FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

_ Rock Bottom _

I stretched my legs, then my arms and back, grumbling as I stirred in this makeshift bed of mine. A faint bar of light seeped between the gap in the giant door ahead, saving me from total darkness at the bottom of this wardrobe I now called a bedroom. Half-asleep, I rolled onto my side, wiggling for comfort, pressing my muzzle into the toasty black fabric beneath me. I could have dozed back to sleep right there and then... if not for the heavy thud and delicate tremble that yanked my eyes wide open.

I froze, waiting for that second thump to arrive. A third brought the rumble closer before a fourth juddered my bedding hard enough to offer a warning: I was about to have company.

One final thudding footstep sent my heart beating hard enough to rival it, killing what little light I had available. It made burying myself deep inside this warm black mound all the more difficult, hauling and throwing whatever I could get a hold of up and over me.

That moment of darkness ended in a literal flash, forcing my eyes closed. The door swung open a split second before I could fully blanket myself, offering the briefest glimpse of my roommate. My totally unaware, Visoka-sized roommate.

"What've I got?" he grunted from way up high, straining and creaking the wardrobe's massive wooden panels as he leaned his weight against it. "Not that it matters."

Metal ground over metal, plastic struck plastic, repeating over and over again. I kept my mouth clamped shut the whole time, only moving to peek one eye out from beneath my protective cover, watching two massive paws grab and rummage through the tarp-sized shirts swaying from their hangers above.

I'd been stowing away here in this apartment for three days, but in that whole time, I still hadn't managed to get anything more than a passing glimpse of the guy that lived here. I did_know that he was a badger, like me, albeit pudgier and on the short side... if you could ever call a Visoka _short. Beyond that, generally, he had a quiet, soft spoken manner about him whenever I heard him talking on the phone, and was probably not too much older than I was. All in all, I guess those traits had all come together and helped me pick him out as a safe option to crash with.

Brief appearances and overheard conversations aside, watching this guy squeeze his chunky black-furred arms into the wardrobe each morning was the closest I'd gotten to familiar with him. As pleasant as he seemed, I hadn't even entertained the idea of revealing myself. I'd worked way too hard to get myself there to risk getting thrown back out into the cold.

Only when one of those shirts went missing and the wardrobe door closed could I properly breathe again. I pulled myself free from my hideaway, eyes adjusting all over again to the single strip of light bordering this big black jumper around me. I damn sure hoped he'd never come in here looking for it, else I'd likely find myself in a whole world of trouble.

For the time being at least, I could fall back and sink into this surprisingly warm, almost comfortable bed that I'd made for myself, snuggling up beneath the sleeve playing the part of a cosy blanket. Beyond my bed, as the stomping steps of my almost-roommate carried him out of the bedroom, I took a moment to appreciate how this wardrobe had the makings of a proper room in and of itself. For example, there was the old shoebox hidden away at the far end, sitting high enough to act as a dressing table, housing what few clothes and valuables I had on top of it. Meanwhile, over in the rear corner, that old smartphone I'd found stashed away amongst a bunch of old techy stuff had served me well as a super-widescreen TV. With its headphones connected and the phone itself still picking up the network, it was perfect for sneakily watching internet videos while its previous owner occupied the actual TV each evening.

The more I settled, the more my black bedding wrapped around me. With how loud I grumbled, I was glad to be alone in the bedroom. It felt incredible. Not necessarily just the bed, but... everything. I couldn't remember the last time I could be so at ease. I really had hit the jackpot the other night.

That plan of mine should've never worked, but thank the stars I'd gotten desperate enough to plough ahead with it regardless. Creeping into the lobby of this apartment building, hanging out as casually as I could while waiting for someone living here on the ground floor to come back home. My idea to sneak inside their front door soon went out the window once I saw how unpredictable that big badger's steps were, weighed down as he was by two hefty grocery bags. Somehow, clinging to the outside of one of them after he set it down to unlock said door was the safer option. Safer _and_successful. Gods, if I'd spent even one more night sleeping rough under a park bench, I swear my damn tail, toes and more would've frozen off.

That last week living out on the street had been the longest of my life, hands down, and with the snow starting to fall, harder and harder, it'd turned from unbearable to a living nightmare. I shuddered just thinking about those nights spent trying to keep warm in my old sleeping bag. Maybe going through all of that was karma of sorts. A punishment for how much I silently hated the shelter I'd been staying at. There, they squeezed us in, four to a two-man room at a minimum.

As uncomfortable and unpleasant as I'd found both the accommodation and the company, I missed it all terribly once I'd been left to fend for myself. If I'd realised that every other Maleni shelter in the area had a waiting list as long as my arm, I might have fought my corner harder over the bogus excuses they'd given for kicking me out of there.

Never mind... The cold and the hardship was in the past. I was warm now. Comfy... Safe...

The crashing of the front door opening then closing had my heart skipping a beat. My whole body shuddered, jolting me free of my makeshift blanket. My head needed a moment to stop wobbling, then another to work out where I was. A hard blink and a firm rub of my head helped me figure that I must've dozed off again.

Somewhere between grabbing my cover and tugging it back over myself, my sleepy brain realised that the room and the apartment outside of the wardrobe had gone quiet. A smile spread as I sat up towards the light. Big Guy had left for work, leaving me free to make the most of his home until just after six, judging by the time he'd arrived back those last few days.

As keen and excited as I was to drag myself out from my hiding spot, I couldn't deny that a small part of me felt bad for taking advantage of him like that. At the same time, a bigger part of me insisted that it really wasn't a big deal. I wasn't hurting anyone and I certainly wasn't stealing... Not if you don't count a little food here and there... or hot water... or electricity. No, those small things aside, I wasn't taking or using anything that wasn't mine. More importantly, I'd much rather be facing a moral dilemma than a dilemma over how best to survive another winter's night.

I climbed out from my bed, grabbing my trusty metal bottle opener from my shoebox dresser. Just like the jumper, Big Guy hadn't missed it from atop his kitchen counter so far. Snickering to myself, holding it up like some kind of lance, I wondered how much more of his stuff I could borrow before he began to notice.

Opener in hand, I kicked off my increasingly familiar morning routine, using it as a lever to help reopen the giant wardrobe door. The more I pulled, the more of the bedroom greeted me, light warming my matted, scruffed up chest and belly fur. Those busted up blinds over the window did little to keep the sun outside, highlighting the frayed carpeting beneath the old desk and tatty office chair opposite. Big Guy's apartment was pretty basic and had definitely seen far better days. Not that I was complaining in the slightest. Accommodation wasn't cheap in Pilsnec, and this place was absolute luxury compared to what I'd called a home lately.

As I made the short jump down to the patchy grey carpet, a fizz of anticipation built and bubbled over one of those most comforting luxuries: a nice hot shower.

I had to be careful. Even at my size, even with a section of paper towel playing the role of a bath towel, I left some pretty big puddles between the Maleni shower cubicle and the fur dryer beside it. Sure, they weren't much more than drips compared to the lakes my roommate often left behind, but the idea of leaving any sort of trace of my presence here just didn't sit right.

After a minute or two under the dryer, my towel went from drying my headfur to mopping up as much water from the tiles as possible. Overkill? Probably. Sensible? Definitely. Big Guy would've probably never noticed these drips on the floor, nor the condensation in the cubicle way down beside his larger one, but wiping what I could of it away helped my mind rest a whole lot easier.

With both the bathroom and my fur nice and clean, I threw on my least dirty clothes and padded off down the hall to the relatively tiny living room. There, unlike back in the bedroom, a newer, more stable set of blinds stopped all but a few sunbeams from hitting the worn out couch under the window. A large TV sat against the wall opposite, right next to a bunch of 'Tech World' magazines stacked high on a dusty glass table crammed in the corner. With another, smaller end table beside the couch, there wasn't much space left over to fit a Visoka to fit himself. All the more reason to steer clear of the living room whenever Big Guy was home, I figured. But with him out for the day, that gave me plenty of space, and time, to settle down and watch something other than internet videos.

I rode the Maleni lift up the side of his couch, glancing down at my feet as I approached the top of the arm. There sure was a lot less dust and dirt coating it compared to my first trip. Just like any dampness I might've left in the bathroom, it seemed my accidental cleaning of this thing hadn't been noticed that far. All being well, it'd stay that way.

I stepped onto the cracking leather, making sure to stay steady on my short walk across the arm to the scatter cushion ahead. Thankfully, Big Guy had a habit of abandoning the remote on the couch, just like his laptop and tablet that practically lived over on the far cushion. He loved his tech, no doubt about it. What's more, judging by the second, shinier laptop he often brought home, and the subtle growling I often heard regarding people 'pushing bad code', whatever that meant, it wasn't the biggest leap in logic to assume he was some kinda IT guy.

I hopped lazily towards the cushion nestled against the arm and backrest, lifting my legs to hit it butt-first and make the slide down onto the couch proper. A short crawl carried me to the me-sized remote, tucked into the crook between the two seat cushions and positioned perfectly to point at the TV opposite. I palmed the screen to life, following up with a press and hold of the 'up' button. Various channels and their timetables cycled on by until I saw the new Golden Kingdom film, just that minute starting on one of the movie stations. Brilliant. I could settle back on this gigantic couch and just veg out with some magical fantasy for a couple of hours. That'd give plenty of time for my phone to charge before I started my own 'work' for the day.

As calm as things were in this increasingly familiar home of mine, the knowledge that I'd basically broken into it prevented me from chilling out completely. Every knock and bump at the front door had me twitching, ready to jump to my feet, climb back up that scatter cushion, and hope to the gods that the lift would take me to the floor before someone walked in. Even at the start of my fourth day staying here, I had to stop myself from freaking too badly somewhere around 10am: the usual time that the postman would arrive to open the letterbox and give me a heart attack. Still, that didn't ruin my morning too much, and by 11 o'clock, my movie had ended, leaving me ready to start job seeking again.

I headed over to that glass table covered in magazines, unhooking my charger from the Maleni slot in the wall socket beneath it. Rolling aside an empty can of energy drink that'd been dumped under here, I settled down onto my usual spot on the fluffiest part of this untrodden section of carpet. I needed to be comfy while I scrolled my way through a boatload of new emails, hoping against hope that one of them might finally offer up some good news. Good news that'd have to come one of these days.

I'd signed up with what must've been a million and one work agencies, job recruiters, and more, but still, I'd had nothing back but rejections at best and silence at worst. Not even after I'd given up on trying to get back into chef work and began applying for dish cleaning, food prepping, anything that would pay a Maleni a wage. After four months out of a job, a month of being homeless, and... finding myself living how I'm living, I needed something, anything, because relying on nothing but sixty fuckin' tolars a week in government benefits would barely feed me, let alone house me!

I tensed up all over, paw clamping tight around my phone. Calm down, I told myself. Deep breaths. Things were bad, no question, but they could've been much, much worse. I had a home... of sorts. A place to keep me warm and to act as a base from which I could get myself back on my feet. All I needed was a job, an income. Once I had that, if I was lucky, with just a few weeks of working, I'd be able to save up enough for a deposit on some cheap digs in a backstreet bedsit or something... I just hoped to any of the gods that might listen that I could stay under the radar here that long, even if it meant having to live like a scavenger. Also, I hoped Big Guy wouldn't move the key to the Maleni front door from its box on the end table. If he did... well, that'd make getting out of here whenever I wanted all but impossible.

I fought hard to ignore the doom and gloom storming in my head, busying myself with a good hard session of job hunting. Firing off some more applications helped to lift my spirits, as did the knowledge that the balance of probabilities had to be falling in my favour. Crappy job market or not, someone would hire me eventually. No damn way was I going to be the only fool in the universe to hit a thousand to zero on the rejection-to-offer ratio.

After a couple more hours spent working non-stop, my more immediate needs got the better of me. 1pm had come and gone, but I still hadn't had a single thing to eat or drink. My stomach growled at that realisation, mouth drying, lips chapping. I'd earned myself a break. Time to tear my phone from my paw and head off to the kitchen.

Just like with the couch, I needed another lift to make my way up onto the faded, chip-covered countertop. A few rides on that one in the living room had cleared most of the dust away, but no amount of using this small, dinged up lift hidden in the corner would've helped clean off so much caked-in grit and grime. I made sure to position my feet carefully.

Once at the top, stepping out onto the counter itself, I still couldn't shake that sense of being closed in. The kitchen as a whole was even more cramped than the living area, barely big enough to house the essentials and still leave space enough for a bigger badger to squeeze into. As for the countertop, with a microwave, a sink, and the breadbox all vying for position in limited real estate, there wasn't much room for a smaller badger, either.

Away from the poky conditions, having no small glasses, plates, and the like on offer meant I'd learned to make do around here. For example, getting a drink meant having to cup my paws under the cold tap of the Maleni-sized sink unit. Foodwise, again the options were scarce at best. I had to rely solely on raiding what I had available in arms reach on the counter. In practical terms, that meant prying open the door of the breadbox twice a day. Beggars, literally, could not be choosers.

As I slipped past the larger taps of the main sink, heading to the other end of the counter, I couldn't resist thinking ahead to the better times I might find here. Maybe, when I got the courage to grab that front door key, I could make a quick trip out for a handful of groceries... bring them back and stash them away... feel almost... normal again.

Don't get ahead of yourself, I ordered, pulling myself back to the there and then. I readied up my arm-length bottle opener once more, eyeing up the breadbox. Just like every time before, my meal wouldn't come easy.

The door was sticky, almost unopenable. Prying the thin end of the opener beneath it forced a crack of an opening. A few more shoves crammed it deep enough to get me some leverage. Treating it like a foot pump, I pressed down on the handle, again and again, slowly forcing the door upwards. My breathing got heavy, leg starting to ache as the stickiness fought back. I changed up my tactic, shifting myself into a seat on the opener, increasing the amount of force I applied. Up and down I went, dropping then rising, then dropping all over again. The door creaked louder, moved further, until at last, I created a gap that looked wide enough for me to squeeze through.

I stood up one last time, panting, savouring the scent of my lunch wafting out from that opening. Tired legs or not, it made those last few steps easy. I ducked my head inside, pulling my shoulders into the darkened, tasty-smelling breadbox after it.

Everything that far had gone real smooth. I had my lunch in sight, and in a second or two more, it'd be within touching distance. At least it should have been, if not for the sensation of my hips and butt pressing up against the bottom of the door. Damn it. I'd given up on my bottle opener too soon.

I pushed and I pulled, struggling to get my bottom half inside. Problem was, the harder I tried, the more I fought, the tighter everything clamped around me. I started to fear the worst, picturing myself stuck here until the evening. My roommate would get home from work, come here into the kitchen, only to discover he had himself a roommate, too. No doubt he'd freak. Imagining what he might do to me got me gasping even harder than my fight with the opener.

Whether it came from the thought of being snatched up or just the result of all my struggling, the sticky door above started to creak again. I threw my hips up against it, then again. A third, heavier bump got the loudest squeal yet. The pressure on me eased. At long last, I'd forced the gap wider, freeing myself to crawl inside.

Hidden away behind the newer loaf, I dove waist-deep into the older packet, grabbing the last of the giant end slice I'd been working at since arriving. I was relieved that it hadn't been discovered for my stomach's sake, but as I tore off a chunk and tossed it into my muzzle, I wondered what I'd do after I'd eaten the rest. Yeah, there was this new loaf that I could dip into, but even on an extra-hungry day, I'd never munch a whole slice in one sitting. The only alternative would be to eat what I could and drag the rest into a hiding spot for next time. Still, that wasn't exactly feasible. These slices were almost as tall as me. I'd be lucky to drag it out of the bag, let alone hide it someplace. Maybe that grocery shop idea was gonna have to come sooner rather than later. A risk maybe, but if I could pull it off, I'd get some variety back into my diet at least--

A dull clunk echoed from outside, slamming into me like a truck. My whole body jumped and tensed. My ears perked, trying to process it. The silence that followed gave me space to collect myself. I freed my head from the bread packet, starting at the light seeping through the opening in the breadbox door. Another thump sounded, then scraping and whooshing. A whole different door had opened: the front door.

"Fuck," I barked out loud, just a split second before I could slap a paw over my mouth. Footsteps echoed from the hallway. Big guy was home! Early!_Really_gods damned early!

I kicked out my legs and forced myself against the back of the breadbox. My focus went all over the place, searching for a better hiding spot. The thumping of footfalls repeated relentlessly, moving from the hallway to the living room.

Don't panic, I tried to tell myself. Easier thought than done. I was cool, though. Nice and safe inside the breadbox. Why find a hiding spot when I already was in a hiding spot? I could stay here for the time being. Let Big Guy do his thing and settle down in front of the TV like usual... That same TV I'd left turned on... Damn it!

The thumping continued, broken up by the sound of my roommate setting stuff down and the comfortable groaning of someone arriving in from the cold. I listened closer, ears perked to their maximum, picking up what I'm sure was his mulling over whether he'd forgotten to turn off the TV that morning. Gods... I swallowed hard, peering up at the curved ceiling of his breadbox. I waited in hope for the thud of him parking his giant Visoka self down on the couch. Longed for it, even. My leg muscles twitched, ready to move the moment my ears told them to. With him settled, I'd have the time and space to sneak on past, get back to the bedroom and hide away in the wardrobe for the rest of the day.

My legs would be left waiting; the heavy thud never came. Instead, that rhythmic thumping rolled on and on, distant at first... until it wasn't. I could hear him plodding away from the couch, passing the TV, moving towards the hallway. Any trace of calm that I'd achieved ended in an instant the moment I heard Big Guy say, "I'm starving."

I scrambled, grimacing at every step that brought him closer. He stomped into the kitchen just before I made it to cover behind that loaf of bread. Once I'd hunkered down, made myself as small as hidden as possible, all I could do was wait. Again.

Beyond the bread, outside of this box, I listened to every clink of cutlery and every clatter of plates. My heart hammered in my chest, paws clenching tight around themselves. Please don't want a sandwich... please.

The harshest step yet filtered through the gap in the door, moments before that gap became a wide opening. A high-pitched whine stabbed at my ears, light flooding in and flanking either side of the loaf that offered me cover. Cover that disappeared in the blink of my wide eyes.

The outside world hit me like a spotlight, forcing my arm up for the second that my eyes needed to adjust. My fur stood on end, heart pounding. Now, there was nothing inside the breadbox but me and the empty packaging I'd left behind.

I had to be fast. With no other option left, I snatched two pawfuls of plastic and dragged it over myself, clinging on for dear life. Outside, I could hear Big Guy fixing up his food, totally oblivious. If I stayed still, quiet, lucky, it'd stay that way.

The longer he took out there, the more I appreciated how a faceful of green plastic wrapping made even shallow breathing tricky. What's more, it used my body heat against me, blasting my face with every increasingly uncomfortable exhale.

I bit down on my tongue, clenched my eyes closed, and ordered myself to suck it up! It wouldn't be much longer. I'd gone through so much to get here, so much more before getting here, that a few more seconds of suffering would be a small price to pay to remain. Freezing figuratively in the humidity beneath this wrapping would be a damn sight better than literally freezing outside in the open. Just a few more seconds... that's all--

"Huh..." The light faded. A lurching step came a split second before the wrapper hiding me shifted. I held it tight, tensing up, flinching. My natural reaction, as it turned out, proved the wrong one.

In an instant, the whole world seemed to shift. The force whipped my head back, dazing me. My grip loosened. Maybe. It must have. How else would I have ended up hitting the counter?

I bounced in broad daylight, rolling twice. By the time I came to a halt, I had the kitchen ceiling hanging, spinning overhead. My arm kinda hurt. I didn't get much time to dwell on that, though.

The ceiling disappeared. Something big and badger-shaped lumbered into view, crowding me out as I tried to get my head clear. His round stomach shifted and jiggled beneath his pale blue shirt, white fuzz poking between the buttons. It gave way to his chubby chest above, then his face way up high. Whether it was from the tumble I'd taken, or from my sprawled out position in his shadow, trying to take him in left me dizzy. I could see his dropped jaw and raised paws. Wide, unblinking eyes studied me from behind his glasses. The silence was deafening. Almost as much as what followed it.

"Who are you?" he yelled, shock meeting anger. "W-What are you doing here!?"

I sat up, holding my sore head. Big Guy kept on barking, firing more of the questions you'd expect my way. I didn't have an answer to give. Instead, growing in appreciation of the size difference between us, I scrambled to find the best way to try and diffuse this situation. "...Don't freak."

"Freak?" he bellowed.

"I'm not here to steal anything..." I crawled across the counter, trying to put distance between both him and that splayed, hanging paw above. As if I had the faintest chance. "Hear me out--"

"How did you get in here!?"

I jolted, trembling to a stop. The giant badger roaring down at me looked nothing like the chubby, quiet, kinda geeky guy I'd felt comfortable crashing with. "D-Door."

"What!?"

I tried to answer him, to explain better, but his snapping blasted and scattered my thoughts to pieces. My reply would have to come off the cuff. "I needed a place to stay... I... didn't, uhm... expect you back yet."

"Expect me-- Wha--?" His muzzle creased even tighter, turning him into an enormous black and white picture of heartstopping, fur-raising rage. "How long have you been here!?"

"I-- A few days. Please don't be mad."

"Mad!? I'm--" He raced forward, looming like a tidal wave or a moving cliffside. Unavoidable all the same. His stomach bumped the edge of the counter. It'd have sent me shaking and shuddering if I wasn't already.

His massive paw descended, big enough to smother me into the countertop if he wanted. I threw up my arms: a pointless attempt to shield myself. Something clamped onto the scruff of my neck. Vice-like. No amount of struggling or shaking could free me. No amount of begging or pleading could stop me from getting snatched up into the air.

Big Guy dangled me from two fingers, bringing me all the way up to his fierce, cutting frown. If my position had been hopeless before, it became impossible the moment he tipped me into his palm, closed his paw, and squeezed me from my knees to my elbows.

"You're lucky I don't call the police," he growled, marching out of the kitchen with stomping, jarring steps. "Or just... toss you out of the window."

Please, I tried to say, forced into nothing more than grunts and whines by his incredible strength. I could hardly breathe, let alone move. If he squeezed me any harder... Did he really mean to be so rough?

I thanked the stars that the walk to his front door wasn't a long one. The near-crushing pressure began to ease as he stepped out of the apartment and into the cold, draughty, grey-brick corridor.

His paw loosened, giving me a slither of space to move and to breathe. As he started to bend, lowering us down towards the floor, the fear for my immediate health eased. But, as an icy breeze whistled through the corridor, cutting through my fur and chilling me to my centre, I knew only too well that I was still far from safe.

"Please, please!" I grabbed onto whatever I could of his paw, squeezing for all I was worth. "I'm sorry." We lowered further, almost within touching distance of the concrete. "I just needed a place to stay. Help another badger out. I-I've got no place else--"

"Stop," he grunted. "I don't care."

"Let me--" My whole body titled, knocking me quiet. He flicked out his paw and tossed me away, discarding me as if I were that empty bread wrapper he'd found me hiding under.

"Go on!" The big badger threw out his arm, scowling, pointing down the hall. "Get lost."

Even at a crouch, the way he loomed had my ears flat and my fur tingling. I opened my mouth to try and fight my case further, but instead, my jaw locked in place, forced wide as I craned my neck to watch him slowly shift and sway back up to his full, dizzying height.

His knee-high foot pounded the concrete, shaking some sense into me. Another heavy step turned him fully towards his doorway. If he took one more, I'd be out here alone for good.

"Wait!" I sprang up onto my own feet, waving my arms. "Please, wait!"

"What?" He huffed, looking at me side-on from way up high, paw poised to slam the door in my face along with the rest of me.

"Let me get my stuff first, please. My clothes and all. They're in your wardrobe. Ple--"

"Don't take me for a fool," he snapped. "And don't you dare come back, else I'll be a lot less forgiving."

The big door thundered closed, hitting me with its gusty shockwave. As the echoing thud dissipated against the grey walls, a quiet as cold as the floor beneath my feet took its place. What now? _Where_now? The wall between the Maleni and Visoka doors looked as good a place as any.

I shuffled across the concrete, crushed but floating all at once. Shoulder-first, I fell against the brickwork, slumping down into a sprawled out mess of a seat on the ice-cold ground. I'd fucked myself. Badly. How...? How had I gone from having everything to having nothing in the blink of an eye and the flick of a wrist? All my stuff sat locked away behind these doors. My warm clothes, my shoes, my sleeping bag, and... Oh, gods, my wallet!

I patted my pockets, finding my phone stashed in the left but nothing in the right. I collapsed back against the wall all over again, wincing. Things had gone from bad to worse to worst. I couldn't leave. Not in this state. But what could I possibly do otherwise? Knock on the door? Call out for him to come back, change his mind? Puh. As if the guy would listen.

A Visoka vixen strolled on by, heading towards the stairwell, either unnoticing or just uncaring of my presence beneath the plastic wall guard. I threw my head back, clunking it against an unforgiving brick. It didn't hurt much. Either that or I was too deep in thought to care.

I had to work this out and fast. No way could I stay sitting on this chilly concrete floor all night... but if not that, what!? The realist in me forced my attention towards the building's entrance hall. Finding a place outside to hunker down in was fast becoming my only option. A prospect that started me whimpering, what with the fact I had nothing but the shirt on my back... and the socks on my feet.

The front double doors were visible from my butt-numbing, teeth-chattering seat. So too was the snow outside, swirling wickedly in the wind. No chance could I go out there. I'd never survive the night!

That stairwell sat in the other direction, beyond the doors of a few more apartments. Maybe I could hide away in the building someplace. Perhaps find a corner near a heater. It wouldn't be comfortable, but it'd be warmer than the alternative. Safer, too. Maybe.

"Ahh, gods!" I fell forward, sagging shoulders dropping further, burying my head in my cold paws.

Another Visoka strode past, a wolf this time, wrapped up from head to toe in everything from a wooly hat to a thick winter coat to a thudding pair of boots. Seeing him wearing that kinda getup brought home how exposed I was, from my lack of clothes to my position in this corridor.

My legs were following my butt in heading sound asleep, but I couldn't use that as an excuse. I needed to get up and get to work. Go find myself somewhere warmer and better to settle down and work out my next move.

I must've been sitting way longer than I'd realised. My legs had turned to stone, forcing me to flop against the wall and use it as a crutch with which I could work my way up from the floor. Grunt after jerk, I rose towards my full height, shoulder grinding against the brickwork. For real, it took way more out of me than it ought to have, forcing me into a break to recharge myself.

A solid thump caught my ears, perking them fast. A second came right after, deep and distant, followed by another. On they rolled, loudening, closing in as I struggled to pull myself fully upright. Footsteps, no question, fast approaching the doors either side of me.

One final thud echoed out from beyond the Maleni door to my left, moments before the Visoka one to my right creaked open. My ears lifted to their peak, neck fur raising with dread while my heart lifted in hope. Could it be? Could he... had Big Guy had a change of his own heart?

He reappeared wearing what remained of his scowl from before, glaring down at me with daggers, like something he'd scraped off the bottom of his shoe. So much for a change of heart...

"Here." He leaned down, letting my wallet slip from the edge of his fingerpad. I managed to step out from cover and throw my paws up fast enough to catch it, but I thought better of repeating that for everything else he had to give me.

My shoes dropped first, falling from twice my height at least. They clapped against the concrete, bouncing up to hit me in my shin. No time to wince, though. I had to make sure not to get in the way of my clothes and my sleeping bag.

"Made quite a place for yourself in my wardrobe, huh?"

I wasn't sure how to answer. A faint nod seemed best.

"Well that's everything," he grumbled, shifting up to stand, throwing a paw into the softness of his hip. "You've got your stuff. Leave."

"Where?"

"Not my problem." He moved his wide frame back through the doorway, readying to slam the door all over again. "Anywhere but here."

"Please, please!" I ran after him, losing more and more of his face beyond his hefty underbelly. "Just let me stay for one more day... or two."

"No chance."

"Once I get myself sorted, work out my options, I can go--"

"You can go now."

"It's the middle of December!" I neared the threshold of the doorway and his right foot. Stopping short seemed the safest option. "I'll freeze out there... Please."

"Does this look like a shelter?" he snapped, stepping back, jiggling the black and white fur peeking from the bottom of his shirt. "You're pushing your luck here."

The door began to close. Something in me snapped. Barely thinking, I rushed forward, running directly towards that moving wall of wood, reaching the threshold first.

"Are you for real!?" He slammed his paws to the door, stopping it fast. "Move!"

"Hear me out." Stopped or not, the realisation of the position I'd just put myself in hit me as hard as that door might have. "Just listen, please. I didn't come here to steal or to take advantage or... How could I? At this size? Please, I just need a roof over my head until I can get another spot at a shelter or a job or-- I'll stay in your wardrobe 'til then. You won't even know I'm here."

"Look..." The big badger threw out his foot. Straight towards me... It nudged me way softer than it could have. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

"Plea--"

With the smallest flick, he shifted me clean out of the apartment, sending me back out onto the cold concrete. He closed the door fast, but not fast enough to stop me catching a glimpse up at a single folding ear.

Another slam echoed through the corridor. Once again, I was alone and out of options. At least I had my shoes and the rest of my belongings. If worse came to worst and I did have to face the elements, maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't freeze to death.

The time hadn't come for that. Not yet. I doubt he realised it, but tossing out my sleeping bag had given me a makeshift seat. One that I'd be glad to make use of in the gap between his front doors.

So there I sat, pondering, watching people large and smaller pass on by on their way back home or their way outside. Yeah, it was still cold, but at least I could feel something beneath my tail... mostly.

Time rolled on by. How much exactly I wasn't too sure of. I didn't dare use my phone. I'd need to squeeze as much battery life out of it as possible until I found a way to charge it again. Instead... I just sat, almost in protest over the helpless position I'd been thrown back into, waiting for nothing as the evening crept in.

Just like me in that corridor, the snow had lingered outside that whole afternoon. It looked even more daunting in the fading light, swirling wickedly beneath the glowing streetlamps.

I couldn't stay sitting outside that apartment. It wouldn't be long before someone reported me for loitering around and being unsavoury, what with my pile of clothes and tatty sleeping bag. After the day I'd had, the only way it could've got any worse would've been to get carried off, literally, by the police... even if that would've come with a meal and warm cell for the night.

All that considered in my mile-a-minute mind, sleeping bag seat or not, I'd been sitting bunched up in the cold for so long that my legs had gone numb all over again. If I'd tried to get up and leave at that point, be it on the back of an order or my own decision, I wouldn't have been able to. Maybe it was subconscious. A realisation by my own body of the damage I'd cause it by heading out into that storm. Still, I _couldn't_stay here. I had to move, and if going outside was off-limits, then I'd need to try and find a hideaway somewhere in this building.

My rock solid legs refused to make things easy for me. I had to fight just to bend and shift them towards me, then again to get them positioned to push me upwards. I'd need the wall to do most of the support work for me. How that would unfold, I never got the chance to find out.

The big door of the apartment clunked, shocking me so hard that I nearly jumped from my seat, stiff legs or not. I craned my neck up high, watching that Visoka-sized doorknob turn. My heart found its way to my throat, skipping a beat then hammering double time. If he found me still waiting here, I dreaded to think what he'd do.

"Damn it, c'mon..." I scrambled around, trying to find some sort of leverage to haul myself upright. The brickwork was my best bet, but my paws and claws just couldn't work fast enough. Not with my legs doing nothing but acting like a pair of lead weights.

On my knees, arms spread, stomach flat against the wall, I heard the door creak open one more time. As if in slow motion, a big black and white snout poked itself out from the opening, just like the soft, fuzzy underbelly peeking from beneath an old grey Star Force t-shirt.

I froze up completely, watching more and more of the big badger emerge. Raised voices, snatching paws, I didn't know what to expect next. Still, what did come left me speechless.

"Oh..." His head cocked. No sign of the scowl or the snarling from earlier. "So, you _are_still here."

I nodded, coughing the cold from my chest and the lump from my throat. "Told you. I've got no place else to go." I dropped back down to my sleeping bag, still peering up at him through the plastic covering. "And I don't much fancy freezing out in the park tonight."

He huffed hard, folding his arms. "Why can't you crash with a friend or something?"

"Got no friends in a spot to help me."

"Parents?"

I waved that away. "I'd have to find my Dad first. As for Ma... She's in a worse spot than I am... Probably."

Big Guy sagged, rubbing at his neck. "Sorry."

I shrugged, dropping my head towards my lap. "It is what it is."

He shifted around on his feet. I was happy to hear them stay close. "And you've _really_been hiding here? For days?"

"Since Tuesday night." I let that hang for a moment, relieved that it hadn't caused outrage. "I followed you inside after you got back home from work. At least I guess it was work. You were carrying that laptop bag of yours."

"Huh... I had no idea."

"That was the plan."

He snorted, smiling audibly. I peered back up to see him rubbing his forehead. "You honestly have nowhere to go?"

"No!"

"Ok--"

"I got kicked out of the shelter I was staying at since losing my job... then my apartment."

"Why?"

"Because I couldn't pay the rent!?"

"No," he grumbled. "Why did you get kicked out of the shelter?"

A chill rose up from my tailbase. "Just reasons."

"Like?"

He wasn't gonna let this go. I suppose it was a fair question. "They... One of the guys I was room sharing with accused me of stealing."

"And did--?"

"I didn't, I swear! I wouldn't. That place was my last hope. No way would I have done anything to screw that up." My head dropped all over again. "Kinda like here. Screwing up seems to be my specialty."

Big Guy stayed quiet, still thumping those idly shifting feet of his. He was hearing me out, at least. I figured it best to make the most of it.

"I'm sorry for crashing your place, honestly... but I was desperate. I _am_desperate... I don't know what to do. Where to go..."

"Hey there," called a voice from along the corridor. "Excuse me."

I picked myself up from my stupor, glancing towards the entrance hall. A brown bear decked out in a security uniform stood waiting, watching both of us with curiosity. I gulped down hard, heart finding a whole new level to drop to.

"Sorry to bother ya, but..." He took a few more steps towards us, bringing himself level to the doors of the neighbouring apartment. "I had a call to say there was someone lingering around down here. A Maleni..."

Fuck. I gritted my teeth and tensed up hard, only just about managing to glance up at my fellow badger. He'd frozen solid, just like I had, jaw hanging half open.

"You two guys know each other?"

I thought about speaking up, throwing out some kind of excuse that might stop that security bear from stomping over to show me to the door. "Sorry, I'm--"

"Yeah," Big Guy called, glancing down, staring, before finally closing his eyes with a small shake of his head. "We do. We know each other."

"Right." The bear frowned, tapping a claw to his muzzle as he glared down at me and my belongings. "All that stuff... It kinda looks like you're here for the long haul--"

"I've been waiting for him to get back home," I blurted, shocking everyone quiet, even myself. "...See, I thought he said to get here for two, but it turned out it was actually... six?"

"Yeah, exactly," Big Guy added. "He's, uh... staying over for a bit."

"Just got into town today you see." I raised an apologetic paw towards the guard. "Sorry for causing a fuss. It's all just been a big mixup, that's all."

The broad bear looked back and forth between us as if mentally scanning and deliberating on my excuse. I didn't dare move another muscle until that frown of his faded. "Alright then. You two have yourselves a nice evening."

"Uh, and you!" I called, only half-managing to contain my excited relief. "Thanks."

As fast as he'd appeared, that guard turned to march back down the hall. That left just my former roommate and me. At least, I think it was 'former'.

"Was that for real?" I jerked my head up towards him with clasped, warming paws. "Did you mean that?"

He scratched at his ear, mouth twisted, staring off into space. I wondered if he'd heard me.

"Hey, Big Guy?"

"Huh? Hmm?"

"Uh..." Gods, was I getting ahead of myself with my hopes? "Did you mean it? That I'm... staying over for a bit?"

He paused, peering down at me with that same look of deep thought as the security bear. "I can't believe I'm doing this..."

My ears perked hard enough to feel them. "You mean--?"

"Just... Come on." He sighed hard, lifting his glasses and rubbing his eyes with one paw while waving me in with the other. "Come inside."

"R-Really?"

"Quick. Before I change my mind."

"Oh my... Wow! Thank you!" I grabbed up everything in reach, shifting myself to stand so fast that I'd forgotten myself. "Oof!"

"What's wrong?"

I slumped back down onto my side, grabbing my thigh with a wince. "I've been sitting here so long that... ugh. My legs... they're fast asleep."

He rolled his eyes, gave another soft sigh, but also shuffled his way over towards me. "This is only temporary. Got it?"

"Yeah! Sure! Of course." I grinned up at him as he positioned his huge self overhead. "Until I can land one of these jobs I've been applying for."

"Uhm..." Down he came, hefty thighs and stomach shifting and closing in. For the first time, it was a sight to put me at ease. "I was thinking more along the lines of a day or two."

"Ah... Yeah, sure, sorry. I didn't mean to assume..."

"Jeez," he muttered, slipping his fingers under my legs and scooping me into both paws. "But... maybe we can see how it goes."

"Sure, sure! I won't impose, just..." I grabbed at his fingers, clinging on tight long before he'd started to lift us. "I can sleep in the wardrobe, keep myself to myself, just like before. Like I said, you won't know I'm here. Promise!"

Between the cranked up heating and the closeness of Big Guy's toasty paws, an intense, comforting warmth struck hard as we entered the apartment together. Maybe it was all that time spent in the corridor, or maybe it was just relief from being rescued from it, but either way, the sensation radiated deep into my core, soothing me more than I could ever recall.

My whole body began to tremble, tears forming in the corners of my eyes. I tried to wipe them away, hide them, but they just kept on coming. "Oh... Oh, man."

"What's wrong?"

"I can't... I don't know what to say," I said past my whimpering, hurling myself into a hug against the underside of his snout. "Thank you so much."

"Uh..." He stopped fast, shifting away. Only for a moment. "You're welcome, I guess."

"I owe you big time. More than I can say."

"Well..." His paws shifted beneath me, curling to offer a short pat on my back. "Listen, if I find anything missing, or I think you're screwing me somehow, I'll--"

"You won't! Promise! You can trust me." Missing? What in the world did he think I could take at _my_size? "I need this too much... I won't let you down."

I squeezed him tighter, dragging out a huff of a chuckle and a quick, two-fingered hug in return. "I'll take your word for it," he said, smirking. "Though judging by that performance of yours with security, I can't help but wonder if that's a good idea."

"Hey! That was... different." I stepped away, falling back into a seat in his cupped paws. "I had to say something to stop him tossing me outta here."

"Mhmm."

"Besides! I've got a feeling you were coming round before he showed up."

He hacked a laugh, mouth lifting into a smile. I think that warmed me more than anything else. "What's your name anyway?"

"Jiri. You?"

"Tomas."

"Good to meet you... properly." I reached over my shoulder, patting one of his fingerpads. "Not from way down in your wardrobe each morning, hiding in and peering up from that jumper of yours."

"Jumper?"

"Yeah! Some black hoodie I think... You didn't see it when you grabbed my stuff earlier?"

"No..." His head tilted. "I was wondering where that went."

"Heh, well I'm glad you didn't realise."

That smile of his grew, teeth on display for all the right reasons. "Have you eaten?"

I shook my head. "A mouthful of bread aside, not today."

His ears flicked, eyes widening to fill the lenses of his glasses. "Oh..."

"It's fine, it's--"

"No, it's not. Let's get that fixed."

"You don't--"

He turned on his heels so fast that he shook me silent, charging off towards the kitchen. "I was just about to eat, and you don't look big enough to want enough of my dinner that I'll miss it."

I wanted to debate more, but all of his talk of food had my stomach rumbling something fierce. "Well, if you're asking..."

"Just as much as that belly of yours is."

I snorted, easing back in his soft paws. "In that case, yes please... and thanks."

"You're welcome." The aroma of spice and tomatoes tingled my nostrils as we entered the kitchen, drawing more gurgles from my empty gut. "I don't think I've cooked for someone else before."

"And I don't think I've been cooked for by a Visoka before," I replied, grinning. "First time for everything."

"Yeah... Though not sure how we'll cope without Maleni plates and all."

My stomach roared again. The loudest yet. "Throw it in my lap for all I care. I'll eat it regardless."

He scoffed. "I was thinking more along the lines of using a piece of card and a toothpick or something."

"Well that sounds fine, too." I sighed softly, grin easing to match. "Thank you very much."

The next time I'd see Tomas' living room would be the first that I came welcome. A fact that helped this whole room seem brighter, warmer, and more comfortable.

Settling down on a makeshift seat of folded cloth felt great, as did being handed a folded section of card loaded with tomato curry and a toothpick fork to eat it with. Daft as it might sound, watching him crash onto the couch from my spot on the end table, I really wanted to hug him again. Maybe later, I thought.

As we dug into our dinner, I very nearly wept openly into mine. I wondered if Tomas realised that he might have saved my life that evening. In turn, I started to question whether I'd actually woken up after dozing back to sleep that morning. Had this guy actually, honestly opened his home to me? For the first time in months, years even, something had gone my way. If this was all just a dream, hell, I hoped to the gods that it'd last longer than this little plate of curry.

"Are you good?" Tomas asked past a mouthful of his own dinner. "Food okay?"

"I am. It is." My whole self lifted. Lump in my throat included. "Everything's fine now."