FSE

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Life is strange sometimes. Where one door closes, another will slowly slide open, ready to let a vast array of opportunities through it's frame, be them blessings or curses. Jonathan Grayback's departure from his family was just another example of such an event, an example of how a single man's choice could open a number of doors for not only him, but everyone connected. Take for example the one he once called his wife, rendered not only alone in the world, but emotionally shattered and left to pick up the pieces of a life on her own.

Within a year of his departure, papers came that dictated the destruction of their lives together, separating the once lovers to nothing more than an aquantience, shredding apart any hope their son had at the chance for a normal, stable upbringing. It even tore out the problems layered deep within her fragile psyche, showing her young child just how little of a grip his mother really had on the world when left to fend for herself. But of course, that was so many years ago, and the doors that had begun to crack, now lay wide open. However, it wasn't until Gabriel was seven that the first demon, came from the darkness beyond the door.

Chapter 2

"Gabriel, wake up."

With his eyes fluttering open, the young wolf glanced around his brightly lit bedroom. Sun was streaming through his blinds, and his blanks were wrapped around him like a straightjacket, his random thrashing and flopping in the night twisting the heavy fabrics around his small body like an orderly at a mental institution. Beside him sat his mother, resting herself on the edge of his bed, patting his foot before giving it a short affectionate shake, smiling for what felt like the first time that week. "Sweetie, really, up, now. It's almost noon and I don't want you sleeping away the entire weekend, plus, if you sleep in too long then Sarah won't get a moment's rest tonight- and god knows that girl doesn't need that with you."

Groggily reaching up to rub the sleep from his eyes, Gabriel started to twist out of the bed before letting out a loud yelp as he came to the sudden edge, slamming into the floor an taking most of his bed-covers with his rather clumsy form. All that earned him though was a giggle from his mother, as his oversized tail flopped over his face, already grown much to large from his seven year old body. "Moooom." He'd whine out, his high-pitched preteen voice clashing with his natural speech impediment, causing an almost sickening sounding gurgle alongside the lone word. "I didn't WANT to sleep in! You said that you'd wake me up if I wasn't up by seven! I- wait! Is it really almost noon!?" there was a hint of disbelief as he struggled to stand, wiggling his left leg from inside his blanket, struggling to keep the tattered batman pajamas that he refused to get rid of on his frame.

Sadly, when he finally snatched up a clock, he saw just what his mother's silence had already confirmed, it was 11:42, and he had missed the season finale of Yu-Gi-Oh. Two years of watching the show religiously, since he was five years old, and he had MISSED it! Sure, he had no idea how to play the card game, but it had dragons and wizards fighting and that was all that mattered to his young borderline ADHD brain! "Noooo!" came his whine, tossing his clock back onto his nightstand, stomping around as his mother just watched with a bemused look on her face, shaking her head back and forth.

When he finally calmed down after a few moments of child-rage, his entire body sunk to the floor like a wet rag, ears and tail drooped down like his puppy had just been taken away. "Really!" he continued on. "I-"

"Will you stop if I make you pancakes?" his mother questioned, rolling her eyes as she spoke, just wanting to the child to quiet down, a small hangover still buzzing around her brain, and the rather obnoxious whining wasn't helping it one bit.

Taking about half of a second to think, Gabriel just gave a quick nod, eyes going wide as he sat up and looked to his mother. "Yes mom. Pancakes will make me stop." Only seven, and he was already learning to exploit his matriarch for his desires. The lesson learned this morning could come in handy in the future! In fact, the thought of the toys alone that he could get from doing this was enough to make his head spin! But for now, pancakes would be substantial reward enough for a quiet wolf. Of course, he wouldn't stay quiet ALL day, but he'd at least quiet down when his mother was around!

So when she walked off he jumped right back up, dashing around his room, digging through his toy chest and snatching up a water-worn GI-Joe toy, dashing off to the bathroom to get through his morning ritual. Jump in the shower, play pretend, get out then spend ten minutes trying to dry that oversized bush he called a tail, and then dash downstairs to get his daily ration of breakfast foods! But today he found his eyes peering over the edge of the sink for the first time, finally able to stare at his own reflection in the mirror without anyone to hold him up. By the gods he had grown taller! Throwing on a pair of pants and clashing shirt on his way down, Gabriel ran slid into the kitchen like a dog on ice, his wet paws screeching against the wood floor as he slammed straight into the cupboard right beside his mother.

"Mommy!" cried the idiotic pup. "Mom! Mom! Momma! Mom! Mum! Mooooo-"

"What!?"

"I can see over the sink!" With the tone of his voice, one would think that him seeing over the sink was like the second coming of Jesus, or the discovery of extra-terrestrial life. He spoke in the same awe one would expect from a man in the desert who had just found god himself. "I saw myself in the mirror! Without jumping!"

"That's nice sweetheart." Muttered his mother, hear head now pounding as the boy's excited voice only spoke faster by the second.

"Yup!" he prattled on. "I was just walking out of the shower with Sargent Gunface and I looked in the mirror and-"

Around the comment about "Sargent Gunface" Jenny finally managed to tune her son's voice out from her mind, just nodding and smiling so he'd go on with the assumption she was listening. Right now she wanted nothing more than silence, a few moments to herself, to think about how the night would progress. Every first Saturday of the month was her date night, always some blind hookup one of her friends set her up on in an attempt to replace the man she had originally wanted to dedicate her life to. Tonight was a bit special however, her first date outside of her own species since she had experimented back in High School! Taking the pancakes of the pan, Jenny would just plop them onto a plate before setting them at the table, watching her son with a slightly zoned-out look, her vision focusing on Gabriel as he sat there and began to cut into his food.

It would be strange, finally leaving her own species again, seeing both the physical and personality differences that came with other species, it had been so long since she had actually hit it off with a man, it was actually a bit terrifying to her. The most that had happened in the last five years being a one night stand that ended badly, for both of them. It wasn't that she didn't WANT to move on; it was just that every time she looked at her son, she saw his father. Actually, she found the entire situation a bit unsettling.

Although he was only a kid, Gabriel was already starting to resemble the man that had helped bring him into the world. A thick, ebon coat of fur that seemed to only get scruffier the more she tried to keep it trimmed, with thick locks of hair that seemed to never end. Of course, he didn't perfectly resemble his father, not in the least. The boy's eyes obviously came from Jenny, and he had a muzzle structure closer to her father's then Jonathan's own. Plus, that never ending forest of hair was- well actually she wasn't quite sure WHERE the hair color had come from. Although exotic hair colors weren't uncommon in furs, Gabriel's was still growing in the strangest shade of GREEN she had ever seen, only a jump up from black, but still bright enough to clearly see what color it was.

For a while she had assumed it had been from the pool out back, but when Gabriel stopped swimming for almost a whole year, the color still never faded away. Maybe it was just a mutation, another leap forward for a fauna that was almost as diverse as the planet itself.

"-And that's why they called him Sargent Gunface! Because he killed all the nasty Al-Nykizaaaa with his muscles!" Somehow Jenny had chosen the worst possible moment to acknowledge her son again, now thoroughly confused at how in the world his story could have made a lick of sense!

"Sweetie." She'd mutter out, stepping closer to place a hand on his shoulder. "Remember, Mommy has a date tonight ok? So she won't be back until you're already asleep, please, try NOT to stay up waiting for me this time? It only stresses Sarah out and then you're groggy for the rest of the week!" Once he gave her a little nod she'd smile and walk back to the counter, washing the grime from her pan. "Oh- and if you're really good this time maybe I'll bring you back a desert next time, ok? Remember, if Sarah doesn't pull her hair out, you can have ANYTHING from the menu of where I'm going."

And just like that, any form of babysitter harassment had been squashed without another sound, all intent to cause havoc and destroy the house now doused by the waters of bribery and promises of sugar. However, like all children, Gabriel had that urge to expend his energy flowing through his veins like a wildfire through brush! The desire lapped at his core, his very soul! So out of the chair he'd pop, only to dash towards the door. "Be back later mom!" he cried out. "I'm going to go play with Mike!"

Without giving Jenny any real chance to respond, Gabe jiggled the door knob before throwing it open, trying his best to pull it shut behind him. Most parents wouldn't trust such a young child out by themselves, let alone in the suburb they lived, with a dense thicket of trees starting at the end of the block. But Jenny had put her trust in her son, and so far he had proven to be trustworthy. No going into the "forest", no trying to climb into the storm drain, no going into the street without parents watching you, and no going into a backyard you don't belong in.

Keeping to these rules, Gabriel dashed down his block as fast as his short little legs would take him, tail flopping around like a blanket he couldn't let go of, already catching dirt and sticks in it's coarse fur. "Mike!" the young boy would yell out, running up to his friend's front door, instantly pounding both of his fists on it, too short to reach the knocker or the doorbell. "Come on Mike! It's Saturday! No school! We can finally actually do stuff!"

Over the last two weeks, it seemed that every time Gabriel tried to hang out with his friend, Mike's mother had insisted that Mike had to do homework, and couldn't play. But now with the weekend, nothing could stop the young wolf pup from spending time with his friend! Since they shared the same class, he'd have known if Mike had any homework, and none of them did. After a minute, Gabe would give the door another pound, this time with a bit more urgency, already growing impatient waiting at the door.

When ANOTHER minute had passed, Gabriel was just getting frustrated. It was SATURDAY, and Mike was burning precious minutes by taking his sweet time to come to the door. "Mike!" he'd yell up. "Come o-"

The door cracked open before he could finish his demand. From inside the house came a pair of wide yellow eyes, followed by the face of a rather timid looking white rat. About three inches shorter, and thirty pounds heavier than his canine friend, he'd shuffle out the door like he was afraid of the world, his eyes darting around a few times before his gaze dropped to the floor. "H-Hey Gabe." He stuttered out, a tone of fear in his voice. "L-l-listen, ok Gabe? I-I-I Can't hang out today. Ok? I have to-" There was a rather long pause as the rat seemed to wrack his brain, before reaching down and snapping up his tail in his hands, squeezing on it to calm his own nerves. "t-to do homework!"

"You have to do homework?" Gabriel questioned, his voice coming out in an unamused deadpan demand. "You? The only kid in class who finishes his homework before the class is even over...has to do homework...on a weekend where the teacher didn't even give us any?"

"That's right." Responded the rat, his voice getting quieter as the conversation went on "I have to do homework- and um. I don't think I'll be able to hang out for a while."

Unfortunately for Mike, Gabriel wasn't exactly buying the entire "Homework" line, instead he'd tilt his head and cross his arms, letting out an angry little huff in an attempt to act "intimidating". "That doesn't sound true!" he'd grunt out. "I think you're LYING to me Mike! Are you a liar?" It was at that moment, the rat realized just how bad of a poker face he actually had, the 'sad' look on his face resembling a child trying to hide a secret after he had been caught, than a kid that was actually sorry about his situation.

"Gabe..." he'd start, before taking a deep breath and looking his friend straight in the eye. "Mom says I can't hang out with you anymore."

After taking a moment to digest the statement, Gabriel would just tilt his head. "Wait...what?"

"Mom says I can't hang out with you anymore and told me why and now I don't want to hang out anymore and I can't be your friend anymore." The rate spoke so fast that his entire little rant came out in a single breath, eyes growing wide as he kept going. "S-She said that you talk the way you do because you're part... real wolf, a-and because of that you're going to try to hurt me and bully me and m-maybe even try to... t-try to eat me and I-I don't want to be your friend because I don't want to be eaten so I'm sorry--!"Then, as if his little one breath explanation was enough, Mike backed up, and yanked the door closed, only to dead bolt it a second later with a loud click.

For a few moments, Gabriel was stunned. In roughly six seconds, he had gone from asking his best friend to hang out, to finding out that his best friend didn't want to be his friend at all anymore, because of his voice. Opening his mouth, Gabe's hand would raise to his throat, running over it for a brief moment as tears started to well up in his eyes. Had his voice really caused all of this? He knew it didn't sound normal, but did he really sound like he was going to eat people!? With tears now pouring down his face, the boy started to run down the street, taking a hard left when he hit the end.

At this moment...Gabe didn't want to be found. He didn't want to go home, didn't want to go cry to his toys like he did when he got hurt, or go ruin his mom's night by crying for her to stay home...he just wanted to hide, to get away from everyone, where no one would be afraid of him. Of course, the only place he COULD hide was the thicket, a small but thick gathering of trees and brush that stretched on for what seemed like miles, although unbeknownst to Gabe it only went as far as the dollar store a mile down the road.

Tearing past the first few bushes, Gabriel yelped out in pain as a bush caught on his tail, pulling out a clump of fur. This of course, only fueled his destroyed mood, almost blinding him with his own tears as he continued to run and stumble through the thicket. Sadly, seeing through a haze of tears wasn't the simplest thing in the world, and after a good minute of running through the trees, he suddenly found himself in the air.

Well, not up soaring like a bird of course, not flying around like a super hero. He just found himself off of the ground, before he promptly slammed into it a moment later, crying out in pain as his entire body ragdolled down a small rock covered hill, bouncing and bashing over countless rocks and mounds of packed dirt. Coming to a suddenly stop at the bottom of the cliff, Gabriel's entire frame shook, trying his best to not just burst out crying in agony. In the end, he held out for about sixteen seconds, before his mouth cracked open and he started to wail like the child he was, mud and leaves, matting his fur and covering his clothes as blood seeped out of a long gash on his arm, pain raking through not only the wound but his entire frame as countless bruises started to form underneath his fur.

Rolling onto his belly, Gabriel would try his best to stand up, his arms pushing underneath his frame, shaking like leaves in the wind before suddenly giving out, just slamming his chest back down against the cold mud. Up above, the sky began to darken, clouds setting in over the now stranded cub, small droplets of rain falling down through the trees down to him.

Slowly, the water went from a drizzle, to a light shower, to now drenching any part of the wolf that wasn't already wet, soaking him down to the bone, cold cutting through him like a knife. Defeated, and miserable, he just lay still, his min racing as he continued to sob, babbling out incoherent words to himself between each heavy shaking breath and snort. By the time he had worked up the energy to raise himself back from the ground, he could have sworn an eternity had passed. The ticket around him was darkening, and everything sang out with the patter of rain, trees screaming as the wind blew through them, and gave them a voice.

Like all furs, Gabe could see in the dark to some extent, but with his nose clogged and entire body throbbing, he found the task of making his way back up the hill to be difficult at best. On his first trip up, a rock suddenly came lose and sent him plummeting back down to the ground. During the second, he lost his footing a mere step away from the top, and tumbled half way back until he slammed into a tree, which sent him into another ten minutes of helpless crying. After an hour of frustration however, Gabriel finally found himself on top of the hill, climbing up the embankment on all fours, scrambling desperately at the top as top soil began to slide out from beneath his feet, coating everything on him in a thick layer of mud. Once he was past the hill though, the rest of the journey back was simple enough. Never once had he gotten turned around, so the path back home was a simple straight shot, although he did find himself stumbling quite a bit more in the dark then he had even when blinded by his own tears.

Breaching from the thicket, Gabriel gave a mad glance around, his heart sinking in his chest as he began to think he had come out the wrong end, and was now in the middle of nowhere. But with a flash of lightning, he saw an illuminated fence, and realized he had merely come out further down the road, and couldn't see the lights behind the fence. On the way back down the fence, curiosity finally began to sink into Gabriel; how long had he been gone? Did Sarah even know his mom thought he was out playing? What if they called the police!?

Bursting into a sprint, Gabe took a hard turn around the fence once he reached the end, dashing past Mike's yard straight to the sidewalk, his heart racing as he dashed straight up to his door. With a quick jiggle of the handle Gabe pushed it forward and plowed straight into the living room, almost letting out another sob as the warmth finally embraced him again, licking at him even through his mud covered clothes.

Glancing at the clock, Gabriel's ears pinned back against his skull, heart sinking as he saw the time. Six? Six at night? He-

"GABRIEL, HOLY CRAP! Where have you been!?" interrupted from his thoughts, Gabe's head snapped to the side, focusing on the lone fur speaking to him. Sarah, a teenage German Shepard stood there staring at him as if he was a ghost. "Oh my god Gabe thank god! I was about to call the police! Your mom said that you were over at your friend's house and that you'd be back before dark but when I went over he said you weren't there!" Dashing up to him, Sarah would fall to her knees and look the boy in the eyes, grabbing both sides of his face with his hands. "I couldn't even reach your mom! She turned her darned cellphone off! I was going to call the police- where were you!?"

"I-" Gabriel started, his voice choking up as he began to sob again, breaking down and explaining the entire situation to Sarah. When he was done, the only words that he could choke out in between his sobs of grief and pain were "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Of course, Sarah wasn't mad at him, no, she was relieved that the little fur was alright. "Gabe." She'd whisper to him. "Listen, Gabe, stop, you can stop crying now! It's ok, you're home...and-" she peered over him, stopping when her eyes reached his arm, widening as she noticed the massive gash in his flesh. "Crap- ok...we're going to have to get that fixed up, oh god, I hope that doesn't get infected. " Standing up, she'd take the cub's hand and slowly lead him towards the stairs. "Let's just get you cleaned up first ok? Then we'll make your dinner and you can watch some TV before bed."

With his eyes still brimming with tears, Gabe just gave his sitter the quickest nod, wanting nothing more than to get the dirt from his fur, and curl up with a TV dinner. "Thanks Sarah..." he'd add as they got to the bathroom. "I- you're not going to tell mom are you?"

"Oh sweet baby Jesus of course I am Gabe." After pushing him into the bathroom, she'd just give him a quick glare. "You scared the ever living crap out of me AND look what you did to your arm! I can't NOT explain why we have to bandage up your entire forearm! But, if it makes you feel better I won't tell her EVERYTHING, ok? I'll leave the part about you crying like a baby out."

With a sniff and a huff, Gabe would nod to his caretaker, walking over the tub to turn on the water. The last few hours had just been the worst moments of his short life, but one thing was for sure. He knew that even when he was an adult, grown up and working as a firefighter, or a police officer, or president; he would always remember his sitter being there for him, and making him smile.