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A soft jingle rose above the silence that ruled these empty halls. As I walked across the smooth floor, I bounced a little with every step to make the chains on my pants clink together, causing the only noise around me. I smiled to myself, swaying my hips a bit in time with my bounces, humming a quiet tune as I did so. My long tail wagged about in time with my swaying, sweeping just above the linoleum floor with my pace.

Another day, another detention. Striding down the halls of the school like I owned them, I realized that this was the eighth time in two weeks that I had been given detention for something that I had no hand in. I was blamed for most of the things that went on in the school that the staff didn't like, namely because I dressed and acted differently than anyone else in town. On top of that, I was one of few non-humans at the school, and the staff didn't care much for that fact either. I didn't really fault them for it, to be honest, and I enjoyed the detention so I never argued. It gave me a chance for some time to myself, dancing down the deserted halls of my high school.

During the day I was the center of attention. Everyone around wanted to talk to me, to hear the stories that I would tell of my childhood. At first I was surprised by the attraction of the dysfunctional family that I came from, but I slowly got used to it. It was a nice change of pace from most of the other schools and towns before this one, though I never really felt at home in those places to start with. In reality, however, I was starting to tire of their constant shock and awe of what I had come to see as normal in life. The consistant crowding, the never ending pestering for stories; I was becoming quite sick of it, to be honest. Nevertheless, I wouldn't ever bring it up to the students, and so the attention would wear on.

I pushed the front door of the school open and stepped out into the late spring sun. I did have to admit, Treyall was a much prettier town than any I'd lived in over the course of my life. The trees were just coming into all of their leaves again (the ones that weren't evergreens) and the rivers were high from the melted snow. Despite the fact that the warmer seasons got a tad unbearable at times for those of us in town with fur, we were able to cope with the climate fairly well. Besides, the brighter sunshine glistened wonderfully off of my sleek black fur and made it appear that much glossier. The shine would catch a few more eyes than just my clothes would, but I didn't much care what the townsfolk thought. In fact, I rather enjoyed making them stare.

And stare they did. Going through my twenty minute walk from the school to my house garnered me more than a few turned heads and strange glances, which brought me a bit more glee than it should. Occasionally, someone would stop in their tracks as they watched me walk by; a black fox striding along the semi-crowded street, his tail swaying the white tip at its end about with each step, was hardly a sight you saw everyday in Treyall. Heck, not just in Treyall, but throughout most of the northwest you didn't see many like me. Plus, on days like today where the sun shone a little more brilliantly than others, I would stand out like a sore thumb against the soft tones of the buildings around me.

More importantly though, I enjoyed making them stare because it would help me sort out the personalities of those around me. A person's expression when seeing anyone for the first time can tell a good deal about how they'll treat the new acquaintance, should a conversation be started. Given that I wasn't normally the initiator of said conversations, I would however find myself giving a friendly wave to a fellow non-human when I would pass them. More often than not, it got me a smile and a wave in response, and once I even met someone who stood out like I did.

As I walked, my thoughts turned back to the day I met the short otter boy who piqued my interest. His clothes didn't make any sort of statement of individuality, nor did his posture or gait. But there was something in those deep sapphire eyes that spoke loudly of discomfort with the appearance; my guess was that his parents wouldn't let him wear something different. When I first caught his eye, his face lit up for just a second and I saw a glimpse of familiarity in them, something that reminded me of myself from back before I moved here. He didn't say more than a few words of brief conversation, as it appeared that he had to be somewhere else in a hurry, but I could tell he wanted to stay. I didn't blame him; I somewhat shared the sentiment. I hadn't, and still haven't, met someone in this town that I could really talk to without getting the normal mock-sympathetic response or simple awestruck stares, and he seemed like the sort that could break that trend.

Shaking it from my mind, I refocused myself on my path through the town. 'I'll try and find him again this week. Maybe even catch him after school, if I don't get detention again.' I went back to humming again, though a different tune than I had in the school. My walk was nearing an end, and with it would come the monotony of house life with my foster parents. There was yet another reason I didn't mind the detentions as much. It kept me away from the fussings of the elder foxes at my house.

For some reason, social services refused to place me with any family save for other foxes (namely red foxes, since they couldn't find a family of black ones like me), and each new family was able to tolerate me less and less. This particular family had a higher level of tolerance than most of the others, but they were still a trial for me to deal with. Nari, my foster mother, worked a part-time job from home as a realtor while Martin, my foster father, was a high ranking officer with the state police. I think he's the deputy, but I'm not totally sure; he doesn't talk much about his position in the force too much at home. They seemed to work well together as a unit, but for some reason they didn't really get my background, and whenever I reminded them of it they got quite flustered and did not know how to react in the slightest. The first few times it made me grin in self-satisfaction, but I grew weary of that particular incompetence rather rapidly. Admittedly, they took care of me better than their predecessors as far as foster parents went, but they weren't completely prepared to handle someone of my age.

Today was no different. I checked my phone for the time as I stepped into the house, expecting to hear a welcome from the kitchen. It was nearing six thirty, which meant dinner would be about half done by now. Right on cue, I heard Nari call from the kitchen. "How was school, Ven?" A delectable aroma wafted through the house as I pushed the front door closed behind me. It smelled like salmon, possibly with a side of steamed veggies.

"Nothing too spectacular. Got another detention for something I didn't do, imagine that." I flicked my ears in vague annoyance at the predictable response I would get.

"I'm sure they had their reasons, dear. Would you wash up and set the table for me?" I sighed. Nothing like a mother who was a bit too confident in the school system.

"Sure thing, I'll be there in a few." I slipped out of my black hoodie and tossed it onto the coat rack just inside the door. The house wasn't too terribly large, and it only took me a pawful of paces to reach the main floor's bathroom, just past the stairs. A quick wash of the paws and I was back out into the hallway, crossing the rest of the distance into the dining room and kitchen area. Nari stood in front of the stove, dressed in one of her many colorful skirts and a short sleeve top. She turned and gave me a smile, then turned her focus back to cooking. I paid the smile no more mind than I would a fly on the wall, and simply padded over to grab the stack of plates and silverware that were sitting on the counter. "Is Martin home yet? I didn't hear him upstairs." I doubted that he was, but I asked all the same as something to do while I set the three places at the small square table in the dining room.

"No, he's probably on his way right now though. He said he'd be home for dinner and he knows when I usually start cooking." She didn't once turn around while talking, giving most of her attention to the meal on the stove.

I didn't mind the lack of attention from her, to be honest, and I was looking forward to dinner. Despite not being all there as a parent, she was an excellent chef, so there was at least one plus to being home for dinner. I looked at the clock on the wall once the places were set and shook my head. Six forty-five. I counted out the seconds in my head, matching my internal clock to the one on the wall.

'Three, two, one.' Right on time, the front door swung open and in walked another red fox, slightly taller than myself. "Welcome home, Martin." I canted my ears back and closed my eyes, already hearing his expected reply moment before it came.

"Thanks Ven. I heard from the school that you got detention again. Anything you'd care to say about that?" I could pick out the sound of him putting his jacket on the coat rack over his words.

"Not particularly. I get blamed for everything at school, even if it wasn't me. You should know this by now. How many times has Mr. Treffer called you about me, even when I've been home sick? I'd hope you'd know me well enough that you don't believe him." I reopened my eyes and slid over to lean against the wall on the far side of the room, watching the older fox shake his head.

"I honestly have trouble picking out what you would have done and wouldn't have done anymore, Ven. But you're right, I know it isn't all you."

I rolled my eyes at the comment, flicking my tail against the wall impatiently. "Most of it isn't, really. Teachers just don't like me, so everything is my fault to them." I shrugged and crossed my arms across my chest. "Anything fun happen on call today?"

He strolled into the dining room and leaned on the back of his chair at the table. "Nothing of note. Streets have been pretty calm this week. Town's quieting down after the chaos of the festival last week."

Another shrug and a lazy yawn were my first response. "I suppose so. I miss the commotion, though. It was a nice change of pace from the boring everyday junk that happens here. Added some well deserved excitement to the air."

Martin shook his head and chuckled. "On the contrary, I rather like the quiet. Makes for less stressful work for the force."

"Still is boring." I flicked my tail again and pulled out my chair, sliding into it as Nari brought a steaming plate of salmon from the kitchen. Martin sat at the spot across from me and Nari joined us at the table after retrieving the pot of veggies from the kitchen. The two red foxes bowed their heads for a moment of silence in thanks for the meal before starting yet another uninteresting dinner conversation. I kept my comments to myself, seeing as how they'd probably earn me a scolding from the tone I'd thought them in. The red foxes were always so judgemental when it came to me, and I found it utterly irritating, as I did with their complete predictability. I needed variety, which they did not provide in the slightest.

Dinner took longer to sit through than I would have liked, and I helped clean up the table until Nari said she could handle it, then hurried upstairs to my room. There wasn't much to do in the bare space, but it gave me time to pull out my notebook and clear my head. I flopped down on my bed with the leatherbound book in paw, then took a moment to stare around the room. It hardly felt like home, but at least the bed was big and reasonably comfortable. The white walls on the other hand, were eerily bare and there was only a desk as other furniture in the room. No nightstand, no dresser, and no lamp; the only light came from the ceiling fan with the single, bare lightbulb at the center of it. Sufficient, if not a little harsh at times. 'Don't even have the energy to complain about the room today. Venire, you need some excitement,' I told myself. It was true too. I hadn't done anything to break through the monotony since before the festival. Sure I had gone and mingled with a few of the crowds around the food stands that lined some of the less travelled roads, but it wasn't too terribly entertaining without anyone to share it with. So instead I had walked home and shut myself in my room to write.

So write I did that day, and today too. The rasp of my pencil scribbling down the words that flowed through my mind was music to my ears; a melody that I enjoyed more than most tunes on the radio. The words seemed to form themselves after a few moments, and I was merely a conduit to transcribe them into being. A smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I wrote, distracting me for a few seconds. It was nice to get my thoughts out into tangible words, keeping them locked away on the pages forever. It helped me be able to cope with the maelstrom that always whirled around in my head, and enabled me a bit more control over my own emotions. Today, thoughts about that otter found their way onto the pages, and I paused again. What did I think of the boy? I felt a strange sort of companionship with him, a connection that I hadn't ever made before and I didn't even know him. Everytime he came to mind, I would see that look in his eyes over and over. It sent a chill up my spine and I closed the book, leaning back against the wall behind me. I had been writing for a while, and my paw was starting to cramp up; maybe it was time for me to stop for the night. 'Or at least for now, I don't need to have my mind jumbled with those kinds of thoughts right now.'

I checked my phone for the time, guessing it was around nine. Almost right, the clock read nine thirty seven. Nari would be going to bed, and Martin would be watching tv in the living room. They always wanted me in bed and asleep by ten, so I'd be awake for school, and I usually was. Because of my good history with curfew, they never actually checked on me to make sure I was asleep anymore, and I would occasionally slip out for a late night stroll. More often, however, I would simply step out onto the roof right outside my window and lay there, staring up into the night sky.

Tonight though, was supposed to be the warmest night so far this year, so I felt a bit more like heading out to the edge of town. There was a small cliff there that one could get to the top of via a path just barely obscured by some bushes. I discovered it a few nights after I had been moved here, and I'd only been up there a couple of times. Just in case it did get colder, I grabbed my black trench coat and shoved my arms through the sleeves before sliding open the window. I slid down the drainpipe at the edge of the roof and dashed off towards the edge of town before Martin could look out the window and see me. I smiled to myself, feeling accomplished as I always did when I successfully snuck out of my room.

I headed straight for the path that led to my lookout over the town, walking the familiar steps through the town and finally over the dirt. I started to whistle to myself, as quietly as I could, as I walked up the hill to the cliff. The sun was just barely peeking over the horizon at this point, I figured I'd just barely be able to see it's glow by the time I reached the top. It was getting dark quite slowly for being early April, but even as I walked I could see the daylight dying around me.

Just as I predicted, I was approaching the top of the cliff as night began to fully be upon the town; the sun having completely descended below the horizon. Despite that, I could still see as if the bright star was still blazing overhead.

Fortunate that I could, for as I neared my destination, I spotted another person there. I could tell that they weren't human from the brown fur, but I didn't recognize who they were. Not that I would know a name simply by seeing their face, but I would be able to tell if they were friendly or not. Losing myself in my thoughts, I accidentally stepped on a bit of loose dirt and my right foot slid out from under me, causing me to lose my balance and fall flat on my chest. The noise alerted the other visitor to my presence and the person stood up. I heard a very distinctly male voice, somewhat of a melodic tenor, speak up. "Oh, didn't know someone else was here. You alright?" The voice wasn't one that I'd heard many times before, so it couldn't have been one of the students from my school, or at least any of the ones that talked to me. I closed my eyes before I was able to get a good look at him, feeling a might bit embarrassed from my fall. But, not liking to be on the ground like that, I quickly got my paws under me and pushed myself back to my feet, dusting off my trench coat before opening my eyes again. I still had my gaze lowered, the embarrassment keeping me from looking up.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just lost my footing is all. Wasn't paying attention."

"Well with all the attention you usually get, I'm surprised you don't know how to give some yourself." I could here the joking tone and it brought a smile to my face, but his words confused me. He had to be a student if that was the first thing that came to mind when he saw me. I brought my gaze upward and froze, not quite sure how to respond at that moment. It was the otter that I had seen on the street that one day weeks before. The one that had been on my mind early today, clouding my thoughts and confusing my emotions.

I wanted to stare at the ground again but I couldn't bring myself to look away from his eyes. Those deep, understanding sapphire orbs drew me in and I had to shake my head to bring myself back to the present. "I-I do know how, just got a bit distracted by the sunset, I guess. I'm not used to other people being up here this late, either. Always thought the whole town was curfewed and holed away in their homes by nine thirty at the latest." I shoved my paws into the pockets of my coat, this time dropping my gaze to the ground. I managed to keep my ears perked though, trying to put on a facade for the otter.

I heard him shift his paws about on the ground, then the brushing noise of fabric against fabric. "I'm Ralios. Ralios Grerish. We met briefly on the street the other day but I didn't have time for more than a simple hello."

Looking up, I saw the otter's paw stretched out towards me and I pulled my own paws from the pockets of my coat to grasp it and shake it warmly. "Pleasure to officially meet you, then. I'm Venire Faix. And yeah, I remember that. You were the first person who looked genuinely interested in talking to me that I've met here." I held onto his paw for much longer than I needed to, forcing myself to look up into his eyes again. They held that same familiarity that I had seen so many days ago, and it brought a storm of emotions with it. Like earlier, a strange companionship arose within me that I couldn't explain, but I liked it. I'd never felt an honest bond with someone, and I thought this might be as good a chance as any to try. I felt him pull his paw from mine, making me realize that I had still been hanging onto it. Embarrassment flew through my head for a moment before I reigned it in again. I shoved my right paw back into my pocket and scratched at the back of my neck with my left. "So what has you out so late tonight?"

He turned to gaze out over the town and a smile lit up his features. "This has been my little spot to get away from everything ever since I can remember. There isn't much free flowing water around here, sadly, so aside from the public pool and my house there's nowhere to swim. I needed something to do so that I could think, and that's when I found this cliff. While people can see you from below, nobody ever has been able to, or wanted to find the path up here aside from you, I guess." He let out a sigh as he looked over the town, and the cheerful light left his eyes, replaced by a noticeably sadder glow.

"I've only been up here once or twice before, really. It's just been so nice out today, I wanted a place to get out to without having to worry about the world down there." I motioned out over the town and threw a smirk across my muzzle. "Classmates, foster parents, teachers; everyone else stays down there, and I can breathe easily. Or at least, that's how I felt the first time."

The otter turned his gaze back to me and let out a quiet laugh. "Sorry to ruin it for you this time, then. I'll leave if you want, I've been up here for a while."

I shook my head quickly, shifting my weight from paw to paw in my nervousness. "No no, I didn't mean it like that. I actually wanted to talk to you since we passed on the street, I just could never find you again. Do you mind sitting with me for a bit?" I morphed my smirk into a smile, hoping to encourage him to stay.

It worked, from what I could see, and he went back to sitting at the edge of the cliff, his feet dangling over the side. "Works for me, I wasn't quite ready to go home anyway." He patted the ground next to him and I had to resist the urge to rush over. Keeping my pace slow, I padded across the soft grass to sit next to him, hugging my legs to my chest. "Venire Faix. Interesting name. I'm guessing you're from, oh, I'd say somewhere out east, possibly near the coast, if not on it."

I shook my head before resting it ontop of my knees. "Midwest originally, though my family has ties a bit farther east. I've been through just about everywhere though, and I think my name's changed about four times now." I let out a bit of a growl before I could stop it and closed my eyes. "Never get into the foster care system. They don't know what they're doing in the slightest."

Another laugh came from Ralios, and it caused my smile to come back after it had faded with the memories resurfacing. "So I've gathered from all those stories at school. I wasn't planning on it, but thanks for the tip. I'll be sure to keep it in mind for future reference. And I've heard you talk about it, but is it really that bad here? I never thought there'd be a family like that in Treyall."

I shook my head, staring out over the town. "No, this one isn't near as bad. Just about twelve times more boring. Most of the school kids are dumber than a pile of bricks, and none of the teachers ever bother to try and talk. They just throw detentions at me like it was going out of style." Speaking wasn't my strongest trait, despite all my practice with the language through writing. As such, I was straining just to keep the conversation going; I hoped he couldn't see that, though. "I actually rather like Treyall. It's pretty, just boring."

I could feel his gaze fall on me, but I didn't have the courage to meet it again. "It doesn't have to be. I've managed to find enough to keep me entertained. It can be quite the feat, but it's well worth it." He sighed. "Most of the time."

At this I couldn't help but turn, no longer feeling his eyes boring into my side. He was staring out over the town, and his expression told me that something was troubling him. I bit my lip, restraining myself from asking the questions I desperately wanted to. I didn't want to scare him off by being too nosy. 'No Venire, control yourself. You need a friend,' Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I pushed the questions to the back of my mind. "Maybe you'll have to show me sometime. I haven't had any luck finding entertainment aside from the occasional walk. Even then I get bored and usually end up at home writing."

His expression changed, covering up the pain with curiosity. "Writing, eh? What about? And don't give me that normal 'Oh, this and that,' answer."

I laughed. "No no, it's usually just clearing my head. I keep a journal most of the time to keep my thoughts out of the way. Writing helps that, I suppose."

A nod was the otter's first response. "I can see it. I prefer swimming to sort my head out, but then again, I'm not that fantastic at writing so I don't try it often."

I shrugged, dropping my gaze to stare at my footpaws and the ground far below them. "I stick to what I know, I guess. Easier that way. Sometimes though..." My thoughts faded as I stared, and my words went with them. All I could see was the otter's smile in my mind's eye. A shiver ran up my spine and I vaguely felt his gaze return along with the faint sound of rustling fabric.

"Sometimes what?" He asked, bringing me back to my previous train of thought.

"Sometimes it just gets to me." I shook my head, forcing out a smile as I looked back to him. "It's not a big deal though. I've gotten used to it. That's one thing Treyall hasn't changed from where I've lived before."

He looked shocked, though not like I'd seen people be shocked before. "But the students all fuss over you all the time at school! Surely you don't spend all your free time by yourself!" I couldn't think of a response to that, so I stayed silent. "You're joking." A shake of my head. "Seriously? All that attention and nobody sticks around?" This time a nod. "Wow, they really are worse than I thought. That sucks, Venire. Sorry to hear that." Again, my mind was far too blank to formulate a response, so I sat there, feeling as dumb and awkward as possible at that moment. Silence reigned in the space between us, and I bit my lip harder, wishing I wasn't so horrid at speaking. 'Don't screw this up, Ven. Say something, anything!' I tried and tried, but to no avail. My tongue felt thick and unwieldy and wouldn't respond to my urgings. Fortunately, it seemed that Ralios didn't really notice, and instead, was thinking on his own. He snapped his fingers and stood up. "Alrighty then. I should show you around sometime. I've lived here my whole life and there isn't anyone who knows the town better than me."

I couldn't see it, but I'm sure my eyes lit up with my smile, as my tail started to wag in my happiness. "That sounds great! I mean, I've done my fair share of exploring, but I'd love to have company on my walks."

He smiled back, then pulled a phone out of his pocket. "Perfect. Sadly though, I must say good night. It's later than I thought it was. I'll catch you tomorrow, right outside the school. Sound good?"

My tail thumped against the ground in my glee and I gave a quick nod. "Certainly! See you then!" He turned, waved over his shoulder, and padded down the path back into town. I watched him go, my smile never leaving my muzzle. 'That went far better than expected.'