FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"What the hell are you doing?" Todd's voice was with filled with annoyance and anger as he glared at Sera. "We both have the chance to avoid interacting with one another for the rest of class and you want to give that up!?"

Sera softly inhaled. "I'll admit the situation isn't ideal... but I'm willing to put aside any reservations I have working with you in order to complete the project."

Todd rolled his eyes. "That easily, huh?" he said with sarcastic chuckle. "I think I'd rather just take the hit. At worst I'll finish the class with a C, maybe even a B if I manage to be perfect on everything else the professor throws at me." Todd closed his eyes and chuckled again. "No..." Todd said with a sigh. "All it would take is one wrong question..." Todd opened his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm fine with settling for a C."

Todd noticed it took quite a while for Sera to respond to his answer. He figured she'd have something backhanded or condescending to say.

"You're dependent on a scholarship, right?" Sera asked bluntly.

Todd groaned internally. He raised a brow as he crossed his arms. "Not sure why that's any of your business."

"There's no need to be so defensive about it" Sera said with a soft smile. "Nearly four out of five students at this University have a scholarship of some kind; it would be quite expensive to attend otherwise."

"You don't need to remind me..." Todd groaned as he rolled his eyes. "Besides, as long I finish each of my semesters with a B average, and nothing below a C, I keep my scholarship."

"Are you sure you want to risk it, though?" Sera asked. Todd raised a brow. "What if the unexpected happens and you lose your scholarship?" Todd's ears briefly twitched. "Unless your family has quite a bit of money, it's going to be hard to afford this place."

The scenario had briefly crossed Todd's mind on occasions, but he always saw it as an improbable worst-case scenario. Not having much personal money, he'd have no choice but to return home. The very idea of being in close proximity to his father made him clench his paws in frustration. "True..." Todd said as he focused his gaze back on Sera. "But what about you?" Sera blinked in surprise. "I figured you'd enjoy the idea of me having to leave. What's your stake in this?"

Sera gave him a small smile. "I'm the kind of person who doesn't believe in half-assing anything I do; something you'd do well to learn."

Todd stared at Sera in the eyes for a few moments before letting out a soft growl. "Fine... I'll work with you on this project, but only on two conditions."

"Name them" Sera said with a smile.

"One, we only meet once a week, unless otherwise needed."

"I have no objection to that" Sera responded.

"And two, if you act like you normally do and piss me off at any time during our meetings, I will immediately pull my name from the project."

Sera's ears straightened. "That hardly seems fair..." Sera said as she started to glare at Todd. "What's to stop you from acting like an ass to me?"

"Nothing, but I'd like to think I can behave better than a spoiled brat like you."

Sera's eyes widened. "Who are you calling a spoiled brat, you layabout bas-"

"Careful..." Todd smirked. "Condition two..."

Sera closed her muzzle and took some deep breaths before regaining her composure. "Alright..." Sera said softly. When should our weekly meetings be? Might I suggest Fridays after class for an hour?"

Todd thought about it for a moment. "That can work; just so long as our meetings are finished by six."

"Deal" Sera said before turning her back to Todd. "Is the library fine for the meetings?"

"Library is fine" Todd said as he gazed wearily at Sera's back.

"Good" Sera said softly as she walked towards the door. Neither one said another word as she exited the room.

As the door closed, leaving Todd alone in the classroom, he let out a soft groan. To say he wasn't ecstatic about the circumstances would be an understatement. Todd wasn't fond of Sera and knew her feelings toward him were two-fold. Their recent exchange probably only further heightened her resentment towards him. Todd could only shrug his shoulders at the thought. He knew that it was his personality that seemed to irk Sera, and it was her attitude that did it for him. He hoped that the conditions he placed would make their interactions over the coming weeks bearable.

"We'll see" Todd mumbled to himself with a chuckle. As he reached for his bag his cell phone rang. He checked the number briefly to see if it was anyone he knew. "Hello?" Todd said. "Yes, this is Todd." He listened to the voice on the other end for a moment. "Yes, I do, but only on the weekends so if you'd like to make an appointment for..." Todd stopped talking when the speaker started talking over him. "That bad, huh?" Todd said with a concerned chuckle. Todd's ears perked when the speaker offered extra cash for his troubles. "Well alright, but just know that I can only spare three hours. That's fine? Alright, is there a particular place you want to meet?" Todd noted the dorm building and room number on the edge of a notebook page. "I'll be there in about fifteen minutes." Todd ended the call. He grabbed his bag and left the classroom.

---

That night Sera sat at her study desk, the lamp the only thing illuminating her room. "Three down..." Sera thought to herself as she closed another one of her textbooks. She reached for the history book. "One left..." Sera opened the book where she had left off.

By the eighteenth century many powerful European nations had claimed territory in the American Continents. The volatility of these overseas territories varied by the nation who claimed it, the geographical location of the territory, and the Human to Hund proportion. It was an accepted conclusion amongst the European powers that the further south you went, the more hostile and difficult it was to control.

_ _

By the middle of the nineteenth century many of these territories had broken off from Europe either through force, negotiation, or by becoming too difficult or expensive to hold. Some Hunds in Europe took the opportunity to travel to the Americas to escape the growing harassment by Humans who viewed the Hunds as the main reason they were losing their territories. The majority of these Hunds would travel to the new nations that were once controlled by the European nation they left behind. It is estimated that throughout the nineteenth century nearly 21 million or approx. 28% of European Hunds left for the Americas.

_ _

Future conflicts would further decrease the Hund population in Europe either through bloodshed or through further emigration. It wouldn't be until near the end of the twentieth century that Hunds would start moving back to Europe in great numbers.

_ _

Sera sighed as she closed the book. She wasn't in the mood to read anything even slightly depressing tonight. She just leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She softly grunted when she felt a throb in her head that had been on and off for the past few hours ever since her exchange with Todd. She leaned forward, placing her elbows on the desk and supported her head in her paws. She let out a more audible grunt when she felt the throb again and thought about Todd. "That bastard thinks he can tell me how to behave?" She shook her head. "Fourteen years of that was enough for me..." Sera slowly stood up. She took some slow, deep breaths and opened her eyes as the throb went away. "Relax... relax..." Sera echoed softly to herself. "Just put up with him for a few weeks and it'll be done." With her mind starting to calm down Sera turned off the light and went to bed.

---

On Friday Sera sat alone at a table in the library. She kept her eyes glued on the entrance, her frustration growing as she waited for Todd to arrive. Despite their agreement to meet here after class was released, thirty minutes ago, she had been waiting for nearly twenty minutes. She tapped the wooden table repeatedly as her gaze constantly went back and forth between the library entrance and the wall clock hanging nearby. "Son of a-" Sera cursed under her breath. "At this rate, he'll show up only to bail at his special time."

Sera's ears twitched when she noticed the doors opening. She felt reprieved for a moment when Todd finally showed up, but her frustration soon crept back. "You sure took your time..." Sera said when Todd took a seat across from her.

"Oh yeah..." Todd said absentmindedly as he set his bag on the floor next to him. "I had to take care of some things."

"That right?" Sera asked, careful not to let her doubt be reflected in her voice. "Well, anyways, now that you're here... we can start figuring out how we're going to tackle this project. Have you read the guidelines?"

"Skimmed over them..." Todd said as he leaned back in his chair, causing the front legs to come off the ground. "We both just need to write two opinion pieces theorizing how the world would be if certain events unfolded differently. Sounds simple."

"No, not simple." Sera said. "Whatever changes we make would need to have a large enough impact on key events in history, and we'd have to come to a consensus on how history would be changed."

"So the project is half history, half debate then..." Todd said as he scratched behind his right ear."

"That's how it looks..." Sera said as she folded her arms onto the table.

"So which one of us should offer the first scenario?" Todd asked.

"Do you have a scenario in mind?" Sera asked.

"No." Todd said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Sera smirked, not even surprised that Todd didn't have anything. "I'll go first then... What if Humans never existed?"

Todd nearly fell back in his chair before steadying himself. "You want to re-write history from the very beginning!?" Sera just nodded her head. Todd let out a moan. "You seriously couldn't have chosen something that would have been less taxing on time and imagination. Is that question even allowed?"

"I asked the professor two days ago" Sera said. "He said it was fine; just make sure to meet the twenty-page minimum. If anything, this will give us much more material to work off of."

Todd sighed. "You know what, I think you've got a point there." Todd smirked. "I'll let my scenario be what if Hunds never existed."

Sera's eyes widened. "You can't be serious..."

"Why not?" Todd asked. "Personally, I think it would be a bit more fun to imagine what Human life would have been like if we weren't around than vice versa."

"You know what... fine" Sera said with a sigh. "We'll start with my scenario first, take no more than six weeks to complete, then we'll start yours. Deal?"

"Sure." Todd said with a chuckle.

"Alright..." Sera said. "I've already started typing up my scenario. I should be done with it by the end of the weekend. I'll leave a copy of it on your desk during class on Wednesday. Read it, then we'll discuss it next Friday. I'll amend anything that we... agree should be changed. Got it?"

"Yep." Todd said as he stood up. "So, I guess there's no other reason for this session to continue, right?"

"Doesn't look like it..." Sera said plainly. That was all Todd needed to reach down for his bag. "Just be sure not to be late next week..."

Todd glanced his eyes to the side to meet Sera's. "Sure..." Bag in hand, Todd left Sera behind still sitting at the table.

Sera shook her head with disappointment as she watched him leave. "Why can't he take this more seriously?" She thought. "He's late for the meeting, comes unprepared, and then jumps at the first opportunity to leave." As Sera finally stood up from the chair a smile crept across her face. She couldn't hold that last point over Todd's head too much. Afterall, she was thankful it was already over as well, and with little incident. She had expected some ill-treatment from Todd in some degree but got nothing. She hoped that the remaining meetings would be this relatively smooth.

---

"What do you mean you only read six pages!?" Sera nearly shouted at Todd.

"I only got around to reading the first six pages, alright?" Todd said as he held the twenty-five-page essay Sera had typed out for him. "I've only had it for two days."

Sera started to glare at Todd. "Two days are more than enough to read through all of it. It should only have taken you an hour- two tops!" Sera said with a hint of a growl in her voice.

Todd raised a brow at Sera. "Would you calm down. As I'm sure you can relate, I have other classes that require my attention as well. So sorry if I don't place enough priority on this project that won't be due for another eleven weeks!" A slight growl could also be heard in Todd's voice now. "Now, do you want my opinion on what I've already read, or would you prefer to wait until I read it all?"

Sera held her breath momentarily, preventing herself from firing back at Todd. When she finally let it out, only an exasperated sigh escaped from her muzzle. "Fine..." Sera said as she gazed at Todd, unamused. "What do you have?"

"Well..." Todd said as he stared at the essay. "Do you really think there would be that many conflicts between Hunds?"

Sera crossed her arms. "Humans outpaced us when it came to technology and territory expansion. I believe that, given enough time and space, Hunds too would have been fighting with other tribes, towns, nations, whatever size they would be at."

"But I don't think there would be big open battles the way Humans did it" Todd retorted. "A white collar, or whatever they referred to themselves back then, could easily take control of Hunds from either side. I think the leaders of both sides would fight it out, one on one, to determine who was the dominant one."

Sera's eyes widened. "And suddenly all their fights at school make sense now..."

Todd chuckled. "It's probably ingrained in their thick skulls." Todd tapped the side of his head.

Sera let out a laugh. "So thick I doubt they even have any brain in there."

Todd looked around. "Good thing there aren't any of them around to hear us; could cause issues..."

"Like I care if their feelings are hurt" Sera said with a smirk. "Those arrogant mutts deserve to be brought down a level or two."

"Well... you do seem like the Hund who could do it" Todd said with a chuckle. "You're close enough to them in personality, you're just wearing a different collar."

Sera's smirk faded. She gazed at Todd with a blank expression as her heart started to race. She started to clench her paws; her nails close to digging into the pads. Sera slowly stood up; her eyes no longer focused on Todd. "Finish reading by next week" Sera said bluntly as she grabbed her things and stormed off."

"Was planning to..." Todd trailed off as he watched Sera leave. "Sheesh... didn't realize she couldn't take a joke..." Todd groaned. "Though..." Todd smiled softly. "Was a nice surprise to know she can laugh..." Todd glared at the ceiling when he realized what he had said. "And with that..." Todd stood up. "Time to go."

---

"Interesting concept" Todd said as he tapped one of the last pages of Sera's report. "Having technology that would nullify the voices of white and red collars would certainly be useful, but could it actually be developed in your world?"

"Of course," Sera said with her arms crossed. "A desire for equality would eventually linger in the minds of those without it. Many human societies rebelled against their rulers when things got bad enough. Hunds would do the same."

"Not arguing with that, but I just don't think we'd be able to either rebel or create this technology while under their rule." Todd slid the papers towards Sera. "The whole voice thing would make it difficult to get an upper hand."

"You're so quick to give up, aren't you?" Sera said as she slapped down on her report. "Perhaps some individual blue collars would gain partial or full immunity from the control of the white and reds."

"You mean like Verunds?" Todd asked. "They're rarer than red collars, and I'm sure would be non-existent in this human-free world."

Sera flattened her ears against her head, realizing what Todd meant. Verunds were already despised enough by white collars in this world. If they had totalitarian control they'd want to get rid of those they couldn't control... "Wait..." Sera's ears straightened up. "It wouldn't just be the Verunds who would be killed. I'm sure the white collars would also try to wipe out all red collars as well."

Todd's eyes widened momentarily in surprise. "I didn't even consider that, but yeah, that's something they'd definitely do."

Sera grabbed a pen and started writing some notes. "So without something to keep the white collars in check then other Hunds would have no choice but to come up with a solution themselves."

"But again..." Todd started. "What kind of technology would be able to solve this? To make a white collar's voice lose its strength the technology would either need to be applied to their throats or to our ears. Both seem pretty difficult to develop and maintain."

"I don't know" Sera said with a shrug. "We're not required to go into the technical specifications of every detail of our report. Preferably, I'd want the white and red collars to wear a device around their necks that nullifies their second voice."

Todd tilted his head slightly. "We talking about the world in your report or real life?"

"Both!" Sera said.

"Ah..." Todd said as he traced his right paw up and down the side of his neck. "So... blue collars would be required to wear them too, right?"

Sera gave Todd a confused look. "Why would we need to?"

"Well, black collars would still be affected by our voices. Shouldn't we wear them as well to not negatively affect them?"

"That'd be ridiculous" Sera said bluntly. Todd's ears straightened. "One, there are too few black collars for that to even be an efficient or practical decision. Two, the neck devices should be only for those who abuse their voices; blue collars don't take advantage of black collars."

Todd's ears were slowly slanting backwards. "One..." Todd said as he glared at Sera. "It doesn't matter how many or how few of them there are, they should still be taken into consideration. Two, we don't have to be actively taking advantage of black collars in order to negatively affect them."

"So our mere existence is a detriment to them?" Sera glared back at Todd. "Why should blue collars, which I remind you make up 90% of the Hund population, be forced to do something for the appeasement of those who make up less than 1!? Why should we always be at the mercy of the minorities?"

"Well try to see it from their perspective!" Todd raised his voice. "Can you even imagine the loneliness they must feel because there are so few of them!? They can't even look to us for support even though we don't treat them the way white collars treat us."

Sera's eyes widened when she noticed Todd's eyes starting to water up slightly. "I... I think we should stop for today." She watched as Todd realized the state he was in. He quickly turned his head away as he stood up. Sera remained silent as Todd quickly wiped away at his eyes.

"Let's skip the meeting next week." Todd said with his back to Sera, his voice lacking any emotion.

"What!?" Sera said with shock. "We can't just waste time like this!"

"Just make the changes and we'll go over it in two weeks..." Todd's voice trailed as he grabbed his things and left without another word.

"Great..." Sera said with a sigh as she laid her head against the table. She made a mental note not to bring up the topic of black collars, or at the very least avoid saying anything negative about them. Her heart began to beat with anxiety as she reviewed the timetable in her mind. Two weeks from now would be the fifth week of the project. If it takes one more week to review and revise, her part will be done at the halfway mark, but that's only if Todd is prompt about reviewing her new version. Sera swallowed hard as she recalled that it took Todd two weeks to read through her first version. Her heart started beating faster when she started imagining how long it would take him to write out his own part of the project. What if he decided he didn't want to do the project anymore?

Sera's eyes widened as she lifted herself from the table. Her breaths were short as her anxiety was turning into a small panic attack. She quickly shook her head, trying to get those ideas out of her head. She instead focused on doing what she could get done.

---

A week later Sera stared in disbelief when she and her history classmates received their grades from the most recent quiz. "95%?" Sera said in confusion as she read off the number at the top of the page. She went through the pages to find the one question she had missed. She started clenching the paper in her paws when she realized she had answered one question with the wrong year. She let the test fall from her hands to her desk as she noticed her paws were starting to tremble.

When all the other students had left Sera approached the professor. "Congratulations on your quiz" her professor said when he noticed her approaching. "You got the highest score again."

"But..." Sera swallowed. "It wasn't a perfect score."

"But still a great score considering the average for the class was an 83%."

That bit of information did little to make Sera feel better about her own score. "Would you be able to see what my final score would be if I got a 100% on all remaining items, please?"

"No problem..." he said as he brought up a spreadsheet. After placing 100 in every box apart from the 95, a score of 99.85% showed up at the bottom. "Would be amazing if you finish with that."

Sera swallowed again. "And what would it be if I got a zero on the project?"

He glanced at the score again. "Just subtract twenty and you'd have 79.85%."

Sera took a deep breath. "Do scores round up?"

He shook his head. "We don't round scores at this university. With the project at zero, the best you and Mr. Renoir can finish with would be a C+."

Sera's pulse began to hasten. "Is there any kind of extra credit in this class?" she asked.

The professor looked at her, concern forming on his face. "We don't do extra credit here either. Is everything alright?"

Sera forced a smile. "Of course! Todd and I are halfway done with project, so there's no reason to worry."

"That's good to hear" the professor said with a soft smile. "You and Mr. Renoir are both bright students. I'm sure both of you will deliver something more than worthy of an A+ for your project."

"Right..." Sera said with a solemn nod. "It'll all turn out great..." she said to herself.

---

As Sera waited for Todd to arrive, she decided to re-read a few pages of the textbook for the next quiz. This section was regarding the collars that all Hunds wore now.

_A common misconception about the collars Hunds wear is that they were conceptualized by Humans to tell Hunds apart based on their abilities. In actuality, the collars are a purely Hund invention. In their early history, collars were worn by the leaders of clans and tribes to distinguish them from the rest. For many centuries it was believed there were only two types of Hunds- the few who command and the many that follow. This would be the equivalent of believing only white and blue collars existed. When it was discovered there were two more, albeit rare varieties, hierarchies and castes began to form. It was no longer enough for just one variety to wear the collars. _

_ _

There is debate how the actual colors of the collars were decided upon. Blue collars are thought to be derived from the color of the sky or ocean due to how many fell under this vast category. White collars are thought to have borrowed from the clouds in the sky or the moon itself. This is thought to be a way to signify how they are situated above the blue collars. Red collars are thought of as representations of the sun itself or the daylight due to their immense power and influence on the lives surrounding them. Black collars are thought to be influenced by space or the night due to their unassuming or mysterious nature. Other interpretations of the black collar point to a more derogatory meaning; worthless. The night is often seen as a hindrance to life, and space can be attributed with 'mostly empty'.

_ _

Sera closed her eyes, realizing that if this was for the upcoming quiz then Todd would no doubt have read this recently. She hoped he wouldn't be upset if he came.

This collar system wasn't used amongst all Hunds around the globe. As late as the mid-20th century, Hunds in certain parts of the globe were either still using the traditional leader-only collar, had their own color interpretations, or didn't wear collars at all. As the world became more interconnected, the collar variations seen today became the popular choice for Hund society across the globe.

_ _

Sera closed the book when she noticed someone coming from the corner of her eye. It was Todd, and only eighteen minutes late as Sera noted when she gazed up at the clock. Sera noticed Todd seemed to be in the same mood as he had been when he left two weeks ago. Sera wasn't sure if he was still upset from then or if he had indeed read the current chapters. She decided to not pry about. "So... were you able to finish reading my edited version?" Sera asked.

Todd sighed. "Yeah..." He closed his eyes. "It was all fine."

Sera was slightly confused. "There's nothing left you want to debate?"

"No" Todd said almost under his breath. Sera couldn't tell if Todd was tired or just wasn't interested.

"Rough night?" Sera asked, hopeful.

"Yeah..." Todd groaned.

Sera's ears perked up. "Busy with class work?"

"Nah..." Todd said as he scratched underneath his right eye. "Was helping someone cram study for their upcoming calculus midterm."

"Helping out a friend, huh?" Sera asked.

"Not really a friend" Todd said as he stretched his arms up. He opened his eyes and smirked. "I'm a math tutor." Sera's eyes blinked in surprise. "Normally I have specific times of the week I'm available for tutoring; late at night not normally being one of them." Todd chuckled. "The procrastinator was so desperate that he offered me double the rate. Couldn't turn that down."

"I never would have pictured you to be a tutor" Sera said.

Todd raised a brow as his smirk faded away. "Oh yeah? Why's that? Don't think I'm smart enough?"

"That's not it at all!" Sera quickly answered in a panic. "I just didn't take you for the kind of person who'd want to help others." Sera's eyes widened as she realized what she had said. She watched as Todd just closed his eyes.

"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" Todd said as he began shaking his head slowly. "Were you raised to be this ridiculing? It just seems to come so naturally to you!" Todd growled as he opened his eyes and stared intently into Sera's. "I didn't need this project, you know that, right? I would have been fine with finishing out this class with a C. Do you know why I agreed?"

Sera remained silent as she felt her body start to tremble. She shook her head.

"Because I could tell how important it was to you!" Sera's eyes widened. "It was obvious you wanted to avoid a zero on this project at all cost. Whatever your motivation was, I didn't care; I wasn't raised to just screw over someone who needs my help!" Todd stood up, staring at the table. "I thought I could handle working with you for this project, but..." Todd looked up at Sera. "I can't do this anymore."

Sera's heart began to pound in her chest as her mind processed what was happening. She stared blankly at Todd until he motioned to leave. She was realizing all the effort she had put in and the sacrifices she had to endure over the years were suddenly becoming pointless. Her eyes started to tear up as Todd started to walk away. "Wait..." Sera said softly as she turned her head towards Todd. "I'm sorry..." she bawled softly. When it appeared Todd hadn't heard her, or had ignored her, Sera stumbled out of her chair and chased after him. "I'm sorry!" Sera shouted as she reached out and clutched onto Todd's left arm from behind.

"What the!?" Todd said in shock as his arm was suddenly held back. He turned around and was taken aback to see tears streaming down Sera's face.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry" Sera repeated, each time with more desperation. Todd's ears flattened against his head in pity as Sera started to plea with him. "Please... I can't do this alone!" Sera slowly fell to her knees while still grasping Todd's arm. "I promise I'll be better, just please... I don't want to go back..." Sera covered her eyes with her left paw as her right paw weakly held onto Todd's arm as she started to have a breakdown.

Todd looked around and noticed she was attracting the attention of everyone in the library. "Ah shit..." Todd muttered under his breath. He wasn't looking forward to having a dozen Hunds ask what he did to make her cry. "Come here..." Todd said as he slowly pulled Sera up to her feet. She couldn't seem to keep herself balanced in her current condition. He wrapped his left arm around her back to support her as he led her to the entrance. Once outside he brought Sera to the nearest bench.

Todd gently sat Sera down. When he was certain she wasn't going to collapse he took a step back. He watched as she still had her eyes covered with her left paw while continuing to cry. Todd silently gazed around him, hoping that Sera would eventually calm down. After two or three minutes he noticed the sounds of Sera's sobbing had grown silent. He looked forward and realized that the paw covering Sera's eyes was now at her side, revealing her red eyes staring down at his feet as tears slowly continued to flow. Todd groaned internally as he realized he was feeling some responsibility.

"Hey" Todd said as he folded his arms. He didn't get a response from Sera. "Hey" he repeated as he waved his right paw close to Sera's face. When that failed to get her attention, Todd sighed and took a deep breath. "Hey!" Todd shouted.

Sera's eyes snapped to attention as she lifted her head. She let out a soft gasp when she realized the condition she was. She shifted her eyes away from Todd as she slowly began to wipe away the dampness under her eyes.

Todd gazed up at the sky, taking in a deep inhale before letting out a soft sigh. He looked back down at Sera. "Been under some tough stress, huh?" He watched as Sera only gave a brief nod. Todd glanced away for a moment before asking, "Are you busy tonight?" Sera was still for a moment before slowly shaking her head. "Alright..." Todd said as he turned his body back towards to the library. "Get your things from the library and wait outside the front of the admin building. I'll be there in about fifteen minutes. Got that?"

Sera turned her gaze back to Todd. "Why?"

Todd chuckled. "Why isn't important. You just need decide whether or not you want to show up." Todd turned his back to Sera. He looked down at his phone and noted it was about 5:35. "If you don't show up by six, I'll leave." Todd walked off, leaving Sera staring in silence.

Sera took a deep breath as she stared off into the distance despondently. She took some slow, deep breaths as she tried to collect herself. She slowly pushed herself off the bench. She again wiped away the excess moisture that had been staining the fur under her eyes as the tears finally stopped. Her mind had calmed down slightly, but it was still strained. Rather than thinking about the situation at hand, Sera instead just let her body move on its own towards the library.

---

After having stopped by her room to drop off her things and further compose herself, Sera now stood in silence in front of the admin building as she waited for Todd to show up. Aside from the occasional car passing by, everything was calm. She knew most of the students were either out having fun in the city to celebrate another weekend arriving or relaxing in their dorms. Sera took out her cellphone and realized it was nearly two minutes to six. She glanced to her left and then to her right but saw no sign of Todd. Sera sighed as she closed her eyes. She started to wonder if Todd had already left or if he was even coming at all; perhaps he's just making her stand out here like a fool to get back at her.

A set of soft honks caused Sera's eyes to fly open in surprise. In front of her was a car. She wasn't too familiar with cars but could see the model looked much older than most other cars on the road. Another honk drew her attention to the window where, to her surprise, she saw Todd in the driver's seat.

"Going to get in?" Todd asked through the open passenger window. Sera's ears twitched when she heard the car door in front of her unlock. She gazed at Todd with uncertainty. Todd chuckled. "I promise nothing bad is going to happen. It's your choice whether you want to come or not."

Sera took a deep breath as she reached for the handle and opened the door. As she got in the car, she noticed the back seats had various supplies stacked on them. After she closed the door and buckled up her attention was drawn to Todd as he stared at his phone. "Six on the dot; perfect timing." Todd set his phone down in one of the cup holders as he slowly pulled away from the curb. "Sorry for being late; decided to pack a little extra for tonight."

"It's fine..." Sera said softly as she stared out the window.

"Alright..." Todd responded as he tapped the steering wheel with his digits as he navigated out of the campus and into the city.

Sera kept her focus on what was outside the window. She had no idea what Todd had planned for her. Since she didn't take him as a malevolent individual, she could only hold onto the hope that perhaps she was getting another chance. A chance, if it was there, she didn't want to ruin by saying the wrong thing. She would only speak briefly, and only when she had too. Sera let out a soft exhale through her nose as she realized this familiar feeling she had hoped to never experience again.

The scenery Sera saw through the window was familiar at first. She had explored the city a little, but most of it was what she had saw when she first arrived. The buildings soon turned to bridge supports spanning over the bay. Eventually they drove past all signs of civilization and were large expanses of hilly terrain. The up and down motion of the car and alternating horizon level had almost a hypnotic trance to Sera. If she had been of a calmer mind, she may have been lulled to sleep from this. Instead, her mind lost all sense of time as she watched with tired eyes.

---

Todd squinted his eyes as the sun on the horizon reflected off the rearview mirror. He glanced down at his phone and realized that it was just past 7:30. "Got another thirty minutes or so left" Todd said he tried to keep his focus off the mirror trying to blind him.

Sera let out a little yawn as her attention turned to the sky as it slowly turned from blue to orange and the clouds became mixtures of oranges, pinks, and purples. By the time the car had started slowing down the orange tint in the sky was fading and being replaced with a deep blue as the night started to form.

"We're here" Todd said as he slowly came to a stop at the top of a mountain. Sera hadn't even realized they had been driving at an incline as she had been watching the sky. As she stared straight ahead, she could see now just how high up they were. Todd opened the door and pointed his arms to the sky as he stretched. Sera also stretched upwards when she realized how stiff her body had become during the two-hour drive. As she looked behind her, she could see the last of the sun dipping below the horizon. Todd noticed this as well and proceeded to open the back door of his car to off-load the various supplies he had brought.

While Todd was busy emptying the backseat, Sera approached the edge of the cliff. She looked down to see that side of the mountain was a continuous slope rather than a series of straight drops. She raised her head to gaze out at the horizon, barely illuminated now as the sun dipped below it. An aura of orange illuminated the sky in the distance that was slowly being followed by a deep blue hue.

Sera looked back towards the car when she heard a metallic clang. She watched as Todd set a metal pot onto a metal rack hovering over what appeared to a log wrapped in paper. As Todd grabbed a lighter Sera turned around and sat down. She didn't know where she was or why the two of them were even here. She had only decided to come along out of desperation, and now with a clear mind, was wondering if she had made a mistake in accepting.

Todd fanned the flames for a bit until the log was fully coated with flames. He knew it would be little while before the contents of the pot would be warm enough. In the meantime, he stood up. He looked towards the cliff to see Sera sitting on the ground with her back turned towards him. Todd sighed as he scratched the back of his neck. We went back to his car and grabbed a large blanket that was folded up. He carried it over towards the edge. "Pardon me..." Todd said as he laid out the blanket flat on ground next to Sera. "Might be more comfortable sitting on this rather than the dirt" Todd said before returning to the pot.

Sera looked down at the blanket. It was a red with no patterns. She reached over to feel it. There seemed to be a bit of padding in it. Slowly, she scooted over until she was now sitting on top of the blanket. She noted it was a better alternative; she couldn't feel the pressure from sitting on the rocks as much now.

Todd chuckled as he watched Sera move onto the blanket. He looked down into the pot and saw it staring to boil. He reached into his bag for a large spoon and slowly started stirring the contents. As he stirred, he looked up at the sky to see practically all light had vanished. It had gotten to the point where the flames were now brightest source of light for him.

Sera stared at the dark horizon, only a thin, dim layer of illumination present. Ever since Todd had placed down the blanket Sera could smell something delectable in the air coming from behind her. She figured Todd must have been warming up his dinner. In all the chaos that occurred hours ago, Sera had neglected to even grab a snack before going on this trip. She didn't want ask Todd for any food; she felt ashamed enough as it is.

"Here" Todd said he held a bowl next to Sera's face. Sera flinched at the object suddenly appearing in her peripheral. She took a deep sniff and realized the bowl was filled with whatever was making that delicious smell. She didn't move at first, only reaching out for the bowl when Todd started inching it closer. Sera grabbed the bowl and brought it in front of her. There was a spoon already inside it. As she lifted a spoonful of the contents towards her muzzle Todd slowly took a seat to her right.

Sera didn't know whether it had been because of the taste or because she was just hungry, but when she tasted it her eyes rolled in bliss. She turned Todd to see him taking in a spoonful himself. "What is this?" Sera asked.

Todd blinked in surprise from Sera speaking for the first time in hours. "It's stew. It's got beef, potatoes and carrots."

"It's really good" Sera said as he got scooped another spoonful.

"Thanks" Todd said with a smile. "It tasted better when I first made in last week. Reheating takes away some of the flavor."

Sera blinked. "You made this? I just assumed you heated up something you bought at the store."

Todd chuckled. "That would be less time-consuming, but I prefer cooking meals myself if I'm able. Guess it's the effect of being raised only on home-cooked meals."

Sera finished off the rest of what was in her bowl. As she set the bowl down on the blanket, she asked "So your parents taught you how to cook?"

"My mother did" Todd said with a smile. "While my father and brothers were busy with manual labor, I assisted my mother with cooking."

"You have siblings?" Sera asked she rested her arms in her lap. "How many?"

"Four brothers, all older than me. No sisters." Todd said before finishing off the rest of his food. He let out a little laugh. "I think my mother really wanted to have a daughter after having four sons. Unfortunately for her she got me, but that didn't stop her from teaching me what she knew like my father taught my brothers what he knew..."

"Sounds like you and your mother are close..." Sera said as she stared off into the distance.

Todd sighed. "Yeah... though after all my brothers left at nearly the same time it kind of drained her of the passion she used to have. She stopped doting on me and didn't let me help her with cooking as much since the number of mouths to feed was cut in half." Todd looked at Sera and noticed her staring off into the distance. "What about you? You close to your mother?"

Sera slowly shook her head. "No. I can't say I have any love for her at this point"

Todd closed his eyes. "I see. Can't say I don't know the feeling though. Was never really close to my father, but now I just despise him."

"Well..." Sera closed her eyes. "My father died when I was too young to remember..." Sera couldn't believe she was even discussing this. She took in a deep inhale. "What are we doing here?"

"What?" Todd asked.

"What are we doing here right now? Why did you even bring me here?" Sera opened her eyes and motioned to her surroundings. "Why all the way out here?"

Todd chuckled softly. "Because you looked like you needed some stress relief." Todd shrugged his shoulders. "I figured you needed some distance from that campus."

"Why do you even care anyways?" Sera said as she looked down. "Just a few hours ago you were wanting to have nothing to do with me."

"Yeah..." Todd sighed. "But when I saw the look in your eyes as you pleaded for me not to leave..." Sera turned her head away in embarrassment. "that desperation..." Todd closed his eyes. "I had promised myself to never ignore someone's desperation."

Sera stayed silent for a few seconds. "So..." she swallowed. "Does that mean you're still going to..."

Todd smiled softly as he gazed up wards. "I'll keep working with you on the project." Sera shuddered as she felt a great weight taken off her. She couldn't help but smile in relief. "Just promise to stop with the insults..."

"Deal" Sera laughed as she was trying to let out some of her relief.

"Be honest though..." Todd said as he gazed over to Sera. "What would happen if you got a zero on this project?" Sera's smile faded as she looked away from Todd. "You said you didn't want to go back..."

Sera's breathing hastened as she debated whether she wanted to tell Todd or not.

Todd shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not going to force you to tell me, but it might make you feel better if you share.

"I'd lose my scholarship..." Sera said as she turned to face Todd.

"Seriously?" Todd said in disbelief. "Over one bad grade?"

"You have the full academic scholarship, right?" Sera asked as she recalled what Todd had said about his grades."

"Yep." Todd said with a nod. "My classes and study materials are paid for, but I had to take out a student loan for staying in the dorms. Any other expenses I have to pay for out of pocket."

"I have a complete scholarship" Sera said, surprising Todd. "Classes, study materials, dorm room, food from the cafeteria, and an allowance for the campus store are all covered my scholarship. With all those extra covered expenses, however, the university is more stringent on me maintaining higher grades than those on other scholarships." Sera swallowed. "If I finish a class with anything less than an eighty percent, I lose my scholarship. At that point I'd probably have no choice but to go back home and deal with her..."

"Sounds rough..." Todd sighed.

"It's not just 'rough'..." Sera said as her eyes started to tear up. "I studied so hard starting my freshman year of high school. Any free time I had I'd hit the books; no socializing, no hobbies, no taking a day off. I wanted to get out of that house so badly!" Sera slightly leaned towards Todd slightly. "Do you have any idea what it's like living with someone you despise and not having a way out of it!?" Todd just looked at Sera, speechless. "For three years I had to bide my time. I aced all my classes, received multiple academic awards, I would have even finished at the top of my class if I had graduated with them." Sera took a moment to catch her breath. "Because I went to summer school every year, I was able to graduate from high school a few months early. I applied for scholarships, got a full one from our university, emancipated myself, and then left without saying a single word to my mother." Sera let out a strained chuckle. "She doesn't even know where I went."

"Damn..." Todd said as he took it all in. He stared up to the sky. "Does it feel good letting all that out?"

"A little, yeah" Sera laughed softly as she calmed herself down. She looked at Todd and noticed him starring straight up. She followed suit. "What are you..." Sera's eyes widened at the sight before her. The entire sky was illuminated by stars; more than she had ever seen before. "Wow..."

Todd chuckled as he slowly started lying back onto the blanket. When his back was against the ground he sighed. "This is why I brought you out here." The two stared up at the sky in silence for a few minutes before Sera started to lie back herself. Todd let out a relaxing breath. "I grew up in very rural area north of here. I didn't think much about it at the time, but I always enjoyed seeing all those stars at night." Todd chuckled. "When I started college, I quickly realized just how different things are at night; the light, the sound, the activity. It started to make me feel homesick, but not to the point I wanted to go back home... One day, after class on Friday, I just drove to get some distance from the city. Before I knew it, it had gotten dark and I decided it'd be best to just turn around before I got too low on gas. When I saw the sky, however, I just stopped. Seeing this..." Todd motioned towards the sky. "alleviated both my homesickness and the stress I had at the time." Todd let out a soft sigh. "I made this a weekly event for myself; just something to keep me sane."

"It certainly is a sight to behold..." Sera said as she gazed at the various clusters of stars, trying to see if she could recognize any of the constellations. "Where I'm from, you get to see stars... but not like this..." Sera smiled. "Has a beautiful bay, though."

"Sounds nice" Todd said as he folded his arms over his stomach. Neither he nor Sera spoke a word for nearly thirty minutes as they just stargazed. Only when Todd felt his body beginning to relax a bit too much and his eyes becoming heavy did he sit up. He looked over at Sera. He knew she was awake when he spotted the light of the stars reflecting off her eyes. "Feeling better?" Todd asked as he let out a soft yawn.

"Yeah..." Sera said as she remained on her back. "Much so."

"Good to hear" Todd chuckled softly as he stood up. He slowly made his way to the back of his car and pulled out a sleeping from the back seat. He brought the sleeping bag back to Sera. "Ever slept in one of these before?" Todd asked as he dropped it next to Sera.

Sera sat up and examined the sleeping bag that had unfolded next to her. "No."

"First time for everything" Todd said as he unzipped the bag. "Just maneuver yourself in here." Sera slowly crawled closer to the bag and inserted her legs inside. Once Sera was inside Todd zipped it back up until only her head and neck were sticking out of the opening. "Nice and snug now" Todd said scooted a little away from Sera and then lying back down.

Sera fidgeted around a little, slightly adjusting her body to get used to being in one of these things. Once she was comfortable, she looked to her side and realized Todd was still sleeping in the open. "Aren't you going to sleep in one too?"

"That's the only one I got" Todd said as he turned his head to face Sera. "Don't worry, though, I've slept without it a few times." Todd felt the gentle breeze comb through his fur. "Weather isn't bad tonight, so I'll be fine."

"Alright..." Sera said as she gazed slightly lower to the ground, before looking at Todd again. "Thank you."

"It's nothing" Todd said as he gazed back up the sky. "I'll be fine without it."

"No, I mean..." Sera took a deep breath. "Thank you for... helping me out and giving me another chance."

"Oh" Todd said he looked back at Sera. "No problem" Todd said with a smirk. "Just remember to try not to insult me so much anymore, alright?"

Sera smiled. "Deal, but you need to promise me something as well. No more making comparisons of me and white collars, please."

"Can do" Todd said he again faced upwards to the sky. He shifted his upper body and head on the blanket until he found a comfortable position and settled into it.

Neither said another word as they allowed their bodies to relax as they gazed lazily into the sky. Neither knew how long they managed to stay up before they eventually drifted off to sleep.

---

Two weeks had passed since that night. Todd and Sera were at their usual meeting spot in the library. Sera held a stack of papers as she stared at Todd in amusement. "You really think nothing would have changed if Humans had managed to make it into the eventual Americas?"

"Our ancestors prevented Humans from crossing, so I think it's obvious that the continents would have been occupied by Humans if Hunds weren't around."

"That's obvious" Sera said. "But when the Humans from Europe eventually come around, don't you think there wouldn't be as much conflict since they would be greeted by their own kind?"

"Guess it would depend on how much they wanted their land and resources" Todd said as he shrugged his shoulders. "It's possible the two sides would be more civil, but I think the European Humans travelled to the Americas with the goal of conquering, regardless of who was there to greet them. Hunds held them off in our world, but who knows how it would have been if they had faced other humans instead."

"A good point" Sera said as she flipped through the pages until she arrived at the end. "But the majority of everything you wrote seems to mirror what actually happened in our world, with just a few exceptions, including the disease completely killing off the Humans only a few months after it became deadly. I mean... I get that part. If Hunds hadn't been around there would be no one to continue to provide food, water, electricity and heating..." Sera closed her eyes. "What a grim reality..." Sera said with a shudder.

"Yeah..." Todd said with a sigh. "At first, I thought writing what the world would be like without Hunds would be interesting, but the further I went into it, the more I realized that Hunds really didn't play much of a part on how Human society developed as a whole. Outside of restricting their travel across the ice bridge, preventing their conquests into South America, and developing a shared culture with the settlers that came here to North America; Humans controlled almost the entire world by themselves."

Sera straightened out the papers. "Well, other than needing to fix a few things, we're pretty much done with our project" Sera smiled.

Todd chuckled. "And with a few weeks to spare. Todd leant back into the chair.

"Going to head up to your spot again tonight?" Sera asked as placed Todd's report down.

"Yep" Todd smiled as he did a quick stretch upwards before straightening himself back up."

"What are you going to do with your weekends now?" Sera asked.

"Other than any tutoring I have scheduled; I need to cook some more food to last me about two or three weeks."

"So do you just make a different meal for each day?"

"Oh no!" Todd said with a bit laughter. "I usually just make two or three dishes in great bulk then store them in containers."

"I couldn't imagine doing all that" Sera said with a smile. "I can't really even cook."

"Really? Never learned anything while you were trying to be independent from your mother?"

"It was small things" Sera admitted, starting to feel a bit embarrassed. "Stuff that involved just boiling water or placing into a microwave or oven..."

"Never thought about learning more?" Todd asked.

"It really hasn't been on my mind. I mean... I just get all my meals from the campus cafeteria since it's free for me."

"I'd be jealous if most of their stuff wasn't subpar" Todd chuckled.

Sera chuckled with him. "Well, your stew was definitely better than the ones they make."

"Better be" Todd smiled. "So what about when you no longer have access to meals provided for you? You just going to go back to pre-prepped or heat-up meals?"

"Maybe" Sera said with a weak laugh as she rolled shrugged her shoulders. "I just can't really see myself putting in all that time and effort to make really tasty food when I can be content with quick, decent-quality meals."

Todd closed his eyes in disappointment. "Is there... anything you might enjoy cooking?"

Sera closed her eyes in thought. She tried imagining if there was anything she had ever seen made or anything she had ever eaten that would interest her. Sera thought about what types of foods she was even slightly a glutton for. "I... think I might enjoy making sweets."

"Oh!" Todd said in surprise. "So you'd be more interested in baking then?" Sera nodded her head. "Alright..." Todd said as he made a mental note. "You busy tomorrow?"

"Outside of some studying, no." Sera replied.

"Well, I'll be heading to the culinary kitchen around noon tomorrow. If you're interested, feel free to stop by. You'll at least get a free meal out of it."

"Sounds good" Sera said as glanced over at the clock on the wall. "It's almost 5:45." She turned back to face to Todd. "You need to get ready for the drive?"

Todd sighed with a hint of disappointment. "Yeah..." He stood up. "Got to make sure I get there before the sun completely sets." Todd picked up his bag. "If you ever need another stress-relief trip, let me know."

"Will do. Thank you." Sera said as Todd waved goodbye to her before leaving. Sera let out a soft sigh. "Just when I was starting to enjoy this meeting..." Sera was surprised how much she was coming to enjoy being in the company of Todd now that both of them had vented out their frustrations with one another. If it weren't for the fact that all the class finals were in a few weeks she'd have taken Todd up on his offer to go stargazing again. She couldn't afford to take it easy on her studies. "At least I don't have to worry about failing this class now..." Sera said as she reached into her bag for her other class materials.

---

"Like this?" Sera asked as she applied some pressure onto the knife, slowly tearing into the potato before it quickly sliced through the rest of it.

Todd walked over and examined the potato slice. Looks good, but try to make the slices a little thicker than this." Sera positioned the knife and cut down again. Seeing the new slice Todd said "Perfect."

Sera smiled as Todd walked back towards the stove to examine the pan and three pots on the stovetop. She proceeded to slice the rest of the potato, placing the slices in a large pot, and then grabbing another peeled potato. She hadn't been asked to do this; Todd had brought all the ingredients with the intention to do everything himself. Sera had asked if there was anything she could do to help. Todd made Sera in charge of slicing up vegetables. It was a simple task, but Sera was glad to help in any way she could.

After Sera had finished placing all the sliced potatoes in the pot, Todd came over and filled it with water. Once the water line was over the potatoes, he carried the pot to the stove and turned the heat to high. Sera proceeded to slice up carrots, chop up onions, mince garlic, and slice up even more potatoes, though this time in cubes rather than slices.

"This looks great" Todd said as he examined the various bowls of sliced produce. He took the bowls of carrots, onions, and potatoes to one of the large pots and gently dropped the contents in. Sera noticed a splash of white cream jump over the top as a large amount fell in suddenly. It must have been another one of Todd's stews. Once all of it had been dropped in, Todd did a quick stir then brought the bowls to the sink. He stacked them on one side before returning to the pan which was frying up some ground beef. Sera asked why Todd was frying up the meat.

"I'm just browning the outsides" Todd replied as he continuously shifted the smalls bits of meat in the pan. "Gives it a little bit of a crunch when you bite into it." Sera just nodded her head, giving a sign of understanding before she turned her attention to the sink. She turned on the water and started rinsing off the bowls. Todd looked back when he heard the water running. "Oh, you don't have to do that; I was going to take care of the dishes when I'm through."

"It's not a problem" Sera said as she looked over her shoulder. "You just focus on the cooking. I want it to taste good when I try it" Sera gave Todd a smirk.

Todd laughed. "Well at least you're earning that free meal then."

Eventually Todd poured the seared meat into a large pot that was partly filled with a red sauce. Sera hadn't seen all the ingredients Todd had used to make the sauce but knew most of it had been tomato sauce. After stirring the meat into the sauce Todd handed the pan to Sera. He did a quick stir of the stew before opening the third pot on the stove. A bit of steam escaped as it was filled part way with just water. Todd inserted a metallic strain into the pot which hovered over the boiling water. Todd opened a bag of string beans and poured them into the strainer. Once the bag was empty, he placed the lid back on the pot.

"Almost done" Todd said as he took a fork and poked at the potatoes in the boiling water.

"And you do this every other week?" Sera asked as she noticed Todd starting to slightly pant from being around all the heat the stove was radiating.

"Yeah" Todd said as he took a step back from the stove. He turned around to see Sera hovering near another countertop, her eyes going back and forth between a textbook and Todd. "More studying?" Todd asked, amused.

"That's right" Sera said as she turned the page.

Todd chuckled as he scratched his brow. "Don't you ever do anything else?"

"Not really..." Sera said. "My academics is my top priority here. I can't afford to become complacent."

"Yeah, well..." Todd said as he went a nearby shelf and pulled out a book. "While you're in the kitchen, there's only one type of book you're allowed to read." Todd placed the book right on top of Sera's textbook.

"A Dreamer's Cookbook?" Sera read the title.

"It's an... interesting cookbook" Todd said as he recalled the times he had skimmed through it while cooking. "It has a lot of unusual recipes in it, but it does also have a large variety of dessert recipes."

Sera open the cookbook to the dessert section. Each recipe took up an entire page, and each had a visual to go along with it. Sera became a bit overwhelmed seeing the different varieties available. "I don't know how to choose..."

"Go with something simple first" Todd suggested. "The easier recipes should be at the beginning."

Sera went back. The very first recipe in the dessert section were cookies. There were various types of cookies to choose from. Sera stopped when the two pages in front of her displayed two cookies that looked delicious side-by-side. "These look good." Sera said as she tapped on both pages. On the left page was a cinnamon sugar cookie, on the right side was a butterscotch cookie. "I can't choose between the two."

"Make both then" Todd said as he looked at the recipes. "Both seem to be variations of sugar cookies."

Sera looked at the ingredients needed. "Is there even butterscotch here?"

"Butterscotch is simple to make" Todd said with a smirk. "It's just melted brown sugar mixed with cream and butter..." Todd's ears straightened up. "Speaking of cream and butter..." Todd returned to the pot of boiling potatoes and turned off the heat. After giving the stew and meat sauce a quick stir, he placed a large colander into the sink. Todd picked up the pot of potatoes and poured the contents into the colander, causing a huge wave of steam to rise from the sink. He shook the colander to get rid of any excess water. He poured the steaming potato slices into a large bowl. After pouring in some cream, a few sticks of butter, and the minced garlic that Sera had chopped up, Todd started mashing all of it together.

When it was all blended together, making rather fluffy mashed potatoes, Todd went back to the stove and turned off the other pot of boiling water. He lifted the strainer holding the now-steamed string beans and rolled them out onto a few layers of paper towel to absorb the excess moisture.

Todd grabbed his various portion containers. He placed a layer of mashed potatoes on the bottom, then laid out a few string beans on top of the mashed potatoes, pushing them slightly down. He then carried the pot with the meat sauce over to the counter and poured a layer of it of over the mashed potatoes and green beans. Finally, he topped off the rest of the container with another layer of mashed potatoes. Todd took was left and layered them into two bowls. He handed one to Sera.

"Smells good" Sera said as she took a whiff. She took a fork and sliced into it. After giving it a few cooling blows, she took a bite. Her ears shot up in surprise. "Oh, that's good..." Sera said with a slight moan as she enjoyed the taste. When Todd took a taste of his own portion, he was satisfied with how it came out.

Thirty minutes later, Todd had portioned out the stew and, with Sera's assistance, cleaned all the dishes. He let Sera try her hand at making the cookies, only assisting her by providing her some butterscotch he made from scratch. As Sera was mixing up one of the batches, she looked over her shoulder and asked, "Do you know any dessert recipes?"

"Not really" Todd said as he was leaning back against the countertop. "I don't really like sweets that much, so I never really made an effort to memorize how to make them."

"That's too bad" Sera said as she raised the spoon from the bowl. "I can be a bit of a glutton for sweets." Sera scooped a bit of the cookie dough onto her finger and brought it to her mouth. "Oh, that's sweet." Sera smiled as she worked on mixing up the other dough.

Fifteen minutes later the cookies came out of the oven. The large cookie sheet managed to hold two dozen cookies on top of it. Half the cookies were brown, the other half gold. After letting them cool for a few minutes Sera grabbed a cookie from either side. She first took a bite of the butterscotch cookie, and then the cinnamon-sugar cookie. She couldn't help but smile. "These are amazing." Sera picked up another set of cookies and offered them to Todd. "Try them."

Todd reached out and grabbed the cookies. He took a small bite from each. "Not bad" Todd said as he slowly took larger bites. "Been awhile since I've had anything sweet, but these were actually pretty good. You have a knack for baking"

"Thank you" Sera said. "But it was the recipe, not me that made it good."

"Even well-laid-out recipes can be botched" Todd said with a laugh. "Just keep on baking and you'll eventually begin tweaking recipes to make them your own."

"I don't think I'd be able to find the motivation to bake so often just for myself." Sera said as she let out a sigh. "I'm a glutton for them, but I don't want be gluttonous with them."

"I'm sure you'll find motivation at some point; maybe for friends or a special someone you meet down the road."

Sera chuckled at that thought.

"Well, if you're not planning to bake anytime soon, I'll take a few more of these cookies." Todd grabbed two of each flavor and wrapped them in paper towel. "These should last me a week..." Todd gazed at the sixteen cookies remaining on sheet. "And those will probably last you a day or two."

"Oh, shut up!" Sera said with a laugh.

---

Sera took a deep breath. It was a week before the project was due, and the end of the class. She and Todd had decided to meet once more for to make sure the project was ready to be turned in. After fixing a few minor things it seemed they were finally done having to work on it. Sera watched as Todd started standing up, no doubt about to get ready for his weekly trip.

"Wait..." Sera said as Todd was reaching down for his bag.

"Yeah?" Todd said as he straightened himself.

"Would you be willing to do something different tonight?"

"Such as?"

"I was thinking that perhaps we could just go explore the city a little tonight; just walk around."

Todd pondered the idea for a moment. "I don't know... The city really just doesn't interest me"

"Oh, come on" Sera said with a playful smile. "Just this once? I promise this will be the last time you'll have to put up with me."

Todd chuckled in amusement, slightly shaking his head. "I guess once wouldn't hurt."

"Great" Sera said as she stood up and grabbed her stuff. Todd reached down to grab ahold of his bag. As the two were walking to the exit Sera turned to Todd. "How about we drop off our bags, then meet back here in fifteen minutes?"

"Sounds good" Todd said as he and Sera stepped outside. When the two started to walk in opposite directions Todd turned his head. "See you in a few."

"See you in few" Sera repeated back with a quick nod.

---

"So this road connects one side of the peninsula with the other, huh?" Todd asked as he walked alongside Sera to her right.

"That's correct" Sera said as she looked up at the buildings reflecting the amber hue of the sun. "This road doesn't cut through the main section of the city a few blocks to the side, so it's not as busy."

"That's a relief" Todd said with a sigh. "I get a headache just driving through there, can't imagine what it's like having to navigate the sidewalk with so many others."

"You get nervous around large groups?" Sera asked as she and Todd stopped at a streetlight.

"Don't know if nervous is the right word..." Todd sighed. "Frustration would be a better term. I just get annoyed having to deal with so many Hunds at once."

"I see..." Sera said as she looked up to see the signal change. As she and Todd crossed the street with a few other pedestrians she looked back at him. "Might be beneficial to get used to it, though. Who knows what you'll have to do when you become a..." Sera blinked. "Oh... I don't think I even asked what you're majoring in."

"Accounting" Todd said as he looked Sera. "You?"

"Business management" Sera said with a smile.

"It fits you" Todd said with a chuckle as he looked forward. "You seem to be someone who'd want to be in charge." Todd ears went down as a thought occurred to him. "Can't imagine what it's like having to be in classes with so many white collars, though.

Sera let out a little laugh. "I have my own way with dealing with white collars." She gave Todd a mischievous smile. "It's always a highlight of my day when I cause at least one of them to get frustrated."

Todd laughed. "Sound's like it'd be entertaining to watch." Todd's ears twitched when he noticed he and Sera were now only about four blocks from the ocean.

"Yeah" Sera replied as she let out a small sigh. "What about you? What made you choose to major in accounting?"

"Math was really the only subject in school I excelled at." Todd shrugged his shoulders. "I just went with a major that would allow me to play off that."

"Well, there's always a need for accountants. You definitely won't have trouble finding work with that."

"That's good to know" Todd said with a smile. "Is it like that with your major?"

"It's a broad profession" Sera said as she nodded her head. "I wouldn't say it'd be hard for me to find a job, but I will be limited on opportunities since I'll have little experience."

"A temporary setback for you" Todd said with a chuckle. "If you take your career as serious as your schooling you'll be in high-demand in no time."

Sera's ears shot straight up. "Thank you..." Sera looked away for a moment.

"Oh..." Todd said he looked slightly to his right. "There's the bridge I drive over every week. It's looks bigger from down here..."

Sera gazed around Todd to view the bridge. It was then that she realized that the two of them only had one more block of street ahead of them before they reached the water's edge.

"Which way should go after this?" Todd asked as she looked in both directions. "Unless you want to keep going straight and go for a swim..." Todd smirked.

"Just cross this last road and then turn left" Sera said, ignoring Todd's comment. "I heard there's a lot of good places to eat along the piers."

"Anything in particular that's good?" Todd asked he and Sera crossed the last road.

"Lot's of fresh seafood" Sera said, her tail wagging slightly in excitement.

"Seafood?" Todd asked. "Never had seafood before."

"Really!?" Sera raised her voice in disbelief.

Todd was taken aback by Sera's reaction. His ears went up in surprise as he stuttered out "Really!"

Sera laughed a little as she composed herself. "Sorry. I guess growing up near the ocean made me think seafood is just commonplace. Anyways, how about we look for a little seafood shop and order something?"

"Alright" Todd said as his ears relaxed. "You can choose the place."

Twenty minutes later Todd and Sera were sitting on a patio outside a small restaurant. Sitting in front of them on the table was a spherical loaf of bread. "Not what I was picturing when it comes to seafood..." Todd said as he stared at the bread in confusion. "And are we supposed to use these spoons to eat it?"

"The menu said it was classic dish around here..." Sera said as she gripped the top of the bread and lifted it up. "They fill the bread with clam chowder."

"Clam, huh?" Todd asked he stared at the white soup inside the bread. He took his spoon and gave it a taste. "Huh... it's pretty good. You've had something like this before?"

"No" Sera said as she dipped her spoon into the chowder. "I've only eaten fish and shellfish, but this just sounded interesting." Sera took the chowder into her mouth. Her eyes immediately shot wide open as she immediately took the spoon out of her mouth. She took a nearby napkin and brought it to her mouth to get rid of the chowder. After folding the napkin on itself she took some water and washed down what was left in her mouth. "Ugh..."

"It wasn't that bad, was it?" Todd asked as he took another spoonful.

"Yeah..." Sera said as she felt a shiver travel up her spine. "Definitely don't think I'm a fan of clams."

"Well that sucks" Todd said before swallowing a spoonful of chowder. "Is there anything else here you want to get?"

"I'll probably just order some shrimp" Sera said as she stood up. "I can always rely on shrimp."

After their meal, Todd and Sera continued walking along the coastline of the peninsula for another thirty minutes. By now the sun had set and the sky was gradually starting to darken. Sera pointed to a bench situated near the beach. "Mind if we take a little break?"

"Sure" Todd said as he followed Sera.

Sera took a seat on the wooden bench with Todd sitting to her left not long after. Neither of them said anything for a few minutes as they just watched waves and felt the sea breeze blow through their fur. "So how was your small tour of the city?" Sera asked.

"Not bad" Todd said he let out a relaxed sigh.

"That's good..." Sera said with a nod. "Got to experience some of these things while you still have the chance."

"I guess..." Todd said a slight nod. "You said this bay reminds you of home?" Todd asked as he scanned all the water in front of him.

"A little" Sera said with a smile. "Though the bay back home is much bigger and much nicer than this one."

"Think you'll ever go back?" Todd asked.

"I'm not sure..." Sera said as she looked up to the sky. "When I look back at what it was like growing up there, the majority of the positive memories I have are of the town itself." Sera let out a regretful sigh. "I used to think I had a great life at home and school, but now looking back at it with a different lens, I realize just how little control I had over my own life."

"Well..." Todd said as he awkwardly scratched behind his right ear. "You have control over your life now, right?"

"Right" Sera said as she turned to give Todd a smile. "What about you? Think you'll ever go back home?"

"Don't think so..." Todd said with a sigh. "At least not while my father is still there."

"You hate him that much, huh?"

"I despise him, yes. He let down my uncle, who was more of a father-figure to me than my actual father." Todd clenched his paws. "The way he spoke about my uncle after he committed suicide just caused something in me to snap; he spoke of him like he had just been an inconvenience to him." Todd started to tremble slightly. "I'm only here because my uncle motivated me to get a scholarship and go to college. I only spent a few years getting to know him, but..." Sera's ears went down when she noticed Todd's eyes starting to tear up. "I thought I had gotten to know him very well. I thought I understood him, but then he..." Todd's trembling started to intensify as tears started streaming out of the corners of his eyes. "I know he doesn't want me to blame myself for what happened, but I all I can think of sometimes is just how I didn't realize there was something wrong or..." Todd opened his eyes to see Sera staring at him in concern. "how I wasn't able to help him when he needed it."

Sera's own eyes started to tear up. She leaned forward slowly and gently wrapped her arms around Todd's neck, her head resting on his left shoulder. "I understand that feeling" Sera whispered. Todd slowly lifted his arms and wrapped them lazily around Sera's back. The two of them remained in that position for a few minutes as Todd slowly calmed down. When Todd had regained his composure, he softly patted Sera's back. "Feeling better?" Sera asked softly as she lifted herself away from Todd.

"Yeah..." Todd said with a sniffle and exhale. He went to wipe the fur under his eyes as Sera sat next to him.

"I'm sorry..." Sera said softly.

Todd turned to his side to face Sera. "For what?"

"For prejudging you..." Sera's ears went flat against her head. "I treated you like shit after meeting you for the first time based on just a few stupid observations of mine. You didn't deserve that kind of treatment. I'm sorry."

Todd was silent for a moment. "Don't worry about it" Todd smiled. "Besides... I should also apologize."

"For what?"

"Well..." Todd nervously scratched behind his ear. "You were right about one of your observations. I wasn't lying about you being the first Vulpine Hund I've seen outside my family, but..." Todd looked away in embarrassment.

Sera initially stared at Todd with confusion, but when she remembered the conversation her ears shot straight up. "You mean you actually were..."

"Just for a moment!" Todd interjected.

Sera stared blankly at Todd for a moment before she started to laugh. Todd turned his head in surprise to see Sera standing up from the bench as she continued laughing. Todd couldn't help but chuckle at the sight as Sera slowly calmed down. When Sera was done, she looked around and realized it had already gotten dark. She turned to Todd and said, "We should probably start heading back."

"Yeah" Todd said as he got off from the bench.

"Let's not dawdle then, pervert" Sera said with smirk as she started walking away. Todd groaned, realizing this was going to be a long walk back.

---

"I'd like to offer all of you my thanks for enrolling in this class" the professor said in front of his students. "I'd also like to congratulate all of you for passing this class. I hope that each of you will retain some part of what you learned in this class in the back of your mind, especially those of you who have never met a Human." The teacher looked at the clock. "I have nothing else for all you, so enjoy your extra hour of your class break." With that, most of the students stood up with excited faces as they slowly trickled out of the classroom.

When the professor noticed Todd and Sera were the last ones left, he smiled. "And I'd like to especially thank the two of you for showing such enthusiasm for this course."

"Don't mention it" Sera said.

"What's going to happen to you now?" Todd asked. "Not enough signed up for this class to continue."

"I'll just have to teach a different kind of history" the professor said with a sigh. "If my classes continue to not reach enough students, I may just have to teach somewhere else."

"Well, I hope it works out for you" Sera said with smile.

"Same here" Todd added.

"Thank you. Now if you'll excuse me..." the professor said he walked towards the door. "I have to head to administration to discuss said future classes. Be sure to leave within an hour, otherwise you two might get locked in here during the break."

As the professor left the room Todd and Sera sighed as they each grabbed their things. Todd was the first to make it to the door, but as he reached for the handle Sera said "Wait..." Todd turned around to face Sera. "I know that with our different majors that the odds of us sharing another class again are slim, but..." Sera took a deep breath. "Would it be alright if we continue seeing one another?"

Todd smiled. "Of course it's alright."

Sera smiled as she let out an internal sigh of relief.

"Got any plans for the break?" Todd asked.

"No. You?"

"Nope. Want to make some?" Todd opened the door.

"I'd love to" Sera said as she followed him out.

---

"During that week-long break, we decided to give a shot to being a couple" Sera said as she finished telling the story to the Chiennas.

"And the rest is history" Todd added in.

"That's so sweet" Mrs. Chienna said with a smile. "Isn't that right dear..." When she turned to her husband, she realized that he had dozed off in his chair. Mrs. Chienna looked back at Todd and Sera. "Please don't mind him; he didn't find your story boring, he..."

"It's alright" Sera said as she gave Mrs. Chienna a smile. "We offered for him to take a nap. His body finally caved into what it needed."

Todd checked the time on his phone. "Would have been impressive if he had stayed up, considering the amount of time it took for us to tell that story. That roast should be close to done now."

"Good timing then" Sera said as she stood up. She focused on Mrs. Chienna and said, "You can let him rest until the food is ready to be served." Mrs. Chienna gave Sera a thankful nod. As Sera passed by Todd she knelt down and whispered in his left ear "I'm going to let the kids know diner is almost done. I'll leave the food to you." She gave Todd a kiss on the cheek before she entered the house.

Todd let out a contented sigh as he slowly pushed himself off the chair and proceeded inside.

---

Later that night Todd and Sera were finishing up getting ready for bed. "I think today went very well" Sera said as she lied down on the bed.

"Yeah" Todd said as he exited the bathroom. "Both of them seem like good people."

"And hopefully their daughter, Irena, starts to open up to us once she gets to know us."

"You can only ask shy kids to do so much..." Todd said he approached the bed. "Maybe her spending more time with Tom will help her be little more outgoing like what happened with Ren."

"We'll see..." Sera sighed as she turned onto her stomach. "We still have to make a decision with the Chiennas on what will be allowed in terms of Tom to go to their house again."

"I'm sure we'll figure something out that will satisfy every..." Todd trailed off when he realized Sera was staring at him with a look of need. "What?"

"Think we can reenact the first time you came to my room?" Sera asked with a smirk.

"If you really need it, who am I to say no?" Todd said with a smile as he climbed over Sera and straddled his legs outside of Sera's. "Ready?"

Sera nodded her head and waited. Eventually she felt Todd's digits and nails press against her back. A shiver when down her spine as Todd applied various pressure and circle movements. Sera let out a moan as Todd continued to massage up and down her back. "You don't know how much this helped me out during that stressful semester and others that came afterwards..."

"I think I got the idea after you told me I have magic paws." Todd chuckled as he reached for Sera's shoulders and neck, eliciting another moan from her.

After a few more minutes Sera turned her head to side so that she could look at Todd. Todd realized that Sera was giving him the needing look again. "Need some more?"

Sera let out a content sigh. "How about we reenact when you came to my room for the third time?"

Todd's ears shot up in full attention and his tail straightened up in surprise. He gave Sera a seductive smile as he reached over the side of the bed. "Let me get the lights..."

With a click, the bedroom went dark.

---

---

Been quite a while, huh?

Sorry for the wait