Camping With Furends

Authors note: Be forewarned, this story contains graphic descriptions of gay sex between under aged anthropomorphic partners, plenty of cursing, and contains a general horror theme. So if any of those things make you wrinkle your nose, you will want to stop reading.

If you read on and still complain, I reserve the right to bitch slap you through a steel bridge support after smashing a bottle of vodka over your head and lighting it on fire, but not before sodomizing you with a rubber duck.

I do not condone the actions of any character in this work of fiction. Any similarities to a real life event or person is purely coincidental

Thank you, and enjoy the story.

Chapter 1:

It's funny, a lot of times I find myself just sitting in my bed staring at the ceiling. Not because of depression or anything, although I have gone through that, it's more because I am fascinated by the world around me. Just everything about it, every little detail seems to jump out at me. I guess being part dragon has its advantages. I have lived for 1500 years, but only recently have I truly started to realize how much there is to see in this world. Unfortunately, I still look like I am fifteen; so there are still quite a few things that I have to wait to do, if you know what I mean.

I cannot possibly describe how pleased I am that I have the chance to live with a family. My real parents broke up soon after I was born, and just left me at some orphanage. I never tried looking for them, because I knew that I could find them. From what I know, most dragons have a keen sense of where their family lies, thankfully that's part of the mix that I got.

My adopted parents actually do not know that I am part dragon; they aren't exactly the most observant people that I have ever met, not to mention I never told them. I think my sister has her suspicions though, but I really don't care that much. If she is going to find out, I would rather it be sooner than later.

I am unsure of which is which, but I know that one parent was a Fennec Fox, and the other was a 'pure breed' dragon. I say 'pure breed', because whichever parent was a dragon didn't have any other species mixed in. Because of the inherent magical nature of dragons, they can fuck almost anything and still get pregnant.

"Mmm, I do believe that I smell dinner cooking, and almost done by its potency". I think to myself.

I sit up from my bed, and glance around my room. To my left sits a half dresser, with the upper half being a mirror. Also on my left is my closet. To my right is a desk which my computer and four monitor sit atop rather nicely. Most people are quite amused when they see the quad monitor setup I have; not understanding exactly how useful it can be. For example, I can have several different reference notes or pictures up at one time, as well as whatever I am working on. I can also have some YouTube series or podcast open on one of the monitors as well. Another benefit, is when I am playing flight sims I can stretch the view across several of them, as well as have a monitor dedicated to just instrument panels; which not only makes it feel more realistic, but also more fun. Not having to always have your thumb on the hat switch of your joystick, which sounds really dirty, is always more comfortable and all around enjoyable.

I shake my head, trying to clear it of the distractions around me and place my hindpaws on the soft carpet of the floor. I always hated how easy it was for me to get distracted, it's something that I have wanted to work on, but never really had the time for.

I bring myself upright to let my legs bare my full weight, feeling a little lightheaded from standing up to quickly. I then pad out my open door, going down the hallway past another few doors to my sister's room. She and I, have an odd relationship. On most days, we are fairly civil toward one another. But on some days, it's like world war three inside the house. Part of the problem, is that we know exactly how to push each other's buttons. And both of us just 'love' to do that.

I pass through the doorway and inform my sister of the impending food about to be served and suggest that we head down shortly. She doesn't outright ignore me, but she dismisses me with a wave of her paw. I simply sigh and turn from the room, retracing my steps a bit and walking down the stairs to my left.

The heavenly smell gets even stronger as I reach the bottom of the stairwell, almost pulling me through the little maze of hallways to the kitchen. I find my adopted parents. Sitting down at the wide table is my father, Dominic Winters. A fine man no doubt, strong, and always willing to lend a hand. He was never too busy at work for long for a phone call if I ever needed something. My Mum is busy fussing over the stove; she is probably the nicest person I know. She always made time for me and Stella (my sister), and always pushed us to be our best. I smile at them both of them as I finish my walk in and sit down.

Dinner is served soon after, with my sister being fashionably late of course. For the main course, we have fresh chicken in a honey glaze, with a side of mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. Such extravagant meals aren't the normal fare, but tonight is a special occasion. Dominic just recently returned from a week long business trip to California, and tonight is his first night back. So Susanna (my mum) decided that she would cook up something special. And something special it is indeed, the flavor simply pours from the chicken, the mashed potatoes are flavorful and soft with no large lumps. The corn is glazed in butter and seasoned with a special powder that my mum has never given the recipe for. The seasoning and butter gives the kernels a sweeter flavor, as well as adding an indescribable flare to the taste. Calls of thanks and praise are heard throughout most of the meal, which is met with humble appreciation.

For dessert, two separate things were prepared. A homemade apple crisp; and a brownie Sunday topped with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. I only try a few small bites of each, well, a more than a few bites of that brownie Sunday, before I was at my limit on food intake.

After everyone was pretty much done, I excused myself after dropping my plates and glass in the dishwasher and head back upstairs to my room. Once there, I boot up my computer and load Adobe Illustrator and get to work on improving my skills as an artist. I know for a fact that I have a long way to go before I actually get anywhere halfway decent, but I still enjoy the attempt. Not to mention, almost every time I draw I find one little detail that I can say that I actually really liked.

I spend at least a few hours manipulating anchors, and moving things around before I decide to call it a night. I glance at the clock and see that its 1:34 AM. It's actually a little early for me, which I am glade of.

I always like to have my things laid out for me when I wake up in the morning, that way I just put on some clothes, eat some breakfast, shower, and then run out the door. I start my prep work by laying out what clothes I plan on wearing tomorrow. I decide on a grey/navy blue mix for my pants. For a shirt I go with a simple black t-shirt. For underwear, I go with boxer shorts.

I place the set of clothes on my dresser, and spin to look at my reflection. My fur pattern is a little rare: a neon red for my hindpaws, paws, tip of my tail and tips of my ears. And gunmetal grey for pretty much everywhere else. I flash myself a cheeky grin and begin to strip.

I take off my shirt first, chucking it in the relative direction of the laundry hamper. My pants follow suit, joining my shirt in the general vicinity of the basket. Lastly I remove my underwear, breathing a sigh of relief as my sheath and balls pop free from their cloth prison. I let my boxers join with the rest of my clothes in the growing pile by the hamper.

I run my hands over my sleek fur, savoring the touch; I always love having paws run up and down over my sides. I consider pawing off, but decide against it. It's already late, and I know by the end of it I will almost certainly be fingering myself, the thought of which make my shaft twitch inside my sheath, meaning more time to clean up. Instead, I crawl under the sheets and hide myself away under the vast amount of plush animals, blankets, and pillows that sit atop my bed. I press my lithe, nude form into my favorite body pillow, imagining that it's a fellow fur that I am spooning rather than the mass of fabric and stuffing that it really is. I can feel myself slowly drift off closer to sleep.

I am dimly aware of a tall figure waving to me from the doorway. I simply write it off as either a figment of my tired imagination, or Dominic just saying goodnight to me. I smile and push myself farther into the body pillow, murring at the sensation in my nether regions as I fall asleep.

Chapter 2:

The blaringly loud and obnoxious sound of my alarm clock shakes me awake from the warm embrace of sleep. I reach out with my right arm and slap the off button, not really caring about how much force I put behind it.

I sit up groggily and make an attempt to rub the sleep from my tired eyes, but fail miserably. The room in front of me swims and rotates, making my stomach twist in knots.

Thankfully, the rest of my brain seems to be coming online at somewhat of a steady rate; so my determination starts to cut through the haze that is waking up far too damn early in the morning.

I slide myself from beneath the covers and put both hindpaws on the floor and stand up. I steel a glance at the clock and rub my eyes again, wishing that I didn't have to get up at five AM every weekday. Hell, I shouldn't even have to go to school. I have been around long enough to pick up on almost anything that they are going to teach me at that school, and my grades provide backup for that statement. I am almost a straight 'A' student, the only subject I really have trouble with is algebra. But even then I have a high 'B', almost an 'A'.

I push those thoughts from my mind as I grab a towel from one of the lower drawers of my dresser and head out of my room to take a shower.

When I get there I shut the door behind me and flip the little lock on the door. I set the towel on the sink and set about to get the shower ready for me. I turn on the water and set the temperature knob, sliding the curtain over as I do so.

While the water is heating up, I make use of the toilet and do a quick brush of me teeth, just to get the gunk that built up over night off. After that is all said and done the water has finally come up to temp, so I step into its warm spray; making sure that the curtain is firmly secured to the shower walls.

I start off by picking up the shampoo and pouring a dollop into my open paw before spreading it around and scrubbing it roughly into my head fur. Once finished with that I stick my head under the spray of the shower head and scrub again, this time trying to work out all the shampoo. When that is done I grab the bar of soap and start running over my fur, starting around my hindpaws and ankles and moving my way up. I spend a little more time than necessary cleaning and scrubbing a few areas, leaving me more than a little worked up by the time I am washing the soap from my fur.

I turn off the water and step out, grasping the towel in both paws and rubbing all over me, from the tips of my ears, all the way down to in-between my toes and out to my tail.

The repetitive motion of dragging the now drenched towel across my body leaves my fur more than a little poufy; especially my tail, which looks almost twice as big from all the strands of fur standing on end. To solve this, I pick up the brush up off the counter and begin to make use of it, making sure that no patch of fur looks out of place.

After that rather lengthy process I poke my head out of the bathroom door and into the hallway, to check if anyone is there. Seeing no one, I make a dash for my room, not wanting to get seen. Once back at my room I put on the clothes that I had chosen yesterday, as well as grabbing my dark blue hoodie and dragon pendent. When I pick it up, I take a moment to run my thumb over the smooth silver surface of the pendent. It's really just a small figurine with a few beads on it, but I love it none the less. It sometimes helps to remind me of my heritage, which is oddly comforting at times.

A quick glance at the clock reminds me that if I don't hurry up I will likely be late for school, something I would desperately like to avoid. I put on the pendent and quickly head downstairs.

Once there I go to the kitchen and decide on my old standby for breakfast; a pop-tart and glass of fruit punch. After I down those quickly I grab my backpack from its hook in the closet and rush out the door, greeting my sister with a cert nod.

I wait in an utterly awkward silence for the bus to come. Thankfully, the wait is not very long and the bus does indeed come quickly. I board right after my sister, going straight for my usual spot, farthest in the back that you can get near either window. The seats aren't usually taken, or if they are, it's only by one other person, which suites me just fine.

The telltale screech of the hydraulic door closing and the break pressure being released informs me that we are about to be on our way, so I promptly take a seat and open my bag, grabbing the sketchbook and the small pack of pencils out.

I usually do quick sketches to pass the time on the long ride to the school, this time I decide to try to sketch the buss from memory. I am about halfway done when I hear snickering and giggles coming from my left. I glace over and see several furs gawking at me, obviously amused by my pastime. They finally notice me and all look away immediately, pretending like they weren't looking at me at all. I shake my head and go back to my sketch.

I end up finishing that one before I arrive, so I decide to try a perspective shot from the back of the bus to the front. I get the seat lines all finished when I see that we have almost arrived. I close my sketchbook and put my pencils back in their case.

The bus parks at the end of a long convoy, pulling close to the curb. The breaks squeal as the bus comes to a full stop as the door opens. The sounds of shuffling feet and fabric rustling as backpacks are put on are heard as everyone ambles their way out the door in a very slow manor.

I do eventually hit concrete, and begin my walk to homeroom. Just another day in hell, ah, I mean high school. The two terms are often interchangeable. I smile to myself as I continue to make my way to the first class of the day.

****

"Urg, I hate it when its one boring class after another." I bemoan to myself as I walk through the double doors to the cafeteria. I grab my tray and get in line. The line isn't that long, but it always takes forever for it to move, due in-part to the very slow staff. People will be waiting around for one of the cooks to refill the containers of whatever food they wanted, which always takes forever.

Thankfully my favorite choice of cheddar bacon burger with fries is still there. I nab one off the counter and scurry over to the seating area to find myself a table.

I spy an empty off to the side. It's one of the smaller ones, which suits me just fine. I was never really much for company unless I already knew the person.

And there are two people I know walking up to me now.

"Hey Andy, hey Rickie." I greet them, waving the paw not currently occupied holding up my burger. Andy is a usually quiet and just a tad shy Golden Retriever; his fur caches the light just right to make it glisten. Rickie is a Rottweiler; I really don't like him that much. He is civil most of the time, but will often insult me when it's just our friends that are around.

"Hey Tarn, seen Jeff around?" Rickie responds, while Andy just nods at me.

"Nah, not yet. But I'm sure he's around here somewhere." I tell him.

"Ok, well, thanks." Rickie says, leaving quickly after to search for our mutual friend.

I was never really a big fan of the nickname 'Tarn". It is true though that 'Tarnthelos' is just too long to use in casual conversation. And considering my options for nicknames were 'hey you', 'Tarn', and 'fag'; I made the obvious choice and went with Tarn.

I spot Jeff sitting down at a table across the way, and quickly after Rickie and Andy swoop in to talk with him. No one knows, as far as I can tell, that I am rather infatuated with Jeff, to the point of fantasizing about him multiple times. Everything from his voice to the way his tail swishes when he is really happy or excited about something will get me going.

Jeff had originally come here as an exchange student from Germany, coming from one of the best schools in Germany to here must have been a bit of a shock for him, but he says that he loves it here now. At his old school, there were tons of other furs like him, but now he is one of the few German Sheppard's here, the others I am not familiar so with.

I turn back to my neglected burger and chow down, making quick work of what is left. As I finish wiping my paws and face on a napkin, I see Jeff stand up and come my way. He sits down across from me, and I can hear the chair creak as he sits down.

"You doing anything this weekend?" Jeff asks openly. One of the things I love about him is that he is so blunt about almost everything. He just seems to know how to word things in the most perfect of ways.

"No n-not really. Why, were you planning something?" I try and keep the hopefulness and naughtiness out of my voice, but I can tell by Jeff's subtle smirk that he noticed. I could never seem to resist the urge to flirt with him, either he never notices, or he just doesn't mind.

"Yes, actually I am. I was hoping to record some footage of some of the mountain forests in the area. If I get the right stuff, I might be able to get some extra credit for film making class."

"Sure, I don't really see a reason not to. I do love camping, and I might get some inspiration there as well." It is true, I always loved camping, I used to go a lot with Dominic but he has less time for such things nowadays and I miss it.

"Sounds good, we can plan more of this tomorrow, I believe the bell is going to ring soon." And as if on cue, the bell rings, signaling the end of lunch and only five minutes before the start of next period.

****

My last two classes for the day pass by without me really even noticing. And before I know it I am at the bus stop at school, then riding home, and then standing in front of my house, my sister already bounding up the path to the front door. I find it quite amusing how much she wants' to get back home every day, for someone who claims to love school so much.

I walk the path up to the door and try the knob. Finding it to be locked, I dig into my pocket to find my key. Once found, I slide the key in place and turn it, my sensitive ears picking up the sounds of the tumblers falling into place and out of the way. I try the knob again, finding it to turn all the way and allow me entry.

I go to the closet just a few meters away and hang my backpack on the hook on the inside left wall. Before I head up to my room I grab my sketchbook and pencils from the bag. With those in paw I walk to my room and set them down on my desk, jiggling the mouse and firing up the printer as I sit down and open up the book.

When the computer is finally out of sleep mode and I have typed in my password to get into my account, I start about Adobe Illustrator and setup my sketchbook to the right page inside the scanner portion of my printer. I play with the scan settings, and once everything looks right I let it run. While waiting I finish up the picture I hadn't finished on the bus, which is almost complete.

My printer lets out a little melody of beeps to let me know that the scan has completed, I set up the next page to be scanned, and while that's going on I open the recently scanned picture into Adobe Illustrator. I click on the image and then click the few buttons and read over the menus to start the process of converting the image into vector art.

I am saving the newly finished piece when the scan on the other picture finishes. Yet again, I go through the entire process, fiddling with menus and clicking the multitudes of buttons required to get just the right look. To some, the whole thing may seem a little convoluted, but the results are unquestionably fantastic. For some reason, I was never that great at drawing directly onto a computer; either because of poor interface, or an inability for me to get used to the act itself. Because of this, I simply draw on paper and do all the coloring necessary on the converted vector image. Another benefit of vector art is that it can be rescaled to practically any size with no loss of quality.

I shake myself from my internal ramblings as I hear Susanna call me from downstairs, telling me that dinner is ready. I put my computer back into sleep after assuring that any open work is saved. I then stand and jog downstairs, my stomach rumbling in anticipation of the incoming meal.

****

The clock by my bed yet again rouses me from sleep in an unpleasantly loud manner. I bring my paw down on the off button and pull myself from the warm embrace of the bed.

I continue my morning routine as usual, not bothering with a breakfast other than the normal pop-tart.

Since I have extra time this morning I start to pack my camp pack with all of the things that I know I am going to need, like water, compass, matches, mess kit, sleeping bag, rope, and other such items. I make a mental note to make sure to talk with Jeff again today to find out if there is any specialty items that I would need to bring along.

I notice that Stella seems to be avoiding me one minute, and then sticking close to me the next. Her behavior is further confusing by sitting across the bench from me at the back of the bus; normally she is avoiding me like the plague right about now.

Along the ride I can see her slide closer to me, until she is right next to me.

"Something I can help you with?" I ask, turning to her and backing up a little.

"Possibly..." she trails off, keeping her voice down.

"Look, whatever it is, just spit it out already." I tell her, exasperated by her coy domineer and almost sing-song like voice.

"Fine." She huffs. "I want to go with you and Jeff on the campout thing."

"Why the hell would you want to go?" I ask indignantly.

"Because I think it will be fun. Besides, what will it matter if I go anyway? It's not like I would get in your way."

"Could have fooled me." I mutter under my breath. "You're going to have to talk with Jeff; he is the one planning this after all." Her face falls as I tell her that.

"Can't you talk to him for me?" she pleads.

"No." I respond flatly.

"Why not?" she inquires.

"Because I don't want you going, but it's ultimately up to Jeff to decide who goes." I say

"Oh fine, but he better say I can go." She complains.

"Or what? You'll nag me to death?" If looks could kill, I would be dead right now, but it would be so worth it.

The bus enters the school parking lot as usual, parking at the end of a long line of other buses. Stella pushes me back as she stands; to make she that she departs first. I just shake my head and let her. If I really wanted, she couldn't push me over if she tried to tackle me from a dead run, She has the strength of a soggy toothpick. But it would only lead to an argument, which would end in us getting angrier and angrier until we either storm off in separate directions or the screaming would start. Either way, it is never a pleasant outcome. So I let her walk all over me, thinking that she has won.

I eventually make it off the bus as well, and am immediately found by Andy and Rickie.

"Damn, do you guys have fox sensing radar or something?" I laugh, surprised at how quickly they can find me.

"Terrible joke; must resist!" Andy feigns pain as he puts his paws on his head.

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad. Actually I take that back. Knowing you, it probably is." I say, grinning at Andy's antics.

"Trust me, it is." Andy says with a mad ear to ear smile. "Well, if you two are done playing around I would like to actually talk about something real quick so we aren't late!" Rickie snaps.

"Jeez, don't get your fur in knots and get on with it." Andy says.

"So Tarn, we hear that you're going on a little trip over this next vacation..." Rickie starts.

"I can save you all a whole lot of time, if you really really really want to go, you're going to have to talk to Jeff. He is has the final say on all this stuff. Although I have to ask, where did you hear this from?" I explain.

"Your sister." Rickie replies simply.

"Why does that not surprise me?" I sigh.

A soft ringing is heard from inside the building.

"Ah shit, better get going guys!" I call back, already jogging for the door and down the hall for today's first class.

****

I make my way into the cafeteria, glad that the day is almost over. I grab a tray and begin loading some food onto it, not really caring what I grab. It's all standard cafeteria food that one would expect, AKA about as tasty as sand mixed with wet cardboard, so whatever you chose is going to be about as bad as the next thing.

I spot Jeff sitting alone off to my left and walk over to him.

"This seat taken?" I ask; gesturing to the wooden chair that is next to Jeff.

"It is now." Jeff replies with a grin.

I smile back and take the seat, digging into the meal quickly, like I hadn't eaten in days. It would be a good idea if I started eating a better breakfast, but I just can't get myself up early enough.

"We should start planning the trip, while we have time." Jeff suggests.

"Yes, lets." I say, pushing my finished tray off to the side and sipping lightly at my fountain drink.

"Oh and by the way, expect Andy, Rickie, and Stella to drop by, all of them pleaded with me to let them come too, but I told them to ask you." I inform him.

"Good thought, I don't have a problem with Rickie and Andy, but Stella; I am not so sure." Jeff says to me. I can tell that he isn't thrilled that there are going to be so many more people now.

"And here they come now." I remark, gesturing to the double doors that lead back to the main building. Emerging from said doors is all three wannabe campers, Rickie, Andy, and Stella.

Of course, the two males spot us almost immediately, and head over to our table quickly, leaving Stella in their dust.

"Hey there!" Andy greets us, while Rickie just nods. Both take the seats opposite me and Jeff, Andy in the seat across from me, and Rickie across from Jeff.

"Thanks for leaving me back there." Stella complains as she nears the table, taking the seat at the head.

"You were forty feet away, how dreadful." I remark wryly, cheering internally when Stella visibly fumes and shoots me a death glare.

"So, I hear you all want to go camping with us." Jeff gestures to me and himself at this point. "But I wonder; do you have what it takes?"

"You make this sound like we are going to be climbing Mount Everest. We are camping, not fighting in a cage match or something." Rickie scoffs.

"Ok, I exaggerated a little. But still, this isn't going to be just a quick hope skip and a jump, set up a few tents and then laugh and play in the sun for a few days. Both Tarn and I have things that we want to accomplish while over the course of this vacation, and I just want to make sure that you three don't fuck this up for us." Jeff warns.

"Oh relax, we aren't here to stop you from doing your little projects or anything, we just want to come along and have some fun." Stella responds, condescension apparent in her tone to everyone but her.

"I see..." Jeff says, razing and eyebrow and studding Stella's face.

"Well, I think as you all agree to do one thing before we leave, as well as anything else that we ask of you within reason, we should be good." Jeff states.

"What is it?" Andy asks quizzically, it's the most vocal he has been this entire conversation.

"It's simply really, just promise to keep this secret from everyone. That means you can't tell your parents, your friends, don't post about it on facebook, or twitter or wherever else you might feel like spilling the beans."

"We promise" The three answer in unison.

"I have to ask though." Rickie starts. "Why with all the secrets and seriousness. I mean, we are just camping, right? Rickie finishes, starting to get worried of what is to come.

"We are just camping, but we are going to a campground that was closed a long time ago. Too many people disappeared mysteriously from there, so the state government had it shut down."

"You seemed to have left out that part when you invited me." I say, slightly annoyed that I hadn't been told this before I agreed to go.

"Would knowing have changed your mind?" Jeff asks slyly.

"Not at all." I grin, Jeff just has that way about him that always makes me happy, makes me smile. He and I tend to travel to the strange and long forgotten places that surround the town we live in, it gives us some good material to work with.

"I thought so. Now though, we need to decide what trail to take. There are quite a few of them, and they range from being almost a straight walk in, to having to scale vertical cliffs." Jeff informs us, taking out a neatly folded map of the camp area.

Jeff spends some time explaining all of the routs, their pros and cons, and any other useful information to us.

After a long debate, we narrow it down to the three shortest paths: one easy, one walking in the park, and the other I am not even sure I would want to walk. We decide by holding a blind vote, blind to everyone except Jeff, as he is the one holding the vote. And once that is done we settle on easy one, rather than the very easy or insane one.

Once the trail is picked out, we start discussing gear dividing. Jeff and I have all the gear required between us, having gone out by ourselves many times before. Jeff gives each person a specific category of gear to bring, to make sure that everyone actually pitches in. Jeff and I will handle the propane camp stoves and the other most important pieces. Such as a first aid kit, maps, and other items that we wouldn't do well to lose.

The other three get things like tents, food, water, and other such things. Unfortunately, with there being the number of people that there are; only three tents can be carried.

Jeff decides that I will be tenting with him, which makes me pitch my own tent right now, if you know what I mean. Stella tents by herself, and Rickie and Andy will be sharing a tent.

With the gear situation settled, we fall into an uncomfortable silence while waiting for the bell. And eventually, the bell does indeed ring. We all stand up and take off, making our way to our next respective classes.

Chapter 3:

The bus ride home is about as interesting as usual, so it passes by quickly. Once home I head up to my room after I hang my backpack in the closet, grabbing my homework before shutting the door behind me. In my room I sit down at my desk and start working on whatever homework I didn't finish on the bus ride here. I get called down for diner a few hours later, which I do right after I finish the algebra equation I am in the middle off.

Dinner is excellent as usual, which I thank Susana for and head back upstairs. I finish off the rest of the homework.

I close up my homework book and stand up, stretching my arms and letting out a soft yawn. Before I bed down for the night I decide to take a shower, I always love the feeling of freshly scrubbed and brushed fur when I go to bed.

I walk to the bathroom and start up the shower, setting the water temperature to be wonderfully warm. While the water is heating up I strip quickly and toss the clothes on the floor near the door.

Once up to temp I step into the relaxing spray of the water, just letting the jets relax me further and further. I grasp the soap in my paw and build up a lather as I scrub up and down my lithe, soft furred frame. I murr as I rub over my sheath and balls, my pink tip already starting to show. I continue scrubbing absentmindedly as I let my imagination wonder, which eventually settles on Jeff. I can feel a heat come up to my cheeks as I realize that I have spent this entire time just focusing on one area. I move on to soap up the rest of me then wash it all out.

I turn off the water and step out, drying myself then brushing all over my now quite poufy fur. When finished I peak my head out the door and, seeing no one, I make a mad dash back to my room, shutting and locking the door behind me.

I walk over to my bed and flop down into it, just enjoying the feeling of the blankets against my fur. I crawl up to my pillows and hug them, pressing my body into the soft, almost down like, material. I can feel another blush creep up as my shaft slides swiftly from its fuzzy home, unable to ignore my need any longer; I lie on my back and stick my legs out and to the sides.

I grasp myself in my left paw and slowly begin sliding up and down, a soft murr escaping from me as I do so. I bring my right paw fingers up to my mouth and begin to suck on them, preparing them for entering me, all the while never stopping the teasing on my now very hard cock.

A few drops of pre leak from my tip in anticipation as I begin to press two fingers into my back passage, a moan escaping me as they enter. I can feel a tight heat around my two fingers, which I wiggle around inside me.

I almost scream out in pleasure when I find my prostate, which I start to massage gently. I moan lewdly as I pump faster, my tight walls clenching hard around my finger. My mind drifts from fantasy to fantasy, each one hotter than the last as I continue to stroke and massage myself from the inside, wishing ever so much that it is a throbbing cock inside me rather than the digits that they are.

Pleasure continues to override all other senses as I pant profusely, my mind now concocting a fantasy of Jeff drilling me hard from behind. My pleasure crazed mind can almost perceive that knot bumping against my tight pucker.

I writhe and wriggle around on the bed in shear bliss, increasing the pressure on my prostate and now switching between grasping my rapidly growing knot and squeezing around my tip, which continues to drip like a leaky fire hose.

I now start pumping my finger in and out, grunting at first as my tunnel tries to adapt to the new motion, but that grunt quickly turns into a sigh of ecstasy as I can now slip my fingers in and out quite easily.

Time no longer matters to me as I lay back in absolute heaven, a paw wrapped around my throbbing and drooling shaft and two fingers knuckle deep inside me. What more could anyone ask for?

I slip another finger inside my already well stretched hole, forcing it even wider and making me twitch in pleasure. The feelings of ecstasy and bliss continue to build and build until I can feel myself right on the edge. And just before I hit the tipping point, I press my fingers against my prostate, instantly sending me spiraling down into orgasmic bliss.

My cock throbs and shoots my hot seed all over my chest and belly, some of it even landing on my muzzle, which I quickly lap up. My orgasm just keeps going, rendering me utterly unable to move, with a death grip on my hard member, and three fingers stuffed inside me.

Eventually, simple and pure bliss sets in, and I don't even want to move. I of course, loosen my grip a little, but not all the way, and I leave all my fingers inside.

I lay there waiting for the ecstasy to be washed away and to be replaced with logic and that other boring stuff, but it doesn't. It stays put and keeps me in a delirious state, I don't even realize until after the fact that I have started masturbating again. Once again I feel my conscious mind be pushed back by carnal desire, and once again I let it, preferring this state so much more over anything else.

Coming close to the edge yet again, I back off, letting the only stimulation come from being filled from behind, even the thought of which brings a bead of pre to my tip. I continue to wait until I barely feel worked up, and then start again, the wonderful sense of other worldliness sticking with me the entire time. I near that point again, and this time I let myself go completely, succumbing to the primeval need and simply wallowing in the blissful aftermath.

I must have passed out for a while, because when I wake I find that I am drenched in sweat and covered in dried cum, as well reeking of sex. I sigh to myself and turn over, annoyed that I will have to shower yet again tomorrow, yet so glad that pawed off; as doing so always gives me an easy sleep with pleasant dreams...

****

I look all around me, and realize that this is most certainly not my bedroom, more than likely not my house, and possibly not even on this earth.

Dense outcroppings of trees surround me, with their branches of full leaves intertwining like a latticework of natural camouflage. Banks of fog roll and float around me like someone went to town with an industrial sized fog machine. The fog even has a funky smell to it, almost having an acrid flavor that burns my throat as it goes down when I franticly gulp in the night air.

I hear slithering in the dark, not unlike the sound of scales slipping over dried leafs. I hope to god that it's just a few snakes that are around, as I hate to even hazard a guess as to what else could make that sound.

Out in front of me, I see a tendril of blackness raise up and hover less than a meter away. Its pointed end turns toward me; a shiver of fear goes up my spine, standing my fur on end as it travels up.

The tendril shoots for me, grabbing around my neck in an almost too tight embrace. Many more soon explode from the shadows, grabbing me every where it can. I try and struggle but it's no use, its firm grip keeps hold of me.

In the forefront of my mind I have a healthy dose of fear that continues to force me to wiggle in vain against the binds, but in the back of my mind something is telling me to just let go, to give up, the concept seems almost comforting. I can't refuse the oddly relaxing and utterly creepy nature that this beast is causing inside me, half of me wants to struggle, to scream in terror, but the other half is totally calm and welcoming this creature.

The latter half of me wins out, and as I stop struggling a pale face appears in the distance, seeming to float at least three and a half meters in the air. Its face is completely featureless, it doesn't even look like a fur, it has no muzzle or maw, no ears, nothing. It's just a completely blank pale face. The thing gets closer and the rest of the body starts to appear. Long and thin, its legs appear first, then its anorexic like body comes next, its freakishly long arms with ridiculously long fingers appear last.

I blink as my eyes start to burn, the air growing a toxic quality. And in that time of the blink the being is now mere centimeters away from the end of my muzzle. I gasp out loud and close my eyes.

****

That gasp carries over to my waking body as I snap upright, sending the sheets flying off me toward the toe of the bed. My entire body is shaking in fear, and my fur is matted by a cold sweat.

I take big gulps of air, trying to calm my furiously beating heart, my paws twitching and spasming of their own accord.

I try and stand, wanting nothing more than to be out of this room. I stumble down the hallway and into the bathroom. I move to stand in front of the mirror, and standing right behind me I see that pale face.

I want to scream as I jump around, but my mouth won't open. Wait, where did it go? It must have vanished when I turned around, for when I stare at where the creature was just moments ago, I don't see it. I do feel slightly relived that it's gone, but even still; I feel as if I am going to be seeing that thing again.

In an attempt to try and distance myself from that encounter I go back to my room and check over my pack, thankfully finding everything to be in order. I head to the bathroom where I make use of the toilet and take a shower, all the while unable to stop myself from constantly checking over my shoulder to see if it had returned.

Once finished in the shower I walk downstairs after grabbing my camping backpack from my room. I decide to go with a quick breakfast of cereal and orange juice, so that I can get an early head start. With breakfast eaten I make my way to the garage where my bike sits, I haven't had the chance to ride in a while and I miss it dearly. I walk the bike outside where I mount it and place my paws on the handlebars, my fingers automatically wrapping around the brake levers and gear switches in a comfortable position.

I set off at a fairly slow pace, the backpack throwing off my balance quite a bit, requiring me to make sure that I don't go to fast. I think for a moment that I probably should have checked to see if my sister and parents were ok, but remember that it was just a dream. At least, that's what my rational mind tries to argue, while the rest of me protests saying that that thing was quite real.

My internal debate passes the time nicely, and I soon find myself at the dirt path that leads to the campsites. A weather battered wooden sign proclaims 'campsites ahead: 5 miles'

A bike rack is placed near the side of the road, which I avail myself of. I dismount my bike and walk it in between the metal bars, taking out my lock and securing it to the bars and the main chassis of the bike.

As I finish locking up my bike, I hear the sound of another approaching, and low and behold I can see Jeff riding in from the other direction. I stand and wave to him as he gets closer.

"Morning" I greet him.

"You all right there? You look like you've seen a zombie ghost."

"I'm fi-wait what?" I was about to lie, but his odd phrasing makes my thought process come to a screeching halt.

"Well, I would say you look like you've seen a ghost, but you look way worse than that." He responds.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." I respond sarcastically. "Really, I am fine. I just had a very 'entertaining' nightmare." I tell him, hoping that he doesn't catch on to my very obvious fib.

"I see." Jeff replies simply. I can't tell if he knows or not, he always had a very good poker face.

Before the conversation could go any farther Andy and Rickie show up, coming from the same road that Jeff did. And while those two are tying up their bikes, Stella shows up, she however had decided to walk the distance rather than take her bike.

With all of us now here, Jeff and I do a surprise pack inspection. To make sure that everyone brought the required things. It turns out to be a relatively quick procedure, with no one forgetting anything, and we are soon on the way to the campsites.

****

Around halfway we decide to take a break. Already I can feel a burn creep into my legs and shoulders as I set down my pack and lean against a tree, the others doing the same. We all grab out lunches that we made that morning from our bags and dig in hungrily.

The view from our current vantage point is absolutely stunning. A mountain ridge sits off in the distance, while in-between us and that is a mix of plains and small patches of forest. The trees sway and swoop with an unperceived wind, making them look like they are dancing to the beat of nature's song. I really wish that I have time to sketch this, but it looks like everyone is already limbering up for the next half as well as dragging their packs back on. I follow suit and get behind them; still paranoid that I will see that damn creature again.

However, I don't see it a single time as we complete the hike; sprinting in to find a very spacious clearing in the middle of a dense forest, save for a few worn paths through the woods. The place looks like it hasn't been touched for years. And even the paths are just starting to blend in with the surrounding trees, like nature has started to retake this area. Of course, no has been here in a very long time, so naturally everything will have a forlorn and long forgotten feel to it, which I think just adds to the atmosphere.

We all gather around the large stone ringed fire pit and Jeff assigns each of us a section of the clearing where we are in charge of. Not only do we set up our tent in this section, but we are to make sure to keep the area clean, as we don't want any feral raccoons, bares, foxes, or any other animal that would be attracted to trash that's just lying around.

Jeff instructs Andy, Stella, and Rickie to set up tents, while he gets dinner started. I walk around camp and pick up all of the wood that I can find and let everyone know that they should they find any decent pieces of wood, to bring them over to the pile that I have started by the fire pit.

With a good amount of kindling, tinder, and fuel gathered I arrange all the large pieces in a tepee shape in the fire pit, but leave one side of the tepee open, and put all of the smaller parts in a pile near the edge. I then take out my fire starting kit, which contains a flat piece of metal with a sharp lip on one end, a stick of magnesium, and a strip of flint.

I get to work spreading magnesium shavings all over the pile of tinder, making sure that the shavings are in nicely sized clumps as to facilitate easy lighting. Once that task is completed I pull out the strip of flint, and drag the metal along it, sending spark flying into the tinder pile. I strike the flint again, and the sparks one again land in the tinder, but not lighting anything quite yet. After a few more tries I finally get a little flame going. I get down close to it and let a breath out just hard enough for the flame to flicker, giving the little fire the oxygen and the push it needs to grow.

I back off a little and blow again, just as soft, and the flame grows again. I sit back and let it grow for a while, catching more tinder alight and getting the flame to start licking the top of the tepee.

After a long wait the tepee has finally fully caught fire, large bursts of flame jet out occasionally, signifying an air pocket in the wood losing containment and releasing its contents into the air.

I look around and notice that only one tent is standing, and realize that none of the people Jeff told to set up the tents actually know how. I shake my head and laugh, deciding to help Rickie and Andy first.

I walk over to them and relieve them of their duties, telling them to instead watch the fire, and feed it if it gets too low. It take a minute to figure out how the tent is supposed to be set up, but with plenty of referring back to the picture on the bag, and the occasional look at the very unhelpful directions I mange to erect the tent without too much trouble.

Now finished with that I go over to where Stella stands, peering at the directions deep in thought. I relieve her of as well and tell her to see if Jeff needs any help. I then proceed to set up the tent, this one going up much easier as this is the same tent as the other one.

With one last tent to set up, I head over to Jeff's and my area and pull everything out of the tent bag, setting it in various organized piles on the ground. This tent I know like the back of my paw, as this is the tent that he and I normally share when we go off by ourselves. I smile at the memories as I continue to set up the tent, just going through the motions as I have long since memorized them.

With the last of the tents finally up I rejoin the group by the, now much dimmer and lower, fire. I shake my head and through a few more logs onto the blaze, shooting a condemning glare at Rickie for letting the fire die down so much.

Soon, Jeff calls me over to him.

"Hey Jeff, need help with dinner or something? I ask.

"Dinner will be soon, but for now I mostly need help with the 'or something'." Jeff replies, grinning a bit at his own humor. "I haven't felt right since we got here. Not a feeling like I am sick, more like that feeling you get when something just isn't right, or when you know in the back of your mind that something is about to happen." Jeff informs me, a look of total seriousness on his face, convincing me that there is no way he is joking in some way.

"You sure you aren't just stressed out or something? I mean, the only thing that I know of that could cause that are things like a high EMF rating. And somehow I doubt there is anything here that can produce a rating high enough to affect you this way.

Jeff shakes his head.

"I know this isn't a little stress, there is something out there Tarn, and it doesn't like us."

"Well whatever it is, I'll keep you safe any way I can." Jeff raises an eyebrow as I finish, it take me a second to realize that I had said it in a sultry tone, which is certainly not the way I had intended it.

"Well, what I meant was, I mean, um, fuck it. Food ready yet?" I attempt to rectify my verbal faux pas, but fail miserably and instead decide to quickly change the topic, hoping that Jeff won't ever bring it up again.

"Yea, foods ready." Jeff replies with a shake of his very confused head.

I direct everyone by the fire to grab their mess kits as I prepare to lay out the pots and pans as they come off the stove, setting down a few trivets to protect the ground from the heat of the pans.

One by one everyone comes by the stove and ladles themselves some stew, thanking Jeff for his work on the meal. Once the food is in our bowls, we all sit around the fire, not talking much; simply taking time to enjoy the quite night air. With no sounds of birds to be heard, and no insects to bother us, the world to us only extends as far as we can see, not caring or worrying about what lies beyond.

With our bellies now full, a feeling of drowsiness settles over out little camp. I excuse myself and head over to the tent I share with Jeff. I backtrack the zipper up its metal track and crawl through the open space, zipping it back down once I am through. With the thought of sleep occupying my thoughts I strip out of my clothes and set them by the tent door, then slide into the sleeping bag; absolutely loving the feeling of the silky fabric over my fur as I drift off to sleep.

Chapter 4:

"Oh god its back..."

That's the only thing that keeps playing over again and again as realize that I am back in that horrific nightmare realm. The only difference now is that things are clearer. The fog is less dense, but extends farther, so I have the same field of view as before, it's just that I can see the anything hiding in the fog better.

And there it is again. That tall man. Or, at least I think it's a man. I haven't exactly been encouraged to pull down his pants and check, or ask for that matter. No, my brain is fully occupied with the utter dread that shoots through me every time I even think of him.

The man starts his slow walk towards me; the tentacles appear and lift me up again. Just as before, I struggle in vain as more and more of the black tentacles come from all around to wrap themselves around me, their skin akin to rough leather.

I spare a fleeting glance to my right as a sound catches my attention, but I curse my lack of focus as when I turn back the thing is but a meter away. Now closer, I notice another difference about him. His hands and arms are covered in blood. It's barely noticeable as it looks to be dried and caked on, but even still it look to be a dark red, meaning that this thing would have had to have gotten bloody many times before.

"What are you" I choke out, one of the tentacles wrapping around my neck tight enough to begin to restrict airflow.

The creature doesn't respond.

I begin to float closer to him, which only serves to strengthen my resolve to escape from its clutches. It's still no use though, as I near I feel my strength waning, and a warm feeling of contentment fills me. The feeling of cold despair clash with the contentment, making my stomach do flip flops as the emotions battle it out, all the while I still float every closer to him.

Just as before, the happier of the two feelings wins, and I relax and unwillfully close my eyes as I get close enough to touch him.

****

My head pounds as I sit up, my sleeping bag falling in a pool around my waist. I try and ignore the pain inside my head when I lean over to check the time. The bright LED display forces me to a squint, but I can still clearly read that the current time is 5:03 AM.

I slip out of the sleeping bag and slowly pull open the inner zipper for the tent. Once done I crawl through and zip it back up. I repeat that procedure for the rain fly, the outer covering of the tent, and turn left, taking a few paces into the woods and relieving myself against one of the larger trees. I sigh as my bladder finally empties, glad the pressure is gone.

I walk over to one of the large water jugs that we had set up the previous night and run some of the icy cold liquid over my paws. From there I turn on the propane tank and, after grabbing a match, turn the knob to let the propane through the little outlets on the gas stove. With said match, I light the rightmost burner first, before lighting the one on the left with the same match.

Once the stove is lit I lift the griddle out from under its rain proof coverings and set it down on the stove, hearing the dew that had collected on it sizzle as it is boiled away. From the sealed box that we keep the non- refrigerable foods in I take out the instant pancake mix. I pour in the required amount of water according to the directions and shake the now drenched mix until there are no clumps of mix left.

With that done I check to make sure that the griddle is up to temperature by getting my fingers dripping wet and flick them towards the griddle. The water bubbles and sizzles as soon as it makes contact with the surface of the griddle, signaling to me that it is quite ready. Now knowing that the griddle is at the right temp, I pour out a few circles of the mix, flipping over the cooking pancakes when needed. While waiting in-between flips I look around the campsite, admiring how gorgeous the trees are in this area.

At one such time, I catch a glimpse of a white face and black suit and nearly scream, but I don't. I stare back as the creature gawks at me, it unwilling to move and me unable to even think. My eyes tear up enough to force me to blink, and in that instant it's gone. I breathe a sigh of relief and turn back to the griddle, noticing with a frown that I had burnt this set.

To take my mind off of seeing that thing again I decide to wake up the camp in an amusing way. Amusing for me that is. First though I go back over to the ten that I share with Jeff and go inside. I lay my paw on his shoulder and shake him gently. He stirs and sits up, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion.

"Morning Jeff, how did you sleep?" I say, grinning at the Sheppard.

"Very well thank you." He replies, looking over at me.

"Tarn, while I would say that I certainly don't mind the view, the others might."

I cock my head to the side in confusion, until he gestures vaguely at my body. I look down at myself and blush as I realize that I had forgotten to put on clothes.

My paw shoots down to cover my sheath as I search my bag for today's clothes. Jeff just smiles and dresses himself as well; though to my dismay he does so under his sleeping bag. He and I have slept in the fur near each other, but neither of us had ever seen the other naked, well until now that is.

Now properly dressed I bring Jeff over to the stove and explain my plan for the morning wake up call to him. He wears a devilish grin as I finish my explanation; he also agrees to finish the cooking while I get into action.

First I look around the camp for the longest and thickest branch I can find. It only takes a few minutes of searching to come up with the required implement, which I take over to one of the larger trees in the clearing.

I grasp the branch in both paws, bring it back as far as I can, and slam the branch into the tree trunk as hard as I possibly can.

From the other tents I hear bursts of movement, which brings a fit of laughter from both me and Jeff. By the time everyone is out of their tents, Jeff and I are on the ground rolling around in laughter, unable to stop.

"Oh, you're so very funny!" Rickie yells at us.

"Don't you dare pull a stunt like that again fag, or else!" Rickie warns, his chest heaving in anger.

Once composed and able to breath, I turn to him and respond

"Your empty threat is duly noted." I reply coolly, giggling inwardly at the look of rage on Rickie's face.

"Anyway, I awoke you all so nice and gently to let you know that breakfast is ready, and that we should plan out what to do for today.

"Sounds good, what did you cook?" Andy asks.

"Pancakes, and there is some pre-cooked sausage in the cooler but you will have to cook it if you want some." I reply.

"Nah, I should be good." Andy says, shaking his head.

"Well, the food isn't going to jump off the plate into your mouths, grab you mess kits and grab a few." I tell them, amused that they had just been standing their salivating at the smell.

We eat in silence for a few minutes, before getting down to business. Jeff offers a couple of ideas of what we can do, and places down a ten foot by ten foot square map of the area.

"Damn dude, that's quite the map you got there." Rickie says, in awe over the size of the thing.

Jeff doesn't reply and sets out explain the exact routes we would be taking for each idea that he had told us about.

A lot of the ideas could be done in a day or less, things like hiking, swimming, bouldering, and a few others were things that would be good as filler time.

We decide to go swimming this morning and hiking in the afternoon. The lake nearby is a pleasant distance, about a tenth of a kilometer, while the hike will be grueling, not due to climbing up in down, but in shear length, about twenty kilometers.

Jeff assigns me, Andy and Stella to clean up the stove and the eating area, while instructing Rickie to get his backpack ready. He does the same himself and tells us to also prep our daypacks once we are done cleanup.

The task is actually rather easy, all you have to do is boil a large pot of water, pour said water mostly into one bucket and a little bit into the second, then fill the second with cold water and fill up a third with only cold water. Then you just put a few drops of soap in the hot water, and a tiny drop of bleach in the third, and all that's left after that is some scrubbing and drying. The entire process only takes about fifteen minutes.

With the cleaning now out of the way we split off to our tents to make sure that our daypacks are ready. I reach my tent and go inside, pulling out my daypack easily. I check for the general stuff first; water, bug spray, and first aid kit. I then check it for the stuff that I will need for just this day. I find out, to my dismay that I have manage to forget my stuff for swimming. I brought my towel, but I didn't bring my swim trunks.

Jeff comes in for something that he must have forgotten as well, and I tell him that I had forgotten my swimming stuff, so instead I will just bring my sketchbook.

"Or, you could go without." Jeff states simply, with no hint of sarcasm in sight.

"Are you serious?! No, that would be way to embarrassing." I reply, supprised that Jeff would even suggest such a thing.

"Come on, you know how much you like skinny dipping." Jeff says, his voice gaining that quality that doesn't allow me to refuse. "Besides, I forgot mine as well, so you won't be alone."

"Alright, I guess I could." I tell him, hoping that I won't catch to much flack for this.

I stuff my towel inside my daypack, which now bulges with the amount of stuff that I have crammed inside. I throw the pack on my back and stand up, making sure that both zippers on the tent are fully closed and that the stakes held up over the night.

With everything in and around the tent I jog over to the others that are waiting by the edge of the trail.

"Everyone here?" Jeff asks me.

I do a quick head count and find that everyone is in fact here and respond

"Yep, were good."

"Awesome, let's get going then."

****

The walk to the lake passes by quicker then I expect, it only takes the mental recitation of a few set of song lyrics and I see the clear blue water shimmering in the distance.

"Hey sweet, were here!" I hear Andy behind me rush ahead and throw himself down comically on the sand, sending particles of the stuff everywhere, presumably down his clothes as well.

"Well, when you need help cleaning all that sand out from your fur, skip past me." I laugh, I catch a downcast look come over Andy for a moment before being replaced with his usual cheeky grin.

"If you insist, but you would be missing out on so much fun!" Andy states look at me."

"I would have to disagree there my good sir; I do believe that it would be quite the inconvenience." I tell him, switching to a more formal form of English for really no reason.

"Last one in is a feral!" Rickie calls, already slipping behind a tree to change into his swim trunks.

"No fair!" Stella calls back, searching for a tree thick enough to hide her 'enough' by her standards.

I take the spot Rickie had and set my daypack down, stripping off my shirt first and setting it on the ground, trying to keep the pine needles from getting inside. I then take off my pants, placing them on top of the shirt, being extra careful with these to keep out those pesky pine needles. With a plush I then remove my underwear and lay that between my pants and shirt.

When I step around the tree I am greeted by Jeff, who, from the look on his face, had been watching me the entire time.

"Looking good there Tarn, head out there and tell them I will be there in a minute."

"Um, y-yea s-sure." I stutter, my brain failing me as Jeff stares at me.

I maneuver around Jeff and make a dash for the lake, seeing Rickie turn around at just the moment to catch me take a running dive off one of the rocks that jet out into the waves.

"Forget something there tarn? Or do fags like you just enjoy showing off?"

I'm really getting sick of the teasing, so I reply with a curt

"Rickie, shut up."

Obviously achieving his goal, Rickie turns back to talking with Stella while floating around in the water.

Both unfortunately and fortunately, the water is presently warm. Said warmth, and since I am underwater, puts a pleasurable pressure on my sheath, which coxes about two centimeters of my pink shaft to slide out. Thankfully the embarrassment of having so many other people around keeps the rest of my length inside my sheath, as well as keeping my knot from forming.

I try to ignore that part of me and just simply relax in the refreshing water, soon joining in with Andy as he does laps between two sets of rocks.

Jeff soon joins us, obviously with a few jeers from Rickie and a stare from Stella that sets my nerves on edge. Jeff beckons us over to him and he explains not to go too far out, as there is a shear drop an unknown distance from the shoreline. He also suggest that we have a little group race, which we all quickly agree to.

We line up at a large rock in one area, and Jeff points out which rock is the target. On his mark, we set off, with Jeff very quickly taking the lead. I try to pick up the pace to catch up to him, but I find that my arms seem to morph into led weights that refuse to respond to any quick motions. I do however; beat Stella who comes in last. Jeff obviously wins, Rickie come second, I'm in third not that far behind Rickie, and Stella way in the back.

Most of us now are very tired now, so we decide to just lean against the rock outcropping and rest for a while, and chat about things. The topic of the conversation floats as freely as we do ourselves, seeming to cover everything from teachers we don't like in school to creative suggestions on how cafeteria food can improve, such as cooking with napalm, as recommended by Andy.

I notice that even after a while of resting, I still feel weak, and I occasionally fall into a quick fit of coughing. I tell the others that I am going to lie down for a few minutes to try and relax more, as my stomach has started to hurt as well.

I reach the shore and find my daypack lying at the edge of the sand, with my clothes next to it. I dig into the pack and take out my towel, setting it down on the sand.

The sun beams its warm rays down on me, heating my fur up enough to feel like I am in a cocoon of warmth. I find it difficult to keep my eyes open as I relax into the feelings that overwhelm me.

Chapter 5:

A soft wind blows across my body, which would feel nice, if not for the fact that said wind kicks the loose sand up against me, catching and pulling against my fur and getting into my eyes as well.

I sit up and see that the group is still playing in the water, oblivious to me. I regret not bringing my watch, as I wish I had a way of knowing how long I was out.

With a blush on my face I realize that while I had slept I had gotten quite aroused, my cock now stands proud of my body, and small bead of pre adorns my tip. I try and ignore it but all that does is make my shaft throb with need, pre now starts a steady drip, falling down and coating my sack. I whimper with embarrassment and look behind me at the trees, spotting one that should suit my needs nicely.

I stand and cover myself with my towel, moving out of sight of the group behind one of the larger trees that we had used earlier to change behind.

Now out of sight of the group, I drop the towel in front of me and take myself in my paw, forcing back a moan as my sensitive flesh is teased by my soft pawpads.

I slide my paw up and down my length, leaning my full weight against the tree behind me, not caring that the bark sticks into my back at odd and unconformable angels. The only thing that is on my mind is the wonderful feelings of pleasure that spike from each stroke. I can no longer bite back my moans as the inevitable end draws closer, faster than I thought it would, I must be really worked up.

My breath becomes unsteady as the feelings of pleasure start to take more of a precedent over anything else. My free paw works of its own fruition on teasing my forming knot, running my fingers lightly over the growing bulb.

I near that plateau of bliss, my knot fully hard now, my clenched paw wrapped around my knot to simulate a tie. I moan load and hard now, not caring a single bit who hears me now, my balls pulling up close to me, I can feel that release is so very close.

The feeling disappear in an instant. I whimper, wine, and give an involuntary thrust forward to try and get them back, I was so very close.

My lust hazed mind takes a few moments to register that there is a pair of paws resting over mine. This fact quickly cuts through most of the haze and I look around to see who had so rudely interrupted my pawing off.

Looking down, I see the grinning face of one very hot German Sheppard staring up at me. Jeff's muzzle is so close to my aching cock that his breath sends tremors all the way down to its base.

"Agh, Jeff, please, paw me or something. I was so close." I moan out, trying to get him to do something beside breath on me.

"But, you're so cute when you're worked up like this." Jeff retorts, gesturing to my drooling erection.

My penis twitches at his words, sending a few droplets of pre flying. Some of which land on his muzzle, where he quickly laps them up.

"Aw, little foxy like my words of praise?" Jeff asks, his voice once again getting that tone that just makes me melt.

"God, you're the only one I know who has made me feel like this. Why couldn't we have done this sooner?" I gasp out, my mind reeling with the possibilities of what we can do together.

"What makes you think we are doing anything right now?" Jeff grins, producing a length of rope and proceeding to tie my paws together by attaching one end of the rope to my right paw, and wrapping a length around my left. He also ties my hindpaws together the same way.

I try to wriggle out of the bonds, but my actions are in vain, and only serve to bring a lustful grin to the Sheppard's face.

"Wow Tarn, I can't tell which is turning me on more, your cute little ass wiggling around, or your dripping cock that's just begging for attention." Jeff tells me, his own cock peeking out now.

I stop trying to escape and instead try a different approach.

"Why don't you try playing around with both and see which one you like more." I say lustfully, begging for him to touch me.

"I like the way you think foxy, but which to try first..." Jeff breathes, nibbling on my ears to punctuate his sentences.

"Mhm, I don't really care, just whatever you're going to do, please be gentle." I plead.

"Don't worry foxy; I want to play with you a lot more, so you won't have to worry about things like that." Jeff says, still tongue-bathing my ear.

Jeff continues to play with my ears for quite some time. Well, it feels like a long time since it feels so good, but it's probably no more than a few minutes. Finally, Jeff decides to play with my butt first, snaking down my small frame and grasping my cheeks in both paws.

I gasp as Jeff inserts a saliva lubed pinky finger into me. Even such a small digit in my present state feels better then when I use three on myself. I don't think I have been this worked up and aroused in my life.

Jeff quickly switches his pinky for his middle finger, and proceeds to rub all around inside me, sending soft jolts of pleasant feelings throughout my whole lower half. Jeff eventually finds my prostate and begins to rub it enthusiastically, drawing a puppy like yip from me. The feelings continue to grow, and my cock begins to throb again, bobbing not far away from Jeff's mouth.

The pressure continues to grow and I moan and groan, wriggling about, completely at the mercy of Jeff and his heavenly fingers. I feel myself start to lose touch with reality again as Jeff continues his merciless assault on my body.

The thought of finally achieving orgasm accompanies me as I rocket quickly towards that goal. I feel so incredibly close, sweat drenches my fur and pre flows freely from my tip, most of it dripping off the end and land on Jeff's shoulder.

Yet again, those insane feelings of bliss are wrenched away as Jeff removes his finger from me, the digit slides free with a lewd squishing sound.

My cock actually hurts now, aching with need, Begging to be played with. My balls are quite close to my body, just waiting to be drained dry.

"Ahg, I really need to cum." I squeak.

"In due time." Jeff replies, his tone saying that there is nothing more to discuss about it, and that I just have to wait for him to let me.

"I never knew you were into this kind of thing."I whisper as Jeff moves his magical paw up.

"There are a lot of things about me you don't know." Jeff responds.

"I am sure of tha-ah!" I moan; Jeff grasps my dripping cock, cutting me off mid-sentence.

He starts stroking me, far slower then I would like, bringing out another murr of pleasure. He alternates grasping and pulling near my tip, and sliding his fist up and down my whole length, sending bolts of pleasure spiking through me.

Jeff whispers naughty words of encouragement to me as pre runs out in lewd strands that swing with the subtle thrusts of my hips.

With so much start and stop play, I very quickly get up to the point of no return, but simply hover there. Jeff brings his strokes to a mere crawl, teasing me more than anything else; but just enough to keep me on the edge.

I gasp and thrash at his touch, never having felt such amazingly powerful sensations before. I move on to whimpers and soft moans as Jeff keeps at that maddeningly slow pace.

Jeff takes my tip into his mouth, which instantly sends be bounding over the edge, I cry out and twitch uncontrollably, my cock nearly vibrating in his mouth.

The feeling of his mouth is entirely new to me, never having had oral before, and I can feel his tongue lash at my tip as I send jet after jet of cum into his throat.

Jeff keeps me inside his mouth for a little while, trying to milk every last drop that he can. And he succeeds; I twitch and leak for quite some time after I finish coming.

"Ok, that's starting to hurt now." I say; my oversensitive penis still hard and aching, more in pain now then in need.

"Oh fine." Jeff says, amused after backing up. "I was just enjoying the taste. Although I must admit that I had planned on delaying until tonight before letting you finish."

"Damn, I think by that point I would have thrown you to the ground and made you fuck me." I blush after saying that, not entirely certain why.

"Well, that was partially the point." Jeff says, grinning.

"That would have been a smashing success then." I reply. "Although I am not sure if I would have entirely enjoyed it, not being able to cum for so long after that much teasing."

"Trust me, you would enjoy it." Jeff tells me, winking unsubtly.

I blush and respond "We should be heading back now, the others are probably wondering where we are."

"Nah, I told them to go back to camp. And that you and I would meet them there." Jeff informs me.

"Probably I good idea. Even still, we should get back soon. Don't want them worrying about us.

"Let's get going then, grab your stuff and meet me over there." Jeff states, pointing to the area where grass turns to sand.

I walk over to where I had dropped my daypack and quickly don my clothes before picking it up and throwing one strap over my shoulder.

****

It's a short and silent walk back to camp; the trees seem less welcoming then before in the dark of the waning sun. There even seems to be less light here as well. Thankfully the area ahead is bright, signifying the camp is right around the figurative corner.

I hear a sound behind me and turn around, not prepared for what I seem. About six meters away, stands that figure again. His pale, featureless face looms high above the ground, his slender body barely noticeable in the darkness.

When I reach a paw out to grab Jeff's shoulder, I feel nothing but air. 'Damn, must have not stopped with me.' I think to myself.

I start to back up slowly, never taking my eyes off of it. The thing isn't getting farther away, but I can tell that I am getting closer to camp. It doesn't look like its moving though, its legs are staying in the same position, but it isn't moving away.

A light touch breaks my concentration; I spin around to see Jeff in front of me, he reaches out to stroke my side lightly.

"You alright there Tarn? You were staring off into space and slowly backing up like there was some monster or something there.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired." I reply.

"Right, tired. Tarn, you looked like you were watching your worst nightmare. I'm worried about you." Jeff leans in close and whispers that last sentence into my ear, his lips brushing against the inside.

"Look, I need to talk to you, alone. But I need some time to think first. I promise I will explain everything, you just have to trust me on this." I plead with him.

"Alright, I trust you. You have until tonight to figure out, whatever you need to figure out, and then I am going to want some answers. Jeff tells me, staring right into my eyes.

"You fags done yet?" Rickie asks, breaking the moment that Jeff and I were sharing.

"Depends, you done being an idiot?" I retort.

"Really witty there Tarn." Jeff mumbles under his breath.

"So, what are we doing for the rest of the day?" Andy interjects, trying to keep us from arguing.

"Exploring." Jeff states simply.

"With such a descriptive answer, I couldn't be more thrilled to adventure into an unkempt and forgotten forest! Let's go right now." I say sarcastically.

"Glad to see someone is into it." Jeff replies; completely deadpan.

Andy and I smirk and share a glance that sends us both into peals of laughter. With that tense atmosphere completely destroyed, Jeff visibly relaxes and shakes his head; and Rickie walks away.

"On a more serious note, everyone make sure that you have everything you need for this hike; and to take out all your swimming stuff." Jeff instructs us.

Everyone follows his commands and heads off to their respective tents. I head back to my tent and drop off my towel, which I leave draped over the top of the tent.

Once finished with that, we gather near the fire pit, where Jeff lays out some meats, cheese and bread for lunch. As well as getting a few bags of chips and cookies out of the dry foods bin.

We form an orderly line behind the table where the food sits and rotate out as we each make our sandwiches. I place my sandwich in the clam-shell cover of my mess kit to try and keep it from being crushed when I shove it into my daypack.

Once everyone has made their lunch we gather near the edge of one of the trail that lead out and set off together down it. The ambient light quickly dims from the closer knit tree canopy as we delve deeper into the forest.

We stop a few hundred meters in, both to catch our breath and to let Jeff take some stills and panoramic video of the surrounding trees, which seem to be clones of one another. There seems to be a very limited number of flora in the area. The most surprising thing though, is the lack of feral animals; they all seem to have disappeared completely.

I look over at Andy, who currently would make a ghost seem downright tan. I fear the worst and glace in the same direction he is looking, and freeze.

It's there again.

Its pale face hangs far too high off the ground, looming over us and staring straight at Andy. I try to motion for Andy to come sit by me, to both comfort him and tell him that I am going to explain this situation to Jeff tonight in hopes of convincing him to leave. Andy sees my signal and stands up to walk over, the others not noticing our plight due to being deep in a conversation of their own.

"You're going to be just fine." I comfort as Andy sits down next to me.

"Th-thanks. I can't believe it; I thought it was just a stupid nightmare." Andy says shakily, never taking his eyes off of it.

"You know, you would probably feel better if you stopped staring at it." I remark.

"No way in hell am I taking my eyes off it. Last time I did that, it teleported to right in front of me."

I can see Andy start to visibly shake with terror, so lean against him, nuzzling against the side of his neck. He tenses up even farther a moment, but quickly relaxes into me, placing an arm around my shoulders to bring me in closer. I can feel Andy's heart beat fast and hard as he and I cuddle.

"Hey fag, any reason you're snuggling up with my friend?" Rickie calls, just now noticing me and Andy.

"He's my friend too!" Andy tells him off. "And stop with the insults already, there just annoying now."

"Phh, whatever." Rickie dismisses.

"We should get a move on if we want to finish this route before nightfall. And trust me, you do." Jeff interjects, fixating on the points of contact between Andy and me.

As we continue into the woods, the trail's location grows to be obscure and hard to follow. Jeff directs us to stay in a mostly single file line, to make sure none of us wonder off.

A little ways further in, and we come across an abnormally large tree. Not just a little bit bigger either, a good seventy five meters taller than the surroundings.

When we get closer to it, an odd feeling washes over me. It's almost indescribable, almost like I feel so far away from anything natural. I also feel like I have no real purpose or reason for being here.

From the looks on the others faces they too are experiencing strange effects as well. Andy wears a strange look on his face as he comes over to me, his eyes wide.

"Tarn, I think we should go." Andy says, his voice shaking unsteadily.

"Normally I would be disagreeing with you, but from the look you're giving me I would have to agree you. You alright? Did you see him again?" I ask, genuinely concerned for his well being.

"Totally great. I feel like I should just go kill myself and my hackles are raised for absolutely no reason." Andy replies, taking paw my in his, not trusting his own legs to keep him standing.

"I'm getting the same feeling, this is getting weird."

"Getting weird, dude we passed weird a long time ago. Now we are getting into fucken scary territory." Andy shakily lets out.

"Point taken, I'll talk to Jeff."

Before I am able to do that however, Jeff calls us over to him to continue down the path, apparently having gotten his fill of taking photos and video. He groups us back into that lazily constructed single file line and we march on deeper into the forest.

The tree cover loosens as we come across a rock outcropping off the side of the hills to our right. The rocks have an odd quality to them, like they couldn't possibly have formed naturally. They seem far too narrow, and all point out, like the hill has a giant rack of spikes sticking out of it. The more time we spend in this area, the stranger these rocks seem to get.

A wave of dizziness forces me to take a seat on the ground, leaning against when of the rounder boulders nearby. The dizziness fades slowly, but is replaced with a sharp headache, like someone is forcing thousands of red-hot sewing needles into my skull.

An odd sound catches and holds my attention, the oddness of it not coming from its sound, but its location. It seemed to come from very close above and behind me, like something was close enough to be breathing down my neck. But there wasn't anything there.

After that moment of strangeness I can't help but feel like there is something watching me. At first I shake it off as just being regular old paranoia getting in the way. But over time the feeling quickly becomes the only thing I can think about. Its mere presence blocking out practically every other thought in my head.

I call Jeff over to me, explaining to him that I think that it would be best if we got going sooner rather than later. He gives me an odd look, but he must have gotten a sense that I was, in fact, sincere and got us ready to continue on.

While on the path I still could not quite shake the feeling of being watched. Like there is a pair of invisible eyes boring in the back of my skull.

It's getting to be too late into the day to continue hiking, so we turn off at the next intersection that leads back to the site. Along the way I still have that feeling like something is stalking me.

At the point somewhere along the trail Andy comes up next to me and takes my paw in his. Whispering into my ear:

"Please, I can't even describe how freaked out I am right now."

His tone alone would be enough to convince me, but the look on his face just makes my heart melt.

"Don't worry about it; I could use the closeness myself." I tell him, giving his paw a light squeeze to accentuate my statement.

None of us talk for the rest of the way back. The silence hangs heavy and oppressive in the air, strangling us with its dark presence.

Once we arrive I pull Andy and Jeff off to the side. I explain to Jeff the situation as well as ask him about leaving now. He shoots that idea down immediately, stating that if this thing can only move a little bit when it's being looked at, then leaving when our vision is most impaired is probably a bad idea.

"On the topic of what to do for tonight though, why don't two sleep together? Well, sleep in the same tent that is." Jeff responds, winking subtly at me.

"That's a great idea Jeff!" I tell him, I lean forward and warp my arms around him in a tight hug for a moment, where he reciprocates.

"Goodnight foxy, don't stay up to late blowing him" Jeff whispers in a very low voice into my ear.

We separate and head back to our respective tents, Andy following nervously behind me. His fingers twitch by his sides.

"Well, here we are." I remark now that we are standing in front of the tent. "I'm going to take a leak before I head to bed though, Be right back."

I walk a good distance from the campsite and do my business onto a bush. As I am walking back though, my penis doesn't seem to want to get back into my sheath, but rather grow to its full length. I try to take my mind off it but it's no use.

I get back to the tent and climb inside to find Andy turned the other way and in the middle of changing into clothes suitable for sleeping in. I can't help but look at his cute ass waving this way and that, struggling to but on a pair of lounge pants. The sight doesn't doing anything to help calm down my erection.

I mentally curse myself and avert my eyes, focusing on getting ready for bed, which, unfortunately for me, means asking if Andy would be all right with me sleeping in the fur.

"Oh, hey Tarn. Must not have heard you come in." Andy remarks, his struggle with the pants now complete.

"Yea, something like that." I say, suddenly nervous about asking him. "Hey, um, would you mind if I, ah, sleptinthefurbeacuseInormallydothatathomeanditwouldmakethingsaloteasier. Oh god..." I blush furiously and look away from him, my ears making an audible thwap as they flip down to lie on top of my head.

"What was that? You said it so fast you could have been asking for a nuclear vessel or a glass of water and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference." Andy says, trying to make a joke out of it, probably trying to help calm me down a bit, even if he has no idea why I was so nervous.

"I asked, if I, ah, could sleep, in the fur. I normally that do at home or when I tent with Jeff; and I just find it easier to sleep that way." I repeat myself, slower this time. The look of shock on Andy's face nearly makes me cringe.

"Um, yea I guess so." Andy says nervously

With his consent given I start with my shirt, pulling it up and over my body and tossing it into my open backpack. I then undo my belt and loosen the front button as well as bring down the zipper. After that, I self-consciously drag my pants off my legs, pushing my hips up off the ground to give myself some room to work with. Finally, I grasp the edges of my underwear and pull it off quickly, my fully erect and aching shaft bobs lewdly in the night air.

Up to this point, I hadn't really been paying much attention to Andy; in fact I had been trying to avoid thinking about, hoping that I will soften eventually. However, while I had been doing this, Andy had been staring at me, or more specifically my crotch, ever since I had started stripping. I decide to give him a little show, since he obviously likes the view so much.

I begin by placing my paws on my upper thighs and slowly dragging them up, leaving trails of ruffled fur. I lightly apply my claws as well, something that I didn't expect myself to like so much.

From there I trail my fingers up and down the underside of my shaft, stopping before I reach the head and going back down, groaning softly in pleasure.

Fed up with teasing myself, I lie flat on my back and bring my knees up to my shoulders, sticking two fingers into my mouth to lube them up. I suck and brush my tongue against the digits as I move my paw to begin grasping at my hardness.

I gasp as I push my fingers against that tight ring of muscle, my cock jumping and leaking pre at a steady pace now. There are a few seconds of burning pain as my body tries to adjust to being entered, but that pain fades into a rush of pleasure and a perverse thrill of being watched while doing something so intimate.

From my position I can clearly see a large bulge in Andy's pants, as well as a steadily growing wet patch where the retriever's tip must be. I see my chance to have some seriousness fun with this, and decide to go for it.

"You can take care of that here, if you like, as you can see I am. Or, if you want, I might be able to do that for you." The words tumble out of my mouth in a messy heap, sounding way more cheesy then they did in my head.

"Are, are you sure. I mean, I, um, don't want to p-pressure you into anything on my behalf."

"Really, I wouldn't mind. Trust me, if anyone should be worried about pressure, its me pressuring you." I smile, my tail nervously twitching behind me.

"If, if you say so..." Andy trails off, nervously fiddling with his shirt hem.

"Andy, really, if you don' want to, I won't make you. But I would be lying if I said that I wouldn't be a little bit disappointed. Your really cute, smart, and all around an awesome guy to be with. I love spending time with you and sharing things with you. And this is another part of me that I would like to share with you." Halfway through my little speech I took my fingers out, and sat up, but kept a paw on my length, teasing myself with short little strokes now and again to keep myself fully hard.

"Wow Tarn, I didn't know you felt that way. Yea, I guess theirs no harm in trying this." And states, still looking uncomfortable but slightly more at ease with this.

"Definitely. And besides, if at any point you want to stop, just say so. I really want you to enjoy this as much as I will." I Soothe, shimming my way over to sit next to him, taking my free paw and placing it on his shoulder.

"So umm, whose going to, you know, take it?" Andy asks, the last part almost coming out as a whisper.

"Uh, I hadn't planned on taking it that far, I mean we can if you want, but we don't have any decent lube, or condoms or anything like that." I say, surprised at Andy's assumption.

"No, it's fine, I just, kinda, assumed that's what we would do. I don't really know much about, this."

"What? Sex in general, or gay sex?

"Um, yes." Poor Andy seems way to uneasy right now, so I lean in and start to nibble at the base of his ears. From his reaction I can tell that he enjoys it, just not quite as much as I do.

"Tarn, that ah, feels..." He trails off

"It's good, right? I inquire.

"Oh god yes!" He huffs.

"Good, you'll probably like this a lot more." I say.

I reach down and slip my paw under his pant's waist and feel his throbbing length. It jumps and starts to leak as I close my paw around it, giving a few exploratory jerks to see how he likes it.

In short order Andy is panting and moaning at my touch, his upper body twisted and leaning over onto me, his head resting on my shoulder. His soft grunts of pleasure music to my ears.

"Ahh, I'm really close.."

"You want it to feel even better?"

"I don't think it can!"

"Oh, I have my ways."

I slow down my stroking on his cock long enough to loosen his pants, signaling him to lend a paw by lifting his butt off the ground. He does so and I toss the article of clothing to the sides, repeating the process for his underwear.

With his entire lower half uncovered, I gain complete access to his shaft and knot. I lean his upper body back and tell him to relax, all the while never stopping my light strokes to his drooling penis.

I get down close to him, my muzzle mere centimeters away from his erection. I give his fuzzy scrotum a few licks to see how he likes it. I don't hear much from him, so I instead speed up my paws. Occupying my mouth my giving soft licks to his knot.

"I, I'm getting close again." Andy warns me.

In response I take my paw away and instead shove my muzzle down onto him, sucking hard on his whole length as I lick the underside of his shaft. I bring up a paw to cup his balls, his whole body starts to twitch.

"I'm c-cumming!" Andy breaths.

As he finishes his warning the first jet of warm cum splashes down my throat. That jet is quickly followed by quite a few more. Andy is involuntarily humping my mouth, I try to open a bit wider to make sure that my teeth don't scrape against his knot, but I open a bit too wide. The fleshy bulb slips past my teeth and locks inside my mouth, his member still twitching and spurting.

His cum easily slides right down my throat, but the head of his dick is logged firmly as far back as it can go. I can barely choke out the occasional breath, let alone enough to let the Retriever know that I am in trouble.

From the delirious and otherworldly expression on Andy's face, there is probably no chance of getting help from him. Not with essentially a warm and wet vice around his cock. My vision goes fuzzy and I start to feel, strange. I can't take a breath. I feel like I'm going to pass out.

Chapter 6:

I awake to the sound of soft sobs coming from behind me. The first thing I notice after that, is that my mouth is empty. Sore, but empty. When I try to turn to the sound I am immediately glomped from behind.

"Oh my god Tarn I am so sorry I totally didn't know that would happen are you ok I thought you were dead or something please tell me your ok I didn't hurt you did I-"

"Ach, can't breathe. Again." I exclaim. While it's true I was having trouble breathing, I was saying that more to get him to stop talking for a moment.

"Ahh, sorry!" Andy quickly losses his grip around me. "You're ok right? Please tell me your ok."

"Yes Andy, I'm fine. I'm more worried about you." I tell him.

"Me? Oh, eh, I'm great..." The Retriever stumbles.

"Your quite obviously not fine, but ok. Why don't we try and get some sleep, we can talk about this another time."

Andy doesn't respond, so we lay in each other's arms while trying to catch and hang on to some semblance of an easy sleep. Andy has an easier time of it then I do, only a few minutes after we are done talking I hear his breathing mellow out and the tension in his arms fall away.

There is another thing that I quickly notice. The Retriever's hard length slides from its sheath, either from the stimulation of snuggling with me, or just a normal nighttime hard-on. While I might not know why, it still for some reason makes me feel warm and content.

****

I open my eyes slowly to find myself wrapped in fuzzy warmth. I look up and see Jeff glancing down at me, his muzzle opened slightly in a wide grin.

"Welcome back to the waking world." He coos softly in my ear, giving me a soft tug around the midriff with his arms, bringing me closer to him.

I sit upright from my mostly prone position and notice that I'm not at the same campground.

"Waking world huh. This is a dream isn't it?" I ask quizzically.

"Aww, looks like you figured it out." Jeff sighs. "And here I was hoping we could just relive this nice memory in piece and not bring up the fact that we aren't actually here."

"There isn't any chance that this could turn into a wet dream, is there? I inquire, tilting my head to the side and smiling.

"Not a one foxy. Nice try though." Jeff responds.

"Damn. It was worth a shot." I say, giving a soft laugh. "I really miss this. We haven't spent time together in far too long"

I notice my folk guitar leaning against a log near the fire that wasn't there a few moments ago. I fondly remember the day that I got that guitar too. Even though I already had two, I put this one on my birthday wish list. And low and behold, when my birthday came around there it was. Freshly unwrapped and looking very sleek and shiny. Even now the wood has a rosy, iridescent glow to it as the light of the fire dance across the surface.

"Hand me my guitar please." I say, pulling away from Jeff to give myself enough room to play.

"Whatcha going to play?" He asks, handing me the instrument.

"Something that I think you're going to enjoy." I reply, blushing a little under my fur.

I check to see if it in tune by playing a few scales then do a quick warm-up consisting of pieces from some of my favorite songs. Now satisfied with how it sounds, I place my paw in the correct starting position for the song.

"I'm not that great of a singer, but umm, I'm gonna give it my best shot." I shakily state.

All I got Is a half an hour left with you So let's make the most of it Lets get right to it

I would say that I love you But I think that it's already clear I can't begin to tell you How much you mean to me

And I know that you say that you love me too But in these last few moments we have together I want you to prove to me how much I mean to you

Doesn't have to be fancy It could be anything, really Just a little token To show your affection It could be a few words scrawled hastily on a page Or perhaps a few notes on your favorite guitar Just something to prove to me Something that I can cling to when the memories start to fade I can't risk losing you

The last time this happened I died a little inside Because I nearly forgot all about you I don't want to take that chance I can't risk it again I just need a little something from you

_Doesn't have to be fancy It could be anything, really Just a little token To show your affection It could be a few words scrawled hastily on a page Or perhaps a few notes on your favorite guitar Just something to prove to me Something that I can cling to when the memories start to fade Because I'll be gone for quite a while And I can't risk losing you

I can see the tears in your eyes As I explain this to you I can read you like a book So I can tell, that you're not faking it with me_

I think you've proved it I know this will work With this memory engraved I won't need to worry The look on your face and in your eyes It's all I need. I love you baby.

By the time I strum the last cord Jeff is speechless and nearly in tears. And when it does become apparent that the song is done, Jeff take the guitar out of my paws, setting it down carefully on the ground, and half jumps into my lap to give me hug, sending us both tumbling down the slight hill that was behind us.

When we reach the bottom Jeff is already on top of me, his lips pressed against mine, his tears matting our fur as we make out. He pushing his tongue against my lips and I let him in, murring at the sensation of that slippery organ exploring my mouth. His paw comes up to cup my chin and hold me closer.

"Tarn, that, I, how, when, I can't even," Jeff starts.

"Shhh, you don't have to say anything else." I tell him, putting a finger to his lips, quieting him from his frantic attempts to describe his feelings. "Let's just stay like this for a while, talking can come later." I advise, to which Jeff nods readily in agreement.

Jeff picks back up where we left off, readjusting himself into a more comfortable position on top of me and bringing his head down to mine. I close my eyes as our lips meet, his touch is like an electric circuit of enjoyment was closed. Every nerve in my body alights with a delightful mixture of desire and fulfillment.

I feel Jeff's body become very stiff suddenly, and not in the good way, he seems to have stopped moving. I open my eyes and am about to ask what's wrong when the answer becomes very obvious.

Its here.

And it's currently pulling Jeff's spine out of his back.

Jeff's blood flows down over his sides and lands on me, soaking me in its sickly warmth. I resist the urge to vomit right there and try to squirm out from under Jeff's weight, the act of which makes me feel horrible.

As I continue to try and crawl away, I can see Jeff's eyes fix on me, his lips moving in a silent plea for help. Before I can act, the monster finishes removing the strip of bone; it comes out with a stomach turning crack.

I stand dumbfound as I gaze at the dead and blood soaked form of my lover. My heart feels like its stopped. I feel dizzy. I fall to my knees right next to Jeff's head, heaving great sobs, barely able to breathe from the force of my cries. My entire body feels numb, I don't even care that the monster is still standing there, watching me.

"No, Jeff, just no. I, can't be without you. You were always going to be with me, you promised me Jeff!" I pick up the lifeless husk and drag it too me, already beginning to feel it cool down as I cry into the bloody fur, knowing that this is the last time I will be able to wrap my arms around him. Realization dawns on me, I'll never hear him talk again, or feel his body pressed against mine, hear him laugh, or ever hear his soft whispers of sweet nothings as he makes love to me.

He's gone. Just, gone. Half of my heart has been ripped out, stomped on, and kicked into a wall. And I don't want to be here anymore.

"Take me too!" I scream at the thing, its blank face turning to regard me.

"I said take me too god damn it! I, I don't want to know what it's going to be like without him, I just, I just can't imagine it. Please, kill me too. If you don't then I will just end up doing it myself. But I can't wait that long. Just kill me." I plead and beg with it, but it says nothing, it simply stands there, a pale face on an overly thin body.

"I guess you're going to make me do it myself then. Bastard." I turn away from the monster. On my first step forward, I hear a sentence. It doesn't come from nearby, or far away, but it does at the same time.

"Fortunate, are you who has the blood of the dragons, only you understand the language of the hunted."

****

"For fucks sake man, wake up!"

Andy is kneeling over me, his paws on my shoulders shaking me awake. When he sees the he finally got we to get up he gives me a tight hug, I can feel him twitch and shake as he cries softly into my head fur.

"Tarn, whatever you dreamed, I need to know, you were talking in your sleep and, I, I think Jeff needs to hear this too."

I nod glumly. "You're probably right, you go grab him while I get dressed."

"You going to be alright alone?" Andy asks, looking into my eyes as he poses the question.

"I-- no, not really." I admit

"I thought so; I'll stay with you then."

And that's just what he did. Andy stayed with me the whole time I was getting ready to talk to Jeff, even giving me the occasional few comforting words that I needed.

When we exit the tent I start to wonder if I am falling for Andy. We've taken care of each other across this whole god-forsaken campout. This is all more or less Jeff's fault in the first place for dragging us here, although I did agree to go. But dammit how could I refuse that Shepherd.

Our arrival at Jeff's tent breaks me out of my internal dialogue, Andy motions for me to tap on the nylon and I do so. I hear stirring inside and a faint reply.

"This had better be important, or I swear I am going to kill you with fire. And bees"

I smirk to myself; Jeff wasn't the kind of person you wake up early in the morning, unless of course you were looking for a slow agonizing death.

"It's me, Tarn. Andy and I need to talk to you." I explain.

I get a sigh and noncommittal grunt in response. All is quiet for bit, and I am about to ask again when I hear rustling and the sound of a zipper being pulled. Jeff's face emerges from the tent, looking decidedly disheveled and groggy.

"Well, glad to see I won't have to pull you two off each other. I was worried that I would have to come into your tent with a bucket of cold water to separate you."

"Oh come on, I'm not that frisky, well ok, maybe I am but that's beside the point." I complain, while Andy stands next to me, obviously more than a little uncomfortable, especially after what we did last night.

"Erm, can we get back on topic please?" Andy asks.

"Yes, please explain quickly why you woke me up this early, before I start reaching for the matches." Jeff replies with a wide grin.

"We actually kinda discussed this last night, when we talked about leaving. Well, now would be a good a time as any I think. We should have plenty of time to pack up and leave before nightfall." I remind him.

"Very true, however, we should have some breakfast first. You should never go hiking on an empty stomach." Jeff replies.

"Seriously? Your worried about food! I would be more concerned about the fact that there is some horrible monster stalking us in the woods. Wouldn't you agree?" The last part directed at Andy.

"Agreed, we should move now, while we have time." Andy states.

"We won't get very far without some food. This isn't up for debate. If you want to get going, start breakfast while the rest of us take down the tents and pack up." Jeff walks away right after he is done speaking, closing the conversation for good.

"Might as well get going." I sigh.

"I'll grab out the food, you start up the grill." Andy instructs.

Andy and I start working on breakfast, while Jeff heads off to wake everyone up and inform them that we are leaving before we had intended, not explaining in full the reason for this though. There isn't much conversation to be had as we work, even when the meal is done cooking and we sit around the fire pit only occasionally does the spark of conversation begin, but quickly snuffed out.

With food in our bellies we hasten to finish preparing to leave camp. Andy and I are cleaning out our shared tent and packing our backpacks, while Jeff, Rickie, and Stella not only clean their own areas but the surroundings too.

It only takes the better part of an hour for the all out stuff to be put away in our packs and stacked by the exit, the campground looks like it hasn't even been used at all.

We are in the middle of pulling on our packs when we hear a loud thunderclap in the distance, a flash of lightning follows soon after. Even with the limited view of the sky I can see ominous clouds hastily making their way towards us.

"Wasn't it clear skies when we woke up?" Andy inquires.

"Something like that." I say cautiously. "We need to get moving"

The trail is steeper and more harsh then I remember, slowing us down considerably. The clouds are now practically on top of us. And while it isn't raining, it does get dark enough that we all have to take out our flashlights.

For safety, Jeff has us group together in pairs, or a triple, in Rickie's, Stella's and Jeff's case. I grasp Andy's paw in mine and give it comforting squeeze. Hoping that I can at least provide some level of comfort for him.

We come to a fork in the path, and stop for a moment to rest. Thunder booms around us and lightning flashes high in the sky. The trees should keep us safe from any direct strikes, but the chance of fire is rather high with their being no rain.

I turn to Andy to make sure that he is doing ok, only to find him not where he was a moment before. I had let go of his paw when we stopped, but I thought he had been right behind me!

"Jeff!" I scream. "Andy is gone!"

"Shit, where was he before?"

"He was next to me, I let go of his paw for a second, and now he's gone!" I feel tears start to form at my eyes as my imagination runs rampant with what could have happened to him.

"If you let something happen to Andy, I swear-" Rickie starts.

Before I know what I am doing I am standing over Rickie with my paw clenched tight into a fist. I must have hit him pretty good, because there is a bloody gash across his jaw line where my claws must have clipped him.

"Rickie, I'm sick of this. I'm sick of you, and most of all, I'm sick of dealing with a pathetic bastard like you. Take my sister and go to the bike racks. Jeff and I will meet you there after finding Andy. If you let anything happen to her, or if you make it their and she doesn't, I'll kill you myself."

I spit on his prone form and walk over to Jeff, not stopping as I grab his arm and drag him off in search of Andy. I can hardly contain the glee that I feel of finally being able to speak my mind to Rickie, and that look of approval from Jeff was a nice bonus too.

Jeff and I spend the next several minuets calling out Andy's name and searching high and low for him, but nothing turns up. And only upon Jeff's insistence that we leave now do I actually give up hope of finding him.

I hear a soft rustle behind me, so I spin my upper body to take a quick look but still keep walking. However, I stop anyway.

Jeff is gone too.

I yell out for him to come back, and that if this was a joke it just wasn't funny anymore. But it doesn't matter how long or loud I yell, I don't see him anywhere.

Absolutely crushed, I begin to walk to where my bike is. Almost not believing that I will never see my friends again. One last time I Scream everyone's name, but I revive dead silence as my only answer.

I spot my bike in exactly the same place that I left it, still hooked up to the aluminum frame of the rack that it rests in. I move over to it and start to look through my pack for the key to the lock.

I hear the sound of leaves being trampled and heavy breathing off to my left. I spin quickly, glad that I had found my butterfly knife inside my pack at just the right time.

Reading myself, I flick the blade out so that it sits backwards to my hand, just like I practiced. I see a dark shape moving through the tree ahead and prepare for wherever is about to happen.

However, what does happen I am totally unprepared for. Andy comes bursting through the trees and runs into my arms, nearly knocking me over. I can tell he has been running for quite some time, sweat drenches his fur and he doesn't smell pleasant, but I really don't care.

I return his tight embrace with a hug of my own, breathing in deep his scent. We eventually come apart and stare at each other, completely dumbfounded.

"How did... You know what, I don't care. I'm just glad you're here." I confess, throwing myself at him for another hug.

His right paw doesn't immediately come up to my back, while his left paw does. Soon enough though both paws are on my, trailing up and down my spine. Sending shivers all over me.

His right paw move off again, but I don't notice if it comes back because a second later there is a horrible, burning pain in my back. I stumble back a step and see a blood splatter knife in his paw, as well as more of the red substance covering his arm.

Andy steps forward and jabs the knife at me, plunging it into my gut. The same burning sensation is now at two places at one. I can't hold back the tears as I cry out in agony.

"I, Can't stop myself." Andy starts to cry himself. "Please Tarn, I couldn't, I didn't want to, it made me, oh god why did we have to come here."

"No crying for you, you hear me?" I command. "All I ask, please, stay with me while I, ah..." I can't bear to finish the sentence.

"No, you'll be fine; I just need to get you to a doctor. I'll call 911." Andy pleads, starting to take out his cell phone.

"It's too late." I say while swatting way the device. "I want you here with me, just talk to me or something."

"How? How can I talk to you I just stabbed you! And now you're going to-"

"Die. Yea, it sucks. But I just want you to know something, ok?" I can feel my body growing cold. "I, I forgive you. I know you could never do this."

"Stay with me, please don't go." He pleads.

"Shhh. I still have one other thing to tell you."

"What? What is it?

"I-" A jag of ragged coughs interrupts me. "Andy, there has only been one other person in my entire life that has meant as much to me as you do, and he's gone now. Anderson Britt, I lov-"

Fin.

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