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Tentatively, Kris knocked on the door with "Counselor" engraved in black on a brass plaque centered in the wood. He held his breath for a few moments and let it out slowly after hearing a soft "Come in" from the other side before he could make his paw reach for the door knob. This was it. The confrontation he'd been dreading all day. Meeting the infamous Mrs. Darling in person. As the door slowly swung inward, he closed his eyes and cringed mentally bracing himself for the sights and scents Kittara and Audio had described in such detail over lunch.

The soft clearing of a throat drew his attention and his eyes opened to reveal...

A large office with beige painted walls, a pair of comfortable looking arm chairs, and a couch that looked cozy enough to take a nap on. In the corner of the large room was a small wooden desk with a handsome black wolf sitting before it. Kris could hardly believe his eyes. There were a few landscape pictures on the walls and more plants than he could count surrounding the furniture. The window let in brilliant sunlight but had vertical blinds that could be closed if more privacy was required. All of the horrors that Kittara and Audio had described were missing.

The wolf... was... again, not was Kris had been lead to expect. He (it was definitely a male wolf) was older and had a sprinkling of gray around the muzzle, strong looking shoulders and a bit of a pot belly, but overall he was rather handsome. He was dressed in a casual pair of jeans and a greenish shirt that Kris had heard called a "scrub shirt" over a plain black long sleeved t-shirt. His headfur was neatly kept, pulled back in a tail at the nape of his neck, and just as gray-threaded as his muzzle fur.

For a moment Kris just stood there staring, then he looked at the door and stepped back to check the doors beside this one to make sure he'd opened the right one. Yes, this was the only door that read "Counselor". He looked back at the warm and inviting room and the comfortable older gentleman who inhabited it.

"Are you coming in?" The voice was just as comfortable sounding as the wolf looked, rich and deep and full of something intangible that Kris in his inexperience was unable to put a name to.

"I... ah... yes?" Slowly, he stepped into the room and closed the door behind himself.

The wolf stood slowly, extending his right paw in greeting. "I'm Tristan Black Wolf, but you can call me Tristan." He took a half step toward the obviously confused raccoon and smiled encouragingly. "It's changed a bit in here. I'm told the old counselor had pink walls and pictures all over the place. Sounds to me something like Dolores Umbridge." He gave a visible shudder while still holding his paw out to the young man.

Kris suddenly snapped out of his shock and stepped forward to shake the offered paw. "Oh... I'm Kristopher Blackwood, but everyone calls me Kris." His ears folded back into his mop of gray curls and he looked down at the strong hand that was holding his. "I... this is my first time coming actually. I'd just heard horror stories..." He stopped there and looked if anything more embarrassed.

For a few moments the old wolf just held his hand, until the kit looked up to meet the kindest blue eyes he'd ever seen. "It's scary walking into an unknown person's office, especially when you've been told it's someone who's frightening. Thank you for braving the lion's den." He finally let go and gestured to the furniture in the room. "Well, have a seat, and let's get to know one another shall we? If I'm not mistaken you were scheduled to see me after school; you're a bit early aren't you?"

Surveying the seating choices once more, Kris opted for one of the comfortable looking chairs, not wanting to look like a lazy slob and flopping down on the couch. "Yes. I mean, I was supposed to come and see you later today, but Mr. Mitsuda suggested that I come now, as I was having a bit of trouble concentrating on class work." He dropped his backpack to the floor beside his chosen chair and folded his hands together in his lap, watching the old wolf.

Without missing a beat, the wolf took the other comfortable looking chair and pulled a pad of paper onto his lap holding a pen at the ready. "I'm glad you came. I'd rather you found out that I was harmless than sit and let those horror tales stew in your mind for another two hours." He paused and bit the end of his pen. "So... what brings you to see me in the first place?"

The boy looked a little uncomfortable for a moment, then sighed and simply said, "Coach Jaz sent me cause William was egging me into a fight this morning."

"Who's William? A classmate?"

"He's this new bull dog on the swimming team." The boy slumped back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "He wasn't even here last year so he must be a freshman. Which means he's just some little jerk with a chip on his shoulder!"

The way the kit had phrased it made the wolf want to smile. "What was he saying that made you want to get into a fight with him?" He managed to keep from smiling but only just, something telling him that the young raccoon might not appreciate his amusement.

Slumping into the chair a little deeper Kris stared at his feet. "He was talking trash about my Dad." Now the boy had some fire in his eyes as he looked up at the wolf. "He doesn't know my Dad! He's no right to talk about him!"

"I agree; if he doesn't know your father, he shouldn't say things about him. May I ask what it was that upset you so much about what he was saying?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm trying to understand how it made you feel." There was a tone to his voice that was soothing, something that had assisted him in several previous cases with the kits here. They wanted someone who would listen to them, really hear them, without judging their behavior or making them feel like they'd done something reprehensible.

"I was mad! I mean, yeah, things happened this last year that are kinda bad, but Dad is the one who taught me how to swim! He got me my first skateboard! If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't know what kind of things I should eat to build up my muscles and stay healthy!" He was starting to sound defensive, like he had to prove that his father was worthy of the love and devotion that he showed the man even after whatever the "things" were that happened last year.

The wolf listened politely but didn't interrupt until the boy seemed to come to a natural end. "I see. William was focusing on the bad things, and that made you upset because you remember the good things. Have I got that right?" He didn't comment on the boys trembling or his raised voice. He simply took in the words and the emotions behind them.

The boy calmed himself down a little when the wolf didn't immediately start speaking badly about his father. "Aren't you going to tell me how bad my Dad is?" He seemed genuinely puzzled at the lack of an expected attack.

"Do you think that I should?" The question wasn't a challenge, just a question. It confused the kit a little.

"Seems like everyone else does."

"Well, as you'll discover, Kris, I'm not everyone else." The wolf smiled all the way to his eyeballs. "I don't know your father any more then William does. I haven't even heard about the 'bad things' that happened last year. All I know is what you've just told me." The look in the boy's eyes was cautiously pleased, so Tristan went on. "To me, it sounds like you and your father have a wonderful relationship, or at least you did when you were younger?" He lifted the inflection of his voice at the end in an attempt to get the boy to continue talking about his father and the relationship that they had.

It worked.

For the next hour, the boy talked. At first, it was just a sketchy view of things from a young child's perspective. But as Kris went on, the wolf could almost envision the events as they unfolded.

* * * * *

Edmond walked into the room with something behind his back. "Hey Kris, how's the birthday boy doing?" He squatted down to the level of the kit's head as Kris launched himself from his bed towards his father.

"Daddy! Mommy says we're gonna have cake! And ice cream!" The boy was a little bundle of fur, tail, and energy at this age. He bounced around the room, always returning to his father with a toy or book and an explanation of what he did with the item that day. Finally, he settled in his father's lap with his back up against the larger raccoon's chest while Edmond looked at the book he was being shown.

"It sounds like you had an exciting day, my little man." He kissed the kit between his ears. "Maybe too exciting. I should just take this back to the store..." He picked up a small box that the boy had overlooked in his exuberance. It was about ten centimeters on each side and three deep, wrapped in light blue crepe paper and tied with a navy blue ribbon. He chuckled warmly, the sound vibrating through his chest and into the boy's small body, as Kris squealed, dropped the book which he had been so engrossed in, and reached for the present.

Little Kris ripped open the packaging, letting it fall as it would. His Daddy looked on, smiling as he pulled the box open. For a moment the kit frowned, then looked up at his father with confused eyes. "Underpants?" Inside the hastily unwrapped box was a dark blue Speedo, something the boy had never seen before.

Edmond threw his head back and laughed at his son's confusion. When he had himself under control, he shook his head hugging the kit tight to his chest. "No, my boy, a swim suit. Mommy and I are taking you on a little trip, and while we're there, we're going to teach you how to swim." He pressed another kiss to the boy's head before showing him the differences between his new Speedo and his underwear.

* * * * *

Kris had never been to the beach before. All his swimming had been in the pool that his Daddy had been taking him to for weeks now. He was getting pretty good at it too. He was fearless when it came to going underwater, and he could hold his breath long enough to make his father start to worry before coming up for air. He could tread water, doggy paddle, and was even working on what his Daddy called the Australian crawl.

But this was different.

For one thing, they were traveling a long way away from home. Something else that was new to him: Since everything had always come to him, he'd never had to go to a place before. Grandfather and Grandmother were not coming, which was sad, but he was going to get to spend time with Kaily, Aunty Sheena, and Uncle Clive.

It was a really long drive. Kris didn't remember falling asleep, but he did remember waking up when his big strong Daddy picked him up and carried him into the little house they were going to share with his Uncle's family. When they got to the door, it opened and little Kaily peered up at him. She was a little odd, but then she was a girl, and in his limited experience, all girls were odd.

They spent many days at the beach collecting shells, building sand castles, and swimming in the shallow area. They had a wonderful time... until their last day. Kaily had been just brave enough to go out into the water where she could still touch the ground, and Kris teased her for it, telling her that he could go out much farther, all the way to the rocks that were a good distance from shore. Finally, Kaily had had enough of his bragging and told him to prove it. For a moment, Kris chewed on his lower lip frowning. Those rocks were a long way out.

"Come on! You said you could swim all the way to the rocks and back! I want to see you do it!" Her girlish voice was piercingly high and made his fur stand on end. Not to mention how silly he'd feel if he couldn't make it to the rocks and back.

Taking a deep breath, he puffed up his chest and said as bravely as he could, "I will, just you watch!" Turning to face the open water, he waded out until he could just touch the sand with his toes. He looked back once more, but Kaily was still watching him, so he gulped down a big breath and started swimming out toward the rocks. The waves were a lot stronger out here than he thought they would be, from feeling them on the shore.

Something caught at his tail and pulled down. Hard! He yelped, but instead of air he got a mouth full of water. The more he tried to get to the surface again, the harder it got as the pulling on his tail got worse and worse!

From out of nowhere, a large arm wrapped around his middle and pulled him up toward the surface. He coughed and coughed as he was pulled back in toward the shore. All the while, he heard a familiar voice: "Come on, Kris. Hold on, Sport. Almost there..." It helped him calm down some after the fright of being pulled under the water like that...

* * * * *

"I don't remember much that happened after that, Mom says I got caught in an undertow, and Dad hauled me out just before it was too late." The boy seemed much more relaxed now, still slouching in the chair, but not with that hunched-in-on himself, guarded feeling. More like he was getting comfortable.

The wolf made a few more notes on his pad of paper and nodded. "It must have scared you pretty badly, being pulled under like that." He seemed to think for a moment, then added, "Yet you're on the swim team now, so you must have conquered that fear. So many young people struggle to overcome fears that started that young. It's quite an accomplishment. May I ask how you did it?"

Kris shrugged and looked up at the ceiling for a moment before he answered the question. "I was scared, sure, but I guess I handle fear differently than some people, cause it just made me want to get better so it would never happen again." He smiled to himself and added, "It didn't hurt that Dad showed me the Olympic swimmers competing and told me if I wanted to, I could be one of them someday."

"That takes a lot of dedication."

"Sure does, but it's worth it, if I can make the Olympic team. Maybe it will even..." He trailed off and looked uncomfortable again, as if he'd been about to say something he wasn't ready to face yet.

The wolf felt the change, moved to a different topic. "Tell me more about your Dad. Was that the only time he gave you something that special?"

"Oh no! Nearly every year for my birthday, he gives me something that's just between the two of us. I remember when I was seven..."

* * * * *

A large black suburban pulled up to the curb outside St. Michael's all-boys private school. On the steps, a boy tapped a small raccoon on the shoulder and said, "Kris, isn't that your Dad's car?"

Turning, the raccoon squealed and ran for the vehicle as a larger copy of himself got out of the driver's door. "Hey there, Sport!"

"Dad! You made it!" The younger raccoon threw himself into the older one's arms and was scooped up into a spinning hug.

Laughing, Edmond replied, "It's your birthday; of course I came home!" He nodded to the teacher on duty, carrying his laughing son toward him so he could sign the boy out properly. A chorus of "Hello, Mr. Blackwood!" from the group of boys by the stairs drew his attention and he waved to them calling back a polite "Hi, boys." Transferring Kris to his left side, Edmond put his left arm behind the boy's knees so the younger raccoon was sitting over his forearm with an arm around his neck. "Thank you, Father Thomas," was his polite comment when the priest held a clipboard up for him to put his name beside his son's.

"It's good to see you, Edmond; will you be in town long?" the older mouse asked.

"Not long enough, I'm afraid. I've got the weekend, but I have to be back at the site Monday morning."

"Time enough. Will we see you in church on Sunday, then?"

"You know I never miss it when I'm in town, Father." He shook the mouse's offered hand and turned back toward his vehicle.

"Bye, Father Thomas; see you Monday!" Kris called over his shoulder waving to the priest.

The mouse waved back, "I look forward to it, Kristopher. Have a happy birthday."

As they pulled away from the curb, there was a thumping sound in the back of the SUV. At first, Kris didn't think much about it, since his Dad always had some odd things in his car, but as they went down roads he didn't recognize, he started to get curious about what that odd sound was coming from. "Hey Dad, something is making noises like it isn't tied down back here."

"Oh? I wonder what that could be." Edmond hid a smile from his son as he turned down another road and saw his destination up ahead. Duke had been right: There was a skate park just a few minutes' drive from the school. "Shall we get out and have a look see?"

"Sure, just as long as we aren't late getting home. Mom said she was going to make something special for dinner tonight, since we didn't think you were going to make it home in time." As the car came to a stop, they both unfastened their belts and opened their doors. Kris slid out onto the pavement of a large parking lot, shut his door and moved around to meet his father at the back of the SUV.

Edmond opened the cargo hatch and lifted Kris so he could stand inside the vehicle and see what it was that was making that thumping sound every time they turned a corner. The older raccoon again hid a smile as he lifted a large gift wrapped box out of the way watching the kits eyes follow the box hungrily. "What do you see in there that might be moving around?"

Kris tore his eyes off the large box in his Dad's hands and fell to his knees as he realized what it was that was rolling about in the back of the car. "Oh, Dad!" With trembling paws, he reached for the skateboard. It was painted to resemble the 'Mach 5', Speed Racer's car. Kris had recently discovered _Speed Racer_and was head over heels for the anime. "Oh, Dad!" He hugged the board to his small chest as he turned to look up at his father. "Is it really mine?"

The older raccoon didn't bother hiding the smile this time as he nodded to his son. "Yep. But before you try it out you need to unwrap this one." He placed the box before his son and waited.

Kris had to force himself to set the board down, keeping a forepaw on it the whole time as he unwrapped the large box quickly. Inside, he found a helmet and knee- and elbow-pads that all had the same Speed Racer colors and theme. In moments, he was pulling the items on and letting Edmond adjust them to make sure they fit correctly. Then, grabbing his new skateboard, he was lifted from the back of the suburban and placed on the pavement once more.

He put the board on the ground and, still holding his father's hand, stepped cautiously onto it. After a few false starts, he figured out how to make it roll forward and stop without falling off. "Okay, Dad, I think I got it." It wasn't until then that he looked around to see where they were. His eyes widened as he took in the concrete area that seemed designed to run a board like this through. Spinning carefully around, he looked at his father. "Where are we?"

Edmond smiled slightly and shrugged, "A friend of mine at work told me about this place. It's a skate park. It's about three minutes from your school, so you can come here every day, if you want to. I'll show you how to get here and how to get home from here as well. Mom says she thinks you're old enough to walk home, since it isn't that far, but you have to promise to only stay here for a half hour every day, and then come straight home, or you'll miss your swimming lessons. Deal?" He held his large forepaw out to the stunned kit still smiling.

Kris reached out and grabbed his father's paw. "DEAL!" Then he flung himself into the older male's arms.

* * * * *

"I was hooked, after that. He helped me with the basics before we went home, but I learned more on my own over the next few days. I met a new friend there as well. His name is Sean." Kris looked at the wolf as if looking for permission to keep talking. At a slight nod from the older male he went on.

* * * * *

It had been about two weeks since his birthday, and Kris had been at the skate park religiously every day since then. He was getting pretty good at turning and controlling the board, so he thought he'd try something new today. Taking a deep breath, he headed for the first of the obstacles, a low rail that wasn't more than ten or fifteen centimeters off the pavement. He knew the principles of riding the rails, having voraciously read everything he could find on the subject of skateboarding and watching whatever videos he could find on the Internet, but this would be the first time he'd tried it himself.

He was so focused that everything else about the day vanished as he started his lead up to the rail. He managed to time his jump at just the right moment and felt the board fall onto the rail and glide down it for a few yards before he lost his balance and went rolling across the concrete.

The sound of someone clapping loudly startled him into looking to his left. A cougar boy about his age had a board tucked under his arm and Kris' Speed Racer board under his left foot. "That was awesome! I knew the trip up here was going to be worth it!" The boy came closer and extended a hand to him. "This is one of the best parks in the city, but it's usually overrun with all these rich kits who have more money than sense and don't know enough to practice every day to get better. I guess you and I are the only ones who don't belong here." His hand was warm and solid in Kris' as he pulled the raccoon to his feet.

For a moment, Kris was disoriented and confused. The boy had just insulted him and complimented him in the same breath. He'd never thought about it before, but he was one of the rich kits, wasn't he? His Dad worked a lot, but his Mom was home all the time. They lived in a house that was bigger than most of his school mates' houses, and his parents had a maid who came in and cleaned up the house once a week. He'd always considered Grandfather and Grandmother rich; they lived in a huge house that was four times as big as the one he lived in and had servants around all the time doing all kinds of things. But he supposed from this cougar's perspective, he could be considered rich.

"Thanks for helping me up." He brushed himself off and held out his paw to the cougar. "I'm Kris."

For a moment the other boy looked at his hand like it was a foreign object but then he smiled and shook it heartily. "Sean! That was some trick you pulled just now. How long have you been practicing it?"

* * * * *

"He didn't believe it was my first time." He grinned at the memory, then looked at the wolf.

A few more notes were inscribed on the pad of paper before Tristan smiled. "Sounds like you and Sean had an interesting relationship." He left that line of thought and went back to the previous one. "The gifts your Dad gave you... were they always centered on sports?"

The boy thought a moment, then blushed. "Yeah, until last year mostly. I don't remember what I got before the swim suit, but since then, it's been mostly sports-related. Skateboard, bike, soccer ball, football, baseball glove and bat... that kind of thing." He was wringing his hands together now, as if trying to scrape something off of them, or choke something back.

Just as the wolf opened his mouth to ask another question, the bell rang signaling the end of this class hour. "And that's the end of our time for now... If you'd like I will be here after school; we could continue this conversation at your scheduled time." He stood slowly dropping the pad of paper on his desk and holding a hand out to the young raccoon.

Kris grabbed his backpack and smiled at the older male. "I'd like that." He shook the wolf's paw. "Thank you for listening to me. Everyone else seems so busy lately..." He blushed again and headed out to his last class of the day.