FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

OK...this one took the longest...sort of.

I had to find time to sit down and write it, but...to say it bluntly, "It's been one of those days all week((s)"

Sorry it took so , but here it is and i hope ya'll enjoy it and as long as someone wants the story to continue i'll continue to write, because the story has been fun so far...Oh well, i'll stop boring ya'll and let you read.

Once again criticism is welcome...constructive please, but any is welcome

"Defensive..." Jim said and watched as Jake let out a low growl. "Don't worry, I don't mean anything by it...he did the same thing you know...acted really tense when I grouped you with him. Why is that?"

Jake looked over at his friend, "Yeah...old habit I guess, now answer the question. Why do you ask?" he asked, not letting his tone go away.

"Just to see your reaction I guess...You do seem to trust him, and you're also defensive about him. Don't forget, I know you well enough to see when you care for someone...we're not best friend for nothing. It's nothing bad...but it's also strange for you to be defensive like this around me. Wanna tell me something?" Jim asked in a passive manner, already knowing the answer.

Jake let out a laugh, letting his usual tone return, and looked over at his friend with a grin, "Wow...you've changed, that was more direct than usual, and as to something I want to tell you...nothing important...just that Lucas is a friend, like you, and I always tense up when people ask those kind of things."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." Jim joked then lay down on a couch in Jake's room and let out a yawn.

"Want me to wake you up after a certain point?" Jake asked as he propped his head under his hands.

"Ehh...sure by seven at the earliest and two at the latest...good?...Jake?" Jim looked up and saw that Jake was already out. He smiled as the bear slept and soon went to sleep also.

Jake woke up in the middle of the night and looked around his room; though all he saw were figures and shapes. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep again, whenever he came back home he had trouble sleeping. He listened to the room for a moment and heard that Jim was asleep then got up, and walked out of the room quietly. In the hallway it was quiet, down the stairs a dim glow from the living room told Jake that the TV was on, but his father would be asleep no doubt, and to his left was his brother's room with no sound or lights. Jake smiled and walked down the hallway and into what his family called the "wreck room" and locked the door.

Jake pulled out his phone and let it cast a low light across the room. He wanted to talk with Lucas, but it was almost four in the morning. He wondered about Lucas and decided to try and call him. He was about to hang up when he heard Lucas pick up on the other end.

"Jake?...What's up?" Lucas asked, he sounded alert.

"Nothing...I'm sorry, I just felt like talking...I'm an idiot ...didn't want to wake you, but I knew I would..."Jake responded quietly to the wolf.

"It's no biggie. In truth I wasn't even asleep...so what did you want to talk about? You seem like your enjoying your time back home so far."

"I am. I have no idea what I want to talk about...just wanted to talk I guess. I couldn't sleep." Jake said as he walked over to a couch and lay down. Jake sighed and got comfortable.

"Me either...kind of funny...look forward to sleeping and now I can't seem to sleep."

"Yeah...so how are you doing?"

"Pretty good, I'm gonna meet up with some old friends tomorrow, and we're all gonna just chill...I'm a bit anxious."

"Why?"

"Ya know how it is...well, maybe not, after all your lucky. You and Jim seem to still be such great friends and what not...I guess I just wonder if we'll all still get along and what not." Lucas let out a sigh and waited for the bear to respond.

"I'm sure it'll be fine...me and Jim just click...like you and me." Jake responded.

"Yeah...oh speaking of which, Jim is pretty interesting...I like him. He's cool." Lucas said.

"Yeah, he is, but he can be immature at sometimes too...still he's a good person...he liked you too, this is either a good thing or a bad thing." Jake responded with a small laugh, which turned into a yawn.

"Ouch, am I boring you?" Lucas asked jokingly, he began a slow yawn also.

"Ha-ha...no, but thanks...you know for talking...it's relaxing to just speak with you." Jake said and closed his eyes.

"Yeah...same. Stay on the line for a bit?" Lucas asked the bear.

"Yep..." Jake responded lazily, sleep already coming back to him. He could hear Lucas breathing on the other end, but they didn't talk.

Lucas listened to the bear's breathing, and realized that Jake had fallen asleep. He looked down at the phone with a smile and closed it, letting sleep come to him also. He knew the next day would be fun; seeing old friends was always refreshing.

Jake woke up with a slow pain in his neck and realized that he had slept all night with his phone on his head. He rubbed his neck as he got up, and looked around down at his phone. It was only seven in the morning, so he that the only people in the house that would be up were his parents and even that was unlikely. Jake groaned as he stretched then walked over to the door and unlocked it from when he had locked it last night. He walked down the hall and then down the stairs-as he had thought no one in the house was up yet. Jake decided to head outside for a bit.

The outside was cool for the spring. The grass was still wet with dew and the sun was just above the tree line; it looked like it was going to be a nice day. Jake walked around the house for a bit and walked around to the back of the house.

"Nice day...so far." Jake said to himself and lay down in the grass. He felt the dew wet his shirt, but it was nice and cool so he enjoyed it. The scent of home was fresh in the morning and it Jake reminisced about the times he would come outside to just lay down and stare at the clouds or stars. His mind slowly drifted and he watched as the clouds slowly drifted over him, but then the sun got in his eyes. Jake groaned as the sun ruined the scenery; he had never liked the sun-it always just seemed to get in his eyes and instead of making things beautiful it made them blinding.

Jake stood up and brushed himself off before heading back towards his house, it had been almost two hours. He was sure someone would be up by now. He walked inside and heard someone rummaging around in the kitchen. From the reflection of a painting Jake could see it was his mom, but before he could calm her down she was already jumping about.

"Who's there?" she asked, with slight nervousness in her voice.

Jake chuckled and tried to calm her down, "It's just me, calm down."

His mom gave a sigh of relief and walked out of the kitchen with a glass of orange, "What were you doing outside?"

Jake shrugged his shoulders and walked past her and into the kitchen.

He looked over and saw that Bryan was also up, and sitting at the table. "Morning creeper," was the closest thing to a warm greeting he got.

"Creeper-an offensively unimaginative word devised by tacky, brain-dead college students to describe people they deem sinister, indecorous, uncouth, or otherwise unpleasant. You do realize you're going to have to come up with something a bit less generic than 'creeper' to think you can insult me, right?" he responded and watched his brother's face-which was priceless.

Bryan's mouth was wide open before he finally said something, "I don't have to insult you, you'll insult yourself," was all he could say.

"You're probably right...I should probably go wake Jim up..." Jake responded with a small laugh and stopped his hunt through the kitchen for something to eat. He began to walk up the stairs and found his friend, still asleep. Jim was sprawled out on the bed, and Jake laughed at how the gorilla had taken over his room. He walked over and shook his friend, "Hey, Jim, get up it's nearly ten," he said and watched the gorilla grunt.

"I'm up, I'm up, now go away so I can sleep..." Jim said groggily and waved his hand at the bear.

Jake laughed and took the pillow from under Jim's head, "You know that's not how it works. Now get up." Jake said and hit his friend in the face with the pillow then turned on his TV and began to play a game. Jim got up after a few minutes.

"So...where did you go last night?" he asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"I slept in the wreck room...couldn't sleep in here. Hey, you want to get a bite?" Jake replied casually and tried to change the subject.

It worked and Jim replied quickly, "Yeah, sure...what do you have in mind?"

"I could cook a pizza..."

"Cool."

"Hey...I meant to ask...how is everyone else doing?" Jake asked with a slightly serious tone.

"Huh...why do you ask?" Jim responded, wondering why the bear had asked so suddenly.

"Well...you know we're all friends...I think. I mean, I left this place far behind when I went off...and I left you guys too..." Jake said and looked away, not out of shame but more out of anger that he not kept in touch.

"We're all doing fine...and it's no biggie. We all hang out often, and it's never as fun when you're not around, but hey what are you going to do?" Jim said casually.

"Yeah...what am I going to do...do you guys hate me? I mean for not keeping in touch?" Jake asked.

"Hate you? Wow, no way man. Brandon is at a local state college and comes around every weekend, and Logan at a tech. I mean it's not like we all hang out and talk about how you just left us witho-Jake I didn't mean that you..." Jim stopped and realized what he was saying.

"It's OK...you would be right to say that I just 'up and left.' In truth, I'm just really glad that you and I still get along..." Jake responded and let his head hand down.

"Ehh. Stop thinking about it...You can't change the past, and besides you already said it yourself. You're having a good time where you are, and you have friends there...No one blames you for leaving. We may not understand, but we don't hate you by any means. Now about that pizza..." Jim said with a laugh and ran out of the room, leaving Jake there.

Jake let out a small laugh and got up and ran after the gorilla. Jim was right; there was no use in dwelling on the past now.

Lucas woke up early the next day and got ready to see his friends. He was going to meet them at a place away from their old school. He quickly got ready and began to walk to the place. While he was walking a car pulled up beside him and rolled down the window and he heard someone begin to talk, "Hey, you want a ride?"

Lucas didn't even look over and continued to walk, "No thanks, I don't have far to go."

The person in the car laughed and replied, "Just get in Lucas, God you can be so paranoid, it's not like you're a little kid and I'm offering you some 'candy'."

At this Lucas stopped and looked inside the car and saw it was one of his old friends, Alex, a big mastiff. He laughed and accepted the ride and got in the car. He looked over at his friend and was about to ask how he had been but didn't get a chance.

"So how have you been?" Alex asked but before Lucas could respond the mastiff continued, "I've been good...you know not bad...anyways I'm currently trying to get a degree in computer programming and what not...Hey you never answered my question!"

Lucas laughed at the dog's behavior and responded, "You never gave me a chance you big lug, but I'm glad you're doing well. It's good to see you...I'm doing pretty well, I guess" he let the words drift off and the ride grew slightly awkward.

"So..." Alex began then laughed, which shook the car. "Wow...this is funny, the two of us being quiet...we're supposed to be the talkers of the group."

Lucas laughed and shook his head also, "Yeah...just weird I guess. It's almost been a year..."

"Yep...so how did you get home?...I mean your parents are still home and your college is pretty far away. Did you finally get a car?" Alex said and kept his eyes on the road.

"Yeah I got a car...but you know I thought it'd be fun to walk....but no, actually Jake drove me." Lucas responded and waited for the mastiff to get why his question was stupid.

"...Oh...yeah forget I asked that..." Alex said while laughing but didn't ask about Jake. Lucas figured that he just didn't really catch the last part, or didn't want to ask another question.

"Have you kept up with the rest of the gang?" Lucas asked, trying to keep the conversation flowing.

"Yeah, more or less...in truth I think you're the only person who went far away, so everyone else has been able to get together a few times." Alex responded.

"Ha-ha. So I'm the only one who hasn't stayed in touch...that's sad. Oh well, just means there'll be more to talk about when we get there..." Lucas responded and watched as they pulled into the parking lot and got out. They walked into a small store and Lucas saw all his old friends standing around.

Jenny, Sam, Gina, Alex, and himself were all the group was made of. It was a small group, but that made it better. Jenny was a small and slim tigress with orange fur and black stripes, Sam was a blue-tinted bull with large horns, Gina was a short fox who had all the energy in the group, and Alex was a large mastiff who was seemed like the intimidating one. The two girls were both small and Alex and Sam were huge, and Lucas was in the middle. They were a strange group, but they all got along and had been friends since middle school. While all the others had stayed nearby Lucas was the only one who went out of the state for college.

"Yo, well look who it is?" Gina said and the rest of the group looked over.

"Oh my god! I didn't know you were still alive?!?" Jenny said with a laugh and ran over and hugged Lucas.

Before Lucas knew it everyone was around him and asking him questions. He didn't have a chance to respond as they swarmed him. Lucas laughed and pushed them all away. "OK, OK...You guys aren't the only ones with questions...I want to know what ya'll have been up to also."

"Well, how bout we head to the park and hang out...we can grab a bite later, but it's only ten at the moment, so we can just relax there...besides right now we're loitering." Sam said.

They all agreed and walked out of the store. They took Sam's van as it could hold all of them and were at the park within fifteen minutes. They walked over and played around at the playground. Lucas was sure it was a strange scene; five college students at a playground, and actually playing on it like a bunch of little kids.

After a bit they all stopped and hung around, Jenny and Gina sitting in the swings, Sam laying down on a spinning wheel, Alex on the small building and looking at them all, and Lucas was leaning on the side. They talked casually and laughed as each of them talked about what they had been up to, and then they started to barrage Lucas with questions as to his life.

"So how is it there?" Gina asked.

"Is it cold?" Sam asked.

"Have you made a lot of new friends?" Jenny chimed in.

"...How are the girls?" Alex asked with a laugh.

After a moment they all settled down and Lucas had a chance to respond, "It's nice; yes, it's very cold; yes, I've made a lot of new friends; and I haven't really looked around. There I answered those questions..." Lucas said with a laugh and waited for another question.

"What do you mean you haven't 'looked around.'?" Sam with a grin, but the girls cut him off.

"Don't be rude to Lucas. Besides, he's made a lot of friends and that's all that matters, it doesn't matter if he is interested in somebody or not." Jenny said with a grin and looked over at the wolf.

"Translation: They really want to know what you meant." Alex said with a laugh as the two girls giggled also.

"Well, it's not that I'm not 'interested' in anyone, but life there is tough...I usually go to class, hang out with a few people, and then me and Jake just do our work, then you rinse and repeat." Lucas said with a laugh.

"Who's Jake?" Gina asked and poked Lucas on his head.

"Yeah...that's the second time you've mentioned him" Alex said.

"Jake? Umm...I guess you would call him my best friend there. I mean, we practically have the same schedule and get along pretty well..." Lucas said and tried to think of what to say while swiping at Gina's hand.

"Oh, so you already replaced us?!?" Jenny said with a pout.

"YEP!" Lucas said cheerfully and laughed at how they all reacted.

"You jerk!" the two girls said in unison.

"I'm just kidding with ya. No but I have a lot of fun there...I'm doing what I want, and I'm sorry I haven't kept up with you guys a lot...." Lucas said and waited for them to respond.

"It's no biggie...after all you're happy. That's what matters" Sam said with a grunt, and Alex nodded his head in agreement.

"Thanks gu-" Lucas was about to continue before Jenny cut in.

"Besides you can make it up by paying for lunch!" she said with a grin.

"Hmm...that's a good idea." Alex said, and all the others agreed.

"...You guys are the traitors..."Lucas said with a sigh and they all laughed.

After another hour at the park they hopped back into Sam's van and went to a small diner in the town. Once they had all got settled down and the meals were delivered Jenny asked Lucas more about Jake.

"What's he like? Is he strong? Does he work out? Strong? Single?" She probed Lucas for questions.

"Stop that...you haven't even met him and you think you'd like to go out with him...Gezz if it breathes you're interested." Alex said and they all laughed, and Lucas tried to make his laugh sound natural.

"But is he?" Gina cut in.

Lucas tried not to blush and wondered how to respond. He couldn't exactly tell his friends that he and Jake were going out, but he didn't want to lie to them either, so he tried to explain it. "Well, Jake's a grizzly bear and he's pretty strong I guess. We work out sometimes, and he has more body strength than me, but I kick his butt in races. He's a great guy...I'm sure ya'll would...well...hmm, yeah, I think ya'll would like him."

"What was the hesitation about? Is he stupid or something? Or is he...a bit off?" Gina said and seemed to be bouncing around in her seat.

"...That's not the kind of stuff you ask Gina." Sam said as he shook his head.

"No, it's not like that!" Lucas said and waved his hands in the air then began to laugh.

"What's funny?" Jenny broke in.

"Just you guys," Lucas responded then continued, "He's just as smart as me...maybe smarter...well we both have our specialties...but whatever. He is different but by no means 'strange.' He is sort of a loner, but if you meet him I think he would like you guys...he is really nice, but he is also always a bit distant to most people..." Lucas finished and took a breath.

"Hmm...sounds like a cool guy...where's he from" Alex asked and took a gulp out of his drink.

"Umm...some place called Jacksonville...in the deep south...in truth I'm not a hundred percent sure..." Lucas said and thought about it.

"Well it doesn't matter...you guys can stop and we can meet him while you guys are on you're way back!" Gina said in a more demanding tone than asking.

"Yeah....sure...." Lucas said with hesitation and was glad when the topic changed. They all hung out for the rest of the day and got reacquainted. At the end of the day Alex offered to drive Lucas back home, but Lucas rejected.

"Really man...it's not like it's out of the way." Alex said, trying to reason with the wolf.

"Nah...it's no biggie...besides I kind of want to walk for a bit." Lucas said then turned around and began to run away from the group. He put his hand up in the air behind him and waved a good-bye to his friends and heard them shout back at him. He ran for a few minutes before stopping and catching his breath. He knew he had to run or else they would've kept badgering him about not accepting a ride.

The night was cool, and the moon was almost full and the stars were out. It was a nice night for a walk. Lucas walked for a few minutes in silence enjoying the quiet before he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that Jake was calling, so he picked up. "Hey, Jake. What's up?"

"Nothing. How did the day go?" Jake asked.

"Good. Actually I'm walking home now, we just got done hangin'.

"Everything went well?"

"Yep...good old times I guess..."

"That's good..."

For a moment neither of them said anything and it was quiet again, but Jake began to speak again.

"I'm thinking of going hiking tomorrow." He said to the wolf.

"Really? Where?" Lucas asked and hoped to be able to learn more about where Jake lived by his answer.

"Umm...I guess I can go to Plane Rock...or maybe Crescent Trail...which one sounds funner to you?" Jake asked.

"Crescent Trail sounds pretty cool...so do that one. Just be careful. The last few times you've gone running or hiking you've either fell in a river or flipped over a bench, remember?" Lucas said with a chuckle.

"OK. Sounds fun...too bad you won't be there...anyhow...so guess how hot it is here." Jake said with a cherry voice.

"Random?...I don't know...eighty?" Lucas guessed waiting for the bear to tell him.

"Nope...it's a cool hundred...I can't wait to get back North." Jake said and laughed.

"A hundred...oh my god how do you survive. I mean surely you're sweating like a waterfall."

"...Actually, I'm a bit used to it. My parents say I'm some sort of freak," Jake said with a chuckle and continued, "After Jim left, I went out and used the push mower to cut the grass in some blue jeans...apparently that makes me weird or something."

"Your parents couldn't be more right dude. I mean your going to die of heat or something. But you need to be careful."

"Is that your way of saying I'm hot?" Jake asked with a laugh.

Lucas laughed with the bear and responded, "Don't think too highly of yourself," the wolf said and was glad Jake couldn't see him grinning.

"Well, don't worry...I'll be safe." Jake said more seriously.

"Good. If I don't hear from you by five tomorrow because you get hurt or faint then I'm going to find you and beat you for being stupid." Lucas said with a laugh.

"Promise?" Jake joked again then continued, "Yeah, yeah...but make it six. I may not get down the mountain till five and even then I'll need to get to a place with half-way decent reception to call you."

Lucas was about to respond before his phone vibrated and he saw that his parents were calling him. "Hey Jake, I got to go...my parents are callin'. Talk to you later and be careful tomorrow," he said then answered his parents. "Hello?"

"OK, OK. I'll be there in a minute. Bye." Lucas said and put the phone away from his ear with a grimace. He began to run towards his house and wondered why they wanted him home. After a few minutes of running he reached his house, and saw all the lights were out. He tried the door, but it was locked and he didn't carry a key with him. After a moment he decided he would try the garage, and ran towards the garage. Once he entered the lights turned on and his parents jumped out to surprise him.

Lucas jumped back and let out yelp and was about to fall but caught himself on a trashcan. His parents were laughing at him but he wasn't laughing.

"Surprise!" they said in unison while laughing.

"You mean 'Surprise'! We're trying to kill you?" Lucas said as he tried to calm down.

"You don't see anything different in here?" his father asked and gestured around the room.

Lucas looked past his parents and saw a car, "You got a new car? That's cool," he said; still not getting the idea.

"No, you got a new car," his mother said with a smile and waited for Lucas to say something.

"I got a new car..." Lucas said and his eyes widened for a moment before he stopped his excitement, "Ya'll didn't have to do that...I mean thanks...but-"

"No 'buts' about it. You've earned this. We won't hear any sort of rejection from you, besides from your face we can tell that you're excited," his father said with a smile and patted Lucas on the shoulder, and dropped the keys in his hands.

Lucas smiled and looked at his parents. He thanked his parents and looked at the car more closely. It was a green car with two doors, and looked fairly good. It only had fifty thousand miles on it, and the interior was in great condition with plenty of room.

"Do you like it?" his mom asked as she walked up behind him.

"Like it? It's amazing." Lucas said with a large grin. "I'm sure it hasn't really sunk in...but. Thank ya'll. I love you guys." Lucas turned around and hugged his parents tightly.

"So now you can drive and have your freedom, but you have to promise to be careful," his father said sternly and waited for Lucas's response. After Lucas nodded he continued. "Now if you want you can go out for a ride."

Lucas smiled and quickly ran to the car but turned around. "You guys want to come?"

"No, no sweetie, you just go out for a ride, but just a short one OK?" his mother said with a chuckle.

"It will be." Lucas said quickly as he was turning on the engine. He leaned over and pulled on his seatbelt and exited the garage. From his rear-view mirror he could see his parents standing there waving.

The car rode well, and was very nice. Lucas drove out of his neighborhood and went down the road for a few miles before turning back. He got back to the house and parked outside the garage, he knew his parents had only put it in there for the surprise and that his father used the garage. He sat in the car for a few minutes and laid back and smiled.

He had never tried to ask anything of his parents. He thought back about all they had done for him. They never acted like he was adopted and had always treated him as if he was their flesh and blood. It had taken him a long time to get used to that. His mom and dad were both great people and the entire family never treated him any differently, but sometimes when people noted their differences in appearance he would get upset. It didn't affect him as much now, but when he was a pup it was something he had to deal with everyday.

He also now had a sibling. His parents had finally had a child of their own, and it was a girl. She was just a pup, and Lucas had only spent a few yearswith her. She was born in his sophmore year, and he enjoyed being a big brother. He was slightly upset that he wouldn't be there through some of her life, but he would be there during summers, and vacations.

After a few minutes Lucas heard a tap on the glass and looked up at his father, who was staring at him.

"Just because you have a car doesn't mean you get all of the privileges you think. Come on, it's almost one, and from here on out, when you're home, that is your curfew." The large wolf said through the glass and opened the door. He held out his hand and helped Lucas up.

"OK...sounds fair to me."

They stood around the car for a moment and his father began to talk again, "So...anything interesting going on in life?" he said and looked over at his son with a slight grin.

"Oh god...here comes 'the talk.' What do you want to know?" Lucas asked with a laugh, while dodging a playful punch from his father.

"Just how you're doing and what not..." he said casually.

"Umm...I'm good, I really am. I'm having fun at college, keeping my grades up, making new friends, and..." Lucas stopped and found himself at a loss for words.

"And?" his father probed for Lucas to continue.

"...and...I'm doing what I want to with my life...or at least I think I am, but I can't tell at the moment. I mean there are days when I feel great, and then days when it's tough and I want to give up, but hey, those happen to everyone, right?" Lucas finished and took a deep breath and looked over at his father.

"Yep, to everyone. I'm glad to hear that. So, you like it up there?"

"Yeah, it's great, but a lot colder. I haven't been there in the summer but it usually has snow year round, at least up in the mountains." Lucas replied casually and wondered when his father would ask what he was getting at.

"Good, good. You said you've made new friends? And speaking of friends how was it today?"

"It was fine today, we all just hung out like old times, and yeah I have some new friends too...umm so what do you want to ask me?" Lucas asked hoping to skip all the small talk.

His father laughed and looked over at his son with a grin and placed his hand on his shoulder, "Are you OK?"

Lucas didn't know how to respond for a moment and just looked at his father then finally said something, "Yeah...why shouldn't I be?"

"You just seem different from winter break...not anything bad, but we're concerned about you."

Lucas smiled and gave a slight chuckle, "Oh...yeah some things have changed I guess."

"Ok...well whatever it is I hope its good."

"It is..." Lucas said with a smile and was happy his father didn't push the issue any further, then spoke again, "Hey...is it OK if I take a bit of a road trip, tomorrow?"

"To where?" his father asked with a confused look.

"Umm...to Jacksonville." Lucas said lowly and tried not to look at his father.

"Jacksonville?!? Do you know how far away that is?"

"Yeah...about seven hours."

"Why do you want to go?" his father asked

Lucas looked up, surprised that it had not been a straight no, "To see Jake and maybe pick him up, so we can get back here, and the trip back won't be so bad."

"But Jake drove you here, so how could you pick him up?" his father asked with a confused look.

"Good point, but can I go?"

"...Call us." his father said and let out a sigh.

"...really? Why are you letting me go? I mean thanks but...I guess I'm curious." Lucas said with slight disbelief that his father had said yes.

"You're young, strong, and you've grown up...we can't keep you forever..." his father said.

"You make it sound like I'm leaving ya'll..." Lucas said, now a bit sad.

"Lucas...your mother and I love you,"

Lucas tried to say something but couldn't think of what to say, and found his eyes watering. He felt his father hug him and he returned the hug and cried a bit. It was strange, he wasn't sad, but it was just the opposite; he was happy. He laid his head on his father's shoulder. He was smiling and felt like a fool, but was happy. His father pulled him closer and after a minute Lucas stopped.

"OK?" His father asked and rubbed his son's head.

"Yeah...sorry. I don't know why I cried. I love you guys too, more than ya'll could know." Lucas said and tried to wipe his eyes.

His faher didn't say anything else but held him for a moment more then they walked inside. Lucas's mother had already gone to bed, and Lucas felt his eyes getting heavy too. He went to his room, but didn't lie down yet. He pulled out his computer and began to search for Crescent Trail near Jacksonville. After a minute he found it and quickly saved it then began to search for the bear's house. He found it after another minute, and pulled out his phone to call Jake then stopped.

"I'll surprise him..." Lucas said and lied down to go to sleep.

The next morning he set out for Jake's town.

Jake woke up early the next morning. Running down the stairs and fixing a quick lunch and throwing his stuff into a backpack he ran out, and got out of his house before anyone else woke up. He drove for an hour before reaching the trail and quickly began his ascent. The morning was cool, and the woods were still damp. The weather was nice today, but there were clouds in the distance. It was only eight, and he had till five to get back to the bottom.

The hike was pleasant, and Jake reached the top within three hours. He sat down and pulled out his lunch.

"Wow...the view is...nice to say the least..." he said to no one and took a bite of his sandwhich. He sat for awhile and quietly ate as he thought about how his life had been lately. He began to think back on the question he had for Lucas from before the break and wondered if he should ask.

"I guess I could...I mean-" Jake stopped and jumped up and looked behind him, as a couple came up the trail also.

"Oh...there's only one person up here...who are you talking to, cub?" the male asked. He was a large bull with brown fur. He was big, bigger than Jake, and looked like he worked out, but Jake noticed that he was also old; with gray around his muzzle.

"Umm...myself. Sorry, I guess that must be really strange..." Jake said and began to pack up.

"Don't leave because of us please," the woman said. She was the same species as the male, but was much smaller.

"Apologize to him Allen," she said sternly and looked over at the bull.

"What? Why?" he asked like a child then looked over at Jake, "Sorry cub, didn't mean to insult you in any way. You should stay, us old folk like company." Allen said in an almost stereotypical manner, and Jake guessed that he was joking.

"Cub? You didn't insult me..." Jake said, but was still confused by how the bull had called him 'cub.' Jake sat back down and returned to his lunch as the couple sat near him and began to eat a lunch they had packed also.

"We didn't expect anyone else to be up here," the woman said causally then continued, "My name is Sarah Joy, and this is my husband Allen Joy."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Jake...Yellat." He said, hesitating to say his last name.

"Yellat? That's an unusual name." the male said and looked over at Jake.

"It's good to see that a cub like you is still so active." Sarah said, changing the subject quickly.

"Yeah...I'm home for a bit and thought it would be nice to take a hike." Jake said and looked over at the couple, he didn't pay attention to the bull's talk, "and ya'll?"

"We're just an old couple, trying to stay healthy." Sarah said with a sweet smile and patted her husband's leg. "What were you thinking about before we came up?"

"Ohh...umm...just talking to myself, wondering about how to ask someone something, but I'm not sure how to ask, or if it's too soon to ask..." Jake said, guessing there was no harm in talking with the strangers.

"Is it an important question?" Allen asked in an almost demanding manner.

"Well, it's not life or death, but on a personal level," Jake stopped and thought about how to word his next part, but the bull continued.

"You should ask. You can't wait on these things, if you try to think too much then the chance will get away, and you'll end up regretting it," he said in a more fatherly manner.

"OK...but you ask too soon and you end up destroying everything that you've worked to build..." Jake said, trying to defend his point as to not ask.

Sarah jumped in, "Yes, this is true, but in matters of the heart nothing is too soon."

Jake wondered what she meant by that but continued, "Well, one question for ya'll?" Jake looked over at the coupled.

"Yes?" Sarah asked and waited for Jake to continue.

"How do you know when you really care for someone?" Jake asked and tried to keep it vague.

"You mean love?" Allen asked.

"What?!," Jake coughed on his drink and tried to talk, "Umm...I'm not sure...but it's something different..."

Jake felt himself blush as the couple laughed at him and couldn't help but laugh a bit himself. After a moment he thought more seriously about what the old bull had said and wondered on how to respond.

"You're still just a cub who is trying to learn to live. You'll figure it out..." Sarah said with a sweet smile.

"...cub?" Jake asked, a still confused as to why they referred to him like that.

"Yep." Allen said, but offered no explanation.

"Looks, like it might rain..." Sarah said, and pointed over to the coming clouds.

"Yep. Do you guys want me to walk with ya'll...make sure ya'll make it down safely?" Jake said not wanting to abandon the couple.

"We're not that old" Allen said with a chuckle.

"Thanks, but we'll be safe, just make sure you're safe also." Sarah said in a motherly tone.

They ate the rest of their meal with some casual conversation then Jake stood up and got ready to leave. He thanked the couple for the time, and began to descend the mountain. The descent was rougher than the ascent though. Every step took a bit more out of the bear as his legs traversed the rocky terrain, but at some points it was OK for him to let gravity do the work for him.

"If I'm not careful I'm going to fall..." he said as he ran down a small slope skidded to a stop on the rocks. He stopped and grabbed his water bottle, taking a small break so he could take a breather. Finding a place to sit, Jake relaxed on a smooth rock and looked around his surroundings. It was one in the afternoon when he left the couple and began his descent, and he was making good time. If all went well he could reach the bottom by two.

"OK, time to move!" Jake said to himself and threw back on his backpack. After a moment Jake felt a drop of rain hit his head. Looking up he saw that the clouds had reached the mountains faster than he had anticipated. Soon it began to pour down, and Jake was soaked within a few seconds.

"Well...this puts a damper on my day," Jake said making a joke to himself, "...God that joke sucked," he said then broke out into a small jog. He ran for about ten minutes, and it seemed like it was OK to run for a moment.

"Crap, crap, crap..." Jake muttered under his breath as he began to lose his balance and slide down the slope. He needed to make a turn soon or he'd run off the trail, but there was no way to turn.

Grabbing out for a tree he swung himself on the tree, but lost his grip in the rain and fell. Jake knew there was nothing he could do now; he was going down. Letting out a small yell as he fell, Jake tried to guide his way down the path, but found that it didn't help either way. Jake tried to get up and slow his descent by grabbing at the ground, and was able to stand up a bit, but in the end that only made things worse; the last thing he saw was a rock on the ground as his face sped towards it.

Jake felt something moving him, and he realized that he was on his chest. Something rolled him over onto his back and touched his head.

"Cub...hey, cub you OK?"

"Allen, is he OK?"

"Shh...I think he's coming to."

Jake heard the voices of the couple from before and his eyes shot open, "What happened? What time is it?" he asked in a panicked manner and tried to get up.

"Woah cub, just take it easy." Allen said as he placed a hand on Jake's chest, keeping him down.

"You took a pretty big hit to your head..." Sarah said from behind the bull.

"My parents always said I had a hard head..." Jake said in a joking manner and tried to get back up again. This time Allen let him. Jake rubbed his head and felt a small stream of blood trickle down his head. Following the stream he found that there was a gash on his head, just above his right eye. Flinching at the touch Jake realized just how much his head hurt.

"You're bleeding there Cub." Allen said in an obvious yet kind manner, "What happened?"

"Well...I lost my balance...grabbed for a tree...then fell...and..."Jake said in a slow voice, recollecting the memories slowly.

"You're lucky we were behind you. I saw you down here lying face down on the ground...you scared us." Sarah said and dabbed a cloth, what seemed like a napkin from their lunch, on Jake's head.

"Sorry...oh, umm...What time is it?" Jake asked remembering what Lucas had said the night before.

"...One track mind huh?" Allen said and shook his head, "If you must know, it's almost three."

"Dang...I've been out for almost two hours..." Jake said and stood up, despite the protest of the couple.

"I'm fine...don't worry...it'd take more than this to really do something to me," Jake said and grabbed a tree for balance as his head throbbed.

"Well, if you really need to move, then let's get moving Cub." Allen said and began to walk back up the steep slope, Sarah right behind him. Jake looked up at the pair and followed after them. He got up with them and they walked the trail.

The rain didn't let up, and the couple insisted on following Jake, to make sure he was OK. Jake thought it was ironic that he had offered them help, but now they were the ones that helped him. Jake walked with the couple and they made good time-surprisingly to Jake. Within two hours they had reached the bottom again. They walked into a station, where they were safe from the elements. The station housed as both a restaurant, and a touring info area.

"Thanks...for everything." Jake said, and shook Allen's hand tightly then Sarah's more gently.

"No problem. You just be safe from here on out." Sarah said, and patted Jake on the shoulder.

Jake looked around the station and walked over to the desk office, where a large lion was sitting.

"You folk sure chose a 'fun' day to hike." the lion said sarcastically then saw the gash on Jake's head, "Oh, you're hurt, are you OK?"

"Yeah, yeah...I'll be fine," Jake said brushing off the lion's concern, "Do you guys have a phone I could use?" Jake asked.

"You sure you're OK?" the lion asked and looked over Jake more carefully.

"Yeah, I've had worse...I got a hard head." Jake said jokingly and tapped on his head, but winced as it throbbed.

"Sure..." the lion said, and then dismissed the matter, "Well, there's a phone over in the back..."

"Thanks." Jake said then walked over to the phone. He quickly dialed Lucas's number, and waited for the wolf to pick up. After a few rings he heard Lucas's voice on the other end.

"Hello? Who is this?" Lucas asked.

"Hey, it's me...Jake." Jake said and waited for Lucas to respond.

"Ohhh...where are you calling from?" Lucas asked and seemed tense.

"From Crescent Trail, remember you told me to call you-" Jake stopped for a moment and realized the wolf seemed like he was hiding something. "Where are you?"

"No where. How was your hike?" Lucas asked and tried to change the subject. Jake didn't respond, but just listened on the phone and tried to find out what Lucas was doing.

"Umm...it was good, I...oh it's not important...is everything OK? You're acting strange?" Jake said and tried to find out what the wolf was doing.

"Am I?" Lucas asked and got nervous. "Hey, Jake, you're safe so call me when you get home...I'll tell you then. Bye," he said and hung up on the bear.

"Crap...I'm such an idiot...I want to surprise him. I can't act so suspicious when I call him back...but it'll be a nice surprise, I hope. Actually, what if he is angry...well at worst I've spent all day driving to see him for nothing..." Lucas said to himself with a fake laugh and shook his head; hoping that Jake wouldn't get upset. He looked out his window and saw Jacksonville around him. Lucas laughed a bit as he parked his car and got out.

He planned to surprise Jake, and walked around the parking lot for a moment before being stopped by someone.

"No loitering, now your gonna have to leave or buy something," the person said and looked over the wolf.

"Oh...sorry. I'm new to town...hey you sound familiar..." Lucas said and tried to place the voice. It was a gorilla standing in front of him. The gorilla had white fur however, and was not Jim.

"Don't try to talk your way out; sorry but rules are rules, so I'm going to have to ask you leave one more time." the gorilla said, now slightly irritated.

Lucas looked the gorilla over more carefully"...You wouldn't happen to be Jim would you?" he asked and knew the answer because he saw the name-tag.

"Don't always believe what you read, city boy. Now who are you?" the gorilla asked and was growing tired of the person in front of him.

"City boy?" Lucas asked and guessed that his dialect was different but continued, "I'm Lucas...we've talked before."

Lucas said with a large grin and held out his hand.

The gorilla looked over the wolf, "I'm going to need to see some identification," he said.

Lucas dug around his pockets for a moment and found his wallet and handed it to the gorilla. Another gorilla came out of the shop and looked at the wolf, "Who is it Dad?"

The white gorilla looked over at his son, "Do you know a Lucas...Va...Vad-" he asked before Lucas jumped in.

"Vadikson...that's my last name...and I'm sorry...I may be mistaken...I'm just looking for a friend...Jake?"

The younger gorilla looked at Lucas for a moment before laughing, "Hey, what are you doing here? Yeah, Dad I know him...he's a friend of Jake."

The older gorilla gave a grunt and walked back into the shop, leaving the two outside.

"What are you doing here?" Jim asked and extended out his hand.

"Here to surprise Jake...just felt like getting away for a bit..." Lucas said not knowing how to explain it.

"...OK, well whatever. Hey I got an idea..." Jim said with a smirk.

Jake looked down at the phone in his hand, "...that was weird..." he said to himself and heard someone walking up behind him. Turning around he saw Allen and Sarah walking towards him.

"How's your head?" Sarah asked.

"...It's OK." Jake said with a smile. "I'll put on a bandage when I get back home...but at least it's not bleeding."

"Good...it's quiet a storm out there," she said as if to make small talk then continued, "would you like to join us for a bite...while we're stuck here that is?"

Jake looked back at the couple and glanced over at Allen who gave him a slight nod, or so Jake thought, "Umm...sure that'd be cool."

"Great!" the woman said cheerfully and walked towards the diner on the opposite side of the station.

"Good job Cub. She wouldn't have let up if you'd said no." Allen said with a chuckle and gestured for Jake to follow him.

They ate a quick bite and talked for a while, making small talk, with the couple talking about their time together and how they enjoyed life. Jake enjoyed listening to them talk, and realized that they were happy, which made Jake wonder what it was that made them so cheery. Looking up at the couple he tried to ask them what came to his mind.

"So..." he began in a slow manner trying to build up the courage to ask, "what is love? I mean, really, not some answer like 'when you really care for someone', but how do you know?"

"Well, it may seem 'radical' to a cub like you but," the bull said with a chuckle, "sometimes it's the cliché things that are the truth. Think about your family. You love them don't you?"

Bad example, Jake thought but didn't say what he thought instead choosing to continue, "Well,...yeah I guess-" but was stopped by Sarah.

"There is no guessing in love," she said adamantly.

"Oh God, another cliché..." Jake said with a chuckle then apologized, "I'm sorry, I mean you guys are right, but I guess I just want to find an answer that doesn't sound like something you'd find in a fortune cookie."

"I know what you mean Cub, but well...you'll know when the time comes...you're not the type that 'falls in love' are you?" Allen asked.

"Well, I develop a slow affection for people with whom I feel as though I can trust and be myself..." Jake said trying to word his answer well.

"Well, there you have it. Love for you is like that, or at least it is now. Your heart is changing and always is. You won't always be the same, and you'll view love in many ways before you find answer you believe to be true, but love is not something that can be expressed with mere words...to say the least. Just be there for those you're thinking of...or person" Allen said, adding more emphasis on the last part.

Jake was surprised at the bull's words. They were well said, and Jake never imagined that the bull was capable of speaking in such a manner. "Thanks...that helps a good bit, actually." Jake said casually.

The rest of their time passed casually and by six the storm had cleared up and they parted ways. Jake thanked the couple for their time and generosity, then got in his car and drove off. Within a few minutes of driving he pulled out his phone and called Lucas again.

"Hey Jake how's it going?" Lucas asked cheerfully.

"Good...I'm on my way home, and what are you hiding?" Jake asked.

"Nothing at all! What can I not just be glad to hear your voice?" Lucas asked while laughing.

"I know you're hiding something." Jake said with a laugh.

"How was your hike?"

"Not bad...I meet a nice couple, talked for awhile, ate my lunch, thanked the couple for conversation, ran down the mountain, slipped and hit my head, went to the station for a break, ate with the couple aga-" Jake said but was interrupted by Lucas.

"Woah wait, what was that last part?" Lucas asked.

"Umm...I slipped and hit my head?" Jake asked with hesitation remembering the wolf's words of caution.

"Yeah...that part," Lucas said matter of factly, "I told you to be careful...well it sounds like you're OK...we'll see...So how did you fall?" the wolf asked quickly so that Jake might not understand his last part.

"Well...it was raining, and I was running down the mountain...and I slipped then grabbed out for a tree...then splat." Jake said with a laugh, and was about to continue before he saw Jim was calling. "Hey Lucas, I'll call you back," he said then answered the gorilla's call. "Hello?"

"Hey Jake what's up?"

"Nothing?"

"Can you meet me at the Shack again?"

"Tonight?"

"Yeah, tonight."

"Be there soon."

Jake drove for another thirty minutes before reaching the Shack and walked in. He looked around for Jim and saw him sitting other at a table with three plates of food sat out.

"Umm...company?" Jake asked as he looked down on the gorilla and tried to guess what was going on.

"You could say that...sit down" Jim said with a smirk, gesturing Jake to sit so that he wasn't facing the restroom.

"...OK...gezz everyone is acting so weird today." Jake said with a sigh and sat opposite the gorilla, "I assume one of these is mine?" he asked and saw a shadow over his plate.

"No you can't have one fatty!" a familiar voice said with a slight laugh.

Jake didn't have to look back to recognize the voice, but did just to make sure he wasn't going crazy. Lucas was above him and had a wide grin on his face.

"...What are you doing here?" Jake said in a whisper, and rubbed his head, wondering if he was hallucinating.

"He's here to see you," Jim said in a whisper, mocking the bear then let out a laugh with Lucas.

Lucas sat down next to Jake and began to eat. He looked up at the bear and saw the gash on his head, "Ouch...you OK?"

Jake tried to respond, but was still to surprised by the wolf's appearance.

"I guess I need to answer your question first don't I?" Lucas said with a slight laugh then continued, "Well, I thought it would be fun to pay you a visit. So I came down here to see ya' basically."

"Yeah...he got lucky I saved him from my dad." Jim said with a chuckle.

Jake looked around at his two friends and shook his head, "Well...I guess I'm not crazy..."

"Oh no, you're crazy, but your not hallucinating." Lucas said with a laugh. Jim laughed too and Lucas patted the bear on his shoulder. "So...how's your head?"

"I'll live...just need to clean it and what not..." Jake said, deciding to play along, he could ask Lucas more questions later.

They hung out till ten then Jim left, and Jake and Lucas were the only ones in the restaurant.

"Soo...I assume you want to know why I'm here?" Lucas said in a more casual tone.

"Yeah...it'd be nice...but lets get out of here." Jake said and walked out of the restaurant and looked around, "First off, how did you get here?"

Lucas gave a slight chuckle and ran over to his car, "In my car of course!" he said while patting his new car.

"You got a car?...Wow...congratulations..."

Lucas looked at the bear but not in his eyes, "Sorry...I'm just barging into your town and into your life...I thought it'd be cool to see ya' but..."

Jake saw Lucas was getting sad and tried to cheer him up, "No, no...I'm happy to see you. Trust me it's the best thing that's happened all week, but it's just really a surprise..." he said and looked over the wolf's car.

"Sorry..."

"Don't be. It's great to see you...I'm just still a bit surprised...you'll be sleeping at my place." Jake said with a slight laugh.

"...I don't want to impose..." Lucas said, but was happy the bear offered.

"Well, first off; it wasn't a question, and second; where else would you sleep? Come on...it'll be fun...and we can talk. Please?" Jake asked in a whining manner, playing with and looked at the wolf with the saddest eyes he could manage.

Lucas laughed at the bear's efforts and agreed, "Fine...you're right after all. So I guess I'll follow you back to your place...or your parents place? You know...it's a bit sad that you have a car. Now we won't get to ride together as much I guess..." Lucas said, thinking about the trip back to college.

"Yeah...I didn't think of that, but you never know..." Jake said and left the wolf for his car. He looked back at Lucas and gestured for him to follow. The trip was pretty quick, and they arrived at the bear's home soon. Waiting for Lucas at the door Jake let out a yawn; as the day took its toll on him. Lucas parked and got out of his car looking at the bear's house, with wide eyes.

"Wow...nice place. I never imagined you as living in a place like this." Lucas said and walked in front of the house.

"...It's just a house I guess...is it impressive?" Jake asked; people always seemed to act like it was some grand house, and for some it may have been. To Jake it was just home.

"Yeah, I mean it's not like I thought you lived in a slum or something, but your house is pretty big. I mean you have a good bit of land with it." Lucas said as the bear walked to the porch.

Jake let out a laugh, "Thanks, but its my parent's place...but I guess this is still my 'home.' Come on, I'll show you inside..." Jake said and stopped as he reached for the door.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked as the bear stopped.

"Oh...just thinking of my family...this is going to be...interesting." Jake said with a sigh, resting his paw on the handle.

"...I didn't even think about your family...God, I'm such an idiot..." Lucas said more to himself than to Jake then looked at the bear, "Jake, I'm sorry. I wasn-" but was cut off.

"It's no biggie...in fact; I think I'll be better with you here...you'll keep me sane," Jake said with a laugh and opened the door. He ushered Lucas inside and into the main room of the house where his parents sat around watching TV. They stopped and looked up at Lucas, then turned their attention to their son with eyes that asked an obvious question.

"Hey. This is Lucas...a friend of mine who will be staying for a bit...the end of spring break at the latest." Jake said, almost as a demand.

"I don't assume you want to ask us?" his father asked as he stood up and walked over to his son.

Jake let out a slight laugh but saw that Lucas was tense and tried a different approach, "Well, I mean...I could kick him out onto the street and tell him he wasted his time coming to see me, and what not...hang on I'll go open the door." Jake said sarcastically.

"Enough with the jokes." Jake's mother said and stood up and walked over the Lucas and held out her paw. "I'm Mrs. Yellat, its nice t'meet you."

Lucas looked down at the paw, then over at Jake who nodded his head, and then he shook the older bear's paw, "It's a pleasure to meet you...I'm sorry for causing any sort of discomfort..." he said and lowered his head.

"No trouble at all! We're happy to have someone over. A guest is always welcome here." Mrs. Yellat said with a grin, and looked over the wolf.

Lucas looked over at the larger bear and was amazed at the size of Jake's father. He was bigger than Jake. He was more than twice Lucas's size. He noticed that the bear was holding out his hand also and Lucas took the hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Yellat..." he said in a slight daze.

"You too." The large bear said as he seemed to be glaring at the wolf.

Jake watched as his parents inspected Lucas and gave a slight laugh before stepping in, "OK ya'll are scarin' him. So it's cool for him to stay?"

"Of course, Honey, but your brother has friends over too. So he may need to sleep in your room tonight...also don't forget that Zack will be home in a few days." Mrs.Yellat said.

"OK...no problem." Jake said.

"So...Lucas...tell me about yourself." Mr. Yellat said as he sat back down with a grunt.

"Umm...I'm Jake's friend. We go to the same school and-" Lucas said before he was interrupted.

"Wait ...you're the boy Jake drove home...you're quiet a ways from home..." Jake's mother said with a gasp. "Your parents know you're here?"

"Yes ma'am. Yeah...a good distance from home...but it's no biggie I guess...I told em I'd call them" Lucas responded.

"See...good children call their parents!" Jakes father said in a poking manner then looked back over at Lucas and told him to continue.

"Well...me and Jake have the same majors, and same goals, in some respects, and we get along pretty well,...umm...is there anything ya'll want to know in general?" Lucas asked, not really knowing what he could tell them.

Jake cut in, "That's all you can think of? Geez you're so boring! We can talk later...I'm tired from my hike and I'm sure you're tired from your trip...cmon I'll get you situated," he said and pulled the wolf away. Looking back he called for his parents, "Night! Love ya'll and cya in the morning...maybe!"

His parents responded the same and the two walked up the stairs. Up in the 'wreck room' Bryan was hanging out with two of his friends; yelling and screaming at the TV as they killed each other on some game. Jake ushered Lucas on through the room, and tried to get pass the group without any attention but failed.

"Hey scrub, who's your friend?"

Jake looked over at his brother and friends, "Hey guys. Whats up?" he asked casually. They responded and then he looked back at his brother, "Why are you still here? Weren't you supposed to leave today?"

"My superiors said that we had to be back by nightfall tomorrow so, I'm leaving then, now who's that?" he said and nodded in Lucas's direction.

"This is Lucas...a friend from college...I'm tired cya'll later." Jake said, disengaging further conversation, and grabbed Lucas and pulled him out of the room. The yells and screams could still be heard as they walked into Jake's room and closed the door.

"So this is your room?" Lucas said and walked around the room glancing around, "Glad to see you didn't clean up before I came," he said sarcastically.

Jake's room was the smallest room in the house. It was about twenty by twenty. It was packed and dirty. Jake had managed to fit in an old desk, old couch, dresser, piano, TV, and bed into the small space; it was actually impressive how the space was used. The bed was against the wall as was everything else, with the couch and piano standing in the center. Papers scattered the floor, and chords ran along the floor.

"Ohh I'm sorry, but you didn't call ya' know? So it was hard to clean." Jake said with a laugh and plopped down on the couch.

Lucas let his gaze drift casually around the room then back to Jake and the looked at the bear in his eyes, "So...are you OK with me being here?" he asked in a more serious manner.

"This again? Look," Jake began, "it's fine that you're here. I'm happy you're here. Why do you keep asking?"

"Well, you don't exactly let a lot of people know what you're really thinking, and I'm just afraid you're not OK with this."

"If I wasn't OK with this you would know, trust me. If you weren't here I'd just be in a sulking mood right now; thinking about how I'm just deceiving everyone so that I can live a double life...hmm...that's weird..."

"What?"

"I guess now that you're here I'm going to have to face some of my problems head on...no escape this time."

"And that's why I want to know if you're OK with me being here."

Jake let out a slight growl of annoyance and got up from where he had been laying and walked over to Lucas, "OK listen," Jake began and sat down and put an arm around the wolf, "I knew this kind of stuff would happen, and I'm prepared for it. I mean, it's not like I'm at an ultimatum...I'll be fine. You're acting really different because I'm supposed to be the one who doubts the decisions and you're supposed to be the one who encourages me; so stop worrying, because I'm thrilled to see you. Besides how could the person who I feel makes me stronger make me feel weak just because I came home?"

Lucas was about to respond before Jake kissed him lightly on the lips and then pulled away and smiled at him. Jake had on his old goofy smile and Lucas couldn't help but start to laugh at the bear again.

"What?" Jake asked laughing also.

"Nothing...but you get your smile from your mom..."

"Really...people always call me the odd ball in the family...a bit suiting right?"

"Yeah, you're a freak." Lucas said with a laugh, and lay down on the bed. He was a bit surprised when Jake lay down beside him, but Jake explained.

"Don't worry...I've been locking the door to my room ever since I was in middle school...and strangely my parents have never really minded. So this is fine." Jake said and pulled the wolf closer to him and closed his eyes.

Lucas looked up at the bear and realized that his cut was still the same as it had been. Lucas licked on his shirt and began to clean off the bear's head. Jake looked up with a confused look at the wolf.

"You still got some blood on your head." Lucas said as he gently brushed along the bear's cut.

Jake stopped the wolf, "Thanks, but I'll be right back, I need to take a quick shower, I guess." Jake said and exited the room. Lucas heard water running, and tried to keep himself busy. He looked around the bear's room.

"Jake's style doesn't change..." Lucas said as he walked around the room. The space was used as needed, and the room had papers, mostly from school, scattered along the floor. He sat down at the computer, but stopped before he opened it. Lucas realized that it was none of his business what was on the computer, so he got up and tried to find something else.

Stopping at Jake's video games, Lucas realized how much time the bear spent on them before he left for college. "Wow...I wonder if he's beat all of these." Lucas wondered to himself, then heard the door open. Jake's mother walked in to Lucas's surprise.

"Oh...hello Mrs. Yellat." Lucas said in a cherry manner.

"Hi!...Where's Jake?" she asked in a casual manner.

"Taking a shower I think..."

"I'll ask you then,"

Lucas tensed at the bear's words and immediately wished that Jake was back, but tried not to show it. "Yes ma'am?"

"What happened to Jake's head?"

"Oh...he fell when hiking today, in the rain, or so he tells me..." Lucas said with a laugh; relieved that was the question.

"Oh...OK, well then, Good night," she said and began to walk out of the room, "That boy wouldn't tell us if he had cancer..." she said with a sigh and walked out of the room mumbling something to herself.

Lucas resumed looking around the room and didn't look when someone else entered, figuring that it was one of Jake's parents. "OK...better now?" he heard Jake ask from behind him, trying to sneak up on the wolf.

Lucas gave a small yelp and jumped then looked behind him, "Are you trying to kill me?!...but yeah, you look better." Lucas said and continued his inspection of the room.

Jake leaned down to see what the wolf was looking at. "My video games? You want to play one?"

Lucas let out a shrug and stood up, "Nah...not now, I've never played one till I meet you...but they could be fun."

Jake didn't know how to respond to the wolf's statement, "...You have never played a video game before meeting me?" he asked in a stunned manner.

"Nope..." Lucas responded nonchalantly and looked at the bear.

"Well, I'm going to have to fix that tomorrow." Jake said and stood up and stretched. He looked a lot different; he was wearing black sweat pants and a white t-shirt. It was the most casual the wolf had seen Jake dress.

"You...look different..." Lucas said and tried to keep his eyes on the bear's face.

Jake let out a chuckle and walked over to the door and closed it, "Well, this is my night-wear for when I come home, but..." Jake didn't finish the sentence but let out a tired yawn, and raised his arms above his head in a stretch.

While he was stretching Lucas looked over at the bear and noticed that his stomach was showing as the shirt lifted, "I think your clothes are a bit too small for you now." Lucas said with a laugh.

Jake finished his stretch and pulled at the old clothes and began to walk to his bed, but slipped on a paper in the floor, and stumbled towards Lucas.

Lucas caught Jake, but they hit their heads against one another. Jake groaned as he rubbed his head, "Man...you're bad luck, my head is gonna be throbbing for days."

"It's your own fault for living in a tornado swept room..." Lucas said with a grunt but found it was no use to try and push the bear off him, "But...are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine..." Jake replied and kept his hand along the gash above his eye.

Lucas took Jake's hand and brought it down then leaned up and gently kissed the bear along the cut on his head then looked back up, "Better?"

Jake gave a smile at the wolf, "Wow...I thought I was the cliché one," then stood up and bent down to see what he had slipped on, "Bio-two semester study guide...wow..." Jake said as he stared at the old paper.

"What?" Lucas asked.

"Just how old this is...I had it almost a year ago..."

"You know that would be cool, but I'm more stuck on the fact that it means you haven't cleaned this place in almost a year...that's horrible." Lucas responded with a laugh.

Jake gave a small chuckle before tossing the paper back on the floor. After looking around his room he walked back over to the door and locked it then turned out the lights. Jake turned around and took off his shirt then walked over to where Lucas was lying down and sat down next to him.

"You sure your parents or anyone else won't come in?" Lucas asked while closing his eyes.

"Yeah, positive...they tend to stay away from my room." Jake said as he lied down next to the wolf and pulled him closer.

"Thanks for coming..." Jake said and nuzzled Lucas gently.

Lucas didn't bother saying anything else back but simply pushed back into the bear, the warmth radiating into him. Within a few minutes he was asleep.

The next morning Lucas woke up to Jake gently nuzzling the back of his neck. "Hey big guy..." Lucas said with a yawn and gently elbowed the big bear. When he didn't stop Lucas realized that Jake was still asleep. After a few minutes Jake stopped and his arms released the wolf. Lucas looked back and saw Jake was finally waking up, and licked the bear's nose.

Jake looked at the wolf and gave a small smile, and kissed the wolf gently, "That's a nice way to wake up..." he said in a drowsy manner.

Lucas sat up and stretched in the bed and looked down on the bear next to him who was staring up at him. "So...what's the plan for today?" Lucas waited for the bear to respond, but asked again when he didn't.

"Huh...oh sorry...umm, what do you want to do?" Jake asked as he propped himself up on an elbow.

"I don't know that's why I asked you. You've lived here...what is there to do?"

"Ummm...Jacksonville isn't exactly a vacation spot...but I'll think of something. What time is it?"

Lucas got up and looked around the room, then found a clock on the floor, "The clock says eleven...but is it reliable?"

"Yeah...it actually is. You know just because my room is a mess doesn't mean things in it don't work." Jake said in a playfully hurt manner, "Let's see what's going on in the house."

Jake got up and pulled on a shirt and unlocked the door and gestured for Lucas to follow him. The house was unusually quite and Jake called out, "Hey! Anyone home?" as they walked into the kitchen. Looking around Jake looked back at Lucas and gave a shrug.

"Wow...your family has great communication..." Lucas said in a playful manner.

"Yep...We can go days without really talking to each other. It's really actually very sad..." Jake said with a slightly forced laugh.

"Where do you think they went?"

"...Well, if I had to guess, from what I saw; they went off with Bryan to wish him a farewell or something like that."

"They didn't invite you?"

"Me and him are brothers...besides blood we don't really have much to do with each other..." Jake said with a sigh and walked out of the kitchen.

Lucas ran after the bear and caught up to him within a few seconds, "You OK?"

Jake shook his head quickly, as if to clear it, then looked over at Lucas, "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that..."

Lucas looked up at the bear and sighed, "Don't apologize, I'm sorry that it's like this with your family sometimes..."

Jake gave a small laugh and looked down at the wolf, "Ehh, it's not biggie. I mean it makes it nice for times like this."

"What do you mean times li-" was all Lucas said before Jake lifted him up and carried him off.

"Did you bring a change of clothes?" Jake asked as he carried the wolf back up the stairs.

"Yeah...and could you put me down, I can walk you know." Lucas said as he was bounced in the bear's arms.

Jake got up the stairs then looked down at the wolf with a pout, "Aww...," then gave a sly grin, "poor choice of words!" and pretended to drop Lucas.

Lucas gave a surprised yelp, and hit Jake in the chest when he realized that he was just joking. Jake put him down and

Lucas pushed at Jake, "You jerk," he said in a playful manner.

Jake let the wolf push him back and lowered his head, acting like he was sorry.

Lucas looked at the bear's head and saw the gash, "That's right. I still have to beat you for not being careful yesterday," he said in a playful manner and pushed Jake into the 'wreck room.'

Jake gave a playful grunt as he let Lucas push him, "Ohh, well I don't really think you could beat me."

Lucas let out a growl and tackled the bear onto the couch and tried to keep Jake down, which was harder than it looked-and it looked hard. As they struggled Lucas felt the bear grab him by the seam of his pants and turn him over. Lucas tried to move and felt the bear about to pin him down. Pushing on the couch Lucas pushed in between the bear's legs and ended up behind him. Lucas grabbed back unto the bear and put his arms through the bear's shoulders and around his head, so that he couldn't move.

Jake tried to move his arms and realized that Lucas was actually pinning him. Jake gave a laugh and stood up, bringing Lucas with him, but Lucas wrapped his legs around the bear.

"You lost, admit it" Lucas panted.

Jake struggled for a bit more and then fell down onto the couch, "Dang...I gave you too much freedom. Well, now you going to 'beat me?'"

Lucas chuckled, "I know you let me win; there's no way you'd lose to me in a match," and let go of the bear.

Jake turned around and hugged the wolf, "Maybe, but you never know, you're stronger than you think."Lucas nuzzled the bear's chest, and felt Jake hug him tighter. He felt Jake pick him up, but gave no complaint, and carry him back to his room. Lucas continued to nuzzle the bear and gave a sigh when he was set back down on the bed.

Jake sat next to the wolf and began to nuzzle him. Jake ran his head along the wolf's and let out a sigh. He pulled Lucas into a hug and pushed him down onto the bed while rubbing his head against the wolf's. Lucas's scent began to fill Jake's nose and he began to breath in and out onto Lucas. Jake increased the force behind his head and pushed along Lucas's chest-like he was trying to rub the scent onto himself.

Lucas was surprised at how Jake was acting, but didn't mind. He nuzzled along the bear also and let the bear's scent come back to him. They continued this for a few minutes before Jake finally pulled away and held him. Lucas looked up at him, "What was that about? You seemed more feely than usual."

Jake gave a slight laugh, "Sorry...I guess I just didn't realize how long it's been since I've seen you," Jake said and nuzzled Lucas more gently.

"It's only been a few days...but I get what you mean." Lucas said and held onto Jake.

"I hope this doesn't sound too weird but whenever you're around your scent makes me so much calmer." Jake said with a sigh.

Lucas could feel the bear's breaths on him and gave a small chuckle, "Thanks, that's really sweet."

Jake tried not to blush but found that it was pointless and continued to nuzzle along the wolf. After a moment he stopped and stood up.

"You want to take a shower?" Jake asked, but was already taking off his clothes.

"Oh...so that's why you wanted to know if I had more clothes. Of course" Lucas said with a small grin.

Jake stopped at his briefs and looked back around the room, "Shower is right next door," he said and walked out of the room.

Lucas unbuttoned his pants as he followed the bear, and found him in the bathroom turning on the water. The bathroom was small with just a toilet, sink and a shower with a tub at the bottom. Lucas closed the door, and then walked up behind Jake and hugged him, rubbing his stomach.

Jake gave an approving growl and turned around. Jake looked down at the wolf and ran his hand along Lucas's face and down to his chest, where he stopped and kept his hand. Jake leaned down and kissed Lucas lightly and pulled away and then looked back at him with a smile. He returned back to the kiss and began push the wolf back until his back was against the door. Jake pushed his body against the wolf and wrapped his arms around Lucas-pulling him into the kiss.

Lucas moaned as Jake pulled him closer and he ran his tongue along Jake's. After a moment Lucas felt Jake pulling at his shirt, and he broke the kiss to remove it. Once his shirt was off he returned to the kiss and began to run his hands over the bear's back down to the bear's butt. Lucas ran his hands along the bear and then up to Jake's head and pulled him as deep into the kiss as he could. He was happy to hear the bear moan and hug him tighter at this.

After they broke the kiss Jake looked back at the wolf, "OK time to lose the rest of the clothes. Sadly my shower doesn't stay hot for long," he said and got on his knees in front of Lucas and unzipped the wolf's pants. After pulling off Lucas's pants Jake looked at the wolf and saw a large wet spot then buried his nose into the wolf's boxers and inhaled his scent. Jake pulled down on the wolf's boxers and saw that Lucas was already hard.

"Heh...I haven't had any release since the last time I was with you..." Lucas said with a slight blush as Jake stood up.

"...Me either..." Jake said and blushed much harder than Lucas. Jake kissed Lucas lightly on the lips and then walked over to the shower. After taking off his briefs he put out an arm to feel the water then stepped in.

Lucas followed behind Jake into the small shower and found it was a tight fit, but a nice one. As the water ran in between them Lucas looked up at the bear, who was looking back with a wide smile. "What?" Lucas said with a slight laugh.

"Just admiring you I guess." Jake said and leaned down and kissed Lucas. Jake pulled the wolf into the kiss and found that the shower was too small which was no surprise; it was too small for him five years ago. Jake tried to adjust, but found it was no use.

Lucas broke from the kiss and looked at his friend, "How about we just take a quick shower?"

"...Yeah...this is a bit of a mood killer though..." Jake said with a grin.

Lucas laughed at the bear and began to wash himself and Jake. Jake let the wolf wash his chest and let out a satisfied growl. After Lucas was done he turned Jake around and began to work on the bear's back. He ran his hands over the bear's back and down the bear's butt.

Jake leaned over and let his head lean on the shower, giving Lucas more access to him. Jake felt the wolf run his hands over him and down his back. After a moment Lucas reached around Jake and began to play with the bear's cock. Jake let out a moan as the wolf wrapped his paw around his cock, and began to push back towards Lucas. After a moment Lucas stopped and Jake turned back around and looked at the wolf, then pulled him into a lustful kiss.

The kiss lasted for a moment before Lucas pulled away, "I don't think it's a mood killer at the moment," he said with a grin, "besides...it's a cozy fit."

Jake chuckled at the wolf and nuzzled along the wolf's neck for a moment before pulling away then getting on his knees. Jake played with the wolf's sack in his hands for a moment, then began to lap at the wolf's member.

Lucas let out a moan as Jake's tongue began to bathe his cock. Whenever Jake would lick on his member he would pull on his balls and cause the wolf to shoot a small stream of pre. After a moment Jake stood up and looked down at the wolf, "Time to get out," he said then shut the water off-which was now cool.

Jake stepped out of the shower and shook himself off, then got a towel and began to dry off Lucas. He paid special attention to the wolf's lower body and slowly ran the towel up each leg and played with the wolf's sack for a moment. Jake felt Lucas put his paws on his head and gave a happy growl, letting him know it was fine.

With that Lucas pulled the bear's head onto his cock and let the bear suck on his cock. Jake sucked on the wolf and brought the wolf's member to the back of his mouth and began to deep throat the wolf. Lucas pushed on Jake's head, but was surprised when Jake swallowed, tightening his throat muscles and pulled on the wolf's balls. Jake pulled off Lucas with a long slurp.

Jake stood up and gave a surprised grunt when Lucas pulled him into a wet kiss, but soon began to moan into the kiss. Lucas broke the kiss quickly and strands of saliva hung between the two as he stared back at the bear. "You know, you're getting really good at this." Lucas said as he rubbed the bear's stomach.

Jake felt himself blush at the wolf's words and tried to respond, "Practice makes perfect..." he said and found that his face was turning red, but was glad his dark fur hid it mostly.

Lucas gave a smile and pulled the bear back into a kiss. Lucas felt Jake pulling on him, and tried not to trip as he stepped out of the shower. After he was out Jake continued to pull Lucas with him as he got to the door. Lucas broke the kiss and quickly opened the door and then returned to the kiss and pushed Jake through the hallway and into the bear's bedroom. Once inside the room, Jake felt around at the door and locked it then pulled Lucas with him and fell onto the bed.

Jake felt Lucas's cock rubbing against his own and reached in between himself and the wolf and grabbed them both in his paw. Jake rubbed his cock and the wolf's together, getting moans from Lucas above him. Lucas began to thrust into the bear's paw and against the bear's cock, letting both their pres act as a lube. Within a few moments Jake began to thrust also and tightened his grip, which made Lucas give a loud moan into his mouth which turned into a whimper when Jake let go.

Lucas began to rub on the bear's sides and pushed his hand under the bed and began to rub and play with Jake's ass. After a moment Jake pulled Lucas off him and laid him down on the bed. Jake rolled over onto the wolf and kissed him lightly on the lips then began to work his way down the wolf's body; taking his time, kissing and biting along the wolf.

Lucas let out a whine as Jake licked along the underside of his cock then repeated. Lucas let Jake do this a few more times before he placed a hand on the bear's head and pushed him down on his cock.

Jake began to paw at his own cock and began to suck harder on the wolf's cock, feeling that he wouldn't last long. After a moment Jake began to bob his head on the wolf's cock and would deep throat him then swallow around the cock-each time he did this Lucas would thrust into his muzzle.

Lucas felt his balls tightening and roughly grabbed Jake's head, getting an approving growl from the bear, and began to thrust into the bear's muzzle. Lucas gritted his teeth and gave a few more thrusts and tried to suppress a howl as his climax came and he unloaded his cock into the bear's mouth.

Jake swallowed all Lucas's cum and pulled off the wolf's cock. Lucas pulled Jake up to him and kissed the bear lightly, before placing a paw on the bear's cock. Lucas slowly jacked the bear off, and could feel the bear's cock pulsing in his hand.

Jake let out a low whimper as the wolf stroked his cock, which made Lucas chuckle. When Jake tried to touch his cock Lucas pushed his hand away. Jake got the idea and put his hands behind his head and lay down on his back then spread his legs, letting the wolf stroke his cock.

Lucas moved in between the bear's legs and jacked the bear off in a steady motion, and Jake began to thrust into the wolf's paws. Lucas took his hands off the bear, and lowered his head. He began to nuzzle the bear's sack and quickly took the bear's cock into his mouth. Lucas didn't attempt to deep throat the bear, but stayed on the bear's tip and circled the bear's cock with his tongue. Lucas placed a paw back onto the base of the bear's cock and continued to jack him off.

Jake felt his cock pulsing and felt his body clench as his load shot into the wolf's muzzle, but tried not to thrust into Lucas. After a moment Lucas pulled off the bear's cock and moved up to Jake.

Jake thought Lucas was about to say something, but he didn't and simply kissed the bear on the lips. Jake pulled Lucas into him and let the kiss grow in passion. Jake rolled over on top of the wolf, and felt Lucas running one of his hands over his back as they continued to kiss and the other came to his head. Jake moaned as the wolf pulled him closer into the kiss and as their tongues massage each others.

Then they both jumped as they heard a door slam. Jake jumped off the wolf and grabbed a pair of briefs and slid them on followed by a shirt and pants. Jake grabbed Lucas's bag and threw it at him, and Lucas quickly pulled on some clothes.

"Hello? Jake?" Mrs. Yellat called throughout the house.

Jake jumped to the door, intentionally slamming against the floor and opened the door. "Yeah?"

"Oh, good you're up," his mother said and stared at him. "Where's Lucas?"

Jake felt Lucas jump on his shoulders and past him, "I'm right here Ma'am," he said cheerfully.

Jake's mother smiled, "OK...well we might eat lunch soon. I was making sure you two were up," she said then walked off.

Jake looked over at Lucas and gave grin and began to chuckle.

"What?" Lucas said with a smile, but could tell the bear had a plan.

"Oh I just remembered that I need to teach you about video games." Jake said with a smile.

"That's it?" Lucas said, thinking there was more to it.

"Yep...now come on...Time for a crash course!" Jake said and ran back into his room and to the TV.

Lucas walked back into the room and smiled; happy that everything was going well.