shots of him. After all, I wasn't sure if and when I would be able to do this again. At the same time, I wasn't completely satisfied. "There must be other things we can use..."

With so much junk filling such a small space, it didn't take long to find other places that Bryan could explore. And get pictures of, of course.

Tools and equipment appeared to be a particular favourite for him, although I made sure to keep things with sharp points and edges inside their boxes or out of reach.

There were also plenty of safer objects around our room. The couch, and the clothes scattered across it, gave a great photo opportunity... though he didn't enjoy so much my snickering when he got his leg stuck between the seat cushions.

Finally, there was the kitchen area, and our old metal kettle that really took Bryan's interest. It stood as tall as he did, with a big, shiny surface that fully reflected the little badger posing beside it.

In fact, so caught up with himself, I managed to sneak over behind him. While he hopped, waved and danced around, I bent down slowly. Then, in one quick move, I brought my muzzle level with his. "Boo!"

He leapt high into the air, letting out a tiny scream at my voice and reflection in front of him. I held out my paws, waiting for him stumble and fall back into them.

"Sorry." Bryan reached up to prod my nose, starting me laughing. That in turn set him off, lasting all the way across the room to my bed.

I settled onto what I had started to believe was my prison-issue mattress. It was someplace to sit at least, and marginally more comfortable than the floor.

"Excuse me," I mumbled, unable to stop from yawning out loud. "It has been a _long_day." Bryan didn't appear all that upset or offended as I settled him atop my leg. In fact, he didn't react all that much at all.

"I wish we could understand each other." I poked gently at his shoulder, gaining a smile back up at me. "Though, we are doing quite well, all things considered."

Then came Bryan's turn to start yawning. Nighttime had come completely; nothing but darkness visible outside our window.

"Maybe it would be best to let you get back home. Before your parents... guardians... before people you know start to worry."

The sudden sound of our doorknob twisting almost made me jump clear off of my bed. Bryan looked startled, too, but that might have been down to me more than anything else. The door started to open. I had totally forgotten to be expecting my roommates back.

I wrapped my paws around Bryan as soft as my panic let me. He didn't resist, almost jumping to hide around behind me himself.

"Hey, Artem."

"H-Hey," I replied, finding Marik taking his boots off beside our door.

"Where did you go? I wondered when you would be back."

"Just... A walk. Got occupied."

"You want to be quick. It's not long before nine." He kicked his boots into the corner, starting towards the sink opposite. "You want to hurry up if you want dinner, before the canteen closes up."

"I'll go in a little while." Little Bryan's paws started to press into the small of my back. I resisted reaching back to reassure him. "Wasn't all that hungry earlier."

"What's up?" Marik grabbed a glass and poured himself some water.

"Nothing." He started to down his drink. That gave me the chance to keep the conversation elsewhere. "Where are the others?"

"Yan and Borya met someone from the same town as them in the canteen. Went back to their hut to carry on their talking I think." Another gulp to finish before he set his glass back down. "The others, I haven't seen them since we finished up work."

"Got it."

"You okay?"

"Yeah." I shuffled back, nudging Bryan along with me towards my pillow. "Yes, I'm fine."

"What are you hiding there?" Marik started to grin.

"Hiding?" I might have overdone the shock in my voice. "Nothing."

"Come on, I can tell." He tapped his muzzle. "Plus, I can smell_something_."

Damn wolves and their noses. If it had been any of the others...

"What you got?" His steps towards us echoed around the room.

"It's nothing."

"It's something." He kept on coming.

"Look, just..." Bryan's whole body pressed up tight against me. "Back off, okay!?"

That stopped him, finally, sending his ears pointing upright. It didn't feel much like a success, though. I'd never get Bryan out of here without Marik seeing, and if I waited much longer, there would be more than just him to avoid.

"Just wait," I mumbled. "Don't get any closer than that."

"No problem."

I shifted around so that Bryan stood beside me. He kept hidden away behind my thigh, tiny ears splayed out flat. "I'm sorry about this."

Eventually, he stepped up into my waiting paws. Not that I could blame him for hesitating. I brought him up slowly, settling him into my lap.

"What the..." Marik took a step forward, but no more than that. "Who in the world... What is that doing here?"

"_That_is Bryan."

"Okay..." I didn't much appreciate how he started to look at me. As if I had just changed species in front of him or something. "And my second question?"

I gave that a thought, considering how much of the story I wanted to share. Eventually, I ran him through how we had first encountered each other. My paws never moved far from Bryan. Marik was a friend, but the subject of Polcians and the politics around them rarely came up between us. So far, it was difficult to judge which side of the fence he stood.

I skipped over a few finer details, such as what we had got up to out on the site. I would have done that no matter what his opinion of Bryan and other Polcians.

"And... there you have it. Essentially we bumped into each other."

"Right..." Marik scratched at his ear, head cocked. He didn't look as if my explanation had helped him any. "I wonder how it got here."

"Him," I grumbled. "If I spoke Polcian, it would have been the first thing I'd have asked."

"There must be a town or city close by." He circled around me, approaching his bed next to mine. "Very strange."

"Not so much," I countered. "I think in his position, I might have done the same thing. Explored--"

"I was more thinking..." His mattress squeaked loudly as he dropped, making Bryan flinch against me. "Ah, nothing."

"_What_were you thinking?"

"Just..." More scratching at his ear. "Why?"

I just shrugged, even if I suspected I knew what he was getting at.

"Why in the world would you bring a local here? A Polcian? It's breaking more than a few different rules, and... Just, why?"

"He was there, and so was I." I grinned down at Bryan. "So, why not?"

"It's kinda weird? I get species bias and all, but... It's a Polcian."

"Maybe_he_ thinks_you're_weird."

"I didn't mean it--him." He started to fidget. "And... what? I'm not weird."

"A big wolf standing there, gawking, smelling like something awful. He might think so."

"I didn't get the chance to wash earlier!" He scoffed out something of a laugh. "In fact, I came back here to grab my things and go do that very thing."

"Sure."

Marik just huffed and smiled, even directing one down at Bryan, I think. "Listen, strange as this is, I don't have anything against him. The others will be back soon, though, and after all their talking about what they'd like to do with the annoying supervisors... maybe it would be best if he wasn't around when they get here."

"That was just talk."

"Probably. But do you want to take that chance?"

"Not really." I turned back to Bryan, sitting here completely ignorant to our conversation. "Are you going to say anything?"

"Of course not." Marik stood back up, his small washbag in paw. "Anyway, I don't want to be getting in trouble for having a local onsite, either."

"Thanks."

He nodded. "Just get him out of here. Before someone else sees him."

With Marik's words ringing in my ears, I didn't wait long to carry Bryan back outside to where we first met. Not that I was in any rush for us to start waving our goodbyes. But, as I took a knee on the cold mud beside the fence, glancing around in all directions, I knew the time had come.

"I have to say, this was not how I pictured spending my evening." I grinned down at him clinging to my finger, carefully slipping my paw between the metalwork. "It certainly beat sitting around in my room, though... Even if I have that to look forward to still."

Bryan sat up taller once far enough through. Seeing the fence between us again made it difficult to find my words. "I have to say... It was very good to meet you."

Another quiet smile came back at me as I helped him down to the dark soil. He'd left my paw very empty.

"Maybe we will meet again. Sometime."

His smile grew. The lights above me, soon to turned out for the evening, glittered in his brown eyes. Illuminated the slim white stripe atop his head. He told me something. Perhaps he had understood me. Perhaps it was just his own goodbye.

"Bye, Bryan." I started waving. "Take care."

Small backward steps took him deeper into the blackened treeline. I could see him waving back, just, but I could _definitely_hear his, "B-Bye... Artem."

"Hah," I roared, slapping the fence hard. "He spoke Velikan!"

His little frame joined with the woodland around him, trees soon blanketing him completely. Sure, I might not have been able to see him anymore, but... I knew he wasn't all that far away. That helped lift me onto my feet, and carry me away from the fence.

---

"-Pahka-," I repeated, arm starting to hurt from all the waving. "-Pahka, Artem!-" The trees made it harder and harder to see. I hoped Artem could still hear me, even after I lost sight of the fence. And him.

My sigh floated out into the air in front of me. Damn it'd got cold all of a sudden.

I turned to the deeper woods, able to see nothing but black and more black. My phone's clock read close to nine, just below its warning about having a low battery. They both reminded me I should be getting home pretty soon.

My luck was in to some extent at least; I still had power to use its torch function. I'd not need to try and get myself home totally blind.

"Fuck!" I jumped back, almost dropping my phone as soon its light flashed on. "What the--!?"

"Quiet!" Aidan whispered, big ears bobbing as he emerged from the shrubbery around the trees. "We nearly got caught by some guards a minute ago."

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," I heard Danny answer, a moment before he and his big tail followed out onto the trail. "We couldn't exactly go back without you."

"You came through the fence?"

"No... Wait, what--?"

"C'mon," Aidan groaned, swiping at the air away from us. "Dunno 'bout you, but if my parents find out I've been out here, I'll be done."

"Where's Jack? Matt?"

"Probably still with the bikes-- Man, will you come on!?"

I followed them up the hill at double pace, glad for them being here once my phone finally hit power save mode. It didn't take long for us to get back to the not-so-big, Polcian-side fence.

"So where the hell have you been?" Aidan grumbled from out in front. "We've been out here forever."

"You said 'through the fence," Danny added. "...You actually went through there?"

"I thought you said he was just talkin' with that big badger you saw?"

"That's what I thought!" He stopped and glared at me for a second. "No wonder we couldn't find you."

"No fucking way." Aidan stopped, too. "I don't buy that. You just got yourself lost, admit it."

"Well, it ain't like it was by choice." That just put even stupider looks on their faces. "Artem kinda helped me through."

"Who the hell's Artem?"

"The badger guy," Danny replied, beating me to it. He started to smirk. "Shit, are you for real?"

"Where d'ya think I've been all this time?" I got my phone and swiped straight for my photo gallery. "Take a look. See for yourselves."

They took my phone and did just that. The rush to get home had completely gone. Instead, here we stood, in the cold, dark, looking at photo after photo of Artem on the site and in his hut. The looks on both of their faces were priceless, and they only got better with each picture they saw.

I gave them a run down of everything we got up to on the other side of the fence, making sure they knew just how nice a guy Artem was. He'd been real gentle, too... Minus the first time he picked me up... And minus the way he managed to flatten those trees, cool as it was to see. "Blows my parents' theory on Velikans right outta the water."

Neither of them heard much of what I said, going by the fact they didn't look back up from my gallery until they'd seen everything.

"That is absolute fuckin' class," Aidan yelled, ending with a big laugh and bigger nudge of my shoulder.

"No-one'd believe this," Danny said, grinning ear to ear as he handed back my phone. "Not without these."

"Mate, you can't tell anyone. _Especially_our parents."

"Think I'm stupid? Damn, I don't want my Dad finding out. Might even get_him_ in trouble, too."

We started on our way again, but I hadn't finished. "You should ask him about Velikan for me, though."

"What, why?"

"Maybe he can help me learn some."

"Yeah... My Dad probably speaks about as much Velikan as he does old Linvendian, and that's less than not much."

"Whatever. If he can help me with a few phrases, I'm up for it."

Aidan frowned at me back over his shoulder. "You planning on coming back or something?"

"'course! You know, you guys can come with if you want?" No answer. I smirked as we carried on up the hill. "Well, if you change your minds before tomorrow evening, let me know."

We got back into our neighbourhood a bit past nine. No chance for small talk with the speed we cycled our separate ways towards home. That'd wait until school tomorrow morning.

The last leg of my journey was eerie quiet. No traffic, no people, just a few lights shining from behind the blinds of my neighbours' houses.

I saw our car in the driveway once I rounded the curve... and I also saw my parents about to climb inside.

"We were coming to look for you! Where in the name of the gods above have you been!?" My Dad's snarling hit that sweet spot between massively pissed off, but controlled enough to keep from shouting. A surefire way to know I was in as much trouble as physically possible. "If you went off to that Velikan site--"

"Town," I blurted, screeching to a stop a safe distance away. A wave of cold raced up my spine. "Went to the VR arcade with Danny and Aidan. Was crowded, so didn't stay long." No answer to that. "Call 'em if you don't believe me."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Mum yelped, not much calmer. "I thought you were still in your room!"

"Must've left my TV on... Sorry."

"Wherever you've been, whatever you've been doing; you're grounded for a fucking year!" There went Dad's control. "Get your tail inside. Now!"

He didn't have to tell me twice. I raced around the back of the house, grabbing my phone to let the guys know about the alibi they'd need to go along with. As for grounded? It'd be a couple of weeks, max. Besides, all that meant was I'd have to get even more creative the next time I snuck out to visit Artem...

---

I tossed so hard that my paper-thin bedsheets almost hit the floor._Another_night where I would struggle to get a good night's sleep, as if I hadn't had enough of those.

My roommates around me did little to help my mood, snoring away, reminding me how it was just me struggling to be here.

I pulled my sheets back over me with a growl, rolling to grab my phone from where I had set it to charge.

Close to one in the morning meant it would be almost six back home in Sokolka. Lili would be awake soon to prepare for another day. Dimi and Lara would be up an hour or so later. Another day of school ahead for them.

From here, all I could see of them were these pictures on my screen. Past memories, just like they were to me as I lied here in this draughty shed of a room. But, all this was for them. For us. The money would help. Things would get better. Like my Ma used to say; the future was never all that far away.

I reached the last of my family photos; an image of us all, sitting together, smiling, happy in the garden of our old home. Reluctantly, I moved on... but found myself surprised at what I found. "Bryan."

The first of the pictures I took of our time together stared back at me. It had been just a few hours ago, but only now did it feel recent.

There he stood, grinning like crazy inside the upturned hard hat set atop our kitchen table. I grinned right on back, cycling on through all these photos I had so happily captured. The warmth they gave added to that offered by my family. My bed was no longer quite so firm, my sheets no longer thin and the room no longer loud and cramped. I could rest easily, breathe deep, and say to myself, "It's not all bad here after all."