Kind Stranger:
Shortie by Lone Wolf

~I'm falling....I can't stop myself....help me~

	I could see the vortex above me, growing smaller and smaller by the 
second. The foul phenomena had found me and sent me plummeting to god only 
knows where. It was either getting further away or closing up. I couldn't 
tell. I didn't want to know. All I knew was that I was going to, eventually, 
land. And I had no idea where.

	I wrenched my body around. Below, I could see another hole forming. I 
could see a building, probably a school of some sort. And there were many 
people, likely students, just getting out. The hole wasn't too high above 
them; at worst I would be making a 30 foot fall. I knew I could survive that. 
Suddenly, the barrier was broken. My body fell through the portal and my 
scream became audible once again. The crowd that was there dispersed as I 
fell to the soft grass.

	I shook off the shock from the landing and looked up. I quickly 
realized that they were not my people! I am used to being surrounded by the 
wolven, the skunkish, and so on. There had to be many different species for 
me to be comfortable. But these creatures were all the same species. They 
had no fur, no muzzles, no tails...nothing that I regard as normal. Their 
skin varied in color and, apparently, texture. Few males, but most of the 
females, had hair perched atop their skulls. They had all sorts of very 
awkward looking artificial equipment sticking out of or on their bodies, 
what purposes they served, I didn't know. And all I could hear from them 
were whispers.

	"Wha ish it?"
	"It loos lika raccoon...but...."
	"Issa 'coon girl? Dag, tha ain't suppose to be!"

	Either they only spoke broken English, or it was a different variation. 
I groaned and slowly got to my feet. That was a mistake. They flew into a 
panic and ran in all directions. I knew I was in trouble.

	One of the creatures, on the other hand, approached me. He wore a pair 
of glasses (I knew what glasses were) and a soft demeanor. "Are you all 
right?" His speech was strained, awkward almost, but quite understandable.
	I quirked a brow. "Yeah, I'm fine."
	"Zaiko," one of the other creatures shouted at him. "Ar you insane? 
Get away frum er!
	He looked towards the voice. "Ah, go screw off!" He turned back to me. 
"We need to get you out of here." Who was we? "Come with me, and don't fall 
back." He started to move away from me, going in one direction. I tried to 
follow, but cried out. My leg was injured. He quickly came to my aid. 
"You're hurt."
	"No duh. Go without me. I'll be fine."
	He chuckled. "You mus not be frum aroun here. Wich leg hirts?" His 
speech suddenly became a lot harder to comprehend. It must have been because 
he was more concerned for me.
	"My left leg." He quickly went over to that side, and helped me up.
	"I'll be yor left leg. Can you still wurk the other one?"
	"Yeah."
	"Good. Let's get out of here." He started to move. I had to quickly 
adjust myself to keep up. We hobbled away from the chaos.

	It took us a good fifteen minutes, but we arrived at what I suspected 
was his home. It was an old looking private home, with two floors, an attic, 
and a basement apartment. It looked too appealing. "Here we are," he said, 
his words still coming out strained. "We should go up so you can rest."
	"That's very kind of you," I responded. "But I don't want to trouble 
you any."
	"No trouble at all. I was honestly hoping something like this would 
happen." He helped me up a flight of steps. 
	"What do you mean by that?"
	He sighed. "Ma life has bin borin these las few years. Uh was hopin 
someun like you wuld com along to make it fun agin." His speech was less 
understandable again. He was obviously conflicted over proper English and 
what seemed to be some sort of slang or variation.
	"Oh okay." He helped me inside and up yet another flight of stairs to 
the third floor. "I can't thank you enough." He sat me down on a couch. 
"What are you?"
	"I'm what's known as a human. I'm one of 6 billion on this planet. 
What about you?"
	"I'm a ra'cui, a raccoon person."
	He chuckled. "Not what I was hoping for, but still, you're great."
	"Thank you! What's your name?"
	He smiled and sat down across from. "Eh, I'm known as 'Hey you!' or 
'boy' or whatever the name of the week is. My real name is Axen Zaiko."
	I smiled. "I'm Emily Marcus. It's a pleasure to meet you Axen." I held 
my hand out. He took it in his hands and shook it.
	"Thank you for choosing to land here."
	"I didn't choose. It just...happened." I stretched. "Is it okay if I 
put my feet up?"
	"If you take your shoes, sure." I smiled and slipped my weary feet out 
of their sneakers. They promptly went up and onto the couch. It just felt so 
good. "But I'd be wary of laying down on it," he added.
	I quirked a brow. "Why?"
	"Because that couch is cursed."
	I quickly became alarmed. "Cursed?! How so?"
	"Well, everytime I lay down on it, I fall asleep. It always happens." 
He grinned mischeviously. I laughed and threw one of the couch's small 
pillows at him. He caught it and laughed. "It's no lie! Try it for 
yourself!"
	"Whatever you say!" I layed back. "So where am I?"
	"On Earth. You're currently in New York City."
	"Where?"
	"Uh...Milky Way Galaxy...western edge of the disk?" He was trying his 
best, I had to give him that.
	"Oh...I get it now." I stretched. Boy was that couch comfortable.
	"Where are you from?"
	"The Serendi Province on C. Prime."
	"Oh. Is it a nice place?"
	"Yeah, I guess." I yawned. "It's home, and I can't argue with that."
	"Well, I don't think we can get you back there just yet. So we'll just 
call here home for now, how does that sound?"
	"Sounds fine." I got more comfortable. "Are you sure you're willing to 
let me stay here?"
	"I see no problem with it. My parent's don't care about who I have 
over, or what for that matter, and how long they stay." He sighed. "I 
basically live alone here. Parents and sisters all over the place."
	"That must suck." I curled up into the couch. "I'd hate to be lonely." 
It sunk in slowly. "Now that I think about it, I am alone. I'm surrounded by 
strange people..." I yawned. "I don't feel comfortable around your kind..." 
My eyes slowly shut. "It's going to be..." I was never able to finish the 
thought, falling asleep as soon as I muttered the last word.

	I awoke to some sort of sweet aroma. I sat up and discovered that I 
was covered in a soft blanket with a really ornate pattern on it. It looked 
like an old indian pattern. I didn't know for sure. "Where am I?"
	"Ah, you're awake," Axen's voice responded. "Did you enjoy your nap?"
	"This couch is cursed."
	"I told you so. How's the leg?"
	I touched it. There was no pain. I stood up. Nothing. "It's fine. I 
don't know why, but it is."
	"Good to hear." He came out with a tray, upon which sat two bowls of 
steaming soup. "Hungry?"
	"Indeed." I took a deep breath. "Whatever that is, it smells great."
	He chuckled and put the tray on the table by the couch. "Ramen noodles. 
No meat, no vegitables, and a nutritional value of cardboard. But hey, this 
is what gets me through the lonely nights." He winked and moved one of the 
bowls off the tray "Bon appetite!" He grabbed a fork and started to eat. I 
hesitated and looked at the bowl. It didn't look very appetizing, but the 
smell was too enticing to pass up. I picked up my fork, twirled it in the 
foggy water, and came up with a bundle of noodles. I shrugged and took a 
taste....

	Ten minutes later, Axen took our empty plates away. "That was 
delicious!" I complimented. "How do you make it?"
	"It's packaged stuff," he called back. "Don't knock it."
	"Wow..." I stretched out a little. "So what do we do now?"
	He leaned in the doorway to the rest of the house. "I dunno. It's 
still early in the evening." He looked towards the ceiling, as if he were 
expecting some sort of higher power to give him an answer. "There's nothing 
good on TV at this hour. The VCR is on the fritz. I don't know what to say."
	"It's okay. I don't need any visual entertainment." I rubbed my arm. 
"I wouldn't mind taking a shower though."
	"If you want to..." He pointed down the hall. "The bathroom is the 
first door on your left. There's a bathtub there too, if you choose to 
soak."
	"All right." I started to move, but stopped. "Not to sound rude or 
anything, but how do I know you won't try to sneak a peak at me."
	He laughed. "Although I am quite curious, I do have a sense of 
decency." He put a fist to his chest and bowed. "I give you my words as one 
of the few honest members of my people that I will not try to sneak a peak 
at your shapely nude body as you bathe."
	I chuckled. "What are you? A walking sack of mideval charm?"
	He grinned. "But m'lady, I only seek to please those as lovely as 
thou." 
	I laughed. "Get over yourself." I got up and went into the bathroom.

	I took one look at the shower, one look at the bathtub, and heaved a 
sigh of relief. They apparently had the same system. I ditched my clothing 
and started for the shower. But then I saw the tub again. I really needed to 
relax. But I didn't want to take advantage of his hospitality.
	"There's a bathtub there too, if you choose to soak."
	His words echoed in my head. That was all I needed to flip the faucet 
on the tub. I waited for the basin to fill up two-thirds of the way before 
shutting off the water and climbing in. As soon as my body hit the warm 
waters, every muscle in my body relaxed. I let the soothing warmth flow 
through my fur into cracks I already knew were there and crevices I didn't 
even know I had. I undid the ribbon that had my soft brown hair tied up and 
let it all just flow to the ground. It was like I was in one of those bath 
commercials and was expecting some hunk of a skunk or mouse to appear out of 
nowhere and massage my shoulders as I sold some faceless company's latest 
shampoo. But it was obvious that it wouldn't happen on this planet.

	Some time passed and I eventually pulled myself from the waters. I 
drained the tub and grabbed one of Axen's towels. I hoped he wouldn't mind 
as I wrapped it around myself. I compelled myself to do my hair and stepped 
out of the bathroom. Right across the hall, more or less a door down, I 
heard somebody typing away furiously at a keybord. I tightened my towel and 
went to investigate. I found Axen, sitting at a computer, typing something 
up. "Axen?"
	"Hmm?" He looked up at me. His jaw landed in his lap. "Oh...h-hey 
Emily. Did you enjoy your bath?" His words were even more strained than 
before. Just nervous, I guess.
	"Yes I did." I sat down on his low lying bed. "Thank you for allowing 
me to do that." I grinned. "I see you kept your promise."
	He nodded. "I keep to my word."
	"You're sweet. Thank you."
	He quickly finished up what he was typing and shut the machine down. 
"It's late. We should get some sleep and figure out what we should do with 
you tomorrow."
	"What we should do with me? What's that supposed to mean?"
	"You saw how my peers reacted when you got up. What do you think the 
local law enforcement's going to do when they see you?"
	"Oh...I guess you're right." I started to move.
	"Uh...where are you going?"
	"To the couch."
	"Why?"
	I rolled my eyes. "To catch a few Zs."
	"Why do that? You've got my bed."
	I shook my head. "I don't want you trying to-"
	"You won't have to worry about any of that. I'll be sleeping on the 
couch until we know what we're doing."
	"I can't...I-"
	"Don't worry. I've done this before. Just get a good night's rest and 
I'll see you in the morning." He stepped out the door, shutting it behind 
him.

	I was in his bed for a good fifteen minutes before I became restless. 
Sick of staring at the ceiling, I rolled over towards the wall. I was met 
with two sets of eyes. I jumped back a little, but quickly realized they 
were only stuffed animals. Two little gray wolves, sitting on the edge of 
the bed, watching me. Or they might have been watching over me. I didn't 
know. I took one of them and looked at it. Axen was sacrificing a good 
night's sleep for me. I couldn't let him be out there without having at 
least one of these little guys with him! I put the towel back on and went 
out into the living room. He was on the couch, his hands behind his head, 
the same blanket he had me covered in over his shirtless body, and his eyes 
shut. I crept over to him "Axen," I whispered. "You still awake?"
	"Yes," he said in a regular toned voice. He sat up and looked at me. 
"Couldn't sleep?"
	"Nah." I sat down next to him. "I couldn't see you out here like 
this." I handed him the stuffed animal.
	He smiled and took it. "Thank you Emily. That's one of the nicest 
things anyone's done for me."
	I smiled. "You're welcome." I leaned back on the couch. "Why couldn't 
you sleep?"
	"Well, other than the fact that I kept hearing 'there's a drop dead 
gorgeous raccoon woman sleeping in my bed' in my head, I've been dealing 
with a bundle of nerves sitting in my stomach."
	"Nerves?"
	"Yeah. I mean, not to offend you, but having you here is a new 
experience for me."
	"How so?"
	"Between your stunning beauty and the fact that you're the exciting 
change in my life that I've been waiting for, it's obvious." He shook his 
head. "It's not your fault."
	I put a hand on his shoulder. "Axen, are you okay?"
	"Yeah...I guess..." He stretched. "Perhaps at least you should get 
some sleep. I've gone without before."
	"I...I can't. I don't feel right."
	"Don't like being in the bed of something you don't know what the hell 
it is?"
	"It's not that. I don't feel right sleeping in your bed while you 
sleep on the couch. I won't let it happen. I'd rather go without sleep than 
to know that-"
	He took my hands. "I understand." He lowered his eyes from mine. "So 
it appears that we're either going to have to compromise or neither of us 
are going to get any sleep."
	"Ah...ah..." I pulled one hand away.
	"I'm sorry." He let go of the other hand. "Sorry if I got too touchy-
feely." He voice was softer than before. I could tell that he felt hurt 
somehow. I wasn't sure why, but I could smell it. I put a hand on his cheek.
	"Don't apologize. It's okay." He looked up at me. "I'm serious Axen. 
If I'm stuck here, I'm gonna have to live with it, right?"
	"I guess." He smiled.
	I smiled. "I like that smile. It suits you."
	"Thanks."
	"Now, what are we going to do about sleep?"
	"Well, we have two options. One, we try to figure something out so 
we're both happy. Or two, we wait here until morning." He yawned. "I'm 
up for negotiations."
	"So am I. I need a rest after falling between two worlds."
	"Yeah. So let's get our demands on the table." He leaned back on the 
couch. "I want you to take the bed and get a good night's sleep."
	I nodded. "But it is your bed and I don't want you to be 
inconvenienced because of me."
	"Okay. That's what we want then. We want each other to use the bed." 
He shook his head. "There's only one thing that comes to mind, and I don't 
wish to tread into that territory just yet."
	I nodded. "I know." I took the stuffed wolf from him and looked it 
over. "But...oh what the hell!"
	He looked at me, his brow furrowed. "Huh?!"
	"You kept your promise not to peek at me while I bathed. This'll be a 
reward. Sound good?"
	"N-no...I don't think I should."
	"Axen, it's okay. Just give me a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt and 
I'll be fine."
	He chuckled. "The shirt I'm sure I can do. The shorts might not be as 
easy."
	"Why do you say that?" He pointed at my tail. "Oh, that's right."
	"I think I may have a piece of improvisation for that. Come with me."

	He shuffled through the dresser on the other side of his room. He was 
looking for something. I sat on his bed, still in my towel, watching him 
curiously. "AHA!" He pulled out a pair of his boxers.
	"What do you think you're going to do with that?" He put his hand into 
the boxers and poked a finger out of the little hole in the front. "Yeah, 
so?" His whole hand suddenly shot through. "Okay...."
	He handed them to me. "Try putting them on backwards. Your tail should 
fit through the hole." He turned back for the dresser and continued to look 
through it. I shrugged and lost the towel. I took his advice and put the 
boxers on like he said - backwards. Amazingly, I managed to get my big, 
bushy tail into the little hole. More importantly, it was comfortable.
	"Nice. I like it."
	"Okay Emily, I found you a-" He turned around and saw me without the 
towel. All I had on were his boxers. He turned bright red and turned away. 
"I'm sorry!"
	I went over and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. Call that a 
bonus."
	"O-oh...r-right." He nervously offered up the tee-shirt he had 
clutched in his hand. I took it and started to put it on.
	"Wait. No." I put the shirt aside. "I'm willing to take the risk of 
you fondling me." Okay, so I admit it, I was acting like an intergalatic 
slut. It would have been no different if he was one of my kind.
	"I...I would never do that. Are you sure you-?" I nodded. He took a 
deep breath. "Okay." He sat down on the bed. "I'll keep to my side and try 
not to bother you as you sleep." He crawled into the seemingly 5% near the 
wall and curled up. "Good night Emily. See you in the morning." Hesitantly, 
I crawled into bed. But it didn't feel right. Probably because that Axen was 
all scrunched up in that little strip of bed. I wasn't going to accept that. 
So I decided to play with him. I slowly inched over to him and went back to 
back. He jumped as my back touched his. "What are you doing Emily?"
	"Getting comfortable."
	"O...okay...so why are you pressing your soft, furry back onto mine?"
	"Because you're here."
	He sat up. "What are you up to?"
	I folded my hands on my chest. "Axen, I don't want you to be scrunched 
up on one side of the bed. Here." I moved over. "I don't want to have to beg 
you."
	"But...w-we just met. It wouldn't be right."
	I sighed. "Stop acting like a gentleman for now. You may curl up with 
me if you want." I thought about it for a second. "For that matter, I 
wouldn't mind it."
	"Come again?"
	"I feel a little lonely. And, to be quite honest. In the few hours 
we've been together, I trust you enough to curl up with me. Anything for a 
good night's sleep, no?"
	"You've got a point." He took a deep breath and layed down across from 
me. I rolled onto my side to face him and smiled. He returned the smile. 
"Better?"
	"Yeah." I turned by back to him and pushed myself into his arms.
	"Uh....no, I'm not going to argue..." He wrapped his arms around me. 
"Good night Emily."
	I smiled. "Good night Axen." He chuckled and started to stroke my 
belly. I had the sudden urge to slap him, but his hands were too soft for me 
to act on it.
	"The belly is always the softest part of an animal's fur. And it 
appears that the same applies for your kind. I don't understand it."
	I rolled over and rested my head on his arm. I felt like a grade-A 
slut, but I couldn't care. He was the only real friend I had on this planet. 
"I never really knew myself. Just let it be." He smiled and did something 
unexpected. He pulled me closer to him and kissed the top of my head. 
"A-axen!"
	"I know. Just take it. Good night Emily."
	I looked up at him and smiled. "Good night Axen." I returned the favor 
and kissed his cheek....

	I woke up the next morning. I was still in his bed. He was still with 
me, his arm around my waist. I sighed. It wasn't a dream. I was nowhere near 
friends and family. But, for some odd reason, I was a little thankful. Why? 
Axen, the human I had met a little less than a day ago, was there for me. I 
knew he was going to help me survive this world: help me to learn their 
customs, their ways, and give me the companionship I would be missing from 
home. I nuzzled up against him and smiled. "Thank you Axen, for taking me in. 
I won't forget this kindness." He must have heard my words, because he 
started to stroke my back. I hugged him. "Thank you for being here for me 
Axen." And all he did was utter two, soft, beautiful words.

	"You're welcome."

End

Emily Marcus is © Lone Wolf and <([ Lone Wolf Studios ])>