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--Fen--

My first class is General College Physics I., which will hopefully be more exciting than the name implies. It's in a lecture hall across from the one where my orientation class is held every Thursday and my professor is thankfully not that rat again. Instead, in front of the class stands a younger-looking wolf. He can't be older than his mid-thirties. He also has a bit of a strange name-- Irvine Crotsley. Dr. Crotsley to us, of course. I can't help but think I'm forgetting something this morning...

He doesn't waste any time getting down to business, starting with passing our syllabi out and talking about the things we'll be learning in class over the course of the semester. At least the topics sound more fun than the class's title. I take a moment to look around the rather crowded lecture hall, feeling a bit better that I do see a few Requorans sitting on the other side. Not many; I spot at least two but I don't want to make myself too obvious. Satisfied, I turn to pay attention again and stare down at my syllabus. This'll definitely be harder than high school. Final exam is worth 35%? Sheesh. I mutter a little to myself and take my pencil out to start noting down anything useful.

Most of the class is spent on the syllabus or what sorts of things we should expect from the lecture and lab portions of the course. We also take a small quiz to 'gauge how much we know and get an idea of our goals for a physics-based career.' I don't feel too bad about it in the end even if the questions are weird. He said he's not going to grade it. The questions are odd, though. A number of them are over what I want to call electromagnetic fields and their effect on particles that seem close to concepts we studied in my AP physics course in high school, but with minor differences. How am I supposed to answer questions on concepts that kind of exist but don't? I guess he just wants to see how we solve the problems, maybe.

The rest of the class isn't all that fun but I guess a boring day isn't the worst that could happen. The end of class is followed by the shuffling of bags and footsteps as we make our way towards the door. I leave quickly after turning my quiz in; one more class before lunch. My hurry nearly carries me right into a student but I see them first-- well, I see the newspaper they're holding in front of their face while standing in the middle of the hallway. Right on the front page is the picture of a tigress.

I don't think much of it until I read the title of the article next to the picture: "Problems Afoot: A Step in the Wrong Direction for Phalance." That's what I forgot. The picture of whom I now assume to be Bridget shows the face of a female with long, brown hair and a pair of glasses. Across her face is the same smug smile Valan seemed so apt to give the day before--okay, maybe it's not smug; I'm probably biased but he left a sour taste in my muzzle. The person holding the paper lowers it a little to turn the page and I shuffle past quickly. Should I read it now? Should I wait until I get back to the room? While I really want to see what it says I get the feeling it's only going to rile me up and I have two more classes today. Not worth it, not yet. I'll read it after classes are done.

My next class isn't long after my first, it's Calculus 1. The teacher is an old badger who likes to adjust the glasses over his muzzle every other sentence. He also 'gruffs' very softly when he finishes making a point. It's a little funny but not enough that I react. This class goes by more quickly, partially because it's a 5-day-a-week class instead of twice a week like my last. As we near the end I pull my phone out to text Naki. He'll be walking with me after class as he has a break around when I do. He's already next to the entrance by the time I get there after calc lets out. Good, I'm hungry.

"How was it?" He asks as we walk towards the student center.

"Well, I remembered about the article we're supposed to be reading today," I say gently. "But other than that it was alright. How about yours?"

"I have Beign for both orientation and microeconomics," he shakes his head. "It's gonna be an interesting semester. Did you read the article?"

"No," I say, shaking my head as we walk into the dining area. "I know it might just piss me off so I decided to wait until after classes are over. At least then I'll be able to talk to you guys about it without having to bottle everything up for the rest of the day."

"Yea," he states, giving a vacant nod. I notice his posture is a little tense with his tail positioned slightly higher than he normally has it. I bet he has our conversation on his mind. We split up to get food and I find where he's sitting after I get out of my line. The hamburger I got smells delicious, I've actually been surprised at how good the food here is considering it's a school. I guess all of that cash we pay for room and board goes to use.

"So what's bugging you?" I ask, deciding to try and get it over with. Faster we talk about it the faster we'll solve the problem. "I could've reacted better but... you know, I was in the mood. Are you nervous about having sex?"

He looks up from his soup at me, hesitating for a moment. "Well... it's not that... exactly," he says, looking down at his soup again. It smells like broccoli and cheese but there's some sort of meat in it... nose says fish. I've also never seen a bowl made out of bread until now.

"I'm not going to get mad at you... tell me what's wrong," I try to reassure.

"It's... well, part of it's my parents. I don't know what they're going to say or think when they find out and they -will- find out someday. There's no hiding our relationship... they know you're a Requoran now, too. And then... I dunno I just--," he sets his spoon down into the bowl and takes a moment to think about what he'll say. "You've never been religious, have you?"

I nearly chuckle, but manage to hold back. Religious micros? What sort of god would we-- "No," I say, putting it out of my head. I guess it's not a surprise, his parents are religious after all. They did mention church at dinner over the summer. Great. "I'm an atheist; any Requoran who isn't is living in the past or crazy." I don't actually know if anyone follows our old religions or even the norms'. My opinion stands, though; they're crazy if they do.

"Well, that's part of it. I mean, I know you probably think it's... stupid, but I never thought I'd go against it. If you're gay then you'll suffer in the afterlife and..." he sighs a little. "I just don't know what I believe, and it's bugging me. It's like I'm-- I dunno, going behind my parents' backs even if they've done nothing to deserve it."

I stay quiet for a moment, letting it sink in for a bit. This is all some religious thing? How religious could he be? I can only assume he goes to church every week because his parents invited mine to theirs. He'd never mentioned it outside of that. "Who cares what some old book says? Nothing good has ever come out of it anyway. A few wars, broken families, beheaded kings."

"It's not all bad," he says defensively. "It helped get our family through some rough patches, for example."

"I doubt God is what did that, sounds more like you guys persevered."

"You know what I mean. The church was a big part of growing up for us. Mom and Dad always made sure we went every week."

"So? What... you think there's a god or gods or something? And that you'll end up burning forever if we have sex?" I ask. It's more blunt than I should've worded it in retrospect but I've never cared for religion. As far as I know, their book says nothing about Requroans. I've never personally had to deal with one but Mom and Dad ran into a few in Les Gardiens. Apparently some feel that our strife is part of some divine plan. Could you imagine trying to tell a Requoran that part of the reason their people are under such strife is that they wouldn't convert? How batshit do you get?

"God, not gods. It's Pheyinism. I'm a Pheyinist-- and I don't know..." he says, slouching a bit and eating some more of his soup. I sigh and rub a paw over my ears and down the back of my head before reaching to pick my burger up and take a bite. At least the burger tastes good-- cheesy, bacony. I swallow the first bite, focusing my eyes on him again.

"We'll be in hell together, at least," I say, giving a little grin but he doesn't seem to like that joke much. "Alright, alright, it's important... I get it. So what're you trying to... solve? You said you're not having second thoughts yesterday."

"I'm not." His defensive tone remains, though.

"Then what's the problem? You've made your choice. Sin or not, you're with me. My parents disagreed with me but we're still together. If your parents disagree then things shouldn't change, right? Let them disagree, it's not like they've taken the moral high ground all their lives."

"It's just not that easy, Fen," he says. I catch a little annoyance in his tone now, and can't help but feel a little annoyed myself. "I... don't want them to be disappointed, y'know? Dad's always talking about how I'll find a nice otter girl sometime and have pups. He was even against me and Lorry since she's a fox. Mom's even worse than he is. She's explicitly reminded us several times what happens to homosexuals. If they find out about us... I don't know what they'd do. And part of me is a little afraid of what they'll think."

"So why bring it up now? Why not several weeks ago or something?"

He shrugs a little, looking away now. I can't help but think my pushing isn't really helping his mood but I keep at it anyway. "Just... afraid or something?"

"We've been busy-- and I've tried not to think about it. There was always something else to worry about before but when you came in that morning it was suddenly the only thing on my mind. I kinda hoped it'd solve itself or something-- and I knew you'd be up in arms about it," he says. I can't help but wonder what he means by that.

"You knew I'd be up in arms about it?"

"Well, you are, aren't you?"

"I'm just trying to understand. I don't know what you want me to tell you..."

"That it's alright and that you're with me and that you understand what I'm trying to do... instead of throwing shots at my parents or religion. I don't want them to fight me on this, and I don't want to argue with you either."

I sigh a little. "You know I'm with you, okay? It goes without saying," I state, wrapping the rest of my burger up and shoving it back into the bag. Not so hungry anymore. "I wanna enjoy time with you instead of worrying about what your parents are going to think or what someone's imaginary friend is gonna do to us because we love one another."

"See? That kind of talk isn't going to win you any points with them. Fine, you're not religious. My parents are and... so am I. You don't have to mock it every other word to make your point."

I start to become defensive but realize I -have- been a little confrontational. My ears lower a little and I nod. "...When do you plan to tell them?"

"I dunno, whenever I work up the nerve. Think you could be there with me? Maybe we can tell them together one weekend."

I freeze up at that. I know they apologized and I trust Naki... but the fact that they're all normals and that they -have- consumed my kind before. He catches my hesitance, apparently.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm still a little on the ropes about... visiting."

"You don't actually think I'd let something like that happen," he states quickly, frowning a bit.

"No, you wouldn't. But... what about them?"

"They apologized, they stopped doing it."

"They said that they stopped doing it. Doesn't mean they did," I state.

"Fen... comeon, you're not being serious... I thought we were over this?"

I sigh a little. I admit, I'm afraid to go over there. I don't really want to commit but the look he's giving me says he really wants this. I do too, but that doesn't make me less nervous about it. "Give me some time to think...alright? You know I'll go with you but let's come up with a date and a plan at least?"

He seems to accept that, giving a gentle nod before he stands up. "It's about time for class."

"Don't worry about walking me back. I can get there just fine," I say. I need the time to think anyway, and I'm sure he does too.

"You're sure?" he asks and I just give a nod before walking over to wrap my arms around him. He hugs back and I give the underside of his muzzle a little lick. "It's not far, I'll text you when I get there."

"Be safe, alright?"

"I will. You too. Try to relax. We'll figure it out, I promise."

"I know." He squeezes a bit harder and then lets go, smiling down at me.

As I walk away moments later, I can't help but continue to wonder what a visit to his parents' house would be like if they found out that I'm their son's boyfriend.

--Naki--

I watch him walk away for awhile before I finally turn to walk back towards my college. I was hoping that conversation would go slightly differently. Certainly doesn't feel like we've gotten closer to solving anything.

At least my parents are a tangible problem; I can talk to them, I can resolve my issues with them vocally. Fen and I could bring them over to our side even if they aren't so excited about it in the beginning. My beliefs? I don't even know where to begin there. Prayer? I wanna say I believe prayer works but it's just not as.... tangible. Fen didn't help much, either. I get it, he's an atheist-- did he have to be so snarky about it, though? I sigh audibly and try to prepare for class. No reason I should let this distract me.

I see Khole settled in a seat near the front when I walk in so I make a point of walking to the front to sit next to him.

"Hey," I say, trying to sound friendly despite my mood.

"Hey, Naki. How're you?"

Of course he'd ask that. "Ehh... alright, you?" I say, deciding not to bring it up. Hardly know the guy, after all.

"You don't sound much like it." He smiles a little. "I'm good."

Luckily, the instructor calls for our attention quickly enough that I don't feel the need to reply to his comment. It's an intro to financial accounting course run by a female Lemur. The class itself isn't too hard. We go through the syllabus and talk a little bit about what we're going to learn and why financial accounting is useful. I feel a little bad because Khole is taking notes but I'm just half staring at the instructor and listening. Is she saying something important enough to note down? Bleh, I'll take the risk. It's the first day and I think I can just remember what we're talking about. After it's all done, I walk back through campus with Khole.

"Are you all done for the day?" I ask him.

"Nah, one more. Gonna relax a bit before it, though. You wanna come along? Thinking of hitting the pool for a while. Looks like you've done a fair amount of swimming in the past."

"You know where they are? I did wanna find them... and, yea, I was on the team in high school. How about you?"

"Nah, I've only ever done it to relax. Seems like you could use some of that, too," he chuckles. Am I really that tense?

"Uh, sure," I say. After lunch with Fen I guess it would be nice to be in the water for a while. Anything to get my mind off of it. We make a quick trip to my dorm. No one's there so I just pick up my swimwear and leave. He leads me to the gym annex which houses the pools. They're actually not far from the center of campus-- I'd bet five hundred feet northeast of the student center building. I have to admit, the water is nice. I hadn't gotten a chance to just relax and swim around for months now. "How're you adjusting to life over here?"

"I'll say living out west did have a few advantages. More water, higher population of aquatic-types. We'd be out swimming nearly every day," he says. "Another friend of mine had a house on the water. They filtered and pumped the stuff into their home and used special channels to swim between rooms whenever they didn't feel like walking. My parents aren't the type for it so we didn't have one. I'd go over his place whenever I could."

"That sounds awesome," I say, trying to imagine it. Maybe I could afford something like that one day. "So have you always had a cloaker, then?" I ask.

"No," he says gently, shifting so that he's treading water instead of floating on his back. "I got mine when I turned fifteen."

"Oh. What... did you do before that?" I ask, hoping I'm not crossing any lines with the question. I know Fen's parents didn't have it too well before they had their cloakers.

"Nothin' bad, I lived in Kupai."

"That's... one of the underground cities, right?"

"Yea, the largest."

"What're things like there? If you don't mind talking about it, I mean," I ask while shifting to tread next to him. He seems to think for a second before peering at me with a little smile.

"Catch me and I'll tell you everything you wanna know," he grins before ducking down beneath the water and zipping away. I watch for a moment, then grin diving beneath and swimming after him. For someone who'd only done it for fun, he's pretty fast. Well, agile is the better word. I could catch up to him but he could twist away more quickly than I expected. This happens a few times-- I'd get close and he'd zip one direction or the other, forcing me to have to react. I'd never catch him this way. After a few attempts I make a small plan. He dodges my next grab, but I expected it.

I twist around and catch up with him, anticipating which way he'll turn and pre-emptively moving that direction first. He doesn't go that way, but it does allow me to close off the rest of the pool since I can move faster than he can. I manage to force him into a corner at which point he crosses his arms and then points up. We surface and I grasp the ledge of the pool, grinning. It was fun, I hadn't done something like that in a while.

"You weren't lying," he pants gently, shifting to sit on the edge. I stay in the water, feeling rather good about myself.

"You're pretty quick yourself," I state.

"So you wanna know what life in Kupai is like, huh? Nothin' too fancy. You either have money, connections, or you've got nothing. Population is too high for the place to support so most that end up there get turned away at the door. They either go to the other few cities we have left or try to dig their own place somewhere close to get the relative protection."

"Ahh, so things were hard for you?" I ask gently, feeling a little bad.

"For me? Well, no. Not the worst, at least. Most never see a cloaker let alone get to wear one."

I nod a little, guessing that's probably true. I recall hearing that only a small number of micros actually have cloakers, so to have one must mean you're rich, resourceful or, at least, lucky.

"I take it your Requoran friends have always had theirs? How'd you meet them?"

"They went to school with me. One's name is Fen and the other's name is Sian."

"That's kinda nice. So you found out about them when they registered?" He asks, which causes me to think for a moment. Should I tell him? Strangely enough, I don't feel as nervous saying it to him. Maybe because we just met?

"At prom," I say. "Fen was my date that night. Long story short, another friend of mine had a hunch and I asked him about it on the dance floor. Not my most tactful move, I guess." I recall the look in his eyes when I asked him. And the kiss he gave me in the car after he decided not to run away. It brings a little smile to my muzzle.

"Aww, that sounds sweet. A Neotrian and a Requoran." He seems to think about that for a moment before giving a little nod. "I'll have to meet them sometime."

"Sure, we're actually going to some student group for Requorans the day after tomorrow. You could come with us and meet them then." I'm actually happy he seemed to accept it so fast. If only it were always this easy.

"Sounds like a plan to me," he states before sliding back into the water. "How about a few races before class, hmm?" He asks, bracing himself against the pool's edge.

"On three?"

"One, two, three!" We race through the lanes for about half an hour longer. I win all of them but he doesn't seem to mind much. It's nice to be back in the water and the exercise makes me feel good. I know I'll be in pain the next day but it's worth it. Probably need to do this again more regularly. Maybe I could convince Fen to come with me like we did at high school. By the end of it I'm happy we went for a swim. It did get my mind off of the stress for a while and I got to learn more about Khole.

"We'll have to do that again, maybe make a once or twice a week thing?" I ask. "Might invite Fen to come, too. He's a wolf so he won't be able to keep up all that well but he used to enjoy it anyway." I chuckle.

"I think I'd like that," he responds with a little nod. "Mondays and Wednesdays or something."

We both have the same class apparently so we walk there together. He grabs one of the newspapers sitting on the stand just inside of the door to the building and peers at the front page story. I cringe a little, quickly recalling the article Fen had learned about the other day.

"Problems Afoot: A Step in the Wrong Direction for Phalance," Khole reads aloud before simply shaking his head. "Have you read this?"

"No, Fen was... going to read it later. I probably should take the time to look over it before I get back. At least I'll know what to expect," I sigh. "Not that I don't feel bad, I just don't know what I can do to help sometimes."

"Just be there for'em. I'm sure he appreciates it no matter what. We have a little while before class starts, wanna read it with me?"

I consider it for a moment before giving a nod. "Yea, why not? I'd love to hear what you think about it. Let's find one of the private study rooms to sit in?"

"Yea, good idea," he states and we move to the second floor. Luckily, there's one open so we go in and shut the door before spreading the article out over the table.

Problems Afoot: A Step in the Wrong Direction for Phalance

It has only been four months since many of us last stepped foot on this campus and, yet, we have come back to find it a landmine. I'm certain you are all aware that it is likely Requorans have been present at our campus for years up to this point. For this, I cannot blame Phalance. No one knew, not even the government. What the campus has done in light of what we have discovered over the last few months is disheartening, however. We have seen what Requorans can do in the past. We fought, and won, a war against them. The fact that they have been hiding among us is bad enough. What have they been doing all this time? Who knows what steps they have taken to try and achieve the only thing we know they've been interested in since the war has ended: Taking what we've created for their own. However you feel about the war, let us not be fools; with only history to guide us, we can only assume that Requorans want revenge. If Phalance wants to accept Requorans on campus then their best course of action is to remove them from campus, support the government in finding out what Requorans have been doing behind our backs, support lawful means through which Requorans may obtain citizenship, and then find ways to integrate them with the campus proper. Many of you may know a Requoran and I understand that you want the best for your friends or family. If you want the best for them, however, you will agree that we need to find those that would threaten any potential harmony between our two races and remove them from the picture. This means that no Requoran may go unchecked and no Requoran may receive citizenship without due process.

Phalance is too willing to look past our history and is putting the entire student body at danger for terrorist attacks whether they be local or elsewhere. We're educating and housing an entire population whose level of hostility we can only look to the past to predict-- and it doesn't look good. Look at Beryl City. Look at the gruesome images of families poisoned or chemically burned to death especially in the west. Look at the news reports of increased violence from registered micros against law-abiding Neotrians and their families. Every student, faculty, and administrator on campus should stand against Phalance's wishy-washy approach to our safety regardless of political affiliation.

"It'll be interesting to see how many normals decide to agree with this," Khole says. His expression remains neutral, though.

"You think a lot of us will?"

"I dunno, maybe." He smiles slightly, or tries. I can't tell if it's forced or not. "You guys hold most of the power in all this. Most of us hate to admit it, but we're a little dependant on how many of you we can win over."

"I guess," I say, uncertain of how I should respond. I take the paper and stare down at it for a moment. "What would you say to a Requoran if they were pissed off about this?" I ask as he moves to start getting ready to get to class. We only have a few minutes.

He unlocks the door and looks back to me as I follow him out. "Things're rough now and they might even get worse... but one of the best things about these cloakers is that now we've got guys like you and your boyfriend. I bet you wouldn't let anything happen to him, right?"

I smile a little and shake my head. "No, I wouldn't. I'd find a way to keep him safe."

"Yup, I bet there're a number of normals that feel the same. The question is... how many are they? And would they publicly support us? And what's it going to take to rally them." He starts to walk out, "We just have to tread carefully until we know the answers to those."

I follow him, thinking about what Fen's going to say about this. I don't know what to think in terms of the article. It's less offensive than I thought it'd be-- at least, I guess I imagined her calling them names or relegating them to being slaves or worse. Instead, it actually sounds like she's not opposed to them being citizens... eventually. This isn't acceptable, of course. Fen and probably a lot of other Requorans deserve to be here now, not in twenty years. I don't know how we could tell if they're not going to cause trouble, but I know Fen won't...

--Fen--

I made a straight line back towards my dorm after class. I'm starting to notice that the dorm smells -alot- like Naki and Motley. It's not unpleasant. The thought reminds me of Mom and Dad when we used to have foxes as neighbors and they'd complain about the smell. "What a day," I mutter, flopping back on the couch in our common area while Sy plays SkyWarrior 3. It's just me and him for now. I think Naki'll be back soon and only Sian has seen Motley when they walked towards class together earlier.

"You're telling me. Can you believe we already have homework? Due in two days," Sy mumbles. "It's not hard, just a bunch of reading, but that doesn't make me wanna do it any more."

"I didn't get any yet. And I hope I don't for a while."

"Lucky. So how're things between you an' your otter crush?" He asks, peering at me for a second before looking back at the screen.

"Well, alright I guess. I uh... I tried to get him to take the next step yesterday morning," I say. Sy doesn't say anything for a moment, then pauses the game and looks at me.

"You mean..."

"Yea."

"How did that go?" He grins a little, ears perked to full attention atop his dark-furred head.

"Heh, well, not that well. He's still antsy about the gay thing."

"How? You've been together for months now. What'd he think? You were hiding a vagina beneath your pants or something?"

"No," I chuckle a little. "He says he wasn't ready for it. He's afraid of what his parents'll think and he has to figure out where he stands religiously... it sounded a lot more convincing when he said it."

"Which probably still couldn't have been very," Sy replies.

"Not really. I dunno what to do, though. If he's still uncertain then how long will it take? Months? Years?"

"Maybe. He's gotta come out to his parents and you and I both know how long that can take."

"Yea," I reply. "I'm okay with it, I guess. I just hope he's not having second thoughts and holding it back from me, y'know? I mean, I think he's... attracted. I don't see why we'd still be together if he weren't."

"Well, you two -did- get together pretty fast. I mean, it only took--what? Two or three weeks?"

"I guess that's true," I say, thinking about it. Do I really care if he believes in a god? No, it's not that. I'm afraid of what their religion is going to put us through, though. I might be overreacting, but I can't help but wonder if his parents could ever get so angry with me that they'd...

"Maybe you guys just need more time to get to know one another. Probably hasn't helped that so much happened over the summer. The graduation, getting our collars," he says, reaching up to feel over the material of his. I've become so used to it being there that I only remember I'm wearing one because Sian touches his. That reminds me, and good thing too... I don't want to think about our problems right now.

"Have you read the article yet?" I ask.

"Hmm? No... I was kinda holding off on it I guess. I know what it's going to say anyway. She's going to talk about how we're dangerous or pests or something like that. Probably talk about the war, maybe say we deserve to be pets or slaves or treated like insects. Typical norm stuff," he huffs a little, unpausing his game and going back to playing.

"Well, we have to read it sometime," I say, reaching into my bag to pull one of the campus papers out and looking at it for a moment, reading the title again. "After this game we can. I wanna finish this level," he says and I nod, settling the paper down again. I know he doesn't want to hear it... I don't, either. I want to think that the norms will just be okay with us being here.

"Have you talked to Rory at all? At your college? Do you see him around?" I ask.

"Oh! Yea, today I did. We chatted for awhile and went out to get some food between classes."

"That was a bit of a risk, wasn't it?" I ask.

"I told Motley before we left," he replies. I let it go.

"Sounds like fun," I flick my tail a little.

"What'd you talk about?"

"Ohhh mostly about the College of Engineering and the professors there. Got some advice as to what instructors to avoid. He also mentioned a little party..."

"A party? That sounds like a bad idea, Sy..."

"I know, I know... but what if Naki and Motley were with us? Plus we can't just sit here all of the time doing nothing and playing it safe. I wanna go to -some- sort of party."

I sigh a little. "Let's talk to them about it, alright? I mean, it's not like I can stop you if you -really- wanna go but... let's see what they say."

"I wouldn't go alone, that'd be dumb," he chuckles. "I'd only go if you guys do."

I watch him fight Bestia, the first boss in SkyWarrior. It's a fairly straightforward fight if you're good at Oron, the hero's, phase mechanics. It only takes him a few minutes to win. The music at the end of the fight when the hero grabs the princess he's trying to save only to find that she melts into a skeleton is pretty awesome. My favorite part of the game. We watch it and then Sy puts the controller down. "Let's see the damage I guess..."

I grab the paper and hold it out for him to read with me. I'm reminded of my history class as I read it. I remember the reasoning our teacher used to justify what the Neotrians did to us. Back then, of course, it was all still a secret so I'd just suck it up and listen. I'd have to regurgitate it on the exam and pretend I believed them. While I didn't have an answer to all of the points they'd make in the books, I still fail to see how they just moved in on us, swept our home from under our feet, and now can't even work up enough sympathy to help us out of the mud. The article talks about us as if our casualties were on par or even lesser than theirs. We can't even count our population anymore, it's too disorganized. I guarantee it took a nosedive during the war and hasn't seen significant growth in a while, though.

"Typical," Sy mutters.

"Yea," I agree. I guess this is what we have to fight against. We have to let them know that we're not out for blood or revenge... as if we could ever accomplish that anyway. It'd be nice if we could just get citizenship and integrate with them. The cloakers have already halfway done that and nothing has fallen apart as a result. If anything, they've proven that it can work if they'd just give us a chance.

"Someone has to reply to her," I say, looking at the article still. "I mean, some people might actually take what she's saying as the only way to look at it if they don't get another viewpoint." I furrow my brow a little.

"We could do it," Sy says, looking at me. I return his gaze with a little worry but he catches it before I can say anything. "Under monikers. No one has to know who we are, we just want them to know that we're not some ominous danger."

"That's true," I say, starting to like the idea already. "I mean, someone has to do it... and if they don't know who we are then we're still pretty safe. It'd be nice to finally have a reason to do the research, too... so when someone starts saying this kind of crap, I'll know what to retort."

"Yup. We'll get something together over the next few days and submit our own opinion piece. I think that's a great idea."

"We'll need nicknames, though..." I say, trying to think.

"How about 'ThoseAfoot'?" He asks.

"I don't think we should bring--"

"I'm referring to the title of her article."

I perk my ears, then grin. "So we're the 'trouble afoot'? Hah, I like that."

With a nickname chosen, we start figuring out what we're going to reply and how we can submit it to the campus paper. Naki comes back a few hours later with Motley in tow. They're laughing about something but Sy and I are already noting down points of Bridget's that we want to rebut.

"Oh... did you guys read it?" Naki asks, walking over. I notice an uncertain expression on his face but I wave my paw through the air.

"We're not crying over it. We're writing a counter-piece," I look down at the work we've already done. "To give people perspective."

"You think that's safe...?"

"We're doing it under a nickname," Sy says.

"That's not a bad idea," Motley chimes in.

"I guess. Just be careful," Naki says. I notice him stand there for a moment, just long enough that I know there's more he wants to say. Before I can question it, though, he turns to Motley. "Wanna play some football?" He asks. I watch him and Motley as they move to their room and shut the door. I do momentarily wonder why they'd shut it just to play games. I re-focus, though, and go back to talking to Sy about potential counter-points.

It takes us a couple days to actually finish the article as we try to take her points apart and present our own where needed. Naki and I talk a bit more about his religion problem but we don't get too far. I want to meet his parents but I also express my uncertainty about being there for too long after we tell them. He says I'll be fine, I can't be so sure. Winter break is an option and I think we settle on it being around then. At least I'd be at my parents' house so I can just come visit and then leave. I don't even know what to do with his worry about it being some sort of sin. Luckily, this counter-opinion article keeps my mind off of it for the most part since I find myself focused on doing a bit of research and arguing against Bridget.

I can feel us starting to fall into a schedule with Motley escorting Sy and Naki escorting me. It's not perfect, I'm going to try asking Ian and Sam if they can take over at times. Sy gets help from Rory but I'm stuck on my own more often than I'd like. Failing those two, I guess I could ask Loraine or Samson... even if I don't quite trust either of them. Naki seems to think they're okay and I mostly believe him.

The day we ship our opinion piece off to be published is the same day that we're to attend the Requoran group. We convinced Ian to let us use his email to send it just so that it couldn't be as easily traced back to us. Sy and I are already excited to see if it actually gets put into the paper. The only reaction to Bridget's article so far had come in the form of online comments-- not everyone agreed with her, that much is good. I don't know that our opinion will be in tomorrow's paper but there's a good chance it'll be in the next day's.

"What party?" Naki asks as we walk towards the second floor of the student center where this Requoran group is supposed to be meeting. Sy had 'forgotten' to mention the get-together Rory invited him to. In all honesty, I was hoping he'd forget about it entirely.

"It's something he and a friend of his is putting together. He's inviting some people from around the dorms and our college. It wouldn't hurt to check it out and I bet it'll be more relaxing than sitting around at the dorm all weekend."

I can only imagine bad scenarios in my head, though. Drunken norms demanding we take our cloakers off or something like that. "We're only going if you two go," I say, peering at Motley and Naki. I don't want to put them on the spot but it'd be easier if they say no. Me telling Sy that it's a bad idea would only give him something to complain about later.

"Well, I guess if you're alright with it," Naki says, opening the door to the student center and holding it for us. Great, should've texted him and told him to say no or something...

"It's a little dangerous," I mention. "You two are going to have to keep an eye on us... y'know, just in case. Might mean you can't have much alcohol..."

"That's not a big deal. I can hold mine pretty well, anyway. What do you think, Motley?"

"Could be fun. And he's our RA, I don't think he'd let anyone do anything to you guys."

"It'll be okay, Fen. I think Rory is gonna invite other Requorans too so we won't be alone. It's not a huge thing, just something to break the ice."

"Yea," I say, shifting my ears down a bit. "Alright, I guess it might be fun."

The room we're meeting in already has a few people sitting around and chatting. We pick a row of fold-out chairs to settle in and sit next to one another. At the front is a table with two people settled and chatting with a fox sitting near to them. One is a male calico cat-- probably a hybrid as the fur coloring is off. The other is a female gecko-- a Requoran, apparently.

"Welcome, guys! We'll start in about ten minutes," the feline calls out.

I smile a little and nod with Naki and the others following suit. It's a little weird sitting there and waiting, I kind of wonder what we're going to do even... a few more walk in. A ferret and panther followed by another fox. This one has white fur as opposed to the orange one in front. She trots right over to us and sits down-- that's when I notice another fox on top of her head. A micro. I tilt my head a bit but before I can can say anything she holds a paw out to me.

"Hi, my name's Rae," she states.

I smile a little and take her paw. "Fen."

"Nice to meet ya. This is Otto," she says, looking up without moving her head. The micro waves a little but stays clung to her headfur.

"Hello," he states.

I give a nod, idly wondering why he's not wearing his cloaker. It only occurs to me a moment later that he might not actually have a cloaker. I also become aware that I'm staring. "Err, these are my friends..." I stay, looking to my left at Naki and the others. "Naki, Sian, and Motley," I state, pointing to them in order.

"Have you all known one another long?" she asks.

"Highschool," I say. "Well, I met Naki and Motley in high school. I've known Sian since I can remember."

"Neat, that's the same with Otto and I. Well, not quite that long but close enough. "

"How do you know one another?" I ask

"He's my indentured," she states. I just stare for a while before twisting a bit in my seat. I'm aware that this kind of thing happens but I'd never met an indentured micro before.

"Indentured? So you mean he's some kind of sl--er servant?" Naki asks, peering around me at the two.

"Yea, something like that. I don't think of it like that, though." Raelynn says, grasping Otto and bringing him down so that he's level with her chest. "We've been friends ever since I met'em."

I start to reply but the calico up front starts the meeting, causing all of us to shift our gazes to the front.

"Welcome, everyone! Not a huge turnout but it seems like we got a fair number of people. More than I expected, at least. My name is Declan and this is Lilly," he swings his paw over to the gecko now standing next to him. She smiles a little and takes a bow. She's a weird mixture of purplish shades. I, honestly, hadn't seen too many geckos in my lifetime.

"Nice to meet you all, thanks for coming. We started this group so that Requorans and nor-er-- Neotrians that support our integration may meet one another in a safe place. Declan and I have known each other for a few years now but he only found out about my natural stature within the last month or so, just before Registration. I was worried-- I'm sure most of the other Requorans here know the feeling. That's why we made this group. We want to encourage more conversation and support between us."

Declan nods gently. "So... I guess everyone should introduce themselves first--" he looks to the door as an otter walks in. He looks around for a moment, then walks over and sits behind the row we're sitting in.

"Welcome! We were just about to do introductions. Tell us who you are, what you're studying. If you're comfortable, tell us about your experience meeting your first Requoran or revealing yourself to your first Neotrian."

He points towards the back of the room at Motley. "Wanna start?" I can't help but chuckle a little at how much we've had to introduce ourselves. I guess it makes sense to do it but by now I almost have a generic answer. While Motley talks, I think about Otto-- is he really alright being an indentured? I wonder if he's ever worn a cloaker before. I don't really want to look at him again, though. I already feel awkward enough knowing that I'm sitting next to a norm that outright owns one of us.

Sy's up next with a generic answer just like Motley. He points me out and talks about highschool a little before he sits down and it's Naki's turn. It starts off generically enough and while he's going I ponder what I'm going to say. Probably fall back on the generic answer. My thought process is broken when I feel Naki's paw grasp one of mine. I blink, looking up at him before I stand--admittedly uncertain as to why I'm standing.

"I found out about Fen at our high school prom. He's my boyfriend," he states. My ears perk and I look at him, surprised. I catch myself before too long, though, and smile a bit sheepishly around at the people staring at us. "I'm really happy we met, he's been nothing but great. I'll save some for him to tell, though," he says, squeezing his hand around mine. I squeeze back a bit, unable to help but swish my tail behind me happily.

"Uh, I'm... Fen. Sy and I have been friends since we were kids, and I met Naki and Motley during my senior year at highschool. How Naki found out is a bit of a story and I wasn't sure of how to react at the time but I'm happy with where we are now..." I look around for a bit, then quickly sit down, bumping at the larger otter with my shoulder. "Jerk," I grin.

"Boyfriends, huh? Congratulations you two, I'm glad things have worked out so well," Lilly comments.

"Thanks," I smile.

Rae is next and she introduces Otto along with her since his voice can't carry very well at that height. "I've known Otto since I was a kid. He can't attend Phalance since he doesn't have an M.M.D. but I brought him here with me anyway. I'm hoping someday we'll be able to enroll him or something. I'm looking forward to meeting new people and helping Otto make a few friends." I notice Otto keeps situated in her palm, simply looking around at the crowd. I quietly wonder if this is just overwhelming to him. Declan asks them a few questions about their friendship before it's Khole's turn.

"I was invited to come by Naki. I only just met him a few days ago but this sounded like fun. I'm glad a group like this exists, it's nice to know we're not alone," Khole says quickly when it's his turn before he simply sits down again.

The fox up front's name is Mitch and he's been at Phalance for two years already. He's here on his own but has several friends that aren't Requorans. The ferret's name is Guy and he'd come with Nick, the panther. They're both Requorans from one of the southern counties.

"We've got a nice mix here. I'm glad you all decided to come. This semester we hope to get the word out about this group and try to encourage more people to join. We'd like to find a way to help Requoran students get the help and support they need whether it be safe travel around campus or just someone to listen. We also want to host events like movies or games, maybe even an outing somewhere off-campus. Any ideas you guys have are welcomed, of course. Next week we'll hopefully hold elections for people to sit on the executive board with Declan and I. We can't do this all on our own and we'd love to have other people to help us find ways to reach this club's potential. For today, though, let's just talk and get to know one another," Lilly says, looking around.

It takes a while but a little prodding from Declan and Lilly does actually get people chatting. I want to talk with Raelynn but Naki introduces me to Khole first. While we're chatting, Raelynn ends up talking to Lilly. Maybe I'll get a chance to chat later.

"So you guys've had yours all your life?" Khole asks, settled next to me where Raelynn had been sitting. Sy has his chair pulled into the aisle so he can listen in. Naki and Motley are off talking with Declan.

"Yea, our families helped take care of one another," I state.

"How about you?" Sian asks.

"No, I grew up in Kupai," he says, shifting his right leg so that his ankle rests atop his knee. "Got my cloaker when I was fifteen."

"What's Kupai like?" I ask.

"Like all of the underground cities. Not as happy, healthy, or well-off as anyone who hasn't seen one before might be led to believe."

"Of course not, why would anything ever be easy for us?" I mutter, causing him to chuckle a bit.

"Well, it's not -that- bad. It is shelter and we tried to take care of one another as well as we could. Its just... been better, that's all." He switches topics, "What was it like growing up with them? Did anyone other than Naki and his friend find out?"

"One of our other friends-- Ian, did. But that was back in second or third grade. He liked to pick on us for being short..." I mumble a little, recalling the memories. "My cloaker slipped down my tail a bit after some rough-housing and he decided it'd be fun to hold it over my head."

"He was pretty mean back then," Sy nods. "After that, though, he quit it. It could've gone a lot worse."

"Yea," I give a nod. "It could've."

"Were you scared?" Khole asks.

"I was crying," I say. "And Sy was ready to fight," I chuckle, recalling the way Sy had bristled overhead and clenched his fists, shouting with that high-shrill his voice took on when he's pissed. "Ian let it go, though. Faster than either of us thought he would. Other than that, no one else."

"Did you know any other Requorans?"

"None we got too close too. Our parents were a little iffy about us hanging around with others, especially if they didn't have cloakers," Sy says. "Though we did find a few others in school. Dan and Lenny were two... haven't talked to them in a while..."

"Dan was always reckless and Lenny only really hung out with us at lunch," I say. "How did you get your cloaker? Why did you get it so late in life? I'm guessing your parents found a few?" I ask Khole.

"Yea, they found mine," he says. I notice his gaze shift away from us for a moment as if he'd thought of something, but it snaps back rather quickly. "I attended a norm high school in Barli-- it wasn't the friendliest. I never told anyone about my cloaker, but I had friends that I hung out with. It was fun but definitely not as Requoran-friendly as it is around here."

"I'd heard," I say, sighing. "Violence picked up a lot out west after Registration began."

"It was partially our fault... at least, we didn't make things any easier for ourselves. A group from Kupai started threatening both Neotrians and Requorans that were at Registration stations. Not the stations for those of us without cloakers, but for those of us with. They had to bring police officers in to make sure nothing happened. There were a few attempts but most of them were broken up before anything could be carried out. It was pretty sad to see, especially with the crap that kept happening post-reg."

"Really? Requorans were attacking Requorans?" Sy asks.

"Yea... it's one of the reasons I don't visit Kupai. Some of them... have issues with cloaked Requorans. If you grew up with a cloaker many of them would go as far as to say you're not even really a Requoran anymore. Despite my having grown up in Kupai, many of them would probably tell me I'm a traitor if they even recognized me. Believe it or not, there are still those of us who think we should fight to get this place back. They -want- another war."

I cringe at the thought. Who could be so stupid?

"I don't think they have too much power. And, anyway, we're supposed to be meeting people and having a good time. Save this conversation for later?"

"Yea, you're right," Sy nods, standing and stretching. I follow suit and grin. "Let's go eavesdrop on Naki."

We stick around for a while longer. I don't get to talk to Raelyn one-on-one but I do speak with her and Lilly for a while and talk about growing up with a cloaker. Otto chimes in a few times and even answers questions about being indentured. I can't tell if he really doesn't mind it or if he's just not saying anything because Raelynn is around. I can't prove anything one way or the other so I don't even try. Lilly had grown up much the same way I did except she was adopted. Her adopted parents, apparently, kept her secret all this time up to Registration. I'm glad people like that exist. It's nice to hear those kinds of stories. By the end of it all-- after about two hours, we decide on a weekly meeting time and to have elections the week after next. Next week, we'd be promoting the group and trying to get new members so that we might have a larger pool of people to choose from and more members to help out.

Back in the room, we're all pretty tired. Instead of sleeping, we lounge around on the couch and watch an old B-romance film Sian and I found our sophomore year of high school-- it's about a wolf and a tiger that fall in love around the time interspecies was a problem. I'm pressed against Naki's side with an arm wrapped around his torso. I know I'd probably been a little out-of-line earlier even if I still feel the same about God. Naki's trying to balance between me and his parents. I guess I'll have to figure out a way to be alright with their beliefs... or keep my muzzle shut about it.

I look up at him for a moment before shifting in my seat and bringing my arm around to grasp at my cloaker for a moment. It's easier than it was before-- I'm not as nervous even if I do glance at Sian, who doesn't notice. I stop after a moment, then reach to grab Naki's hand. He blinks, taking notice as I place my paw in his and use his fingers to tug it off. By the time the dizziness wears off, I see his palms closing around me to pick me up. I clasp his fingers and smile, sitting next to my cloaker and peering up at his huge face. It's nice to see him grin after earlier today.

"What's the occasion?" Naki whispers.

"Does there need to be one?" I ask. He smiles a little at that and leans to press me into his palm with his nose, rubbing against my torso with his muzzle-tip. I give it as much of a hug as I can manage. I love feeling through his muzzle-fur; it's much thicker at this height, and his whiskers are huge. It's also weird feeling his breath wash over me through his nose when he exhales. A good kind of weird.

"Ugh," Sian mumbles. "Get a room." I hear Motley chuckle in response to that.

"You don't wanna take yours off?" He asks, peering at Sy. I sit up in Naki's palm and grin.

"Yea, comeon Sy. Take it off. Show us how big you are."

He smirks at the bad joke and looks at his own cloaker. "Well, I guess it's alright," he says, playing with it for a moment. I switch to Motley's palm so Naki can handle Sy. He's had more experience-- although, admittedly, not that much. Motley doesn't seem to mind. It's weird leaving the cloaker off for so long. We basically watch the rest of the movie without them. Motley's surprisingly gentle for someone so strong.

After the movie is done I let him try picking me up and holding me with his fingers instead of just having met settled in his palm. I let him try it a few ways and let him know what feels good or uncomfortable. I think I do want to try leaving my cloaker off more often whenever we're here on our own, and them knowing how to handle us without hurting us seems important. Sian does the same with Naki except he jokingly winces every now and again, which scares Naki until the raccoon's trademark grin lets him know everything is fine.

By the end of the night, Motley and Sy turn in early as they're used to doing and that leaves me with Naki. I keep my cloaker off, opting to lie across his chest his hand settled on top of my frame. I'm rather well pinned but the comforting heat and scent leaves me wanting to remain there anywho. We don't talk about earlier today, but maybe that's for the best. It's just nice being there with him and I think we both know there'll be more than enough time to bicker about the future.

Our article isn't posted the next day or even the day after that. I'm afraid the editors have decided not to post it at all until I get an text message from Ian on Thursday saying the piece would appear tomorrow. Phew. No going back now-- after tomorrow, it'd be Sian and I versus Bridget and I couldn't be more ready for it. I'm tired of being quiet about these issues and hiding-- okay, so posting under a nickname is still hiding but it's a necessary precaution. Regardless, we're not going to let her have her way.