Across the Pond: Chapter 1
#1 of ACTP
_ Across the Pond : Chapter 1_
Wake up Joe, we're here" said Frank.
Joe half opened his eyes, briefly forgetting what was going on, then remembered where he was, still annoyed at his current situation, he shuffled, muttered something under his breath, and went back to sleep, deciding that this was a much better proposition than getting out of the car.
"Hey Joe" said Alice "I know your still not happy with this, but we're here now so you might as well come inside, it's a lot warmer in the house than in here, plus, there's the small matter of your own room".
Joe's ears perked right up, as much as he hated everything that was going on around him, the thought of having his own room was appealing, plus, he'd spent the last twelve hours sat bolt upright, and his body was screaming for him to lie down.
".....Fine" he said, stepping out of the car, his aching legs nearly gave way,
"Whoa easy there tiger!" shouted Alice "You ok there?",
"do I look like a tiger?" said Joe,
"no but if you keep up with the sarcasm you'll sound like one in no time" she mused.
After finding his bearings and picking up some boxes of his belongings from the car, he starting walking up to the house with Alice by his side, he glanced at his new surroundings, everywhere he looked the only colour that seemed to exist was White, he looked down and saw his feet disappear into the thick snow, he shivered and pressed his muzzle deep into his scarf, he couldn't believe how cold it was when he got off the plane, he was used to the cold back in England but not once did he ever have to wear two hoodies and a coat to stop himself from catching hyperthermia.
"Please tell me you have some tea bags inside" said Joe,
" all we've got is herbal tea I'm afraid" replied Alice "but I think Franks making some coffee, is coffee ok?,
coffee will do I suppose, so long as it's black" said Joe as they made their way to the front door,
"you sure? I think its best you go Lie down once we've got everything set up, the last thing a fox like you needs after being on a plane for eight hours is caffeine!" joked Alice.
Joe laughed slightly, she was right though, he was so jet lagged he couldn't even remember the address of his former flat, then all the memories of London, his lost independence, and everything that had happened to him in the last year briefly came flooding back, he quickly fought them back down again, realising that now was not the time to start sobbing uncontrollably again like he had the previous night, especially as it was so cold he was worried his tears might soak into his fur and then freeze. He glanced up at the middle aged tabby cat at his side, she and Frank were nice people he thought, and he didn't want to resent them and make their lives a misery by being bitter towards them for however he'd have to spend here.
After they finally made their way into the house, they dumped Joe's stuff in the hallway next to the other boxes Frank had already carried with him,
"Frank should be done in the kitchen by now, he's made us something to eat if your hungry?" said Alice as she stripped of her soaked boots,
"no thanks, I already ate on the plane" answered Joe, "I think I'm just going to carry some stuff upstairs and go to sleep for a bit, could you show me the upstairs please?
"of course, Frank could you help carry some of Joe's stuff upstairs please!".
"You sure you don't want anything to eat Joe?"
"I'm fine Frank honestly, I brought some food before I got on the plane, I just need some sleep otherwise I'll collapse"
"ok, well I guess I'll just have to cook something real big when you wake up!" laughed Frank as he carried the last box into Joe's new room
"yeah you do that" muttered Joe,
"Alice set the sheets up before you arrived, so you don't have to worry about that, if you want to have a shower, just pull the nozzle forward and then turn it, we'll be down stairs if you need anything, I guess I'll see you when you wake up, there's a lot of stuff that needs sorting out tomorrow, but now's not the time to worry".
"Ok...I'll guess I'll see you tomorrow then" said Joe.
"No problem" said Frank as he headed for the door
"oh and Joe"
"Yeah?"
"If you're going to smoke for goodness sake please open the window" said Frank, his smile quickly turning into a frown, his whiskers becoming all scrunched up around his features, he turned back round again and shut the door behind him.
For a while Joe had wondered whether he and Alice were incapable of showing more than one emotion, even so the frown sent a flutter of shame through his heart, but it didn't last long, as soon he was gone, Joe locked the door, and exhaled for what felt like the first time today, he looked around his new room, it was the smallest out of the three to choose from, but it certainly wasn't what you would call cramped, there was enough room for all his belongings, an enormous wardrobe for all his clothes, an en suite bathroom, and most important to Joe, a small window with a little ledge where he could sit.
He opened his bag, looking for an energy drink first, as soon as he found it, he took the cap off, and took a healthy swig from it, as nice as Frank and Alice were, He wasn't in the mood for having food he didn't want forced onto him, that's why the snacks given to him by the care worker for the flight were then given to a tramp outside the airport, it's also why he happily offered his in flight meal to the podgy looking skunk he was sat next to in exchange for money.
After finished off the energy drink, he took his packet of cigarettes out of his bag and made his way towards the window, after finally getting grips with the latch he opened it just enough for his muzzle to poke into the White landscape that lay before him, sitting on the ledge with one leg hanging off, he reached for his lighter, held it in front of his muzzle, then drew as much as could, he knew it was a bad habit but god it felt good, Frank and Alice would no doubt try and make him quit soon (they weren't too impressed when he first greeted them with a fag hanging out of his mouth), he quickly exhaled out the window and relaxed, as he took another draw he looked around his cosy new home, it wasn't as good as his old apartment but it would do, the only downside was the colour,
"White?, oh for fucks sake is that only colour that exists in North Dakota?" he grumbled.
He took one last draw, blowing circles out of the window for fun, jumped off the ledge and closed the window behind him, overcome with fatigue, he grabbed his toiletries out of his suitcase and headed for the bathroom, it was even smaller than his room but it had a toilet, sink and a small shower,
"If I get a hot plate and a microwave I'll be set for life at his rate" he joked to himself,
he stripped down to his boxers and examined himself, his fur was matted and unkempt, he hadn't washed into twenty four hours, the smell was thoroughly unpleasant as well, Alice and Frank must been real saints not to mention anything In the car, he turned the shower on pulling the nozzle forward like Frank said, he tested the water with his paw and yelped in surprise at the cold, he turned it to the right and gave it a minute to warm up. While he waited he looked into the mirror and examined his features, apart from the enormous bags under his eyes he wasn't a bad looking fox at all, his fur was a mixture of orange and white with a few red and black highlights here and there, and his bright green eyes always got him attention whether he wanted it or not.
Noticing that the mirror was steaming up, he grabbed a sponge and some soap, took off his underwear and stepped into the shower, he stood in the shower for what felt like hours, letting the warm water soak through his fur and ease the tensions in his muscles, he then squeezed some soap into the sponge, letting it mix with the water and then massaging it to create a rich, foamy lather, lifting the sponge to his chest, he slowly worked it into his fur, gently removing the grime. slowly moving towards his neck, he accidentally nudged his nipples, gasping he looked down and realised that even though the shower was very warm, the previous cold had made them very erect, he squeezed them slightly, surprised at how pleasurable the sensation was, he then looked down and saw the pink tip rising out of his sheath, he considered, but then laughed when he realised he'd been living in this house for less than an hour and he was already thinking about rubbing one out.
He quickly finished up in the shower, stepped out and examined his fur, he hadn't washed as thoroughly as he'd like, but having already decided he wasn't going anywhere tomorrow (he still had the house to explore) he didn't have to worry about his looks for one day at least. He looked in the mirror again, this time examining his body, he certainly wasn't what you'd call 'buff', he was extremely skinny, there wasn't an ounce of fat on him anywhere, he was slightly toned thanks to working out from time to time, but this didn't disguise the fact that if someone were to see him topless, the first thing they'd notice would be his ribs sticking through his fur.
After drying himself off and finding a fresh pair of briefs from his suitcase, he made his way to his new bed, it was a tiny single bed, but luckily Joe was an average height for a fox (i.e. Small), he noticed the sheets, duvet and pillow covers were White as well,
"I'll be having words with Alice tomorrow morning" he muttered,
He already had a rough idea of what he wanted to do with the room, "Lots of green" he thought, that sounds nice, he clambered into bed and instantly began drifting off, "this might not be so bad after all" he yawned, letting the imminent sleep wash over him, the last thoughts occupying his mind consisted of what the future might bring in this unfamiliar landscape.
This was a quick idea that I had that I jotted down on my iPhone, it was originally going to be non anthro, seeing as i've grown out of the whole furry thing, but I don't know of another site where i can get such good constructive feedback from the community, I've never done anything like this before, which is why the dialogues ropey, and the structuring isnt great either, so criticism or pointers would be really helpful and i would gladly appreciate it, I've got chapter 2 planned out in my head, i'll do some rough drafts tomorrow, beyond that im not sure, but once i've expanded the setting and fleshed out joes backstory (mainly why hes had to move to america and why he was living in london on his own) it'll come easier to me and i'll have gotten to gripes with writing.