San Leschukhu de san sel De Hahulia
It had been a quiet day. The party passed uninturrupted in their travel, and despite one of the leaf-drakes getting huffy halfway into the day, the problem was quickly remedied by Pula picking a stone from her foot. Kin had fretted about her weight,...
Homecoming
"We just need to watch out for She's-A-Problem. "Who?" "She's my old roommate. Don't let her kick you." "Why would she?" "She's kind of an ass like that." said Pika with a grin. It took Wires a considerable amount of effort to smile back at...
Epilogue
Pride-in-Her-Eyes wasn't even upset when her friend showed up ten minutes early, before she'd finished updating her registry. Pika's purple fur shone in the setting sun, well-groomed and perhaps moisturized. Her eyes sparkled, and she stalked down the...
How's Tokui?
"How's Tokui?" asked Pika, and Wires couldn't help staring at her a little bit, because after six years, people tend to forget about details like that. Wires had run into the purple chimera in a Starbucks, in a Barnes&Noble, and she had recognized...
How's Tokui?
Pika was a mess the next time Wires saw her. The white fur on her muzzle was dingy and stained dark with tearmarks. Her tail was scrawny and held low, and as she panted, he could see one tooth moving loosely along with her tongue. "Did you speak to...
Strangers
Wires woke up at 4am, to the sound of gagging. He sat up, feeling an uncomfortable tugging around his ears. He'd fallen asleep with his earbuds in. Instead of untangling them, he unplugged them from the CD player next to his bed. He walked into the...
Failure to Leave
When Wires got home from work the next day, he was greeted by a familiar silence. The TV had been turned off, and Keisha was asleep in the popcorn bowl, curled up amongst a pile of red-speckled napkins. There was a small, sloppily-written note pinned...
A Weasel in the Night
It wasn't his parents, his sister, or even himself who first noticed that Wires wasn't doing well. He was sitting quietly at his computer panting and sweating when he felt rather than saw a head looming over the wall. It was his boss, who peered over...
Interglacials
Pride looked nothing like the girl from his memories. They met in front of the Barnes&Noble, and she walked towards him with that distinctive wariness wolves always have. She sniffed the air a couple of times before stepping within his reach, and...
A Wolf at the Door
Pride called Wires when he had a pile of groceries on his arm, and a key in his hand. "Wires?" she said. He remembered, like he always did, how much he'd loved the sound of her voice. He leaned against the wall, the key pinched between his paw...
Let the Wrong One In
The bus ride was a blur to Wires. He nodded off, leaning his head back into the window as they rode. Pika woke him up when they reached his stop, and they walked back to Wires' apartment, arm in arm for steadiness. Pika later told him that they went...