The Fox & The Raccoon, Part 1
#1 of THE FOX & THE RACCOON
I enjoy writing for Carmen and Natani- they're just such fun and complex characters. After the first story, Hitting the Gym, I realized that there was room for expanding on them- plus, the readers seemed interested in seeing them come back.
In the follow-up, Modern Living For Misfits,I was able to further develop their characters. And of course, it was even more fun because the two of them really just let each other have it... And Carmen was able to thrash the shit out of Natani- and thus finally get revenge on her.
Before I continue with their present lives, I think it might be nice to go back to how they first met and explain how the two women got involved in their strange relationship.
.o.o.o.
THE FOX & THE RACCOON
Part I:
**"How it All Started..."
.o.o.o.**
Six Years Ago...
They both were first semester freshmen at the same college... and they were also roommates. The two young women had met for the first time during orientation on the weekend before the first weak of classes.
For these two young people- Carmen Foster (an 18 year old red fox, majoring in advertising) and Natani Hargreaves (a 19 year old raccoon, majoring in physical education)- it was the beginning a long and turbulent relationship... A relationship fraught with both animosity and passion, as well both anger and love. However, at the moment, neither of theme could have known any of this...
Natani ascended the flight of stairs- carrying both a large fully laden suitcase in each hand and her heavy backpack on her back. Her lean muscles flexed and tensed under the strain, but she endured the journey. The raccoon had her pride at stake, and wasn't about to beg for help... No, her body was strong and she could make it!
She wasn't a muscle-head, but she'd always excelled at physical events. She'd grown up in a fairly nice middle-class family as the middle child of three. She had an older brother who was working on his law degree and and a younger sister who had just started high school. The young raccoon was different though- she'd never really been feminine or girly, like her little sister.
In fact, she'd always gotten along best with her father and older brother Ian- much to annoyance of her mother (a 'professional' housewife).
The door to third floor door suddenly swung open, having been kicked rather violently by Natani's sneaker-clad foot. She ventured into the hall and looked around. Eventually, she spotted the door with the number 308 on it.
She was quick to notice a familiar figure standing at the door- it was her roommate, Carmen. The raccoon made her way over to where the vixen was standing and promptly collapsed against the wall. She slid down it till she was in sitting position. She glanced up at the fox, who seemed to have at last noticed her.
Carmen was wearing a pair of tight denim Capri pants and trendy black sandals, along with a white blouse that clearly wasn't up to the task of containing her sizable breasts. The top three buttons were open, offering a tantalizing hint of the large mounds that were already discernible by the way the garment clung to her body. Her long, semi-wavy dark red hair hung down around the sides of her face and 2/3 of the way down her back.
Natani paused suddenly and glanced down at herself for a moment- noting her relatively small bust as well as her fairly slender figure. She sighed and gave a sour expression. She was dressed in a dull gray hoodie and dark 'military green' cargo pants. At the moment, as she stood near the vixen, the raccoon felt absolutely repulsive by comparison. She cursed inwardly, wondering if she should just go stick her head in the old community oven and finish herself off...
After a moment Natani shook her head and got back onto her usual frame of mind. She reached into the pocket of her hooded sweatshirt and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, with a cheep plastic lighter stuck to it with a rubber band, and flipped it open. The foil-lined interior became visible, as well as the fact that a couple of the cigarettes had already been smoked. She took one out and placed it in her mouth. The raccoon freed the lighter and brought it up the end of the cig she was gripping in her mouth.
She was about to flick the lighter, when someone spoke. "You know those things are bad for you, right?" Natani looked over to the source of the voice to see the familiar busty form of her roommate, Carmen, looking at her intently. The fox seemed to be giving her a look that was a mix of sympathy and disapproval.
The raccoon regarded her dully for a moment, not moving. After a moment, she brought the lighter down- though still kept the cigarette in her mouth. "Really, no kidding?" She retorted in a dry, sarcasm-laced tone. She then looked away from the vixen and smiled. "Actually, princess, I'm going to be quitting soon- so you won't have to worry about it for long." She added, all the while continuing to hold the object in question in her lips.
Silence quickly fell between them and Carmen frowned, put off by the other woman's caustic disposition. "Well, you know... you don't have to be so rude about it- I was just expressing concern." She replied indignantly, putting her hands on her hips.
The raccoon picked up the slight dejected pout on her face. She cursed inwardly, feeling a faint chill go through her. Never the less, she wasn't going to be taken in so easily by a cute face! "Yeah, well I don't need your damned concern... there's already enough people trying to get up in my business already as it is." She replied defensively. "And I sure don't need to be lectured by a tease like you who got some guy to carry her shit for her." She added, looking away.
The fox glared at her, before crossing her arms and turning away from her. "Honestly, I don't get why you have to be such a bitch!" She snapped back at her. "I don't know what's pissing you off so much... but, don't jump up my ass because you just happen to be in a bad mood!" Carmen added, slightly flustered by her outburst.
Natani was silent for a moment. She reached up and took the cigarette out of her mouth... and then suddenly started laughing- catching the red fox off-guard with this action. "So you think I'm a bitch, huh?" She began darkly. "You have no idea sweetheart!" She replied, infuriating the red fox even further in the process.
.o.o.o.
Four and a half Years Ago...
One thing was clear... Carmen Foster and Natani Hargreaves didn't get along.
People around them would often ask one of them why they continued living together after their first year in college. After all, as sophomores- they both now had the option of choosing their own living arrangements.
The usual answer given, by both of them, was that it was simply cheaper to just share an apartment and split the rent. This of course made sense, as they both saved money, and in this day and age- it was also just safer for a female student to live with someone else. Of course, one rather serious issue continued to persist...
Both the Fox and the Raccoon made no effort to hide their animosity towards one another, and people would often ask (once again) why they were now living together. Surely, it would have been easier to get different roommates? In the end, neither of them could give much in the way of an explanation for this- beyond that fact that it was "convenient" for them.
Carmen was laying across the (three cushion) coach on her stomach, quietly reading one of her text books- "Marketing Theories: Level 1". The vixen's fluffy red tale shifted slightly as she read. A couple of other books, on economics and commercial writing, were on the nearby coffee table. Next to the stack, sat a half-empty cup of tea.
Carmen had been raised in a nice upper middle class family. Her only sibling was her younger brother- who had recently begun high school since she'd been in college. Unlike her roommate, Carmen was very much the 'typical' girl... Attractive, outgoing, feminine, and so on. But she was also smart and wanted a life of her own. The fox had been quite adamant that she had be her own person and not be defined by who she married, and so on...
The fox's long dark red hair was pulled into a loose bun in the back while a pair of trendy black reading glasses rested on the bridge of her nose. She was barefoot, and wearing a pair of short silver draw-string surfer shorts (that showed off her long legs) and a black sleeveless top that showed a her belly a little. Carmen had just turned the page when the door to their apartment suddenly swung open and the familiar figure of Natani walked in.
The raccoon closed the door (making sure to lock it and set the deadbolt), then dropped her backpack as she walked into the den. She plopped down into an armchair situated caddy-corner to the coach. Natani closed her eyes and exhaled, before running her dark hands through her shoulder-length hair. She was dressed in a sleeveless camo-pattern shirt and a pair of khaki work-style shorts. Carmen watched as the raccoon reached down and pulled her well worn black tennis shoes off, and then her white socks as well.
Natani sat back, extending and flexing her slender toned legs- giving a slight relaxed groan in the process. She looked up, suddenly making eye-contact with Carmen. The fox set her book down and shifted into a semi sitting position. "Are you alright?"
Natani looked at her for a moment. She noted that thanks to the shorts that Carmen had on she could see most of her long legs, including her dark feet and a bit of the cream-colored fur of her inner-thighs. The shirt she had on showed off modest portion of her flat stomach- covered in the same light fur. The top clung nicely to her breasts- showing off both the size and shape. The raccoon looked away for a moment- so as to not let Carmen see her blush faintly.
Natani looked back at her and cleared her throat. "I was on my way back from my afternoon class- you know... Anatomy and Physiology II, in the old Westinghouse Building, right?" She began, getting a nod from the fox. "Well anyway... I walking along and this bitch from my class- Vanessa Perkins- sees me. I heard her say something to one of her friends."
The vixen paused for a moment. "You mean that Mink with the designer bag?" Carmen asked, removing her glassed. The fox had seen the girl she was talking about briefly- once at the commissary, when Natani had pointed her out.
"Yeah, that's her." Natani continued, her gray eyes now visible amidst her black 'mask'. "I don't think she knows that I heard her... she was facing one of her friends when she said it." The raccoon explained. "Still, I know what she said was about me..." She suddenly became quiet again, glancing off to the side.
The fox waited for a moment, but the other woman didn't say anything. Carmen cocked her head to the side a bit, to get a better look at her. "Well... what did she say, Natani?" The vixen asked as she leaned forward in anticipation.
Natani mouthed a silent curse, before she glanced back up and looked directly at Carmen. "She fucking called me a dyke..." She admitted. She raccoon fell back and crossed her arms, sinking into the chair in the process. "Who the hell does she think she is?! Just because she's supposedly fucking all these guys doesn't make her some sort of expert on shit like that!" The raccoon huffed.
Carmen covered her mouth in surprise. "Oh... Natani... I'm sorry." She replied timidly.
To the fox's shock, the raccoon glanced up at her for a moment, before looking away again. "It's cool... don't worry about it... I'm just overreacting." She tried to reason.
In truth, she wasn't really that upset by the accusation. What had really upset her was that it was someone else- especially someone she didn't like- that had made it. Natani had always had the feeling that there was something that made her fundamental different from most people. She wondered how many others had wondered about her in such a way... Perhaps even some of her own family?
She had no problem with being different- she'd always done things her own way. What really troubled her was the idea she might end up unhappy and isolated. Of course she also realized that this division between her and the rest of the world around her was also due to her own attitudes as well- try as she might to rationalize it. Despite all her tough talk and behavior to the contrary, she did find the concept of spending her life with an invisible wall between herself and others very disturbing...
Carmen's eyes widen and she leaned forward. "Don't say that, I can see that it hurt you- you don't have to try and hide it." The vixen began. "That girl... she's just a bitch... and she had no right to say something like that about you!" She exclaimed.
This time, it was Natani's turn to be surprised. She looked over at Carmen and felt herself blush slightly. She nodded and smiled back at her. "Thanks..." She replied. She smiled inwardly, realizing that for the moment, there was one person in her life that wasn't going anywhere anytime soon...
.o.o.o.
Four Years ago...
Carmen Foster rubbed her gloved-hands together. It was well into the fall semester of her third year in college. Despite the term's name, it should have been called the "Frigid Winter Semester". There was a bitter chill in the air and it was supposed to get worse over night!
The red fox had on long pants and faux fur-lined boots over socks. She was also wearing a heavy dark blue winter jacket (zipped all the way up) over a trendy gray turtleneck. Carmen had a dark burgundy scarf wrapped around her neck, with the tasseled ends hanging down in the front and wool gloves that were (perhaps fittingly) almost as black as her hands. The vixen was starting wonder when her roommate was going to show up...
As if on cue, she spotted Natani running across the grassy lawn in front of the building where her class had just finished. The raccoon was wearing jeans and a pair of fake fur-lined boots that were somewhat similar to Carmen's. She was wearing a heavy olive green double-breasted overcoat (buttoned all the way up.) She had on a red and black turtleneck sweater (underneath) while the collar of her coat was flipped up around her neck, along with a light blue scarf that was tucked inside it. Her gloved hand gripped the strap of her book bag.
"Sorry to keep you waiting... There was something important I needed to ask the teacher about." Natani explained. Her hair was pretty much the same- the messy locks of her blond shoulder length hair shifted about slightly in the mild breeze while she spoke. By comparison, Carmen's long dark red hair was pulled into a ponytail in the back.
Carmen nodded understandingly. "Don't worry, it's alright." She replied, noting the various metal piercing (both hoops and studs) that were in Natani's ears, as well as the fact that a few of them appeared to be recent additions. By contrast, the fox didn't have any piercing of her own. "Why don't we go get something to drink at the cafe before heading home?" She asked.
The raccoon nodded in agreement and the two of them cut across the grassy lawn, past bare trees with shuddering skeletal limbs. They made their way along a path that ran through the gap between two buildings. The pair walked silently between the old three-story buildings- both were brickwork, composed of classic reddish-brown bricks (stacked together uniformly) and capped off with gray stone trims. The late afternoon sky was a dull gray color and cloudy and both of them could see their breath when they spoke.
People had long since stopped asking either of them about their living situation by this point. Over the last two years, they'd grown accustomed to each other. While they weren't really friends, they had come to understand one another and had figured out how get along well enough. The fox and the raccoon had formed a relationship that was unique to their situation. Neither of them ever really took notice of this, and they certainly never noticed how 'comfortable' they'd become around each other.
Natani was gradually coming to terms with who she was, but had still not told Carmen. The raccoon was worried that she beginning to grow somewhat preoccupied with the vixen... often catching herself glancing at her when she wasn't looking. Of course, living with someone as attractive as Carmen was bound to have some sort of effect on you.
For the fox's part, she never really picked up on any of Natani's glances- well not consciously at least. Carmen had gone out with guys and dated since they'd started college, but the relationships never really went anywhere. Surprisingly, when she felt bad, she found that just being around the raccoon had an odd calming effect on her.
(- End of Part 1 -)
.o.o.o.
Basically, for people who stumbled onto this chapter first- it's actually a good place to start reading from. This story, and the second half of it, is a prequel to the first two stories I've already posted on the site. A good order to read them would be like this:
Chapter 1: "The Fox & The Raccoon, Part 1"
Chapter 2: "The Fox & The Raccoon, Part 2"
Chapter 3: "Hitting the Gym"
Chapter 4: "Modern Living for Misfits"
I decided that it was important to explore how these two met and the backgrounds that they come from. This of course required a much longer narrative than on the previous two occasions, so I ended up having to split the whole thing into two chapters. Sorry if this one ended sort of abruptly, but I couldn't really work out a decent segue into the second half... oh well.
-Seres North
Original Version: October 29, 2009
Revised Version: November 16, 2010