FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Renaissance of the Soul

Chapter 1: A Willing Sacrifice and A New Home

Author's Note: I would like to give a big "thank you" to Renz, who had to sit and spend an untold amount of time proof-reading this chapter...twice.

The soft rain poured down on the crossroad, as if the sky itself was weeping at the grotesque sight below. In the middle of the road there was a boy, no older than sixteen, his eyes clouded and lifeless as he lay on the road, blood pooling around his pale body as ambulance sirens could be heard in the distance.

Moments ago, this sad shape of a child was standing on the sidewalk, waiting for the school bus to transport him to the boredom of everyday high school life. At the time, he was wearing his favorite shirt, which was a yellow t-shirt with a faded biohazard symbol on the front, and a pair of blue jeans that fell down just past his knees.

The boy observed his surroundings and sighed, listening to his mp3 player as he waited for the bus, hoping that it wouldn't be as late as it usually was. It was at this moment that a brightly colored ball bounced its way onto the road. The boy didn't notice this ball, since he was too busy looking down at his mp3 player to notice the ball hitting the pavement. However, when the boy finally looked up from his music, he saw a young girl, about eight years old, walk onto the road to retrieve her ball. In the corner of his eye, the boy could see a Sedan driving towards the girl, and knew that if someone didn't do something, that girl would be as good as dead.

The boy said nothing as he dropped his bag on the ground and sprinted at the girl, even though he knew that the car was getting closer by the second. He ignored the sound of the car's horn blaring in his ears quickly pushing the little girl out of the way of the on coming car. The little girl fell to the ground, landing on her butt a foot away. The boy looked over to the car, and could only see a flash of white as the car seemed to slide upon the wet ground, crashing into the teen.

The little girl screamed and started to cry, the bloody sight before her scaring her more than ever. The sounds of the crying child attracted the attention of her mother, who came outside to see what was making her daughter cry so loudly. Her attention was immediately brought to the sad, broken shape of the teenage boy lying in the street. The mother panicked, and quickly grabbed her child, taking her away from the dying boy who had saved the little girl moments before. As the boy watched the little girl get dragged away from the scene, a small smile crept across his bloodied face. The boy felt a mixture of feelings envelope him, the pain of his injuries, the cold rain that seemed like droplets of ice raining down on his battered body, the sadness of knowing that he was going to die here, and the self-satisfaction that he had saved someone from a fate much like his friend's. Soon enough, he lost all of these feelings, as his vision began to fade and his body started loosing warmth.

He saw the man who had hit him with his car, and watched as the man shouted at him, but these cries fell on deaf ears. The boy had lost his hearing moments before, and now he was too weak to keep his eyes open. The boy slowly closed his eyes, tears falling down his face, mixing with the rain that mercilessly beat down onto his face. He simply lay there, awaiting his grim fate. Unlike what most people seemed to believe, the boy's life didn't flash before his eyes, but instead, unfamiliar voices filled the boy's head, and a loud beeping sound could be heard close by.

"Damn it Nora, we're losing him! I don't care if you have to overload the damn thing, just bring him back now!" a feminine voice roared, as the boy suddenly started to feel his body once again, his pain no longer present as his senses starting to return to him. Danny could feel something was wrong with his body, it felt somewhat different, as if he had been changed somehow.

"Simon, can you hear me? Say something, please say something," a soft, womanly voice beckoned, as the boy felt what he thought was a soft hand on his cheek. The boy couldn't recognize the name, since his name was Daniel Bogard. Danny slowly opened his eyes, wanting to see what had somehow managed to bring him back to life. He immediately wanted to shut his eyes again upon seeing the creature that was resting its black, furry hand upon his cheek. This creature looked like a normal human woman, but was covered with fur from head to toe and had the face of a fox instead of a human face. The vixen had clean white fur, with black 'gloves' on her hands and had black fur covering the tip of her tail. From what Danny could see, she was wearing a pair of pink scrubs, and continued to stare at Danny with a look of concern on her foxy features.

Danny smacked the weird paw-like hand away from him and jumped out of the bed, panicking and slightly hysterical. Danny ran to the opposite side of the room, his eyes wide with fear as he tried to find something to defend himself with. Danny quickly noticed that there were no windows in the room, and it was as if the walls and the ceiling were made of metal.

"Simon, everything's okay now, the operation was a success, so please, just lay down-" The vixen started to say, approaching Danny and revealing her paw-like feet. Danny's eyes darted around the room, which was filled with a number of machines and gadgets that were unknown to him. Danny looked down at himself, and saw that he was no longer human, and that he resembled the weird, fox-like creature walking towards him.

"What the hell are you, and what did you do to me?!" Danny interrupted, grabbing a nearby chair and holding it in front of himself, his 'paws' trembling in fear of the creature.

She was shocked by Danny's question, and replied, "What?! Simon, what's wrong with you? "

"I'm not Simon! My name is Danny Bogard, now what did you freaks turn me into?!" Danny yelled, his fear slowly turning into rage as he quickly realized that he could easily outmatch this creature in a fight. The vixen slowly started to realize that what Danny was saying was true, and this truth seemed to depress her to the point where her eyes started to water.

"Y-you're a cat...an anthropomorphic black cat. W-we were trying to bring back an operative of ours, Simon Kinsley...but we obviously failed and brought you here. I'm sorry, but that's all I can tell you," The vixen stated, slowly backing away from Danny as he approached, slowly building up the courage to step forward. "W-wait, if you just wait here, we can send you back to where you came from! No one has to get hurt..."

"What makes you think I can trust you? I'm sorry, but I'm getting out of here," Danny said, throwing the chair at the vixen, and bolting towards the door. The chair crashed against the fox, sending her to the ground with a welt on her fore arms and a big welt on her forehead. Danny then stopped, realizing that he was still in a hospital gown.

"If I go out wearing this, they'll just throw me right back in here..." Danny thought to himself, glancing around the room to try and find some kind of clothing that he could wear. Danny smiled as he saw a bundle of clothes sitting on a nearby table, and was quick to throw the clothes on. Danny looked down at the clothing he had acquired, and sighed. Danny now wore a pair of navy blue jeans, his favorite shirt, and a black leather coat. Danny quickly pulled up the coats collar, hoping that it would keep his face partially hidden from the other employees.

Danny left the room in the most casual way possible, and calmly walked down the clean, white hall of the hospital, his foot-pads tapping on the cool tile floor beneath him. Danny looked at the numerous signs on the walls, and eventually made his way to the stairs. In most cases, Danny would have chosen the elevator, but the elevator was, in essence, a room with no way out and would trap him. Danny slowly descended the concrete stairs; the hairs on his body standing up in suspense as he slowly descended them, his heart beating a little faster every time someone passed him. All the while, Danny's heightened senses only helped to make him even more jumpy, every conversation and every movement sounding closer than it actually was.

Danny sighed as he finally touched down on the bottom floor, and calmly made his way to the back entrance of the hospital, dodging past a wide array of creatures on his way there. Danny was amazed by how diverse this world was, and how no one seemed intimidated by one another, despite the differences in species.

"Simon! Wait!"

Danny recognized the voice, the same voice who had first uttered the name Simon, and while he was tempted to look back, he continued to walk, albeit a little faster than before. Danny could hear a commotion starting behind him, and the moment he got past the glass doors, he made a mad dash away from the hospital.

Danny ran, not paying attention to the suburb that surrounded him, or how similar it was to his own world, he just ran. It was the only thing he could do now, run, and pray that whoever was chasing him didn't catch up. Danny could barely breath, his stamina running out faster than he had expected, and after a few more minutes of running, he simply collapsed, falling onto the middle of the road and passing out from exhaustion.

***

Danny slowly awoke, his head spinning and his body covered in a cold sweat. He looked around at his new surroundings and saw that he was now laying in the backseat of a Sedan. Danny glanced around quickly, and nearly jumped when he saw a pair of yellow eyes staring at him. Danny looked at the creature, and recognized it as a wolf, covered with grey fur, except for his ears which had black fur on the tips. From what Danny could tell, the wolf looked about two years older than him and was definitely more muscular than the small, frightened cat that Danny was.

"Hey Dad, Sleeping Beauty woke up!" The wolf said, patting the much larger fur in the front seat on the shoulder before pointing at Danny, who was still confused, and was now more frightened than before.

"Who are you people, and where the hell am I?" Danny asked, sitting up in his seat, relieved that he hadn't been tied down to the car seat.

"Well, we're the Stone family, and we're taking you to the hospital-" The driver started, who was a considerably older wolf than the one sitting next to him. He had black fur all over his body, except for the fur on his lower jaw that seemed to travel down the older wolf's neck and under his black business suit.

"Don't do that! I'm completely fine! Just drop me off here and I'll leave, but please don't take me there!" Danny pleaded, ashamed that he was begging so pitifully to a pair of wolves, which was only made more ironic by Danny being a cat.

"...If you insist, we can just take you home then," The older wolf replied, obviously a little confused as to why such a small cat would refuse medical treatment.

"I don't have a home, not after my parents..." Danny stated, realizing that he would need a story to keep them from figuring out that he was on the run.

"Oh you poor kitten...Ashton, I think I'm going to let the boy stay with us for a while."

"W-what?! Where's he going to sleep?" The wolf in the passenger's seat asked, obviously as shocked at the driver's decision as Danny was.

"In your room of course," The old, black furred wolf said casually, as if taking in a stranger was of no risk or consequence to him.

"What?!" Both Danny and Ashton asked, looking back at each other with a questioning glance.

"I'm not going to argue with you Ashton. You have enough space in your room, and I for one do not want to force this cub back onto the street. We're going to take him back to our home and that's final," Ashton's father commanded, making both teens a little antsy. Danny looked out the window to try and avoid this awkward atmosphere and saw that they were currently driving down a dirt path into the woods.

"I'm sorry to ask, but where do you live?" Danny asked, wondering why they were driving into the middle of the forest.

"We live out in the woods, where no one will hear you scream." Ashton said, giving Danny a menacing smile, which did nothing for Danny's nerves, especially after what he had just been through.

"Ashton, he's been through enough as it is! He is going to be a guest in our house, so you will treat him with respect, do you understand?" Ashton's father scolded, his deep, loud voice startling Danny. This man sure didn't sound like the type of person who sheltered the homeless, but they seemed trustworthy so far. Danny decided to give them the benefit of the doubt, even if they did remind him of the Big Bad Wolf from "Little Red Riding Hood".

"Sure thing dad...Okay kitten, you see that really big house up there, that's where we live," Ashton stated, pointing at the large house at the top of the tree studded hill. Danny starred in awe of the home, which seemed more like a mansion than a house. The house seemed to take up the entire clearing, leaving only a few feet of space between the house itself and the trees. Ashton's father parked the Sedan in front of a pair of gigantic wooden doors that loomed over the trio.

"I'm sorry, but I won't be able to show you around, I have a meeting to get to and I probably won't be back until midnight. Ashton, you show our guest around the house and don't try to make a mess while I'm gone," Ashton's father said, before driving away and disappearing into the wilderness. Ashton waited for his father to go, his whole appearance getting more and more somber as his father got farther and farther away, and then, after a few moments, Ashton grabbed Danny by the arm, dragging him through the large wooden front doors and into the large mansion. Ashton slamed the large door closed behind them, letting go of Danny's arm before he did so.

"Okay, before we start the grand tour- Hey, where did he go?" Ashton asked after locking the front door, glancing around the massive hall to see that Danny had suddenly gone missing. Ashton sighed, sniffing the air and following Danny's scent, and was a little surprised when the scent seemed to descend from above him.

Ashton looked up to see that Danny had climbed up one of the two, vibrant red and gold drapes hanging next to the front doors.

"Um, what are you doing up there?" Ashton asked, watching as Danny seemed to come to his senses and freaked out.

Danny hissed at the wolf, and then quickly clamped a hand over his muzzle. Why did he climb up here in the first place, and did he just hiss?

"Uh...Um..." Danny muttered, his mind fruitlessly grasping at excuses as he slowly started to descend from the red and gold colored drape.

"It doesn't matter, as long as you don't do it again, okay? Lord knows how much money my parents put into those stupid looking things," Ashton stated, turning away from Danny as he started to walk toward the center of the main hall.

Danny followed Ashton, and took this moment to look over the wolf that was so courteously showing him around his home. Ashton was a good foot taller than Danny was, and looked like a very athletic fur. Suddenly, Ashton stopped, looking at the various doors that led out of the hall, and pondered where would be the best place to start his tour.

While Ashton was busy with his thoughts, Danny noticed that there was an odd, furry feeling on his tongue, and when he looked down to see what it was, Danny saw that he had been licking the back of his paw the entire time. He quickly took his paw away from his muzzle in disgust, desperately wanting to spit out the hair that might have gotten stuck on his tongue.

"Why did I just do that?! Can this get any worse?" Danny pondered, holding onto his paw so that he wouldn't lick it in the future.

"Hey, how 'bout we get you something to eat, you must be starving," Ashton suggested, oblivious to Danny's plight as he motioned for him to follow. Ashton walked over to a stained, oak door that was covered with fancy engravings, and added, "Oh, before I forget, my name's Ashton Stone, but please just call me Ash,"

"Okay, Ash, what do your parents do for a living?" Danny asked, his eyes wandering over to the wall, observing the numerous paintings that adorned them. They were all portraits of very strong, stern faced wolves, and it was easy to guess that these wolves must have been Ashton's ancestors.

"My parents are C.E.Os of two multi-billion dollar companies, but to be honest, I think they're working on some secret project for the government," Ashton started, laughing a little after his statement before adding, "Okay, to be honest, I have no idea what my parents do, they're hardly around and they never talk about work when we're together, but they always seem to be busy and never seem to run out of cash, so it must be something pretty important."

Ashton looked over to Danny and noticed that he was staring at an old portrait of a black wolf who was wearing Victorian clothing. The painting itself was slightly faded, the colors dulled over time as the canvas started to feel the effects of time. The wolf was smiling happily, which was odd since most portraits showed old men with monotone expressions.

"Do you like it? It's a portrait of one of my ancestors, Daniel Stone. He was an amazing painter, but an odd one. You see, this was the only fur he drew. Everything he painted after this...well; I'll let you see for yourself." Ashton stated, leading Danny into a doorway to the right, which led into a large study filled with rows upon rows of ancient, dust covered books. Along the right hand wall, there was a row of paintings, each one depicting the image of a human boy throughout his life.

Danny started to shake as he stared at the paintings, trying to hide his shock from the large fur beside him. Every single painting showed Danny in his human form, and each painting seemed to portray a different even in Danny's life. Of course, the settings and clothing were changed to fit the times, but Danny could still recognize the events, and it was as if someone had taken a photo of that moment, changed a few minor details, and painted it on a canvas.

A baby being held in it's mothers arms, Danny's first kiss, the tragic accident that took Lisa's life, Danny's brother leaving home to go to war, and finally, Danny's death. All of these moments were up on display and it ashamed Danny that all of these personal moments were now hanging in someone's study.

"Danny, what's wrong?" Ashton asked, noticing Danny's trembling body, worried that the younger teen might pass out.

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just hungry, that's all," Danny replied, his stomach aiding him in his ruse by growling loudly.

Ashton snickered, "I guess we better get something to eat then, huh?"

"Yeah, that would be great..." Danny said, his voice becoming weaker as he suddenly collapsed again, falling to his knees as he started to feel a little light headed. Ashton hurried over to Danny, but stopped when Danny held up his arm. "Don't worry, I'm just exhausted is all...could you help me walk to the kitchen?"

"In your condition? You'd just fall on your ass again," Ashton said, walking over to Danny's side and lifting him up off the floor.

"H-hey! Put me down!" Danny protested, watching as Ashton carried him out of the study and back into the hallway. Ashton walked over to the door that Danny and he had planned on entering before, and slowly opened it with his foot, the door opening and seemingly vanished into the pitch-black room.

"Hey, what's your name?" Ashton asked, feeling a little silly for waiting till now to ask.

"Danny...Danny Bogard," Danny replied, wondering why Ashton hadn't asked Danny for his name earlier.

"Danny, would you please clap your paws twice for me?" Ashton asked with a smile on his muzzle that made Danny want to pet the wolf on the head in response. Danny brought up both of his paws, and clapped them together, watching as the darkness instantly gave way to the light of the overhead lamps that lit up a quaint little kitchen. It was equipped with a stove, a dishwasher, and a sink which were attached to the east wall. On the north, there was a large window through which Danny could see the sun as it started setting over the hill and into the dark depths of the forest. Sitting in the middle of the room was a decently sized dining table, complete with six chairs, three of which were probably for guests. Ashton set Danny down onto one of the chairs, and sighed in relief.

"You're a bit heavier than you look," Ashton teased, patting Danny on the shoulder as he started to prepare dinner.

"Do that again and I swear to God I'll...I'll," Danny exclaimed, that little ride scaring him quite a bit. For all Danny knew, Ashton could have taken him off to some foreign part of the house, and could've had his way with him.

"You'll what, kill me? Don't make me laugh, I could take you down easily," Ashton boasted, making Danny hiss a little. "What, you think I couldn't?"

"...Look, just don't do that again, okay? Would you like it if a stranger started carrying you around their house?" Danny asked, calming down a little, now that his feet were back on the ground.

"Fine, I won't do it again. Now you need to calm down, we're going to be living with each other till we find you a good home," Ashton stated, turning to see Danny looking down at his paws. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh?! Oh, it's nothing...well; actually, I did want to ask you something. Why are you being so nice to me? I mean, it's not like we've known each other for a while, and for all you know I could be a criminal," Danny asked, confused as to why Ashton was treating him so nicely after having only met hours before. Danny watched as Ashton walked away from the stove for a moment and sat down across from him.

"To be honest, I don't know why. Is it because I feel bad about all you've been through while I've been living a cushy life, or is it because I'm lonely and need someone to talk to..." Ashton replied, not seeing the somber and pitiful look on Danny's face.

"I love my parents, I really do, but they're never here, and when I try to make friends they only seem to care about my family's wealth. This life of luxury, it feels so...empty," Ashton added, resting his right arm on the table, while he massaged his forehead with his left paw.

Danny reluctantly reached out his right paw, placing it on top of Ashton's, watching as Ashton pulled his hand away from his face to see what it was that had touched him. Danny grabbed the open paw, and felt Ashton return the gesture, and said, "I kinda know what it's like, not having friends or family members. But, I can try to be there for you when times get tough," Danny stated, immediately regretting that statement for how "gay" it sounded. But still, there was a slight truth in Danny's words.

Danny had no one in this world, no friends, no family, and not even any kind of evidence to prove that he even existed. Despite this, when Ashton gave Danny a toothy smile, and suddenly pulled him out of his chair and into an embrace, Danny felt that he was safe, even if the sudden act startled the crap out of him and turned the somewhat tender moment into an awkward one.

"Thank you so much!" Ashton said, repeating it joyfully as he seemed to hold Danny in this increasingly awkward embrace. Danny wanted out of this, not only because of how awkward it was starting to become, he also remembered the last time he had these kinds of sensations, and if anything, they were scaring him more than anything in this world before now.

"Damn it, I'm not gay, and I'm not gonna fall for this...this...thing!" Danny thought to himself, his thoughts remaining on Lisa; the only girl he ever loved and the one Danny promised to never forget.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt your love-making guys, but the pot is boiling over..." A cynical, feminine voice stated which got Ashton to quickly end the embrace as he cursed to himself and quickly turned the stove off.

"Damn it...Now I have to start all over again," Ashton sighed in frustration, dumping the contents of the pot into the sink as he started up another batch of...whatever it was he was going to make. Danny was left to fall back onto the chair he had been placed on, losing the strength in his legs the moment Ashton let go of him.

Danny looked over to the voice, his face still blushing as he saw a brown furred wolf girl that seemed to be in her twenties. She was leaning against the doorway, wearing a dark green tank-top, a pair of short shorts, and a pair of white socks to cover up her foot-paws.

"What, did Ashton forget to mention he had a sister? Oh, and by the way, thanks for locking me out of the house, Ash. Just be glad I carry a spare key on me," She growled, obviously in a very bad mood as she stood next to Danny, who was starting to tremble a little at the wolf-woman's fury. She looked down at him, and chuckled a little.

"I never figured you'd pick up a gay hobo, Ash. Didn't seem like they'd be your type...Oh, by the way, you might want to hide that boner of yours," She said, pointing down at Danny's crotch, which was now making a tent in his jeans.

"Nya! W-why are you looking down there anyways?!" Danny asked, his blush almost visible from behind his black fur. Danny then covered his mouth, surprised when his cry was suddenly replaced by some kind of animalistic sound.

"Stop teasing him Becky, he didn't do anything to you," Ashton said, not wanting to put up with his older sister's mood swings at the moment.

"Oh, but I bet you did a lot to him, what with you hugging him and stuff the moment I walked in. God knows what would've happened if I hadn't shown up to interrupt you two," Becky replied with a laugh, taking a seat across from Danny, who was only feeling more frightened by the second.

"It seems like you're in a bad mood tonight." Ashton stated, as he started to prepare Danny's dinner once again, hoping that he'd be distracted like he had been before.

"Hell yeah I am! Some cock sucking weasel gave me a damn parking ticket, and not only that, but I have jury duty tomorrow, do you know how fucking boring that's gonna be?" Becky retorted, resting her legs on the table as she leaned in her chair. When Danny heard her say "cock sucking weasel", he just had to wonder if she meant it was a weasel who gave her the ticket, or if it was just an expression. Either way, Becky was definitely a very fierce individual and it scared Danny to no end. It was a wonder that Ashton was so calm and collected while his sister ranted on and on.

"Um, Becky, if you don't mind me asking, what do you do for a living?" Danny asked, hoping to keep her from getting any angrier by changing the subject.

"I don't suck cock for a living, unlike you, ya fucking spazz," Becky said, a smug look on her muzzle, obviously enjoying the verbal abuse she was giving Danny.

"Shut up Becky! I don't care what you thought we were doing, he's still our guest, and we should be treating him with respect!" Ashton roared, startling Danny to the point where he nearly fell out of his chair. What happened to the lonesome, sad little puppy that Danny had just talked to moments before?

"Oh, well if that's the case, maybe I should give him a hug too, and kiss him while I'm at it!" Becky retorted, sarcasm dripping from every word she spoke.

"You know what, fine, don't tell him about your job. He probably wouldn't want to hear about your crappy your line of work is anyways" Ashton replied, a grin on his face when his sister slammed her right paw on the table, obviously unable to tolerate Ashton's insult.

To be honest, Ashton was right, Danny couldn't care anymore about this vicious beast, wanting her to leave more than anything right now. But instead, she sat down, resting her feet on the table before finally speaking.

"Crappy?! I'm a photographer for a Fashion magazine, Cosa Di Bellezza! I know it's Italian for something, but I couldn't be bothered to remember what it means, not for some stupid hobo like you-"

"Thing of Beauty; that's what Cosa Di Bellezza means...I think," Danny interrupted, "Seems like a fitting title for a fashion magazine."

"God, you're as annoying as my boss, and trust me when I say I hate that stupid bird. You wanna know why I hate him? It's because he keeps throwing Italian into every single sentence that comes out of that fucking beak of his. I have to keep a dictionary on me just to understand what he's saying half of the time!" Becky exclaimed, using hand motions to try and give Danny an idea of what she was talking about.

"At least he's not making you wear ridiculous outfits, right?"

"...You've got a point, Pussyfoot," Becky replied, even though she didn't like the thought of agreeing with this idiot. "I kinda feel bad for those models now...what am I talking about, I hate those stuck up little-"

"My name's not Pussyfoot, its Danny," Danny retorted, hating the name Becky had decided to give him. It made him sound like a pansy...even if he technically was one. Danny wasn't the most athletic teen in the world, and he wasn't very good at sports, if anything, the only thing going for him was how fast he could run, along with his incredible stamina.

A loud, obnoxious ring tone started to echo throughout the kitchen, the tune sounding like a really bubbly pop song, and seemed to irritate Danny immensely. Becky sighed in frustration as she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, pressing a button on the front of the phone and growling a little. Danny could only guess that she just got a text from her boss.

"Well, looks like I'm not done yet, apparently there's a new fashion show in town, and my cock of a boss needs me to go there to take all the good pictures before anyone else does." Becky stated, standing up and walking around the table, gripping Danny's shoulders as she leaned down until her muzzle was right next to his ear.

"As for what you and my brother do to each other while I'm not here, I couldn't honestly give a shit. But lord help you if you hurt him, understand Pussyfoot?" She whispered, her red-colored claws unsheathing themselves as she patted Danny on the cheek before leaving the room.

"I'm not gay! And stop calling me Pussyfoot!" Danny cried out, only to hear Becky slam the front door behind her. Danny sighed in relief, sweat starting to run down his fur as he tried his best to calm down.

"Here you go Danny, hope you like it." Ashton stated, setting a bowl of hot soup in front of Danny. Danny sniffed at the bowl instinctively, and couldn't quite recognize the smell. Danny was a little cautious about what he was given, but he was absolutely starving and was thankful that he wouldn't be dining on some kind of cat food variant tonight.

Ashton laughed as he saw Danny eat the bowl's contents with furious speed, as if the poor kitten never ate anything in his whole life. Danny glared at him for a second, but quickly continued.

"Hey, slow down or you'll choke," Ashton chuckled, watching as Danny immediately decreased his speed.

"This is so good!" Danny exclaimed, his mouth still full with bits and chunks of some unknown food.

"I guess you're feeling better now, huh?" Ashton asked, watching as Danny finished devouring his dinner. He noticed that Danny's chin was dripping with broth, and quickly grabbed a napkin from the kitchen counter and wiped Danny's chin until it was dry.

"I can take care of myself Ash," Danny muttered, fruitlessly rubbing his chin with his paw to try and wipe away any broth that might have remained on him.

"Then why did I have to carry you in here?" Ashton asked with a sly grin.

"That's low," Danny retorted, "You know I wasn't feeling well, and it wasn't my fault that my legs failed on me!"

"Okay, okay, calm down, I was only teasing you. So, now that you're all ready to go, let's get back to our tour," Ashton replied, getting up from his seat as he walked over to the doorway, keeping an eye on Danny in case he fell again. Danny picked up his bowl, with his eating utensils lying inside it, and carried it over to the sink, where he dropped off the bowl and its contents and hurried over to Ashton.

Now that Danny had time to think, it was amazing how quickly he had been able to adapt to this new world and his new body. However, he wasn't sure that he could easily adapt to other creatures like Ashton and himself, what with his near constant displays of cat-like tendencies. Still, Danny could only pray that most of the populous wasn't as fierce as Becky was.

"I think you can handle walking to your room, so let's get going," Ashton replied, walking out of the kitchen and waiting for Danny to follow him just outside the doorway. Danny motioned for Ashton to give him a minute as he stayed in the kitchen, pondering what was going on in his head when he grasped onto Ashton's paw? Lord knows that was already gay enough, but then Danny had to open his stupid muzzle and make things worse.

"Damn it...what's wrong with me?" Danny pondered, jumping a little when he heard a knock on the doorway. Danny turned to see Ashton standing there, motioning for Danny to hurry up with whatever he was doing. Danny scratched the back of his head as he smiled back at Ashton bashfully, and quickly followed him up the stairs.

The duo took a left, and headed down a long hallway until they reached the last room on the right. Ashton opened the door for Danny, getting a "thank you" in response to his chivalrous act. Ashton's room was, in a word, untidy. The bed hadn't been made, piles of clothes lay on the floor, a number of dvd and videogame cases sat on top of the night stand, and the walls were haphazardly plastered with multiple posters, each one promoting either a band, a movie, or a videogame. Aside from a few wooden drawers, a large, king-sized bed that was set against the west wall, and a large television that seemed to be jutting out of the east wall, there was nothing else peculiar about the room itself.

"Hey Ashton, what was up with your sister's claws? They were all red...is that normal?" Danny asked, sitting on the bed to test if he would be able to sleep on it. The bed was very soft, and seemed to contour itself to Danny's body, assuring that Danny would be able to sleep peacefully tonight.

"Uh...you do know that furs can get their claws painted, right? I don't understand why anyone would want to, but I guess it's just a fashion thing." Ashton replied, surprised that Danny didn't know about something as common as painted claws. Ashton simply concluded that Danny was a very sheltered cub before he hit the streets.

"I guess that makes sense...so, who is gonna sleep in the bed?" Danny asked, wondering if Ashton would even consider letting Danny sleep in his bed. Even though Danny was a guest, it was rather unlikely that Ashton would give up his bed to a homeless stranger that he had just met.

"I would be such a horrible fur if I made you sleep on the floor; after all you've been through. You can sleep on the bed tonight,"

"Okay, where are you going to sleep then?"

"I'll sleep on the floor," Ashton said, walking over to the bed to grab a pillow. Ashton simply tossed it down at the foot of the bed before he walked back over to the door.

"Now come on, we've still got a lot of ground to cover," Ashton urged, turning back to see that Danny was simply content with lying on top of the bed.

"I'm sorry, but I really need to sleep...I've had such a crappy day today, you don't even know how exhausted I am..." Danny said, already starting to lose consciousness as he continued to lay there, trying his best to ignore Ashton's scent on the pillows.

"Can I at least show you where the restroom is before you pass out on my bed?" Ashton asked, only getting a groan from Danny, who was opposed to the idea and didn't want to leave the comfort of the bed.

Ashton sighed, "Fine, do what you want, it's not like you're going to be living here for long anyways, I'm going to go get ready for bed. Goodnight Danny."

Danny simply waved to Ashton, and as he lay there, waiting for sleep to finally take him, he had to wonder what would happen to him. Those furs at the hospital were going to be looking for him, and it wasn't like he could hide inside this house for the rest of his life.

Danny sighed, and before letting himself fall asleep, he pondered, "What am I going to do?"