FSE

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All the hidden stuff. Well, that said everything, didn't it? Arden took another pawful of cereal, dry from the box, munching it as he pondered the progress he had made. Why was this so difficult? Because it had to be perfect? Just like every other damned thing he ever did in his entire life? He won't know or care.

But I would.

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True to his word, Arden had indeed volunteered to help with the summer charity event. After their wonderful trip to the Furriest Place on Earth, he had decided that it was more important to do good work than to worry about appearances, and truth be told, he found many people who didn't fit his preconceived notions hurrying past him on the studio backlot, carrying items to one area or another. FIDS was a universal pandemic, he reasoned, and he knew that it wasn't just a gay disease, as some politicians and clergy tried to claim. And giving of your time was a good thing, no matter what the cause, right?

The wolf looked out over the jumble of aluminum extrusion that the lighting guys, playing hide-and-seek amongst the post-apocalyptic pile of metal, promised would create an impressive dance space in front of the bank façade where Arden currently stood in the shade. He'd believe it when he saw it.

The twins were running around like cubs on a sugar high, seemingly unaware that there was actual work to be done. How old were they, anyway? They drove themselves to the backlot, but why they hung around, and what they actually did in their lives was still a mystery to the otherwise observant wolf_. Oh well._ Not my pony, not my show, thought Arden, as David wandered over to greet him.

"Cool, huh?" he said with characteristic deadpan delivery. "This is gonna be a long day. Thanks so much for coming to help out. I'd like to say that after a few years of doing this, we have it down to a science, but I don't like to lie." The fennec snickered at his own joke, then sighed, looking over to the ferret twins, who now seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact they were actively hindering the progress of the lighting crew, standing in the middle of what was rightly a hardhat zone, pointing to all the high-tech-looking apparatus.

"Hey guys," David called in a rasp, "Why don't you go see if Alison needs anything, OK?"

"Sure!" they both chirped in unison, and scampered off to parts unknown.

"Eughhhhh!" David intoned while rolling his eyes around.

Arden, bemused, simply favored his friend with a small smirk. "So, what is it you need me to do, oh executive producer?"

David thought for a bit. "Well, honestly, we have nothing much to do until the truss is up. There'll be much more after everybody else leaves."

Arden's ears perked up. "Everybody else leaves?"

"Yeah, after the lights are all hung, and the speakers are hooked in, we've got to program all the moving heads and test the system. We can't do the lights until after dark, so we'll be here until well after midnight. If you've got a long drive, you can stay here with us. We got a room at the hotel so we can be here early tomorrow."

"Um. Uh. No. That's OK. I'm only like 20 minutes away. Are you all staying here?" The wolf knitted his brow. "How many rooms did you get?"

"Oh, just the one. I couldn't get FPLA to pay for more than that. It's a big room though, and we're all friendly, so..." the fennec chuckled self-consciously.

It was then that a slim beaver in a hardhat called from the construction zone. "Do you have a preference where the subs should be placed?"

David turned back to Arden. "Sorry, I gotta handle this. Feel free to wander around and check out everything. We'll have dinner around six, and we'll run through cues at eight, and you can rehearse your voiceover then. Hopefully." The fox's ears wobbled and struggled to remain upright, as he turned to continue working.

The rest of the afternoon, Arden was alone with his thoughts among hundreds of bustling furs setting up the largest charity event he had ever seen. Truth told, he had never volunteered for charity work before, and this seemed about as far from his notion of what that actually would look like as he could possibly imagine. He had to admit that he had always thought volunteering would necessarily be a solemn, morose, self-sacrificing task. Serving hungry furs at a soup kitchen, or caring for the elderly on the street, or visiting sick kids in the hospital; the mere thought caused Arden's ears to stick flat to his skull, in fear, embarrassment, or shame, he couldn't quite decide.

No matter, though, as he looked around himself, he noticed something unmistakable. These furs were having fun. More than that, they were having fun together for a worthy cause. All shapes, all sizes, all species, all genders, all sexual orientations, all ages; all were working to accomplish something great. No one was judging. No one was sneering. No one cared about anything other than that they get the job done in time for the guests to arrive, and to make as much money as they could to help the furs that needed it. How could he have been so wrong about volunteering? Arden wondered idly what else he had a mistaken view of.

He passed the rest of the day helping out where he could. Moving boxes of shirts to be sold. Setting up tables. Running papers from radio base to various locations; and there were a lot, all spread out over nearly half the backlot: comedy stage, silent auction, casino, a giant restaurant tasting area. Arden's tongue involuntarily snaked out and licked his muzzle. He was getting hungry, and it was only almost five o'clock.

Just then, a familiar sight caught his attention. The two ferret twins, Chester and Charlie, were sitting on the curb of one of the movie studio's street sets, staring at the ground. Arden would have simply continued on his way, except something about the scene seemed off. Not only were the twins out of the way, but they seemed downright sedate. Many furs rushed past, as for most the workday was done, seemingly unaware of the previously boisterous mustelids. Curious, Arden decided to see what was so interesting, that even the ferrets would sit still long enough to check it out.

"Hey guys," Arden said.

"Oh. Uh. Hey Arden," Chester mumbled slowly, barely looking up at the dark wolf.

"Is everything OK?" Arden crouched down to better look the ferrets in the eye.

"Oh. Um. Uh. Yeah. Everything is fine," Chester stammered.

"No it's not, Chester." Charlie said a little more forcefully than Arden would have considered appropriate for the circumstances.

"I told you I just need to rest a bit. I'll be fine." Chester looked a bit panicked now, and actively avoided Arden's eyes.

"This always happens, Chester. You know it's not OK."

Chester put his head in his paws, and closed his eyes.

"Hey, are you feeling OK?" Arden leaned closer to the resting ferret.

"Look - " Charlie began.

"I'm fine!" Chester yelped. "Just give me a minute," he said through clenched teeth, making his speech sound slightly slurred.

"Ugh!" Charlie huffed. "Look. You got a choice, man. We can ask Arden for help, or I can go get David. Your choice." Charlie stared daggers at his brother, who visibly collapsed in on himself at his words.

"No. Please." Chester whispered.

Arden's tolerance for mystery and intrigue had reached its limit, owing to the sense of dread that was quickly filling him as he witnessed the twins' interchange. "What is going on, Charlie?"

"Chester is low."

Arden stared nonplussed at the ferret, comprehension not making a stop at the wolf's brain station as the words flew by. "What?"

"Chester and me. We're diabetic. He let his blood sugar get too low, and now he's not doing so good. He won't let me go get David, because he knows David will tear him a new one for not taking care of himself. He needs his insulin, and some orange juice."

Arden had never moved so quickly in his life. In one movement, he had swept the ailing ferret up into his arms, and was on his way to...to where exactly? "Where are we going?"

"To the camper. Our supplies are in there."

"Nooo," Chester moaned in a singsong voice; but was too weak to struggle further. "David. Will. See."

"When we get there," Arden soothed, "I'll put you down and your brother and I can walk on either side of you to get you in the camper. OK?"

Chester, whose muzzle was no more than three inches from Arden's, regarded the wolf for a minute with huge eyes.

"It's cool, Arden," said Charlie. "Thanks."

If David noticed the three of them awkwardly entering the camper, he didn't let on, occupied as he was supervising the final installation of the equipment on what was now a proper, and rather impressive, truss system, absolutely loaded with lights and speakers and the largest disco ball Arden had ever seen.

After staying with the chagrined brothers until he was sure that Chester was out of danger, Arden made his way back to David, who raised his eyebrow at the approaching wolf. "That seemed urgent," he said simply.

"You could say that. And I think we need to talk, David."