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How gray the world had become. No red nor green nor yellow hue; just ash and coal and greasy blue. The sidewalks, once a-blistering, now were cooled and smelled sweetly stoney. The air, once thick and festering, now was thin and drifting drearily downward. The gentle mist that collected nearly a foot over the ground skulked about the city streets. Monochrome, octagonal figures waded through the fog, stirring and disturbing it as their shoes clob-clob_ed, _crunch-crunch_ed and _tak-tak_ed. Every once in a while one of these figures, bobbing up and down as their shoes made their noise, would break the order of their peers and begin to talk in direct opposition to the rain that only ordered everything to _shshshshshshshshsh. . . Obey the rain, the tigers did. Hand in hand they walked diligently, so obedient that their shoes did not even make the sounds the other shoes made. It may not have been needed but the orange one gripped the umbrella in his free hand, making dutifully sure it covered the white completely. In front of them, the deer and their mothers were among those who broke the heed of the gentle storm. They conversed about the city, how coastal storms such as this were fairly common. During these times the beach was inaccessible, for safety and because the water was usually too cold to swim in. Therefore, if one wanted to continue a relaxing vacation one would need to look toward the city. They were by no means wandering, they had a destination in mind. But as they trudged along, it felt like there was no end, for the gray kept them guessing what lay ahead. Until, rather abruptly, they stopped outside of their destination. How they knew this was where they wanted to be, the tigers couldn't imagine. The windows were so clouded and fogged over that all they could make out were dark blurs passing by, breaking neon-colored blobs of light. No sooner had they arrived did they pass into a different a world. Away with the gray and the fog and the rain. For the first time in three days the tiger cubs felt air-conditioning. Music thundered from a dozen speakers set up at various points on the ceiling. But still, the shshshshsh remained. Not from the waves, nor from the raindrops that commanded it from outside, but from the wheels of roller-blades surfing over buffed concrete. When it came time to get their blades, Ket knew exactly what size he needed. When it came time to put them on, both tigers whipped their extra pairs of socks. When it came time for lacing--or rather snapping--Ket did not need any help. When it came time for skating...they still had to wait for the others. "Man you guys are fast," Cassie said, still snapping her first blade on. "You guys do a lot of skating where you're from?" The tigers looked at each other. "Well," Ket replied, "We've been ice-skating a couple times." "The others are here," James stated, pointing to the entrance. In walked Luke, Billy, Paul, Haley and... Cassie noticed Emeral's brow line flatten, and she lipped the word, great. "C'mon," she said to them and her brother, "These slowpokes'll catch up." The doe led them onto the rink. There were easily two dozen other people skating as well, all for the same reason. It was raining, and they wanted something fun to do. It was her idea to come here, since she was the local of the area. Sure, it was probably dead and out of style since the nineties grew up, but the place had an atmosphere that she and her brother could always come back to. Before they had entered, she advised her brother to pace himself so the tiger cubs didn't feel bad. But as they glided around the rink it was very apparent that the whole conversation they had wasn't necessary. "How different is this from ice-skating?" James asked. "Oh, this is a breeze," Ket replied. Emeral rolled her eyes. "What's that about, Emmy?" Cassie questioned, calling her out just a little bit. "Huh?" The tigress' feet stuttered just a bit, "What do you mean?" They coasted the turn, and Cassie lined back up with them. "How do you think it's different?" "It's...it's a little easier," she replied, just above a mumble. "I only went ice-skating around Christmas time," Ket stated. "Emmy had to teach me how to do practically everything." "Really?" Cassie inquired. "Well, I mean," Ket corrected, "I know how to skate, but ice-skating is a lot different. For one thing, you have to 'mind your teeth', in ice-skating." "'Mind your teeth'?" James repeated back. "Whassat mean?" Ket motioned to Emeral, "You know how to explain it better." Cassie saw Emeral glance up like she didn't realize she was a part of the talk. "Uh...'mind your teeth'?" Ket nodded at her. "Oh...it's like," she coasted the turn, "on figure skates there's this thing on the toe like a spur. If you hit it, you fall." "Really?" James scratched his brow. "What's it for?" "Oh," Ket smiled. "I asked the same thing. I wish she could show you--it's so you can spin around. It was cool!" "You can spin, Emmy?" Cassie asked. Ket answered, "She spun like twenty times." "It wasn't that many," Emeral corrected flatly. "It's more than I can do," Cassie replied. Just as they passed the window, a lightning bolt struck in the distance; the sound of thunder reverberated a moment after. Emergency vehicles whistled by, their sirens screeching and their lights casting gloomily upon the fogged window. "I don't like storms," came a voice from behind the group. Coming to join them were the others, Felicity having been the one who spoke. "Don't worry," Luke said, his gruff voice and football-player's build a great contrast to the way he spoke, "You're safe in here." Emeral had to refrain from rolling her eyes. Was this whimp serious? "I like storms," she stated. "If there's lightning I'll bundle up and have some hot chocolate, but if it's tame out I like to go outside in it." "You'd go outside?" The vixen asked. "Well...yeah," Emeral replied, "Is there a reason why I shouldn't?" "I'd be afraid of blending in too much if I was you." Emeral's feet skritched across the ground, causing a teeth-clenching noise. "Gee, thanks," she half-growled. "I--I didn't mean anything bad I just--" The vixen squealed as the speakers crackled from another lightning strike, and the building rumbled from the report of thunder. "Wow," Paul said, "That one even made me a little scared." Felicity whimpered, her stiff feet barely able to turn. Oh grow up--in your brain. Emeral told her mentally. "Hmm...maybe we should get some Slushees to chill our nerves," Cassie suggested. "Sounds like a plan to me," Billy agreed with a wide grin. "Kay. You guys keep skating. Hey, Emmy, why not come with?" Emeral glanced about, like she was expecting to be one of two Emerals in the room. "Why me?" "Cuz, I need an extra paw," the doe replied, gently taking the tigress's. "Why don't you ask Ket?" She grumbled, even as she was being led to one of the entranceways. She received a very apathetic look, or at least she couldn't tell what kind of look it was. That made the tigress a little defensive. "Hey guys, where ya goin'?" The tiger-moms questioned. "Emmy and I are getting Slushees for everyone, we'll let you know when they're ready." "Oh really?" Momma B. spun on her blades, "Let me, I'll buy." "No no," Cassie insisted, "You guys are visitors. Me and my friends' treat." But the mother tigress did not truly agree until her daughter said not to make a big deal of it. The mothers gave their order and went out to the rink. At the counter was a teenage boy that Cassie apparently knew; they greeted each other by hugging across the counter. His voice was a little high for a boy, despite his wide shoulders. "What can I get you guys?" "Gonna need... eleven Slushees." "It goes up to eleven?" The fennec behind the counter commented. "Yup. Five Coke, three Blueberry, one Strawberry, and... what flavor do you want?" She asked the tigress at her side. "Um...Strawberry," Emeral responded. "Another Strawberry, and what about Ket?" The tigress glanced up. "...I dunno." Cassie giggled. "Whaddaya mean 'you dunno'?" Emeral lowered her eyebrows. "I don't know what he wants. We didn't ask him." "A girl's gotta know what her boy likes. Maybe he'll be like you and his mom and like Strawberry, too?" "Fine," she shrugged. "All right," the fennec repeated the order: "Eleven Shlushees, five Coke, three Blueberry and three Strawberry." The money was exchanged and a few other words were passed between the teens, and then Cassie led her little helper to the unoccupied tables in the eating area. She observed the tigress for a moment, as the girl looked toward the rink. She could guess at what the girl was thinking. "So...Emmy..." the doe started rhetorically. The tigress glanced in her direction, but didn't move her head. "What?" She asked sourly. "I can't help but notice...you've been a little...'cold' today." That got a head-turn. "I'm not cold," the tigress stated. "It's like a hundred degrees in here." "That's not what I mean," Cassie said, leaning forward on the table and twining her fingers together. "I couldn't help noticing that any time Felicity and Ket talk to each other you get this...look on your face. And your hackles raise, too." "What exactly are you getting at?" Emeral asked flatly, crossing her arms. "Well," Cassie said, a smile flicking on her face, and brushing off just as quickly; "Since you asked..." She adjusted, moving her hands underneath the table. "I don't know how long you two have 'been together', or how serious you two really are, but I do know that if I saw my guy talking to a pretty girl I'd feel a little insecure." "I am not insecure," Emeral snapped back. She turned away to look at the skaters. "I'm as outsecure as you could possibly get." Beside her, the doe giggled. She gave a scathing glance. "What?" "Nothing," Cassie replied. "I'm not trying to make you feel stupid, Emmy. In fact, I understand exactly how you feel." "No you don't," Emeral retorted, "you barely know me." "I don't have to know you. It's how every girl your age feels. When you start to notice that other girls around you...have stuff that you don't." This time, the tigress turned her head halfway without saying anything. "I mean, take Felicity for example. She's only about a year older than you but...I mean, it's hard," Cassie interrupted herself, trying to pick the right way of saying this without making the girl angry. "Sometimes you feel like because of things that you don't have, but that you know you'll get, but you don't know when, that other people that already have those things are a threat." The tigress continued to stay silent, but her expression had changed. Her cheeks were blushing just a little, and she was blinking quite a bit more nervously. "Maybe that's not exactly how you'd word it," the doe continued, a hand sprouting forth so she could gesture, "Maybe you don't know how to say how you're feeling at all. I didn't when I was your age. All I knew was, all of my friends were tall and looked pretty, while I was short, puny and the only thing on me that was round was my chubby belly." The girl emitted a nervous giggle. The doe smiled, her white chin curling up the side of her muzzle. "I'm not trying to tell you all this cuz I want to scare you. In fact," she slapped the table, causing the tigress to start, and said very cheerfully, "you're in luck. I know things that I wish I could have known at your age. Things that I know for a fact will make Ket notice you more than anyone else, even if you were standing in a group of supermodels. And you don't need anything more than what you have right now." Emeral felt shivers down her spine. She glanced at her fingers hidden beneath the table as she thought more about the doe's words. She began to feel a suicide-drink of emotions, but just like any soda was carbinated, they all had one thing in common: she felt silly for how she was acting. Cassie waited patiently as everything sank in for the girl sitting across from her. But it must have been absorbed faster than she thought because even while she was still coming up with the 'advice she wished she knew', the tigress asked: "Will you...tell me? Please?" "Of course," Cassie replied, readjusting to sit more comfortably.

"...And then, she darted right, toward the dividing line, and Virgil followed her, ready to peg her. But before she was halfway out and he could get the shot off, she threw her ball in the opposite direction--and keep in mind these things sometimes come to a dead stop in the middle of the air just fall to the ground like rocks--she threw her ball in the direction she came from, across the field, and hit Ritzer right on the shoulder." "Haha, wow." "And Ritzer got mad, too. After that, for the rest of the week at recess, it was like she had the Secret Services following her around. This group of girls had to watch and make sure Ritzer or his gang didn't do anything nasty to her." "Were you scared, Emmy?" "Scared?" Emeral asked, picking up only the tiniest crumbs of the question directed at her. "Of Ritzer," Felicity asked. "Were you scared of him? He sounds really mean..." "Uh..." She shook her head, "No." She replied simply. "I would be," Cassie said, "and I'm like four years older than the kid. Jeez." "Are you all right, Emmy?" James asked, nudging her. "You didn't get brainfreeze didja?" "A...a little bit," she said, looking at the empty Slushee cup in her hands. "Well," Luke said sucking on the straw to make it gurgle, "The best cure for brainfreeze is to get active. What say we get back in the rink?" One by one they finished up their Slushees and threw them in the big garbage can, heading back toward the yellow polished concrete. As they entered the rink a soft-rock song was playing, and white lights were slowly dancing across the ground. Had Emeral not been so wrapped up in thinking about everything Cassie had told her, she would have heard the emcee in the booth at the side of the rink announce it was slow-skating. But she wasn't going to speed up anytime soon. She was a bit hesitant to, even though there were no teeth to mind on roller blades. She was just concentrating on the inside, moving thoughts around her mind like she would move posters and furniture around her room. Putting this thought over there, that thought up on this wall, and these thoughts were just perfect underneath the little window. She didn't even notice at first when Ket grasped her hand. When she did, she saw he had Felicity's as well. James took her other hand, and his other was taken by his sister. In fact, it looked like the entire rink was forming one big circle, like a conga-line. A big, long snake with a belly made of wheels that click-clack_ed instead of slithered. As they rounded the turn, Ket's fingers held her tightly, even though he was facing away from her. She thought for a second she was just putting meaning behind it. Of course he did that, they were turning and he didn't want to break off. She had to do it on James's hand. But then the turn was done but his hold was still firm. The chain was short-lived as the soft song ended and was replaced by a heavy thudding beat that reverberated around the rink. The calm began to fade and as the sound waves bounced off of everything like pinballs in a tilted box. The pace of the skaters began to pick up. "Hey Cass," James said, his voice loud to challenge the music, "You better work that Slushee off or you'll get fat again." "Oh you little twerp!" "Ha-ha!" He taunted, dodging around the group as she chased him. "Hey, James, don't be mean." Felicity scolded. "If you don't want me to be mean ya gotta catch me!" He taunted. "That a challenge?" Ket asked. "I bet I could beat any of ya with my hands tied behind my back." "You don't really use your hands in skating..." Ket pointed out. "Ooooooo," Cassie and Haley commented. "Race. Race. Race. Race." The boys chanted, and immediately the two boys took off. "Wait? Ket!" Emeral flinched as Ket suddenly zoomed away, chasing after the buck. She quickly shifted to fourth gear and went after them. Didn't he remember what happened to Lyza when she crash-landed after going moch-five? He was already going faster than that, his tail lashing dumbly behind him as he spurned onward, cutting across the turn instead of turning with it. But the race was over just a moment after it was started, the participants having skated so quickly. As Emeral slowly drifted toward them, Paul joked that she was technically in second place since they were still trying to debate who won. Even as she listened to them it took her another moment to realize that it was a race they were talking about. "Hey," Cassie said, leaning on her knees. "You look like you're really out of it. Are you really not feeling well?" "I'm fine," the tigress responded. "I'm just..." She looked at Ket, his hand held up by Billy as he was declared the winner. "Thinking." "Bout what?" "When I can...start doing your advice." "Nothin's stoppin' ya." Ket high-fived the guys. "Too many people here...it's too loud and stuff." "Then don't worry about it, yet. You'll have plenty of time later." She stood up, patting the tigress on the shoulder. "For now, just have fun okay?" Emeral nodded. Outside, a thunderclap resounded that matched a heavy bang on the drumbeat. Felicity whimpered again, but this time Emeral didn't have any scathing thought about it. The vixen had every right to be scared; after all, the experience they had just earlier that day was pretty frightening. She even began to shiver when she thought about it. What she did notice was that that was the first thunderclap she'd heard in a while. Ever since they had started drinking their Slushees the storm outside had kind of quieted down. As they rolled by the window on cruise-control, Emeral stared outside. The blanket of clouds was still thick like coal overhead. A thin beam of lightning struck a sign several dozen yards away. The sign sparked and looked threatening for a second, but the spectacle died quickly. The thunderclap that followed, however, lasted for several seconds. "Laaaaaaaaadies and gentleman; boys and girls; skaters all," the emcee spoke, his voice smooth and calm over the speakers like a radio-announcer. "The eye of the storm outside has passed over and we are once again going to get some lightning and thunder and quite a bit of rain. But don't worry, just relax and please continue to skate safely; and please," he paused for emphasis, "no more races for the time being." The guys grumbled as the emcee glanced at their group. "While we don't expect any problems I'd like to remind you all that there are five fire exits in this building marked with a green neon signs. So, without further ado, let's give the hand to the gloom and listen to something with a little jive." The skaters cheered as the emcee hung the microphone up and took off his headphones. Emeral swung by and saw him hit several glowing buttons on a terminal, and then immediately a very peppy, fast-paced song started up. Another thunderclap hit the building, rumbling the air, but the song did seem to tell the storm to stuff it, disrupting the panicked atmosphere. Even Felicity managed to stand that one, emitting not much more than a whimper. The group began to break off, the teenagers skating with each other and leaving the kids. "What, they too cool for us?" James huffed. "Oh jeez, James, you take everything so personally." Emeral decided to follow Cassie's _other advice and just have fun. "S'matter, Jay-Jay, we not cool'nuff for ya?" "Jay-Jay--wha--?" The buck's stammer caused Felicity to laugh. "Ha! That's great! I'm calling you Jay-Jay from now on, especially when you're being mean to Cassie." "I was just...joking. Jeez." James's shoulders fell a little. "So...um...Emmy?" "Hm?" The tigress asked, swaying her skating pattern in rhythm to the music. "I heard you could do tricks like spinning. Is that true?" "Well, on figure-skates I can. It's kinda hard to do on roller-blades." "Oh," Felicity giggled. "Well...um...can you skate backwards?" The tigress nodded. "I think I could on blades." "Show us," James said. Emeral bit her lip. "I'd...I don't really want to, if that's okay." "Oh c'mon, I'll do it." The buck sped up just a bit to be out in front, and whipped around. He faltered just a bit, but got his bearings quickly and caught a nice stride. "See? S'easy." "I'll do it." Ket stated. Emeral raised a brow. "You know how?" He smiled. "We'll find out." Before she could protest he sped up just a bit and, mimicking James, whipped around. His balance was even worse, and his left foot threatened to slip out from under him. Emeral dashed up and caught his arm to steady him, and once righted he got the rhythm. "Arkethius!" She shouted amidst another thunderclap. "Don't you dare do that again! Are you trying to scare me to death?" "Arkethius?" Felicity restated. "Dang it Emmy." The tiger huffed, prying free from her hands and skating backward on his own. "Well," she said, crossing her arms, "Serves you right. You remember what happened to Lyza, don't you?" Ket shook his head. "I'm fine, Emmy. Besides, I know how to fall; I spent hours practicing, remember?" "Darn right, you're gonna fall," she retorted, crossing her arms. "And then when you do guess who's gonna hafta kiss your boo-boos?" "Y'know what," he said slowing down so that she got closer to him, "You've been really snappy with me today and I don't like it. What's the deal?" Suddenly the tigress felt her stomach turn to jelly. She wasn't trying to be snappy--in fact she was half-kidding. She looked down at his feet, their skates brushing past each other with a few inches in between. She was actually impressed with how well he was doing, considering how nervous he was before. "You're right, Ket. I'm--" Everyone was blinded by the intense bolt that struck the building. The shockwave of thunder came almost immediately after. The speakers overhead squeaked frighteningly loud, causing hackles to raise, ears to ring and some, like Luke, to howl. As everyone's vision returned, only darkness met them; the power had been blown out. Everything felt almost eerily quiet. Almost, except for the shouting. A groan, loud and pained, kept repeating over and over again like a broken record. It began to intensify, and in the darkness, everyone's fur began to crawl. The emcee came with the flashlight. Emeral saw Ket on the ground, the feeling of his weight slamming into her still tingling on her skin. He rolled on his side, his hands clasped about the back of his head. He groaned, hissing and curling into a ball. "Let me through, I'm a nurse!" Emeral saw her mother rushing in, ordering the emcee to get as much ice as he could. She took the flashlight from the teen and leaned over the cub. "Is he okay?" Emeral tried to say, but it came out more of a warble. "Emmy, back off! Get back!" Her daughter began to panic and right now that was not really necessary. Thankfully, the doe took control of her emotional child and she was able to finally inspect the wound. "I don't see any bleeding," she said aloud, even as Ket groaned. She gently touched him. "I definitely feel a bump; you really got yourself good." "It hurts," he hissed. "How do you feel? Are you dizzy?" "No," he said, sucking in through his teeth, "It just..." He sighed heavily, trying to calm himself down, keep from sounding like a gigantic baby. "It just hurts like heck, I'm fine," he stated quickly. "Got some ice." "Ah, jeez, that stings." "I know hun, but we gotta keep the swelling down." "Is he gonna be okay?" Emeral whimpered. "I'm fine!" Ket shouted, and then began to really control his breathing. "Try to relax, Ketto," Momma B. insisted. "Open your eyes; follow my finger okay?" She moved her finger back and forth, up and down, and watched his eyes. They were a little wiggly but he followed her just fine. "You sure you don't feel dizzy?" "Yeah, I'm sure." He stated, his voice a little wiggly, too. "You've got quite a goose-egg going on here." Momma B. said. "Maybe if we wait long enough it'll hatch, huh?" The tiger managed to laugh, but it sounded kind of forced. "Told you guys to skate safely..." "Hey," Momma B. snapped at the emcee, "If you're not gonna help then get out of here." The lights flicked back on, and so did the music. Ket got to see the eerie sight. Everyone was stopped, some people sitting down and others still standing, frozen still. Both moms were there, his mom helping to hold the ice against his head. He didn't even know she was there, but he was glad she was. "Good, there really isn't any blood," Momma B. muttered, clicking off the light. "Looks like we're back in business. Micah, let's you grab his shoulders and I'll grab his feet--" "I can walk," Ket said, sitting upright, feeling the pain in his head slosh around a little. "Don't move too quick, Ketto," Mrs. Garne warned. "I'm still worried you've got a concussion." From the doe's steadying grasp, the tigress whimpered. "I'm fine, really," Ket insisted, "I'll just have one heckuva headache..." His mom laughed. "You're one heckuva headache." The joke lightened the mood much more than the music. With the help of the mothers, the tiger got to his feet and rolled on wobbly legs to one of the carpeted benches that hugged a big, carpeted wall of the same material. Emeral managed to wriggle free from Cassie and the two of them met him while his mom went to get some water. The tigress leaned forward and rested her hands on the bench beside him and stared at him. The ice bag in his hand slipped a little, and he winced as he adjusted it. Staring back at her, he sighed. "I know." "You know?" She asked. "I know what you're gonna say," he stated. "I wasn't gonna say anything." He looked away and sighed. "You should go skate," he said. "Can't I sit here with you?" "I'd rather you didn't." He replied sourly. "But..." "C'mon, Emmy," Cassie said. "Let's let Ket have some time to himself for a bit." "But I..." She protested as she was pulled backward. She looked up at the doe and then back at Ket. He reached down and started undoing his skates, wincing a little. Cassie leaned over. "Give him time to lick his wounds." She suggested, as she led the girl back onto the rink. "Later on, just make sure to give him a big ol' hug when no one's looking, got it?" Without any desire to actually skate, Emeral nodded as her feet automated the act of propelling her forward. The storm still riled on outside for an hour more, but there were no other incidents, none that were of Ket's caliber at least. Some people fell but that was pretty normal. There were no more power outages either, but the lights did dim a few times and the emcee constantly warned them to skate safely. To emphasize that, he played only soft rock tunes. Eventually, everyone began to take breaks and sit by Ket to keep him company. Everyone except Emeral. She wanted to, but for some reason she couldn't stop going around in that endless circle, glancing at the boy who was done skating for the day at every pass. Trapped in an endless cycle of her own thoughts, trying to figure out when she could talk to him, and if she would know what to say.