FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Author's Note: This was a difficult story for me to write. First person is not my preferred viewpoint, and I really wanted to dig down and explore the emotions of the character. I hope you like it. Any feedback would be much appreciated. For those who are interested, this is a kind of alternate history to 'Under Alien Skies'. Those of you who have read that one will spot the differences and the similarities. As a bit of a challenge, can anyone tell me what caused the big difference in the two universes?

Warning! This story contains scenes of explicit sexual description. If you are under 18, or whatever the legal age is in your area, it is illegal for you to read this material. Although chances are you will anyway, but you have been warned...

Thanks to Vicious Reader and Guri for proofreading.

P.S. I know the title is REALLY long, but what can I say, I'm a sucker for private jokes.

What Would You Do If I'm Not What I'm Supposed To Be?

I stalked slowly along the narrow passageway, claws clicking slightly on the cold stone floor. The walls were damp, water trickling down openly in several places. With a structure this old, it was unsurprising. The ancients had built well, but after more than a thousand years, some water would surely leak in from the lake above.

I gripped my sword hilt, the blue scale-covered muscles in my forearm rippling as I tightened my fist. It was quite disturbing really, to be in a dimly lit space under liquid tons. The thought was ever-present in the back of my mind, the image of water crashing in, stealing away my breath.

One of the floor tiles grated slightly underfoot. A voice behind me yelled, "Watch out!"

I dove forward, a breeze whistling past my shoulder. I glanced up from where I lay sprawled on the stone, the now harmless axe blade swinging slowly from its hinge.

"Dammit Kraid, I told you this place has plenty of surprise attacks!" My partner, Daigen, was pointing his staff at me accusingly. "Sorry Daig, my mind was somewhere else."

"Well, get your mind here! I don't want to have to patch you up again! I've already used plenty of ether."

"Sorry," I said again, picking myself up. I adjusted the shoulder straps of my armour, making sure it was still sitting properly.

"Whatever. We're close, let's keep going."

"What are we looking for again?"

"An artefact of some sorts. The guy who requisitioned this mission didn't say. Just that it would be tough, and he'll pay really well."

"It must be something pretty good, if he's willing to give an enchanted armour plate for it."

"No kidding. At least he had a map of this place. That's what keeps most of the looters away. We would've been hopelessly lost without that."

Suddenly, there was a rumbling growl from up ahead. Both of us stopped in our tracks. "Was that..." I started to say.

A large form padded around the corner up ahead, just visible in the light from Daigen's staff.

"Oh hell no," Daigen muttered. "Chimera."

The leonine central head of the beast glared at us with its golden eyes, the dragon and ram heads turning towards us. Even on four feet, it was as tall as us. It let out a fearsome roar, the sound reverberating through the corridor and making me wish I could clap my hands over my ears. I kept my grip on my sword and shield though, firming my battle stance.

"This is going to be tough in this small space," Daigen said, moving as far to my right as he could. Several glowing balls appeared in his hand, slowly growing brighter as he prepared the spells.

The beast needed no further challenge, it leapt towards us. Daigen ducked, and I threw my shield up to block the swipe from its claws, getting thrown back against the wall from the force of it. I managed to get a jab in at its belly though, and it roared in anger as it landed, a tiny amount of blood dripping onto the stone.

It was hardly enough to stop it though. The dragon head reared back, whipping forward and spewing flames. I huddled behind my shield, trusting Daigen to take care of it. He did, the flames dissipating as they hit an invisible wall.

A bolt of lightning split the dank air, striking the chimera in the chest. It stumbled, but didn't go down, and its scorpion tail whipped forward. I took the blow off my shield, wincing at the jarring strike.

It prowled forward, spewing another jet of flames. Daigen blocked this one as well, but hadn't yet had time to prepare any more spells. I took the opportunity to charge towards it, the dissipating wall of flames hiding my advance.

Its tail slashed forwards as it saw me, but I spun around it. I swung mightily, my blade opening a deep slash across the ram head. It roared again, the longer necked dragon head lunging forwards. I fended it off with my shield, the mighty jaws clacking against the metal.

I thrust at the lion head, and the beast leaped back. Another lightning bolt shot past me, catching it completely off guard. It snarled, its fur frizzing out from the electricity. I lunged forward, bringing my blade down in an arc.

The scorpion tail took me in the chest, and I was thrown backward several metres, crashing down on the stone. My armour protected me, but it now had a nice dent, a bruise forming behind it.

Slowly, the beast turned, the ram head centering on us. "Get down!" Daigen yelled unnecessarily. I was already hitting the floor, shield up over my head. Daigen planted his staff as he sprawled beside me, the air rippling around it.

There was an odd howling sound, and a frigid wind blasted over our heads. I could see ice crystals forming around Daigen's staff, his shield protecting us from the worst of the attack. Even with that, we were buffeted by the powerful attack, and I suppressed a shudder at the thought of having to face a thing like this solo.

After what seemed like hours, but was really only seconds, the attack let up. The beast glared at us as we got to our feet, the lips of its lion head drawing back in a snarl. "I'll cover you, go!" Daigen said.

I nodded. After that, the chimera would need a second to recover. A brilliant shaft of light appeared above it, Daigen's Purge attack nailing it in the back. Its heads drew back in a soundless roar, the energy crackling over it as I charged forward. Just as the attack petered out, I plunged my blade hilt deep into its chest.

It locked eyes with me, its gaze showing a flash of cold intelligence that was quite unsettling. The proud eyes of a feral predator. Without a sound, it sank to its knees, blood spurting out around my embedded sword as I wrenched it free.

I staggered back from the dying creature as it moaned mournfully, sprawling onto its side. I turned to Daigen. "Those things are scary."

"I know, and that's not even the guardian."

"I didn't mean it that way..."

He met my eyes. "You mean cuz it has a head that looks like ours?"

"Yeah..."

"Look at it this way. It would've killed us in a heartbeat. It may look like us, but it isn't the same."

"I know, but still..."

Daigen punched me in the shoulder. "You're not growing soft on me are you?"

"Not at all. Let's keep going."

"Good. Remember, don't get too caught up in it."

Daigen pulled an energy drink out of his bag. "One sec, I just need to power up again." He downed the tiny bottle, his staff glowing slightly as the magical nutrients restored his constitution. "Much better. You good?"

"I'm good."

He strode forward, dark robes swishing slightly. I glanced back at the fallen chimera briefly before following, catching up before his red scaled tail disappeared around the bend.

I knew my partner was right, but it still felt a little odd to slay such a noble beast. At least with gargoyles, and even wyverns, you didn't get that same sense of...not sentience perhaps, but knowledge of its own death.

I continued to follow Daigen, admiring the way his ruby scales glittered in the light from his staff. _'He's always been a little tougher than me. But he understands too.' _

We pressed onwards, frequently having to avoid an impressive array of instantly lethal traps. There were a few more minor monsters, but it didn't take us too long to reach the central chamber.

"This is it. The guardian will be in here with the artefact," Daigen said.

"You do enjoy stating the obvious, don't you?"

He rapped his knuckles on my chest plate. "That's cuz you miss it so often you klutz!"

I smiled. "You bring out the best in me."

"What? So you're even klutzier when I'm not around?"

I gave him a good natured shove. "You know that's not what I meant."

He laughed. "You and your sarcasm."

Turning back to the door, he grabbed one of the large stone handles. I grabbed the other side of it, and together we heaved it open. It made a horrible grating sound, a cold breeze escaping as it inched open.

The inside of the chamber was brightly lit, massive braziers on the edges of the room. A pedestal stood in the centre of a raised platform at the far side, something metallic gleaming in the firelight. Despite the flames, the room was ice cold. The braziers gave off light, but no heat. There was no sign of movement. "What the hell? It's empty!" I said.

"Don't be too sure, there's no way that this place is unguarded," Daigen replied, edging cautiously into the chamber.

I followed, holding sword and shield at the ready, despite my assessment. "You think it's invisible?"

"Maybe, but I doubt it. We haven't encountered any spectrals here. Watch out for traps."

I nodded, moving slightly towards the opposite side of the hall, a few metres between us. We continued towards the dais unchallenged, and Daigen raised an eyebrow at me. "Strange, a guardian would have probably made an appearance by now."

I started to reply, when I noticed a slight disturbance in the dust at the base of the platform's steps. I squinted, peering closer at it. "Daig..."

With a howl, a fierce wall of wind suddenly blasted up from the ground. I leaped back, mirrored by Daigen, as the stones of the platform slowly pried themselves upright.

A massive golem rose before us, formed from the massive stones of the platform itself. Two bright green eyes glittered in what appeared to be endless pits in its face, fists the size of small cars smashing together ominously.

"Well, I guess that explains it," Daigen said nonchalantly. "I think the back is its weak point, aim for the pedestal."

"I will, if I can get close."

Both of us dove backwards as a colossal fist swept by. The giant raised the other, and I rolled quickly to the side as it descended towards me. The shockwave jolted through my body as the blow narrowly missed, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Daigen raising his staff.

The shining light of his Purge came down, and Daigen leaped gracefully back from the titan's next swipe. I used the opportunity to roll to my feet, sheathing my sword and unbuckling the grappling hook from my waist. The giant roared as the destructive light rained down on it, waving its hands wildly. I easily ducked the wild swings, twirling the rope as I ran forward.

Several bolts of lightning followed up Daigen's initial attack, all striking the golem's weak point with deadly accuracy. "It's powerful, but slow!" Daigen yelled, as he dropped and rolled under another swing.

I didn't reply, whirling my grappling hook and tossing it up over the golem's back. It bounced along the stony surface, and I felt it catch on something. With a war whoop, I ran to the side, using my momentum to swing me around the beast. It howled angrily, its jaw opening wide.

"Oh, shit!" I heard Daigen yell. Glancing up as I swung, I saw what looked like a miniature hurricane inside the gaping maw. I had little time to ponder this as my arc carried me behind it, and I let go of the rope to land in a run.

A howling, concentrated tempest burst from the beast, and I saw it buffet against Daigen's shielding spell. I knew I'd need to act fast to help my friend, so I scrambled up the sloping back of the monster. The crumbled stone of its back slid underfoot, but I managed to hang on to the uneven surface. Fortunately it didn't seem to feel me, and I made it all the way up, unscathed, to where the pedestal stuck out.

"Hurry it up back there Kraid!" I head Daigen yell, sounding strained. The howling wind hadn't let up, and he must have been pouring all of his power into his shield.

I grabbed onto the pedestal with my shield arm. It had a transparent dome at the top, covering a small, glittering piece of jewellery of some kind. I drew my sword, swinging it in an overhead arc. It bounced off the dome, cracks spider-webbing through it from my attack.

The golem roared, bucking beneath me and almost throwing me off. I gripped tightly to the pedestal. The surface of it felt odd, more like flesh than stone. Suddenly, a third hand punched its way through the golem's lower back, and I frantically swung a second time. This time, pieces of the dome splintered off, glittering fragments raining down. It still didn't shatter though.

The fist slammed into me, forcing the breath from my lungs with the colossal impact, almost taking me out with one hit. Somehow, I hung on, even as I heard Daigen yell something. The fist drew back again, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw what looked like a rift in the air opening behind the giant.

I let go, sliding down the beast's back as the fist slammed into the place I had been seconds earlier. I hit the ground, rolling out my momentum as a tremendous blast of heat whooshed overhead. Tartarus, Daigen's strongest attack. He had seen that I was in trouble, and had used all his remaining ether to get me out of it.

The bombardment of fireballs pelted into the back of the golem, several hitting home on the pedestal. It roared in rage as the dome finally shattered, even as its body started to disintegrate with it.

In a maelstrom of dust, the golem sunk back into the ground from whence it had come, leaving nothing behind but a rubble strewn floor. In the centre of where it had stood sat the artefact, as well as an oddly shaped stone.

I hauled myself to my feet a bit unsteadily, looking over at Daigen. My fellow dragon was leaning on his staff, a huge grin on his face. "We did it man!"

I returned the smile. "We did. Let's claim our prize."

We made our way over to the fallen treasures, Daigen reaching them slightly ahead of me. He picked up the odd piece of jewellery, holding it up. "Huh. Wonder what it does."

"Does it matter? It's not something either of us can use right?"

"Nope. At least, not that I can tell."

He stooped again, grabbing the oddly shaped stone. "Portstone time! Unless you really wanna hang around here?"

"Not a chance!"

"Cool." He spoke the words on the stone, activating the spell that would warp us back to the temple's entrance. My vision blurred for a moment, and when it straightened out, we were standing at the edge of the lake in the twilight.

Daigen nudged me. "Check this out."

I looked where he was pointing, a gryphon and another dragon making their way dejectedly out of the water.

The gryphon noticed us first, shaking his wings out and adjusting the bow slung over his back. "You two thinking of checking it out down there? Don't bother. It's a fucking maze."

"Nope, we've already been," Daigen said, holding up the artefact.

Both of their jaws dropped. "No way!" exclaimed the dragon in a deep voice. "We were in there for hours!"

"Shoulda checked the other mission postings, we found one that offered a map."

"Seriously? That's some major BS man!" the gryphon complained.

I shrugged. "Better luck next time I guess."

The dragon shook his head angrily. "Knowing this place, it'll be months before someone offers another mission here. Damn it!"

"Well, sorry guys, can't stick around. We've gotta go deliver," Daigen said, turning and starting to walk towards the portal gate.

"Damn, lucky bastards," the gryphon said. I gave them a friendly wave, before turning to follow my friend. 'At least they took it graciously and didn't try to steal it.'

I caught up to him as we reached the gate, and he gave me a high five before stepping through it. I jumped in after him, the two of us warping away back to central city.

I rubbed my eyes as I pulled the Visband off, reaching behind my head with the other hand to remove the plug.

_'Trapped again.' _

I depressed the sides of the connection, undoing the lock and gently removing the plug from the tiny slot at the base of my skull. Mom had been so pissed when I had got that done.

"Why couldn't you have just gone and gotten your nose pierced or something? Why would you let someone tinker with your brain just so you can play some game?"

"It's perfectly safe mom. And besides, it's not like they could do much more damage to me. And being able to legitimately say I'm a cyborg is pretty awesome."

She had sighed_. "I can't believe this. You could've at least TALKED to me about it first!"_

"Sorry mom, but I knew you'd just have said no."

"_Well, what's done is done. I hope you enjoy your games. Just...keep fantasy as fantasy, okay? And you know you can talk to me about ANYTHING." _

"I know, I know."

I reached for the mouse, moving the cursor over the image of a scroll that filled the computer screen. What Would'st Thou Do? I clicked the Save button, storing the modified character data. _ 'Sweet, I gained a level. I bet Daig did too. Lucky thing we got the one with the map.'_

Echoes of Myth was the best online RPG available for the Visband. Daigen and I had been partnering up for almost two years now, tackling all sorts of quests. This last temple we had done was notoriously challenging, mostly because missions with a map included for that location were extremely rare. We had managed to snag one just as it was posted, and like the other guy we had run into had said, it might be awhile before another was available.

The stupid labyrinth had even required finding a hidden passageway to get to the inner part. No wonder most people gave up on it. Even with the map it had been tough, we had spent a probably a good half hour figuring out how to open the passageway.

The Visband was an awesome invention. It allowed users to plug into the virtual world completely, controlling a character through thought. It gave realistic sensation feedback too, so whatever was programmed into the game could be sensed as if it was your own body. Smells, touch, hearing, etcetera. It all just came down to nerve signals that could be decoded and programmed. Of course, they were careful not to program in extreme things like pain feedback. That would be far too risky.

The video game applications were obvious, as well as many other online uses. I had a bunch of other games, but Echoes of Myth was my favourite. Especially because I could play with Daigen. We had hooked up early on in my experience with the game, he had started just slightly before I had. I guess the fact that we were both newbie Dragon characters, albeit of different classes, had drawn us together somewhat. We had quickly hit it off, and had been constant partners since.

"Marcus, dinner!" my mother called up the stairs.

"Okay mom!"

I shut down the computer, rolling back away from the desk. I grabbed the joystick of my chair, spinning it around and motoring out the door of my room to the lift at the top of the stairs.

I jockeyed the chair into position, locking the wheels in place before flicking the switch to start the lift.

_'Trapped.' _

This was one of the main reasons I loved the Visband so much. For a few hours, I could forget. I could walk again, explore the world under my own locomotion. Even if it was a fantasy. It was more than just a game to me. It was freedom.

It was so ironic. A pure bred African Hunting Dog, stuck in a wheelchair. Our feral cousins were notorious runners, hunting down prey over the Savanna. Me? I was trapped.

The lift hummed quietly as it moved slowly down the staircase. Mom had tried to get me to take the room downstairs when we had moved, but I had fallen in love with the one I had now, and had insisted on it. The place used to be owned by a fellow paraplegic, so the necessary equipment had already been installed.

I used to think that, if I ever came face to face with the bastard who took my legs and my father's life, I'd kill him. Now, I think I'd just ask him one question. Why? Why had he been so hammered that night that he ran that light? Why had he tried to run afterwards? Why didn't he call for help himself? Why didn't he at least...I dunno, write a letter of apology?

I'd only been eleven at the time. For the next two years, I'd had nightmares about the accident. The revving engine...Mom screaming in the front...My dad trying to swerve...Then there was the impact, and an excruciating pain in my back. Then, blackness, after my head hit something. When I came to, Mom was sobbing, paramedics were loading me into the ambulance, and Dad was covered by a white sheet.

The other driver escaped without a scratch, got slapped with just five years in prison and loss of license. I guess that's part of being rich, you get good lawyers. His insurance paid our medical of course, as well as three million in damages.

Fat lot of good that did us.

Even with the extra we got from Dad's life insurance, it wouldn't bring him back. Or my legs. Irreparable spinal cord damage they told me. I'd never so much as wiggle a toe ever again. I was lucky apparently, that I even had my upper body mobility. Some luck.

I rolled into the dining room, joining my mother at the table.

"You got paint on your shirt again mom."

She looked down at herself, brushing at the splotch of red absently. "So I did. I made lasagne."

"Awesome sauce. I see you finished the new one."

She smiled. "I wondered if you'd notice. How do you like it?"

"It's great. I like the...blue stuff."

"That's cyan dear, not just blue."

"Okay, I like the cyan stuff."

"Thank you."

My mother was an artist. A pretty good one too, if you liked the impressionist scene. Quite the feat really, considering she only had one good eye now. A shard of glass from the mirror had caught her left one, leaving her with a nice scar and half her vision.

She slid me a plate. "So, are you going out anywhere tonight?"

"No."

She frowned. "You're not just going to hop right back on that game again, are you?"

"Maybe."

"Marcus..."

"Yeah yeah. No, I'll probably just read for a bit or something. I dunno. My friend is offline now anyways."

"You know, you really should get out more. I heard there's this new entertainment centre opening up downtown. Geared for the younger crowd. Games, movies and such. You should go check it out, meet some new people."

I rolled my eyes. "Like anyone wants to hang out with a gimp."

Her fork clattered to her plate, as she pointed her finger at me accusingly. "I thought I told you, don't you ever talk about yourself like that!"

I stared at my plate. "Sorry."

I heard her chair scrape back, and I looked up as she came around the table.

"Marcus," she said, laying a hand on my shoulder. "I've told you time and time again, just because you're in a wheelchair doesn't mean you have to let it chain you. That attitude will eat you alive. I'm just trying to get you to enjoy yourself a bit. If they treat you as less just because you're in a chair, then that's their loss."

"I know mom. But seriously, you know I don't make friends easily."

"That's because you don't try. It may be between semesters, but what's to stop you from calling up one of your classmates? I'm sure there's even a few girls who would love to hang out with you."

"Hardly. Besides, what if I'm more into guys?"

"Then find a guy. Have you asked anyone?"

"No."

She threw up her hands. "See what I mean?" She jabbed my shoulder with her finger. "You're young, you're handsome, you've got a sharp mind, you're sensitive and caring. What's not to like? If I was your age, I'd go out with you."

I snorted. "That's...a little creepy mom."

She gave me a wicked grin, winking at me with her good eye. "What, you wouldn't go out with little old me?"

"Mom! I think the 'old' part is enough for a no."

"Watch it kid. You're not too old to be spanked."

I smiled finally. "As if you could catch me..."

She burst out laughing. "See? And you have my fine wit too! You're a perfectly eligible single."

"Thanks mom."

She gave me a pat on the shoulder before returning to her own seat. "Well, if you aren't going anywhere, we could watch a movie."

"Sure."

"I'll even let you pick."

"Sounds fine to me."

We continued eating in silence. 'I love you mom, but you really just don't get it.' It wasn't so much that other people would treat me poorly exactly. It was the looks in their eyes, the unspoken pity. _'Oh, poor guy. He's crippled. I'd better be extra nice to him.' _

The 'Here, let me help you's... The overly sympathetic manner... It got old really fast. I had a spinal injury, not brain damage. I could open the damn door myself thank you. The handful of douche bags were much easier to ignore. It was the ones that did it unconsciously, constantly calling attention to my disability that got to me. And that was pretty much everyone. I guess they were just trying to be helpful. It still grated.

We finished up, and I helped Mom out with the dishes. Not much of a task, just had to toss them in the cleaner. She made some popcorn as I set up the holo screen in the living room. She groaned as she came in, a handful of kernals halfway to her mouth. "Seriously? Tron Legacy again?"

I grinned at her. "It's a classic! Vintage 2010!"

"How can you watch something that's two hundred and fifty years old? Even remade for holo screen. Besides, you know I'm not a fan of all that old human stuff."

"You said you'd let meee piiick!" I said in a sing-song voice.

She sighed, plunking herself down on the sofa. "Fine. Next time is definitely my turn though."

I grinned, grabbing the remote to start the movie. I loved the old sci-fi stuff. It was a blast to laugh at the corny special effects that had been so advanced at the time. On top of that, the human acting was intriguing. Their facial expressions were so much more exaggerated than those of furs.

The familiar opening score started, and I leaned forward to grab a handful of popcorn. Spending the evening at home with my mother didn't bother me in the least. She was one of the few that treated me like a normal person. Even with those who hid it well, the attitude was there, just under the surface.

Sometimes it was the slight resentment, as if it was my fault that they felt they had to pussy-foot around me. The pussy-footing was bad enough. It's not like I'm made of glass. Or maybe it was the cloying, feeling sorry for me. _ 'Seriously people, get over it already.' _

Banishing my introspection, I immersed myself in the film. I'd already seen it five times, but it was one of my favourites. I always got into it. It was kind of funny to think, the technology displayed in the movie was fairly similar to what we actually had now. The next couple of hours flew by in a whirlwind of neon and digital effects.

Mom stretched and yawned as the credits rolled. "Well, that was a ton of fun, but I'm going to bed."

I smirked. "Already? You are old!"

She punched my shoulder lightly. "Just because some of us like to get up early, doesn't make us old!"

"Early? Eww. All the cool stuff happens at night."

"To each their own." She grinned wickedly. "Since night is so 'cool' you can work on that paper of yours."

I groaned. "C'mon mom! It's optional!"

She shrugged. "So? It's still worth extra marks. Your grades may be fine, but that doesn't mean it'll hurt to get some bonus points. When did Professor Boggen say you needed to hand it in?"

"Anytime before the end of the month."

"And have you started?"

"A little. I almost know TOO much about the topic."

"What are you writing about again?"

"The stagnation of technological advancement between the second and third fur wars."

She snorted. "Right, simple enough. Well, you don't HAVE to work on it, but it's not a bad idea."

"Okay mom. Geez, I'm not a kid anymore."

She gave me a peck on the cheek. "I know dear, but old habits are hard to break. Goodnight now!"

"Goodnight mom."

She left the room with the now empty popcorn bowl, leaving me to shut down the holo screen. Once I got all the technology tucked in for the night, I made my way back upstairs, deciding I might as well take mom's advice. I flicked my computer back on, checking briefly to see if anyone was online.

No Daigen, and none of my forum buddies either. The Visband had another cool feature, one that let you build an online avatar for things like discussion forums and networking. Pretty fun in its own right, as you could talk to people face to face while still maintaining your anonymity. I wasn't totally friendless, but Daigen was the only one who was at all close.

I clicked open my partially complete paper, staring at the words for a few long moments before beginning to type. It wasn't really a difficult topic for me. I found that period of history fascinating. It was more a matter of what to omit rather than what to include. I had a tendency to go off on tangents when I wrote.

No one knew exactly how the second war had started, just that a riot had broken out in what was then New York. That quickly blossomed into a far more brutal war than the first. No second, uneasy truce could be reached without major changes in the human attitude.

The second war had ended with the exile of humans from all the cities, back in 2148. They were forced out into the wilderness, the furred races taking total control of the world.

Even though the furs of that era already had use of all the current tech, there was a long adjustment period, in which no new advancements had been made. There were many other things that had to be taken care of first, as a fully functioning, solely fur society was constructed. All the old frameworks had to go out the window with the humans no longer in control.

Things might have been different in the end if the humans had gone for a diplomatic solution, rather than fighting back out of their exile. The third war was over very quickly. Without their cities, and with their numbers already depleted, the humans were slaughtered.

Then came the purges. Some of the more extreme factions decided it would be best to eliminate the threat completely, rather than giving them a chance to rise up again. _ 'I guess people forgot that they were here for thousands of years before us. They still had claim to the planet. It's kind of sad really. After the bio-bomb, there was really no reason for the two races not to work together. I guess the lack of a face to the enemy is what made them turn on each-other.'_

Fortunately, cooler heads had prevailed, and the purges were stopped before the humans were made completely extinct. Now though, they had regressed to a completely primitive state, a shadow of what they once were. It came from decades of living in the wilderness, no purpose beyond running and hiding, surviving like a feral. 'Although, I suppose that cured the racism problem for them. Now, we're just the predators, they're the prey. That's about as far as they'd be able to see it.'

There were plenty of laws in place to protect them now, although their population was still kept in check by neutering programs. No one wanted to be guilty of annihilating a once-sentient species, but there was always the risk of them becoming a problem again.

'Damn, I've totally gone off topic again,' I thought, erasing my last few lines of text. 'This is supposed to be about tech, not just humans.' It was hard not to get involved in such an interesting subject though. I started writing about the space program, which had started up again fairly recently. We were still running into the same walls the humans had, no viable means of intersteller travel. Most of the tech was there, we just needed a better fuel source.

With the drastically reduced population, overcrowding was no longer the problem it had once been. The main reason for the space program now was to discover where the bio-bomb had come from. After all, it was the origin of all the anthro races. Of course, discovering new, resource rich worlds would be a plus as well. The humans had damaged Terra pretty badly during their reign, and the wars had hardly helped.

I pulled my hands back from the sensor, ceasing my typing. I examined what I had written, nodding in approval. 'That'll do for now I guess. I'll put the finishing touches on it later.'

I glanced at the clock. 'Wow, that was two hours?' I saved my work, then sent off a quick message to Daigen, asking what time he wanted to meet up tomorrow. Without any real obligations at the moment, a lot of my time was spent hanging out with him online.

Switching off the computer, I wheeled into my private bathroom to get myself ready for the night. I probably wouldn't fall asleep right away. Unlike my mother, I was a night-runner. The thought of waking up early if I didn't have to was unappealing.

Getting into bed was a bit of a process, one that I had mastered over the years. Thanks to muscle atrophy, my lower half was pretty light. It was just a matter of maneuvouring it out of the chair, essentially by vaulting my butt up onto the bed.

Next was the interesting procedure of taking my pants off. Not the easiest thing to do when you can't move your legs. It was a bit of a process in and of itself. I usually wore stuff that was pretty loose, just for ease. I tossed them into the corner, followed by my shirt. I always just wore my boxers to bed.

I lay there for a moment, before reaching up to the shelf at the head of my bed to grab my book. An old human-written sci-fi. Like the movies, I loved these too. Not even just the well known stuff, I even liked all the really corny ones.

For the next hour or so, I could lose myself in the adventures of Magnus the Robot Fighter, as my brain slowly shut itself down for the night. Sure, I could've used a reader screen, but I'm old school. I like the feel of paper pages turning, and a comfortably sized novel in my hands.

Finally, about a hundred pages in, the words stopped making sense, and I put my marker back in and snapped it closed. I placed the novel lovingly back in its home, then announced clearly, "Lights off." Immediately, the light dimmed from its evening setting to total darkness, and I settled into my extra padded mattress. _ 'Just another ordinary day.' _

I flicked on my computer, waiting patiently for it to awaken from slumber. Daigen had messaged me back, saying that it would be a bit later than usual because of something he had going on today. He hadn't gone into any details, saying that he would tell me about it when we met up. I'd used the extra time to finish my paper, then helped mom load up some of her paintings for an exhibit this evening.

I glanced at the newsfeed briefly.

Volcanoes release star defenceman on account of steroid use following outburst in practice.

'That kinda sucks, right at an important part of their season too.'

Convicted sapiaphile faces heavy fines, possible jail term.

Now that was interesting. I clicked the link, scanning through the news story. Suddenly, a messenger window popped up.

Daigen: You there dude?

Kraid: Yeah, I'm here.

Daigen : What're you doing? I've been waiting for you!

Kraid : You have? Sorry, I'll jack in now.

I closed the window and got the game running. 'Damn, he must've been a little early. I hope he hasn't been waiting too long.'

I pulled the Visband out of its drawer, snugging it over my ears and securing the plug in place. I flicked the switch on the side, and felt the sensation of a falling away into blackness...

I blinked as the virtual world came into focus, Daigen's robed form standing in the town square in front of me. With our friend ID's active, we would spawn into whatever area the other was in. I breathed a mental sigh of relief at the sensation of standing on my own two feet.

'Free.'

It was strange I suppose. Even though I hadn't actually walked for ten years, it was if my brain remembered the concept. '_I wonder if this works for people who have been paralyzed from birth?' _

"Hey Daig."

"Finally. I saw you log on, I was wondering what you were doing."

"Sorry, I didn't know you were waiting. I was checking out a news story."

"Really? What about?"

"Some guy was keeping a human locked in his basement. Had sex with it too apparently. It was totally emaciated and abused."

"That's sick. As if they aren't endangered enough, and then to go and capture one as a rape toy?"

"I know. Pretty messed up."

He shook his head. "Anyways, I've got some pretty awesome news!"

"Oh yeah? Does it have to do with the thing you had going on today?"

"Yup! I just moved. To the same city as you. Got everything set up this afternoon."

It took a moment for the information to register. "You...what?"

"Yeah! I found this job offer that was exactly the kind of thing I was looking for, and it turns out it's close to where you live! Now we can finally actually meet each other!"

I felt like I had just been punched in the stomach. "Awesome sauce."

"I know right? So, are you free on this Saturday?"

"Um, yeah, I think so." 'Frick! Why did I say that?'

"Sweet! Where's a good place to meet up? You can show me around."

My mind was racing. How could I explain saying no? Daigen and I had been friends for long enough that he'd want an explanation. But...the thought of him knowing... "Umm, do you know where Lennox mall is?"

"Yeah, I passed it on my way to my new place. It's only a twenty minute drive for me. Is that close to you?"

'DAMMIT! I was hoping he'd be further away than that. That at least might've given me an excuse.' I mean, sure, I would love to meet with Daig. He was my only true friend, and I'd hoped that maybe there could be more than 'just friends' to it. But... When it came down to it... How could he really want to be with someone like me? The moment he realized just what I was, and that I'd never said anything about it...

"Yeah...that's pretty close."

"Alright then, how does two on Saturday sound? Where in the mall?"

"Um, okay, we can meet at the Mcjackals."

"Splendiferous!"

"Splendiferous? Really Daig? That was the first word that came to mind?"

He grinned. "Hell yeah! I'm excited! We finally get to meet each other in real life! Aren't you excited?"

"Yeah... Like I said, awesome sauce."

Despite the turmoil inside my head, Daig's enthusiasm was a little infectious. I was able to return his grin pretty convincingly. 'Oh god, I'm so dead. He really does genuinely want to meet me, and when he finds out...'

"Sweet. So two then, at Mcjackals. I'll be wearing a red baseball hat, so you won't be able to miss me."

"Okay."

He gave me a high five, then turned and started walking towards the tavern. I followed, the simple joy of walking suppressed by Daigen's revelation. "We should see if there's any more level twenty quests up, we aced the last one," he said over his shoulder.

I nodded. The taverns were where one could receive quest contracts, either officially posted ones or player created ones.

We stepped inside, blinking reflexively at the shift to dim light. Daigen nudged me, chuckling as he gestured to a corner of the room. "Check this out."

I looked where he was pointing. In one of the little booths, a female gryphon thief was in the lap of a unicorn machinest, grinding desperately against his crotch.

"Think they can't get any in real life? Or they just like each other that much?" Daigen said.

I shrugged. "I guess someone should tell them that it's not that kind of game."

Daigen laughed. "Yeah, it's not like you can feel anything down there. They don't program that stuff in to keep the lower rating."

I smirked. "Oh, so you've tried it yourself?"

Without warning, he spun and kicked me in the crotch. I jumped reflexively at the blow. "What the hell dude?"

He grinned wickedly. "See? No feeling there. Don't worry, I won't do that to you in real life. Wouldn't want to 'damage the goods' after all."

I responded with an anaemic smile. "Yeah...thanks for that."

"No problem!"

'Yup, I'm definitely dead. Maybe I should just tell him now, so I won't have to see the look on his real face...'

"Daig..."

He was already striding off towards the bar. With a heavy sigh, I followed. Might as well just try and enjoy the game while I could. Daigen was never going to see me the same way again.

Saturday rolled around, and two o'clock found me in my room, head in my hands. _ 'I can't do this. There's no way I can do this. He's going to be just like the others.'_

I pounded my fist on the arm of my chair. "FUCK! I am such a coward!" I inwardly winced at my own outburst. Mom would kill me if she heard me using such language.

'Okay, okay. Let's think this through. This is Daig here. He's known me for two years. I mean, it's not like I know everything about him, right? He clearly likes me too. But... He doesn't know.'

"Ah, screw it!"

I rolled to the door. Fifteen minutes of going in circles in my head left me already late. 'No, if he's like the others, then he's not a friend worth having. I can do this, I can do this. It'll be alright.'

The quiet hum of the lift started up, gliding smoothly down the stairs. 'God I'm nervous. This is worse than any test.' It felt like my heart was going to break out of my chest, and my breathing was a bit uneven.

"I'm going out mom!" I yelled as I reached the bottom of the stairs, forcing myself to calm down.

She came around the corner. "Do my ears deceive me? Did I just hear you say you're going out?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm going to meet with a friend."

Her face lit up. "Really? That's great! Have fun then!"

I gave her a thumbs up, then wheeled myself out the door, grabbing my keys on the way. I had my own special van to drive, a gift for my eighteenth birthday.

I thumbed the remote, the sliding door opening automatically to let the lift out. It whirred soflty as it lowered, like a robotic giant offering a hand to take me up, up and away. I rolled up onto the lift, allowing it to lever me into the van.

I jockeyed my chair into the driver's position, swiping the key through the reader and putting my thumb on the scanner. It started with a soft rumble, the hybrid fuel engine much quieter than the old oil based models.

I cruised slowly down the street, absently flicking through radio stations. 'I can't be too nervous, he's my friend, we already know each other.' Despite my self-assurances, the ball of spiders in my stomach just wouldn't stop squirming. Just how would Daigen react when he saw I was in a chair? I felt awful for never telling him, but how could I? On the other hand, if I thought of him as more than just a friend, how could I not?

I'd known that I had feelings for Daigen for the past few months. Despite having never felt attracted to guys before, I had already reconciled myself to the fact that I was bi. I mean, whatever, right? If you loved somebody- _'Did I really just use that word? I did, didn't I? Is it really...like that?' _

To hell with it. If you loved somebody, or at least liked them enough to care for them strongly, what did it matter if the two of you could procreate or not?

Daigen was the only person who had ever inspired that kind of a reaction in me, guy or girl. Sure, I still felt the thrill that any guy feels when he sees an attractive girl, but that was always quickly crushed by reality. This was different, and not just because it was with a guy. We'd never talked about...having feelings for each other before, but I was hopeful that he might at least share a little of the sentiment.

I wasn't the least bit worried about any of the usual 'meeting someone you know online' stuff. I felt I was a good enough judge of character to be able to safely say that Daig wasn't a psycho. Besides, how many people would attack a guy in a wheelchair? And it was a public place we were meeting in too.

The closer I got to the mall, the more the spiders squirmed. My knuckles were white on the wheel. _ 'But what if I'm wrong?_ What if he turns out like the others?' The thought of seeing that familiar, disappointed, pitying look in Daigen's eyes was nauseating.

I drove right past the mall entrance the first time, and almost turned right around and went home. I forced myself to take the next right, going around the block. _ 'I can do this. I can do this. It'll be alright.'_

I pulled into one of the handicapped spots, switching off the engine. I sat there for a long moment, before pushing the button to open the door and start the lift. I started to roll back from the wheel, then stopped before getting on the lift, the fear reaching a paralyzing level. 'No, I CAN'T take it. If he's like the others...'

Over and over in my mind, I kept seeing his face. His avatar's face actually, I had no idea what he actually looked like. But that familiar ruby-scaled dragon face, turning away from me, a disappointed look in his eye. "Why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have bothered coming out here."

I was probably exaggerating of course, but the image just would not go away. I buried my head in my hands, trembling. 'I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't.'

I don't know how long I sat there like that. A few passer-by gave me weird looks, but no one said anything. I glanced down at my watch. Three thirty. There's no way he was still there anyways. My eyes felt a little moist as I closed the door and rolled myself back into the driver's position. _ 'I'm so sorry Daig. I just can't.'_

Mom looked up as I rolled inside, tossing my keys on the counter.

"Back already? How did it go with your friend?"

"Fine. I'm going upstairs."

She got up from the table, stepping in front of me. "Really? It doesn't sound like it was fine."

I tried to manoeuvre around her. "No really, it was great."

She blocked my path. "Don't lie to me Marcus. I can tell something's bothering you. Talk to me!"

"I REALLY don't want to talk right now mom. You wouldn't understand."

"Oh really," she said flatly, crossing her arms over her chest. "And who's been there for you all these years? Me, that's who. Try me."

I sighed heavily. "Mom...I know, I just..."

"Spit it out. You know you can tell me anything."

I stared at my lap, finally breaking down. "I chickened out. I didn't end up meeting with him."

She stared at me for a moment. "Really? That's it?" She smiled slightly. "You had me worried there, the way you were acting. I thought it would be something worse, like you'd been molested or something."

I shook my head. "No, nothing like that. Just me being spineless. And no pun intended."

"So, why didn't you want to meet him?"

"Well...I didn't want him to see me in my wheelchair."

"See you? You mean this is someone you know from online?"

"Yeah."

She shook her head. "Marcus, you KNOW you should be careful with those kinds of things!"

"I know mom, but I also know this person well enough to know that it's not like that. He's perfectly normal. Besides, it was in a public place."

"Well, you are an adult now, and as long as it's in public, I guess it's alright. You should still be careful though. This is all besides the point however. If you were so sure, why didn't you want him to see you?"

"I was just...scared. He doesn't know I'm in a chair. I was afraid that when he found out, he wouldn't want to... be friends with me." 'Geez, when I put it that way, it sounds really juvenile.'

"I seem to recall having this conversation before. If you know him well, then you shouldn't be afraid. If this person is a good friend, then they won't care if you're in a chair or not."

"I know, but-"

"No buts! It's the truth. Don't hide yourself behind the chair."

It was like a dam burst inside me, all my frustrations boiling up at once. "You don't know what it's like!" I yelled. My mother's eyes widened at the outburst. "You don't see the looks in their eyes! You don't have to hear the whispers! You don't know what it's like to be a freak! To be stuck in one place while people sashay around you, and you wish you could be normal like them!"

She slapped me.

It wasn't hard enough to really hurt, but it sure got my attention. In shock, I touched the spot on my face she'd struck.

"Listen to me!" she ground out, poking me in the chest. "You. Are not. A freak. Would I slap you if you weren't perfectly normal? You're letting the chair chain you Marcus. If some people don't think you're normal, well, that's their problem, not yours. Who made THEM god? I love you for you, legs or no. If this person is a real friend, then they'll be able to see it too."

There was a long silence as she let her words sink in. Then, she leaned down and pulled me into a hug. "I really do love you Marcus, and I just want what's best for you."

My voice trembled slightly. "Thanks mom. I...You're right of course."

"You'd better believe it! Now, maybe you should send a message to that friend of yours? Apologizing for leaving them waiting?"

I nodded, and she stepped aside to let me pass. I made my way up to my room, feeling oddly drained from my emotional roller-coaster. 'She's right. Daig...Daig won't be like the rest of them. He won't.'

I flicked on my computer, tapping my claw tips nervously on the desk as I waited for it to power up. 'He's probably going to be pissed. I hope he's on now though.'

I checked my online friends. No Daig. Either he hadn't gone home right away or he just wasn't on his computer. I left the window open, absently browsing the web as I waited. I didn't bother jacking in, I didn't want to miss him logging on.

It took about another hour before his name finally popped up. I immediately sent off a message.

Kraid : Hey Daig...

Daigen: I'm not too sure I want to talk to you right now.

Briefly, the thought of inventing some story ran through my mind. I quickly banished the notion however. That would accomplish nothing.

Kraid: I'm really sorry dude, I just...bailed.

Daigen : Sorry? I waited for TWO HOURS! And whatta ya mean you bailed?

Kraid: I wanted to go, I really did. But at the last moment, I chickened out.

Daigen: Why?

I hesitated for a long moment before responding.

Kraid: Look, can I explain in person? Will you give me another chance?

Daigen: I don't know.

Kraid: Please Daig, I promise I won't stand you up again.

There was a long pause on his end this time. 'C'mon...'

Daigen : Alright, but you'd better be there this time!

Kraid: I will, I promise.

Daigen: Fine.

Kraid: Same place, same time tomorrow?

Daigen: Okay, but instead of Mcjackals, how about that caf shop outside the mall?

Kraid: Jitterz?

Daigen : Yeah.

Kraid: Okay by me.

Daigen: Alright. I'm not really in the mood for staying online very long tonight though, okay? I'm just going to check my mail and log off.

Kraid: Fair enough. Tomorrow then.

Daigen: Yeah, see ya then.

I closed the window, sitting back with a sigh of relief. At least he agreed to meet again, so I still had a chance. The ball of spiders tried to start squirming again, but I squashed it firmly. 'No. Daig will understand.' tomorrow, the truth would come out.

Jitterz didn't have any parking out front, so I just got as close as I could in the mall lot. As I lowered myself down to the pavement, the nervousness started up again. I couldn't help it, but I wasn't going to stop this time. I rolled slowly down the sidewalk, my heart beating rapidly. I was on time, so if he had beaten me there, it wouldn't be by much.

The caf shop came into view, its small patio holding a few glass topped tables, with umbrellas to shade from the building warmth of the afternoon. A single figure sat at one of the tables, a red ball cap crammed over his head. My breath caught. His back was to me, and he didn't turn around as I slowly rolled forward.

He was either a husky or a wolf of some kind, maybe a mix. He wore what looked like a hockey jersey, and a baggy pair of shorts. From what I could see, his neck fur was a dark grey, almost black, same with the ears.

I came to a stop behind him, staring at the back of his head. His nails tapped on the table, either from impatience or nerves. I opened my mouth to speak as his ears twitched at the sound of my chair. He turned, and the words I had been trying to form just dropped away.

Our eyes met, only a couple of feet and the low fence of the patio separating us. Deep blue eyes stared into my mahogany ones.

"Kraid?"

An absolute, drop-dead gorgeous, one-hit KO, female Malmute.

My voice no longer existed. 'It isn't there! It ISN'T there!' Beyond the shock of Daigen's gender (the use of my online name erased any doubt of identity), which was turning my mind inside out as it was, there was more.

There was none of the disappointment, none of the pity. The only expression in her eyes was a mixture of relief, question, and genuine happiness. A bit of surprise at the very first perhaps, but quickly chased away by gladness. Pure, unbridled emotion rose up in me, far too fast to control.

She started to look doubtful, as the time without a response grew. "You ARE Kraid right?" The voice, the one that had seemed so natural coming from a masculine dragon, suited her perfectly somehow. It was a little husky (no pun on her species), and in real life had a slightly more musical, feminine lilt. I guess that just didn't come through online somehow, or maybe the male façade just made me overlook it.

I still couldn't make my mouth form words. "I..." My vision blurred. 'Oh god, seriously? I haven't cried since dad's funeral.' But there was no stopping it, the emotion was just too strong. 'It isn't there!' It felt like all the sunlight had been somehow bottled up and stuffed inside my chest, and someone had just shaken the cork loose.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed. "Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry! Are you alright?" She rose smoothly, vaulting over the little fence with ease, crouching slightly and putting her hand on mine.

"I..."

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it, whatever I said!" She hesitantly leaned forward, moving her hand to my shoulder. Her touch sent a thrill through me, and it seemed to kickstart my vocal cords. There was no false sympathy, no compassionate charade, no cloying sentiment. Just genuine concern for my well-being. Not as someone with a disability, but as an equal. As someone who had just burst into tears in front of her.

"Yes! Yes, it's me, Kraid. And I'm fine. Daigen..." I choked out finally.

She pulled back slightly, her face breaking out into a grin, although the concern was still overriding everything else. "It IS you! I thought I had the wrong person. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes! I'm better than okay," I said, hurriedly wiping the wetness from my cheeks. "I'm sorry, just...when I saw you..."

She didn't speak, waiting patiently for me to collect myself. I noticed she didn't move her hand from mine, and her smile widened as I grew more composed.

"Why don't we talk at the table, rather than on the sidewalk?" I suggested.

"Sure! I think we have a lot to discuss," she replied, standing up and moving her hand back to my shoulder. I returned her smile, eyes still a little moist. Her eyes absolutely sparkled, her grin illuminating them.

She kept her hand on my shoulder as I wheeled inside the restaurant, and then outside to the patio again. It wasn't a patronizing gesture, but a shared joy at the physical contact. I covered her hand with mine as I pulled up to the table, leaning back and meeting her eyes again.

"I'd offer to pull out the chair for you, but..."

She laughed. "How gentlemaley of you. I think I'll manage though."

She had a spring in her step, her fluffy tail bouncing slightly as she moved to her side of the table. She scraped her chair forward, putting her elbows on the table and leaning forward. "Well..."

"Do you want anything?" I asked, realizing I probably should have considered it when we were inside.

She shook her head. "No thanks, I'm fine. I don't even drink caf."

I grinned. "Neither do I. I like their hot chocolate though."

Her smile never faded. "I like it too, but I don't feel like anything right now. So...Um... I'm Jade!"

'Jade...' I mentally savored the name. Like the rest of her, it was beautiful. "I'm Marcus. Yeah, guess if we're going to get to know each other in the real world, we should use our real names huh?"

"Yeah..." she trailed off, just staring into my eyes.

I gestured at her shirt. "Go Volcanoes!"

"Go Volcanoes!" This elicited a high five apparently. I wasn't a huge hockey fan, but I followed it a little. From our conversations, I also knew she was pretty into it.

"Wow. I just find it hard to believe that you're..." I gestured towards her helplessly. 'So what does that make me then? Am I still bi? Does that even matter right now?'

"What, a girl?" She laughed. "Yeah...I'm really sorry about not ever telling you. I guess I always kinda thought you had already guessed. Of course, you haven't exactly been completely forthcoming either."

"I know..." I said softly. "This...this is the reason I didn't show up yesterday."

She looked confused. "Forgive me, I just don't understand still. What were you afraid of? Did you think I was going to turn out to be a psycho or something?"

"No, no. Just...I was afraid that, when you saw me in my chair..." I couldn't even finish the thought.

She shrugged. "Why should that matter? A wheelchair, big deal. I mean, if you were some old guy, that might be different. But this? Pssh. I already like you Kr- Oops! I mean, Marcus. That's not going to change just because you get all the best parking spaces."

I had to laugh at that one. "You just have no idea how relieved I am right now."

Her smile was a bit sad this time. "Maybe I do. When you didn't show up yesterday, I had my doubts. I thought that maybe you didn't really like me at all, that you'd just been pretending this whole time. I was scared too. You..."

This time, she seemed to be having trouble speaking.

"I'm sorry, I really am," I said.

"I know. It's just that, you...You're the closest friend I've ever had!" this last part was a bit rushed. "That...that's what scared ME, the thought of possibly losing that."

I snorted. "YOU were scared of that? I was petrified by the thought! I sat in my van for an hour, with the door open, staring at the mall entrance. And...do you really mean that?"

She just nodded.

I felt the emotion rising up again, but this time I kept it under control. "I...I feel exactly the same. I just don't see how someone like you could... I mean..." I couldn't organize my thoughts. "Why does someone as gorgeous as you start playing Echoes of Myth anyways? I mean, you seem to have everything going for you!"

She smiled. "Girls play games too you know. And thank you." Her smile faded. "As to your question... I think I understand what you mean. And I... Well..." She seemed to have an extremely hard time with this.

"It's okay, it was a stupid question," I said quickly. "I mean, part of the reason I play is obvious, aside from the fact that it's a fun game. It's a real...escape for me, you know?"

"I do. More than you think. I...grew up with an abusive father. Games have always been an escape for me, and the Visband was just the next step up, about three years ago. Until I moved out recently at least."

"Oh...I'm so sorry," I said.

"It's okay, really. He never did... that to me. It was more psychological and emotional, although he did hit me a few times. He blamed me for my mom's death I think. She died giving birth to me. He died of a heart attack last year. I started playing as a guy online because I was tired of all the guys hitting on me. And then I met you, soon after I switched avatars. You were different."

The response I felt to her story was a bit odd I suppose. Genuine empathy, despite our differences. I'd spent so much of my life feeling sorry for myself. Now, here was this person, my friend, who had it just as bad, despite outward appearances. At least I had a loving parent to care for me. Yet, just as I didn't want people to pity me, she clearly didn't want it either. I wasn't going to insult her dignity.

"We're so much alike in some ways," I said. "My dad died in the car crash that took my legs. My mom and I are fine together though. But still, you and I are both escaping from crappy life circumstances."

"You know, you're the only person I know who could truly understand," she said. "When people hear my story, they get all... Well... You know."

"Yup. All too well."

We lapsed into silence, just gazing into each other's faces. If someone had asked me how I felt at that moment, I don't know if I could have described it. There were just too many emotions swirling around. The most prevailing one though, was definitely a happy one.

"You're not so bad yourself you know."

"Eh?"

Her ears flicked slightly. Embarrassment? "You said I was pretty. You're pretty good looking yourself. I like your markings."

I felt heat rising to my face. "T-thanks."

"I don't really see how people get you guys mixed up with hyenas. Sure, you're a little similar, but it's pretty easy to tell the difference I think."

"Yeah, I don't really get that one either."

She reached forward, the table being just small enough to allow it. "And such nice muscle tone..." Her fingers gently traced my chest and arm.

My ears must have been turning red. "I...um. Yeah. I guess. Even though my chair is electric, I push it manually sometimes, when I'm not feeling lazy. My old one was manual too."

"I didn't know you could do that with electric chairs."

"Yeah, not on the older models maybe. But these ones allow for either. And they're lighter too."

"That's pretty cool. Helps keep you in shape."

"Yeah, thanks."

We both seemed to run out of words again. Despite the secrets, we already knew so much about each other, the gaps could almost be filled in merely by being in each other's presence. It was...nice. I closed my eyes for a moment, tilting my head back as the sun moved out from a cloud, bathing me in radiance. It echoed how I felt inside.

Opening my eyes again, I said, "Jade..."

"Mmm?" She was leaning back too, watching me.

Now that the moment was upon me, I couldn't find the right words. Finally, I just went for it, and damn the torpedos.

"Are you...seeing anyone right now?"

Her eyes widened, and I felt a moment of panic. "God no Marcus! Haven't you been listening to a word I've been saying? See? You really do miss the obvious sometimes."

"Then you...really..."

Her eyes held that trademark mischievous husky look. "I have to spell it out for you, don't I? I. Like. You. A lot."

"Jade..."

Her smile grew wider. "Shh. I already know. I've suspected for a little while, and...I was honestly terrified that you would actually turn out to be gay. I mean, you'd never really indicated one way or the other, but from our conversations, I had you pegged as at least bi. I wasn't entirely sure if you knew I was a girl or not, I just couldn't work up the courage to tell you in advance."

"Gee, sounds like someone I know..."

We both burst out laughing at this. At each other. At ourselves. At the world.

"Splendiferous."

"Awesome sauce."

We were grinning like little kids who had gotten into the cookie jar.

"So...Now what?" I asked.

"Well...I WAS going to get you to play tour guide, but I think that can wait for another day. Do you have any plans?"

I shrugged. "Nope, whatever you want to do is fine. I have no problem showing you around. So long as you don't mind either walking or being a passenger. I don't know what you drive, but I doubt I'd fit easily..."

She smiled. "I don't mind riding with you, but I have a better idea for now. Why don't I show you my new place? If you're not busy, then we can hang out for the rest of the afternoon?"

"Sure! I'd love to."

"Great! So, show me to your car then. I actually don't even have one. I rented one to move here, and I took transit today."

"Cool, let's go then."

She followed me as I made my way out of the restaurant, the barista giving us a dirty look for not buying anything. Jade blew him a kiss, and I could barely contain my laughter at his shocked look.

It wasn't a long way to my van. I kept stealing glances at her along the way. She had such a bouncy step, one that made her hips sway a bit, fluffy curled tail swishing behind her. It was quite entrancing.

'She's as pretty as any girl I've ever seen. How could someone like her fall for a guy like me? And yet, she said it right out!' The sensation was like having a fire inside me. Being with her just felt so right! It was as if a piece of me that had been missing had suddenly been tapped into place. I suppose it helped that there was so much we shared.

"Sweet wheels," she said as we came up to my van.

I grinned. "Yeah, it's pimpin'." I thumbed the remote, and the door slid open to allow the lift to lower. I gestured her to the passenger seat as I got myself situated. "Go ahead and hop in. This just takes a sec."

"Okay. Shotgun!"

I laughed. "You don't have much of a choice, unless you truly want to be chauffeured." My van only had three seats. The passenger and then a small bench in the back. There was space for a second wheelchair to lock into in the middle too.

"Does it have a mini-bar?"

"Afraid not."

"Definitely shotgun!"

After we got ourselves buckled in, I pulled smoothly out of the parking lot. "So, where's your place exactly?"

"It's on Cecropia, just off of Hansen."

"I have an idea of where that is, but you'll need to direct me when we get close. I don't know that area overly well."

"No problem. I'm still learning it myself of course."

Having her in the passenger seat was admittedly a bit distracting. I kept admiring the way the sun played off the creamy fur of her face, little swirls of darker markings adding lovely accents.

I just took it slow, enjoying the drive. We chatted amiably about this and that, nothing really notable. Music mostly. We both shared similar tastes, although she liked more of the modern stuff than I did.

"There's that new entertainment complex. I've heard it's supposed to be pretty good."

"You've never been there?"

"No. It just opened recently. Besides, I don't usually get out too much."

"Well, I'm no socialite myself. We'll have to change that, we can go out together."

"Yeah! Definitely."

"Take the next left."

I turned. We were in a bit of an older area, a few detached houses, but mostly apartments. Lot's of greenery. A lot of the stuff downtown had been replaced by newer, taller developments. Here was where they hadn't bothered to re-build. A lot of the structures dated back to the 1980s and 90s.

It was only a few more minutes until we arrived at Jade's apartment building.

"I was lucky to find this place," she said. "It's only ten minutes from where I'll be working."

I continued the conversation as I got myself unloaded. She hopped out as I started the lift.

"Oh yeah, that's right. You mentioned your new job. Where's that going to be anyways?"

"There's a dentist office nearby. I'm an assistant there. It took me awhile to find a place that was hiring, and this one just happened to be here."

"That's great!"

She grinned. "Yeah. The job is good, and the fact that I can be near you makes it even better. It would suck to move here and have no friends."

"Or... more than friends. Right?"

"Yeah! More than friends!"

Our smiles were almost mirror images.

She led me up the walkway, swiping her key card in front of the reader. "This place is pretty old, but it's been retrofitted pretty well," she said.

"Yeah, do you know how old? Eighties?"

"Sixties I think. They've replaced the elevators and stuff, but all the places have their original layouts and such. Can't complain about the rent."

"Cool."

She was on the fourth floor, just a short elevator ride. "So you got moved in okay?"

"Yeah, a couple of my cousins drove up with me. It's about a four hour drive, so we did it all in one trip. I didn't take overly much with me, just what I knew I'd need. My parents' place was just too big for one person anyhow."

She unlocked the door of one of the apartments. "Here we are. I haven't unpacked everything yet, but at least it's not TOO much of a disaster."

I stopped at the entrance. A very rare problem had just cropped up. "Um... Jade?"

She turned around. "Yes? Oh!"

The doorway was just a little bit too narrow for me. My wheels wouldn't allow me to fit through, and no amount of manouvering was going to do it.

She looked thoughtful. "Hmm, that's a problem. Does your chair collapse at all?"

I nodded. "Yeah, the back just pops inwards, and then the wheels come in against the motor."

"Do you mind if I pick you up?"

It didn't look like I had much choice. The only other option was to drag myself inside. I hated being carried, it was one of the most embarrassing things of all. I'd been forced to do it a few times, mostly earlier on, during physiotherapy sessions. But, with her, the idea didn't bother me as much.

"I don't mind. Are you sure you can do it though?"

She flexed, the action not showing much through the bulky hockey jersy. "Hell yeah I can! Don't worry, I won't drop you."

I backed up a bit into the hallway, and she stepped up to the side of my chair. She gently took a hold of me with one arm under my knees, the other on my back. I helped her out by sliding forwards in the seat, allowing myself to lean back into her arms.

In a smooth motion, she lifted me, with only a small grunt of effort. She carefully manoeuvred the two of us through the door, mindful of my head as we passed through the doorframe.

My head was pressed against her soft chest briefly, and I could hear her heartbeat. It seemed elevated slightly, and the sound of it was like a beautiful symphony. The very centre of my... My what? My crush? No, that wasn't strong enough. My love? That didn't quite seem to do it either. My soul mate? That had a nice ring to it. But did she truly feel the same?

I smiled up at her. "You know, I don't normally allow people to do this on a first date."

She giggled. "It's kind of fun! At least, for me."

Once inside, she carried me through a kitchen area and tiny dining room. There was a little den area, populated by nothing but a couch and holoscreen. A few boxes were stacked neatly in the corner, but it was otherwise perfectly tidy. The bright colours of the walls made the room seem bigger than it was, and fit her personality perfectly.

She set me gently down on the couch. "I'll just pop back out and grab your chair."

I nodded, sinking into the plush fabric. It had actually felt...nice. To be in her arms like that. I'd likely never admit to that though.

"How does this thing fold again?" she called from the hallway.

"There's a cord in the back, just pull it and then push the yellow button on the left side."

There was a few moments of silence, before she came back in, pushing my chair. "Got it." She plunked herself down beside me. "Well, it's not much, but it's home."

"I like it. Except for the door."

She laughed. "Yeah, that sucks for you I guess, means you'll have to let me pick you up whenever you want to come in. So you'd better get used to it."

"You're probably the only person aside from my mom who I'd let do that."

"I'm honoured then. I got to carry the great and mighty Kraid to safety."

I snorted. "The great and mighty Kraid huh? How many times have you had to bail my ass out?"

She assumed an exaggeratedly thoughtful look, counting on her fingers. "Hmm, what's the number that comes after billion again?"

"Okay, maybe not THAT many."

"Maybe."

We shared a laugh. "Of course, you running from the monsters with your tail between your legs is usually what lets me finish them off," she said.

"See? I am good for a few things."

"Yup! I really wouldn't have gotten too far without you. So... now what? Do you want to play some games?"

"Honestly? Not really."

"Me neither."

We lapsed into silence, just staring into each other's eyes for a moment. My heartbeat quickened as she leaned towards me. "Jade..."

She stopped, looking disappointed. "I'm sorry. I'm moving too fast, aren't I?"

I took a moment to respond, not wanting my spinning mind to blurt out something stupid. "No, it's not that. I just want to know that you're sure."

"Trust me, I'm sure." She leaned forward again, bringing her lips to mine. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest.

It was a clumsy effort on my part. She did most of the tongue work, working it around inside my mouth as I did my best to keep pace.

She pulled back a bit, licking her lips. "Hmm, not bad."

I was panting a bit. "Wow! That was great!"

She smirked. "Don't tell me that's your first real kiss?"

I nodded. "I've never been... you know, with anyone before."

"Really? Well, I've actually only had one before. You're already a better kisser than him."

"I am?"

"Yeah. Plus it means way more with you. My first was just a stupid high school fling."

She leaned back in for more. This time, I tried to improve my efforts, learning from what she had done the first time. I wrestled with her tongue, and she gave as good as she got.

This time, we were both short of breath when we pulled apart.

"I think you just levelled up," she said, breathing heavily.

I had to laugh at this, and she joined in. Impulsively, I pulled her in for another round. She didn't object, and our dextrous canine appendages danced an intimate waltz.

When we came up for air, she had a gleam in her eyes. "Yup, you're definitely getting better at this. But I recommend more practice."

"Only if you'll help."

"Just try and stop me!"

"As if."

She threw her arms around me, and we locked lips again. I started slightly as I felt her grope my crotch, which was undeniably starting to tent. I groaned into her mouth at the contact, and she murred in response.

Pulling away, she grabbed her shirt, working it over her head and tossing it aside. I just stared, taking in the eye candy. As with most furs, her breasts weren't large, but they still stuck out from her chest pleasantly. She was in great shape too.

My own shirt was the next to go, followed by her kicking off her shoes and sliding her shorts off. We kissed again, and she started working on my pants. I helped her out, working them down around my knees as our tongues embraced. We separated, and she bent over to yank them off the rest of the way. I never bothered with shoes.

She straddled my lap, nothing but our underwear between us as we held each other close. She started grinding against me, the tent in my pants straining at the teasing contact.

As much as it pained me to stop her, I had to ask one more time. "Wait, are you sure that you want to go this far?"

She stopped, just leaning against me. "How many times are you going to make me say it?" She looked a bit hurt.

"I'm sorry. It's just...hard for me to believe that you could actually want me."

She pressed her nose up to mine, the expression in her eyes leaving no doubt. "I love you Marcus. I've known that for some time, and meeting you in person just confirmed it. I don't just want you. I need you."

I swallowed hard, the pure joy rising up within me threatening to break the dam again. "Oh Jade...I really love you too. And I need you."

I reached up, laying a hand on her creamy breast and massaging slowly. She really seemed to enjoy the action, moaning softly.

"You truly are absolutely gorgeous," I said.

"Mmm, same to you."

She reached down, tugging her panties off and baring herself completely. They looked a bit wet, from what I saw before she tossed them onto the growing pile of clothes. She kissed me again, a short one this time as she started fumbling my boxers off too.

Soon enough, we were both in nothing but our fur, kissing passionately. Our hands were all over, rubbing and massaging, just exploring each other's bodies. For the moment, that was enough, our crotches just resting together, my now exposed erection sliding against her lower lips as we moved. I guess I truly WAS a bit lucky, I still had feeling 'down there'. Had I been human, without digitigrade legs, I likely would not.

A thought struck me suddenly. "Hang on, aren't you worried about...you know."

She shook her head, grinding down lustfully. "Not that time of month. It'll be fine. Now, you just lie back and relax." She stood up, freeing me to move.

I did as she said, hoisting my legs up and repositioning myself so that I was lying on my back.

She lowered herself back down, placing her hands on my chest and gripping lightly. I watched as she moved herself into positon, my tip sliding into her folds and resting there. "This is kind of ironic you know," she said.

"How's that?"

"Well, in the game, I'm the one with the magical staff."

We both started laughing at this, and I slipped out as she moved forward a little.

"Oops. Guess we'll have to try again from the last save point," I said.

She gave me a wicked grin. "Let's just see how much constitution you REALLY have, eh?"

She reached down, pulling my sheath back behind the knot. It was only half formed still, but even that little bit of stimulation was enough to make it continue growing. She held my exposed maleness steady as she sank slowly back, the first two inches sliding in smoothly. I let out a groan as my member was welcomed into a warm, soft embrace.

She leaned down again, and we kissed tenderly as she started working me in deeper. Her passage was like a wrapping of heavenly silk, my own hand felt like sandpaper in comparison.

My mind was soaring on new heights of pleasure as her walls gripped me, drawing me into her most intimate sanctum. Her eyes were half closed, a blissful look on her face. I couldn't thrust up against her too much, but I did my best, grabbing her hips to help her balance. I was fully erect now, and her powerful inner muscles sent a thrill through me, unlike anything I had ever felt.

'Oh yeah, I could definitely get used to THIS!'

It felt like I would explode from all the good feelings, like they were leaking out of me the way her juices were leaking over my maleness. Her thrusts didn't stop at all, she just kept a constant rhythm. I could feel my shaft throb, echoing my heartbeat as I let out a spurt of pre.

Looking down, I could see her delicate petals stretching around me. Pornos didn't even come close to how erotic the sight was in real life. Especially as I could hear her soft grunts of pleasure, echoing my own. It made it even more satisfying, to know that she was enjoying it as much as I was.

I kept rising to higher and higher heights as she started sliding up and down at a more rapid pace, increasing the friction. I yipped in pleasure as she pressed down on my knot, doing her best to force it inside. She let out a moan, kneading my chest as she gyrated her hips. I could feel myself leaking pre more steadily now.

I could feel the delightful ridges and valleys of her inner folds. Her warm, moist tunnel was putting pressure all over my sensitive member, sending bursts of nirvana through me. She was pushing down as much as she could on each thrust, trying to envelope all of me.

"Come on, let's do this!" she panted.

I pulled her down in time with her bucking, and my rod was finally slammed home, knot and all. She jolted, letting out a small howl, her depths rippling around me as she came. The rhythmic squeezing was putting incredible pressure on my knot, and I could feel that I was getting close myself.

My tapered tip was buried somewhere deep inside her, and her orgasm didn't stop her from pounding down on me. Our movements were more limited now that we had tied, but she was working me over just as well. She ground against me, her lips squishing against my fuzzy sack and sending a jolt of ecstasy through me.

"You're pretty big you know," her voice was strained, absolute rapture evidenced in her face.

I could barely form a response through the haze of delight. "Uh, T-thanks."

She reached down between us, letting me support her. She started furiously rubbing her clit, the little bit she could reach that wasn't pressed against my knot. With the other hand, she rubbed my balls, gently squeezing the fuzzy orbs as she kept rocking her hips.

She gripped again, and I felt my balls drawing up, my straining pole stiffening even further. "Oh god, Jade!"

"Yes! Marcus!" Her tongue was hanging out, her joy filled eyes meeting my own.

The release crashed through me, my senses washed out by pure, untainted pleasure. Vaguely, over my own ecstatic cry, I heard her join me in orgasm, the sounds of canine satisfaction filling the room. Her depths rippled and pulsed around me, drawing my essence up inside of her.

She slumped down on top of me, her chin resting on my shoulder as my last few spurts tapered off. "Ohhh. Are you sure this is your first time?"

"Ummm. Y-yeah. That was...fantastic. Definitely better as a two player game." Fantastic was an understatement. There wasn't a word strong enough for how I felt.

She giggled. "Splendiferous. In case you didn't notice, I liked it too."

I grinned as she snuggled against me, rubbing her back slowly. "Yup, I did notice."

"Good. There's a limit to how many things I'll point out to you."

"Ha. I'll have to be more observant then."

"Yeah, and you can start by observing that we should just lie like this for awhile."

I snorted. "I don't think we have much choice."

She laughed again. "True. You've got me stuffed pretty good."

I hugged her tight, and we shared a slow, passionate kiss as we basked in the warm afterglow.

Things were looking up.