A Single Candle, Part 3
"Are you going to tell me now?" "What, and spoil dinner?" Newton offered a rueful smile as he looked over the happy ruins of the dinner that the two of them had shared in Chase's quarters. The coyote had done them proud, with his...
A Single Candle, Part 4
They ended up in Chase's quarters, for reasons of proximity to the lab, size of the room, and the availability of chilled bottled water. Newton had rarely felt more parched in all his life, and he was grateful to the coyote for reminding him not to...
We'll Always Have Coffee
The line never gets either longer or shorter, with the exception of brief lulls that allow the staff a chance to straighten up the place a bit. I know just about all of the staff, on most of the shifts, even when they juggle their schedules around....
Annabel Lee
The day, bright, cool, clear, was not what many would call "proper" for a funeral. It was an anomaly in this rainy spring, being the third in a string of dry days with little cloud cover. The mourners could not help but comment on how beautifully the...
The First Door
"Dr. Spenser? Benedict?" "Here, Zachary." "Why is it dark?" "I just asked you to keep your eyes closed for a little while. Do you feel ready to open them?" "I'm not sure. I have a feeling I know where we are." "We're in two places, Zachary. One is...
Real Love on a Train
I'll say this for her: It was an interesting venue for a break-up. Debbie never gave herself enough credit for her ingenuity, especially in the machinations of twisting the knife. She's a vixen, and the daughter of an alcoholic mother, so some would...
Readership, Part 2
Following the adage that "no good deed goes unpunished," Gwydion found himself padding down the hallway of the hospital the next morning, on his way to meet the fox whose life he had helped to save. He was accompanied by two males who couldn't have...
Tea is Served
"Like something from _The Addams Family."_ "Not nearly so ooky." As Cory Windrunner pushed the button that sounded a Westminster carillon, she had to admit that Gabriel had a point. The house was huge and sprawling, a mansion to lesser beings,...
Quiet Voices
**_Saturday Afternoon_** Emmanuel had run at a maintenance pace for the past five or six kilometers, enjoying the fresh air of the country rather than the less-than-pleasant air of the city or the canned air of an indoor track. Running was his...
Trouble Shared
Benedict looked up in surprise at the knock on his open office door. "My dear Dr. Wind Runner!" he offered with quiet yet sincere enthusiasm. "Whatever are you doing in this chilly if venerable building of what we hope will be education?" The...
Because We Have Wings
**_Monday_** There is nothing better than waking up naturally, rising slowly from the depths of sleep because of the clear, slowly growing dawn bringing golden light into your bedroom windows -- or, in this case, into the high windows set into the...
The Rooftop Muse
My name is Naomi McLeroy, and I'm part of the county's CSI department. I'm a vixen therian, a creature whose mere existence is a mixed blessing in the world of humans. I can perform a special service that few humans can do: I can see and speak to...