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Chapter 1

The Caprian Tales

The Day My World Ended

By Matthew Courtney (Barta)

Golden sunlight streamed in brilliant shafts through the nearby UV blinders, spilling about the classroom like liquid warmth, sending tingles along the flesh and seeping deep within to provide serenity. Whiskers twitched as my attention drifted idly, pulled away from the droning Geometrics of Symbology professor and his dull ways. The incessant ringing of a cicada assailed my ears and they laid back flush against my skull, my attention set upon the small piece of translucent glass that adorned my desk. A small likeness hovered there in three dimensions, my unknowing subject sat a few rows before me chewing idly upon his pen. My stylus slipped earning an audible groan of annoyance, and it took a few moments to realize silence had befallen the classroom...my gaze slowly tracked back to it's required target, to find him glaring at me, whilst tapping a foot upon the tiling in irritation. "Master Girion, have you something to share with the class? How about I pull up this rather impressive doodle featuring upon your holo-notes? I'm sure the class would like a display of your formidable art talents." At that moment in time, I felt as if there was an icy grip wrapped about my throat, my breath squelched itself in a strangled mew as numb fingers grasped frantically for the nearby power cable. I caught a flicker out of the corner of my eye as fingers curled about the thick cable and yanked it free, how long had it been up there? A second? Two? Three? The small dingy grey and white classroom suddenly felt more like a holding cell than anything else, and the few stifled chuckles that reached my ears stung like hot pokers. I didn't dare look up as I slumped back into my seat, arms folded atop my head and ears splayed...I could feel my tail slowly tucking beneath my seat as a burning came to my eyes. "My world....is officially over...." I muttered to the darkness beneath my arms.

Class and life continued as per usual, and I found myself thankfully alone after a few moments of awkward silence...Which was made even more pointed by the sensation of glares cast in my general direction, or so I assumed...Though eventually I was able to untangle myself from my shame ridden seat and trudge towards the hallway and supposed freedom. Down a corridor or two, hang a left, and it was the locker with the tail end of "BITCH" in bright neon slathered across it. I was H...

"You know, it's awful rude to go doodling somebody without their permission...." A voice said from behind me as I fiddled clumsily with the lock, my books slipping from underneath my arms a few times. The recognition and dawning was enough to make me suddenly stand straight as a board, slowly turning about to face the behemoth of a man casting an all too noticeable shadow over my form. "I...I just....th...thought..." And it was at that point that I shrunk back, and my books found themselves spilling upon the floor as I frantically ducked down and set to mumbling. "Thought that..well...your attire is really nice...I mean, y'know? You look good, right?" My hands were doing their best to impede in my retreat, where I was going I didn't quite know but it was certainly not here. Though every time I managed to pick a book up, another found it's place upon the floor.....eventually I stood, took a deep breath, and managed to look up into those riveting amber orbs. I stood awe-struck, at a complete lost for words as silence fell between us....Apparently, he was on the football team, which accounted for the well kept leather jacket that adorned his frame. He also had a bit of fashion sense and personality, throw out in the form of numerous piercings and a collar that read "BITE ME"....something I'm sure would be a person's last breathing act. My gaze idly wandered away in the silence as it grew and grew, sending prickles up my spine, until it finally focused upon his boots. They were rather nice boots, dark leather with noticeable white cross stitching....Thick leather straps and buckles. "Nice boots...." I quipped almost absent-mindedly.

That earned an almost incredulous glare as I finally focused upon him once again, though he seemed to soften when I offered a wry grin. "It wasn't that bad..." He blurted, almost as if it were an admission, the right side of his mouth upturning in an amused grin.

"Wh-" I started, but soon caught on to his train of thought, fishing my HoloGear from the depths of my satchel. "Oh, well....I've never really drawn Fenran before, not much chance back home. You've got nice features, strong muzzle, healthy pelt...never seen that color grey before, reminds me of ash..." After a moment I had to pause, realizing I was slowly looking him over and doting upon his every feature. The sharp ears, the stern eyes that held an almost melancholy mixture of compasion and commanding presence, the broad form and the lashing bushy tail that seemed to cleave the air. He cleared his throat and I could hear the leather creaking about his form, the muscles slithering underneath taught pelt.

"I could always send you a copy, I mean....It's the least I could do, after....stealing your image and all that..." The Fenran always had a thing about capturing their images, something about stealing their essence or their natural energy. In truth it made little sense, but then again...Those things usually didn't have to make sense, they just were. "You got a netaddress, handso-" And I caught myself in time, shuffling awkwardly back and averting my gaze as I cleared my throat. "Got a net address?"

"Just use the school one, everyone else does..." He rumbled, slowly pressing in to place a thick hand upon the C locker....That hand was nearly twice the size of my head, the sheer sight of it sent nervous shudders about my form as fur began to bristle, and nerves began to tingle. Nostrils began to flare, hot bursts of air assailed my face and sent whiskers thrumming with annoyance as I turned away....trapped. After a moment of such he eased off, allowing my personal space once again....And I found that I could suddenly breathe once more. Fenran had a thing about personal space, in that they lacked any knowledge of it upon first meeting you.

"You're new around here, aren't you?" He practically barked, as he gave his head a shake and shifted his weight from leg to leg. A gesture that made me feel as if a pendulum of doom were hanging above my head.

"Y-yeah....f-family..." I swallowed, and took a deep breath. "Family just moved..." He gave me an incredulous look, as if I were to continue...something accentuated by the slow spinning motion of his index finger. "From.....Ibiss Seven?" I added, slowly narrowing my gaze at the man.

"Huh.....So you're from the inner rings then, aye?" He then gave me the second dirtiest look I'd ever recieved in my life, and the first was from a women whom flea checked me when I was seven.

"Y-yeah, I guess so....not a problem is it?" I managed, slowly building my courage to actually face the brute, my chest puffing out, and a fair bit of hairball syndrome going on....looked like I'd just stepped out the showers and onto the dryer, no doubt.

"No reason to get all defensive on me kitty," He started, slowly easing his hands up and offering a quirked grin. "I was going to say...You're gunna need to learn to adapt to the life out here, y'aint gunna make any friends looking like you're traipsing around one of the Capitals." And at this he reached out and plucked one of my Spenders from my shoulders, snapping it down in place. "Eh! That hurt!" I snapped, teeth gnashing as they churned out the words and an underlying snarl. "Then maybe it'll remind ya to take em off before you go to the party tonight?" He retorted, before offering another of those self absorbed grins that made me want to punch him right in the spleen. He was already departing, turned about and on his way out when he called out behind him. "Emerald Point! 10 Earth Time! Don't be late!"

And thus I was left, a rather hot and bothered mess as I watched him saunter away with more than enough sway in his strut to put even the most debaucherous Catin to shame...which was more than likely myself on this forsaken rock. The walk home was an uncomfortable one, tight jeans, sweltering hot in the middle of a tropical city....I missed the hover rail, so I had to walk the extra hour to get to the Catin District. My mother and father both work in the nearby fusion reactor, nuclear engineers....They don't come home till much later, I rarely see them....So it was Hot N Easy Macrooni for dinner tonight. I sat down, filth ridden poison plate in lap and stared out the window to the far East, Emerald Point wasn't that far away.