Flashbacks to the Beginning of a Friendship
Delscher very excitedly got himself prepared for the trip over to his friend's house. Dashing to the shower, he undressed and stepped in. Turning the water temperature to hot, he groaned as the soothing heat poured over his body. The snow leopard took his time, lathering his body wash into his fur and taking extra care to give his head fur a thorough washing. Putting on a pair of jeans and a shirt, he grabbed his keys and headed outside.
The drive there was tormenting, the half hour it took to arrive at Sandrel's home taking far too long. Trying to help the ride go faster, Delscher popped in a rock cd, beginning to move with the rifts as Eric Johnson began playing the first guitar chords to Trademark. The melodic tone took his mind off the monotonous ride as he began simply coasting down the freeway.
With the biggest feline smile he had ever had plastered on his face, the snow leopard took the time to go over the last week in his head. Just eight days ago, he had been ready to leave and head out on his own, staking his claim in life. Being alone was nothing new to him, as he liked to stay independent and far away from all the drama that seemed far too prevalent in the modern relationship. Take life one day forward, and everything had changed.
To go from independent to suddenly almost jumping for joy like an eight year old whose parents had announced the summer's trip to Disneyland, simply because a friend had invited you to his home for some fun was slightly unnerving. What exactly had he gotten himself into?
Delscher knew there was nothing to fear from either Trevor or Sandrel, but the knowledge that he had just accepted an invitation to not only break his independent lifestyle, but to also do it so he could be with not one, but two males would have sounded insane just over a week ago. Now, with his world flipped upside down, he no longer knew quite where his life would take him. The belief that he would have his two best buddies with him killed any negativity that might have arisen from such a thought.
What an adventure this could turn out to be. Would they stay together for longer than just the summer, and if then, would they live together? The list of questions droned on and on, as the pages of all of them flipped through Delscher's mind. He became so lost in thought that he almost missed his exit, so surprised that he was already there.
Five minutes later, the snow leopard pulled into Sandrel's driveway, the cheetah already on his way to greet him before he had locked his car. Grinning wildly, the tawny cat wrapped Delscher up into a strong hug, a deep purr resonating from his throat.
"It's so nice to see you again, Del. I cooked up some meatloaf for lunch in case you didn't take the time to eat on your way here."
Sliding a paw up to the cheetah's neck, the snow leopard simply rubbed up and down, drinking in the scent of his pal. He had never taken the time to do it before, and as he breathed it in, he began to wish he hadn't waited so long. The aroma that drifted into his nostrils was, put simply, everything that was Sandrel, but more. It was uncanny, nearly impossible to explain, but the more he breathed it in, the more wonderful it smelled.
Sandrel just chuckled, relaxing into the caress of the white paw, purring loudly as he rested his head in the crook of the snow leopard's neck. As the rubbing continued, he could feel a tingling heartbeat in his crotch as the touch sparked the same desire that had fueled him a week ago. Giving a little moan, the cheetah pulled his head back, gazing into the barely open blue slits of Delscher's eyes.
"Del, if this is going to continue any longer, I think it would be a good idea for the two of us to get inside before this gets too PG rated. Besides, I spent the last hour making that meatloaf and not eating any, and I'll be damned if I don't get to eat it while it's hot."
Moving his white paws down the cheetah's shoulder blades, Delscher flexed his claws, giving Sandrel one last scratch before letting him go.
"Okay then, you lead the way, but do know there's meat that belongs to a much hotter cat that I'd rather be eating right now."
"Heh, you wouldn't be saying the same thing if you had spent the last hour making meatloaf while your stomach spent the whole time growling."
With that, the spotted cat turned around and grabbed ahold of Delscher, pulling the white feline into the house. The sight never ceased to amaze the snow leopard; the interior of the house completely different from most he walked into. Sandrel was very appreciative of his African heritage, having multiple woven rugs on the ground, with a few statues in the corners that definitely looked like they belonged in that country. The living room was finished off with the logo and team flag of the South African soccer team.
Delscher chuckled under his breath as he remembered how pissed off the cheetah was last year after they were eliminated in the world cup. Very quickly, though, his thoughts were turned in the direction of a most heavenly smell. It led him into the kitchen where Sandrel was already busy getting himself and presumably, his guest, a glass of water.
He was quickly directed to a seat with a steaming plate almost completely covered in a huge slice of beef. His stomach instantly let its presence be heard, growling with a sort of pre-delivered satisfaction. Delscher was practically drooling by the time the cook sat down next to him, his own plate just as full as his friend's.
The next fifteen minutes trotted on by without a word, the two of them too busy cramming meatloaf down their throats like they used to cram information the week before a unit test. The snow leopard had never felt this hungry before, managing to eat nearly three plates worth before he leaned back, letting loose a very contented burp. Sandrel was not far behind, finishing his third plate up just a couple minutes afterwards.
"Now you tell me that wasn't the best meatloaf you've ever tasted in your life."
Normally, the snow leopard would have teased the cheetah, but after such a meal, he couldn't bring himself to doing so. Attempting to avoid another burp, Delscher took a shallow breath before replying.
"I don't think I could compare it to much of anything without the rest of what I've eaten being thrown in the river. But I don't think I'm in any mood to get rowdy with you now. I'm just too damn full."
"That's fine with me. I can't say I'd take such action too well right now either. What if we watch the soccer match together? It's on in just a few minutes."
"Sounds great. I'll help you clean up in here and then we'll head down. By the way, when are we going to our puma's house to let him know the news?"
"Prolly around six tonight. I think he gets off of work at five-thirty, so it would give him enough time to get home and catch his breath. Actually, six-thirty, so he has enough time to get his shower in. It's almost a ritual for him."
After cleaning up the remains of their massive lunch, both cheetah and snow leopard walked down a floor to the couch, cuddling together as Sandrel turned his TV on. It was a massive 50" plasma widescreen, the type of screen you'd expect to see video games and high definition movies played on all the time, but the cheetah had never been into that. No, his excuse for having it was because he felt it was necessary to truly immerse yourself into the soccer games as if you were actually there.
The screen flickered for a second and then chirped to life, the announcer's voice coming through distorted as it picked up the signal. Seconds later, the camera panned out the size of the crowd, the announcer noting that they had sold out all 123,854 seats. The summer regional championships were on, and Sandrel had specially ordered viewership of all the games his Boks, as he called them, would be playing in. This was the third game, and Delscher knew it would take even more than the end of the world to take the cheetah's attention away from it.
Leaning back, the snow leopard took a full view of the entertainment, including the game as well as the spotted feline already sitting on the edge of the couch next to him. The game was between his Springboks and some other name he couldn't pronounce, but apparently, the two teams were big rivals. They had split the seasonal two games, each winning one, but now what mattered was this game. It was a double elimination tournament; both teams holding records of two wins and no losses so far. The loser of this game would have to fight through four do or die matches in order to play for the championship. The winner would keep the pressure off, keeping their one loss of breathing room.
The intensity of the game set in almost immediately, one of the non bok players sliding in and completely missing the ball, instead sending what was the advancing opponent up in the air and then back on the ground. Unintelligible sounds, most likely Sandrel's native Swahili, came pouring out the cheetah's mouth. Delscher laughed quietly, knowing the whole game would be full of a bipolar cat, one who would be running around madly when they scored a goal and then two minutes later would be spitting mad when the referee "completely unfairly" yellow carded one of the Springboks.
By the time halftime hit, a bright smile was all that shone on Sandrel's face, his team surprisingly playing in a very dominant fashion, taking a 3-0 lead into the locker room. The next twenty minutes passed by with the two of them talking about the game, the cheetah making the same blanket statements any fanatic would be expected to make. While Delscher spoke his opinion, sometimes disagreeing with him, he found himself agreeing more often with what seemed to be a persuasive Sandrel.
No wonder he had majored in culinary arts and had spent all four years on the debate team, an area where he had been considered one of the most formidable debaters to go up against. Delscher was sure to finish most of what he was saying as the internal clock in his head told him halftime was almost done. Sure enough, just as he finished the last few statements, the announcer commented over how surprisingly relaxed the losing team was coming back out onto the stadium.
With the game being played in the more southern region of Congo, home field advantage favored the boks, but only slightly. As the cameras were turned up, the fans put up such a noise that it almost felt like he was right next to them. The effect was much stronger on Sandrel who was up on his feet, chanting in his native tongue.
While some might have considered his antics a little overboard, both Delscher and Trevor accepted and enjoyed it. Sandrel had been a very shy foreign exchange student from South Africa when he started his freshman year in college. Shy would have seemed to some rather generous. Always the one to stay secluded, the cheetah kept his distance in the library while studying, purposely chose empty tables to eat his lunch at, and spoke to no one.
It had taken Trevor and Delscher no time at all to single him out as the loner. Best friends since the beginnings of high school, the cougar and snow leopard duo made the decision to do whatever possible to break the guy out of his shell. A few days later, the two of them sat down together on the other side of the corner table that he always secluded himself in. Wariness had come across the cheetah's frame almost immediately, tensing up like a spring.
The two of them just gave him a warm smile in return and kept on eating, talking between each other, but making it clear with a few glances here and there that the cheetah was more than welcome to jump in anytime he felt comfortable doing so. Lunch passed by and the two left again to go to class. The next day, they did the same thing again, though Sandrel had seemed much more relaxed, but not very interested in saying anything. Finally, after a week of the same thing, the spotted cat timidly introduced himself in the middle of lunch, holding out a shaky paw, looking ready to pull it back like a spring if he sensed any trouble.
Trevor beat him to the punch and grabbed ahold of the tawny furred paw, softly shaking it, and then introduced himself. Delscher followed suit, smiling warmly. The two asked a few questions, but only got abrupt answers that didn't create a conversation at all. Barely fazed, the two continued on, every day at lunch joining the cheetah at his table.
Over the course of a few weeks, they found the cheetah welcomed their company, his ears perking up when he saw them arriving. A smile soon followed, but still no conversation. Attempts at starting one only ever drew the cheetah's mood down, his gaze usually drifting down to his food, his ears losing some of their energy. One Friday, Delscher invited him over to his house for dinner. Expecting no response, the snow leopard nearly fell out of his seat when he heard the cheetah ask him if he could bring some of his own food. Smiling happily, he told him he could bring whatever he wanted.
He arrived a bit late, looking very unsure as he climbed out of his clunker. Trevor was quick to open the door and invite the cheetah in. Giving a smile in return, he pulled out a large dish from the backseat. The cougar took it from his paws, leading him into the house and invited him to get comfortable.
Taking a curious glance through the living room, Sandrel sat himself down in one of the couches, accepting a glass of water from Delscher. Minutes later, the food was all set on the counter, including the cheetah's dish of what looked to be burritos. The cheetah informed them it was a spiced up African dish, something he had done himself. In the burritos were simmered strips of gazelle meat, beans, rice, steamed broccoli and a special sauce he wouldn't explain.
Whatever else it had in it was causing it to let out an aroma that overran Trevor's grilled hamburgers and Delscher's pasta. Not knowing much about what the cheetah was studying at the college, they weren't expecting the explosion of taste that hit both their mouths on the first bite. Forgetting about the other food, Delscher began chowing down on the burritos, each bite not quite tasting like the last one. Trevor was a bit slower about it, savoring each mouthful.
Sandrel's smile grew bigger as each minute passed. The burritos disappeared at record pace, the cheetah content to enjoy the hamburgers and pasta, more intent on watching his food disappear down the other cats' throats. He ate his own food quietly, but his face spoke volumes as it absolutely beamed with pleasure.
When the last bit of burrito finally disappeared, a perpetual grin covered his spotted face. It was like a wall had been broken and out had come a much more confident cheetah, one that had just been looking for some reassurance that he was wanted and accepted. The three of them spent the rest of the night talking, learning about each other, talking about their pasts as well as how class was and what they were each majoring in.
That one night changed Sandrel's social attitude completely, as he spent the next week getting to know other furs and building other friendships. What once was one of the most reclusive and antisocial felines in the college suddenly became one of the most outgoing, forthcoming and interesting members the school had ever enrolled. Joining the debate team was a high for the cheetah, getting the opportunity to express his views and bring his points to the table, a skill in which very few others could keep up or match skill to.
Even though Sandrel opened up his world to some other furs, he was never as close to them as he was his two best pals. They had encouraged him to just be himself, that he would be accepted no matter what. Taking their advice, he began inviting the two of them over to his house to watch some of the soccer matches. It took very little time for the mountain lion and snow leopard to see that it was something the cheetah was very passionate about, and so the two of them began getting to know the team.
Joining into his fun had only brought them closer, and as Delscher watched the game come to a close, the Springboks only allowing one goal, taking the 3-1 victory, he sat back happily. Sandrel turned back to the snow leopard, grinning widely as he turned off the television. Grabbing a blanket from behind the couch, the cheetah cuddled up close to Delscher, stretching out on the couch and pulling the blanket over him. The white furred cat took it as an invitation, lifting the cheetah up enough so he could scoot under him. Leaning back with Sandrel lying on top of him, Delscher brought a paw up to wrap around the soft chest fur of the cheetah and used the other to pull the blanket over them both. Grinning quite pleasantly, he closed his eyes and fell asleep to the melodic sound of Sandrel purring on top of him.
I've thought about it and I do think I'll continue this. I have a good, if not extremely solid plan for where to take it, but a lot of it will just compose itself while I'm writing. Thanks for reading and don't be afraid to leave a comment.