FSE

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"Hmm? What's this?" said the slender orange fox. His tight burnt umber vest, matching trousers and collared white shirt made him look even skinner and taller by contrast. The room he stood in was a large open hall. The cavernous feel of such a high ceiling, opening up the landing of the second floor which passed above, often made the occupant of the room feel dwarfed and yet warm with its natural hues such as in the railings which descended and came to an abrupt end at the foot of the solid twin staircases. In his hand he held a letter from his nephew Dennis. The envelope alone had given him a bit of a puzzle. The return address had the right name, "Dennis Muter-Delgado," but the address itself was unfamiliar.

He had received an email from his sister Diana just that morning. Her family had a wonderful Christmas. They missed him at the wedding, (though he was excused since it had in fact been a private ceremony), and that their youngest was out of the closet with a very charming young lizard. He was so pleased to hear the news that he held it in the back of his mind to share it with his nephews, if they ever woke up, and his aunt should she come over to the main house that afternoon as she often did for tea.

Family news was always exciting to hear since he lived so secluded from his relatives, but before he would open the envelope, he knew the contents would weigh heavily on his heart.

"Dearist Uncle Nester," it began. He folded the torn envelope and stuffed it in his back pocket. Those words on the first line with the peculiar spelling had been a code Nester shared with his nephew to prove the identity of the author. If it had been written any other way, it meant someone else like Crispin, the boy's father, might have written it as a lure of some sort.

"I'm trying. It's getting difficult, but I'm trying," read the next line.

His sister's son had been through a lot fighting with his stepfather and that was an understatement. Because of the boy's lifestyle, he had become subject to much abuse from the old wolf. It had been five years since the death of his mother and two since he came out and began to dress increasingly more feminine. Crispin nearly killed the boy when he found hormones in Dennis' sock drawer, but the broken leg, fractured cheek bone and two missing teeth weren't enough to take the boy away from such an abusive tyrant with no prior record. He and his homophobic biker buddies had provided a concrete alibi. Even his own son Curtis took the stand and testified that Dennis had done it to himself to have his father arrested in order to collect on what little inheritance from his mother remained. The Delgado family spent a good sum of money for Dennis' case with his uncle Remus Delgado representing him, but had lost in the end. The court ruled that Dennis was unfit to live outside Crispin's care due to mental instability and that he wouldn't be allowed to leave home until the age of nineteen. He have a full psychiatric examination to prove his mature metal state, but the so called 'self-inflicted' beatings continued to crush his case.

"He found my fake pills and broke my arm. He hasn't found the real ones. Thank you for the trick."

Nester had taught the boy to hide his pills in vitamin bottles and keep the real pill bottles with the vitamins inside. If Crispin became suspicious, he became determined. He wouldn't likely give up unless he found something. Giving him a decoy to destroy would sate him for a couple weeks at the most.

"I spent the money. Pills and some surgery and clothes. Rented safehouse with friend and will leave soon to prepare for the trip. Two weeks. $-5"

Though he was burning through cash, Nester did appreciate the fact his nephew was so diligent about accounting for most of it in his letters. The "$-5" meant that he needed another $5,000. Judging by the look of the paper, this figure had been changed multiple times. Dennis probably thought it was too much or too little, but from the sound of it, Nester could tell it was for the ticket, the rent and other last minute expenses. He knew Dennis never spent any of his uncle's money unless he had too. If Crispin or Curtis discovered any extravagance, they would trace it back to the Delgados. Crispin has threatened the family with a restraining order in the past and would have legal grounds to apply for one if Dennis was caught with family funds. Nester had set up a private account in his own name and given Dennis access shortly after that nightmare in court. Dennis hid the card at his school and burned all statements and receipts at night in an old parking lot.

_ "Curtis is much better now, but I don't trust him. I don't think he agrees with Crispin, but he doesn't like me either. I'll keep my distance."_

Curtis and Dennis always had trouble liking each other ever since their parents were wed. Curtis, being the older brother, often picked on the small weaker fox and sided with his father whom he admired in all altercations. Recently however, Curtis had started driving Dennis to the hospital for his numerous injuries which had progressively gotten worse. Being closer to these things and seeing the pain his father caused first hand had sparked emotion in the young wolf's mind and convinced him his father's 'treatment' of Dennis was wrong despite the fact he still disagreed with the fox's lifestyle.

"I can't get anymore help at school. They need Crispin's signature to let me leave."

Leaving in the middle of the school year would be tricky, but Dennis had only just started college. It had been difficult just to get in due to his 'mental history,' but Nester had promised things would be much easier in Spain and he would make sure of that. In the meantime, if he left now it could weaken his case for mental stability and possibly keep him out of a good school for the rest of his life.

"One week. I'll write again. Dennis-"

Nester rubbed the disbelief from his face as his mouth hung slightly agape. Fingers pulling down lightly at his cheeks as they ran down his muzzle. His eyes darting around at the various paintings on the walls in the wide corridor as he stood there in the silence. The hand carved wood paneling and wooden chairs and the darkly varnished narrow tables which supported the fine ornaments of pottery. Décor which had taken generations to accumulate and care for. The house was old, that was for certain. Old and well-built with fine carpets lying over the paneled floor leading visitors around to the various galleries and rooms within. He stared down the hall at this display, but nothing stayed in his view for long as he would've easily given it all away, the whole collection which his family had passed down for more generations than he knew if it would help his nephew escape his torment. A nightmare which no one deserved.

The fox stood there in silence for a moment. Contemplating to himself the outcomes of numerous actions he could take, but the best was to simply trust and put faith in the young boy. Perhaps he was stronger than his uncle thought.

"What's up Nester?" a familiar voice said, coming down the winding staircase just behind him. In a flash, Nester tore the letter and the envelope into small bits and turned back to Sebastian with a cordial smile. Nester always kept maters regarding Dennis private. There was no telling how the others would react. Any wrong move would force Crispin to tighten his grasp of the young boy and there was only so much force the young fox would be able to take before he burst.

"Oh, just some junk mail. It must've slipped past Tennison," replied the fox. He often blamed Tennison, a sturdy and able middle-aged equine, for little, quickly forgotten, mishaps which he wanted to pass the blame for. The equine didn't mind. Nester looked about the room once more as he finished destroying the evidence and then glanced back to his nephew, changing the subject.

"You and Hym going back to the village today? Hym is still seeing that girl there, yeah?"

"Ha! No, I'm seeing the girl. Hym just gets drunk and causes trouble. Where's your head? Something the matter?"

Sebastian looked to his uncle with some concern. It wasn't like him to forget juicy details. Nester just shrugged it off and shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Just thinking about your cousin Jamie is all. He and his boyfriend are coming here soon to stay with us soon. It got me thinking about arranging a bit of a reunion or something. Not right away, maybe next summer."

The diced paper was slipped into the front pocket of his vest. He'd leave it in there to intentionally have it go through the wash for which he'd blame Teska. The Russian skunk maid.

"Hey, that's a cool idea!" said Sebastian as his tail began to sway a little. Sebastian was very well built for a fox with a broad study physique. He and his brother had exercised regularly from a young age and often competed against each other in various sports. His ruggedly handsome complexion didn't hurt his chances with the opposite sex either. "We have tons of room here. I bet we can fit everyone and a few guests too!"

Nester nodded. It wasn't a bad idea, but he had only just thought of it to get the young man's mind off the letter.

"Bibi is really getting up there and I'd like her to see everyone once more, you know?"

Sebastian sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean." They stood there in silence for a moment in concern for the elderly woman who was no doubt shuffling about laying out linens somewhere. Nester had pleaded with her to take it easy in the past and let Teska do more of the work or perhaps hire a second maid, but the strong woman was too determined to lie down and call it quits. She worked just as hard as the regular staff and was often doing their jobs for them or over again.

"You want to come with us to the village today?, said Sebastian eventually breaking the silence. "Hym might be up soon and we can take the car out there. Besides, I'd like you to meet Bella. She's great and well, I'd like to bring her to the house sometime."

"She's a...panther. Right?"

"No, Jackson was the panther. She went back to New York. Bella is a mink from France. She's really nice and sweet. She even helped me drag Hym into the car last night after he passed out. She's really cool like that. She'll probably yell at him today for it once he's feeling better, but still, she's cool."

"Huh, okay. Mink from France. Got it. Yeah, sure. Alright, get your brother out of bed and into the shower and we'll head out there in a few hours. I just need to run a few things past Tennison real quick and make a couple calls."

************************************************************************************

The white cement floor in the basement was always cold. There Dennis, a dark red fox with a rather feminine build and in his late teens, sat on his knees as if praying for forgiveness. Long black and red hair falling over his worried expression. His head down and his hands on his thighs. Just how his step-father wanted him.

The air was stale and the lighting was dim. Only a few shop lights on the sides over a series of workbenches provided what they could for the surrounding area. One of the florescent bulbs blinked frantically as it struggled to hang onto life. It clicked itself at attention just as the brutish wolf entered the room from the old wooden stairs leading down. This was his domain. It was his world down there and he shared it with no one else. If you were down there, it was because he wanted you to feel his power over you coming from all directions. Dennis had been down there so many times that he practically had residency. That is if Hell had citizens.

Even through the stale air, Dennis could smell the anger and aggression coming from the man before him. The scent of his sweat filling the fox's nostrils with a bitter sting. Something was off though. He had the smell of a fight on him, but he had only just arrived for the event. "Curtis? Had he been hurting Curtis?" the fox thought to himself. A drip of blood from the wolf's snout hit the floor two feet away from Dennis' knees. Just past that were the bare gray furred feet which Dennis was more than familiar with. He wanted to look up and see that murderous face all bloody and swollen. Just for once see Crispin having suffered the sort of beating he was about to receive. Then all at once, he could feel the crooked smile slice through the silence above him.

"Your brother," began the voice crippled with age and cigarettes, "thought he'd protect you this time. He said I was too rough last time, breaking your arm like that. Well, I'm sorry." The taunting sarcasm in his voice made the fox tremble. "I'll make you a deal..."

He tried to be strong before, but now his eyes were welling with tears. He wanted to wipe them away, but he knew moving would only make things worse. The tears would instead drip down over his cheeks and onto his black shirt and jeans. He'd just bought them and he felt sorry that he'd worn them that day since he'd likely never wear them again. "No deals. Please no deals."

"You tell me what I found and admit what you did, and you will walk out of here. If you don't, well, I promise you that you won't be walking anywhere, anytime soon."

Those powerful feet moved slowly around the trembling fox. Dennis knew this ritual all too well. Crispin would drink in Dennis' fear like sweet cognac, getting drunk on it. He'd savor it and let the fox sweat, let the drink ferment, before choosing the perfect time to swallow it down for optimum results.

Dennis had to think fast. There was only so much that could implicate him into this sort of punishment. If he gave the wrong answer, he'd get punished for both crimes and he would be giving up something on top of whatever the wolf had already discovered. If anything, he could give up something just to sate the beast currently hovering around him. Accept the beating and then recoup his loses. If he stuttered, hesitated too long, the wolf would know there was more for sure. Crispin would stay until morning or until the fox blacked out to learn every last secret if necessary.

"The letters. You know about the letters I sent somehow."

Perfect answer. Dennis had only sent one letter and knew it was already well gone. It was something he would be punished for though, but at least he wasn't giving up anything this time. He thanked himself silently that he hadn't used that one before.

"EEEE. Try again dipshit."

The fox cringed at the annoying buzzer sound and his heart sank. The letters weren't enough. Crispin wanted more this time. The fake pills were already gone. If Crispin had found the real ones and discovered he'd been duped, Dennis would never have made it to the basement.

"The..."

"Yes...?"

The fox tried hard to think, but it was difficult under such pressure. What had he been so careless with? Just then it struck him like a bolt of lightning. Ripping through his heart and splitting it in two effortlessly like it was paper. "Oh fuck."

The tears rolled down heavier over his cheeks as the fox began to openly weep. Not for the beating he was about to receive, but for what he'd already lost. A thing near impossible recover.

"The passport..." he muttered in a quiet, defeated gasp.

The grin, a sickly and perverted smirk that you could feel through a wall, was forming once more behind the fox. Panting quietly, wetting his underwear slightly, his heart pounding through his chest. All side effects of feeling that terrible smile upon you.

"Bingo"

The white cement floor in the basement was always cold.