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Seems as if another Sunday's rolled around, which means it's time for Part 10 :)

As always, comments are appreciated!

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Part 10 - Coalescence

A torrent of regret carried Nathan away the moment he opened his weary eyes the following morning, straight into thinking about what might have been if he'd responded differently to Alexei's questioning. Thankfully at least, the frantic pace of his inner monologue had calmed since then, allowing for a more considered outlook to emerge.

He told himself that his host hadn't explicitly asked for them to climb into bed together, and that he'd jumped to conclusions by thinking otherwise. Nathan considered that all of this unrest likely stemmed from his own desire for how he wanted his relationship with the wolf to proceed, desires that could yet be fulfilled, given the right amount of time. He managed to convinced himself that no lasting damage had been done, and that at this point, he'd be best served dragging himself out of bed and away from his worrying.

Breakfast passed on by without incident, with Nathan and Alexei chatting, smiling and joking away as they ate. Things between them appeared no different to the morning before, helping the husky to eventually go along with his attempts at self-reassurance and put his mind at rest.

Noon would follow soon after, prompting the pair to ready themselves for their rescheduled day out in the city.

"There are many sights to show you," Alexei stated, waiting at a bus stop located on the corner of his street and the busy main road. "It will be much fun."

"I can't wait," Nathan replied from within the wolf's jacket pocket, watching the massive cars and trucks chug on by until the biting afternoon wind got the better of him. He turned away, flipping up the collar of his fluffy, brown fleece coat. "I'll be sure to get plenty of photos."

An enormous, chrome-plated, blue bus rumbled up to the stop a few moments later, its pneumatic doors parting loudly once it came to a halt. Nathan noticed a smaller set of doors located beside the base of its Velikan-sized counterpart, allowing citizens of smaller stature to access the compartment reserved for them. These doors however remained closed, reminding him of his host's comment about Polcians seldom travelling to this area of the city.

Alexei stepped aboard, offering a handful of coins to the expectant grey fox behind the wheel. The driver didn't accept the currency straight off. Instead, his gaze wandered down to the little husky riding inside the wolf's jacket. After a brief, somewhat heated exchange in his mother tongue, Alexei grabbed two tickets from the disgruntled vulpine and skulked off along the crowded vehicle.

Nathan craned his neck up, ears half-flat. "Problem?"

"No problem." The wolf flopped himself down into an empty seat at the back of the bus. "Just... disagreement about fare. Prices have raised."

"Right," he muttered sullenly, not entirely convinced.

Twenty minutes into the journey saw the dated townhouses of Alexei's neighbourhood replaced by giant office buildings, huge shop fronts and busy markets of a city teeming with life. Nathan wouldn't be able to take in the captivating sights outside for very long though, his attention drawn to a male skunk one seat ahead on the other side of the walkway. Every so often, he'd catch the middle-aged Velikan glancing around at him, doing little to hide an expression that the husky couldn't determine as being intrigue or disdain. Soon after, he noticed an elderly rabbit one seat ahead of the skunk, shooting a stern glare at Nathan that came with a lot less uncertainty.

The husky's fur began to prickle, his self-awareness aboard the Velikan-filled bus growing by the second. With ears lowered, he quietly hunkered down within the safety of Alexei's pocket, hoping to avoid any further attention for the remainder of the ride.

Fortunately, things took a turn for the better once the pair reached their destination. A paved city square greeted Nathan as his host stepped off the bus.

"This is the Cultural Quarter," Alexei stated. "Many old buildings are here."

The husky stood agasp, gawking up at the huge, historic-looking granite buildings surrounding the garden-filled square. They stretched hundreds of feet into the air, dwarfing those situated in Alexei's neighbourhood, let alone back home in Polcia. "This... Amazing."

"What would you like to see, Nate?"

"Good gods, look at that!" Nathan looked left, snapping a photo of what appeared to be a huge cathedral; its central golden-domed tower easily stretching five-hundred feet tall while three smaller, silver-topped spires stood in formation around it.

"Nate?"

"Sorry... I'd like... I don't know." A smirk emerged upon his muzzle. "Hey, you're the local. Gimme the grand tour, please."

"Okay." The big wolf chuckled, waiting for his guest to finish up with his bout of photography before setting off along the busy pavement. "I shall think of good things to show you."

Nathan gripped the leather of Alexei's jacket with two firm paws, securing himself against the swinging momentum caused by his host's dodging and weaving through the heaving, fast-moving crowd of daytime commuters and tourists.

In a strange way, Nathan felt more at ease amidst these hectic surroundings when compared to the relative peace of the city bus. In this tempestuous ocean, where the strong scents of several hundred giants came together to engulf the tiny Polcian husky, he was unnoticeable, unremarkable. He'd succeeded in fading into obscurity, failing to earn one iota of attention from any of the travelling Velikans, even when standing. All except one.

"It is very busy here." Alexei muttered, moving his paw to shield his pocket. "I do not wish for you to get hurt."

A heartwarming glow filled Nathan at that moment, a welcome sense of security returning in the form of this giant, white-furred barricade. He gently hugged at the wolf's index finger as it extended across his chest. "Thank you, Alex."

The two friends continued their fight against the crowd's currents, eventually working their way into the blissful calm of the culture district's winding back-streets. Here, locals appeared to live and work at a pace much slower than those scurrying about the city's main roads and avenues.

Modest single-storey buildings showed their significant age proudly, housing antique shops, old bookstores, as well as the resident Velikans themselves. Countless market stalls peppered the narrow, cobbled passageways while locals ambled along, sampling the variety of wares and produce on offer. The only things travelling at speed here were Nathan's paws, frantically capturing picture after picture of the sights around him.

"I did not think old buildings would be this interesting," the wolf stated, leisurely strolling through a tight alleyway flanked on either side by colourfully-painted terraced cottages.

"We don't have many old buildings back home, just modern stuff. Especially in the cities."

They emerged from the side-street a short while after, moving back onto a far busier main road. Across the way, a huge, palatial structure cast an expansive shadow upon its surroundings from within a fenced courtyard. Without hesitation, Nathan snapped off another batch of photos; paying particular attention to the thick columned arches of the building's entrance and the two attractive yellow and blue striped domes resting atop the structure proper. "As for architecture like this, we definitely don't have it back in Linvendia."

"This is museum," Alexei stated, extending a paw towards the landmark. "It was a home for royalty in the old days."

"It's just incredible." One final click of the husky's phone sounded as he captured yet another image, this time of a massive bronze statue depicting a solemn-looking female canine grasping the paw of a small child beside her. "What's that statue about?"

The big wolf stopped, hesitating in his response. "It is... memorial... for people who died in the war."

Nathan cringed, wishing he'd never asked. He didn't reply, opting instead to look down guiltily at his wringing handpaws.

"Why is it, that you do not have old buildings in your cities?"

Nathan cringed all over again, nibbling at his lip. He'd have thought the answer obvious so soon after seeing the metallic memorial, but didn't have the heart to be so blunt with his reply. "Well... a lot... pretty much everything had to be rebuilt." He gazed up into the wolf's curious eyes and watched them soften in an instant.

"Sorry."

"For what?"

"For..." Alexei looked away, his ears firmly to his scalp.

"Being curious isn't something to be sorry about... Neither was the--" A large, lupine digit stopped Nathan mid-sentence, vigorously rubbing over his chest.

"Let us see more of the city, yes?"

"Sure." He smiled, rubbing back. "Sounds good."

Another three hours of walking allowed Nathan, with Alexei's guidance, to visit the sprawling historic area of Kremensk in its entirety. With this round of exploration complete, they continued on into the main commercial district of the city.

Here, old and new seemed to intertwine, almost clashing with one another in a battle for supremacy. Traditional stone buildings were home to plastic and metal-cladded retail outlets offering the latest trends and fashions, several brands of which he recognised from back in Linvendia. An old, smokey petrol-powered truck tickled Nathan's throat as it hummed along the road, passing an electronics store that offered the latest technology imported from Polcia.

The older generation of Velikans sat at restaurants and cafes, catching up with the world via their newspapers. The youth meanwhile did much the same, though shiny new smartphones were their medium of choice.

By the end of Nathan's whistle-stop tour of the countless shops and marketplaces in the area, evening sunlight had begun to cast a soft, orange glow upon the cityscape.

A cool wind ruffled the pair's fur while they rested upon a bench located in the plaza of a massive mall; almost deserted as shoppers and workers alike began to head home for the day.

"I think we have done much exploring today," Alexei stated, grimacing down at the ground. "At least, this is what my feet tell me."

"My paws are just fine," Nathan replied, earning a large huff and an even larger smirk from the wolf.

"I am the one who is walking. You are just passenger!"

"Come on, I'm ten times smaller than you. How else can I get around?"

"Next time, I make you take these." Alexei gestured towards the entrance of the mall across the way. "There are many of the Polcian walkways here. I am thinking they will allow me to save my paws."

Nathan followed the line of the wolf's big paw, spotting one of the raised, sheltered walkways attached to the building's outer wall about ten feet from the ground. To a Velikan, they'd only sit level with the halfway point of their shin. The husky had seen a good number of these throughout the day, most of them here in the commercial area where Polcian presence was most prevalent. "Still, it'd be pretty hard to keep up with those giant legs of yours."

"You need not walk if you do not wish to. Moving paths carry you quicker."

As Alexei finished, Nathan spotted a pair of Polcians, a wolf and a raccoon, emerging from the smaller entrance situated alongside its Velikan counterpart. He watched them step out onto the main walkway section, a conveyor belt promptly whisking them away at twice walking pace along the wall and eventually out of sight. "That's pretty cool!"

"You can take ride on one if you like? There are many more underground. They carry little Polcians through busy areas and across roads, to the bus stops and train stations..." Alexei gave a small, sad sigh. "It is stupid, but... I used to want very much to ride it."

"Hey, don't be like that." Nathan beamed, batting a paw at the giant wolf's chest. "It's a lovely sentiment, and I don't think it's stupid at all."

Alexei's mood visibly perked. "You do not?"

"Of course not. It's natural to be interested about strange things." He turned away from the mall to stare up at the city's skyline. Office towers, residential apartments and other modern buildings stretched up toward the amber sky, weeding out from among the smaller, more historic structures they overshadowed. "Like this."

"The city? I do not understand."

"It's like... two worlds; ours and yours slowly coming together."

Alexei nodded with a bright smile. "Things are also very big to you. Also strange I think."

Nathan chuckled, looking back up into a pair of eyes whose warm orange glow rivaled that of the evening sun. "There's that too."

They remained that way until time lost all meaning, silently maintaining their gazes upon one another. For the husky, this was the perfect end to a wonderful afternoon; sitting within the cozy confines of Alexei's pocket while a cool breeze swept through the short fur of his face and muzzle. Any lingering worry about the dirty looks he'd received aboard the bus that day had all but evaporated, leaving just the here and now behind.

'Tell him how you feel!'

Nathan's inner-voice re-emerged, carrying on from where it'd stopped the night before. This time however, he didn't see fit to try and quell it. He swallowed hard, nervously licking his dry lips before taking a deep breath.

'I love you, Alex.'

The words came easily enough in his head, sounding so natural and so right. Why was it then that only air emerged when he opened his mouth? Why was it that he could say these words in the past to ex-boyfriends like Gareth and Jack, but not to Alexei? Much to his despair, these were questions he didn't have answers to.

"Nate, I..." The wolf's joyful expression faltered, much like his words.

A brief pause followed, filling Nathan with the hope that the next words could possibly, maybe, be the ones he so desperately wanted to say himself.

"...Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"

"Sure..." He suppressed a groan, not wishing to let his disappointment show. "That sounds great."

"There is a small cafe by river. It is small, cozy. I like it very much."

'A cozy cafe on the riverside, how romantic.'

"Oh..." Nathan perked instantly, his wagging tail brushing up against the fabric of Alexei's jacket pocket. "That sounds great!"

As retail stores and other daytime attractions continued to close for the day, the numerous bars in the heart of the city began to swell with custom.

'Not much different from home,' Nathan thought to himself with a smile, swaying in the giant wolf's pocket as they made the short journey down to the sleepy, dusk-lit riverside.

Even in the failing light, the husky snapped off a picture of the huge waterway, its opposite bank overflowing with yet more stone buildings bathed in the pink-tinged, orange glow of a Velikan sunset. An arched road bridge stood downstream, heavy with rush-hour traffic moving slowly to the other side of the river.

"The Polcian district is not far from here," Alexei announced, padding along the pavement of a stone-paved road running parallel with the river. "It is downstream, sitting on the bay. Very beautiful."

"You'll have to show me it sometime."

"We will see it, no problem." The wolf stopped outside a quaint eatery, its green and white striped awning hanging over an empty arrangement of circular metal tables and chairs. "This is where I wish to take you."

"Nice. Swanky." Nathan scoped the area, unable to help but notice that the Polcian walkways had disappeared a while back. In addition, none of the businesses here apparently possessed the smaller-sized doorways that those in the city centre did.

"What is 'swanky'?"

He resisted a chuckle, halting his train of thought once Alexei started up the cafe's front path. "It means I think you've made a good choice."

A similarly elegant decor greeted the pair upon entering the small, almost cramped restaurant. Beige walls blended with dark wood tables and terracotta tiles. A dim mood light poured in through the windows while several pairs of Velikan diners sat at their compact, almost intimate sized tables, their quiet chatter a gentle hum in the air.

"A friend works here," the wolf whispered, stopping inside the front door. "She will give us a good seat."

A young pine marten, short by Velikan standards, shuffled out from behind the cafe's counter a moment later. "-Alex, privyet!-" She bounded cheerfully over to Alexei, looking as if she'd intended to hug him but stopped herself short. "This must be friend from Polcia?"

Alexei returned the Velikan greeting before also switching to Polcian. "Yes, this is Nathan. Nate, this is my friend, Yana."

"Nice to meet you," the little husky said courteously, waving up at the brown mustelid while she returned the gesture.

"You too," Yana replied with a wide smile. She looked to her right, exposing the cream fur of her neck. "Please, I show you to your table."

The marten guided them over to a table in the corner, positioned near to the front window. Nathan observed the other diners from Alexei's pocket, earning a cocked head and a smile from a fellow husky, along with an amused double-take performed by a young mink waiting a table nearby.

"Excuse me, Nate."

Alexei's words pulled Nathan's focus back to where they'd been guided to, feeling the gentle warmth of the wolf's fingers lifting him out of his leather compartment. Slowly he descended to the white linen tablecloth, standing beside the waist-height condiment pots while Alexei removed his jacket and draped it over the back of his chair.

"We do not usually serve Polcians here, Nathan," Yana stated apologetically, "but this should not be problem." She placed a menu down on the table in front of Alexei and turned to walk away. "I will be back for your order."

"May I take your jacket, Nate?" Alexei asked, sitting down on his chair.

"Thank you." Nathan flashed a brief smile, removing his brown fleece and placing it into the wolf's outstretched paw. "What did she mean by that, that they don't usually serve Polcians here?"

Alexei reached past his shoulder to rest the little jacket atop his own. "Yana is correct."

Nathan knew he shouldn't be surprised, given the lack of sheltered walkways and special entrances here. Without them, his people wouldn't be able to travel here with the same ease and safety as they did in the heart of downtown. Still, having it confirmed in words that he stood here as a novelty among a dozen or so Velikan strangers started his tail tucking.

"This is okay for you?"

Nathan quashed his uncertainty as best he could, answering, "Yeah... it's fine."

They consulted the menu together, Alexei translating for the husky who otherwise had to rely on the handful of pictures contained within to determine what dishes seemed appealing. After a short deliberation, and upon the wolf's recommendation, they decided upon sharing a platter of meat and vegetable-filled fried rolls.

"Pirozhki are very good here."

"Pir.. piro-what?"

Alexei smiled, leaning closer to the table. "Pi-rosh-key."

"Right... Well, they certainly look good in this picture."

Yana returned soon after, dutifully placing a tightly-folded cloth napkin onto the table next to Nathan "For you to sit". She then handed him a metal thimble. "To drink." These kind gestures, while small, did help to make the grateful husky feel a little less out of place here in the cafe.

The marten quickly jotted down the order, giving the canine a look of delight once she'd finished. "Polcians are very cute," she stated quietly, turning to head back to the kitchen. "Your food will not be long."

"Yana's nice," Nathan said from his seat upon the soft, claret napkin, blushing a little from her compliment.

"Yes. We first met in school. She is old friend." Alexei's contented smile grew as he turned to look out of the window. The golden sunset bled across the sky above the cityscape on the opposite bank of the river, giving way to the first stars of the early night sky. "Pretty."

Nathan kept his eyes upon the wolf for the most part, heart beating like a drum. "Very much so." Alexei looked back to the table, his ears flicking while his smile became a grin.

Shifting on his linen cushion, Nathan performed another scan of the room, watching the other patrons quietly eating their meals. Those that met his searching gaze gave a similarly curious expression to those of the husky and mink from earlier, with one exception. A disgruntled black bear sat alone at the next table, mithering to himself audibly while slouched forward in his chair.

Nathan began to turn away, but the bulky Velikan beat him to the punch. He shifted his focus and with a face contorted by anger, cast a hateful stare at the little husky.

"Oh gods," he murmured, promptly spinning back round to face Alexei.

"It is very nice in this place, do you not agree, Nate?"

His eyes darted about, not knowing where to look. Slowly, he turned back toward the bear's location, his peripheral vision filling with the sight of his snarling maw all over again.

"Nate?"

"What?" Nathan's ears raced down to his skull. "Oh, sorry, Alex?"

"Are you okay?"

The last thing he wanted to do was spoil things, to tell Alexei that the anxiety he'd felt on the bus that day had returned with a vengeance. "Fine... everything's just fine."

"You are sure?"

He couldn't resist flashing a third sly glance over to the bear's table. Again, he found those angry ursine eyes transfixed upon him. "Yeah... I'm good," he insisted, his trembling paws and meek voice suggesting otherwise.

"I do not believe." Alexei frowned, trying to follow the little husky's eyeline. Quickly, he found the source of his guest's discomfort. "It is okay. Just ignore."

Nathan followed that advice, doing his best to keep the bear out of sight and out of mind. For a few minutes, he had success. A different proposition however, were the guttural, unintelligible utterances that began to sound out from the portly Velikan.

"All is... okay. Ignore." Alexei mumbled, clearly becoming agitated himself.

"What's he saying?"

"Nothing... important. Just--" He stopped abruptly after the bear rumbled another, much louder comment, firing off an angry glare and a snarling Velikan outburst of his own.

The little husky jumped to his feet. "Alex?" He spun on his heels, eyes locked upon the next table.

Alexei followed suit, standing so quickly that he clattered the table with his thigh.

Nathan yelped, the jolt knocking him headlong into the nearby salt shaker. "Hey, careful!" So focused on arguing, the wolf apparently hadn't noticed his desperate cries. "Damn it, Alex," he grunted, rolling the overturned salt pot from off his legs. By now, the bear had reacted by standing himself. A loud, angry exchange between the two Velikans followed, with their fellow patrons and the cafe staff watching on in shock.

Nathan scrambled along on paws and knees, panting quickly. He moved behind the still-upright pepper pot, using it to form some semblance of cover from the raging giants. Even if he couldn't understand their words, it didn't make the confrontation any less frightening. This fear only escalated when the massive bear started towards him.

Heavy, waddling steps rocked the ground, rattling the table all over again. "-Polciek!-" he screamed, jabbing a claw towards the husky.

"A-Alex? Let's... just get out of here!" The jackhammer in his chest made it hard for Nathan to get his words out. He tried to stand, but both the trembling in his legs and beneath his feet made that impossible.

In a flash, Alexei shoved the bear's shoulder, stepping into him with a fierce growl. The bulkier giant stopped in his tracks, roaring and responding in kind by pushing the wolf back.

Suddenly, a thunderous crash echoed through the cafe so loudly that Nathan's Normaliser crackled and buzzed as it struggled to suppress it. He covered his ears, tumbling down to the tabletop as if a huge quake had struck. "Alex!"

Nathan stared in horror at the enormous black fist planted firmly upon table's edge. He craned his head upwards and cowered at the maw full of sharp teeth glistening in the dim light. The sharp scent of bear flooded his senses. He could almost taste it.

So focused on the irate figure looming overhead, Nathan never saw the flash of white hurtling his way until it closed around him. He yelped again, louder, rocketing sideways. As quickly as it had snatched him up, the furry wall stopped, causing the husky to thump his head against something much firmer.

The strong smell of bear dissipated, now replaced by a comfortingly familiar, lupine scent. Dazed, he looked up to find the bottom of a white-tinged muzzle, realising only then that Alexei had him clasped tight to his chest with both paws.

The aggression continued for just a few more seconds, Nathan curled up against the wolf throughout. He felt his makeshift shield loosen a little, prompting him to grasp the fabric of Alexei's shirt as if his life depended on it.

"Come, Nate. We go."

He didn't reply to the big wolf's gruff statement, choosing instead to remain as close to his chest as possible. As they exited, Nathan saw a few of the other customers still looking on; their expressions more of intrigue than concern. The last person he saw before they reached the door was Yana, standing by the cafe's counter with both paws covering her short snout, visibly shaken by the ordeal. 'Try being my size here, love. That's a fucking ordeal,' Nathan thought to himself, instantly feeling bad for it considering how friendly she'd been.

"I am so very sorry, Nate," Alexei blurted almost tearfully, trotting along the riverside road at pace. With their jackets in his left paw, he kept the little husky tight to his chest with the other. "We shall go to another place for food."

'I just want to go home,' was Nathan's first reaction, though after such a horrifying couple of minutes, he didn't know if home was a reference to Alexei's or his own.

"Is this okay?" The wolf petted over him with a thumb, gazing down with an awkward smile that only partially betrayed the distress he surely felt.

"Okay, Alex," Nathan mumbled glumly. He gazed out across the river, finding a faint flare of amber still seeping out from behind a city skyline blanketed by the night. At this moment, the bright sunshine of the day was all but a memory.