FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Transitions

by Mog Moogle

The sunlight streamed through the blinds of the master bedroom on the third story of the Victorian house. It was not far from the historic downtown district of the Midwestern town. Narrow slits of light brushed against the otter's closed eyes and caused them to flutter open. She adjusted herself under the comforter, rolling over to avoid the early morning distraction and draping her lithe arm over the shorter mole in the same bed. She nuzzled the back of his neck.

With a quiet murmur, the mole eased back against the body of his girlfriend. The otter smiled softly as she hugged him close. "Morning, Dougie," she said softly, and the mole's response was a soft grumble. "Let me make you some breakfast. It'll be the last chance I get to for awhile."

"Food...sounds good," the mole replied groggily.

"It's always the fastest way to your heart, isn't it Douglass?" she joked before throwing the comforter off her and sitting up. The otter opened a small pill-minder on her nightstand and dumped the contents into her paw. Tossing them in her muzzle and tilting her head back, she swallowed the three pills in a single gulp then she picked up the glass of water from the previous night to wash them down.

"Will you ever get to the point where you don't have to take those, Freya?"

Freya looked back at the mole, still laying in the bed but he'd rolled over and propped his head up on his paw as he watched her. Freya sighed and shook her head. "No, but the dosages will be reduced, after it's all said and done." Freya stood up off the bed and stretched with her arms over her head, curling her tail as she flexed her muscles. She looked back when she heard Douglass chuckling at her. "What?"

"I just still have trouble believing that I not only landed the smartest girl in school, but the prettiest, too." Freya looked away and blushed as Douglass crawled out of the bed on the opposite side and slipped the glasses on the matching nightstand on. "Would you like me to help you get ready?"

"Of course, Dougie," Freya replied as she picked up her chest wrap from the nightstand. Pulling the barbed metal pins off, she held the end in place with her left paw as she started to wrap it around her front. Douglass eased up behind her and took the bandage and continued wrapping it around her back until Freya's web paw caught it in the front. Each wrap she would cinch the bandage a little tighter until her small breasts appeared flat. Freya took the metal clips as the last of the bandage unrolled and tacked them in place.

Freya turned around and faced Douglass and the mole quickly glanced her up and down. She blushed as she bent over to pick up her sweater from the floor where it had been discarded the previous night and slid it over her head. Her feminine curves disappeared as the loose yarn draped down to her hips. She tugged the wrinkles out and walked over to her closet to retrieve a pair of slacks.

"That still amazes me," Douglass said as she pulled up her pants and fastened her tail flap.

"What's does, Douglass?" the otter asked in a voice that was no longer soft and feminine, but nasally and slightly obnoxious.

"That underneath Geoffrey is Freya,"

"Well, we will see if that is still the case after tonight," Geoffrey said as he tucked in his sweater. "This may be the last day you see me. Uh, well, Geoffrey that is."

"I wouldn't mind seeing Geoffrey again," Douglass said and smiled at the otter. "After all, he's my best friend, behind Freya."

"I know, Douglass," Geoffrey shook his head, "I would still rather Freya see you off tomorrow."

"Even if tonight," the mole paused as he considered his words, "doesn't go well. I know Freya is in my heart. She'll always be."

Geoffrey felt his cheeks heat and he looked away from the mole. "I will enjoy not talking about myself in third person, too."

Other than his mother, Douglass was the only one that had seen Freya's true self. Douglass would be leaving the following day to go to the Kansas City Military Entrance and Processing. From there, he'd be going to Fort Sill for his basic training. Just a couple weeks following that, Freya would be off to university to start her long road to her doctorate.

"Something is bothering you," Douglass observed, pulling Geoffrey's attention to him.

"Ah, yes. I'm just worried we won't get the chance to see each other for a long time."

"I'll have leave after basic. I'll come back home for a bit. You should be close to your break by then."

"It's still kind of daunting," Geoffrey looked at his friend and smiled. "To think, at the end of the school year, you were getting winded walking up to the third floor of my house. Now you're thirty pounds leaner and will probably be stronger than me in a few months." Geoffrey looked down at the floor and sighed. "Still wish you were going to university with me. I think getting used to being Freya full time would be a lot easier with you by my side."

"Like I said, I'll be with you." Douglass out his paw on Geoffrey's shoulder. "Now, didn't you mention something about breakfast?"

Geoffrey chuckled and shook his head. He walked over to his chest of drawers and picked up a small washcloth. The otter made sure that none of his smudged lipstick was still showing and then brushed his headfur down with his paw. He turned around to face his friend with a nod before they went downstairs.

#

Geoffrey pulled out all the stops with breakfast, preparing pancakes to a perfect golden brown, bacon and eggs for his partner and himself. Over the course of the summer break, Douglass had spent many nights with Freya and many days with Geoffrey. The two top students in their graduating class had gotten close in their senior year, and Douglass and Freya had fallen in love.

It was unconventional, but it was a kind of relationship the formerly standoffish mole and the intellectually superior otter never really thought that they would have. That in itself made both of the very appreciative of one another.

After they finished their breakfast and small talk, Geoffrey gathered up the dishes and put them in the sink. As he returned to the table, Douglass stood up and wrapped him in a hug. Geoffrey blinked in confusion for a bit, but then lifted his arms at wrapped them around his shorter friend.

They stood in each other's arms for a while, the embrace shared between two best friends and two lovers simultaneously. The otter pulled away but was surprised when the mole bumped his muzzle against his lips and gave him a soft kiss.

"Oh my," Geoffrey said as he pulled back and blushed. "I thought we agreed that we wouldn't engage in that kind of behavior. O-outside of the bedroom, of course."

"I just wanted to say thank you," Douglass said before he stepped back and sighed. "Just in case this is the last time I get to see Geoffrey."

"I think Geoffrey would've preferred a simple pawshake," Freya said, picking up like she'd never left. "Quite," Geoffrey replied.

"Geoff, sometimes I worry that you have some kind of multiple personality disorder."

"Please," Geoffrey scoffed, "you know I loathe that nickname." The otter folded his arms as the mole chuckled. "So, uh, would you like me to escort you home?"

"No," Douglass replied. "I'm going to jog home. It'll be my last chance to go for a run here in my hometown until I get back."

"I never thought I would hear you talking about enjoying running."

"Me neither," Douglass replied and chuckled. "Have to work off that maple syrup before I weigh in tomorrow, though. So I'll see you, or I guess Freya rather, at the recruiter's tomorrow to see me off?"

"I'll be there, Dougie," Freya said softly and smiled at him.

#

Geoffrey was downstairs when his mother came home. He would have normally been in a book or a game since he there wasn't any homework over the summer. Today the otter had too much on his mind. Geoffrey was pacing back and forth in the living room when she walked in from the back. Geoffrey perked up a bit when he saw the familiar white doctor's coat out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey there, Geoffrey," she greeted as she walked toward her son.

"Hello, mother," Geoffrey replied, but his tone was somber.

"Are you okay? I figured you'd be hanging out with Douglass."

"His mother wanted to spend time with him, since it's the last day before he leaves."

"Ah, that makes sense." She looked him over and then smiled at him. "What else is bothering you?"

"I assumed that would be obvious," he said and sighed. "I'm worried father won't react well."

"I know," she said and shook her head. "Thomas is very set in his ways. I'm a bit worried about it, too. I'll make some seared salmon steaks. That should soften things up for you."

That caused Geoffrey to chuckle. His mother smiled at him before turning back to the kitchen. He sighed again and resumed his pacing, running all of the worst case scenarios through his mind over and over. He knew his mother would help him through it, as she always had with anything difficult, and Freya wanted to face the problem. Geoffrey, however, was still very worried about the outcome.

An hour passed and Geoffrey was no less nervous when his father came in the back door. Geoffrey hadn't left the living room, but he managed to stop his pacing as his father walked in. His plaid flannel shirt covered was in sawdust from his shoulders to his breast pockets. He glanced at his son with a tired, "Hey Geoff," before continuing on to the stairs. Geoffrey watched him walk away and sighed, sorely wishing he could wrestle down his anxiousness.

#

Geoffrey was stacking the last of the plates from dinner in the sink. It was a task he abhorred, like most chores when he could be doing something else--anything else--that was actually productive. As he scraped some of the leftover macaroni and cheese down the garbage disposal, he felt his mother's paws on his shoulders. She kneaded his tense muscles a bit before Geoffrey sat the plate in the sink and turned to face her. She had taken off her white coat, but she was still in her scrubs. Her motherly smile was enough to put the younger otter at ease.

"I can take care of the dishes tonight, if you would like me to." Her tone was sincere and caring.

"I appreciate that mother," Geoffrey said as he returned her smile, "but I'll finish them." He paused as his mother gave him a small nod. Geoffrey looked down and bit his bottom lip before looking back up at her. "I would like Freya to be the one to tell father."

His mother's expression shifted. She furrowed her brow and shook her head before looking back at him. "I don't think that's a very good idea. He's going to have a lot of trouble with it."

"I... I know," Geoffrey admitted, but he looked up at her more sternly. "But, I'm his daughter Freya, not his son Geoffrey."

"Geoffrey, you know that's not true to him. He always wanted a son, and he's always tried to encourage you to be more like him when he was younger. That's why when you turned sixteen, he insisted you have his truck. It's why he takes you fishing and always bought you sports equipment to get you outside instead of muzzle deep in books."

"I've never felt like Geoffrey. I've always known I was different."

"Which is why I've always done everything in my power to be supportive of you." She looked him in the eyes as her expression mirrored the sincerity of her words. "You're my child. It doesn't matter to me whether you're my son _or_my daughter. I'll love you no matter what. And your father will, too," she said and sighed. "Even if it takes him awhile to come around to the idea that he has a daughter and not a son."

Geoffrey looked away from her for a moment then looked back at her with a soft nod. "I just wish emotional quandaries were as easy to solve as mathematical quandaries."

"If there's one thing medical school taught me, Freya: Problems are never as easy to deal with in your heart and soul as they are on the text of a page."

The young otter wiped a tear from his eye before his mother pulled him into a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around her and returned the embrace. When she eased away, Geoffrey turned back to the sink. "I need to get these finished."

"Go sit with your father in the living room," she said. "I'll do them; I insist. After I finish up I'll join you and we can talk to your dad."

Geoffrey stepped to the side as his mother pushed up to the sink. He gave her a small nod and turned out of the kitchen. Walking through the archway and into the large downstairs living room, he saw the plasma TV on the far wall alight with various furs running around in pads colliding with one another. His shoulders sagged a bit at the prospect of watching football with his father before he eased down on the couch.

There were two empty spaces between him and his father in the recliner. The middle-aged otter hadn't looked away from the screen as Geoffrey looked over at him. His mind raced, as it had for most of the day. He went over and over in his head what he would say to his father. He had almost decided on starting with small talk, even going so far as to say, "So, how was work today, father?"

Oh, come on!" his father yelled at the screen. "There's no way he should have dropped that pass. He was wide open and it was right to him. If they don't get some better wide receivers, I'll just have to stop watching them."

If only that were true, Geoffrey thought to himself. "So, work? How was your day, Father?"

"Huh?" he gave his son a quick glance. "Oh, yeah. Same as always, Geoff." His attention went immediately back to the game. He wasn't an inattentive parent, but he was a very dedicated fan.

Geoffrey looked at the TV briefly before pulling out his phone to scan through emails from his D&D group for their final meeting before he left for university. He stopped typing mid-response and stared at the screen. It had dawned on him that he wouldn't be able to host the game because this was the last night as Geoffrey. With a few swipes and taps he typed in a group message to cancel the meeting. He felt combined senses of remorse and relief as he hung up the last bit of Geoffrey; save for one loose end.

"Father?" he said softly, his voice cracking a little.

"Yeah?" the older otter replied.

"There is something I need to tell you," he said and then tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

"What is it, Geoff?"

"I'm not Geoffrey," he explained.

"What?" his father replied then chuckled. "Of course you are. Who else would you be?"

"My name is Freya," she said in a soft tone, but more confident than the timid boy.

"Wow. That's pretty good. You sound just like a girl. Almost like your mom."

"I_am_ a girl, dad," she replied.

"Okay Geoff, that's getting a little weird," his father said then looked back at the television in time for commercials. "I'm trying to watch the game."

"Dad, the game isn't even on. We need to talk about this."

"Geoff," he was shifting to the fatherly chastising tone as he spoke, "I said that was enough."

"No, this is something you have to listen to," Freya said as she mustered determination that Geoffrey never could. "I am not Geoffrey. I haven't ever been Geoffrey. I don't know why I was born in a male's body, but I'm female."

"Geoff, this isn't funny anymore," he said and shot his son a harsh glance.

"Dad, this isn't a joke," Freya said then sighed. "I'm transgender."

"What does that even mean, Geoff?" he asked then shook his head, "And please don't use that girl voice to answer me."

Geoffrey rolled his eyes and shook his head. "It means that even though I was born Geoffrey, inside I'm Freya."

"So, are you gay? You know I didn't bring you up to be like that."

"No, father. Transgender is not gay. It's--" Geoffrey cut himself off as he looked over at the door as his mother walked in. She picked up the remote from the arm of his father's chair before turning the power off and settling in on the couch between them.

"Thomas," she began as she looked over at her husband. "Geoffrey and I have been talking about this for a long time. He first told me that he thought he was transgender when he was eleven. When he was thirteen, he asked for my permission to begin his transition from male to female."

"What? That's not ... that just can't be. We have a son, Carrol. A son. He's very young still and he's just confused."

"No, dad," Freya spoke up over Geoffrey. "This is who I am. I don't know why I was born Geoffrey, but I've always known deep inside that I'm Freya."

"Geoff, please," his father said as he rubbed his forehead. "This doesn't make sense. You were born my son, and you are my son. You can't just change. If this is some roundabout way of coming out of the closet--"

"Dad," Freya interrupted. "I'm not gay. I'm female."

"No you're not. Carrol, how can you let him say things like that?"

"Thomas, Freya isn't sick. She isn't gay. She is transgender. She's never felt like she belongs in Geoffrey's body." Carrol paused and shook her head. "I know you grew up strictly Catholic, and that it's a hard concept for you to grasp, but we're both willing to help you through this."

"No," he said firmly. "No. No, no, no. It doesn't matter my religious view; this isn't right. God doesn't make mistakes, and I don't think he could have accidentally put a girl in my son's body."

"You're right," she replied. "He doesn't, and he didn't. Freya is who she is because that's how God made her."

"This is ridiculous," he said before rising from his chair. He rubbed his eyes with his paws then dropped them down to his sides while he shook his head. "I'm done with this. I'm not going to talk about it anymore. Geoffrey you're not to speak of this again and I want you to put this notion that you're a girl behind you. And Carol, how could you keep something like this--"

"Dad, listen," Freya interrupted. "This isn't arbitrary. This isn't a phase. This is something I know is right."

"Geoffrey, I'm done." Thomas said firmly and finally before he walked toward the stairs.

Freya's attention was diverted from her father walking away by a soft squeeze on her arm. She looked over to her mother and saw her expression mixed with concern and reassurance. "That's why I wanted you to wait for me, Freya. And why I thought it'd be better coming from Geoffrey."

"I," Freya paused as she felt tears well up, "I know. I wanted to do this myself, though."

"Well, I don't know a single teenage girl that isn't impulsive, from time to time," Carrol said and Freya smiled at her mother; leaning over to hug her. Her arms wrapped around her daughter as she gave her a kiss on the forehead. "This is my fault, too. I shouldn't have kept this from your father for so long."

"This isn't anyone's fault, mom. I just wish..." Freya pulled back and looked up at her mother. "I wish I were normal."

"You're as normal as anyone else, Freya. I believe it, Douglass believes it, and so will your father; in time."

Freya eased out of her mother's arms and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I love you, mom."

#

Freya dragged the heavy antique steamer trunk from her closet. It slid across the shag carpeting of her bedroom as she tugged on the handle. When it was by her bed, she opened her nightstand drawer and pulled out the brass key that fit the locks on the bands wrapping it. With a few twists and some clicks, she lifted the lid with an audible creek of the old hinges.

She put the key back in the nightstand before looking down in the trunk. It was all of her clothes. Dresses, high heeled shoes, her makeup tucked in one of the built-in cubbies and two wigs; one blond, the other brunette. Pulling out the folded one-piece red dress that she reserved for dates with Douglass, she sat it on the bed before picking up the blond wig and setting on top of it. Then she pulled out her nicest heels and lipstick.

Freya stood up from the bed with the lipstick and the wig in her paws and walked over to the small vanity mirror on top of her chest of drawers. She put on her wig, situated it around her ears and then brushed it neat with her fingers. Uncapping the lipstick, she applied it with practiced precision. As she walked back to her bed to get the rest of her outfit for the day, she stopped and looked at the chest wrap on her nightstand.

Freya picked it up, turned it over in her paws and then giggled softly. She pitched it into the small waste-bin near her desk then nodded to herself. She wasn't going to hide anymore. No more thick sweaters in the summer to cover her curves, no more feigning Geoffrey to friends or family, no more pretending. The young otter finished getting dressed, picked her small black handbag out of the trunk and headed downstairs.

Her heels clacked against the uncarpeted wooden stairs before she stepped down into the living room. Freya noticed her father sitting in his reclining armchair with the local paper open, but his gaze was fixed on her. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked back at him as her cheeks heated with embarrassment. Her gaze shied away as her father saw her for the first time. "I thought you were your mother," she heard him say. "It's... unsettling to see you that way, Geoff."

"I-I'm sorry, dad."

Her father folded his paper and sat it on the arm of his chair. He leaned forward and rubbed his eyes with his paws for a moment. "No, Geoff. I'm sorry. I feel like I've failed you somehow. Like something I did turned you into this."

"No, dad. It's not--"

"Geoff, just bear with me here. I just can't see you that way." Thomas stood up from his chair and shook his head. "Can you at least not dress like that around me?"

Freya sagged her shoulders and sighed. When she looked back up at her father, she saw a mix of confusion and his fatherly sternness on his face. "I'm sorry, but no. I'm putting Geoffrey behind me. I'm your daughter, Freya."

Thomas shook his head and turned away from her. She watched him walk out of the living room and into the kitchen. A moment later, Freya heard the back door open and shut. The young otter wiped a single tear from her eye as she stood and waited to see his truck drive past the window that overlooked the driveway.

After her father was well away from the house and on his way to work, Freya walked outside, got in her lifted pickup and backed out. Her mind raced as she drove down the road from the suburbs a few blocks to historic downtown where the recruiter's office was. Freya pulled into the parking along the curb in front of the office behind the white van with the government plates.

She knew that in just moments that van would be loaded with the recruits on its way to Kansas City. The thought of trying to cope with being Freya by herself nagged at her heart again, but she owed it to her boyfriend to be supportive of him. She pulled her keys from the ignition and dropped them in her small black handbag before climbing out of the uncomfortably high pickup.

As Freya walked in through the glass door of the recruiters. The small building in the old tightly packed style of the downtown businesses had a modest waiting area with cheap cubicle dividers separating chairs, tables and various wire racks with recruiting pamphlets from the desks of the shared recruiting offices for three branches. Freya saw a middle-aged mole in one of the chairs with her purse in her lap. She perked up when she noticed the otter with a polite, "Hello dear. Freya, wasn't it?"

"Yes Mrs. Herrlinger," Freya replied as the mole rose from her chair. She walked over to Freya and gave her a hug. The otter giggled softly as the motherly mole treated her like she was one of her own.

"Douglass goes on and on about you, you know?" she said then released her from the embrace. "Thanks to you and... oh, your cousin, was it? Geoffrey?"

"Uh, yeah," Freya said sheepishly. "Geoffrey."

"Right! Thanks to you and Geoffrey, Douglass blossomed from a recluse into a regular social butterfly." Mrs. Herrlinger smiled and looked at the door. "I figured Geoffrey would be here to see Douglass off, as much as they've been doing that Dragons and Goblins thing over the summer."

"Dungeons & Dragons," Freya corrected in a polite tone. "Geoff couldn't make it. Uh, bit of family obligation, you could say."

"I was never really up on that stuff. I was more the cheerleader type; like I imagine you are," she paused and chuckled as Freya nervously smiled back. "It's a wonder I ever fell for Douglass' father at all. He was so quiet and timid. Douglass took after him in a lot of ways." She looked toward the back of the recruiter's office. "In almost every way, it seems. That's too bad about Geoffrey. He's a sweet boy. I'm sure he'll miss seeing Douglass off."

"He's here in spirit, I'm sure, Mrs. Herrlinger."

"You're right, of course. So why is it Douglass has only ever brought you home to meet me once? I'd love to get to know you more."

"Well, I'm leaving for college in a few weeks, but I'll make it a point to stop by and we can chat before I go."

"I'd like that," she replied, then looked as four teenage boys walked from a closed room in the back followed by a wolf in a neatly pressed dress uniform. They filtered around the cubical divider and went to their various parents and guardians waiting for them. Mrs. Herrlinger hugged Douglass tightly then eased back. "Son, there's something I want you to have."

"Yes, mom?" Douglass said and then watched curiously as she opened her purse and pulled out a shell casing polished to a lustrous shine. Douglass took it and held it in his paw, examining it. "Mom, is this--"

"From the funeral, yes. It's one of the twenty-one. I had it gold plated and the neck drilled so you can put it on your dog tags."

"It's...wow. I don't know if they'll let me wear it though."

"Your father wore a pendant I gave him on his dog tags. I think they'll let you get away with it," she said and smiled at her son.

Douglass hugged her tightly and nuzzled her shoulder. "Thank you, mom. I'll try to make you proud."

"You've always made me proud, Douglass."

"Mom, you're going to make me cry," Douglass said and both his mother and Freya chuckled. Douglass eased out of his mother's arms and looked at the otter.

"You look beautiful, as always, Freya."

"Thanks, Dougie." The mole stepped toward her and she wrapped him in a tight hug. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll call, and I'll write. In three months, I'll have leave and we can see each other again."

"A lot of big changes for us in those three months, Dougie," Freya said and eased back from the hug.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. How did it go yesterday?"

"I," Freya stopped herself and then shook her head, "as well as expected."

"I'm sorry."

"All right!" they heard from the wolf. "You guys need to load up. Three hours there. Make sure you have your hotel vouchers with you so that you have a place to sleep tonight."

"Freya," Douglass said as he looked up at his girlfriend. "I just want to let you know, no matter wha--mmph." Douglass was cut off as Freya dipped him over and pressed her muzzle against his.

The surprised look on his face faded midst the recruits in the office with him mixing cheers and jeers. The mole slid his paws up her back as they held each other as close as they could, but Freya pulled out of the kiss before their public display could get too fiery, (and possibly reveal any of the otter's secrets.) "My," they heard from Mrs. Herrlinger. "Now I definitely need to get to know your girlfriend, Douglass."

Both Freya and Douglass blushed as the eased back from each other. Freya brought her paw up to his face and rubbed off a small smudge of her lipstick that clung to Douglass' lips with the pad of her thumb. The mole chuckled as she groomed him and then Freya smiled. The others were starting to file out of the door and Douglass gave his mother and Freya one last quick hug and a goodbye before he followed the rest outside.

Freya and Mrs. Herrlinger stood in the office as they saw them climb in the van and settle in. She felt like she was on the verge of crying, but the last thing she wanted was that to be Douglass' last sight of her as he left. She watched the van start up then it eased out onto the road. As it was growing distant, she felt Mrs. Herrlinger's paw on her shoulder. She looked over at her and they traded knowing smiles before they walked out of the recruiter's office.

"Well," Mrs. Herrlinger said, "I guess we'll see him in about three months."

"Yeah," Freya said as she looked over and noticed the mole wiping a tear from her eye. "I hope I can go to his graduation."

"He'd like that," she said with a smile, then looked over at the truck parked on the curb. "Isn't that Geoffrey's truck?"

"Uh, yeah," Freya admitted quietly. She looked up and down the street, then back over her shoulder to make sure no one else was around. "Mrs. Herrlinger? There's something I should tell you."

#

Freya was folding her clothes and putting them in a duffle bag. In the two weeks that Douglass had been gone, she'd gotten a few texts and one phonecall from her boyfriend, but it was really infrequent. She assumed he'd be busy getting used to the much different environment, but it still made her feel lonely.

Her focus had been on finishing up the last bit of her enrollment in college. It was a few states away and would be much farther than she'd ever gone from home. The prospect was equal parts exciting and terrifying. At the end of her senior year in high school, she and her mother had spoken with the Dean of Admissions in a conference call. They explained Freya's situation and she'd be enrolled as Freya Marie Brayton instead of Geoffrey Thomas Brayton. It was her fresh start in every way.

She zipped her bag and slung the strap over her shoulder, making her way out of her room and down the stairs. When she got to the bottom, she saw her father standing in the living room waiting for her. Freya had spent the last two weeks avoiding him as much as she could. "Dad?" she said with surprise. "I thought you were at work today."

"Took the day off," he explained. "Plus side of owning your own business is you can set your own hours."

"I... see. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to see you off. It's a big day."

"Been a few of those over the last couple of weeks," she said and shied her eyes away.

"I can imagine." Thomas sighed and walked up to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. She was a little taken aback, but she shifted the duffle bag back and returned it as best she could. "Geoff, I still don't get this thing you're doing, and I'm not happy with it."

"I know, dad."

"But, I want you to be happy." He released her and stepped back. "You're as smart as your mother," he paused and sighed heavily, "and you're as stubborn as me. I think that will get you through college just fine."

"Dad?"

"It's going to be awhile before I can see you as a daughter. You've been my son for eighteen years. But go get at the top of that Dean's list, like I know you will. Graduate with all the honors you can, then go do something great. Mom and I will be here when you get back." He paused as he looked away and rubbed his face with his paw. "Damn dust, need to talk to your mom about that. Makes my eyes water."

Freya chuckled and sniffled a bit as her own tears welled. "Thanks, dad."

"I still love you Geoff. I know you know that, but I thought you should hear it before you leave."

"I know, daddy. I love you, too." Freya shook her head and sighed. "I need to get going. It's a long drive."

"Yeah," he said as she walked to the door and opened it. "Freya?" he called, causing his daughter to stop and look over her shoulder at him. "Be safe on the road, and take care of yourself."

Freya smiled as tears started to stream over her cheek tufts. She gave him a confident nod then walked out the door, taking the first steps toward her new life.

<<<<>>>>

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mog_K_Moogle

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=104265

ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/mogmoogle

Discord Server: https://discord.gg/p9XAVfm

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/mog_moogle