Show Me Your Fangs - Chapter One -
#1 of Show Me Your Fangs
Simon is a Grey Wolf, accepted into a prestigious University for the wealthy students of their society. He was sponsored into this College, finding himself out of place and surrounded by students far above his own lowly social status and ranking...
Show Me Your Fangs
Chapter One
© Cederwyn Whitefurr
16thMarch, 2020
All Rights Reserved.
"No-one remembers the War to end all Wars...for once, this verdant, peaceful world was ruled by tribes of humans in countless numbers beyond imagination! Who knows who started it - all records of the time before have been lost in the mists of centuries past...
A virulent plague swept through humanity, stealthy, subtle, unstoppable...dozens died, then hundreds, then thousands - on it went, despite their best efforts and technology to stop it. Within a single lifetime, humanity vanished from the earth - the time of the animals - our time - began...
At first our distant ancestors claimed back the abandoned cities, at first they were afraid - for they had learned to fear humanity - but they found only bodies and bones. Soon, a great miracle happened - we began to evolve, to change and to grow...through countless centuries, our people become as those who had come before, were - upright, bipedal - intelligent...
That was the Great Awakening, in our shared past. We took back the abandoned places, learned to co-exist side by side, predators and prey alike...yet it was not the utopia we know now, no, we were young, we made mistakes and our civilsation rose and fell as our ability to destroy each other, outpaced out wisdom and our intellect.
Yet we persevered - we outgrew such things, learned to live in peace and harmony - making this world our own, from that time, until our last..."
Thus spoke the Lecturer, an old, grey muzzle Mule Deer, who stood at the podium and read to us from what I'd assumed was a prepared speech. All of us knew the history of our people, yet it was repeated again, so this time I paid attention and made copious notes in my book - just in case it was important or come up in a later mid-term or some-such.
*
My name is Simon, Simon Greyfurr, and I'm a wolf, a Canis Lupis, if you wish to be specific, or known simply as the Grey Wolf...
This is my tale...
*
I was accepted under the lower sociological intake for the prestigious and expensive University. My tuition paid for by rich, wealthy sponsors, as there was no way one from such a low social standing such as I - would ever have been able to afford to even glance in the direction of such an establishment as this!
In this higher echelon of learning and standing - I was out of my league in every way possible. I come from a low income, broken home, hence my sociological standing in society was at best, pitied and looked down upon - at worst - lets just say I had to do unspeakable things from a young age to live, things I am ashamed of - but things that moulded me into what I had become as a young adult...
I digress, forgive me, for just because my tuition was paid for, did not mean I received a free meal ticket, oh no, far from it! I studied hard and long, pushing myself day after day, week after torturous week, month after month - to do my best, and make them proud of me. I struggled, the Moon knows I struggled - both emotionally, physically and mentally.
Yet through all this, I grew and thrived, finding myself challenged and pushed to my limits, but this gave me the courage and the strength to rise above expectations of who I was, and where I had come from. It gave me intent and purpose - and a reason for being...or so I thought.
*
Then just as I thought my life was on the right track - fate decided to twist my tail...
*
His name is Nicholas, Nicholas Hart, a proud, high-class offspring of Albert and Irene Hart, a proud, noble line whose many familial holdings encompassed everything from Electronics through to Construction and other businesses. He wasn't born into money, he _was_money - all the trappings and glory that come with it...
He looked at me the first day we met, down his nose like he was looking at something that was almost beneath his notice, before he held out a paw towards me. Nervous, I took the offered paw in my own and gently shook it, noticing he wore expensive synthetic leather gloves, almost as if he were were afraid of some virulent contagion from a carnivore.
With a disdainful sniff, he looked around, his muzzle wrinkling in apathetic disgust.
"I suppose this will have to suffice, I should have words with the Dean about these deplorable conditions!"
Looking around myself, I couldn't understand where he was coming from. To me, the dorm room was the height of opulence and decadence. Seemingly no expense had been spared in decorating these rooms, with very comfortable chairs a writing desk that was bigger than I thought necessary and other modern luxuries.
A human stood behind him, in the open doorway, carrying his luggage.
"Yes, put it over there," Come the voice of the Stag, as he gestured in a offhand way. "That will be all Jeeves!"
"Yes sir," Come the respectful, polite voice of the human. "Of course, sir."
I was speechless, never would I have imagined speaking down to someone - anyone - like the way the Stag spoke to the man, whom, in hindsight, I realised must be a family retainer of some sort. After the servant left, closing the door behind him, the Stag turned to look down at me as I sat on the edge of the narrow bed.
"Rooming with a Carnivore, how droll..." He snorted, then turned away, dismissing me as if I was less than nothing.
I found I had no words, only guilt and shame at my existence, then wondering what I'd done to end up with someone so far above my social standing...
*
To my surprise, I found my social standings improve remarkably, with him as my dormitory companion. He was somewhat of a celebrity it turned out - excelled at his classes and was involved in committees and meetings on campus that I'd never even thought about. It turned out he was a full three years ahead of me, studying sociopolitical studies and other high-brow courses.
Me? I was barely scraping by with IT studies - something I found interesting and challenging, but ultimately, I'd probably end up on some help desk in some basement, most probably...oh, sure, society claimed to be enlightened and evolved - but the gulf between carnivores and herbivores was virtually insurmountable.
When was the last time a carnivore held a job in a high stress business as the CEO or even the VP? How many decades had it been? I didn't know, all I knew, was me and mine were 'un-offically' classed as menial labourers or did the jobs that no herbivore wanted or was willing to do. Many of us were janitors, blue collar workers and other labor intensive jobs with low income and little or no hope of advancement.
So much for equality...
*
Weeks turned to months, the seasons come and went, my fortunes amongst both predator and prey - forgive me - carnivores and herbivores - changed precipitously. I was shy, awkward and nervous, always just a heartbeat away from having my tail tucked between my legs whenever a herbivore instinctively twitched when I walked near them.
Yet I found myself more and more no longer an outsider or an outcast, as by association with Nicholas, my own fortunes changed for the better. Sure, I was never one of the 'in' crowd, amongst the student body committee and so on - but I was involved with the drama group - albeit out of sight and mind as a stage hand, or lighting or some menial task - whilst he took the spotlight, literary and figuratively, as the lead role in the student play.
He had no problem with companionship - be it male or female, with his strong, masculine physique and high and mighty social upbringing. Everywhere he went, students acted like immature schoolgirls around him - even the professors and others looked upon him like a favoured student and role model for the others to live up too.
I admired him from afar - it was all I could do, then one night after an intensive gym session, I found myself alone with him in the showers...
I usually was the last to shower, not that I was body conscious or shy - but because it put others at ease around me. Its hard to concentrate when you can see and smell the nervousness of herbivores in close proximity to carnivores - oh, its subtle, but a once apex predator such as my kind once were - well - you can't take away millennia of instinct.
He stepped behind the waist high wall that separated the lockers from the showers, then stripped off the towel and hung it on a hook. His cloven hooves, polished and well kept, clicked hollowly on the tiles as he didn't even glance my way. I did, I couldn't help it, as I took in the lithe, athletic body. From his ankles, up his well toned shins, strong, muscular thighs...
One long ear flicked, and he glanced sideways at me as he reached for the soap. I adverted my attention and tilted my muzzle up into the hot streaming water, to hide my embarrassment and guilt - I couldn't help it, that beautiful Cervid body was sculpted by some God, such was its perfection and delight for the senses.
As he began to lather himself up, it took all my inner strength not to watch, it was a close thing, but I'm sure he sensed my increasing nervousness and hurried movements as I finished bathing myself. I hid my emotions well, controlled myself to the tightest extent I could, but it was close - closest I've ever come in my life...and quickly turning off the taps, I turned away, the heat from my blush feeling like it'd melt the fur clean off my muzzle.
As I reached for my towel, I heard a single click of the cloven hoof behind me and my body froze as if sculpted from ice.
"Simon - " Came his voice.
My ears flattened in fear and shame, I couldn't help it, as I turned about, bowing my head as was expected of me.
His paw reached out and lightly touched under my pale chin, forcing me to lift my head to look into his eyes. For what felt like an eternity, he held me with his gaze. I felt like a rabbit under the eyes of one of my ancestral brothers - so intense was his gaze, it transfixed me and held me helpless within it.
Unexpectedly, he moved closer, his other paw lightly touching my cheek as a low, weak whine come from my throat and my tail tucked itself between my legs. I was expecting his insults, some high brow snarky comment, about how I'd watched him, how unbecoming it was to gaze upon a herbivore such as him, something, that'd shatter what little self confidence and self worth I had left to me...
Our noses almost touching, I could smell his breath, taste his scent, as I was sure he could my own. He held my eyes a moment longer, before his closed and he leaned forwards, then his furred lips ever so gently brushed against my cold, wet nose and he smiled at me - not some sadistic, pitiful smile, but a genuine, deep and friendly one.
I didn't know what to say or to do - him - highborn, a herbivore and of such impeccable breeding and manners - me? One step removed from gutter trash, hopelessly outclassed and beneath even his contempt...
His lips brushed my nose again, before he stepped back and turned towards his shower, one eye closing in a sly wink at me.
"I know...." He murmured, before tilting his head up towards the scalding water that washed over him as he slicked back his ears and scrubbed them.
I stood, staring - I couldn't help it - my ears flat, my tail tucked between my legs like some cur off the streets...
He knew...
I wish I did...
To Be Continued...