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Ch6. Orientation

Dex stared at the schedule for orientation. There were meetings, tours, and many other events planned. His mom stood by his side, John sat lazily on the couch in the living room.

"Dex, it's just orientation, it doesn't mean you have to finalize anything yet. We still have a few weeks before classes start for you to decide anything." Dex's mom busied herself around the living room, picking up stray items, only to whisk them into the kitchen, or into the dish hutch by the dining room table. She was nervous. When she was nervous, she always cleaned up.

Dex nodded.

Sure....I don't have to pick now, but I will. I wish Aden was here, but this is my own track I guess. What sports to play (if any), what art classes to take, and what clubs to join....

John chuckled. He had his own paperwork in front of him and looked relaxed as usual.

"Just pick something that isn't something you've already done. Colleges like it when you're 'well rounded.'" John had made the imaginary quotation marks as he spoke. Dex scowled staring at the paperwork.

Band, Art, Symphony, Debate, Football, Lacrosse, Polo, Water Polo, Swimming, Track....it all made his head swim.

**

The auditorium was filled to brimming with humans, and furs of all types. Dex sat next to his brother. Thankfully his mother had opted out of this part. The lecturer was an older Feline. He droned on about "responsibility, ability, and a willingness to grow"

John kept elbowing him. "I know what you'd like to see grow..." John whispered. Dex shoved his brother roughly. "Knock it off bull-breath, I heard you and Bruce last night. Nice whimpering by the way....."

John shot him a look, but Dex just smirked back.

**

They toured the entire campus. Music halls, art studios, classrooms, finally the sports complex. Inside was a huge pool. It was an Olympic size in length, and Dex smiled remembering all the times in his elementary school when they had taken swimming lessons. John wandered off with the group as Dex stared. The chlorine filled his nose, and he wrinkled his nose at it a bit. It always reminded him of fond memories of playing with his friends, and of racing his cousins across to pool on dares, the water splashing wildly as his cousins thrashed as much as they could, making little progress. The secret wasn't to thrash, it was to conserve your energy, and to use every movement you had to ensure you moved as efficiently as you could.

Movement caught Dex's eye. A rather athletic equine was walking near the pool. He was pure white, with deep brown eyes. The equine stared at Dex. "So, thinking of joining the team?"

Dex looked around for a second, finally realizing the equine was looking at him.

"Um, well..."

He horse walked up and patted Dex on his shoulder. The thin, athletic horse smiled at him in a huge equine grin.

"We don't get many humans in this class, but we do need to broaden our human base. The cetaceans keep hogging the field. Any good at swimming?" The equine cocked his head to the side. He wore some type of polo shirt with the school insignia over his left chest, and baggy shorts.

Dex shrugged. He'd been in track, he'd been on the football team as part of the training sessions, why not the swim team?

"I don't see why I can't at least try...."

The equine smiled and slapped him roughly on his back. "Good man! Here..." The horse handed him a pair of cheap speedos and gestured to the locker room. "Just go change, and come back. Use locker 15. Once you lock it, I'll unlock it for you when you're done..."

Dex nodded. He walked to the changing room. He found locker 15, the blue metal lockers were only lightly rusted from the decades of being near a pool. Dex tossed his folders with orientation paperwork into the locker, and quickly stripped. He pulled the t-shirt up over his broad shoulders and chiseled chest, shaking his hair as he did so. He heard a heartless chuckle behind him.

"Well, what's this brother? Some human thinking of joining the team?"

Dex spun around and quickly swallowed. Two sets of coal-black eyes met him. Two cetacean sharks stood in front of him, their slick grey skin, and shark like heads giving them a predatory look. Both were trimly muscled, and thick tails sprouted off of their backsides, ending in thick shark like fins.

The one on the left smirked "That's what it looks like brother-mine, but I never saw a swimmer with muscles like him actually manage to be fast....all that bulk...."

The right shark strode over to Dex and stared him in the eye coolly. "Hrm, he's not afraid of us brother. I think he may think he may even be better than us..."

Dex cleared his throat. "Hardly, you're not even my type!" He rolled his eyes. He'd seen behavior like this in cheap movies where the big bad shark guys always tried to intimidate people. It was a very negative stereotype.

Dex felt the hand on his shoulder...."we're just saying Hi." Dex looked into the toothy grin and frowned.

"Then why the big bad shark act guys? It doesn't suit you."

The other shark chuckled. "Come on Ben, I don't think he's receptive to our charms....yet."

Ben nodded at Dex and slapped him on the shoulder hard. "See you around, kid."

Dex rolled his eyes. He finally finished putting on the swim suit and strode out of the change room.

The equine stood by the pool, staring at paperwork "Ah!" He looked up. "All ready? Ok, Well, line up at the other end. Give me your best, two full laps.

Dex took his spot and took a huge breath. He stared at the pool. The clear blue water in front of him brought back all his previous memories of having fun. He smirked.

Just like running Dex, only this time it's in water.

"When I blow the whistle, go ok?"

Dex let his breath out. The whistle screeched out. He took a huge lungful of water as he dove. He quickly found his pace. Overhand strokes. His powerful muscled propelled him across the pool. He felt the water slip across his body, his light body hair tingled at the sensation sending a thrill up his spine. Soon he was at the other side, and kicked off. He'd beaten his cousins at this so many times he couldn't count any more.

Finally he kicked back off the starting line on his second lap. He took huge lungfuls of air only when he needed to, and kept his movements precise. No need to power through on this, just make certain each stroke was exactly what was needed.

He finally reached his finish. He was winded. He shook the chlorine filled water our of his eyes, and looked up at the equine. The equine finally clicked the stop-watch in his hand and cleared his throat.

"Um....if it wasn't too late, I'd ask you if you wanted a scholarship. Please....join the team?" The equine stammered. Dex grinned.

**