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Living the Dream, Part 4 By Finn Panther

An anticipated side effect of unexpectedly jumping universes is incredible insecurity. This may or may not lessen over time (for Joseph this lessening was arguable), but the shift also held a host of other unintended consequences. The most major of these was the fact that life does not lend itself to being put on hold. If there was one thing that Joseph had learned, it was that this world directly mirrored the other one. Joseph's house remained exactly the same. His stack of movies and videogames remained the same. As time went on it became painfully clear that his family was also the same.

Somewhat unfortunately, Joseph's social life also remained the same. Or, more recently, his lack of one. The working story of his ''amnesia'' had spread, and he was dropped from nearly everyone's radar, allowing him to recover in solitude. One friend, however, remained persistent. Joseph rarely went outside, he never came in contact with the world at large, and he sought no social interactions at all. Family interaction was, of course, unavoidable - but even that was uncomfortable. It was difficult to imagine bringing another person, or furre, into the mix.

Ash, however, would take care of that for him. It took persistent phone calls and a few turned down visits before he finally got through. Getting through apparently meant sneaking in, as Joseph learned very harshly when his ears perked to the sound of two brief knocks, followed by a whitely furred creature poking his head in. Joseph's eyes bugged out, seeing his first alien species since his first day here. His eyes scanned up a pair of very perky ears, then back down to a scrunched up muzzle, complete with whiskers, small nose, and two large front teeth seen through a spreading grin.

Joseph was looking at a rabbit. A very large, very real, rabbit. And the rabbit was happy to see him.

''Joseph, how are ya doing? I told them they couldn't keep me away forever.'' The large rabbit finished entering Joseph's room, shutting the door behind him. Thankfully the tall furre stopped when he saw Joseph's guarded expression, his ears flatter than previously thought possible. ''Oh man, they weren't kidding. It's me, man. Ash.''

The furre gave a slight, confirming nod at his name, which caused his tremendous ears to sway - ultimately doing more harm than good. Joseph was enough caught off guard that the rabbit's name didn't even register, as he was putting all of his energy into assessing the furre. Tall ears, but nonthreatening eyes. Warm eyes, actually - not dangerous ones. It's a genuine smile, just ignore the teeth - and there's even that happy nose twitch you've seen rabbits do.

Joseph decided that the presence of the rabbit was okay, and he eased up on his fight-or-flight response. He kept his eyes guarded, but the rest of him relaxed - the sharp alarm on his face subsided and his ears lifted back up. Still, it took him by surprise when the furre spoke again.

''Hey man, come on.'' No nod this time, just a deflating expression. ''You remember me. Come on man, it's Ash.'' Towards the end of the sentence the rabbit's initial joy at again seeing his friend had quickly turned into sad concern. He very slowly approached Joseph who, until seconds ago, had been relaxing with a leisurely book. Now? Not so relaxing.

Still, seeing the leopard make no objection, Ash carefully sat down on the foot of the bed. He made it a point not to make any sudden movements - nothing at all that might upset his friend - and all the while deepening the concern on his face. It didn't take long for the concerned look of a close friend - easily distinguishable, even across species - to break down Joseph's resolve.

''Hello,'' The leopard had chosen a small enough word, but to Ash it was the greatest word ever spoken. Even Joseph was glad to see those eyes light back up. It almost made him forget that he was trying to distrust furres.

Ash opened his mouth as though to speak, but stalled when he saw Joseph's still hesitant expression. Joseph could see the gears turning as Ash ran through different responses before ultimately nodding his head in polite acknowledgment and replying, ''Hello.''

It was deceptively simple but it carried a familiar tone. One word, carried across a lifetime of friendship, ever since kindergarten. The nod of the head, the singular response - even a smile skewed to one side, just like Ash always did when he thought he had said something clever. It was a decidedly rabbit smile, and it was a furre tone of voice - but it was instant rapport, the kind you only get once - and it was definitely Ash.

For the first moment in months, Joseph forgot that he was being angry.

''So,'' began Joseph, both genuinely curious and also looking to push his friend's buttons for the first time in months, ''that time I put hair dye in your shampoo, what exactly happened with your fur?''

Joseph knew the reaction would be visceral, and he cackled the instant it began. Ash's fur prickled and his face became wildly animated, wanting to say a dozen things and none of them making it out. His hands vibrated with energy, occasionally getting away with a full-fingered point at nothing, and his ears twitched something fierce, which was new and hilarious. This was to say nothing of his eyes, which had become so full of fire that Joseph might have been afraid had he not been laughing so hard.

''That was uncalled for and you KNOW it! You had the school calling me FUCHSIA for YEARS! They STILL think I'm gay!!''

Hearing his friend's punctuated exclamation, along with the powerful imagery - it would have gotten to anyone. Joseph couldn't hold in even one chuckle - and the more Joseph laughed the more it escalated, turning into a hearty, rolling laughter that could only come out between gasps of air. It didn't take long for Ash to also get lost in the absurd memory of a neon pink rabbit, and soon his initial chuckles also turned into laughter - shrill, petite, mousy, hilarious laughter. Almost instantly Joseph was laughing exclusively at his friend's squeakish laugh, who began trying to contain it with absolute failure, gasping for air between impossible, squeakish bursts.

The feedback loop lasted embarrassingly long and could be heard throughout the house. Joseph's entire family wondered who might have let Ash in (as that squeak could only belong to one person), but more than that they were relieved. Ever since the accident Joseph hadn't been quite the same, and this was the first time in months that he seemed his old self.

Everyone, including Joseph, wondered if it was going to last. And everyone - especially Joseph - desperately hoped that it would.