FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

There came a light rain surrounding the dull, grey building. A young, but not-so-young ferret walked in through the entrance, briefcase in hand. He had done this ritual many times, and it gave him a paycheck, so there was little to complain about. The exception was that he had been doing this for a couple of years now, and yet, he still did not know what he was supposed to be doing.

He found a seat at what would have been a cubical on the main floor, but there was nothing to separate the desks and computers. Most of them were actually empty, save for the few that came in and browsed the internet on them. Almost every day all he would do is just sit there, playing games, watching videos, and the like.

That was the life there, as they accepted it. He knew he did not serve a purpose there now, but maybe, at the same time he did serve his purpose. Perhaps not yet.

Every so often someone would be called to their boss's office. From then on, they would receive their job, and then they would not return. It was not that it was dangerous in any particular form or fashion, but rather it was a long project, to which could take up to several years, if not the rest of his or her life.

The ferret waited for that day to come, but only idly. He did not dread it, but he did not look forward to it at the same time. It was just what it was, and he accepted it. He only hoped that it was a short job and that he would return to his dull life. After all, the dull life he had was an easy one. He was paid well and had plenty of free time to spend with his friends.

When he thought of his friends, he did not actually want to have a job if it meant that he would be taken away from them. He liked them, he yearned for their company, their companionship. He had not found someone closer, but his friends were trying to help. They would set him up on dates from time to time, but none of them really felt fulfilling. Perhaps they just did not know his type.

It would always be some voluptuous vixen of sorts, perhaps a rabbit or doe: something that had many curves, a sway in her hips, a voice that cooed and personality that beckoned. He always thought that he had liked such things, and really, he did, but it seemed superficial when it came down to the matter at hand. Perhaps he had wanted substance.

While he did not want to leave, it was not as if his coworkers kept him company. Most of the ones he had known were gone, and every so often new workers would pop up, just to be as confused as he was, idly spending their time in front of a monitor. Once in a while he would attempt to build a friendly relationship with them, but most seemed to not really care for the company.

He still chatted online with some of his coworkers that had gone. Many were fairly happy with their assignments, and that gave him hope. However, when he asked for details of what they were assigned to do, they did not say. Whether or not it was because they could not or did not want to, they also did not say.

The day seemed like any other day, but it was not until the phone at his desk rang that he realized it was his day for an assignment. His heart had skipped a beat when it finally made a noise, and he hesitantly stared at the flashing light that called for his attention. A couple rings in and with a shaking paw he answered it. He put on an air of comfort and answered.

Indeed, it was his day. The top floor of the building was his destination. It made him feel nervous. It made him a little nauseous and quite a bit scared.

Everyone knew their boss was an eccentric individual. He had seen pictures of him once, but they were old and unreliable. He figured he would see soon enough.

He made his way to the elevator. The building was hardly large enough to warrant an elevator, but at least this way it made it so that disabled employees could make it to the top floor without any hassle. There, he pressed the uppermost button, the one that lead to his fate.

As the elevator rose, it felt as if his stomach stayed behind. Still, he volunteered for the job, and he had been living off of the generous paychecks, so it was his duty to finally work for once.

Down the hallway. To the left. Second-to-last door. It was marked as an executive office. Once he knocked and stepped through, he felt that it was appropriately marked.

There were two plain white walls on either side, and one behind him except for the door and a large screen propped on the wall. In front of him was an incredibly large room, empty save a large, ornate desk. There was a comfortable-looking chair in front of it, a series of monitors on top of the desk, as well as a keyboard and mouse. Wires ran off to the side, passing through a sort of maze meant specifically for them.

Behind the desk sat a somewhat large, imposing figure. He could see horns, and he counted four. Wings, folded, blue scales across the back of them, and around most of his employer. A slight yellow towards the neck, and a flash of green in his eyes. A dragon, not unheard of, but incredibly rare. Perhaps that was why he was eccentric. However, the ferret was willing to bet that that was not the reason.

"Mr. Connelly, please, have a seat," the dragon said. He gestured with a claw toward the comfortable chair in front of the desk, facing him.

The ferret gulped and moved forward timidly. His heart was racing and he broke out into a cold sweat, and immediately began to calm himself down, for in his head he was sure his boss could smell the fear in him. He sat down.

"If you don't mind, please take a look at the file in front of you and verify that it is you whom the file refers," the dragon said. "Sometimes clerical errors pop up and we have to be very careful to amend them. These assignments are quite precise, you see."

The ferret noticed the files, and to the side was a plaque. It simply read Syz. He knew it was his employer's name, but rare did he ever see it come up anywhere, and it took a moment for him to recognize it. He picked up the file and leafed through it.

The words resounded in his mind that, indeed, clerical errors do occur, and he hoped that this was one of those instances. Perhaps it was a number that was incorrect, a misspelling of a name, or cubical, or anything else. Something.

However, as he read through it, he verified that it was correct. David Connelly, as it was spelled out in front of him. A ferret. 5'6" in height. Hazel eyes. 24 years old, employment date starting two years ago. It all fit. They even got the odd fur marking he had since birth on his thigh. It was just a spot, but it was different.

He put the file down and said, "It's all correct, Mr. Syz." There was slight disappointment in his voice, and the dragon immediately picked up on it.

"I assure you, Mr. Connelly, you will enjoy this assignment. You have been chosen specifically for it, and believe me, I'm quite meticulous when it comes to picking the right individual for any particular job. Also, you can call me Syz. No need to be so formal, at least not any urgent need." The dragon grinned at him, teeth sparkling, all sharp and jagged and enough to tear his flesh with ease if he so desired.

There was something odd about the dragon that the ferret could not identify. Some heaviness that seemed to emanate off of him, something... powerful. He figured it was just because he was a dragon. They were, after all, beings of power, or at least they used to be. He had no way of telling how old his employer really was, though.

There was a nod from the ferret, but it was a hesitant one. He asked, "What am I to do on my assignment?"

Syz smiled, in a way that only a dragon could that made one feel as if they had walked into a trap, and yet could feel reassured that they had most certainly done the correct thing by doing so. "You are to break something."

Before the ferret could protest, the dragon added, "It is not something so tangible as you might conceive, though I suppose if you asked someone else, it might be very tangible, but at least not for you. You'll be breaking it, but it won't be you, not directly. It will make sense to you once you are there."

David sat there, a little confused, but he shook it off. He asked his next question, "How long is the assignment for? When will I come back?" It was truly what he really wanted to know.

There was a shrug from the dragon. "You'll stay there until the assignment is complete, and when it's complete, you'll stay there for as long as you see fit. It is not necessarily a short venture, but it doesn't have to be a long one. The way you approach it is up to you."

The ferret tilted his head, unsure of what the dragon meant, but he did hear news that he liked. He had to make sure, however. "So once it's done, I can just come back?"

The dragon nodded. "If that's what you want. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't."

The dragon opened a drawer behind his desk and shuffled through a few envelopes with his claws, idly glancing over the writing on the top of each one. He hummed to himself, not quite a melody of any sort, or any real tune, but just a hum as if he were thinking, but his blank face betrayed that it was a ruse. He knew what he was after and knew where it was stored.

He pulled out an envelope, sealed with but a red string that often came with such containers. He gave a slight smile as only he could do, as if remembering a joke that only he knew. He slid it gently across the desk and it stopped in front of the ferret, who looked at it hesitantly.

Syz spoke softly, but his tone had changed. It no longer felt as if it were just an employer speaking to David, but rather something greater. Something stronger. His words carried weight. He said, "Mr. Connelly, do you believe in fate?"

The ferret shrugged. "I never really thought too much about it." It was an odd question, and he had not been prepared to answer it.

The dragon continued, and the ferret thought he could see a wisp of smoke come from his nostril, but it did not linger. "You may or may not, but this client certainly does. Perhaps it is a road that we must travel, and perhaps there is only one destination. We might never be able to deviate from this path. Perhaps it is merely a line, a red string. This client is bound by it, and you'll notice it once you find him."

The dragon's grin came back, and a glimmer entered his eyes. There was something wild in there, something lively and fierce, yet ancient. The ferret had to turn away, afraid that if he continued to look the dragon in the eyes, he would be lost. Or devoured.

"Your assignment, Mr. Connelly, is to break something. It is not tangible, and yet sometimes it is. Your assignment is that of which is in that envelope. This is your task, and yours alone. No one else can do this. You will depart immediately upon leaving this office," he said. The room smelled strange while he spoke, and it felt warmer. The ferret wondered if it had always smelled that way, if the air conditioning had given out, or perhaps if he were just nervous. Had the dragon always seemed that large?

The air cooled, and the pressure seemed to lift. David no longer felt so tiny after a moment. The dragon continued to speak before the ferret remembered how to. "You do not need to worry about living arrangements. All the paperwork has been completed, and your previous living quarters have been closed. I believe it was an apartment? You need not worry about finances, an adequate sum has been wired to your account for whatever you might need on this assignment. Do you have any questions?"

David nodded shakily. "W-well, yes. I mean, this is a lot to take in. I'm leaving now? I haven't had a chance to pack, but you said I no longer have my apartment? Where'd all my stuff go?" Upon hearing himself ask the questions, the reality of it dawned on him.

Syz spoke of it lightly, as if it were a matter-of-fact, "We have placed your belongings in a shipping container, for when you request them in your new residence, or for when you return. You'll find that everything is safe and secure. We have also packed some luggage for you, which will be waiting for you outside my office. There is a car outside waiting to take you to the train station when you are ready, though I suggest you hurry. The train leaves shortly."

The ferret spoke up, "What happens if I miss my train?" Perhaps, he wondered, if he missed his train, he might be able to stay back.

Another wisp of smoke, and the pressure came back. "You do not want to miss it, Mr. Connelly."

Suddenly, the ferret felt very small, and very vulnerable. He sunk into his chair and swore he would have had a heart attack on the spot had he a weaker constitution. It was a similar feeling to a moment ago, but different. It felt hotter. Much hotter. There was no more uncertainty that if he did not flee, there would be consequences. However, he was frozen.

It was only for a short moment, perhaps a second at most, and yet it felt like an eternity. The dragon closed his eyes and said, "I suppose sometimes there are situations that cause us to be late, however. If you miss this train, there will be another, and if need be, we can arrange for alternate travel options."

David gulped what he had hoped was inaudible, but his throat failed him. He shakily sat back up and said, "Y-yes sir. I'll leave immediately." He could not bring his head up to meet the dragon's eyes. He was too afraid.

He began to stand up when he saw a claw go for his paw. It was quick and he did not have time to retract his arm. A terrible vision invaded his mind: that his arm had come clean off. His sight was filled with blood, his arm reeled in imagined pain.

It was just a handshake, however. The dragon gently said, "I am sure you will enjoy this trip, Mr. Connelly. I would not have chosen just anyone for this assignment. I am quite particular about these kinds of things, you know. We will be in touch."

As a reaction to the handshake, the ferret looked up, into the deep eyes of his employer, and he saw something swimming in them, but only as a glimpse. As quickly as he noticed it, it was gone. All that was left was a warm, smiling dragon, no different than the one that sat there when he had entered the office.

When his paw was free, he turned around and left, closing the door quietly behind him.

True to his word, there were a couple bags to the right as he exited. He attempted to grab them, and then realized there was the envelope in his left paw. When had it gotten there? He shook his head and figured he must have picked it up, but had not noticed.

He pulled the luggage along with him and headed to the elevator. His mind was swimming. Break something? He thought about what it meant. He thought about what the dragon had told him, about fate. What did that have to do with him?

-

There in the car sat the ferret, holding onto the envelope. The computer at his desk had already been logged out, and his belongings had been packed up. His luggage was in the trunk.

The driver was a middle-aged cat, black in color with white that ran down portions of her body. Her paws where white, her eyebrows, a portion of her chest. She had brilliant orange eyes, and he wondered why he had never seen her before. Perhaps it was because he had never been in a company vehicle before.

She was polite enough, but she was just another employee, like himself. She knew nothing about what he was supposed to do, and he did ask almost immediately, but it was pointless. All she knew was her own job. Perhaps that was best, though he was sure that most businesses liked to promote synergy.

It was not a long drive to the train station. He managed to text out a few farewells to his friends on the way, but it seemed as if they had already been informed of his situation. The dragon thought of everything, it seemed, but really, how long had that business been going on? Most likely most of it was automatic by now.

Once they arrived, he carried his luggage to the train, insisting that he do so himself, as he could not have the driver doing it. It was not so much that she was female, but because he figured if it was his job, he should do his own work.

She seemed to be a bit grateful in that respect. It did not seem she looked forward to any heavy lifting at that moment.

It was true what the dragon had said, that the train would depart shortly. They arrived with only ten minutes before it was scheduled to leave the station. It was enough time for him to stow his luggage and find his seat, though as empty as the train was, he could have sat anywhere.

He found himself sitting, staring blankly at the envelope he was given. It was bound merely by a red string. When he went to unravel it, he found that the string was fused on both ends to the paper, so that in order to open the envelope, he would have to either tear the paper around it or cut the string. He decided that the more professional option would be to cut the string.

He thought about it and thought that perhaps his boss was being a bit melodramatic, talking to him about a red string and fate, and then having him cut one open just to see what his assignment might be. He could easily just have given him the papers inside of it, stapled at the top, perhaps in a binder to make it easier to work with. Maybe in a briefcase?

With a flick of his paw the red string was undone and the envelope was unbound. Nothing special occurred, and the ferret did not quite know what he expected. He reached for the papers.

It was information on an otter. He was a little older than the ferret, not even by a full year. Definitely taller, however, at 5'11", with brown eyes and brown fur. He looked like any other river otter with no distinguishing features. Had he walked by him, he would not have caught David's eye.

The town he lived in was small, perhaps no more than a thousand or two living there at any given time. It was not small enough for everyone to know everyone else, and it was not quite removed from the larger cities, but the residents lived there because they liked the quaint feel. They wanted a life to be more personal, or so the file told him.

"Eversville, outside of Deer City. Hm... there's a river nearby, at least," the ferret murmured to himself. There was a map for him to study. The end location was far away, much further than feasible were he decided to travel back home for a weekend. Even by train it would take some time.

He went back to studying the information on his assignment. The otter's statistics were there. His physical profile. His name. Fisher. Only his surname was listed. An otter with the name Fisher seemed pretty fitting, and the ferret did chuckle lightly at it. Perhaps it was a bit cliché, but that gave it its charm, as well.

He had lived there all his life, or so the file told him. Went through school quite well, seemingly a smart individual. Perhaps he was a bit too smart, as it seemed he had very rarely ever got anything incorrect on any of the tests.

He had not gone to college. With his grades, he had been accepted into any college of his choice, with full scholarships, it would seem, but he had declined. It was odd, especially to the ferret, who had struggled to get through his education, and find much money for a local community college. Still, perhaps it just was not for the otter. Maybe he had another job lined up and wanted to focus on that?

He worked, but it was a retail job. It did not pay much, and it seemed he lived in a small apartment nearby so he did not have to spend any money on travel. A grocery store was also around the area, but that was not surprising for a small town. It made sense to David, at least that he would want things to be near where he lived, yet it did not make sense that he had so much potential and squandered it.

Still, he did not know the otter, and could not make such judgments yet. He would have to find him, first, and then see what needed to be done to complete his assignment.

He found the page that listed the directions he was to take. He remembered, or rather, was not allowed to forget that he had to break something. The cryptic words from Syz echoed in his head, which only confused him. He figured he should just follow what was written on the paper.

It told him that he was to break the series of events that the otter was bound by. The only other details given were his address, number, and approximate locations and times he would be there. The directions only lead to more questions, and thinking back on what the dragon said only confused David further.

He sprawled across the seat and continued studying the files. The assignment, the locations, the maps. It had his living accommodations already lined up, the transport that would take him there. Apparently there would be a car waiting. He thought back to the cat that had driven him there. Perhaps there would be another?

The thoughts swirled about in his head over and over. There was no picture of the otter, so he tried to imagine him, but all he could think about was just a regular otter. Still, everyone looked different, but he was not given enough information to accurately paint a unique picture. Fisher, he thought. Fisher, Fisher....

He did not notice his eyes drooping, or the blinds having been shut. The room was dark and it was impossible for him to read with the dim light, but it did not matter, as it was much more important for him to be awake in order to read.

-

He woke up with a start. It was a dreamless, yet restful sleep. The train had gone over a particularly curvy portion of the track that had caused him to sway awake. He looked around, and the blinds were back up.

It was night out already. He checked his watch. He had already been traveling for several hours, and he still had a few left to go. The papers he had been holding were scattered on the floor, but there were no signs of tampering. He simply had dropped them when he fell asleep.

He collected them and went through them again, only to find it made him drowsy again. He set them aside and thought about what was to come, filled with dread and anxiety.

Such was the life he chose, he thought. He knew it would come one day, but he hoped it would not.

-

It was an uneasy rest for the ferret. He tried to get back to sleep, but the movement of the train would wake him each time he got close to falling asleep.

He went over the files again, but this time more focused on the town and where he would be living.

He was no longer living in an apartment, it seemed. There was a house that was purchased a few years ago fully, and then the ownership transferred around until finally falling into Syz's control. It looked like a decent house from the outside, not too large, not too small, though considering it was just David living in it, it seemed a little excessive.

It was only a few minutes outside of town and well within walking distance if he needed to walk. It would at least be good exercise if he needed to get groceries and did not feel like driving there.

The town itself had most of the stores centralized, though there were a few shops toward the outskirts. There were no major shops in the area, just small, privately owned ones. The same was true of all of the other services in the town.

He tried to remember where everything was in the town based off of the maps that had been provided. It was a little too much for him to fully memorize, so he stuck to the places that he thought were important, such as the grocery store.

He also tried to remember the places that the files told him the otter would be at any given time. It was fairly simple since most of the places were close together, but the tough part was figuring out which place corresponded to whichever time.

There was a time-table in the files. Each place he would be at was listed as well as when he would be there, and for how long. There were no approximate values. Everything was meticulous and specific. David wondered just how they could have gotten this information, especially since it would have had to have stemmed from guess-work, since they referenced future visits instead of merely a log.

It was a few pages, but it ended after a couple of weeks. Perhaps that was when they estimated that he would no longer need to rely on a time-table to figure out the otter's schedule, or he would have finished his assignment. Either way, after the couple of weeks, all of the information seemed to just end.

The ferret set the papers down and held his paws to his eyes, covering them, and groaning. He could not find any real information on what it was he was supposed to do, except he knew that he had to break something intangible. He had no idea what that could possibly mean, and yet it was his job. He was frustrated and confused, and now there was a file, all about an otter that he did not know, nor knew what he even looked like. It was a town he had never been to, and most likely everyone knew everyone else there, since it was small. He left home, he left work, though he was still getting paid, and he left his friends, at the whim of his employer.

He was frustrated, but he was also scared. There was a ferocity in those eyes he saw, a determination and will that had come from nowhere. It was overpowering, and he did not ever think of ever wanting to make that dragon angry. It would be foolish.

Aside from that, it was as if he were a ghost haunting a new house. No one would recognize him, since he did not actually know anyone that lived there. It was possible that they might not even accept him, shun him from all of their town-ly events. Perhaps even their amenities.

Perhaps they would be welcoming. He liked that idea better, but he knew not to dwell on it. He hoped he was wrong and that everything would go well. Maybe it would not last even a week before he would be on a train home.

He looked out of the window. The sun was long gone.

-

Time passed by without his notice. It felt to him as if he had closed his eyes for but a moment, but when he opened them again, the train was no longer moving and all was silent. He quickly grabbed his belongings, putting away the files, and ran to exit the train, making sure that it was the correct stop, although he had not seen any other stops scheduled in the area.

Shortly after he got off the train, it began to move again. He had nearly missed his stop, which would have been an awful way to start his assignment, he thought to himself. He inspected his surroundings.

There was a small hut that was empty, most likely a ticket booth. He had walked into the platform that had a small covering over it. Everything seemed worn down and weathered, only reaffirming how remote the town was.

There was a dirt parking lot occupied by only one vehicle. It was still dark with only one low-sodium light shining in the area, so he could not really get a good look at it. He did what he could, though, pulling out his phone and turning on the light.

It was very dusty, probably from having sat in the area for more than just a day unattended. Aside from that, it was black in color, which did not help him identify most of the features, but for all intents and purposes, it was a fairly expensive-looking sports car. He fished around among the files given to him for the car key and hit the unlock button. The car lit up.

It had four seats and a convertible top, a spoiler on the back that seemed kind of gaudy, and a stripe down the middle that he had not noticed before because of the color. A dark blue on black, with new everything it seemed. He climbed into the driver's seat, surprised at how much money they had put into this venture of his, since this was a vehicle he would never otherwise have been able to afford.

The seats were leather and the car smelled new. There were lights across the dashboard that told him everything that he needed to know, like that the doors were closed, the fuel was full, and that he needed to buckle his seat belt. All readings were nominal, the air conditioning was on, which he quickly turned off, and the GPS was engaged.

He scrolled through the location lists in the GPS after he figured out just how it worked, and it had a few places registered already. The grocery store was already stored, as well as a few locations that he was to find his target. The last location was labeled "Shack", which he assumed was the house he would be staying at. He picked it and the navigation system was ready to guide him.

The car started silently, to his surprise. Probably one of those new electric types, he thought. Perhaps a hybrid. He did not recall too many hybrid sports cars though. He figured he would inspect it later on when there was daylight.

With the headlights, he could finally see the dirt roads that would lead him to the house. About a ten-minute drive, it seemed, and to the other locations, anywhere between ten to fifteen minutes. It seemed that the town was indeed small.

The closer he got, the more lights he saw, but they were not the city lights he was used to. There were a couple low-sodium lights to light the streets, but mostly all he saw were stars. The clouds had hung over the train station, but not near the town, and it looked like something he would have seen in a movie. He nearly lost his bearing on the road from staring at the stars.

With his focus regained, he made his way to the house. There was a large gate in the front, the only entrance with the large walls that surrounded it. From just the car lights, he could tell it was a much larger house than he had ever lived in, and had no idea why it was labeled "Shack". When he pulled up close to the gate, it opened up automatically. Eerie, he thought to himself.

He parked in whatever spot he found in the front, though it seemed like it was just a circle in front of the house. He turned the car off, though it was difficult to tell if it was on or off. He got out, took his luggage with him, and walked up the steps to the house. He knocked on a large door, but there was no answer.

The door was unlocked, however. He pushed it open and a light came on. All of the automated technology was beginning to scare him, but he pushed on. He set his bags down and looked in the mirror.

It looked like he had not gotten any sleep, though he knew that he did. He inspected his surroundings and his mouth hung open when he realized that this was more of a mansion than just a house. The architecture was old and ornate, obscure carvings lining the walls and the floor was made of either marble or tile, he could not tell which. The ceiling was so far up that he felt dizzy looking at it, and the stairs seemed to go on forever, but what was really only three floors at the most.

A voice called out and he nearly jumped out of his fur, causing his bags to topple loudly on the floor beside him. "Hey, you're here!" the voice had said.

He turned to find the origin of the voice, and it was a bored looking black cat, a little older than he was. His eyes were a piercing violet. Was that natural? "I came over to see what turned the light on," the cat explained. "He said you would be here around this time, so I guess this works out. My name is Max, by the way."

The ferret, still breathing a little quickly, said, "David. That... that's me. Nice to meet you. What... are you doing here? I thought I would be by myself. Who told you I would be here?"

He knew the answer to who it was, but he figured he would ask. The cat held out his paw, of which he shook gingerly.

"Our employer, you know. The dragon. Big guy. Scary. I'm sure you know him, or you wouldn't be here. Anyway, you will be alone here," Max explained. "I'm just here to give you some bearing on the situation. Everyone has their job, and this is mine."

The ferret nodded and they walked into another room. It looked like a large banquet hall, with a long table with no fewer than fifty seats to fill. They grabbed a couple seats, puffy and ornate, though not as comfortable as they lead him to believe.

"Okay, so your assignment here is to last until it's completed, as I'm sure you know." The cat grabbed a folder and opened it, though David did not see where he had gotten it from. "Your target is an otter. I'm sure you've gone through all the little details on your way here?" He looked up expectantly at the ferret.

David nodded, but said, "I did, but I don't really understand what it is I'm supposed to do, or who this otter is."

The cat nodded and said, "Yeah, sorry. That's my fault. You see, I brief the guys, I collect the data, I make the schedules. Usually everything is a bit more comprehensive, but for this particular one, it has to remain a bit vague, since I'm unable to get close to him to find out more. I can't even take a picture of this guy, or it would screw it all up. Don't ask why or how, just trust me. All the information you have is all I've got, except from what I've seen with my own two eyes."

The ferret opened his mouth to ask a question, but it was shut down before he could get the words out. He decided it was best to just sit quietly.

"So, this guy, this otter. Let me describe him, I guess. He's kind of tall but not that tall. Bit taller than you, though. He isn't fat, isn't fit, just kind of mediocre as if he is just living life to live. You'll notice that about him once you meet him." Max flipped through a couple pages and scanned them while the ferret just sat there, unsure of what the cat had really meant. "For the duration of your task you are to live here and all amenities are yours to do with as you like. The bills are paid and you won't be on assignment for very long. The special nature of this client limits this to about two weeks. You'll figure it out. It's better that way.

"The thing Syz doesn't like to tell you guys is that if your assignment finishes completely, you will no longer be employed. I assume he gave you a card so you could talk to him if need be, but he rarely answers that phone anyway, so I wouldn't bother." The cat looked slightly annoyed at the last part. "If your assignment fails, you'll end up going back to the main building, and then I can't really say what happens. No one ever fails. I think they're scared. They probably should be, you know?"

The ferret recalled sitting with the dragon, and quickly nodded. Max continued, "So assuming you're successful, and that can be within one day or two weeks, or anywhere in between, you will keep this house, the car, and everything around here. It's all been paid for, but you'll have to start paying the bills. You'll have a new bank account, however, and it should have what you need for a while, assuming you aren't frivolous with your spending. Syz didn't tell me how much was in the account. I'll be handing the card to you in a moment, but I need you to sign a few things. You know, legal stuff."

He grabbed a few papers from the folder and handed it to the ferret with a pen that had appeared in his paw. It was a trick that he wished he could figure out, or at least replicate.

"I don't care if you want to read it or not, you have to sign them. Not really a choice in the matter, just kind of a courtesy. First one is the deed to this house and land, second one is your account, third one is a disclaimer though you know more than what is written in it, and the last one is just a special power of attorney, so I can go finish all of the other legal paperwork while you work on the assignment. You can toss that old phone away: we'll be getting you a new one. The account is already due to expire in a few weeks. It's fine, though, because once you swap over, you can keep your number."

Max took back the papers once the ferret was finished signing them. It was confusing and a lot of information to take in all at once, but for some reason he felt the cat could be trusted. Maybe he just did not want to disappoint the dragon.

"So. About the otter. I couldn't figure out his name oddly enough. You would think there would be information about that, but because of his special nature, some information is tougher to get than others. I got his surname from the phonebook, but that was it. You can figure it out easily once you meet him, though. As far as I know, you're the only one allowed to meet him. You won't have any interference. I highly suggest you start the assignment immediately, so if you see on the time-table that I put together, he would be at the diner pretty soon. That is probably your best option for an introduction," the cat told him.

David spoke up, "What am I supposed to do when I do find him? I was told that I was supposed to... break something intangible. What does that even mean?"

Max looked at him blankly for a moment, until a small smile appeared on his face. "Do you believe in fate?"

The question was there again. Why did they keep asking him that? Before he could answer, though, the cat spoke.

"It doesn't really matter if you do or do not, honestly. Just keep it in your mind. Just get to know the target. You'll find out almost immediately what you're supposed to do, and honestly, it's better if you figure it out than me just telling you." Max stood up and began to gather some bags that the ferret had not noticed when entering the room. It was a large room, though.

"I'll be heading off to finish this paperwork and get things in order. You'll find a box on the counter with your new phone in it and it should be activated by the end of the day. Town will open back up in an hour or so when the early birds start to wake up. There's also an envelope in the box with a debit and credit card. Call the numbers to activate them. I'm afraid because of the sensitive nature of this certain assignment, we could not hire a maid or butler for you, so you'll have to make your own bed, do your own laundry, make your own food, et cetera. I'm sure you'll manage." He walked to the front door and opened it.

"The gate is set to open from your house key and your car. There's a keypad if you ever need it. The box has more information in it, like the code for the gate. Be sure to mow your lawn when you need to. If you don't, it will look like no one is home, and someone is bound to try to break in at some point. Probably just kids though. Lights are automatic in the house, but you can turn them off with a switch near every doorway." Max stepped outside with his bags and turned around.

He smiled and said, "Hopefully you'll never see me again. I wish you luck. Wash up and get some rest, Mr. Connelly. You look like you need it, no offense."

The ferret smiled softly, remembering how he looked in the mirror. "None taken. Are you sure you're going to be okay out there?"

The cat nodded. He pointed at the box sitting on the counter next to the mirror that David had been at not long ago. He did not recall seeing the box before, but figured that since it was a new place, he could have just overlooked it. He looked over and the cat said, "Don't worry about me. You've got a lot of work to do."

The ferret sighed, nodded, and turned to face Max, but when he did, the cat was gone. All that was left was a door ajar and the darkness of early morning. He closed the door and locked it, thinking to himself, "Am I in a horror movie?"

He looked at the box, and sure enough, everything the cat had told him was in there was in there. He sifted through it, activating the cards and noting that his name was printed on them already. He looked at the phone. It was the newest model on the market, and fairly expensive. He held it like a holy relic, afraid he might drop it.

He walked upstairs. According to one of the papers that was in the box, the master room was on the top floor, toward the end of one of the hallways. He slowly found his way to it, still uneasy about the lights that would flicker into existence while he walked by.

The room was huge, with a large TV on the side, a bed that looked like it could be its own house, furniture that he knew he would never want to sit on for fear of ruining it, and a connecting bath that was larger than his old apartment's kitchen. His jaw sat agape at the luxury that had befallen him, but he closed his mouth and reminded him that this was just an assignment. Then again, if he succeeded, it would all be his.

He opened up the luggage finally, and it was all clothes that he would normally wear. T-shirts, some jackets, various types of pants, underwear, socks, and so on. It looked almost as if they had ransacked his apartment, which seemed likely, but everything was new and clean, looking freshly bought and washed. Some of the other clothes in the other suitcase looked fancier.

The toiletries in the bath were new and unused, with fresh toothpaste at the sink and a toothbrush in its package. Shampoo, soap, towels, it was as if he had gone to a luxury hotel and was about to ruin all of their hard work.

He discarded his dirty clothes in a dirty hamper, and hesitantly, he closed the door to his room, just in case someone else was in the large house like the cat had been. He knew no one else was supposed to be there, but he felt uneasy, especially with it so dark outside.

He set out some clothes to change into once he finished his shower. He turned the water on and checked the time. It was four in the morning with a few minutes change, and the sun was due to arrive shortly. The schedule showed that the otter would be arriving at the diner at six to get breakfast and start his day.

He sat in the shower, his mind reeling with the information and the weight of the task placed upon him. He did not want to show back up having failed the mission.

The shower felt refreshing. He stood in it for what felt like forever, but he knew he could not just hide there. He finished up and got dressed. There were some spray deodorants, all smelling of a rich life he did not lead.

He laid down in the most comfortable bed he had ever experienced, on pillows that felt like clouds and sheets that felt like heaven. He could sprawl out completely on the bed without even a limb being close to hanging off of it. He set an alarm for half past five. A nap might do him well.

-

He did not even remember falling asleep and he was confused when he felt the alarm near him buzzing. It had been doing so for about ten minutes, it seemed, but he was in deep enough sleep that he did not wake up immediately. He was thankful for setting it early.

He washed up and groomed himself. No sense in looking like he had gotten out of a dump, he figured. The toothpaste even tasted rich, but perhaps it was merely mental. It was the same type and brand that he was used to. Maybe the water was better.

He figured he could skip breakfast since he would be going to a diner to meet up with the otter. He checked his wallet and he had a few bills that he could use, so he did not need to make a withdrawal immediately, just sometime that day.

He checked the fridge on the way out to the car, noting that it was fully stocked with everything he could ever imagine. He had to figure out a way to cook since it would otherwise just be a waste.

The car was where he left it. The gate was closed. He did not recall it opening when the cat left, but he figured there was some other way he went. The place was still new to him, and he would just have to explore it later when the sun was out.

The car was as quiet as he remembered, and the gate just as automatic. He had locked the door before leaving, and the lights turned off automatically, apparently on a timer.

He could see light on the horizon, so it would be brighter soon, but the headlights were still on. The GPS lead him toward the diner along what seemed to be the main road in the town. There were smaller roads that veered off to the sides, heading to the lesser traveled parts and residential areas. The diner was off one of these such roads.

He found a dirt parking space, which there seemed to be a lot of, even with the river nearby and the somewhat humid environment. Plenty of green, but plenty of dirt along the roads.

He saw several heads turn toward him when he arrived, whispers forming on their lips, gossip already being spread about the new guy in town. There he was with his sports car, living in a mansion, nowhere near incognito as he would like.

He locked the car and walked into the diner, quickly scanning the patrons. There was an otter in the corner, seemingly just arrived. There were families all about of many species, many of them various types of canines. Foxes, wolves, hounds, terriers, birds, cats, and even a couple of rhinos off in the opposite corner. The waitress was a slightly overweight mink with a lot of makeup applied on her face. Aged.

He managed to see everyone's faces, since everyone was staring at him. The waitress came over and asked him, "Table for one?"

He was about to nod but shook his head. "Just looking for someone. Actually, he's back there." He pointed to the otter, who had been staring at him intently the entire time with an odd expression on his face.

The mink looked over, shrugged, and said, "Good luck with that one. Odd sort he is. Nice enough."

The ferret gulped. He only then realized that his mouth was pretty dry and his palms sweaty, his nerves beginning to get the best of him. He walked toward the table, all eyes on him, heads turned to watch the spectacle. After a couple tables, though, they lost interest. Perhaps they were judging if he was a threat. Perhaps they thought they would be a little sneakier about it.

All except the otter, however. His eyes were constantly on David. He squinted, tilted his head, and tried to focus, but there was a confused, and almost awe-stricken look on his face.

When David reached the table, before he could say anything, the otter spoke up in sort of a loud whisper, "I don't know you."

Taken aback, the ferret stammered, "A-ah, yeah, you don't, but...."

Before he could continue further, the otter gestured for him to sit down. There was an awkward silence that hung in the air.

The ferret attempted to look at the otter, but would constantly avert his gaze when he realized that the otter was still staring at him intensely.

The waitress came by and before she could speak, he said, "The usual, please." She nodded, took the menu from him, and asked David what he would like to eat.

He shyly said, "U-uh, what... hm. What do you recommend?"

The mink smiled warmly. "The pancakes are to die for."

He smiled back at her and said, "I'll have some of those, then, please. And a coffee."

She took his menu and took a glance at the otter. His gaze had not shifted.

"Is there something... wrong?" he asked. He thought that the encounter would be different and was not prepared for someone to be staring at him the entire time.

"Yes. And no. Mostly no. But yes. I don't know you. That's the problem," the otter said, not shifting his eyes. "That's the weird part: I know everyone."

David coughed. "Well, I mean, I just got into town, so...."

The otter shook his head, but his eyes were still fixed. "No. We get folks that come in from out of town, and if they talk to me, I know them, too. You're the first one, though. I don't have any clue as to who you are. Who are you?"

The ferret paused for a moment, finding it odd that the otter would react in this way. "Uh, well, I'm David. Like I said, I just got here. And you are?" He felt it was a bit rude to ask what his name was since he was the one intruding.

"Strange. I know only one David, and he isn't you. Now I know two. I've never had these new... experiences." The otter blinked and finally dropped his gaze. He smiled into the table. "It's pretty exciting, actually. I'm Josh. Sorry, this is new to me. I've never had the opportunity to meet anyone before. Usually I just know them."

David quirked his head and squinted. "I'm not really sure I follow. Surely you've met... pretty much everyone, haven't you?"

The otter shook his head. "Not really, no. I'll explain it later... or maybe I won't? I don't think I will, or have, but then again, this meeting also never happened, and yet here we are." He stared at the table a while longer.

David took his chance to finally examine the otter. He was tall, as was given to him, with what appeared to be sleek yet thick brown fur. It was tan in some parts, however, such as under the neck, and what he assumed was below. His paws were a darker brown, almost black. He could just make out the light brown eyes through the less-than-advantageous angle. He wore a light jacket, yellow in color. He had jeans on, baggy, and a plain t-shirt under his jacket, white.

He had small ears that looked unharmed, much like the rest of him. No signs of fights or bullying or even friendly brawls were anywhere on him. He looked as if he had just slipped by unnoticed through his life.

There was a nagging feeling that David tried to shrug off. Jealousy, perhaps, since even though he seemed like your average river otter, there was a certain aspect to him, perhaps an angle, or the way the light shone, or even the innocent smile that was currently on his face, that made him handsome. The ferret knew that even if he tried, he would not be able to pull off such a pose. Maybe it was just in his head, he thought to himself.

Josh looked up again, finally, his eyes meeting the ferret's own, who immediately averted his gaze. It looked like there was something glimmering in those eyes, like the excitement a child feels when they see a new toy. "So!" he began. "Tell me about yourself. I know absolutely nothing about you aside from your name."

The ferret felt his face flush a little. He never did like talking about himself, mostly because he found his life to be incredibly dull, and that he always had trouble talking to others in the first hand. "I uh, well, like I said, I moved here... this morning, actually. Still new to the area, and all."

"What brings you to this town? It's kind of far and out of the way, doesn't seem like a location someone that drives that kind of fancy car might want to live in." The otter gestured with a nod toward the car parked in front of the diner.

"Oh, uh..." the ferret began. He tried to think of any excuse if he had been trapped in a lie, but really, everything he said was technically the truth. "My work sent me here, actually. That's a company car. I can't afford anything like that on my own."

The otter's smile faded, but it did not turn into anything more than just a look of genuine curiosity. "What for? This town doesn't really offer anything. We just kind of live off the land, and it treats us well enough. We don't have any special natural resources, no gas, and the river isn't strong enough for more than a couple small mills. Some fish, I guess."

The ferret hesitated, thinking about what he could say without letting the otter know that his primary objective happened to be sitting in front of him. "Well, I was supposed to find someone and help them out. A friend of the company, I think, but they didn't really tell me much about the particular relationship. But uh, hey, maybe we could talk about something other than work?"

The otter nodded. "Fair enough. Where are you from, then?"

David thought about his apartment, and even before that when he lived with his parents. It was not anything actually extraordinary, but it was his life, and it felt very personal just telling someone about it, but it was as he had asked. It was not work. "I'm from the city originally, so this place is... different. Blackden. Have you heard of it? I was born a little outside of it, but moved into it for work. I had a small apartment, but not anymore. Now I'm just here."

There was a short silence where the otter expected there to be more, but when there was none, he asked, "And what about friends? Family? Are there any of them near here that you can visit at least?"

The ferret shook his head. "No. They're all back in the city. I might be able to visit them at some point, but I think I'm going to be busy for a couple of weeks." He thought about the last bit of information. Had it been too much to let the otter know the time-table? Probably not.

The otter furrowed his brows slightly. He stared at the ferret with a scrutinizing gaze. "Couple weeks? What... did you say you were here for, again?"

David felt a chill run up his spine, and suddenly his throat felt dry. Before he had to answer, the food had arrived, interrupting the interrogation.

The food looked good enough, if a bit large in portion with a hearty serving of butter. He could feel his heart seize just looking at it. Still, he decided to try it. It was much better than he had expected.

He decided to try to change the subject. "How about you? Have you always been here, or did you move here?"

The otter had not been paying attention, it seemed. He had been staring at his food, but not quite at it, but through it. He seemed lost in thought, but from the ferret's voice, he snapped back to attention. "Excuse me?"

"Uh, are you from around here?" David asked, his confidence waning.

The otter smiled softly. "Yes. Mostly. Can't really say that I'm just from here. I am here. I'll explain it to you later. Finish your food while you have the chance. There's going to be an altercation in a moment."

"What do you mean?" the ferret asked.

"Just trust me on this one," Josh responded. He smiled a warm smile and ate his food as quickly as he could, looking over toward the door every so often.

The ferret ate as quickly as he could, following the otter's example. He nearly choked on his drink, and no later than he had finished did he hear a loud crash at the entrance. A drunken bear had stumbled in, followed by another, equally intoxicated bear. The second one was female, while the first appeared to be her husband. In all appearances, he seemed to be trying to escape.

Their yelling was incomprehensible, and they began to stumble toward the table that the otter and ferret had sat at. Luckily, by the time they had smashed into the table, he had already finished his food and drink and moved the plates to the side.

There were some accusations thrown at the husband. Some apologies in return. They began to work their way into the back of the kitchen, where the chef promptly threw them out.

The waitress rushed over and apologized for their behavior. She seemed sincere, but from her voice, he could tell that it happened fairly often. Is that how the otter knew?

The food was free based on the incident, but David insisted that he pay. He pulled out some money, which they denied. He responded by putting it in their tip jar in secret.

He looked around for the otter. Apparently while he had found the tip jar, the otter had found the exit and took his leave. He spotted him standing outside, inspecting his car.

He checked every minute detail about it. "This is incredible," he said. The glimmer was back in his eyes. "I've never seen this before. Everything about you seems so... new, it's amazing. You have to tell me more about your life."

David sighed. He unlocked the car and said, "You can get in if you want. Just let me know where to go and I'll drive you around. It'll be like a free tour, since I still have no idea where anything is at here."

The otter's face lit up and he was in the car much quicker than the ferret. He began to inspect the interior just as he did the exterior.

"Uh... so where do you need to go?" the ferret asked. He had a vague idea because of the time-table, and that was just the otter's apartment. He would stay there for a while until lunch that day, it seemed.

"Just back to my place, if that's okay. Just a right when you leave this restaurant, couple streets over, and then a left. You'll see a pretty long building. That's the apartment." The otter smiled at him. "You're invited over, of course, if you have nothing to do. I can't let this opportunity just evade me."

David followed the directions that were reiterated to him as he got closer to the turns. He thought to himself that this felt too easy. It was as if all the pieces were falling into place, and all he needed to do was acquire a little more information, and he would be done with his task. If anything, he could at least make a new friend out of it, and it did seem like the otter had some sort of interest in him.

His mind went to a dark place when he thought of that. He did not know this town, or the inhabitants. What guarantee was there that they did not just kill off the visitors? Some towns stayed small for a reason.

He shuddered and chose not to think about it. He pulled into another dirt lot where they both exited the vehicle. It was a single story building with several doors lining the sides. It seemed more like a motel than an apartment, but it was labeled as an apartment, so he decided not to question it.

It was the fourth door from the right. Apartment 103. 100 was the main office, apparently. The otter unlocked it and held the door open, gesturing for the ferret to walk in.

The inside was dark until the lights turned on. There was a couch facing an unplugged television. A bed. A small kitchen. A bathroom. Some clothes were on the floor. The otter was a bit messier than he thought he would be, but then again, he lived the same life not too long ago, so he did not judge him.

"Sorry for the state of the room, I don't get visitors." The otter pointed to the chair and said, "You can sit there if you want. I don't really use it. It's not uncomfortable or anything, but I have a bed, and that's a bit better. That and I don't watch TV."

The ferret headed toward the chair, but had to halt for a moment while the otter turned it so it faced the bed. They sat down facing each other. The room smelled of an air freshener.

"So, I guess before I ask you to tell me about yourself, I owe you a bit of an explanation," the otter said. "And believe me, I will definitely ask you to talk about yourself.

"I don't live my life like anyone normal does," the otter said. He looked at the ferret in the eyes, and before he could win that staring contest, he averted his gaze with a soft smile, and what seemed to the ferret as a sort of embarrassed pose. "Sorry, it's just, you're new, and it's really something that I haven't experienced before. I don't really know how to feel about it. I just feel excited, I guess? Anyway, enough of that."

He continued to stare at the floor. "I live my life simultaneously. Every event, every moment, except for those that you happened to be in, are all being lived by me, all at once, infinitely. I'm living my birth as I am living my death. That's how it's always been. The weird part is, when you're around, I'm focused on this point. It's like putting on glasses, or waking up."

"Wait, what do you mean?" the ferret asked. Living life simultaneously? How was that even possible? "You don't seem to act any differently."

The otter's smile faded. "Yeah, but that's not something that would change. Like I said. It's simultaneous. It's all at once. It's as if you collapsed all time onto a single point, and that's how my life is. I'm currently living here in this room. I live in my old room, with my parents. I'm living in school, excelling because I know all the information, all the answers, because I've done it all before. I'm living in that diner, with the others. Later today I'm in the store, getting some food for later. My job doesn't pay well, but I know how to do it, and even if I didn't I'm still doing it."

David pulled out a piece of paper and looked at it, attempting to be inconspicuous. There it was, at forty past six this evening, the otter would be at the grocery store. Still, that was just a lucky guess, perhaps. Maybe it was just a pattern. A routine.

"What about tomorrow?" the ferret asked. He looked at the schedule, ready to confirm his intentions.

"Tomorrow? Diner in the morning. Post office a bit around noon. I'm working for a little bit after that, and that has a funny story to it, because at work there's going to be an accident where someone gets put into a sort of headlock in a ladder, so they have to call an ambulance to get him unstuck. Of course the boss wants me to escort him, but after that, work is over and I come back here." The otter smiled and looked up at the ferret, as if he had just told a joke and wanted to see the reaction.

It all fit. Even the ambulance and hospital trip. There were a couple pieces that the otter left out, but they were insignificant, like a trip to the bathroom. He looked at the otter, and realized that Josh had noticed the paper he was holding.

"What's that?" he asked. He scooted closer so he could see it.

David folded it up and put it in his pocket. "Oh, it's nothing."

The otter shook his head. "I already saw a little bit of it. It's a schedule. I can revisit it in my memory as many times as I like. Is it my schedule?"

The ferret cursed in his mind. He had been found out so quickly. He hesitantly took out the paper and opened it. There was a paw in front of him, asking for it, and he reluctantly placed the paper in it.

The otter perused it. "I remember all of these. All the way up until the end. How did you get this?"

David sighed. "My company. They gave it to me."

Josh's smile was gone, and his face was contorted into concern. He looked at the paper, at the ferret, and back and forth for a silent couple of minutes. "Your company? Well, I guess it doesn't matter, really. This is really everything that I'm doing for the next couple of weeks. It's eerie. I didn't even know anyone out there had this kind of capability. Still, it doesn't change anything, unfortunately."

"What do you mean?" the ferret asked. "It looks like a normal schedule, so maybe they guessed at it. Even then so, what harm is it?"

The otter returned the paper, facing the ferret, and pointed at the last day. "Did they tell you why it ends here?"

David shook his head. "No, they didn't. I thought that's just how much time they wanted to give me."

He saw a sad look flash on the otter's face for only a moment, before there came a warm, somewhat bittersweet smile. "That's when I die," Josh told him.

A silence hung in the air for what felt like forever.

Thinking he must have misheard the otter, David asked, "What did you say?" His voice came out quiet, as if in a whisper.

"That's when I die," the otter repeated. "I'm walking down the street, that night, heading toward the diner for dinner, and a drunk driver hits me. Instant death. It's nothing special, really. I can still remember it. I can see it right now. Hurts a bit, but it's over in a flash."

And the pieces began to fall into place. The special nature of the otter kept a lot of information from being acquired, but so much had been there. Maybe they kept out some details so that it would keep David on the assignment. Surely, now that he knew, it felt like an impossible task. He was supposed to save a life that believed it would die, and he had two weeks to do so. All the information checked out, though.

Nothing that he had done changed the time-table. What was he supposed to do at this point? The different scenarios ran through his head. Different solutions for the problem. If he did nothing, the otter would die. Still, there was something nagging him.

"If you know about it, why don't you just... not go there?" David asked. It seemed so simple.

The otter chuckled softly. "Believe me, I've thought about that. No, I've lived it. I'm currently living it. It's happening as we speak, in the future. There is no deviation, unfortunately. I will be there. I will die there."

"That's a problem. But you said that I'm sort of different, right? Something new? Maybe if you just hang out with me, it'll change." The ferret had said this, not knowing whether or not it would work, but he was hopeful. If the otter died, after all, he very might as well die when he returned to the dragon.

Josh's face brightened up. "You're right. I guess I could try that. Maybe we could try going somewhere I haven't been?"

David agreed. "You can come around my place, then. You're just here until you go to the store, right? I mean, I have food at my place, if you know how to cook, you're free to have at it. I need to learn, anyway, so if you make some extra, you'd be doing me a favor."

The otter agreed. David thought, even if nothing changed, his worst case scenario would have to be just to lock up the otter and keep him away from the destined area. If he could not get there, then he would not be killed, right?

They headed out to the car, and then to what his car considered a shack. The gate automatically opened, to the otter's surprise. He parked in front of the door, in the circle that he had done previously.

Everything was new and amazing to the otter. He had never experienced any of the mansion before, and to his knowledge, no one had lived there for years. The kids had thought it was haunted, with the random lights turning on in the middle of the night, which did not put the ferret's mind at ease.

It was true about the lights, as they walked in. They turned on as the ferret locked the door behind them. He said, "I still haven't really explored the place, so you know about as much of it as I do. I just know where my room is, the kitchen, and the dining hall. Those last two are just right here." He pointed to the doorway to the side.

They explored the house a little and managed to find what would be considered the living room, though much larger. A large television, game systems, computers, large tables, a pool table, even a small bar off to the side. There was a fireplace, though it seemed the logs were fake and the fire electric.

They sat down in the couches, sinking much further than David had thought they would. He gave a small laugh at that, surprised, but also to ease himself. The thought that he was in a distant land, in an unfamiliar house, with a stranger, and was supposed to do a job that saved someone he knew hardly much about.

"Pretty decent couches you have here," the otter said, a smile on his face.

David gave a small chuckle back, but it came out weakly. "Y-yeah," he managed to say. It was a very comfortable couch. Too comfortable. He was drifting off to sleep.

Before he could even fight the encroaching drowsiness, all was dark. He did not remember falling asleep, but then again, he was just that tired.

-

He woke up a few hours later. The sun was still shining outside, and checking his phone, it was only noon. He saw the otter on the other couch, snoring softly. He felt something covering him, and he shifted, realizing that there was a sheet. He did not remember putting it on himself.

He looked at the otter, careful not to move too much or he would wake him. The dim lighting, since the lights had shut off automatically, and the silent room gave him a sort of charm. A twinge of jealousy, perhaps, arose in him, but perhaps it was not. He blushed, thinking of other possibilities, but he cast it off. That was not his focus here, nor was it ever in his life.

Embarrassed, he unintentionally turned over, which turned on the lights. The otter stirred from his sleep and yawned. When he realized that the ferret was also awake and looking at him, he gave him a soft smile.

"I found that blanket in one of the other rooms. Sorry that I took out it, I think I can find out where to return it," he explained to the ferret.

David shook his head. "No, no, it's okay. Why'd you get it, though?"

Josh closed his eyes and smiled a wider smile. "Well, you'd been so nice, I figured I'd try to be nice back. I don't really get the chance too often."

"Why is that? Plenty of townsfolk you can be nice to, you know. Or you could travel, I know Deer City isn't that far away." The ferret sat up a bit, and realized that having just woken up, it was a poor decision. He laid back down, a little embarrassed.

The otter did not seem to notice. "I don't have any way to get to it, really, and I never do actually go there. And the townsfolk are nice enough, but I never really get close to any of them. It's not that I don't want to, or I don't think of the possibility, it's just that's not what happens. Remember, everything that happens in my life has happened and is happening for me. It's not really like watching a show and rewinding it, or a choose-your-adventure book. It's not something that's going to happen, per se. It's not something has happened. It's an event in time. I can't change it."

Words about fate began to reverberate in the ferret's mind. Everything that he had been told began to make much more sense. This was someone stuck in something intangible, and he had to break it. Two weeks. That was all he had.

"Still," the ferret said. "It's already changed a bunch, hasn't it? You've been to a place you haven't been to before and spoke with someone that you didn't know. Maybe the rest of it can change."

The otter nodded. "You're right. Maybe it can, but it hasn't so far. I still see it, clear as day, though it happens at night. I'm still experiencing it. But no, you're right about things changing. Nothing big, yet. I'm still where I need to be for the most part. I've reached my destinations. I did meet someone, though, and thank you for that. I really do appreciate being able to do that before my time is up."

It felt kind of morbid talking so casually about the otter's impending death. "No problem, I guess," the ferret said.

The otter continued, "It's true though. There's something special about you. I can't figure out what it is, not yet. You're an anomaly, and it's refreshing."

"Does that mean I'm weird? Thanks, I suppose," David said, kind of put off by the compliment.

A quick chuckle and then it dropped off into silence. "No, that's not what I meant. Please don't take it as an insult." The otter's tone was a lot more solemn than before, almost hoarse.

"Maybe I'm not explaining it well enough. Let me be blunt," Josh said. He looked at the ferret, and David saw a sort of happiness mixed with a deep sorrow. "I don't say this lightly, but at this current time, you're the best thing that has happened in my life, and I really mean it, and I'm very sad that it's for such a short time."

The ferret's heart sank with those words. "We'll figure out a way, okay? It doesn't have to end the way you see it."

The otter shook his head. "But it does, and honestly I've been fine with it for the most part, but now, I don't know. Being around you, I feel alive for the first time in my life, and it's such a strange feeling. It's like looking at a film reel, and finally selecting a spot and projecting it. I can finally see the picture by itself, instead of the entire reel."

David sighed. He did not really know what to tell him, but he scrounged up what words he could. "I'm happy that I can make you feel that way, but we'll find a way to get you out of this trap."

Josh smiled at him once more before wiping away the tears that had formed in his eyes. "That would be nice. Well, let's talk about something else."

The ferret agreed.

-

They had discussed their past, and how uneventful their lives had been. So far they had been unable to figure out why the ferret had been chosen to work on this specific assignment, but the otter said he would eventually figure it out.

David told him about the company and what he knew about it, which was not very much. He told him what he could of the situation he was in, and upon hearing the backlash he would receive if he returned on a failed mission, Josh frowned and grew silent.

It was only after nearly half an hour that he spoke again, expressing his disdain that someone else's death might have been tied to his own. The ferret reassured him that that would not happen.

They continued talking until it was nearing the time for the otter to go to the store to get groceries. He grew anxious and constantly checked the door, fidgeting in his seat.

"I don't know what'll happen if I'm not there," he said. "I've never not been where I remembered I was. So far this has been sort of a detour, but nothing important had happened, but this is sort of a larger event. Something that was on your schedule, as it were."

The ferret nodded. This was the first step in trying to figure out how to stop the otter's death. Only a few minutes more. If nothing happened when he stayed in place, then the options were simple. Either keep him elsewhere when the final time came, or keep him in place forcefully if necessary.

Two minutes. One minute. The otter began to breathe a little faster, wringing his paws nervously. "This is exciting, and yet it's pretty scary at the same time, do you know what I mean?"

The ferret nodded. He checked his watch constantly and making sure nothing happened to the otter.

"Just a little more now," Josh said. "It's strange. I really hope-"

His voice was cut off. David had been looking at his watch, but when he looked back up, there was no sign of Josh. He quickly stood up and looked around. The door was closed, the lights on the way were off. He simply just disappeared.

He quickly ran to his car and started it up. He plugged in the store that the otter was supposed to be at around that time, and drove there as fast as he could without endangering himself or those around him.

He parked and walked into the store. Sure enough, the otter was there at the register, paying for some fruits and vegetables, as well as some miscellaneous ingredients. He had a sort of blank look on his face, not really looking at what was in front of him, but something further.

David ran up to him, and as soon as the otter saw him, he looked to have snapped back to what the ferret was used to.

"Oh, hey again. Last I remember, I was at your house... what happened?" the otter said.

David checked the schedule. He was going to be at his apartment in a few minutes. "I'll tell you on the way to your home. It's not very far, is it?"

The otter shook his head. "Literally just around the corner. That's why I don't have a car, everything is where I need it to be."

Regardless, they climbed into the ferret's car. David said, "When the time came, you were saying something, and then you just disappeared. I had to rush over here and I barely caught you. You didn't even get to finish what you were saying."

The otter nodded. "I kind of remember that, but after that, I was at the store. I got everything as usual and nothing seemed different. I can see it now."

"It'll happen again in a couple minutes unless we get you to your apartment," David told him. He had already driven in front of it, parked, and had the lights shining on room 103.

The otter thought for a moment. "Do you have a phone? One of those new kinds? With a camera?"

The ferret nodded and pulled out his phone. "Yeah, what's up?"

Josh smiled. "Well, I'll stay here, and you can record what happens. It'll at least eliminate the mystery surrounding it, right?"

It was smart, the ferret thought. He thought he had missed it because he was checking his watch, but if he just recorded it, he could look at it again as many times as he liked. He could also show the otter what had happened.

He turned on the video recording and pointed it at the otter, who, in turn, made a silly face for a moment, and then just turned it into a smile. He did smile a lot, the ferret noted. It warmed him a bit, since at least the otter was making light of the situation.

The time came, and just as recorded, the otter was gone. It was as if the video skipped, but it did not. He was there one moment, and then nothing. He turned off the recording and got out of his car, heading toward room 103.

He knocked on the door, which was answered by an otter with a blank stare. When he saw the ferret, though, his face lightened up.

"It happened again, didn't it?" the otter asked, knowing the answer.

David walked into the apartment once invited, and took out his phone. They both reviewed the video, and it seemed like out of a horror movie. He half expected the otter to suddenly leap out of the side of the room, spouting something demonic, and clawing out his throat.

"I guess we figured out what would happen." Josh had a sad look on his face, but when he turned to the ferret, David bore witness to the most pained smile he had ever seen. "Since... it's going to happen, I wanted to ask you a favor."

David tried to smile, but frowned instead. He felt useless, so anything that the otter might ask would be much more helpful than what he was currently doing, which felt like nothing. He nodded.

"Can I just stay with you during the nights?" the otter asked. His voice had a hint of pleading, and was filled with sincerity. "I know I'll disappear in the morning, but at least this way I can focus on living, you know? And you already know where to find me during the days, so it's not like we can't hang out during then, as well, if you want. Though, I don't really want to burden you with this, so if you say no, that's fine."

The ferret shook his head. "No, I'm not going to say no, except for that time I just did. You're always welcome at my place, okay? You deserve to live your life. I'm just sorry that I can't do anything else."

The otter gave a soft smile. "I guess we can go, then. I'll go grab some clothes, I don't need to walk around being filthy and stuff."

David nodded and watched him grab a backpack from the side. It was worn from use, perhaps an old one for school.

The otter stuffed some shirts into the bottom of the bag, followed by a change of pants, and then some underwear that made the ferret blush and turn away. He had not imagined that he would wear such brightly colored things, or that they would be anything other than the boxers that he had been used to.

When the otter was done, he made his presence known, snapping the ferret's mind away from a darker place, and back into reality. They went to the car, and then headed to the ferret's house.

The next place he would be was back in the diner at the same time in the morning. That was when he would disappear, unless he was already there.

"So, I uh, want to thank you for this," the otter said on the drive over. "I can't express how much I appreciate you doing this for me. No one else has tried, and no one else would have succeeded, I'm sure."

David shrugged. "I know it's my job, but I'm a bit more invested. You're a decent guy, and if it weren't my job, I still would have done it. Like I said, you deserve that much."

Josh smiled. He did that a lot, it seemed to David. "Still. Thank you. I'll find a nice spot on the couch when we get back and you can go to your bed if you like. Just being in that house seems to be fine. That, and the couches are way more comfortable than my bed."

The ferret shook his head and made the final turn. "That's not going to happen. I'm sure in a house this big there has to be a guest room somewhere. We'll look for it in a sec, okay?"

They walked out of the car and into the building once more. He locked the door behind them and they both ascended the stairs to the third floor.

There were several doors leading to closets and rooms before he reached his own master room. Any one of those guest rooms was still luxurious, so he picked the one closest to his own room, and let the otter stay there.

The otter set his bags down and said that it was best to turn in early for the night, so that they might be able to wake up early before he disappeared again. David agreed.

They turned in, but sleep did not come easily to the ferret. He sprawled across his bed and fidgeted as the lights turned off automatically. He sighed, his mind reeling at the lack of solutions for the current issue. The disappearing act was an issue. He figured he would just have to wait it out until the last day and push him out of the way or something. Maybe he could stop the car, instead.

Slowly his eyes began to get heavy, and finally, sleep did come.

-

He woke up with a start when the light in the hallway turned on. The familiar chill ran up his spine and he cautiously made his way to the door, opening it as silently as he could to investigate.

The otter was in the hallway, seemingly sleepwalking toward the stairs, but when he saw his face, it was the same blank stare that he gave when he was just living his life out again. He opened the door and quickly ran over to the otter, patted his shoulder cautiously, and saw him turn around, the expression changing to that of a warm familiarity.

"Oh, good evening, I suppose. Did I wake you up? I honestly don't know what I'm doing out here," Josh said. He looked around, and then down. "Also, sorry, I forgot to mention that I sleep in my underwear."

David averted his gaze, not even noticing that the otter was mostly nude. He felt his face grow hot and he said, "It's okay. I think you were heading back to your apartment."

The otter turned to his room and said, "I see. I'll get dressed really quick so it's not awkward, alright?"

"N-no, it's okay. This is your time to live your life, right? Do it as you like. We just have to figure out why you started wandering back, that's all," the ferret said, his face feeling hot. He was not really interested in males, but something about the otter was different. Perhaps curiosity. Perhaps envy.

The otter paused. "Yeah. You're right I suppose. I think when I'm too far away for a while, I just revert back to my old way of living. I can kind of remember it, honestly. There was a lot of confusion as to where I was. I definitely didn't remember this place, but I headed back. Life went as normal, until I died."

David still was not used to hearing about the otter's death. He gulped audibly, and said, "Well, I guess we'll have to stick close then. Just go over to my room, you can take the bed and I'll get the floor, or even the chair."

The otter shook his head. "I'm not going to take the bed from you. I'll get the floor or the chair, it's fine. I'm already being a problem just being here, so at least I can do that much."

Without agreeing, they both walked into the master bedroom. He heard a whistle come from the otter, indicating that he was impressed with the room.

"You know, the bed is big enough, we don't actually have to sleep on the floor," Josh said.

"Y-yeah, but I didn't know... how you would take that, you know? It's kind of strange for a couple of dudes that just met to share a bed, right?" David replied.

The otter thought for a moment, and then said, "You're right." He then laid down on the floor and said, "Good night, then."

The ferret's heart skipped a beat, thinking that he had offended the otter, and he broke from staring at the floor to looking at the otter curled on the floor. He felt his face flush a little, and he stammered, "N-no, that's... that's okay, just go on the bed, okay? I-it's fine."

The otter sat back up with a smirk. "I knew you'd see it my way eventually," he said.

David's face felt hot and he could feel himself sweating and needing to pant. Due to how hot he felt, he also wanted to at least remove his shirt, but he did not want to do so in front of the otter, albeit the current style of dress.

Josh had curled into a ball under the blankets on one side of the bed. David grabbed some couch pillows and some other items and put it between them. "There, at least there's a barrier, right?"

The otter said, "Mmhm, but it's not really necessary. I don't really move around much, so you don't have to worry. Well, except when I tried to walk out of the house."

The ferret found a little humor in that and laughed a little under his breath. He closed the bedroom door, in case the otter decided to venture out, it might wake him. He crawled under the bed covers and laid there, trying to keep his mind off things, especially difficult at this time.

He asked, "Are you going to be alright?" His voice was in a sort of whisper, as if he wanted an answer, but at the same time, did not want to wake the otter.

Still, the answer came immediately. "Yeah, this is nice. I don't think I'll wander around this time. What about you? Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I should be." Even though he said that, David did not really seem certain. There was a stillness in the air. He felt the heavy urge to apologize.

"I think I've overreacted, Josh," he said. "I'm sorry about that. I know this is tough on you, it's just... it's new to me, and I don't really know what I'm doing. I'm sorry."

The otter laughed softly. "Now you know how I feel. I've never even had a sleepover with the neighbor kids or the school kids. This is exciting, in a way. I get to do so many things I never knew I would get the chance to do."

That put the ferret at ease slightly, but there was still something nagging him. He hesitated, but decided to ask anyway, "Do you think this is... I dunno, kind of gay?"

The room was quiet for what felt like forever before the otter answered. "I don't know. It doesn't have to be. Nothing really has to be anything more than what it is, right? I never really thought about stuff like that, though. Kind of tough when you see your death at all times. But now that I get to think about it, I think it's just something friends do, right? It doesn't have to be gay."

David paused, and then said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Sorry. I'll see you when I wake up, then."

In his head, he wanted to ask, "Can it be?" He did not know if he really wanted to ask.

-

Before the sun came up, David stirred from his sleep. He checked the time quietly, trying not to wake the otter and noted that it was still only about four in the morning. He slowly turned around to check to see if the otter was still there.

Josh was already awake, sitting up, hunched over slightly, staring at the floor. He did not appear to be in that odd, blank state, but all the same, he did not seem to be well.

"Did I wake you?" the otter asked. Apparently he knew that David was no longer asleep, probably from the noises and motions he made.

"No, I woke up by myself," the ferret said groggily. He yawned quietly and shifted up in the bed so that he could prop up against the wall behind them.

"That's good," the otter said, and then remained silent.

David let his eyes adjust to the darkness. The moon was blocked by the blinds, and there were no lights around for him to be able to see much, just small outlines in the dark. That was how he knew that the otter was sitting up, but what he was doing, he could not really tell.

"Hey, are you okay?" David asked him.

He imagined that the otter was smiling when he responded. "Yeah, just can't sleep. Maybe it's because I'm somewhere other than where I should be. Maybe because I'm in the company of someone I wasn't meant to know. Maybe I'm excited about the prospect of change. Maybe I'm scared that it might not make a difference. I don't know."

"I get what you mean," the ferret said. "I don't know what I can do, but I'll figure something out, okay?"

Josh was quiet for a moment. He asked, "Hey, do you mind if we turn on a light? I want... I want to see you. Remind myself that this isn't a dream, like God is just playing some trick on me, giving me false hope."

The ferret nodded, though he knew the otter could not see it. "Yeah, of course." He turned to the desk by his bed and flipped a switch, turning on a small lamp off to the side, giving enough light to make out most of the room.

He turned back around to look at the otter, who had already twisted around to look at him. The otter was still in only somewhat tight fitting, yellow underwear, possibly a speedo or expensive looking briefs from the glance that David had made. The otter was still sitting with his legs off the side of the bed, but he had twisted his back around so that he was propping himself on an arm, turned to look behind him. He was not very muscular, but he was slim, almost fragile looking. The way he was posed, though, in the low light, seemed much more attractive than the ferret initially thought.

He averted his gaze as he usually did, embarrassed and afraid he would show what thoughts came through his head.

"You seem to do that a lot," the otter commented. His face grew a little crestfallen. "Do I look that strange to you?"

David shook his head quickly and said, "N-no, you don't. You just look... p-pretty good, I guess."

He heard the otter give a small chuckle.

Josh said, "See, now that's pretty gay."

The ferret felt his face begin to burn and he attempted not to make it known. He laughed it off and said, "Y-yeah, I guess it kind of is."

Josh laughed softly. "I'm just messing with you. Besides, if you're gay, I don't care. That's none of my business, anyhow."

David felt a little relief, but he did not think that he should. "I'm not gay! I mean, I had a girlfriend a while back and stuff. Always liked girls, so I'm pretty sure."

The otter turned so that he was lying in bed again, mimicking the ferret's position. He said, "That's fine, too. I honestly don't know what any of that is like. I mean, I know what reproduction is and how that all works, but relationships, no idea. I've never been in one, and won't. Just doesn't happen for me."

"What? A nice guy like you? I know plenty of girls that would've loved you," the ferret said.

Josh smiled and gave a play-hit on the ferret's shoulder. "Nah, honestly, I didn't even have any friends growing up. Or at all. Everyone always thought I was pretty weird. The ones that knew how my life was stayed away or left. The ones that didn't know heard rumors that I was to be avoided for any number of other reasons. There's no time for that. Not for me. Especially when I'm going to die soon. I guess it's better no one really got attached."

The light-hearted situation turned dark so quickly, the ferret thought. "Hey, that's not true. I'm your friend, okay? I know we've only known each other for like, a day, but you're a good guy. I'm not going to just leave you behind. Besides, remember how my life is kind of riding on you staying alive?"

The otter frowned, but laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. Thank you. I guess if I'm going to be heading off, it's nice to have someone there to wave goodbye. I can relive all of these moments with you, and they're moments I'll always treasure."

"Keep saying stuff like that," David said with a laugh, "and you'll easily find a girlfriend where I'm from. Hell, maybe even attract some guys."

The otter smirked. "Oh yeah? Like who? You?"

David rolled his eyes at him, ignoring the flush feeling in his face again. "Very funny."

They sat in silence a little while longer before they both agreed to get a little bit more sleep. The ferret felt very warm after their interaction. He would have to redouble his efforts.

-

David's alarm went off half an hour before the otter was scheduled to be at the diner. They both woke up from the noise and gotten out of bed. He made sure to face away as the otter wandered back to the guest room.

A quick wash and a change of clothes and he figured he had enough time to drive the otter to the diner. The otter had gotten ready, as well, since he had also found a shower in the guest room.

They got in the car, and headed to the diner.

-

At the diner, they sat in whichever seat the otter had chosen. It happened to be his destined table, it seemed. David decided to try something different and went with what the otter had that morning: eggs, toast, bacon.

"So what's the next place for you?" the ferret asked.

Josh said, "Well, after this, if you remember, I go to the post office at about noon. Between now and then I'm just at home, loafing around until I remember to go to the post office. After that, I've got work, where my coworker ends up getting stuck in a ladder. Should be a fun night."

"Yeah, I remember now," the ferret said. "I guess after you head to work, I'll try to find other ways to solve our... issue. Do you remember the car that hit... that will hit you?"

The otter turned toward the window and pointed do the street. "That green truck over there. Do you see it? It's Matt's truck. He's that bear that stumbled in yesterday. Issues with the wife, so he'll get drunk and run around. That's why I'll get hit: another one of his drunken escapades."

"Could you maybe try to solve their marital issues?" David asked.

"I don't. Rather, I don't try, or bother, or even consider it. It just doesn't happen. You're talking to a dead-man-walking. My future has been decided." Josh smiled softly and looked out of the window idly.

The food arrived and they ate in silence, though it was not silent in David's head.

He thought maybe he could try to fix their problems, or if that did not work, maybe make it so their truck would not start. If the truck was not on the road, then the otter would not get hit, assuming the odd disappearing act worked only on the otter.

When they were done, they paid and left for the otter's apartment. There, they drew out different possibilities of what could be done to prevent the inevitable.

The best option for the time being was removing the truck. If he were destined to die from the truck, then it could not possibly hit him if it were out of commission. They made sure to note down where it was in the otter's memory of the future.

There would be a few opportunities for David to tamper with it. The first of which was today, when the otter was at the post office. The truck would be parked near the apartment, and all the ferret had to do was figure out a way to decommission the vehicle. He considered removing some vital piece, like the starter.

The time was drawing near. The otter told the ferret that it would just be easiest to pick him up from his apartment after work, if he still wanted him to stay over. He agreed to do so.

-

The ferret was by himself. He saw the truck, saw no one around, and headed toward it. He searched on his phone, now activated, different parts he could remove that would prevent a vehicle from functioning. He did not want the bear to crash and die, so he decided not to cut the brakes.

The starter was a good choice. Even just siphoning gasoline would help, but that was easily fixed. Same with slashing the tires.

He decided that he would remove the starter. First ideas were the best ideas. Everything else happened to be too obvious or easy to fix. At least this one would take a little bit of time to figure out.

Once it was removed, he sat back and waited. The bear was nearby somewhere, and once he interacted with the truck, he would see if his efforts paid off.

It took an hour for the bear to come back. He fumbled with his keys, and the ferret could hear cursing coming from him. Most of the words were incomprehensible. He saw him sit in the truck, attempt to start it, and fail.

He banged on the dashboard a couple times, cursed his luck, and walked off, muttering something about a mechanic.

David's stomach felt like it had plummeted when he heard about a mechanic. It seemed such a simple thing that someone could just find an expert to fix the problem, but he had not considered it. Maybe this would be enough? Maybe he should put the starter back. He liked the last idea.

He quickly put the starter in its place, but a bit off so that it would appear to be just a malfunction. He ran off and hoped it would be enough.

-

He decided to spend some time at the diner. It felt about right for lunch, and he needed to use their restroom.

He got a table by himself at the same table that he had met the otter. The waitress was once again kind and warm.

She said, "Not here with your friend this time?"

David shook his head. "No, he's at work."

The mink made a face as if she had just remembered. "Oh, right. It's about that time. I'm surprised you managed to get through to him, though. No one else has. No one else wants to, that poor boy."

He looked up at the mink, remembering what the otter had said. "I'm just lucky, I guess. Hey, does he usually smile so much, though?"

The waitress looked a bit taken aback by the question. "Smile? I've known that kid for his entire life and I've never once seen him smile. There's something dark hanging about him, and he always seems troubled. No one can get it out of him, though."

David had not expected that.

"If you're able to get that kid to smile, you must be something special," the mink said. "Maybe you're what he needs to get over whatever's bothering him."

"I hope so," the ferret said, knowing that they did not really understand the weight of those words.

The waitress had taken his order and left. He spent the rest of the afternoon sipping on coffee, waiting for the otter to get off work. He thought that he could hear an ambulance at one point in the distance.

-

Reuniting with the otter was becoming routine. He met with him again at the otter's apartment, not so far from the diner. The otter's blank stare turned to elation once more.

They were silent on their way back to the ferret's house. The otter seemed to just be enjoying himself, and the ferret seemed conflicted on whether or not to tell the otter of the shortcoming he had found.

On the couches in the large house they had begun to speak. It was the otter first.

Josh had been smiling up until that point. The words of the waitress came to David's mind.

"So... I'm still going to die," the otter said. Instead of dropping his smile, though, he kept it. It seemed odd.

"The truck thing didn't work, did it?" the ferret commented.

"That's the thing: it did work. I'm no longer going to be hit by that truck. Instead, I'm going to die at roughly the same time, except there's going to be a brawl outside the restaurant and I'm going to get hit by a stray bullet," the otter explained.

"Wait, what? So even if we fix the problem, you're still going to die?" David asked in disbelief. His plans were beginning to narrow down, and now the issue was much larger. He could have pushed the otter out of the way if it came down to it, but now he was fairly certain that he was much slower than a bullet.

The otter shrugged. "I guess. But that's not the important thing right now. Nothing has ever changed so substantially before. This isn't even a small shift, but completely alters the way I die, so maybe if we keep changing it, it will eventually end up with a situation where I don't die."

That gave the ferret a little bit of hope. Perhaps they could identify who fired the weapon and just remove him from the situation. Even if that didn't work, all he would have to do was bump into him and change his aim so that it would not hit the otter.

"Tell me everything you remember about that night, then. We'll figure this out." David began to formulate different ideas, hoping that this would finally be the answer.

And so they stayed up that night, Josh supplying the information, and David coming up with different things that they could do to keep death at bay.

And so it lasted until they decided that any plans they made were going to be useless, as they were derived from groggy fools with their heads on their pillows.

The barrier between them seemed to lessen. David wanted more pillows to hold onto on his side.

-

The next day was the same as the previous for the most part. Josh had to work a bit earlier since new inventory had just arrived and needed to be organized, and his schedule seemed to stay that way for the rest of his time alive.

David took to the town to find his new target. It was a teenaged panther who would eventually get in an argument with enemies of his associates. He was not in any illegal activity, just mislead and misunderstood, supposedly.

The panther would think that bringing a gun to a knife fight would make him the victor. It probably would, but the way it would turn out, everyone would lose. One mistake could ruin the lives of many.

He would be in school right now, the ferret thought to himself. Perhaps if he could talk to his parents, they might intervene. Then again, not very many actually put much weight behind fortunetelling, especially when it incriminates their son.

So what could he do? Time was running out. He assumed the gun belonged to the father. It was probably locked up somewhere, but David did not really know the town very well. Everyone could be carrying weapons. He had better check.

It took him nearly the rest of the day to find the panther's house. He figured he could just follow the panther home after school let out, but that might come off as extremely unwelcome. Instead, he just went with the normal route and looked in a phone registry, before he realized that he did not know the panther's name.

Some sly questioning and chatter at the diner got him a little more information. Names. Relative location. Not just of the panther, but of several of the town's inhabitants. It was safer to ask of everyone instead of to ask of an individual. At least that was what David believed.

When he did get what he needed, he made his way to the house. He had confirmed that guns were mainly kept in safes or closets, or anywhere with a lock, but essentially out of reach.

Going over what he would say, he eventually stumbled onto the panther household. The issue this time, however, was that it was empty.

The information he was missing was that they were on vacation and did not bring their son. All of his plans seemed to be foiled at every corner. Now he had to come up with newer plans.

He could just confront the younger one. He might listen to reason, though most were taught to stay away from strangers, especially in a small town such as this. It would not hurt to try, he figured.

He would have to earn his trust, at least enough to get to talk to him. How? He had a shiny new sports car. Maybe that could garner his attention.

What did kids like these days? David had been out of the loop for so long, not out of any real effort but because he did not care, he had no idea. Music? Games? Even then so, whatever he would say made him seem like a child predator.

He strongly considered breaking into the house and just taking the pistol. He did not want to commit an illegal act, but if it was necessary, he would not hesitate. So why was he hesitating?

He looked at the house and struggled internally. As he was about to act, he heard a voice behind him.

"Oh wow! Nice car!" The voice came from an origin that was still new to the world, full of ambitions and hope, and impressionable.

David turned around, confused for a moment, and then realized that it was about that time for the panther to come home from school. He thanked whomever was watching over him and said, "Oh? You like this car?"

The panther nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! I've never seen one like it, though. It looks like it was custom built."

That was more about the car than the ferret knew. He figured it was just some rich model from somewhere he had never been. He shrugged and quickly drew in all the details he could about the situation.

The panther was young, obviously, but younger than David initially thought. He figured he would be in his late teens, getting into trouble with his friends, but this kid looked like he barely hit puberty. His voice cracked every so often and a few stray whiskers poked out of his face unevenly. He looked a bit goofy.

He seemed to not really care that the ferret was a stranger. He found that exceedingly odd, since the treatment he had gotten in the town on his first day was quite the opposite. Maybe the car really did do the trick.

This did not solve anything. He still had to convince the kid that the future was real and that he had to refrain from doing what he did not know he would do yet. The ferret sighed.

He also realized that the kid had come by after having seen him stare at his house oddly. Pillaging the house was now out of the question, since he was going to immediately be the first suspect after doing something so suspicious.

Had he looser morals, he could just torch the town and be done with it, but he pushed that idea away.

He decided to play it by ear. He leaned against his car and crossed his arms, looking at the panther quizzically.

The panther had finished inspecting the car and adjusted his backpack. He asked, "Where'd you get the car, mister?"

That made him feel old. He grunted a little to himself and then said, "First of all, it's not 'mister'. I have a name, and my name is David, okay? And this is a company car. They're just letting me drive it for now."

"No way, so you mean you got this for free?" the panther exclaimed. "I want to work there!"

All of the events of the past couple days flashed in the ferret's head. "I'm not too sure about that one, kid."

The panther furrowed his eyebrows and huffed. "Hey, my name is Fred, and I'm not a kid, okay? I'll have you know I just turned thirteen, so I'm a teenager now! Not like all those babies at school."

David understood that anger. He looked at the panther, who still seemed to be pouting, but with one eye open, waiting for an apology. Maybe he could use that. "Okay, fine. I see you're all grown up now."

The pout turned into a smirk and the panther said, "That's right! And you'd better remember that. All those babies had better remember it, too if they know what's good for them."

The ferret thought he detected a hint of something dark in those words. Perhaps the plans had already been underway. "Oh yeah? And what if they don't? What do grown-ups do in that situation?"

The question made the panther seem a bit uncomfortable. That settled it. He had already planned out what he would do. He probably even had the gun on him at the very moment, which was a sickening thought.

"I'll... I'll teach them, that's all." The panther avoided looking into David's eyes when he said that.

"Fred," the ferret said to get his attention. "Fred, come on, look at me."

It took a few times before the panther finally looked at him. "What?" he said, annoyed.

David knelt down and his voice became low, slightly above a whisper, and very solemn. "You're going to shoot them, aren't you?"

The panther's eyes widened, and he panicked. He gulped audibly and began to tremble, and then he shook his head quickly and denied the accusation, but at this point it was useless.

"It's true, isn't it? It's okay, I won't tell anyone. Do you know how I know?" David asked. This was the moment he needed.

The panther shook his head, still distrustful.

David let out a smile and gave a silly pose that he thought would make him look a little more impressive. "I'm from the future!"

The frightened expression seemed to fade a little from the panther's face, and instead, now he looked conflicted about whether or not to still be scared or be amazed, or even to believe the word of a stranger.

"It's true, Fred. My company sent me back in time so that I could stop something awful from happening." Not everything he said was false. "Look at this car. The reason you haven't seen it before is because they haven't been made yet. It's a future model."

It seemed to be working. The panther's eyes were wide once more but with excitement. He looked between the ferret and the car and suddenly wanted to see the car much more than seeing the ferret. He inspected every single thing he could.

Such a simple mind, the ferret thought. He was thankful that it could work out in such a way, but the problem had not been solved yet.

"Fred, I know what you're going to do," he said, hoping to get the panther's attention back to the matter at hand.

The panther paused, seemingly focused on something with the car, but instead, he walked back and stared at the ground. "What about it?"

"You're going to shoot someone and try to teach those kids a lesson. It's not going to work out well. Someone innocent is going to die," the ferret said.

The panther's eyebrows furrowed and he responded angrily, "So what? Then those kids will stop picking on me!"

David thought for a moment before saying in a hushed voice, "You're right. They will, because you won't be here anymore. Instead, you're going to prison. The inmates will pick on you there, and if you know anything about prison, you know it won't be pretty."

The panther's momentum seemed to stop. He hesitated, then said, "No, they won't send a kid to jail, no way."

The ferret shrugged. "You're not a kid anymore. They're free to send you anywhere. Special exception for those that have become grown-ups and want to do grown-up things. That's what you want, isn't it?"

He could see the tears beginning to well up in the panther's eyes. He was afraid. He was helpless.

David felt bad for the kid. It was not all a lie, and in truth, most of it was very possible. He said, "You can stop this, if you want to."

Fred saw his way out. He asked pleadingly, "How? How do I stop it?"

The ferret dug in his pocket. He pulled out a coin that he had gotten as change from the diner. He held it in front of the kid and said, "Time flows one way, and fate can't be fought against. You have been given a very special chance to change it. This coin is powered with special technology from the future and will allow you to escape fate just this once. Keep this coin with you and never go near that gun. Don't tell anyone about this, okay? If you do, it'll stop working, and many more will die. That's the consequence with changing fate."

The panther took the coin carefully with trembling paws. He inspected it, and then pocketed it. He then said, "What gun?"

The ferret's heart did a leap, but he continued staring at the panther with a stern expression. He thought to himself, "Oh shit, did I get the wrong kid? This is bad."

After a moment, the panther gave a knowing nod and went to go to his house. "Thank you for everything, mi-... I mean, David. Promise to come by and let me see the car again!"

The ferret gave a wave and watched the kid stand still, waving back. Awkwardly, he went into his car, turned it on silently, which impressed the kid, and drove off as smoothly as he could.

When he was out of sight, he let out all of the fear and anxiety in a large breath. "That kid nearly gave me a heart attack," he exclaimed. He pounded on his chest a couple times to see if it would help. It did not.

-

He had waited for the otter at his apartment once again. They drove back in silence, this time the ferret happily waiting to tell him all about his encounter, and the otter was smiling gently, enjoying the ride.

At the house, they skipped the couches and went to lie in bed. Josh was tired from work and wanted to rest a bit.

The barrier seemed to shrink between them in the bed. All the same, it still existed.

"So, it changed, didn't it?" David asked him. He was beaming, proud of the work he had done.

The otter smiled warmly at him. "Yeah, it did."

The ferret waited for the otter to continue, but he did not. He prompted, "So what happens next?"

Josh looked at the ceiling, but not quite at it as if through it. He said, "I still die, but it's not from a car or a bullet. You know, thank you for trying to do this for me. I really appreciate everything you've done."

David tilted his head. "What? What kills you this time? I'll figure out a way to get rid of that, too."

The otter pointed toward the ceiling. "A meteorite hits me in the head. I wouldn't normally know, but I'll happen to be staring at the sky at that time. I'm reliving it an infinite amount of times as we speak. It's definitely a meteorite."

David's heart sank. There was nothing he could do against a celestial body. It seemed all of his efforts were for naught.

"It's fine. I'm really happy that someone at least tried, you know? You've done more for me in the past few days than anyone ever has in my life," the otter said. His voice sounded hoarse, and tears could be seen welling up in his eyes. It was clearly not fine.

Before David could say anything, the otter gave him a look that, while it held a warm smile, was hiding a deep sorrow. He saw the tears begin to fall, and he shut his mouth. He put his paw on the otter's shoulder and pulled him closer, doing whatever he could to comfort what was essentially someone on his deathbed.

He could feel the rough spasms as the otter's lungs heaved, the quiet sobbing and the tears that fell onto his shirt that made it damp. It seemed the otter was trying even now not to be a nuisance and keep it to himself, as every so often he would let out a strangled whimper.

"Just let it out. I'm right here," David said, his own voice beginning to choke. He looked up and attempted to blink away the feeling of crying.

Almost immediately upon hearing those words, Josh began to sob heavily, sniffling and whimpering and groaning in what seemed like pain and fear bottled up for years and years. He shuddered from the exertion, his back arched and solid.

David tried not to cry, but could not help it. He had never seen someone suffering so much, and he cursed whatever being above that had forced this upon him. He cursed fate, and even his own words reverberated in his mind. Maybe fate really could not be fought against.

The otter fell asleep first, tiring himself out. The ferret followed suit.

-

The morning was silent. David managed to wake up first.

Still groggy, he looked around, taking in his surroundings before moving. He then realized that the otter was still lying on his chest, snoring softly.

His face flushed and he nearly reacted, but then the situation that they were in sunk in. Suddenly, he no longer wanted to move.

He petted the otter's head gently. He could feel the tears welling up in his own eyes again. He looked down and thought that even in such a state, the otter truly was attractive. Perhaps in another life.

Josh stirred and got up slowly. "Sorry about that," he said.

David shook his head. "It's okay. I can rebuild the barrier."

The otter laughed. "No, I mean... about, you know. Last night. I'm not usually such a crybaby."

"Anyone in your situation would have cried a lot more," David said. "I know I would have. You're a strong otter."

Josh shook his head. His eyes were downcast. "I'm going to have to relive that forever, too."

The ferret had not considered that. Now the otter would always live in that moment of pain, and he felt it was his fault. He had the luxury of being able to let it go and moving on. Josh did not.

"I'll call my boss, okay? I'll ask him what to do. He sent me here for a reason, so he's got to know something we don't." He picked up his phone that had been by the bed, charging. He took out a card from his wallet, also nearby, and dialed the number in.

The phone rang and rang. There was no busy tone, so it was not as if he were already on the line. It did not go to voice mail, which he found odd. It kept ringing.

A couple minutes, and he hung up. He then tried again, a bit frantic. Time was running out. He kept trying.

Finally, the dragon answered the phone.

Before David was able to say anything, a voice rang out through the phone and directly into his ear, so that the otter did not hear. "Look at him," it said.

Confused, David looked at the otter. "Okay," he said. Was something supposed to happen?

"He's late. Figure out why." The line went dead, and then after a moment, he began to hear the ringing again. The phone had never actually been picked up.

He stopped calling and looked at the otter, who was giving him a puzzled look. "Did you say something?" Josh asked him.

"I said, 'Okay'," the ferret responded. "I thought I was talking to my boss."

"All I heard was ringing, and then you looked at me funny and said something that I didn't catch. I thought it was strange." Josh was staring intently at him, almost expectant for a solution to his problem. "Did you hear anything?"

David nodded slowly. "Y-yeah. I did. He said to look at you, so I did. And then he said you were late and to figure out why."

Then it dawned on him. He exclaimed, "Oh shit, when were you supposed to be at the diner?"

The otter's eyes widened. He thought back to it, and then said, "About when you said something that I didn't catch. I didn't even move from here." A smile crept upon his face. "Whatever you did, it worked!"

David pulled out his paper and checked the time-table. Indeed, the otter was late, and it was not forcing him there like it had previously done. The dragon's words echoed in his head. He had to figure out why this had happened.

Different solutions ran through his head. Was it because of last night? Was it because of something the dragon said? He had not said anything particularly interesting or special. Maybe it was what he had said?

"Is everything else still the same? Where do you head next, in your memory?" the ferret asked.

"Well, I go back to my apartment in about half an hour. Usual schedule. After that is work. Long day today, and really, for the rest of the time I'm alive. That meteorite isn't gone," the otter said. He seemed a lot more calm about this now, seeing as another anomaly had manifested.

"Well, what happened? What were you doing when it hit the designated time?" David asked him.

"I was kind of just staring at the bed, thinking about the diner, since I was going to be there soon. Then you said something and it kind of distracted me, so I looked over at you. Maybe it's because I was looking at you at the time?" he said, hopeful.

David shook his head. "You were looking at me before and you still disappeared. Maybe it was because you were distracted? We'll have to try again, but somehow I need to distract you."

Josh shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "I guess when you really think about it, it's kind of tough to distract someone that knows that you're trying to distract them."

The ferret nodded. "I guess that's true. I'll think of something. Half an hour, we'll try then. I guess go grab some breakfast downstairs while I think of something, since you're currently missing it."

The otter nodded and headed out. David had forgotten that he was in only underwear. His face flushed and he turned away. It was a light blue this time. Very form-fitting.

David ran through the different possibilities. So far there were many variables he had to eliminate. It could have been the dragon, but if that were the case, he would not have sent the ferret on this job. It could have been the distraction, or it could even have been being in the bed. It could have been that they did not know the exact time and they got lucky, but that did not seem to be the case, since it had once cut the otter mid-sentence. The distraction seemed to be the best option. Now he had to figure out what he could do.

The otter had never seen him in just boxers. He was not really athletic or had any nice war scars or fur tattoos, but at least being in his boxers might be enough to distract the otter, if only for a moment. The other part was timing. If it was too early, the situation would wear off. Too late and it would just be pointless.

He checked the time. He had maybe ten minutes, so he took his time heading down the stairs. It was a lot colder than he remembered. Was a window open? He could swear he felt a breeze.

He peeked into the kitchen. The otter was sitting down, facing away, probably on purpose. It looked like he was having breakfast.

There was another plate of food on the table, probably for the ferret. David smiled softly at that. It was a nice gesture, though unnecessary.

Five minutes. Four. Three.

He prepared himself mentally. The otter had already finished his food and had begun to wash his plate in the sink. If he did not time it right, he would spot him too early.

He watched the time tick by, listening to the water and clinking of metal utensils and plates. Just a little longer.

A minute. A few seconds. Now or never.

He came around the corner, saw that the otter was still washing dishes, and struck his best underwear model pose, which was pretty pathetic since he did not have the muscles to really define much of the fabric, nor was he endowed enough to show off anything in his underwear.

He cleared his throat to get the otter's attention.

Josh turned around and paused, the water still running on a soapy plate. He seemed confused at first.

David saw the otter's eyes move up and down, inspecting him, and suddenly he felt very self-conscious. Still, he continued to hold his pose. A small smile crept on the otter's face.

And then he took a paw to cover his mouth as he snorted in laughter. "Okay, that's pretty gay, even for you."

The ferret's face began to burn with embarrassment. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" He dropped his pose and walked over in a huff, poking the otter's chest, of whom had just been snickering behind a paw. "I'm doing this for you, okay? Now were you distracted or what? Obviously you were, otherwise you would've disappeared already, so maybe there should be a thank you somewhere in there."

The otter nodded, stifling his laugh. He sure thought he was funny, David thought.

"Yeah, yeah. Thank you. Still, I need to get ready for work in a bit. Breakfast is on the table. Go get dressed and eat, in whatever order you want. I'll finish the dishes when you're done," the otter said. He turned back around to do the dishes, but before turning his head, he gave him a long gaze, a smirk on his face.

"Fine, I'll go get dressed," David said. "You know you don't have to act like a wife when you're around here."

The otter just waved a paw in acknowledgment.

David went back upstairs, beginning to shiver a little from the cold. He quickly found some clothes and put them on, though they were cold, as well. Still, he knew he would warm up.

His jaw was trembling a little from the cold as he walked back downstairs. The otter had finished cleaning his set of dishes and was just sitting and waiting.

"Sorry, I should have left my phone down here for you to play with or something. Even with a house as big as this, I guess it's pretty boring. Maybe I'll go buy some games or movies later," David said, sitting down.

The otter shrugged. "I've never really been into games or movies, kind of because... well, you know. I always know how it ends. Either way, eat your food, honey. It's getting cold." He smirked.

"Ha ha. Very funny," the ferret responded. He took a fork and began to eat his breakfast. It was very flavorful and still warm. If anything, the otter knew how to cook. He would have to learn from him.

Josh snickered. "Oh whatever, I know you like it."

David gave him a glare and shook a finger at him. "Don't you start that," he said with a mouthful of food. "I'll throw this delicious food at you, and I mean delicious."

The otter smiled warmly in response. "Thanks. I don't really get to cook for anyone else, and barely for myself. The diner seems to be where I get my breakfast."

The breakfast was gone a lot faster now that the ferret had a chance to actually eat it without the cajoling from the otter. It was the same as in the diner: eggs, toast, and bacon. He did not even know he had such ingredients in his fridge, but apparently he did, or he would not be eating it at the moment. The bread must have been getting old, though. He looked at the counter.

It seemed fresh enough, so he ignored it. It did not taste like any fungus had grown on it, but he did not really know long the food had been there. He assumed that it was freshly stocked, though, as a parting gift from Max.

"When you're over at this house, you're not my maid or my servant or my butler or my wife, okay? You're my guest. You can let me do the chores, it's fine." He finished up with his breakfast and walked the plate over to the sink. He dropped a fork in it with a loud clatter, and turned the water on.

Josh gave a dismissing wave. "It's fine. I actually find it pretty calming to be able to do that stuff. It lets me just focus."

He got up and walked behind the ferret, then reached over and gently grabbed the plate from him. He said softly, "Besides, I think I'm a bit better at it than you are." He smirked and sort of pushed the ferret out of the way.

It was true. He was definitely better at it. David had been struggling just to clean the fork well enough, but the otter's dexterous paws worked their way through the soapy water as if it were merely air and smoke.

A little more and the otter would have to go to work. He could just drop him off, but he would appear there anyway. Maybe half an hour more.

David made his way to the couch and sat down. He listened to the water and the gentle clinking in the background. It did seem a bit soothing. He slouched and sunk further into the couch.

When the dishwashing was done, Josh made his way over to the couch as well. He chuckled at the ferret's sitting position. David did not move and just gave a look that said "Don't judge me."

They sat in silence, but it was not awkward. They knew that Josh would be departing soon, and they wanted to enjoy the moment.

Still, the otter broke the silence just before he left. He gave the smallest smile the ferret had ever seen, but it seemed the most genuine. "You looked nice, David."

The ferret opened his mouth to protest, but the otter was gone. He felt his face flush and he was glad that no one was around to see it. Even with an empty room, he felt extremely self-conscious at that moment.

-

He spent that time thinking of ways to displace the otter's attention during the critical moment. They did not sell any noisemakers or fireworks in the area, so he could not use those. He could use a loudspeaker, but it was too difficult to conceal and get the better of him. Loud noises were good, but they only did so much.

He would have to save it, as well. He could not just reuse the same thing over and over to distract him, as it would lose its effect. Perhaps he would attempt to fight the otter. Maybe put handcuffs on him. Call the police. Something that was out of the norm.

He could pretend to injure himself in front of the otter. Surely he would be distracted by the ferret's plight. He had a few more days to figure it out. Maybe he could even crash his car near the area so that the otter would have to come pull him out of it.

He also thought that perhaps he could park the car in the way so that the otter could not actually get to the meteorite impact area. He would have to ask him where, specifically, it was. Probably later tonight.

From a bunch of seemingly hopeless situations he was creating solutions, and it gave him hope again.

-

He met the otter at the diner this time. He went there after work and would return to his apartment after dinner. After that, he knew they would just go back to his house.

They had a decent dinner that night. Steak, potatoes, gravy. Very hearty and rich. David paid for it this time. He figured it was the least he could do.

After dinner, he made the otter show him the very spot that he would get hit by the meteorite.

"Right here," Josh said. It was in the middle of the street, next to a mailbox. He stared at the sky and looked at the stars. He pointed up and said, "From that direction." He winced.

That cemented the idea in the ferret's mind. He would just park the car there at the right time, and then the otter would be unable to get to the exact position.

Josh squinted and looked down, confused. "That's strange," he said.

"What's strange?" David asked.

"Now I remember standing on your car, and then getting hit. I guess you want to park there." He looked at the ferret, waiting for a confirmation. When the ferret confirmed it with a nod, he continued, "I guess since you're kind of a special case, your intentions can change it ever so slightly. Still hasn't stopped it, though."

That gave David an idea. Perhaps he could just drag the otter into the car so that it would just dent the car. It was a convertible, though. He would have to reinforce it. Some metal plates from one of the stores would probably be enough.

"Okay, stop thinking up new things. It just got a lot worse," Josh said, looking a bit concerned.

The ferret gave him an inquisitive look, so he explained, "Now you've got metal plates on top of your car, and I'm in it. And now the meteorite is about ten times as large and will take out the entire car. That's not a good alternative."

David dropped the idea. "I guess that was no good. The only thing we've got going for us is distracting you."

The otter nodded. "I guess so. The meteorite is back to normal size and the car is gone. I guess that's a better alternative. Still doomed, though."

The ferret frowned. "Yeah. Well, I'll think of something. I'll shop for stuff tomorrow while you're at work. Do you know what might surprise you?"

With a chuckle, the otter retorted, "If I did, it wouldn't be much of a surprise, would it?"

David patted him on the shoulder. "Fine, let's head back. Figure this thing out when we're somewhere warm."

They loaded up into the car and departed, to the apartment, then to the house.

-

After cleaning themselves up, they headed to bed, laying down not really to sleep but to mainly just stare at the ceiling. There were so many rules to this odd phenomenon, and he had to be careful with what he had to do. Surely he could find something in town.

Before heading to sleep, the otter turned over and said, "You know, you can sleep in your boxers. It's not going to bother me, and I've already seen you in them. You have nothing to be afraid of."

David thought about it for a moment. It was true, he had already been all but nude for the otter and was not judged too harshly. It was embarrassing, but it was dark. It was a lot more comfortable, after all. Morbidly, he thought that even if the otter did judge him a bit, it would not be for very long. He shook that idea out of his head.

He gingerly took off his pants and shirt, left in nothing but his checkered boxers. It got cold pretty quickly, and he retreated to the warmth of the blankets. Curled up, he closed his eyes and attempted to fall asleep before he embarrassed himself any further.

He heard the otter say, "You have nothing to be scared of, David. You'll find a girl one day that'll be lucky to have a guy like you."

It was just as soothing as it was painful to hear those words.

-

The next day played out the same way. They woke up a little later because of the lethargy from the steak digesting in their systems, so they did not have much time in the morning. Once the otter was gone for work, David got to work trying to find things that would solve their issues.

The stores were all small and pretty useless. He found a ski mask that he thought might at least scare the otter if he could find a hobby shop and some fake blood. He managed to get a machete from the hardware store, used in gardening and the slaughter of innocents.

He also searched his house. There was a random assortment of old items, but nothing useful. He did manage to find a blackjack in one of the rooms, but knocking out the otter did not seem like it would work. It would not really be a distraction so much as a loss of consciousness, and he would still move to where he needed to be.

He found rope. He could pretend to be kidnapping the otter at that moment. Pretend, he thought. Sure.

That was once one of his options, and yet it was longer viable because of the odd situation. Still, the initial shock might be great enough.

He ran through several more scenarios with various items he found in other shops in town.

-

It felt like a fruitless day, in spite of the random assortment of items he thought he might use. He put them in the trunk for easy access and made sure that he would not let the otter see them, lest he wise up to them. He looked at his wallet.

He was running low on paper money. He found an ATM toward the edge of town at the gas station. He figured he might as well fill up on gas while he was there.

The tank had not really gone down much, but he topped it off. There was also a charging station. Did it need it? He did not know, but after searching on his phone, he figured it did not, at least for a while.

The ATM was from a big bank. He was surprised to see it all the way in this town, but it made sense to branch out everywhere.

He inserted his card, punched in the PIN that he had been forced to make, and was awarded with a few options. He figured he might as well check his balance, since he had not done so just yet.

The machine began to process his request, but it was slow. He looked at his phone again. Perhaps he should get a phone for the otter, as well, but he was unsure how that would work, since Josh would just appear in the next place with everything he remembered having on him. Where would the phone go.

A beep indicated that the machine was ready to display the amount. He pocketed his phone and then looked at the numbers on the screen. He then proceeded to drop his wallet and jaw. He had never seen his account have so many 0s after a number.

He quickly pressed out of the display and withdrew some money. He picked up his wallet, pocketed it, and then went to his car. He then remembered he needed to pay for the gas, so he went into the station and fumbled with every single thing he managed to lay his paws on.

"Are you okay?" the gas attendant asked.

"Y-yeah. Just got some... surprising news, that's all." He paid for the gas and quickly walked back to the car and drove to the house so that he could wait for the otter to finish with work.

A few bucks went so far in this town already. He had no idea what the dragon was thinking, or even how he could afford to get that much money and just throw it at an employee. Maybe he would take it back once the job was over. Max had said it would be his, though, and that if he did not squander it, he could live off it.

A hundred million was easy enough to live off of in this town. Why he had that much was beyond him, but he suddenly felt the urge to hide. Usually when someone gets a bunch of money, they become a target, at least in the shows and movies he used to watch. He could let no one know.

He just could only wait now.

-

After retrieving the otter from his apartment - he let him have dinner as the ferret was not feeling very hungry - he drove back nervously to the house.

Inside the house, on the couches, the otter noticed something was wrong. He said, "What's bothering you? Was it being naked last night?"

David shook his head and gave an awkward laugh. "No, that's not it. It's fine. Everything's fine. Better than fine, really."

Josh simply nodded and said, "Ah.

"So I see you bought a bunch of stuff," he continued, pointing outside, toward the town.

David looked at him and slowly nodded. "Yeah, but I won't tell you what it is, so that we can keep it a surprise."

The otter shrugged. "It won't work. I mean, it did. It definitely worked, most of the stuff. The hockey mask was pretty frightening, especially since you explained to me right after that it was from a movie I had never seen, but it only worked temporarily. All of it was temporary. The intention was there, and I appreciate it."

The ferret's heart sank. What had gotten in the way this time? How did the otter know what he had bought?

"So since it worked, it stopped working, because then I began to expect it. I would live, and then I would die because I was no longer surprised. You even threw a bunch of money at me, so I already know about that. I will say, that was a surprise, but I don't have too much of an interest in money when I'm about to die," the otter said with a chuckle.

So all of his work had been for nothing. Everything he had bought and was in the trunk was now just cheap Halloween costume material. At least there was that.

It did let him know a key piece of information, though. Whatever he ended up doing could not be planned. It had to be a surprise, even for him.

They would just have to wait.

-

The time drifted onward, faster and faster the less they had. David could feel the burden getting heavier and heavier, and it began to become more and more painful. Still, if he thought he knew pain, then the otter could teach him how wrong he was.

Josh's smile began to fade over the days. Being near the ferret gave him an anchor in his timeline so that he could finally live life, but now he learned how to dread his death. Still, he did not want to trade it for anything else in the world.

Only a few days. A couple. One.

-

The last night had been a particularly quiet one. The next day would be David's final chance to save him. They had planned where everyone would be at what time, and it was at 7:52:33PM that the event would finally occur. Soon.

Josh had been lying in bed quietly, staring at the ceiling, but he finally spoke after half an hour. He asked, "Hey, do you think... we can get rid of this barrier?"

The barrier had shrunken to barely a pillow and an extra blanket used to separate them.

David nodded and moved the pillow away and tossed the extra blanket on the floor. He did not really feel the need to be really organized at the current time.

Josh scooted closer to him so that they were immediately next to each other. He then put his head on the ferret's chest and sighed.

His face flushed and David stammered out, "W-what are you doing?"

The otter said, "Shh, just let me have this. I've never gotten to do this without crying. It's... nice."

David felt a knot in his stomach. "I guess that's true. You can't give me shit about doing gay stuff anymore, though."

He felt the otter rub his face against his chest, nodding. "Yeah, I won't," he said.

He then remembered something. The kitchen, that one day.

He had shown up nearly nude in front of the otter. If he had planned it, the otter should have known. Had he known?

He said, "Hey, if you knew about all the stuff in the car... then you shouldn't have been surprised by seeing me in my boxers, right? Because it would have worked the first time, but not the consecutive, infinite times."

He could feel the otter smiling. "You're right, normally it wouldn't. But that's one of my favorite moments. Seeing you there will always catch me by surprise, each and every single time. Even now it surprises me that someone so shy would abandon all that just to help me. That first step you took, even the silly pose you did. It's still hard to believe, but I realized how much you cared then. It was the first time I had felt that."

David could feel his eyes watering up a little. He could not find any response in his own words, so all he could do was use his free arm to pet the otter on the shoulder.

And so they fell asleep.

-

The otter seemed to be in an odd sort the next morning. He did not seem like he could focus and kept reverting to that blank stare and automatic movements.

After the diner, they retreated back to the apartment, and as they tried to leave it, the otter disappeared. Panicked, the ferret went back to the apartment, and he was.

Josh said with a sad smile, "I guess fate is especially forceful today."

David knew that the events of the day were hanging heavily on his mind, and it seemed to make the problem that much worse. He had no idea what he was going to do. He just had to wait.

-

The otter was at work. Two more hours.

The wait was agonizing. David had been sitting in his car, keeping his mind clear. He could not just appear nude again in front of the otter like in the kitchen. In a way, he figured he had already wasted his trump card.

The had played out the exact path the otter would take so that David would know exactly where to be to intercept him. He was allowed to plan out at least that much.

An hour.

He grew antsy and got out of his car. The otter would be walking there, soon. It was oddly quiet that night in the town. He did not see any of the locals.

Half an hour.

He was pacing back and forth. The street lights had begun to turn on, the few that there were. The stars began to show themselves ever so slowly, and the sun was drifting away.

Twenty minutes.

He could see everyone getting off of work. The otter would be closing up at around this time. He saw the lights in the diner flicker on, finally dark enough to have them.

Ten minutes.

He saw a few of the townsfolk walk past him toward the diner. The bear had driven by, but was not intoxicated. Something had changed there.

Five minutes.

He saw the panther and his friends go into the diner. Fred gave him a wink and he could see a coin in his paws.

A minute.

He saw the otter's figure walking towards the diner.

He quickly ran over to get his attention, but he was not snapping out of his dazed state.

He shook him, but he kept walking. He grabbed him in his arms and held him tightly, but like lightning, he leapt from his arms and into where he would have been walking. He was slipping through his paws like water.

Frantic, David ran forward and yelled, "Josh! It's me! Look at me! Come on, I know you're in there!"

He thought he saw a flash in the otter's eyes, so he continued attempting to coax him out.

Finally, the otter spoke. "I'm sorry, I can't control it. This is it. A few more seconds. I'm sorry. This is goodbye."

David shook his head, tears welling in his eyes. "No, I won't accept this. It can't end like this." He placed himself in front of the otter and pushed against him, but the force of destiny pushed him back much harder. He was sliding along the floor as if he were leaning against a train going toward him.

And he had to accept it. It was really over.

He looked up at the otter and thought he saw tears forming in his eyes, as well.

David put his paws on the otter's arms, gripping them tightly. His soul was bursting. If this was goodbye, at least let it be without regrets.

He closed his eyes and moved forward, locking lips with the otter. He held him as close as he possibly could without creating a singularity, and he stood there, kissing the friend that he had failed to save.

He heard a loud noise like a gunshot in the background. Surprised, he recoiled and turned around.

There was a crater on the ground in the middle of the street.

He turned back around.

There was Josh, staring at his own paws. He looked at his arms, he touched his face, and then looked at David.

The ferret could feel the swelling joy in his chest, and he managed to let out a laugh. "Sorry, that was pretty gay," he said jokingly.

The otter laughed back, through tears. "Y-yeah. It was."

Suddenly, a blue wisp resembling a clock left the otter. It seemed to have been enveloping him. It floated in the air for a moment before shattering.

"What was that?" David asked.

The otter looked around. "What was what?"

The ferret shook his head. "Nothing. Nevermind. So what... what happens next?"

Josh was crying heavily, and laughing. "I... I don't know." He realized what he had said, and smiled harder than he had ever done, grabbing the ferret's paws, eyes wide. "I don't know! I don't know! I have no idea," he repeated rapidly.

David could not help but join in on the laughter, and even the crying. It actually worked, it seemed.

After they calmed down, the otter said, "I don't know what I want to do. I don't remember any of what's going to happen. That's so strange."

David shyly poked the ground with his foot. "Well, maybe we can... you know. Do that... gay shit again?"

Josh beamed at him in what was the happiest, most honest smile he could make, and then flung his arms around the ferret.

And they embraced. And they kissed. And some other gay shit.

-

Epilogue:

A black cat with violet eyes had been standing in the dragon's office for not even a second before he disappeared, and then reappeared. He had been tracking something.

The blue dragon sat behind a desk, several marbles in a box, each with their own place in front of him. They were all dark and dead except for two: a yellow and a red. The colors swirled around as if alive.

And then a blue one flickered into existence. The image of a clock briefly flashed in it, and then it joined the other swirling ones in its eternal dance.

Max spoke up, anchoring his position. "He succeeded, it would seem."

A happy rumble came from the blue dragon. Syz said, "I knew he would. That's why I sent him."

The black cat dismissed it with a wave of his paw. "Sure you did."

A puff of black smoke came from the dragon's nostrils. "I did! He's always liked that kind of guy, even when he served me, so it was fitting that I send that ferret. That has always been his weakness."

Max's body flickered to the dragon's desk. He held up the blue marble, inspected it, and then put it back down. "Fair enough. I've secured enough funds for them to live much more than comfortably over the course of their lives. Did you wish anything else with them?"

Syz shook his head. "No. They've suffered enough because of me. Especially... what is his name now? Josh? It's so strange that their identities change. I keep having to remember new names."

"He'll always be Alexander to me, but yes. That is his name now," the cat said. "So who is next?"

The dragon sat back and looked at the ceiling. It grew dark and then clouds emerged. Lights flickered across the room. "We'll have to wait and see."

He then looked at the black cat who seemed to just be standing there idly, bored.

"You'll get your turn when they've all been released, Maximillian," Syz said. "I know it's a lot to ask of you, but you've been the most loyal knight I've ever had, and most capable. I need you."

Max chuffed, but puffed out his chest, clearly pleased with himself. "The war is over, Syz. I'm not a knight anymore. We all knew the price of victory."

The dragon closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "You're right. The war is over. You know as I do those bonds have to be broken before they can finally find peace. You know how much it pains me."

With a nod, the cat sat down in the chair opposite the dragon. "I'll do as you need, but when it comes time for my turn, I'll decide on that, myself."

Syz stared at the cat for a moment, and then he was gone.

The blue dragon sat there, alone in the office. The three marbles that were glowing shifted around, spinning inside a solid sphere.

He looked at them with gentle eyes.

"I'm sorry it's taken me so long."