Dyeing to be with you-

Story by sisco on SoFurry

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Ok I should have posted this a week ago when I published my novel but I was too excited about finally publishing something to actually think straight. Anyway here is the first two and a bit chapter's of my novel, ending on just a hint of the fun contained within the book. Oh the book has a few illustrations as well drawn by the very talented Edesk and was edited and approved by the very talented author Tristan Black Wolf

The reviews I have had so far have been positive you can check out my journal announcing the book where a few people have said they have received read and thoroughly enjoyed it https://www.sofurry.com/view/945905#774051536

The chosen tags apply to the whole book not just this exert, so you can see what you might be missing.

If you want you can always check out my other works to see if you think I am worth a coin or two, I have suggested a couple below

The first one is Late Submission, it is currently the most popular story on So Furry within the last 12 months https://www.sofurry.com/view/841372

The second is a story that I think is one of the best things I have ever written, it's called Hunter's Moon and is a heartfelt were story https://www.sofurry.com/view/918247


1: Climate Change

Being different.

We're told it's great to be unique, and maybe that's true, in a way. However, standing out has its drawbacks. It's part of civilisation, part of intelligence, a pack mentality if you will. I'm like you, and you are good, therefore I must be good; I'm not like you, and you're good, therefore I must be bad. That's a simplistic way to look at it, and intelligent beings are anything but simple. Most people have figured out that diversity is a good thing; it makes us stronger, a range of perspectives to find solutions to problems.

Of course, plenty of people don't see that. The old instincts kick in: Different is dangerous. Nowhere is this truer than in school. Kids naturally form groups and cliques; it's the only way to survive the hell-storm that is high school.

Lucas had found that hard. His first year at Calder high had been bad, really bad, so mind numbingly bad he couldn't face a second. The only polar bear in a school entirely populated by black bears. He had stood out like, well, like a polar bear in a school for black bears. Some of the other kids had been polite, but not really friendly. Stand-offish.

Of course, standing out like he had, poor Lucas had been a target for bullies. Guys, girls, jocks, and anyone just looking to make themselves feel better by making someone else feel worse. The butt of every joke. The last person picked for every game, even after the fatties and the nerds. He hadn't had a name, just a colour - Whitey, that's what they called him. Fourteen years old, and he was a social pariah. Nobody saw past his fur.

One bully was particularly vicious - a black bear in his own year named Kalvin. He was on the football team, and he thought that made him God's gift to the school. The black bear had taken every opportunity to put Lucas down: Insults, throwing things at him when the teacher wasn't looking... just the tip of the iceberg. One day, he'd stolen the polar bear's clothes white the bear was showering after sports. He always showered last, after everyone had been, partly because the first few times he'd been in the shower, Kalvin had pointed at his sheath and made some jokes, but also because he felt uncomfortable with all those naked males. His eyes had wandered places he believed they shouldn't have.

That day, he'd had to run naked to the coaches' office, and then wear some oversized school football team gear until, eventually, his clothes were found. Of course, he had no proof that Kalvin did it; the black bear denied it to the teachers and crowed about it to his friends. The white bear never went near the black bear without him trying to push him, trip him, or even pull his pants down. Kalvin would take any and all opportunities to embarrass the white bear.

Fortunately, he had been saved from that hell after his freshman year when his family moved further north. His father had gotten a secondment to a new port. Apparently, marine engineers were really needed for an oil rig construction project. The school at Riker's Bay had been much better - there were more white bears, even a few pandas. Lucas had made some friends, though he still had mostly kept away from the black bears.

Then the worst had happened. Just as he was about to enter his last year, the secondment ended. Lucas' family had moved back to Calder, and his father had returned to his work at the local port. It paid a little less, but it was a job, and in the current economic climate, it hadn't made sense to quit and look for something new where they were. His older sister, Anna, had gotten a job at a beauty salon there in Calder, a nice training opportunity.

They had moved into a house far nearer the school this time. One small mercy for Lucas: He wouldn't have to get the bus with Kalvin. The young bear had ended up crying when he heard he had to go back. His father told him it would be different; he was older now. His mother told him she had spoken with the school, and things had changed - there were three grizzly bears enrolled, and a panda also, so he wouldn't be the only non black bear.

Only his sister had seen his point of view. Anna had been the person he cried to when the bullying had gotten too much. She had offered to punch Kalvin's teeth right out, threatened to do a whole lot worse after he stole her brother's clothes. Lucas had begged her not to. The truth was, he knew if she did, things would only get worse. All he had wanted to do was blend in, disappear into the crowd, and be nobody.

They had moved back with only a week and a half of summer holiday time left for the young bear to prepare. He spent most of that time locked in his bedroom, talking online to the friends he had left behind. Their words were a comfort, one he had not had the luxury of before. However, all they could offer him was words on the screen, or maybe a Skype chat or two. In the end, he knew he was as alone at seventeen as he was at fourteen. It was now his last Friday; he had the weekend left to wallow, and his stomach was already a roiling mass of acid and knots.

With a deep sigh, he turned off his pc and found himself looking in the mirror. He had grown into a rather handsome bear, according to his mother anyway. Nearly seven foot of bear, he took after his father - broad shoulders and a good dose of muscle. Of course, he had also inherited his species' natural pear-shaped physique; his stomach was what was generously called "comfortable." Not that anyone had ever actually snuggled up to it in order to find out.

His eyes were ice blue, soulful, glassy with the tears that he was trying to fight back. Large black nose, stubbornly refusing not to sniff. Lucas glanced down at his paws. Black pads covered his palms and underside of his fingers. He clenched them. He'd actually joined the baseball team at Riker's and been doing pretty good. He'd hit a few home runs; Lucas wasn't the fastest runner, but when he got his bat on target, he could use his muscle to knock any ball so far out of the park it would never be found.

Not that he would do so at Calder. Head down, get through one more year. Don't give the bullies any chance to find fault. That's what he told himself as he looked in the mirror. "Just one more year, then college." He said it aloud, his voice slightly strained and weak.

"You sound like a guy on death row."

The voice made him jump, and he turned to find his sister standing in his bedroom doorway.

"Dead bear moping," he replied with a smile, hoping his weak joke would be enough to reassure his sister that he was okay. He just wanted to be left alone to wallow in his misery; he would reach out for his sister when that misery turned to despair.

"Well, if it helps, you only have less than a year, and it'll all be over," Anna replied as she wandered in to sit down next to her brother. She could sense his discomfort and knew he wasn't really in the mood to talk. However, she also knew that the more he dwelt on his situation, the worse it would get in his mind. With an arm around his shoulder, she squeezed him gently. Her paw squeezing firm muscle, she found herself smiling. "Besides, when you were last there, you were a bit of a squirt. You really shot up over the last few years. I seriously doubt anyone will want to pick a fight with you."

Lucas shrugged his huge shoulders and sighed. "Come on, Anna, you know as well as I do, you don't have to beat someone to hurt them. Hell, it would have been better if they did try and beat my ass; at least then, someone would have done something. No bruises, no bullying according to the teachers."

With a snort, the female bear took her paw off her brother and then stood up. "Hey, look, it wasn't a fun time for me either. I had to live through it too." The male bear shrank back; his sister was a good foot shorter than he and far less muscular. However, Lucas knew his sister had a razor-like tongue when she got mad; nothing and nobody was safe from her wrath. He had seen her cut down groups of bears with a couple of words or a death stare.

"I know; it's stupid, and I'm sorry." The bear hung his huge head and covered his muzzle with his paws. Despite his sister's presence, all he could think about was what had happened before - the teasing, small and yet painful projectiles being flung at him. He could remember dozens of insults, little jokes made behind his back but just loud enough so he heard them. Tears began to fill his eyes, and he started to tremble. "I just can't stop thinking about how much I hated it. I don't have any friends... and don't tell me I will make them!" Anger forced his tears back as he looked up with the first sign of fire. It had to be a family trait he got it from his sister.

"I'm so sick of Mom and Dad saying that. I didn't make any the first time I was there; why should I this time? It's the same bastards that tortured me that I have to make friends with." He looked his sister right in the eye as he spoke, his voice raised as he towered above her. "This fucking sucks, and don't tell me it doesn't."

"I won't tell you it doesn't suck," Anna said with a smile, and then stood up on her toes to say in a low growl. "But if you swear at me again, I'll make you regret it in a way that neither Mom or Dad is capable of."

Holding out his huge paws in submission the large bear gave a smile, "I give, I give, I'm sorry." Lucas knew his sister was far more bluster than bite, but he also knew that he needed her on his side, now more than ever. "Sorry. I guess I have been feeling a bit too sorry for myself."

"That's ok, Lu; we all get like that," Anna said, her minor outburst of anger blowing over as fast and loud as a summer thunder shower. His sister's mood swings were something Lucas had gotten used to as he grew up. She sat back down on his bed and stretched her arms and legs. "Ohh, it doesn't get easier once you are out of school, you know. I spent all day dyeing Mrs. Drefuss' greying fur black again. I don't know why the old girl doesn't just admit she is getting old, I mean seriously, if her fur keeps greying like this, then next time I'll have to dye her entire body. That's not the point. What you need to do is study hard, get good grades, and get into a good college. I bet you'd have fun there."

Lucas paused as something nagged at his mind; however, he couldn't figure out what exactly it was. Instead, he forced a smile onto his face. "More school - just what I need."

"Yes, it is 'just what you need.' College is different from school... I think. I mean, I didn't exactly last long there," Anna said with a chuckle. "Of course, I think the salon is more my style; I kinda like it, dyeing old girls notwithstanding. You get to chat and have a few jokes, and during quiet periods, we practice on each other."

"You're good with people," Lucas admitted with a smile. It was true: His sister had always been a people-person. She'd been working at the salon for just a few days, and she had already told him about half a dozen customers. His sister loved talking to people about their lives and families. She also retained that information to a degree which astonished the bear. Anna could meet someone once and find out their mother's dog's puppies' names. Two years later, she could bump into that same person, recognise them, and ask how their mother's dog's puppies were getting along. If that talent could be put to better use, she could have had a serious impact on the world. Of course, given her temper, maybe it was better she spend her time gossiping with the girls and trying out different shades of claw polish. The lustrous pink of yesterday was gone, and she was sporting a rather glittery purple affair now.

"I just like to talk, that's all," Anna replied with a shrug. "I just hope that is the last old woman I have to spend a good five hours dyeing. A few grey furs around the muzzle, sure that's fine, but you can't pretend to be young forever. I just hope she'll get the idea after a few more sessions. Well maybe another year; she did tip me forty dollars, and that isn't a bad little extra."

This time is was his ears that tingled, and the young bear thought back over his sister's words. A strange idea was brewing in his mind. "No, you can't pretend forever, but maybe for a year..." The male bear muttered more to himself than to his sister. "How often would she have to dye her fur to stay black all year?"

Anna's brow furrowed in honest confusion as she tried to guess why her brother was suddenly interested in her work. Spontaneous interest in beauty treatments was an unlikely scenario, unless he was planning something, and she knew her brother well enough to know the smell of a scheme brewing. "About once a month, or the grey will show through... why?"

"I was just thinking... "The bear shook his head. "Naw, I probably couldn't afford it anyway."

"What? You planning on getting some dye work done, maybe some black rings around your eyes and along your arms and legs so you can be a panda for next Halloween?" joked the female bear with a chuckle as she lay back on her brother's bed and closed her eyes.

"Not a panda... and not Halloween," Lucas replied quietly his eyes fixed on his mirror, looking at his white fur - a blank canvas just so easy for any artist to take a brush to. His sister and he had used it as kids, painting tribal patterns on themselves and going as Pocahontas and her baby brother.

Anna's baby brother - that's who he had been all his life. Not that it was a bad thing to have a big sister looking out for him. She had always helped him when he needed it. Of course, she had gotten him into a lot of trouble, too. A baby brother was a fine scapegoat when you work together to steal cookies, or (more lately) when you are sneaking out to go on a date, and you need someone to cover for you with your parents.

Right then, though, Anna had clearly caught her brother's brainwave. Her eyes shot wide open and her jaw had dropped. "You wouldn't. You couldn't...!"

Lucas shrugged his shoulders with a chuckle. "What? I mean, it'd solve my problem. Just a bucketful of black dye, and wallah, no more polar bear for those bastards to torment. Just a new black bear."

"Yeah sure, a new seven foot tall black bear. Besides, you wouldn't just need black." In spite of herself, the female bear's mind was working it over. "They have light brown on their muzzles."

"Well, I'm sure you have light brown dye at the salon," the male bear replied, a sly smile coming to his face. It was a crazy, insane idea, and he knew it, but it could work. After all, it was just a year, and then he would be out. He could let the dye fade out naturally, or even take a dip in some dye removal solution.

"We do, but you can't just pretend to be something you are not," replied the female bear, trying not to look at her brother. She could already see him preparing his best puppy-dog, lost-little-brother look to use on her. "I mean, what are you going to tell Mom and Dad, that you slipped and fell into a vat of fur dye... every month?"

Shrugging his shoulders, the young bear replied, "What would they care? I mean, sure, it's a bit extreme, but they are the ones who brought me back here. This could make the next year tolerable, at least. Come on, you don't think it's genius?"

"No; I think it's hilarious. You really think you could keep that up for a whole year?" chuckled his sister as she pulled herself to her feet and moved to stand behind him. She could see herself reflected in the mirror and looked into her mirror-brother's eyes. The young male had the bearing of his father, but he had the more caring eyes of his mother. Anna remembered what it had been like in her own first year. She had been far too belligerent to care what anyone said about her. She had also been rather popular with the males: Every guy wanted to nail the only white female in school. Of course, she had known they were after her for a trophy and nothing more.

Anna remembered the number of times she had sat on Lu's bed, rubbing his back while her brother wept. It tore her up inside, and she had given some serious thought to taking things up with her brother's bullies in person. However, Lucas had been so determined that it would just make things worse. The one time their parents had gotten involved, the black bear in question had denied any wrongdoing, of course. Then, a week or two afterwards, the bullying had started up worse than ever. Stealing her brother's clothes, tripping him in the dinner hall, and much more.

Anna had been relieved when they moved away, for Lucas's sake. She had actually moved away from some good friends, and that had made coming back easier. Reunions with people she had only spoken to on Facebook for a few years. Old friendships rekindled quickly, and she had already gotten several invites for next weekend. At twenty-two, she no longer asked her parents' permission to go out, although she did respect their request not to bring guys home with her.

Her brother didn't even have that. In the year that they had lived there, he had not made a single friend. As she thought back on it, he turned to face her, and suddenly she was looking at her little brother Lu, five years old lost in the supermarket and looking up at her with tears in his eyes holding out his arms, puppy-dog eyes and all.

"Damn it, Lu!" the female bear exclaimed as her heart forced her to give in. "You can explain it to Mom, but you have a couple of days left before we would need to do it. Think this through,"

"Thanks, An, love you," replied the young male with a broad grin. "I promise I'll think it through, and I'll explain to Mom and Dad... afterwards." The last thing he wanted to do was mention it beforehand; they would definitely try to stop him and probably threaten his sister for offering to help. "How much will it cost?"

"At least a hundred dollars." As she replied, Anna saw her brother's face fall; a hundred dollars a month for nine months was a lot of cash. "Look, after the first one, I can probably order some dye at cost from the salon's suppliers. Mrs. Nesbit is reasonable, I'm sure she will let an employee who has been there all of a week do that." Anna hoped that, with that last sarcastic point, her brother might just see sense. However, like a lot of teenage boys she had known, all he saw was what he wanted and a way to get it. The fact she might be risking her job was extra information that went in one ear and then was forced out the other by thoughts of fitting in for once.

Exasperated and a bit bewildered at how she had gotten herself into this situation, the female bear decided to retreat while she was losing, before Lucas asked her for more... like a loan to pay for it all. She had plans for her forty dollar tip: A night out with the girls. She had not seen most of them since their graduation. As she got to the door, a voice behind her said, "You should check with Mrs. Nesbit first." The female bear paused her paw on the door handle and a smile on her face. Sometimes, her brother really did listen and surprise her by caring.

"I will, just... please, think about this," she replied as she opened the door and left.

Think about it? What else was he going to think about for the weekend? Lucas wondered as he lay back on his bed. There were risks, sure; if everyone at school found out, he would be a laughing stock. However, there wasn't that much difference between black bears and polar bears; the differences was all fur deep. He could claim to be a hybrid, maybe say he got his height from his granddad, if people really pushed him on it.

The young bear eventually climbed into his bed, his mind full of thoughts, doubts and worries. What if he just made things worse by pretending to be something he wasn't? Then again, he couldn't imagine things being much worse than he remembered them being. All he wanted to do was blend in. One school year as a black bear, then on to college in all his snowy coloured glory.

He fell asleep thinking of it and as he slept his mind continued to work, the excited young male began to dream...

2: To Dye, To Sleep...

Calder High.

It hadn't changed. The corridors still held that unique scent, a mixture of sweat, fear, hope, and bleach. Around him, bears swarmed, grabbing stuff from lockers while he stood, like a huge island in an ocean of black fur. The tide moved around him, slamming their lockers, laughing and jesting. None of them paid him the slightest bit of attention.

Lucas looked down and suddenly he realised his paws were black. He looked at his black arms. As he did so he heard the bell ring. It was time for class. Where was his schedule? He needed to get to chemistry, but he couldn't remember where the labs were. The corridors were empty now; the black tide had flowed out, it seemed. The bear began to run, looking at classroom after classroom, each filled with black bears. However, no matter how many classrooms he looked in, he couldn't find the chemistry lab.

Then he saw a black figure standing beside an open locker. Desperation filling his mind, the bear ran over to his fellow student. Tapping him on the shoulder, he begged, "Please, I'm new here; where's the chemistry labs? I'm late for class."

The figure turned, and his heart froze as he found himself looking into the eyes of his nemesis. Kalvin hadn't changed; he remained the same fourteen year old who had tormented him. A sneer plastered over his brown muzzle as he glanced at the bear, the same look of hatred he had given the polar bear the day after Lucas's parents had reported him. "You think I'd fall for this? I know who you are, Whitey. You're never going to escape your useless self. I am going to enjoy making you regret coming back. You were never welcome here. Your kind doesn't belong here."

While the black bear laughed Lucas turned to run, tripping and falling as he did so, landing with such a thud he shook himself awake. With a panicked gasp, the bear sat up. He could feel himself trembling. A check of his clock showed it was already past three in the morning. It took a splash of cold water and a few minutes of telling himself it was just a dream before he calmed down.

Eventually, he managed to get back to sleep, but unpleasant dreams dogged his every moment. So it was a very tired bear who was woken by his mother, a call to breakfast. Moving at the speed of a furry slug (or the average speed of a teenager on a Saturday morning), he showered and wandered down to breakfast. He found a plate of cold bacon and eggs waiting for him, along with a note on the fridge. The note advised him that the rest of the family, who were up on time, had gone shopping; he was spared the trip on account of his extreme laziness. The little P.S. at the bottom of the note amused him: His mother pointing out they were going for ice cream on the way home, and he was missing out. Despite Lucas being seventeen years old and seven foot tall, she still treated him like her little boy. While it could be embarrassing in front of his peers, he secretly liked a little coddling and attention now and then.

A heavy dose of ketchup was applied to the cold food. Good old ketchup could make anything edible. Not pleasant, maybe, but definitely something he could swallow. Not that the bacon and eggs were that bad, though he noticed no toast had been left, so he ate it without. After all the toaster was some demon machine, much like the washer; it would clearly only obey the orders of a high priestess (or "Mom," as he called her), thus absolving the young bear of all need ever to use either.

He placed his plate in the sink (where the magic pixies would find it and clean it, along with all the other dishes, so they could again be used to hold his overly ketchuped food). As he trudged back upstairs to his room, he caught sight of himself in the hall mirror and spotted a red blotch on his chin where a drop ketchup had made a mad break for freedom. Cursing, he rushed to wash it off lest it stain his fur. As he finished, he smiled reassuring himself that after tomorrow he wouldn't need to worry about staining his pure white fur again... at least not for a few months.

He looked outside his bedroom window to find a glorious, sunny, warm, late summer's day was already fast approaching midday. Golden rays of sun beamed down onto the happy world beneath. Then he pulled his curtains firmly shut and turned on his Playstation. Picking up the controller, he made full use of his second-to-last day of summer. After four or five hours, he heard his family return. His mother banged on the door, and he rewarded her bravery by trading a pile of unwashed clothes for an ice cream. Eventually, he was dragged, against his will, down to a "nice family dinner," as his mother called it.

His mother's cooking was assaulted heavily with ketchup and then consumed, as his father fired off a series of questions as him. Lucas responded with the appropriate series of grunts that pass as a teenage boy's ability to respond.

"You got all your books and stuff ready for school on Monday?"

"Uh-huh."

"You know the way, right? It's not too far, is it?"

"Uh-huh, mmmphh."

"Did you print off a copy of your timetable?"

"Uh-huh."

"Do you want me to walk you there your first day, just to be sure you get there?"

"Uh-Uh!"

"Hey, I'm just trying to be a good Dad."

"Uh-huh."

"Can you actually speak, or did you seriously upset a witch, so that she cut out your tongue?"

"Meh."

"Well, thank you, Lu; always good to talk with my son."

"Welcome."

"Don't push it, Son."

"Uh-huh."

"And he's back. Pass the ketchup, before he starts just chugging it from the bottle."

"I'm not done, just need a bit more for my meatloaf."

"Jesus, Lu, do you want a side of dinner with your ketchup?"

"Uh-huh."

And so on, until the meal ended, and he was able to retreat to his room and advance his scores on Battlefield Four. His summer had evaporated on that game or others. His parents had marvelled at how he was able to hang out with his friends without any of them even leaving their rooms to meet up. All he needed was a headset, a joypad, and a comfy seat. Fortunately, as a bear, he was able to get comfortable in almost any circumstances. He had even fallen asleep while standing in the queue at a supermarket once.

It was a good way of hiding from the horror he knew was coming - first, the move, and now, the return to Hell. The only problem, as far as Lucas was concerned, was it worked all too well to distract him, and so the move had snuck up on him, and as he noticed his room was dark except for the glow from his monitor, his second-to-last day of freedom was gone.

A light knock on his door signalled the end of his marathon gaming session, which he was ok with - he had been doing terrible anyway. He paused and stretched with a deep yawn as he said, "Come in." So the words stretched out and were barely recognisable as actual communication. Fortunately, Anna had spent a large part of her childhood learning to interpret the many grunts, moans, and groans of her brother. Much like the rest of the family, she was fluent in Teenage Grunt; it hadn't been that long since she was speaking it herself.

"Hey, Lu," she muttered as she stepped inside the room. She smiled as she noticed the pile of dirty clothes already building. It was a gift of her brother: No matter how fast and how often their mother washed clothing, his bedroom floor always sported at least a few stray bits of laundry. Anna remembered the last time their parents went away for a few days and left the siblings to fend for themselves. Three days, and she was no longer able to see the carpet for the dirty clothing.

"What's up?" Lucas asked as he put his controller down and gave his sister a smile. He knew why she was here; it wasn't hard to guess. However, he could play ignorant for a little while and make her ask the actual question.

"Have you... thought more about your idea?" Anna asked carefully as she closed the door behind her, making sure her parents wouldn't overhear them. It was a little weird to her how, even as a young adult, her urge around her brother was to revert to her teenage self. The two had conspired on many fun little schemes over the years; putting one over on their parents was a common occurrence. So even though she knew she should probably tell her parents about his plans, Anna would keep his secrets and, if he really wanted it, she would help him.

"Yes, and before you say anything... I still want to do it," As he spoke, the bear got to his feet. "I know it's extreme, and our parents will hit the roof. I also know it could backfire, but... if it works, and I can just slip through the next year unnoticed, no teasing, no pranks, no being called Whitey... well, I think that is worth it."

Sighing the female nodded, "I suppose I understand... I mean, I don't at all; it seems nuts. You are you, and I like you."

"A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet," Lucas replied with a grin. He was very proud of that line.

"Oh, you know what that's a quote from?" his sister asked quickly, with a smile on her face.

"Erm... ok, no, just thought it sounded good," the bear admitted with a blush and an embarrassed chuckle.

"Oh, you will definitely need to focus harder on your English studies if you don't know that," laughed his sister as she revelled in her brother's embarrassment. "It's from Romeo and Juliet, twerp. Their plan didn't exactly go that well either, now did it?"

Lucas shrugged. "You tell me. I haven't read it. I got halfway through Julius Caesar and wanted to pull all the fur off my body, just to have something different to think about."

"That one is a tad speechy, yeah... but the star-crossed lovers end up dying on top of one another. It's not called a tragedy for nothing," Anna informed him, stepping closer and placing a paw on both shoulders so she could look into his eyes. "Are you really sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, I am." The teenager couldn't help but smile; he knew his sister was just trying to look out for him. However, he also knew she would help him if she could. His parents would hit the roof; they might even keep him off school for the day, to try and de-dye their errant son. "Very sure. Look if it blows up in my face I won't bl..."

"I don't care who you blame if it blows up in your face," his sister half snapped, and then squeezed his shoulders. "I just don't want my brother making a fool of himself, spending his last year at school as the insane bear who tried to be a black bear. I don't want to see you go through what happened a few years ago."

"Look, we do it tomorrow, and if it comes out bad, if you don't think I pass for a black bear, how long would it take to un-dye my fur?" Lucas asked.

"I dunno... about an hour and a bucket full of dye wash. Oh, and your fur would be very brittle; you'd need to use conditioner every day for a week, or you might shed a lot." Anna had to admit, it was a compromise at least. She could help him, and maybe when he saw himself, he would change his mind. "I spoke to Mrs, Nesbit this morning, and she said, if you didn't mind students working on you, she would let you have the dye at cost. It's good training, you see, and she has a lot of college students come through."

"That's awesome!" exclaimed the bear. He almost hugged his sister with excitement. However, such extreme measures were reserved for extreme circumstances, and neither of them was dying (at least not yet - the potential for death through embarrassment still remained pretty high).

"Okay. Well, tomorrow, we can head to the salon, and... well, we'll just see how it goes," agreed the female. She knew she had to help him, though despite Lucas's promises, Anna knew it didn't matter if he took all the blame. She was the "full adult," and her parents would be seriously pissed at her for helping him. Actions like this had enough blame to ensure everyone got a healthy helping.

Not that she was too worried. Their parents had always been very patient with them. She had lost count of the number of times she and her sibling had broken the rules. Not that they always got away with it; they had both spent a good dose of time grounded. However, even the time they had accidentally knocked the wing mirror off the family car, they had never done more than shout and bluster. Although their Dad had fumed for a week or two until the car had been fixed, by the end of the week, dessert was already back on the dinner table, and two weeks later, their grounding had ended.

She muttered a goodnight and headed off. Lucas didn't need much encouragement to go to bed. He hadn't slept well, and even though he had slept late that morning, he found himself crawling into bed before his eleven-thirty, non-school-night bedtime. This time, not even worries could keep him from a good night's sleep. It would take a catastrophe of a major order to keep him awake two nights in a row.

3: The Science of Polar Shift

No disturbing dreams during the night, at least none that he remembered. Lucas awoke with a yawn, stretching his huge arms and paws out. As he put his paws behind his head, he realised he was pitching a rather large tent. He checked his clock to find out it was only eight-thirty. His parent's wouldn't be up for another hour, and his sister probably wouldn't be either.

A large paw slipped down and pushed under his mattress searching for contraband not even Anna knew he had. His fingertips touched glossy paper and he pulled it out: A magazine. It was a year old now, and it hadn't been easy for the young bear to get hold of. Lucas could still remember the day he bought it, feeling the heated blush under his fur, his paws trembling as he put it on the counter. The shop clerk had looked at the magazine and given him a knowing smirk. For a second, his heart had frozen, expecting her to demand to see some ID. Instead, she had simply taken his money and put the magazine into a brown paper bag, muttering, "I'm sure you'll enjoy the articles."

Lucas could still see the knowing look on her face. She knew the articles in Playgirl were not aimed at men. Flicking it open he, found an image of a particularly handsome polar bear, topless in a stables, with a thick shaft just peaking out of his boxers. Rolling onto his side, his eyes devoured the delicious image, his huge paw wrapping around his own throbbing maleness.

Lucas imagined what it would be like if he were there in the stables. He moaned softly as he thought of wrapping his other paw around that thick drooling rod. With a nervous lick of his lips he trembled at the thought of tasting that meat, wondering what it would taste like. It had been so hard going to school, showering with the other guys, especially once he realised he wasn't normal.

A deeper moan escaped his lips as his paw stroked his maleness furiously. The sleph, sleph, sleph sound of a wet paw filled his ears and echoed around the room. Cock already slickened with the copious amounts of pre he was leaking. The bear was big all over, and thanks to Playgirl and some sneaky looks in the shower, he knew he himself had been blessed with enviable equipment. His paw moved faster and faster as he flicked the page with the other paw.

This time, it was a perfectly sculpted black bear, huge rippling muscles standing in a stream, fully nude. The bear was looking over his back towards the camera that was behind him, his perfectly toned ass on display, just above the waterline to really draw the eye. A feral grunt escaped Lucas's lips as he thought about touching that ass, bending the hunk over, slipping his cock between those wonderful mounds. That was all the young horny male could take, and with a shudder, he began to cum, jetting stream after stream of thick spunk over his legs and the bedsheets.

However, he wasn't able to enjoy the afterglow of his sneaky morning tug, because no sooner had his cum flow slowed to a drizzle, then the handle of his door pushed down. His paw moved faster than his brain, shoving the magazine under the pillow as he yelped out, "I'm still sleeping!" His heart raced, his other paw slid up quickly, wiping the cum off on his duvet as it did so.

His sister's head peaked around the door, and Lucas could see the knowing smirk on her face. "Well, once you are done sleeping, we should get out of here early, before Mom and Dad get up."

OK that's all of the preview, it's actually more than double the preview you can get on Amazon. If you want to find out what happens to Lucas and how his plan goes then please consider buying my novel, it is available on amazon in paperback or Kindle format (other ebook versions coming soon), you can get them at the links below:

http://www.amazon.com/Sisco-Polaris/e/B019FI7CM6 USA

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sisco-Polaris/e/B019FI7CM6/ UK

For other areas you can easily find it by searching the title Dyeing To Be With You

If you want to support ths hard working writer bear you can do so at my Patreon account here https://www.patreon.com/sisco

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