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Chapter 2 - The Cycle Ride

Xio sighed as he dried up the last plate, rubbing over it with the plain dishcloth, before gently placing it on the pile in the cupboard next to the sink. That chore's done. What next? He thought, looking at his mother who sat, hunched over the table. Much to his surprise, Clana's eyes met Xio's straight away.

"Xio, come darling, we need to have a talk," she insisted, patting the table. Xio blushed slightly. Am I in trouble?

"Am I in trouble, mum?" He asked honestly, his ears wilting slightly. Clana looked sympathetically at her son.

"No! No, not at all, my handsome boy." She paused briefly, taking a breath, her eyes gleeful as her whole body faced Xio. "So... good news. It'll only take me a year to finish my remote diploma in Business Studies, which means I'll be able to teach you that business degree you always wanted to have! You can do your degree here," she announced, with joy in her voice.

Xio's face fell. No university? Another three years learning here? On a course he wasn't even sure was for him? A flurry of feelings overwhelmed his body; a deep trench formed at the pit of his stomach and he felt sick to the bone, his legs trembling.

"O-oh, yay..." he feigned, but his mother knew there was something up.

"What's wrong, Xio? I thought it was your ambition to become a successful businessman, just like your father?" She asked, her paw reaching under Xio's muzzle chin. "You'll be rich and have an easy life! And you'll be able to do it all at the comfort of your home. Think of the debt you'll save yourself!" added Clana, who looked up hopefully at her son, but it was too late. He rushed upstairs to his room, closing the door quietly.

He collapsed into bed and hid under the covers, quivering and shaking, bawling and hiding the tears from everyone - even himself. Why am I being such a little crybaby over this? Why does this upset me so much?! A degree for free, people would BEG to have an opportunity like this!! So why do I feel so... suffocated? Like my life isn't mine? I don't want to become a businessman?... Do I? What do I want? Why is this so hard?!

"URRRRAAGH!" Screamed the wolf into his pillow, rocking back and forth, struggling desperately to grapple with anything sane surging through his head.

Minutes passed. Xio now lay curled into a ball and sniffled; he couldn't remember the last time he had cried like this, or even felt like this. He clutched his pillow; it held the familiar scent of his fur, but also hints of the detergent the family used. The familiarity helped calm him down, and his mind soon settled and calmed.

Knock Knock came on Xio's wooden door, followed by the gruff voice of his father.

"Xio, are you ready? We're leaving to cycle soon. I've got your bike and gear ready..." A pause fell between them. Xio sniffed quietly, working his voice up to hide the croaking. He's going to find out you're a huge crybaby, insisted Xio's inner monologue. The doorknob twisted and slowly inched open, creaking and stammering against the floor as it did so.

"Son... is everything okay?" Asked Lawry in a sombre, caring tone. His ears flicked upwards and his eyes looked deep; he knelt by Xio's bed and rested a large paw on the lump under the covers.

"Dad I'm... I'm fine. Please, I'm okay," muffled a shaky voice under the covers.

The father let out a low, slow sigh, the paw gently stroking atop of the lump. "Son... I know you're upset, but it's okay, you don't have to explain. Make sure you're ready in five though, or your mother will be furious," he replied dryly, standing up and slinking out of the room.

Xio let out a relieved sigh. You idiot! Why didn't you open up to him? It's too late now; it'll be weird later. Xio clenched both paws as he pushed those thoughts aside, and wiped his face, slowly moving downstairs and out of the front door.

The view that greeted him never got old. A wild front garden, spanning only 20 square metres connected the house directly onto a single track paved road. The road featured a lined mixture of old oak and sycamore trees, the branches sagging low in the fresh sun. Not another house was in sight, at least on this section of windy back lane. The trees rustled gently as a fine breeze wafted and ruffled Xio's conditioned fur. He inhaled deeply; oh, how he loved the Spring, fresh grass and the faint scent of the wheat field over the road filling his lungs... He felt better already, his ears listening to the various birds chirping around in the morning glory. Clana sat on her pink, vintage basket bicycle, decorated with various flower stickers, gazing at Xio impatiently.

"Come on honey, we don't want to be late for Sunday service!" Her voice filled with urgency; Xio knew she meant business. A tickticktick noise pricked his ears as Lawry strolled past with his adult-sized mud bike.

Xio's 3/4 size bike by comparison looked inherently childish, with its slightly smaller wheels. He liked it though; painted a sleek black, it housed a lightweight aluminium composite body, with an actual suspension system that worked properly. Also featured were a pair of mud-friendly knobbly wide tyres for all kinds of adventuring; it was a mountain bike, after all. The handlebars squished comfortably under Xio's paws and because his bike was smaller, his stride outpaced his parents'. He took pride in this fact, especially versus his father, who's chunky tree-trunk legs looked like they could jump start a nuclear reactor! That's enough thinking about Dad's legs, perv, came the victim in Xio's head. The wolf mounted his bicycle, his bottom fitting snugly on the cushioned seat. On the bicycle his posture sat up, with his generous, wide handlebars splaying his arms out. He loved this riding position; although not aerodynamic, it let him breathe comfortably as he rode.

He pedalled forward through the grassy front garden where he met with his parents. His mother smiled kindly at him.

"Xio, are you alright, sweetheart?"

Xio was unsure whether his dad had told her, or whether she could simply read his face and body. Xio let out a soft shrug, and forced himself to smile at both of them. Lawry stared at Xio with sad, sympathetic eyes, to which Xio quickly looked away. Xio pedalled forward and passed his parents, turning right out of their garden patch which led up the single track path at an incline. He looked back, having created space between him and his parents; they had launched themselves up the incline and soon caught up as Xio relaxed his pace, huffing lightly through his nose as his legs rowed him forward.

"You know the rules Xio! Stay in our sight, okay? We all want to stay safe on these roads," huffed Clana, who panted and strained to keep her chubbier figure up with the men. Xio rolled his eyes as he rode. What? You DID nearly get run over that one time... she's just trying to keep you safe, came the nagging voice in Xio yet again. He kept his pace gentler, and soon the hill crested at the top. Xio squeezed his rear brakes, panting heavily; hills are exhausting, he thought. He paused for a moment not only to catch his breath, but also to observe the view from the top. A narrow, unkempt concrete footpath had formed just a few metres before the hillcrest, and the view between the clearing in the trees was nothing short of spectacular.

Yellow fields filled Xio's eyes, brightly reflecting from the sunshine. Fields of wheat and rape plants stretched as far as the eye could see, with the vast majority of the terrain staying flat down below. Tall, ancient trees lined and separated each field with tones of green and auburn. A gentle gust of wind rustled over the trees and then the grains of wheat and rape, shimmering like a wave in the ocean. In the distance a train trundled along, with the clatter of metal-on-metal just audible with the wind carrying it. Above the beautiful landscape shone a balearic blue sky, peppered by little tufts of clouds drifting slowly in the background. Xio gazed over in awe at how fortunate he was to live in such a peaceful, serene place. Fortunate, huh? And you still feel like it's not enough...

"Never gets old, does it?" Lawry sighed, pulling his bicycle up next to Xio's and resting one of his large paws on the wolf teen's shoulder. Xio flinched for a second, before relaxing, waiting for mother to catch up. She panted heavily, red-faced and sweaty, with the other two directing their gaze from the fields to her - in bemusement.

"What? I'm getting on!" She barked, taking a head start along the gentle decline leading into the centre of the hamlet, with Xio and Lawry mounting their bikes in unison in silence, simply admiring the morning before them.

Half a mile of gentle decline and sweeping bends led to a crossroads. Each four corners of the road housed buildings of sorts. The far right corner from where their road met sat the hamlet church. An ancient, cobbled building with colourful glass, with the front of the church housing a large, wooden cross that spanned the width and height of the building, save for the aged front door.

In the corner next to it sat a homely village shop; a simple bricked building with a pair of tent-like stalls outside selling fresh goods. The door of the village shop was open with incandescent yellow light spilling out from within.

The corner opposite the shop sat the village pub, which looked to be a crooked, timber-frame building of the same era as the Wolffe family house. The fresh, cream coloured paint job reflected beautifully in the morning sun, and an A2-sized chalkboard rested next to the old fashioned windows, with the night's band written in teal chalk.

The last corner simply plotted a large playing field that extended far beyond the other corners. In the centre of the road rose a lamppost-tall plaque with the village name, on a metal press painted like a forest, with 'Welcome to Huntingfield' plastered in an old-timey font, with the sun reflecting cleanly from the cherry reds and grassy greens that decorated the sign.

A handful of other people meandered about around the middle of the hamlet; two virtually identical tall tigers manned the fresh stalls outside of the shop, both of them waving at the wolf family. Xio pulled up alongside the stalls.

"Billy, William," he addressed in turn, both of them nodding back in response. Billy, who's only notable distinction were the thicker black stripes splattered over his neck and arms, shot Xio a grin.

" 'Ello church boy! Not here to buy fruit are ya?" He chuckled, in his funny cockney accent that never failed to inspire a grin on Xio's muzzle.

"Not unless you have strawberries! They're my favourite," responded Xio as he strolled closer with his bicycle. Currently no one else was around the stalls so Xio took the opportunity to look over Billy's produce.. No strawberries... they're out of season anyway, he thought to himself. He noticed a lot of carrots, rhubarb, leeks and beetroot, but hardly any other fruit. He shrugged and peeked over William's stall, whom the owner simply sat in his deck chair quietly and patiently, donning a fancy pair of sunglasses. William's stall held mostly poultry, eggs in particular; chicken, duck, even ostrich sometimes! The other half of his stall sat a sizable, diesel powered refrigerator full of different meats, of which were visible through the murky glass door, all pre-weighed and packaged up neatly for potential buyers. None of the merchandise here really interested him, so he waved goodbye to them as he stepped between the stalls into the porch of the village shop.

The village shop looked fairly rustic inside, with cream coloured walls and ceiling. The shop featured a handful of little aisles brimming with all sorts of goods like sweets, cereals, household items, and even alcohol. Xio patted the wallet in his left pocket to make sure it was still there, before roaming to the furthest left aisle where the confectionery sat, stretching up to the second highest shelf of the ageing aisle and picking out a Flake. Flakes were his favourite, and he knew Andy would always stock up for him. Turning left, he strolled to the tiny till where a third tiger stood, eagerly eyeing up the small wolf. Unlike the other two tigers, Andy looked chunkier and broader, and displayed a distinctive albino coat, with thinner stripes. His entire face seemed larger, too, like he was just a bigger species entirely.

"Hey, rascal. Flake again?" Gruffed his deep voice, deeper than even his father's. Andy held a Cheshire grin and raised eyebrows; he loved Xio, he was a good kid, and Andy recalled all the times that Xio volunteered to help when he was young. Xio still helped out at times, usually on Saturdays, and Andy would always pay him. Ever since Xio turned 16, Andy insisted on paying him, even though Xio didn't ask for it; he knew the local shop was struggling. It was far off the beaten path, after all. Xio nodded confidently to Andy, his ears flopping slightly. Andy loved how adorable Xio still looked, even in his teenhood, although he'd never admit to such a thing. Xio blepped his tongue briefly as he wiggled his paw into his shorts, when Andy shook his head.

"On the house! It's not like you haven't earned it." Xio's face furrowed a confused frown, but Andy shook his head. "No, Xio, honestly don't worry about it. Just don't go blabbing to the locals, yeah?"

Xio's furrow relaxed and he smiled. "Thanks Andy! A lot!" His fluffy tail wagged behind him and a grateful grin stretched across his face. He's so nice! Everyone's so nice here... Xio thought.

He was about to turn around and leave when Andy interjected: "Oh hey. You know that new cul-de-sac they're building down the road?"

Xio paused and raised an eyebrow, nodding slowly. How could he not? Every single resident had been complaining about it ever since the planning permission successfully passed! His parents practically made it a ritual to complain about nightly, as did the church, and any other time he met a local, really. There were even posters bunched up through the letterbox, all spreading awareness and complaining about the new houses. Xio thought it was a bit too NIMBYist to complain; after all, the hamlet was tiny, and places like this shop could use some extra custom, surely?

"Well," Andy began, breaking the momentary silence, "I hear a family's moved into one of the houses. They've been finished for about a week now... no doubt the locals will be going crazy. I just hope they get treated respectfully," Andy mused, but refocused onto the wolf. "I met one of 'em yesterday. He was a teen, just like you. Seemed like a nice'un. About time someone else your age was 'ere!" Chuckled the tiger. Xio flushed slightly; he'd opened up to Andy about his loneliness in the past. The prospect of meeting someone vaguely his age seemed... exciting? Nerve-wracking? Both, all at once? He froze as his mind considered the possibilities. I wonder what he's like?

"Did he say how old he was?" Blurted Xio eagerly, his tail rapidly wagging in excitement, his face lit up like a light bulb. Andy grinned; Xio's smile was contagious, or so it felt like.

"He mentioned something about university, so I imagine he's your age. He was a real chatty lad though. I did say you were the only other teen 'ere," winking at the boy. Xio's face flushed a deep, deep red. What is he implying? I'm not gay! Thought Xio.

He froze in embarrassment and Andy burst out laughing, coming out of the till box. "Oh golly! I'm sorry Xio, it's so easy to embarrass ya." Xio let out a nervous chuckle, looking up shyly at the tiger. I'm not gay.. am I? What am I? Ugh, I'll think about it later, Xio thought, smiling bashfully at the tiger.

He checked his clunky Casio watch, resting on his right wrist. "Oh crap! Church! Gotta go, thanks for the flake!" He practically sprinted out of the door and threw himself over his bicycle, rapidly pedalling over the crossroad to the front of the church, where he recognised his parents' bikes resting against the wall. He thrust his bike against the other two and speed walked his way inside.

Church; a place of faith, spirituality, and tradition. The familiar smell of old fabric and old people wafted into Xio's nose. It wiggled in response as he gazed around. The escalated ceiling curved up far above his head, with old, thick, rotting timber beams sprouting vertically a third of the way up, connecting the entrance side to the pulpit side. A rustic, worn rug traced its way down the hall towards the pulpit, and either side of this gangway stretched a row of pews. This church was quite small, only housing 10 or so rows, and even then the church was barely a third full, mostly congregated towards the front. Various members of the hamlet and neighbouring areas sat and murmured quietly to themselves before the service had started. All of them were old; at least in their 50s, with only a handful of littler noisy kids who were up to the age of maybe 6.

Xio looked around to find his parents on a bench on their own, halfway down on the right. Both of them had noticed Xio and ushered him over. Clana in particular housed a sense of urgency over her face. Xio clutched his flake and zipped over quickly, sliding down the pew until he sat next to his father.

"Sorry, I got chatting to Andy in the shop," he hissed, two lady coyotes who looked to be in their 70s, glaring judgmentally at him.

"Not like you to be late Xio!" Wendy remarked, her face trembling slightly and her left eye twitching. Xio blushed and was about to explain when the preacher began his sermon.