This story is dedicated to Matthew Shepard, who died because of pointless hatred, and to Chris Goodwin whose artistry inspired me to write this story and give up suffering.

"Remember those posters that said, \x91Today is the first day of the rest of your life\x92? Well, that's true of every day but one --- the day you die."

- American Beauty

If you could have looked at him, you probably would not have attributed any more worth to this anthro Dalmatian than any other. If you could have known him, you probably would have mourned the loss. If you could have loved him, you probably would have been his mate, the wolf remembered as Michael Andrews. And love Don Freeman, you would have.

In the suburbs of a city whose name is inconsequential, Don awoke, feeling strange, on this particular Saturday morning in November. Don felt initially odd because as he pushed his ears out of the way and turned off his alarm clock, he realized that it hadn\x92t yet activated. Traditionally, Don could not be anywhere without an alarm clock, for he would often wake up to find the day had already passed him by. Also curious was how he awoke just minutes before it would have gone off, at 9:30. "Stupid biological clock," Don sleepily murmured as he sat up and scratched his headfur. "Took it 29 years to come \x91round."

Don climbed out of bed and smoothed out his bedsheets, stretching himself out when he finished. He grabbed a clean pair of jeans off his chair, pulled on an all-yellow long-sleeved shirt, and started to do the sorts of things a non-morning person does. Like forget where his toothbrush is.

With all the ordinary things out of the way, Don resolved to tackle his reason for getting up this early on a weekend. Don was the network administrator of a local business firm. While during the week he\x92d work on-site, every Saturday morning he would attempt to break into his own infrastructure to test its\x92 security. He\x92d tag his break-in, if successful, with a certain code so as to ensure that everyone knew it was only a test.

After stumbling out into the living room, he swung around a chair and pulled up in front of his computer. After turning it on, he grabbed his rounded, rectangular spectacles and put them on. Once booted, he cracked his pawknuckles and loaded up his network cracking toolkit. He hadn\x92t been able to break in for the past few weeks, which was a good feeling, and he expected today to have similar results.

______________________________________________________________________

Michael woke up with a juddering start, thoroughly alarmed. There was nothing he could do! ... He shook his head, coming back to reality. He became aware suddenly, and with a massive feeling of relief, that his dream was not real. In his dream, he had been forced to witness a painful execution of someone who he somehow knew was innocent, although he couldn\x92t consciously remember who that person was.

Michael leaned back on his headboard, still wide eyed and distressed. He took several deep breaths. Dreams like this were very uncommon, especially one so absolutely morbid and grisly as an execution. He knew he\x92d be okay after a while, but it was just going to take a few minutes to shake off the heebie-jeebies of such an unexpected (and unwelcome) dream.

Only, that was when his radio decided to instantly and loudly blast some sort of tune on "NINETY-THREE POINT FIVE MORNING RADIO", which would have normally woken him if he hadn\x92t already been jolted to consciousness.

"DAHHH!" Michael yelped and instinctively slammed off his radio. "Ay-yai-yai," he said, shaking his head again to regain some composure. "If I knew any better, I\x92d think today was Monday." Michael had indeed had a rough start of a Saturday morning.

His dream had caused an unpleasant amount of sweat to form in his fur; therefore, first thing he did was take a shower. The warm water helped ease his mind off his dream, and move it towards the events of the day. Ah, of course! Today was his one-year anniversary with his mate, Don. Instantly, all other thoughts vanished as his boyfriend came into mental view. Michael grinned as he scrubbed his fur, water rolling off his head and down his sides. Don was an angel to him. Today was going to be great.

He shut off the water. "Just great..." he said aloud. Drying himself off with a towel, he walked out and grabbed his workbag, looking for his schedule. "What are we doing today?" he said out loud as he found the little book. Flipping through the pages, he turned it to Saturday, November 23^rd. In tiny print, the book read "Rehearsals. Coaching and support for "Nobility\x92s Reward", 11:30 to 3:00."

Of course. Michael had set up his schedule this way so that he could go on a date with Don in the afternoon. Checking his clock radio, he found that it was 10:33. Just enough time to snag a little breakfast and maybe give Don a call to see how he was this morning. Hopefully, his was less shocking.

Michael was getting dressed in his casual work clothes, which were picked because they\x92d also double as fine date clothes, when the phone rang. Quickly pulling up his pants, he did a weird hobble-run to the kitchen to grab the phone on the wall. After the third ring, he picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hi hun, it\x92s Don."

"Don!" God, it was good to hear his voice. "I was just thinking about calling you."

"Happy anniversary, Mike. I love you." Don sounded like he was just fine.

Michael smiled and leaned against the wall. "How sweet, Don. I love you too."

"How\x92re you doing?"

"I\x92ve had an awfully startling morning, but other than that, I\x92m feeling good."

"Startling?" Don\x92s voice tinted with worry. "Is something wrong?"

Michael laughed quietly. "Everything\x92s okay now, Don. Everything\x92s all right. I\x92ll tell you about it later, and speaking of which, everything\x92s still a-go, right?"

"Absolutely. I just got done with my weekend cracking dealie-majig, and everything\x92s locked up nice and tight. Oh, until Monday of course when the regularly scheduled hell-breaking-loose internet traffic starts back up. So anyway, I\x92ll be over around... 3:30. Sound right?"

"Right on. Okay. Thanks for the call, I\x92ll be waitin\x92 for you."

"Alright, sweetie. \x91Bye"

"Bye, Mike."

He hung up the phone and continued leaning against the wall for a moment, his arms crisscrossed on his chest. He whispered, "I love you," and went back into his room to get his shirt on. After that, he made himself a somewhat small breakfast, figuring it was in his best interest to save room for later. At five after 11:00, he grabbed his grey overcoat, workbag, and keys and left his apartment. Once he locked the door, he went down to his car in the parking lot and headed for the Ensemble Performing Arts Theatre.

______________________________________________________________________

Don hung up the phone and shut off his computer \x96 he\x92d likely not need it until much later anyhow. He looked around his living room for a moment before opening the shades and letting in some more light through his large windows. When Don had moved into this house and found it furnished with some of his favorite furniture, he knew he couldn\x92t let anyone else have it. And what with it being located in the suburbs, far enough away from the shuffle of things to get some quiet... it was settled in writing as quickly as he could get it done.

The room had a very light appearance of white and grey \x96 a grey couch with an ornamental rug around it which managed not to clash, white carpet, a strange beige-white-grey combination wall paint (which he mixed himself), and a deep brown set of oak bookshelves for a bit of color contrast. Also, he loved the glass coffee table he had found, with its fogged glass laying out artistic shapes and designs that didn\x92t necessarily mean anything. It was simple enough to look at and yet possessed an inner beauty, and Don had always liked rooms that didn\x92t overwhelm his eyes with color and yet were bright enough for him to feel... free in.

Several other furs had recommended certain interior designers to Don for whatever reason, but he never sought them out because he didn\x92t want to change a thing about any part of his house. And the beautiful thing was that Mike had never once mentioned anything of the sort to Don \x96 he believed that Mike simply understood the subtle beauty of the room and didn\x92t want to change it either.

However, the room was getting a tad messy from not having any time to clean it. The past few weeks at work had been all work and no play as it is said. And since Michael would probably be over after their date, his house could look better for it. And besides, there was hardly a more productive way to spend his spare time waiting for 3:00 to come than cleaning up his place. He\x92d just have to find enough things to clean. That wouldn\x92t be hard, Don mused \x96 there was always something to clean in a suburban home.

______________________________________________________________________

Michael arrived at the theatre a few minutes early before rehearsals, so he hung around outside greeting the last few people as they went in. Welcoming his crew was one of the things that he liked to do to make them feel appreciated, and it usually helped improve their performances too. Today, as the schedule had said, they were doing rehearsals for a play that Michael had penned, entitled "Nobility\x92s Reward". It was a fairly basic story about getting what you deserve, designed more to test people\x92s acting skills than tax their brainpower with layers upon layers of depth to the story.

It was very well received among the new cast members, and that gave Michael a good feeling -- to see his purpose in writing it being realized. This day was the second rehearsal day, and Michael was there in order to help coach everyone on how he had visualized the story. He was always open to different interpretations from the cast, should there be any. Michael always did ensemble theatre as a director.

But by the time early afternoon closed in, Michael had to admit that his thoughts were starting to dwell more on his mate than his current job. He was very much so looking forward to their first anniversary, since they were going back to the place where their first date had been. It was a local bar with the most pleasant staff and the best hamburgers anywhere within city limits. It was also quite possibly the only bar within 500 miles to be smoke-free.

It\x92s one of the best places to fall in love. Good food, good service, and the best company had made that possible for Michael. In the year since then, he had become a good friend with the manager, and had found out that neither him nor his staff were homophobic. Michael had even seen them throw out a gay-basher, once.

It\x92s no surprise then that this bar, which seemed to develop their relationship as it went, would be ideal to return to for this date. And as 3:00 loomed closer, he was getting rather anxious to return home and meet up with Don. Some of the cast members were noticing how antsy he was getting \x96 one even had the brevity to say, "Geez Mike, are we so bad that you can\x92t wait to leave already?"

Mike snapped his head down suddenly, blushing through his fur. "I\x92m sorry guys, I just have plans after rehearsals that I\x92m rather looking forward to. I\x92ll try to harder on focusing here." He had been daydreaming and apparently wasn\x92t paying close-enough attention.

That particular fur that spoke last now said, "Actually, it\x92s 3:00 and we\x92re all ready to leave." A few of them laughed politely as they passed the preoccupied wolf, who was a little stunned to see everyone holding their things and starting to leave.

"Who-..wha-..how-... Whoa!" Michael said as furs passed him on their way out of the theatre. He quickly reassembled his workbag and sprinted towards the exit. He would have to hurry home because it was a little bit after 3:00 and it usually took him about 20 minutes to get home. He prayed as he drove as fast as was legally allowed that he hadn\x92t missed Don.

When he got to the apartment complex, he ran upstairs to his floor, fast as his footpaws would take him. Had he been moving slower, he would have noticed Don getting out of his car and starting to laugh as he saw a wolf streaking up to his door. Don hurried after Michael.

He next saw Mike frantically trying to open the lock to his apartment. Poor wolf was fretting badly that he had missed Don, so Don came up slowly behind him and tapped his back very abruptly. Michael, already too panicky, whipped around so rapidly that he accidentally threw his bag at someone\x92s door. When he saw that it was Don who tapped him, he had nary a moment to react before Don was on him.

Don leaned right up, nudged the side of the wolf\x92s face towards his own with his paw and kissed him. Michael\x92s ears, which had been standing upright and alert, now withered as the kissing sensation mellowed his nerves. When Don finally broke off, he nuzzled Michael\x92s face for a moment before he spoke.

"Uh, hey there you." Don was smiling broadly.

Michael let out a kind of weak sigh.

"Aren\x92t we high-strung?" Don said as he poked Mike gently in the belly, thinking that maybe it would help him move.

Finally, Michael returned to earth. "We\x92re wearing the same clothes," he said slowly, looking over Don with a very warm expression.

Don looked down at himself and said, "Oh... yeah. Would now be a good time to say \x91Great minds think alike\x92?"

"Actually, I think it\x92d be a good time to pick up my bag and pray that I didn\x92t disturb some moment of intense passion in apartment 13." Michael nodded towards the door where his bag lay.

"Oh, right!" Don ran over and picked up the bag, and pressed his head on the door and listened inside the room. He walked back over to Michael and said, "I think we\x92re clear. How about we drop your stuff off in your room and get going?"

"Uh... yeah. Let me just..." Michael pointed towards his door over his shoulder. "... unlock that thing."

Don nodded, and Michael resumed trying to open his door. Now that he was calm and had his head properly on, the door opened easily. He was so eager to go that he ran in, threw his stuff on the nearest chair, ran back out with a bag and then stopped abruptly in front of Don, who had just begun to peer in to the apartment. "Let\x92s go!" Mike said cheerfully.

Don looked into the apartment before Michael locked it and said, "Dang, man. I thought I\x92d see either your apartment was a total mess or flaming tracks from the way you were movin\x92. You\x92re awful cute, you know that?"

Michael shut the door, turned towards Don and took his paw in his own, locking his pawfingers between Don\x92s. "Yes, I know." He nudged Don towards the stairs, and they walked down the hallway, paw-in-paw. And like that they walked all the way to the parking lot, where Don motioned towards his car. "I\x92ll take you," he said.

Next to the car, Don opened the driver\x92s side and Michael stopped him for a moment. Don turned to face him, and was met with the wolf\x92s embrace. Michael held him... enjoying the sensation of being close to his mate. Whispering, he said, "I love you, Don," and gently nipped his ear. They moved apart and Don smiled.

"Hop in." Michael went around to his side of the car and got in, shut the door, and put on his seatbelt. He reached over to Don and rubbed his shoulder. He looked at him earnestly as he started the car.

"I\x92m glad we\x92re here now. I\x92m glad you\x92re with me."

Don looked over at Michael, his ears hanging loose and relaxed. "So am I, Mike." He gave Michael a quick kiss and put the car into gear. He started laughing suddenly and said, "Umm... I hope I can still drive with my legs shaking."

______________________________________________________________________

Around a half an hour later, they arrived at the bar, still talking about the past week that they had spent apart. Both of them had been so busy that they hadn\x92t been able to manage more than just a phone call before today. They were glad to have this afternoon off, to finally be able to use their time off together.

As they got out of the car and shut the doors, a second car pulled up in the lot. And out stepped a fox with dark brown fur, an extremely bushy tail, and wearing a sort of olive green shirt. And then a second figure emerged \x96 a similarly dressed anthro cougar. Don and Michael looked at eachother, again noticing that they were very similarly dressed with their yellow shirts and jeans. Maybe this was another couple? Neither knew.

The cougar and the fox were just talking next to the car, so Don and Michael walked up to the front door of the bar. Just as Don opened the door for Michael, someone ran through the door and slammed into Don, pushing him over.

"Whoa-Ahh!" Michael caught him before he hit the ground.

Don looked up at Michael and said, "Oh yeah, dip me baby." Michael observed himself \x96 he was in the traditional position for dipping someone in a dance. He laughed and lifted Don back to his feet.

"Who did that?" Michael asked, looking around the parking lot.

"Look, they\x92re gone," Don said as he pointed to the car where the other couple had stepped out a moment ago.

"Oh well, maybe they were just in a hurry or somethin\x92."

Don straightened his shirt and said, "A very rude hurry."

Michael smiled at him, now holding the door open. "C\x92mon, after you." Don stepped through, Michael right after him.

As they walked into the restaurant, they were both inwardly grateful to see that it hadn\x92t changed. The finish on the seats and tables was still shiny, the air was still breathable without smoke, and the bartender, a reasonably cute rabbit, was still a familiar face. Don looked over at Michael as they approached the bar. He had a devious smile on his face. What was he up to? Don was puzzled for a moment.

Once at the bar, Michael put both his paws down and stood up straight, perhaps a bit rigid. Don was in the middle of thinking how abnormal all this was when Michael spoke, using a very flair-of-nobility English accent, "Come hither." The bartender came over, not quite sure what to make of this. "Well met, trusty hireling. Hast thou retained seats for mine comrade and myself to procure?"

Don was nudged by his "comrade". "Uh. Hear hear." He looked at the bartender with one eye wide.

The bartender just looked at them for a moment, one eyebrow raised with the respective ear raised to match.

"..." Still looking.

"Shut up." The bunny said at last, smirking.

All three of them broke out into laughter, getting a couple of looks from the other customers. "What\x92s up, guys?"

"Anniversary, actually."

The bartender looked overjoyed to hear the news. "Really? Oh, that\x92s great guys!" He rubbed his paws together. "So, d\x92ya know what you want?"

"But of course," Michael said. "A double cheeseburger with fries. Oh, and-" Don stepped in at the same time.

"Hold the tomatoes," they both blurted in near-unison.

"Pffft, you two." The bartender looked over at Don. "You want the same thing?"

"Actually, yeah."

"Okay then. I\x92ll grab your orange sodas too." The bartender winked at them, chuckling as he went into the kitchen. Once the bartender disappeared through the swinging doors, Michael spun in his seat, looking at Don. He turned to look back into the wolf\x92s eyes.

Michael seemed at a loss for where to begin. "Umm..." he began, "I\x92m curious as to what\x92s on your mind." He shrugged.

Don looked over Michael\x92s shoulder for a moment and then back into his eyes. "Actually I... I do have something that I\x92ve been meaning to ask you for a while, Mike. I uh... I wanted to know if you would want to move in with me."

This took Michael by total surprise. He blinked a few times and said, "You want me to move in with you? To live with you? Don..." He set his paw in Don\x92s lap, lightly squeezing Don\x92s paw. "Of course I want to. You know I love your house but... but I wasn\x92t sure if you were going to ask because I didn\x92t know if we\x92d be able to afford it and all that. I mean, I have my apartment and all but..." Michael suddenly felt really stupid. "I have no idea what I\x92m talking about."

Don leaned over and said reassuringly, "I\x92ve thought about it and it\x92s totally feasible, except I wasn\x92t sure if you\x92d want to. You\x92re a lot closer to your job where you live right now, and I couldn\x92t assume that you\x92d want to commute an extra 10 miles every day." Half of Don\x92s face creased as a grin spread over it. "And as for the money thing, you just know how my house is filled with riches," he said a bit loudly, and very sarcastically.

The rabbit bartender came back out and started to pour their orange sodas. Michael quietly said, "Yes, Don. I will move in with you. I don\x92t mind a bit driving further to work because the extra time and gas money is more than made up for by being with you."

Clink, clank. Two orange sodas were now waiting for them on the bar. "Thanks Rich," Don said. He took his glass and gave it a sip. "Ah," Don exhaled, "Nothing like citrus-flavored carbonated beverage to quench my mighty thirst." Don paused for a moment, tapping his pawfingers on the glass. "Why am I talking like this?" he asked rhetorically.

"Because it\x92s cute?" Michael took a drink from his own cup.

"If you think so." Don leaned on the bar with one arm and propped his head so that he could look at Michael. His grey fur was very beautiful, and it had a distinct dark pattern on his arms and legs. Feeling flirtatious, he said "I figure when you come over after dinner, we can iron out the moving details."

"If we even get to that," Michael said with a playful wink. Then, something seemed to catch his attention because he suddenly looked up over Don\x92s head at something behind him. His browfur scrunched upon itself. "Hmm," he said idly and sank down a bit in his seat again. Don was about to say something, but Michael started talking first in a low voice. "You know those two we saw getting out in the parking lot?

"Yeah?"

"They\x92re sitting in that table over there and they... They\x92re staring at us for some reason."

Don twisted his face up a bit and replied, "That\x92s weird, they were behind you just a moment ago." Don looked as though here were searching for a mental needle in a haystack. "I wonder why they\x92re doing that." Don sat up straight and swiveled his chair around, pretending to look around at the bar for a moment but also trying to discreetly catch a glimpse of their onlookers. As he turned, he saw them sitting a short distance away, behind the pool table. Sure enough, they were both looking directly at them, making no effort at cover up their gawking. Don spun the rest of the way around to look at Michael again. He was wide-eyed and blinked a few times and said, "Okay then. Whatever, let them look. I guess it\x92s not doing any harm..." He turned his head towards the cougar and fox again. "... even though it makes no sense."

Mike shrugged. "Yeah, whatever on them."

Except for the strange couple who presumably stared at them all afternoon, it was a fantastic date for both of them. The food was good, the conversation was great, and everything was looking perfect. Once or twice, someone brought over some cold drinks to what would probably be the table where the other couple sat, but never any food. Reminded of their avid audience, Michael suggested that they "put on a good show" for them. Don wasn\x92t so keen on the idea, but he compromised with some light mrrfing. They laughed, they had another orange soda, and they eventually finished dinner. After paying, they drank the last of their sodas and spun around.

Just before they got up, they glanced around the bar and found that the cougar and fox combo had already left. Don was relieved. "Good," he said. "It would have been kinda creepy if they were still there and then like, left right when we did or something." Michael gave Don a kiss on the cheek after he opened the door for him.

"But they aren\x92t." He took a few steps into the parking lot. "And they didn\x92t." After scanning around a bit, he reported, "And their car is gone too."

Don was visibly relieved to find that they were gone entirely. "I dunno man... There was just something about them that was kinda creeping me out. Like... like it looked that even though they were sitting right under a light, their faces were still dark. I didn\x92t really ever managed to get a good look at them because of that."

Mike stopped on the way to Don\x92s car. He looked down, thinking. "Well... just... try not worry about them now, okay? Maybe they had some kind of makeup on and they were doing this elaborate thing to make themselves look creepy for whatever stupid reason." Mike turned around. Don was looking downcast. Michael\x92s expression turned into that of concern. "Aw, Don..." He went over and embraced his love.

Don\x92s heart warmed at the feeling of his mate around him. He hugged back, his head over Michael\x92s shoulder, ears lightly touching Michael\x92s back. His heart calmed, his anxiety waned, his dispirited feelings diminished. Michael gingerly rubbed the back of Don\x92s head, urging him to relax further. "It\x92s alright, we\x92re okay," he said.

"Thank you." They parted and Don held onto the wolf\x92s paw for a moment. "Hugs rule," he said at last.

Michael\x92s smile broadened. "Good. Now uh, should we..?" He indicated the car with his head. "Getting a mite bit chilly out here at almost 5:00." Don glanced around the parking lot. It was already starting to get dark, and a light snow was probably not far off.

"Good idea," said Don, not wanting to get chilly. They both got in the car and left the restaurant\x92s parking lot. They headed towards Don\x92s house, the sun setting on their wheels.

Some blocks away, another car pulled out of an alley and turned towards them.

______________________________________________________________________

On the way home, they talked about moving in together, when it could happen, and how much better they would both feel to be so close together. It was a wonderful thought for both of them... "Besides," Don relayed, "The previous owners told me that the house was designed for two."

They pulled up in the snowy driveway and got out. Just a hint of snow had begun to fall, Don noticed as he got out of the car. The air, though chilly, soothed him somehow. He shut the door and trudged to the front of the car to wait for Michael. Just before he got out, Don thought that it looked like he was looking around for something. Michael emerged shut the door behind himself, shrugging. His clothes seemed to hang further off him than normal.

"What\x92s wrong, Mike?" Don crunched towards the wolf in the snow.

"My..." he waved his arm weakly at the car. "My bag that I got from my apartment, you know... it\x92s gone."

"What was in it, your wallet? Thank goodness I paid then, huh?"

"No, it wasn\x92t my wallet, Don. That\x92s in my pocket. It was my..." Mike looked genuinely hurt. "... my anniversary present."

Don\x92s stomach sank, but in an effort to cheer Mike up, he said, "Well, that\x92s okay. You can just tell me what it was after a while, it\x92s alright." Michael looked like he just wanted to forget about it, so he just walked up to the house with his head down a bit, without saying anything.

Mike walked in first, and Don shut the door behind him, the curtain fluttering gently over the glass pane in the door. Don decided to make a pot of coffee; Michael simply went and flopped down on the couch. The kitchen was right next to the living room, so Don didn\x92t desert his company.

In the middle of preparing the coffee, Don suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, damn!"

Mike crawled up on the couch and looked at Don. "What?"

"I just remembered that when we went into the restaurant, I didn\x92t lock the car door. That\x92s how they got in so easily... I\x92m sorry, it\x92s my fault."

Don\x92s depressed eyes changed to reflect a bit of concern. "You didn\x92t steal it, Don. You just made a mistake. It\x92s alright... you\x92ll just not make it in the future, that\x92s all."

Don looked down into a corner, his face somewhat crooked. He shook his head and sighed. Turning back around to finish his coffee, he tried to think of where he should go next with his guest. Pot churning, he faced the couch again, a question on the tip of his tongue.

"Um... Mike..." Mike looked up. "What was-!!" His eyes darted up to his window as he saw a figure running straight at it. Michael noticed his alarm and turned around in time to barely see the figure before it rammed straight through the glass, shattering it easily, and landing on the broken pieces in front of him.

Just outside of Don\x92s sight, a second crash signaled the window in the door shattering. Someone unlocked the door, kicked it open, and slammed it again. Don was already running when someone tackled him from behind. His glasses clattered and skidded on the ceramic floor, shattering upon impact with the wall. A cold metal object touched the side of his head. It was a gun.

Michael hadn\x92t... couldn\x92t make it far either \x96 by the time he had leaped off the couch, the cougar caught him in mid-air and he wrestled him to the ground, his prey face up. The wolf struggled to kick his attacker off, but the cougar had already pinned his legs firmly to the floor. He tried to knock him off with his fists, but the cougar brandished a knife and put it at his throat roughly, causing a short burst of pain to spread down his neck.

"Now just move slowly over there... good... and if you move any faster than that, I\x92ll shoot you." The voice was utterly normal, like this meant nothing to him. Mike turned his head to the right to see Don crawling forward on his paws and knees with the brown fox they saw at the restaurant holding a gun to the back of his head. He moved calmly and smoothly. His expression, mild. Mike\x92s fury burned, but he couldn\x92t move without being hurt. He gulped and waited for Don to join him a few feet away.

The cougar, with the same green shirt as before, spoke. "Okay you faggots, you\x92ve only got one choice. Tell us where it\x92s hidden."

Michael turned his eyes towards Don, who looked terrified and confused. He looked back up at the cougar and talked very carefully, because the knife was still pressed against his throat. "We honestly don\x92t know what you\x92re talking about." His voice shook, he prayed that they wouldn\x92t kill him.

The cougar pushed down harder on Michael. He was beginning to lose the feeling in his legs as the cougar continued, "Don\x92t lie to me, I heard you faggots talking about money and riches and other shit at the restaurant. Where is it?" Michael couldn\x92t believe it \x96 they were just joking, they didn\x92t really have anything like that!

"We were just playing around, we weren\x92t being serious..." Michael pleaded. He was desperate not to anger them, but he didn\x92t know what else to say. The cougar pulled something out of his pocket: a dark-colored box.

"Do you see this?" The cougar said menacingly. Michael tried to nod, but the knife dug in so he stopped. The cougar leaned down and shoved it in his face. "Do you see this?!"

"Yes!" Michael yelped.

"We found this in your car, so we know you\x92re lying." He tossed it roughly across the room, where it sprang open and something small rolled out. Don turned his head to look at it. The small object that rolled out was a ring.

"But... if you want to fuck around with us that way..." The cougar\x92s cold gaze turned to his partner. "Give me the gun." He leapt off Michael quickly and grabbed the gun from the fox. He dropped the knife on the couch. "Search this place. If you find anything at all, come here."

The fox nodded and left. "As for you two," the cougar continued. Don turned over and was trying to get closer to Michael.

The room exploded with a flash of light and sound and Don screamed, holding his left leg, quickly soaking in blood. Rage flared on Michael\x92s face. "Bastard!" he yelled and he dove at the cougar. The cougar dodged and swung the butt of the gun at the back of his head. Another deafening crack. More blood. Michael had been knocked out. Don was pressed his paws around his bullet wound as hard as he could, but it didn\x92t help. He felt lightheaded, all this was too much. Just before his head hit the floor, he saw the dark fox run back into the room.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. Find anything yet?"

He couldn\x92t help it; he passed out to blackness.

______________________________________________________________________

Stop it. Let me sleep. I\x92m tired. No...

Don regained consciousness to find himself exactly where he had been, but now his knee was tied up roughly and... Oh god. His living room was completely destroyed. Everything around him, demolished. His books were scattered everywhere on the floor, his couch cushions ripped, his glass coffee table broken and toppled- Michael! Michael was lying a few feet away from him, still unconscious. Don shivered \x96 icy air was flooding in from outside the smashed window.

The cougar walked in front of Don and leaned down, carrying the knife. His presence chilled Don more than the window had. The cougar was smiling, his dark face inches from Don\x92s muzzle. Don wanted to throw up, he felt diseased this close to him. His leg spasmed in pain and he cried out.

The cougar looked down Don\x92s body slowly, and when his eyes met the bandage he stopped. "Oh, yes," he said. "Didn\x92t want you to pass out and bleed to death. Yet."

Don was horrified, his throat tight with fear. He couldn\x92t move, the pain was too much. The cougar started talking again. "We looked everywhere for your supposed stash, but it looks like faggots can tell the truth." Don could make out the fox walking around behind the cougar, but he couldn\x92t see what he was doing. His head was still swimming from lack of blood, he couldn\x92t think clearly.

The cougar stuck the knifepoint under Don\x92s muzzle, and twisted it. Eyes slitting, he said, "But don\x92t think that we\x92re just going to leave without anything to show for this." The cougar stood up, and as his body flew by Don\x92s view, he had the horrid realization that the cougar was naked.

Don\x92s heart froze. No. No! Not this, god no! He closed his eyes, his stomach strained with anguish. The cougar\x92s rough pawfingers grabbed the edge of Don\x92s jeans and stiffly pulled them down. As more of him became exposed, Don was lying face down on his carpet, littered with specks of his own blood, and balled up his fists as tightly as he could. He wished with all his worth that this would stop before...

The cougar jerked Don\x92s tail out of the way and slammed himself on Don without warning. Don gritted his teeth and cried out, a tear escaping his eye as his insides burned at the sudden invasion. Don gasped and choked out more tears as his attacker forcefully drove himself inside.

"I bet you haven\x92t had it like this before, you filthy faggot."

Gasping for air, Don could only now slightly whimper because breathing was becoming more laborious as the cougar continued to rape him. Don buried his head into his arm and sobbed. This was the most awful thing he could have ever imagined, and to be so powerless to stop it... The torment was greater than he could bear.

Don heard rustling about to his left. He tried desperately to look over his arm, which was lying around his head. All he could see was the dark brown fox... moving like... Don\x92s head touched the ground again. Him... too? Another tear wet his face. "Michael..." he said, high-pitched and barely audible.

The motions of the cougar were becoming more erratic. The knife that the cougar still clutched in his paw began to slip a bit as the cougar began to lose control of his arm. Don was mortified when he thought of what was coming. He tried to pound the ground, to do anything to stop this... but his strength had all but left him.

Amidst the overwhelming pain, he made a dark realization. These robbers who sought to take everything from someone came across him and... they couldn\x92t take anything that they valued by picking it up and running off with it. But they didn\x92t stop there... they sought to take the one thing that did have value... Their relationship... their love... their virginity.

The cougar bore down so hard on Don that he crushed the air out of him. And then he spread the seed of his dominance and power over him, roaring. Impulsively, he raised the knife... and thrust it all the way through Don... running it through his heart. The cougar moved back, pulled out the knife, and kicked Don onto his side. He was dead.

___________________________________

Michael woke up on his stomach with a splitting headache. He couldn\x92t hear anything, his ears were still ringing from the pain in his head. A trickle of blood down the side of his face, wetting the carpet, told him that his wound was bleeding badly. He tried to look up, but all he could make out before his strength gave were dark brown footpaws walking over and behind him.

As his hearing slowly began to come back, he could make out muffled yelps a short ways to his left. Anger flowed to his edges again. But as quickly as it came, it was extinguished even faster. He was just too weak... they must\x92ve done something else to him. He hated that he couldn\x92t move. He had to protect Don... to get these bastards off of him.

But time was relentless, and before he could do anything, the fox was raping him. He stifled a howl that came in his throat when it started \x96 he didn\x92t want them to get any satisfaction for causing him pain. Not as long as he could help it. After only a few moments... it stopped.

Now what? The fox said something to the cougar, which was now above Michael. His head still hurt too much to hear what they were saying clearly. Pain racked through his insides, and suddenly tears came from his eyes. They slid down his muzzle, mixing with the blood that had pooled from the wound on his head. He tried to call out to Don, but even that was too difficult. More tears flowed as he shut his eyes, just wishing for this to cease and let him be. They got what they wanted, now get out of here...

However... something else happened. Don\x92s yelping had been fairly constant, but no more... Don had fallen silent. Michael\x92s eyes slowly opened. Please... No...

The fox started again. Michael was now ill with worry, doubt, and disbelief about what they might have done. As the fox continued, Michael slid his paw over the carpet... The second he felt something he stopped, his eyes jerked wide.

The carpet was saturated in something warm and... oh god.

He felt a drop of something hit his back. "NOOO!" he screamed, trying hard to push himself up and do... something, anything, he didn\x92t care what happened now! But his sudden energy burst was cut short by abrupt agony. The blade pierced through his back, cutting through flesh, lung, and anything else in the way. Michael choked from the impact, fell down flat, and tried to breathe.

But he could only gurgle as blood filled his lungs. He coughed small flecks of blood from his mouth. His head was spinning, thoughts running everywhere, tears spreading down his cheeks. Suffocation drained him. Then... the wolf\x92s back was rended again by another impact from the knife, trying with all its cruelty to end him.

The final strike that Michael could feel ceased the life in his body. He collapsed, limp, no longer able to influence his physical form.

The World, changed.

All the wolf could see now was blue. Bright, beautiful blue. Not the blue of his tears or the blue of sadness... but a calm blue, as of a sky. He began to float... weightless... released through his wound, which no longer felt pain, and was no longer part of him. Up above, the Dalmatian rose, distant only by a matter of non-matter.

Reality, changed.

They no longer felt only matter, and saw only things. As they were impelled upwards by a boundless, otherworldly force, they could now feel space and time flowing and rippling through their form. It was warm and thick as it ebbed through. Every moment they ever knew flashed in an instant, all at once, as if time were in a fold over itself around one other. It was so warm... so comfortable... suffering washed away instantly and permanently.

Feelings, changed.

And the wolf flew upward, his essence eager, in love. The Dalmatian reached down and grasped onto his paw, their two spirits conjoined, parted only for mere instants. He felt his lover\x92s wispy face and kissed him for eternity.

Continuing.

Elevated.

Together.

Unfettered.

"I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me. But it's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once... and it's too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst. And then I remember... to relax, and not try to hold on to it. And then it flows through me like rain. And I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life. You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. Don't worry... you will someday."

- American Beauty

Quotes from American Beauty taken from IMDB\x92s "memorable quotes" section for American Beauty.

This story was inspired by the image "Lovers" as part of Chris Goodwin\x92s Opulence series. You can find this image series here, on the VCL:

Thanks to Chris Goodwin who allowed me to post the story and for taking the time to actually make that response.

And finally, thank you for reading...