FSE

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Chapter 4

"Duuuuuude...You're gay?"

Zack gave a slight glare at Linus as they were sitting together for lunch in the cafeteria. The wolf had called the lion last night and tried to tell his friend everything that happened with Kyle, first admitting that he was gay and then what had happened on the date, omitting things he knew Linus shouldn't know. And yes, he admitted, he thought as Linus as a friend. At least, he'd decided he'd rather tell Linus he was gay than tell anyone else. The lion had acted very surprised, and as such, hadn't been much help for the rest of the situation he tried to explain over the phone and just told him to met him for lunch at their usual table the next day.

"You're not like...gonna try hitting on me or something suddenly are ya? You haven't been secretly perving out on me yeah?" The lion continued, his eyes wide as he looked back at Zack, "Cause man, I mean, that's flattering and all but I'm not at all interested in other guys and you don't seem like you'd want to be the bottom and there's no way I'd let another guy stick their dick up my-"

"Gods Linus...No." Zack interrupted him and groaned, rubbing his paws up along his head, his ears flicking back after he did, "Don't you remember anything about what I told you besides that I'm gay?"

The lion made a thoughtful face, "It was something about how you screwed something up. I don't recall much. Guess I got really hanged up on the first part. It was the first time you'd ever called my phone and I didn't expect to be told anything of this scope." The lion gave a bit of a deadpan stare at his friend and Zack realized the lion was right and that perhaps Linus wasn't as clueless as he thought he was.

Zack sighed and he started to explain again, "I had a date last night and I kind of messed it up and made him hate me." He held one paw on his neck while the other tapped the table, "I do like him though and I didn't mean to mess it up so badly. He thinks I'm some rapist or something now..."

Linus hummed a moment and the lion's tail twitched in the air at his side. "Geeze man, not that I'd know the way into another guy's pants but what the heck did you do to give him that impression?"

Zack shook his head, "I wouldn't be able to say, he'd never believe me and neither would you..." He stared at the table. And that was the main issue, he wasn't really able to just come out and say he was a werewolf and that he could see demons others couldn't. He was thankful he hadn't seen any of the Dollmomin yet today, he wouldn't be able to deal with them now like this.

The lion hummed again, "What's his name? What's he do?"

"His name is Kyle, I don't know his last name yet, but he plays baseball for Trentbrook North, he's a senior and he works at the diner we had went to last night. He's a cute dalmatian I met online and then found out he lives and goes to school here. I visited the school two days ago and the coach asked me to help out with practice a bit and when I saw Kyle I realized who he was."

"Let me guess, you showed off your athletic skills to get him to fall for you." Linus chuckled, showing off rows of teeth in a cheshire grin.

Zack blushed, he decided to not answer, also he decided not to look at Linus cause that smile was also rather interesting. "Ya sure you don't know how to get into a guy's pants Linus? You seem to know quite well if you can know that I did that."

The lion fidgeted and stuttered a bit, "It's the same concept for making a girl fall for ya." He defended quickly, "Show off and make em swoon over you." He snarled, but grinned still, knowing the wolf was playing him, "Shut up and continue."

Zack smiled and giggled slightly as he did, staring at the table again, "We went out to dinner last night, and well...something happened that made me have to leave just as the food arrived, but I liked Kyle so I didn't want to just up and leave him stranded like that so I asked him to come with me. He found it really awkward but he came along." His ears twitched as he thought of ways to tell the next parts to Linus. "But the emergency became even more urgent so I kind of...grabbed hold of his paw and started running with him. He eventually managed to get away from my hold and he told me off...and I couldn't give him any reason why we had been running cause like I said earlier, he wouldn't have believed me. So, he came to his own conclusion that I was trying to take him somewhere remote and rape him or something worse and then walked away from me."

Linus stayed silent as the wolf did as well, and he stared at the table himself, eventually saying, "Geeze man...you really did screw up. You seriously can't say why you had to suddenly go on a sprint through the city huh?" Zack shook his head and Linus sighed, "Dude, I don't know what to tell ya then. After something like that he'd be sure to avoid you at most costs. But you didn't chase after him after he got free, maybe after some time he'll realize that you weren't trying to hurt him..."

"I just need some way to make it up to him." Zack whined.

"Well um...another date I suppose? But I'd still give him at least a few days before you try to ask him, let him come to peace with what happened a bit or try to piece it together himself before you ask for forgiveness."

Zack grimaced at the suggestion but asked, "Like what? A movie, a picnic?"

"Naw movie dates are tacky and picnics are more for like, when you're an actual couple." The lion mused, rubbing his chin with his big paw, "What about...oh, what about the school play?"

Zack tilted his head, "There's a play?" Zack mentally slapped himself. Of course there was a play, just because you shut yourself in your dorm room all the time doesn't mean there isn't any social things going on. Zack was majoring in arts, but arts as in drawing. He knew nothing about the acting stage's schedules.

Linus nodded, "Yeah I don't pay attention to that stuff cause I'm not interested in it, so I don't know what the play is, but they recently began selling tickets at the arts building. Go buy a pair of tickets."

The wolf sighed, "What if he says no?"

Linus shrugged, "If he's not willing to forgive you he wouldn't make a very good boyfriend, there's gotta be some give and take. He has to understand you had your reasons but can't say them, especially since you both had only one date, trying know every little bit about your partner so quickly is not reasonable. Whatever your reasons are, he has realize that it may be something you simply don't want to tell him, yet." Linus added the yet with a bit of force and Zack nodded slightly. "And he paid for food for the first date that wasn't even eaten, so it's fair that you'll pay for tickets to go to a play and he'll have to understand that's how you're trying to apologize. You're giving him the opportunity to basically waste your money since you also wasted his and that's your truce offering. If he says no then I'll go with you."

"Excuse me?" Zack said to the last part and the lion gave a growl.

"Not as a date." The lion said quickly, "It's partly my suggestion so if he says no the least I can do is make sure your cash isn't wasted, even if giving the situation you'd deserve it."

Zack thought it over and he started to wag his tail a bit and giggled, "Are you absolutely sure you don't know anything about getting into other guy's pants?"

Linus growled louder, "I told you it's just the same concept! It's easy to give advice if I just think that he's the girl in the relationship." He humphed and folded his arms, his tail twitching. "Relationships are built on trusting the other person, there has to be some give and take." The lion repeated. "He did what was right by him, he decided you were crazy and got away from you, but you don't want to give up so trying to make amends is the next step."

Zack giggled again and he returned to finishing his food, thinking he had to start hanging out with Linus a little more now. He'd always seen the feline as dumb jock that had for some reason decided Zack was his friend, but he was actually smart about lots of things and cared about him.

The two of them finished up their meal and Linus departed to go train at the gyms while Zack made his way to the arts building. It was where he had his own classes, but he only frequented a few of the rooms. He'd never seen the rest of the building, even the stage, but he knew where the office was. There was a sign outside the office saying that tickets were available for the play, and it showed what the play was. "Sweeney Todd. Performed by the Talloaks College arts and music group." It showed the date was about two weeks from now and tickets were thirty dollars per person. Zack mumbled at that kind of pricing, but took the hit as he went into the office and bought two tickets.

Zack made his way to leave the building but as he did he suddenly heard singing coming from the stage through the halls. He paused and listened to the voice singing the vocals and curiosity caught hold of him. The wolf made his way to the stage, located on the south end of the building, a large dome with several rows of seating and even some upper balcony rows. He didn't want to disturb the actors, so he remained as quiet as he could as he approached the side door of the stage. He probably wasn't allowed back here at all. Several other students and the professor were in the seats of the auditorium, so he was out of view of everyone except those on stage.

On stage, bathed in the light of spotlights hanging above them, where a handful of actors in what appeared to be late 19th century clothing and singing out lines from the play while making movements around a pair of barber chairs placed beside each other. One, a black dragon slightly taller than Zack, was wearing a black button up shirt and black pants, while the other, a large bellied bear, which Zack realized was just stuffing inside his clothing were doing most of the singing. A few other actors were on stage with them, a lioness by the dragon dressed as what he could only say was a witch, her hair frizzy and unkempt, and the other a tan lizard by the bear walking on his knees as if to represent a small boy. The dragon and lioness were facing towards Zack, and he was sure they saw him, but they remained in character as the bear whose back was to Zack began to sing.

"I am Adolfo Pirelli," the large bear began singing in his baratone voice, "Da king of da barbers, da barber of kings, e buon giorno, good day, I blow you a kiss!" He blew a kiss towards the fake audience, "And I, da so-famous Pirelli, I wish-a to know-a, who has-a da nerve-a to say my elixir is piss! Who says this?!"

The dragon came forward, his purple eyes sparkled in the light of the stage, Zack could tell just from his stance that he was excited to be doing this part in the play as he returned his line while holding up a small bottle of liquid. "I do I am Mr. Sweeney Todd of Fleet Street. I have opened a bottle of Pirelli's elixir, and I say to you that it is nothing but an errant fraud, concocted from piss and ink. And furthermore Signor, I have serviced no kings, yet I wager I can shave a cheek with ten times more dexterity than any street mountebank."

The scene continued for a few minutes as the bear challenged the dragon to a contest of who could make the cleanest shave in the fastest time and there was a bit more singing. Two actors came up on stage and took places in either chair, both sporting impressive, but fake, beards. The bear was grand standing and singing to the empty room while the dragon was carefully applying lotion to his subject, spent several seconds sharpening his razor, and then began shaving him in rapid fashion as the bear began applying the last bit of lotion. Zack didn't know how it was done because surely it was a fake razor edge knife, but the beard melted off the other actor's face like butter and then the 'judge', a portley badger, interrupted the bear's incredible last note with a simple "The winner is Todd" The bear hadn't even started shaving the other subject, and made a furious face.

"Cut!" The director shouted and stood, giving an applause of his own then, the rest of the students also doing the same. "Amazing! Perfect! If we perform like that come show time it'll be great!" The bear relaxed and smiled, the furious face fading and Zack remembered they were in fact acting, and he clapped as well. It was masked by the sound coming from the chairs though, and he stopped before they did so he still wouldn't be noticed.

The director took a few moments to remind everyone of the next practice tomorrow and that they would be meeting to practice every day up till show time to rehearse and eventually begin practicing the entire play in long sessions.

While the actors hopped off the stage, the black dragon stayed up and looked to the side right at Zack again, and while everyone else was filling out through the main entrance of the auditorium, he turned and made his way over to Zack. When he came closer, Zack noticed that while he was black furred on most of his body, he had purple scales on his hands, forearms, and legs like they were socks and gloves while the fur was like clothing adding to what he was already wearing. He also had impressive whiskers and a very long tail that swayed as he walked. His eyes gleamed mischievously as he walked towards Zack.

"Getting a good sneak peak of the show are ya?" The dragon questioned as he moved towards a locker in the back of the stage, walking right past the wolf. His tail came up and flicked him across the nose, making Zack fall back a bit, wiggling his nose. The dragon continued, "I don't blame ya I suppose, for thirty dollars it's only natural you'd want to make sure you're getting your monies worth."

To Zack's surprise, the dragon began stripping in front of him, first taking off his pants quickly as he continued, "Fuck though it's hot up there, those lights are killer, I love to act but I hate that part of it. You can sweat balls up there." The dragon turned to Zack, wearing just the shirt and his boxers. He wiggled and swayed as he asked, "Do you know how low my balls are hanging right now? Like damn I can feel them slapping against my thighs when I move."

Zack was now blushing furiously and the dragon laughed as he turned back to the locker and began unbuttoning the shirt. "I'm messing with ya! All my stuff is internal!" Zack blushed even harder as the dragon smiled, pulling the shirt up over his head after getting the first few buttons undone and then he put the clothing in the locker, pulling out a simple blue shirt and black summer shorts. He pulled those on and then came up to Zack, "You're really quiet, dragon got your tongue?"

"Just surprised I guess." Zack stuttered a bit with a giggle, still blushing, "You're really um..."

"Vulgar, straightforward, ugh impossible to work with?" The dragon made motions with his hands and said the last part in a very prissy and uptight voice, walking away from the wolf suddenly, "God I've heard it all. Some people appreciate someone who can make light of anything with a few good jokes, others find it unprofessional and annoying." His head snapped over his shoulder suddenly, giving Zack the deadliest glare he'd ever seen, "But I can out act them all, they don't stand up to what I can do." Suddenly the dragon rushed up to Zack again, he leaned in on the wolf and put his paws on the wolf's chest, those piercing purple eyes staring into his. "Do you think so?" His voice was low and he gave a soft growl.

Zack gulped, and he nodded rapidly, the dragon pulled away and suddenly smiled again. He reached and took hold of Zack's paw and began shaking it. "I'm Drailsin, it's nice to meet you."

"Zack..." The wolf returned a little stunned. Drailsin released his paw and Zack blinked, "So you're the lead role huh?"

"Yup, playing Sweeney Todd in all of his messed up gloriousness." Drailsin suddenly produced the shaving blade he had used earlier from his back pocket and he licked along the edge of the blade slowly while staring again into Zack's eyes.

"I-I see..." Zack gulped again.

Drailsin rolled his eyes and he put the blade away back into his pocket, "Relax, it's just plastic. The hair the actors wear cling to it in the foam so it looks like they got shaved. That and I'm still just messing with ya." He reached his arms up into the air and stretched, "Though I was serious about those damn lights, way too freaking hot. Even outside it's way too hot. I'm from the north and the heat here is killer."

"Oh?" Zack said then, his tail giving a little wag, "You're from the North? Me too, I was born there, but my family moved here when I was young."

"You remember anything about the north?" Drailsin asked, grinning.

"No." Zack shook his head, "Not entirely, just some memories about how boring it was up there sometimes to me."

"You weren't a very outdoorsy person then." Drailsin stated, "I loved it there, the cold is great, but suddenly my folks have a lot of business here in the city and we had to move for an extended period, so I've been going to school here for my acting degree." He grinned evily. "The director has fallen in love with me though, and he doesn't know I'll have to go back north by at least the end of next year." He giggled and his tail twitched in delight. "It will be so fun."

The dragon began talking to the air beside Zack as if the director was there, his voice mournful and sad "Listen. I know we have a deep relationship and it was fun but all good things must come to an end." He held his paw up and shook his head sadly, giving time as if the fake director was pleading, "Please don't beg or cry, I'm sure you'll find others just as talented."

Zack grinned, "You're evil."

Drailsin turned his head towards him, voice returning to normal as he grinned, "Oh you have no idea." He looked down a moment and noticed the pair of tickets in the wolf's paw. "Two tickets? Hmm is there someone lucky going with you?" He churred and began walking slowly around the wolf once, his tail curling around his leg.

Zack felt that dexterous tail wrapping around his leg, blushing but he was starting to get used to the dragon's personality so he allowed it, "Yeah...at least...if he says yes anyway..."

"He?" The dragon paused, staring at the wolf in a new way he hadn't been before. Zack paused in fear, realizing he just let slip his sexuaility, before a sultry grin formed on the dragon's muzzle, "Well if he says no I'd be more than delighted to start going out with you. I mean heck, look at you, nice body; buff but not too buff, young. That fur too, it's so shiny and rare to see that coloration, did that happen because you were born a northerner and then came down here?" Zack nodded and was about to say something when the dragon's tail suddenly shot up through his shorts and boxers while it was curled around his leg. The tip wrapped around his balls and Drailsin murred. "Ohhh and you're a big guy too...rawr. I thought that bulge in your shorts was me making you aroused but damn that's just your sheath isn't it? What are you like, eight, nine inches?"

Zack stepped back at the surprise when the sudden caress hit him and he stammered again, "We'll see what happens." he said, ears pinned back, not wanting to tell the dragon but he was only off by a few inches more. The dragon's tail was pulled out from his undergarments from his retreating step.

Drailsin sighed dramatically as he withdrew his tail from around the wolf's leg. "Such a shame, you'd be the first I'd get to have any fun with down here, and I'm rather fond of wolves, knots are fun..." Zack shivered in place at the image of the dragon on his knees in front of him right now, sucking his cock and paws squeezing his knot, but cleared his head as Drailsin continued, "Well, at any rate, I'll do my best to put on a good show for you and your potential date. I hope he's cute. You'd deserve someone who at least is as fit as you."

Zack nodded, recovering, "He plays baseball, so that's no issue, and he is cute..." He stopped and tried to focus again, but that surprising grope had him off balance and he didn't know how to keep the conversation going. Drailsin saw this and giggled, the dragon shrugged and moved around Zack to walk towards several levers.

"You head on out Zack, I have to shut down the stage equipment, there's no point in you hanging around longer than this now hmm? I'll see ya around." The dragon began flipping several switches which turned the stage lights off and the curtain began to close. Zack took his leave quickly, relieved but wagging his tail a bit. It looked like he had made another, though very intense, friend.

____________________

As Linus suggested, Zack decided to wait a few days before trying to ask Kyle to the play. He'd received a few messages on Burythebone from the dalmatian but he decided not to respond to them, he didn't even open them. He wanted to speak to Kyle in person and decided trying to ask him through a text message wasn't going to have the same effect. He intended to go to highschool tomorrow, watch Kyle's practice, then try to speak to him. He wondered if Mr Harris caught wind of any change in Kyle's attitude, but was confident if the coach tried to stop him he could convince him he was there to try and make amends with Kyle.

Zack thanked Linus for his advice simply by spending more time with the lion. They went and worked out together at the gym for the first time and Zack caught himself starting to stare at the lion at times. Linus was buffer than he had thought, having never seen the lion in work out clothing before. Watching the lion do his curls and lifting weights was more than enough eye candy. However, after the workout, Linus asked Zack if he wanted to shower with him. Zack had given him a look of surprise but Linus again quickly said that asking the wolf to take a shower together didn't mean he was interested in Zack 'That way.' He showered with the football team on a constant basis, and he had feelings some of the team were gay, so he had no issue in being naked around gay men.

"I've heard it's only truly gay if balls touch, right?" Linus had said with a shrug and Zack rolled his eyes, but he did shower with his friend, and respectfully avoided staring at his naked companion.

Zack also began seeing Drailsin in the hallways sometimes and at the cafeteria, though while Drailsin didn't sit with or talk to him at all he wondered why he had never noticed the dragon before now, but chopped it up to the dragon blending in with the other students he didn't care of or know anything about, and that he was only now noticeable because they had met on the stage.

Luran had visited a few times over the two days, to check up on and talk to Zack. He asked only once if Zack felt ready to come with him to the cave where the werewolves were hiding, but Zack explained he couldn't because he was trying to make things right with Kyle, which Luran respected and left it at that, but he could feel that the white Alpha was growing insistent and he would eventually have to come with him to resolve whatever issue it was they needed his help with.

Two days after he had bought the tickets, fall vacation was over and classes had started back up. Zack went through his day as normal, thinking about what he was going to do and say later that day when he went to the highschool to try and see Kyle. He was lost in these thoughts all day until his science class.

It was a normal lesson, everyone turned in the assignments they'd been given to do over break and then the professor, a elk with large horns, proceeded into his lecture about chemicals and oddities of science. Zack laid his head on his paw and stared off into space. He didn't focus in the general education classes. Everything was by the book and assignments came straight out of it so he could just do the homework and still pass with a C or B. It was a drag to have to take something like this when he was trying to be an art major, he had no need to know what would happen if he mixed gas A with gas B or liquid A with liquid B. Math was his worst subject, again more for the thought of why he would ever need it, he wasn't going to be doing anything requiring such complex equations, and these days technology would do most of that for you. Zack remembered that once in highschool during geometry, there had been a 'story question' that asked "A dog has chased a squirrel up a tree. The dog is fourteen feet away from the tree and his staring at the squirrel at a fifty degree angle. How high up the tree is the squirrel?" Of course Zack knew that it was a simple A squared plus B squared equals C squared equation, but Zack found the question and the way it was presented so ridiculous he instead responded with "First of all, how did you get the dog to stand still long enough to even get those measurements, and secondly, who cares?! I just want to watch the dog chase a squirrel!" He aced the rest of the test except that one question, but he had the satisfaction of having the teacher write back to him, "haha fair enough." as a response when he got the paper back.

Zack was grinning and giggling to himself about it when he looked back at the professor as he was lecturing and froze, eyes widening. A Dollmomin was laying across the dry erase board behind the professor. The wolf briefly watched it, its tongue flicking out in the air and it made a hissing noise as it looked around the room. Zack remembered Luran's advice to ignore them and he quickly looked away and began trying to look like he was staring off into space again, but shivered as he noticed three more of the demons phase into the room from the wall. He ignored them, as they all began to slither their way through the class.

The students went on blissfully unaware of their presence, taking notes, staring off into space, or eyes closed and probably sleeping with their head in a paw. The Dollmomin slithered around between their legs, their shadowy, smokey limps rapidly moving as they skittered across the floor. One of them reared up on its hind legs beside a lynx boy who was tapping his pencil against his notebook constantly. The Dollmomin stared intently at the lynx, and slowly the feline seemed to be becoming more and more irritated, until he tapped his pencil so hard that the end broke and he swore loudly. The professor paused in his lecture and looked around at the class. The lynx feel silent. The elk scanned the class with a stern glare but he decided not to say anything and returned to his lecture.

The lynx, realizing he'd gotten away without being scolded sighed and began spacing out again, his broken pencil forgotten. The Dollmomin continued to stare at the lynx, but seemed to lose interest. The other three followed their companion as they all skittered up the wall and all four phased through the ceiling.

Zack sighed in relief, closing his eyes. He wondered why after three days he was seeing them again, and at his school. He hadn't seen a single one of them since his date with Kyle. He'd have to let Luran know.

The rest of the day went by with no more sightings, and Zack began to relax again. After his last class he headed back to his dorm room to change into something suitable for meeting with Kyle at the high school, but upon entering his room found Luran waiting for him.

The white werewolf bristled as Zack entered, "Zack, you have to come with me to the cave."

Zack grimaced and he moved past the werewolf to his dresser, "I can't. I have to go see Kyle. I told you that."

"Unfortunately, I'm not giving you a choice this time." Luran said, and he came up behind the wolf. Luran loomed over Zack, and the wolf knew that he was serious. Luran had told him that Zack was bigger than him in his werewolf form, but like this he wouldn't be able to fight back at all if Luran decided to manhandle him.

"Before you decide to drag me out of here." Zack said as he stopped rummaging through his dresser and turned to face the werewolf, trying to remain unperturbed and neutral. "Why is it suddenly so urgent for me to go to the cave."

Luran looked into Zack's eyes with his own, "I've received visions and words from our god of the moon, Lumaria." Luran stepped closer to him, shaking his head, "Zack, you need to come to the cave."

"Not without being told exactly why." Zack persisted, folding his arms. "I'm one of you, so tell me what's happening."

Luran stared at him sadly, "Zack..." the werewolf sighed and nodded, "Fine...you need to come to the cave because we need to keep you safe."

"Why?" Zack continued, "Why do you need to keep me safe?"

"Because you're special, your ability to change back and forth can be the key to us surviving as a species." Zack didn't have to continue asking what Luran meant by that as the werewolf held up a paw, showing all his five long, clawed fingers. "Besides you...there are now only five werewolves left alive..."

Zack stared at Luran, "What do you mean?"

"Several months ago I led a small group of werewolves across the country to come here. We were hunted down constantly by Dollmomin, and now out of the fifteen that originally came with me, only four survive. Urie, Tarn, Shade, and Raze. It was only upon entering this city that we've really found peace. Whoever is controlling the Dollmomin doesn't want to cause too much trouble in the city, or too much attention drawn to them anyway." Luran paced towards the window and stared out of it. Zack thought about telling him to get away in case anyone saw him, but figured the werewolf knew better than he would if he would be seen. "My people, my pack...was over a hundred strong. I received visions about you, a second Alpha, who would help us fight back against the Dollmomin when we realized they were being controlled and directed. I took only a small number of them with me to go find you, so that they could continue to fight the Dollmomin back with the remaining numbers, but...I received new visions today..." He paused, his eyes closing, and he murmured the last words, "They've been slaughtered. Every last one of them, even the cubs..."

Luran turned to Zack, who was stunned as he tried to understand what this meant. The werewolf's eyes glistened, "Zack...we're the last of our kind..."