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Part Four: Stormy Nights and Clearer Dreams

Chapter notes: Told from both Matt and Zeke's point of view. Matt learns part of the story behind Zeke's troubled past and we learn more about Matt and about something that happened to him in the past.

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Told by both Matt and Zeke's Point of view

Matt:

*SLAM* and with that Zeke had ran out the door and I felt very awkward sitting there. Things had been going well all that day ‘til that moment and I kinda' just felt weird and wondered if I should just leave. I looked over to Mr. Thomson and he just sighed and scratched at his short gray head fur, "What am I gonna do with that boy... I'm sorry ya had to see that Matthew, mah boy's just a lil' sensitive about what happened to him a couple a years ago, ya see. It left him scarred physically, which took time to heal a course, but it also left a bunch of emotional and mental scars that haven't healed yet, even after all this time..."Â

I looked over at Mr. Thomson concerned, I hadn't know Zeke long but I'd already felt close to him for some reason. It was probably because of what I was still trying to figure out myself. I felt attracted to that little wolf for some reason, and try as I might to focus on females I was coming to realize they just didn't do anything for me. Zeke however, he was something special the moment I saw him stand there in class. He had a cold calm voice that sounded unshakable and his eyes just shone like bright stars. I couldn't believe it but from the moment I laid my eyes on him I felt my heart flutter a bit. I just couldn't admit to myself though that I might actually have a crush on a guy. I mean I was a well-to-do kid from a respected family and was one of the most popular kids in school and if people found out or even suspected that I might be... I didn't even want to think about it. I decided though that the least I could do was have him as a friend and maybe my feelings would just go away eventually, and besides he was a tough rebel like looking kid, chances are he'd beat me to a pulp if I tried anything on him or told him I was... different.

"Um... Mr. Thomson? Maybe I should just go..."

I started to get up and grab my plate when he shook his head and motioned for me to sit back down, "First off, my name is Terry and secondly I think you should hear what happened to my son. He may hate me for telling you but he can't stay away from people his whole life, it's not healthy and he needs a good friend, if nothing else, in his corner to stick by him as he'd stick by them. He may not seem like it, but he is loyal and loving towards those he cares for and his bark is much worse than his bite to them too.  So if he hasn't decked you yet then chances are you're on his good side." Zeke's dad chuckled and took a sip of his drink before going on.

"Now this stays just between you, me, and mah boy now ya here me?" He gave me a stern look that told me he wasn't kidding and I just nodded my head and gulped softly at what was coming. "It all happened about three years ago, Zeke had just turned 11 and his brother was still 8. Zeke had a really good friend at a school down in Georgia; a bear, I believe, named Jeremiah. He was a good kid and even accepted Zeke for part of what he was..."

He sighed and ran his paw through his head fur and looked around thinking about what to say before he went on. "Anyway, then one day his father learned about him and his brother and suffice it to say... he was angry. Pissed, I think is the proper word for it really. So in a fit of rage he attacked my boys, he stabbed Zeke in the shoulder pretty badly, where he holds it, as I guess you figured out, and my other boy, Joseph, well... he got cut up pretty bad, nearly died, and was in the hospital for over a week recovering from all the injuries he received. Since then Zeke's felt responsible for what happened and changed greatly; he rarely smiled anymore and he grew colder towards people and just stopped caring about ‘em. It was like his heart just died that day. He became cold and distant towards us all and started practicing his martial arts and trying to get stronger, I guess so he could keep things like what happened from happening again. I sometimes hear him at nights practicing outside, cursing his own weakness and hating himself, and I hate seeing him like that ..., I just want mah boy to be happy again; I just want him to go back to being himself..." He shook his head sadly as he finished talking and I couldn't believe what I was hearing him talk about. I mean I figured something real bad must have happened to Zeke in his past but I never would have imagined that he and his brother had been near fatally wounded by some bear for some reason I didn't know yet.

"Umm... sir? Just what was it that that bear learned about Zeke and Joseph that made him attack them and nearly kill them, that is if I can ask?"Â

He looked at me and shook his head slowly, "Sorry pup, but that's something I can't tell ya. I have a feelin' you wouldn't mind it but it ain't mah secret to tell ya. You're gonna have to gain his trust and learn about it on your own if ya really wanna know."Â

I nodded and looked about towards the door. "So what now, um... Terry?" I felt very uncomfortable and didn't know exactly what to do now so I just looked at him for some kind of guidance as to what I should do now.Â

He gave me a warm and reassuring smile and nodded, "He probably went to do what all we wolves do when we get upset, howl.  That's one of the few things we have in common interestingly enough. Go and talk to him, but be careful, don't pressure him or scare him or he'll just keep on running." I nodded and stood up and headed toward the door. I looked back at Zeke's dad again and he just smiled and nodded, "Go on, he won't hurt you, it ain't in his nature." I smiled and took a deep breath before I opened the door, "Oh, one more thing," I looked back at him again, curious as to what he had to say, "If all else fails, try asking him about why wolves howl, he loves to tell stories and that one is one of his favorites," I smiled and nodded as I exited the house and looked out into their back yard for where Zeke might have gone.

Luckily for me I could hear a sorrowful sound coming from a bunch of trees a ways off.  Their home was more inland than mine was but was a tad out of the way and away from all the other houses. In fact I could only see one house nearby and that was like a football-field length away from where I was heading. I followed the somber sounds that were emanating from somewhere around there and stopped short of seeing Zeke sitting up in a tree crying out in a mournful howl. I may not have had the sharpest eyes in the animal kingdom but even from the distance between us I could see that he had been crying, and even if I couldn't see that, I could tell from his howl, which was a mix of sobs and anguish. It truly was a sound that could break your heart if you heard it and I so desperately wanted to go over there and comfort the poor wolf, but thought that it would be better if he got it all out of his system first.

I sat under a different tree and watched him sitting there, howling out his sorrow.  Had he not been in such pain I might have thought that it was a beautiful tune worthy to be heard by all, but this song was personal and shouldn't have been heard by any who didn't know him. He howled for about twenty minutes, give-or-take, before he calmed down and curled up bringing his knees up to his chin. "I'm ok now, Matthew, sorry you had to wait so long." I jerked up in surprise, I thought I'd been really quiet, "I smelled you, don't worry. I'm ok now just had to get out some shadows from my past."

I got up and moved towards the tree and he just looked down at me before jumping down and landing on his feet, "Heh, and I thought only cats landed on their feet like that."Â I smiled softly trying to get him to feel better but he just looked at me with a cold blank stare before sitting down and looking over at the sun.Â

"Not funny, not now," his voice was monotone and showed no real emotion as I sat down next to him and watched as the sun started to set.

He looked so distant even sitting so close. His face showed no trace of emotion, his eyes, which were such a lovely crystal blue, were now bloodshot, and his fur had been matted down around his eyes from where he had been crying. He looked like a whole different fur than the one I had met earlier this morning and I just couldn't stand to see him like that.  I don't know why but seeing him like this hurt my heart somehow. "So how much did he tell you?"Â

I looked over at Zeke surprised that he had spoke but he didn't look at me, "I'm sorry?"Â

He sighed and asked again, "How much did my dad tell you of what happened to me?"Â

I felt funny at being asked this question, and I didn't know what just to say so I just told him what his dad had told me. "He said that you had a friend a few years ago and that his dad found out some secret of yours, which drove him to attacking you and your brother. You blamed yourself for the attack and you became cold and distant because of it all... and I guess that's it." He nodded and remained silent as he continued to stare out at the sun as the sky darkened.Â

I just couldn't stand the silence and just had to ask, "You wanna talk about it?" He shook his head slightly and remained silent as he rubbed at his neck and sighed again before letting out another long sorrowful howl. It truly was a sound that struck deep inside your soul and that's when a light-bulb flashed in my mind.

 That was what I hoped would get him to talk and smile again.Â

I let him finish his howl and quiet down some before I said anything more. Â "You've got one heck of a set of lungs there, but I've always wondered why it is that you wolves howl and all that?"Â

I then saw his ears perk up for a moment before he turned his head towards me. He looked at me with a slight smile in his eyes before he proceeded to speak in a voice that seemed much warmer than the tone he had used all day, "You mean you don't know?" I shook and then tilted my head at him smiling, waiting for an explanation, and I could tell by his slightly wagging tail that he was excited to hear me say this.

He stood up suddenly and offered his paw to me and I took it, still curious about what was going on now.  He helped pull me to my feet, though, and as I stood up next to him I noticed something about the wolf.  Zeke looked to be just a few inches shorter than me, but from the way he brought me up I could tell that he was just as strong, if not stronger than, I was. He gave me a sweet warm smile and then turned around motioning for me to follow him.  He walked off while wiping his eyes with his paws and I followed right behind him.Â

We headed out a little ways back into the small clearing where I could easily see Zeke's house.  Instead of heading that way, though, he just turned his head to the darkening sky and smiled. I could tell he was happy now by the way his tail was wagging just a little bit and I don't think he even cared.  It seemed that he was just glad to have someone around to talk about this now, "That," he said pointing at the full moon and smiling softly, "She is why we howl."

I looked at him strangely and raised an eyebrow to him, "She? She, who?" He chuckled and turned towards me smiling a truly genuine smile that made my heart skip a beat for a second before he continued on. Â

"She, the moon, or rather the moon spirit, is the reason why we howl and sing in the night."Â Zeke looked at me and smiled at the confused look I had on my face that was clearly showing that he wasn't making any sense at all to me.

He just chuckled, though, and looked back up at the moon smiling and looking peaceful before he started to explain and tell his story to me. Â "Let me start by saying that everything has some form of energy, a soul, a spirit, whatever you want to call it. Â Even the moon herself has a spirit and like I said, it is because of her that we howl out to the sky."Â I nodded and stood by him looking up at the moon with him as he continued on with his story.

"Long ago the spirit of the moon lived on the earth. She walked along the paths at night visiting the animals and journeyed across the lands. Of all the creatures, though, she loved the wolves the most of all.  When she would come to visit them they would sing their songs to her and play and they'd have a great feast in her honor, for it was with her light and beauty that inspired them to sing wonderful songs, hunt, and foster friendships among other packs. When she came to their territory all the wolves came together as friends, brothers, and as a family. With her presence among them all was good and peaceful."

I looked over and saw that he was smiling as he was talking and seemed to be happy that I was listening to his story, "One day, though, she was struck down with a fever that made it impossible for her to travel outside the territory of the wolves. They were stricken by her sickness and tried every type of cure imaginable, but nothing they tried would cool her. So, as a last resort the wolves carried her into the heavens but even that was not enough to cure her. Once she was there her fever started to go down and she got better, but when she started to head back down to earth her fever returned and she had to go back into the sky to get better. She tried to come back to the earth several more times, but when she realized that she couldn't return she cried.  Her tears then spread out across the night sky and began to sparkle like diamonds, thus becoming the stars."

Zeke took a deep breath at that point before he went on with his tale.  "The fact that the spirit of the moon could never return to earth again saddened the wolves greatly.  This was especially true when she would vanish from the sky in order to rest from her attempt at returning to earth to rejoin them.  When they saw her starting to try to come back to them, though, they would howl in joy and excitement and send out a call to their pack-mates across the land that she was returning. However, when she got the closest to them that she could, when her light shined the brightest and her face was full, she'd get sick again and have to go back. So, to comfort her in her time of rest the wolves would sing to her as they had done when she was among them. And so it came to be, since she could no longer be with them, the wolves would howl and sing their songs at night for her to ease her pain in hopes that one day she might return to the earth and join in the feast and celebration again."

He smiled then as he finished and sighed happily to himself, "and that is why we wolves howl. To ease the pain of the spirit and to ease the pain within our own hearts," he still didn't look at me and kept his gaze fixed towards the moon. Â

I lowered my gaze and looked around at that point noticing that there were a lot of black clouds on the horizon that seemed to be heading this way. I gulped at the sight of those clouds but tried to remain calm and smiled as I looked back over at Zeke.  "Wow... that was a really cool story. Ya know you're quite the story teller, Zeke."Â

He sighed and looked over at me keeping his ears down and going back to his cold demeanor, "Yeah... And hey... Sorry about being all emotional and junk, it's not really like me to lose control and stuff, so... I'm sorry."Â

I could tell he really felt guilty about what had happened, and I just smiled and moved about so he would face me, "Hey don't worry about it. I can understand what it must have been like, you've gone through a lot and you're still healing so it's only natural you're like this... I just hope you can get better one day and can put that stuff behind you and won't let it weigh you down anymore."

He stepped back and looked at me for a moment before he bowed his head at me a little bit, I guess it was some kind of wolf thing, "Thank you, I am glad that you understand. I hope we can continue to be friends for a long time now that you know... some of what happened to me..."Â

I smiled and tried to be reassuring to the poor wolf as I had a sudden thought about something from his story. I moved to his side and looked back up at the moon that was rising higher as the sun was setting, "You know..." He looked over at me and then up at the moon with me as I went on.  "I think your story actually has a moral too." He tilted his head curious as to what I meant and I looked back at him and smiled.Â

"The spirit of the moon... it must have been so hard for her to stay up there all alone when she was so used to being around so many creatures.  She must have been in so much pain, same as the wolves. They loved her and were heartbroken that she couldn't be with them anymore. And even though they were both sad..." I chuckled and looked back at the moon again as the dark clouds continued to cover the sky, "Because they had each other they were able to bear the pain together. They loved each other and it was that love that helped them bear the other's cross I figure. It was with their love that they are able to still exist and smile at each other, and I think we're able to bare things and go on because love helps to ease our problems and such."Â

Zeke chuckled and we looked over at each other again. "Heh... I never thought about it that way." Â

He smiled to himself and looked up to the moon before we heard from the direction of his house. "HEY BOYS!" We both looked back to see more dark clouds overhead and Terry standing at the back door we had exited from, "HEY BOYS, IT'S ABOUT TO STORM, MAJOR, GET YOUR FURRY BUTTS INSIDE NOW!"

Zeke just smiled and shook his head as I gulped at the news, "COMING DAD!"  He then started walking off towards the house and looked back at me following him. We were about half way to the house when he stopped and looked up at me.

"Hey..." I stopped and looked at him with a smile waiting for him to talk, "Um... thanks... for everything..." he rubbed at his arm shyly before he continued, "I try not to be like that a lot and try to keep distant from everyone... but for those who see me like this, they see the wounds that have been inflicted upon me, deep down farther than any normal flesh wound... I just don't like feeling vulnerable and it's not often I bare my soul to others... people have hurt me so bad in the past so... I just am afraid of getting close to someone again and getting hurt when they figure out what I am exactly I guess," he put a paw on his shoulder again and frowned lowering his ears and sighing softly.Â

I turned to him and put my paw over his on his shoulder and smiled. Â I knew then feeling his warm soft fur that I really did care for this wolf in some way. Â I knew I wouldn't hurt him, but I think he needed to know that more than me. Â "Hey man," I gave my best smile holding onto his shoulder and paw there, "I'm not gonna ever hurt you, man, I don't know what exactly happened in your past but I swear to you I'm not gonna ever intentionally hurt you."Â

I smiled again and stood there waiting for his reaction. He tilted his head to the side and leaned forward almost nose-to-nose with me while examining my face. I got a good whiff of his scent then and I gulped nervously at how musky and pleasant he smelled.  He finally leaned back and gave me a warm smile.Â

"You know... against my better judgment... I believe you. I don't know why but there's something about you that I can trust. Maybe it's the fact you don't smell like a threat or something, I don't know. All I do know, though, is that you do seem like a good person that I can trust." I smiled at him and he looked up at the moon again and gave out a nice warm howl that seemed much happier than the one before.

When he started walking off to the house I just asked him, "Uhh... what was that about?"Â

He stopped and chuckled a bit before he shrugged a little, "I don't know... I just felt like howling one last time."Â He walked off again at that and I followed him back into the house, right as the first few drops of rain started to fall from the dark sky.

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Zeke:

I felt better after a good long howl and after telling Matt my story. It had been a long time since I had told any one a story like that and it felt good to do so again.Â

"So did you two have a nice talk?" I rolled my eyes at dad and ignored his smirking grin as he looked at us, "I already took care of the leftovers, put them up and did the dishes too, so you two can go work on your homework or whatever you want to do, ‘cause, Matt, you're staying the night. There's a major storm coming and I don't want you out driving in those conditions. I already called your folks and they agreed with me so no ifs, ands, or buts,"Â

I looked at my dad questioningly and then looked outside and knew that he wasn't kidding, it was already starting to come down hard and it looked like we were in for one clichéd ‘dark and stormy night'.

"Looks like it's going to be a real nice night," I said this seriously and with a hint of joy in my voice, storms were calming for me and for some reason I enjoyed cloudy rainy days and stormy weather like that was coming on now.Â

"Yeah tell me about it, it's gonna suck!"Â Matt whined softly.Â

I looked over at him raising an eyebrow, "Uh, I was being serious. But I take it you're not a lover of storms are you?"

Matt looked a little nervous but stayed quiet. Â I was about to say something when once again my dad spoke up and interrupted my thoughts, "Well never mind that, how about we settle in, watch some T.V., and call it a night, huh?"Â

I nodded and looked over at Matt, "Yeah dad that sounds ok, that ok with you Matt?"Â He just nodded and he and my dad headed out to the family room, "You guys want some of the ice cream I made by the way?"Â I was getting it out when I heard them both say yes.

I got our bowls made and brought them out along with some drinks, sodas for Matt and me and a beer for my dad. We settled down and started eating our ice cream while watching one of my favorite shows, "Criminal Minds".Â

We sat there for about 15 minutes when we started hearing some soft rumbling from the thunder, "Gonna be a big one, I can feel it in mah fur."Â I nodded to my dad as I set down my finished bowl next to his and leaned back next to Matt on the couch as the storm progressed.Â

I heard a distant crash from the storm and then felt a little rumbling and shivering coming over from Matt. I looked at him and he was a mess, I thought for a moment before I put a paw on his shoulder, "Hey, Matt, you ok there?"

I could feel him shivering under my paw and I could even smell a change in his scent. Â It wasn't that hard to tell that something was wrong with him, "Come on, we can talk about it in my room and get you settled in for the night."Â I stood up and offered him a paw up before motioning for him to follow me.

"Heh, don't you two have too much fun now."Â

I shot my dad an evil glare and picked up a pen on the table next to the phone and threw it at him. Â As Matt and I walked up the steps to my room my dad stayed downstairs and kept watching some T.V. Â

I knew this was going against my better judgment, but still, he'd done a lot for me today. Even if it meant he'd learn my secrets I was going to help him out tonight. So with my mind racing I opened the door and motioned him into my room just as a huge flash of lightning lit up the night sky followed by a clash of thunder.

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Matt:

I walked into Zeke's room, still afraid of the storm, when there was a huge flash of lightning and a very loud clash of thunder. I yipped and latched onto Zeke's arm shaking and whimpering before I started to whine softly into his shoulder acting like some pathetic little pup. I started thinking back to what happened when I was a pup when I felt a soft paw on my head. I looked at Zeke who was showing a lot of concern on his face while petting over me to calm me down. "Are you ok, Matt? You're worrying me here, are you gonna be ok?"

I gulped and nodded, "Uhh... yeah sorry..." There was another bolt of lighting followed by a rumble of thunder and I held onto him tighter and whimpered softly again. Zeke, though, just eased me into his room and sat me down on his bed. He then went to close the blinds on the window and sat down next to me as the storm progressed.Â

"I guess it's my turn to help you.  This isn't a normal fear of something... this is like a pathological fear... I'm guessing based on some form of childhood trauma involving storms?" He looked over at me with a type of warmth you'd expect to see in a parent's eyes or maybe a lover, but wouldn't expect from someone so young. I was shivering as I nodded and he pulled a blanket over me and got up and pulled out a chair to sit in front of me.

"Just talk to me and try to ignore the storm, Matthew, you don't have to worry about a thing. This will be confidential and I'm only here for you now like you were for me, alright?"

I nodded softly and took a deep breath holding onto the blanket tightly for warmth and security before I started on my own story; a story that no one outside of my family knew about.

"When I was a pup, like 6 years old, my family took me camping with a few cousins and my little brother, who was just like 2 years old at the time. All of us were having fun exploring the area and even going swimming in a lake nearby." I looked up at Zeke and he was watching me waiting for me to go on.Â

"One day, a cousin of mine and I went exploring and kind of went to far from the campsite and got lost, and then we both got separated from each other. I wasn't scared at the time but I was getting worried when I couldn't find my way back after awhile. I wondered the forest for hours before a huge storm came upon the area."Â

I whimpered softly and shook at remembering that day when I saw Zeke sit next to me and rub my back comfortingly, "And then what happened, Matthew?"

I felt better knowing Zeke was listening and doing his best to comfort me and went on with my story, "Well... it was a pretty big storm so I took cover under some fallen trees and kept there for quite some time as the lightning struck down a few tree branches in nearby trees. I curled up under there and just covered my ears and eyes as all hell fell around me. I was scared to death, and I thought that I was going to die there. I was all alone with no one around to protect me or tell me that it was gonna be alright and at 6 years old that's terrifying for a cub. After awhile I think I passed out though, ‘cause the next thing I remember is waking up to hearing my name being called out and people crying. I crawled out from under the remains of the trees and ran after the voices and when I saw my parents..." I just couldn't hold back my tears anymore and started to cry as I finished up, "I just ran to them crying and they were crying and I was just so afraid and they were scared they'd lost me for good... And ever since, I've been terrified of storms and such." I sniffled and Zeke just pulled me into a hug which surprised me but I just held onto him and cried as he held me and rubbed my back.

"It's ok, Matt, I won't let anything hurt you.  So long as I'm here, you're safe, ok?" I looked up at him from his, now, tear stained t-shirt and he had a smile on his muzzle. It was so warm and gentle that it made everything else seem to fade away. I nodded though and let him go to rub at my eyes and straighten myself up to look a little presentable again. He just petted me on the head before he got up and headed towards the door still smiling at me.Â

"You just get settled in and ready for bed and I'll be right back ok? I'm just gonna brush my teeth and all that good stuff and I'll be right back."

I nodded to him and he left the room closing the door for me. I got up and took off my shirt and fluffed out my fur before I took off my pants and straightened out my tail. Making sure my fur was straightened out and groomed nicely for the night I looked around Zeke's room for the first time since getting there.Â

He had a few knives and swords displayed on his wall, and I wondered if he might know how to actually use them. I saw a punching bag hanging off to one corner of the room that had looked like it had gotten a lot of use. I guess he really did practice his martial arts a lot, and it seemed like he might be pretty strong. Â

I fidgeted my feet thinking about crying into his chest and feeling all the muscles under his fur. I had to push my sheath down when I started to get a tingling sensation in-between my legs and thought down at it ‘don't screw this up!  If he finds out or thinks that I might be gay he'll never speak to me again and will probably kick my tail out the door.'Â

I sighed and shook my head to clear my mind of those thoughts before looking around the room again. Â I noticed he had some pictures on his walls and examined them for a few moments. Â Zeke really was a good artist and had done a few pretty good pictures, which I could tell were his because he had signed his name at the bottom of them.Â

He had a picture of a fantasy dragon that was a bunch of different colors, one that had a bunch of cubs of various species hanging out and playing under a sun that was a peace sign, and another of a feral otter swimming in the ocean. I looked at that one and admired it for a few moments.  In a way it looked a lot like me, but I knew that wasn't possible since we just met today.Â

I looked around some more and noticed this one picture on the floor in a nice frame. It was a picture of a wolf and tiger lying together but they were each only half finished. The wolf and tiger were each complete enough to tell what they were, but the faces of each faded out to white along with other parts of their bodies. I looked at it for a few more moments when I heard another clash of thunder. I whimpered and decided that I should just get situated for the night so I just pulled Zeke's loose blanket around me and sat waiting for him to return.

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Zeke:

I shut the door on my way out and headed towards the bathroom growling and kicking myself. ‘What the heck were you doing, you can't be letting someone get this close to you this fast, you're only gonna end up getting hurt again. And what the HELL was all that about protecting him, he's going to think you're a total queer, ok given I am, but that's beside the point.' I continued berating myself as I walked into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror.

‘You're so pathetic, falling for another pretty face. Lord, why do jocks have to be strong and desirable? Why couldn't the natural laws be changed around some?' I took of the jacket I was still wearing and rolled up my sleeves and looked at my arms again. Those damned stripes mocked me again, so long as I was half tiger or half wolf I'd never find someone for me. I was just a freak.

 You're pathetic!> That damned bear, his words from that day still rang clear in my mind.Â

I took a deep breath and thought back to what my mother had told me once when I felt like a freak and had told her so,  You are a miracle, both you and your little brother; you have such a kind heart and are so gentle and caring. You are a blessing to this earth and will do great things, I can tell.> I remembered how she'd stroke through my fur with her claws gently extended and smiled to myself as I did the same with my own claws.

I started brushing my teeth as I thought about my mom, I wondered how she and my brother were doing and hoped that they were doing ok. I spit, rinsed, and picked at my teeth before I took off my shirt to give myself a quick brushing.Â

I looked at the stripes that went down and around my triceps from my shoulders.  I fluffed out my fur and then gently brushed it all down so it would be clean and fresh before I turned around. I looked at the stripes and orange fur that went down along my neck and back down to the base of my tail and started fluffing and brushing myself out. I finished by quickly brushing out my tail before I put my shirt back on and headed back to my room feeling more relaxed and ready for bed.

I reached my door and took a deep breath, ‘Well... here we go. Heaven help me.' I turned the knob and walked into the room where I saw Matt curled up in a blanket up on my bed. I smiled to myself at how innocent and cute he looked, but straightened myself out when he looked over at me. "You can take the bed tonight since you're our guest; I'll make a pallet on the floor and sleep there."Â

I started spreading out some blankets I had from my bed on the floor when another loud clash of thunder sounded outside.  It was the loudest we'd heard all night and it even made me jump a bit in surprise.  I then heard a bunch of whimpering and looked behind me to see that Matt had curled up and buried his head under a pillow in fear. I got up and sat next to him on the bed and started rubbing his back, quietly reassuring him, and trying to comfort and calm him down. He just scooted over next to me and held onto my leg for dear life as he started to whimper again.

I picked him up into my lap and rubbed his back some more, wrapping my arms around him, and holding him close shushing him every few seconds trying to get him to stop crying and be ok. After a few minutes of this he quieted down some after the lightning had stopped flashing so fast and the rumbling slowed down a little. He was still holding onto me as the rain pounded hard outside, but slowly sat up from my lap wiping his eyes dry and looking at me. I noticed that he was only wearing his boxers and that he was indeed a really handsome otter, creamy brown chest and belly fur that went down into his boxers and fair looking bulge there too but I only glanced at him for a moment and he didn't seem to notice.

"S-sorry you have to see me like this... I'm such a wimp..." He then seemed to notice he was revealed and brought the blanket back around his shoulders before he looked away embarrassed. "S-s-sorry, I should have kept my pants on... or at least asked to borrow some shorts or something." I just shook my head and ruffled his hair.Â

He looked up at me curiously and I got my trademark emotionless face back on, "Now, you're not a wimp firstly, you're just a guy who went through a very traumatic experience as a cub and that's ok. Second I'm here if you ever need to talk about anything. I'm not gonna judge you for anything, ok?" He nodded and I continued, "And thirdly, I'm a guy and you don't have anything I haven't seen before obviously." He chuckled and I got up and placed a pillow on the floor before getting down and situated things for the night.

"Umm... Zeke...?" I looked up at Matt and he shook and looked around nervously as I waited for him to go on, "Could you um... That is if you don't mind... uh..." He gulped and looked down at his lap and said softly, "Would you please sleep here with me in case the storm wakes me up and I need to hold onto something...?" I looked over at him a little surprised that a guy like him would have the balls to admit something like that. I mean I'd never met a straight or gay guy that would ever say something like that. Most people were so insecure about themselves that they'd never admit to some of the things they might want nor need.  In this case Matt needing someone to just be there for him and comfort him in his troubled state.

I nodded though and got up my things before throwing them onto the bed and while straightening things out Matt got settled in while watching me. I went over to turn off the lights and then walked through the dark room to my bed just by the light of my alarm clock, another advantage to being half-feline was the great night vision.  I easily got around and got under the covers before I laid down for the night pulling a few blankets up around me. A softer clash of thunder sounded outside then and Matt moved closer to me.  He whimpered softly and I pet him on the head and pulled him closer for his sake.

He was such a beautiful otter, so strong and friendly and yet so innocent and fragile. I hated to admit it, but I really was getting a crush on this young fur. He was still whimpering softly as the storm went on, but I just pulled him closer to my chest and he nuzzled my shirt and clamed down. I didn't know if it was the right thing to do but I put my head over his and held him close before I whispered into his ears, "Don't worry Matt... I'll be here for you; I'll watch over you and keep you safe from harm..." I nosed into his head some and smiled to myself as he settled down and drifted off to sleep.Â

Right before I drifted off myself I heard my door open and someone enter my room.  I was too tired to open my eyes or move, but I knew that it was my dad. He walked over to me and petted my head softly before whispering, "Night son, love ya, and just accept what happens from this."Â

With that he quietly exited my room, gently closing the door behind him.  I just smiled at what he had said and accepted this feeling. Whether it was just a feeling of protectiveness or the start of a crush I didn't yet know, but I just hugged Matt closer to me and snuggled up for the night accepting it all and drifting off to sleep as the storm continued on.

End Notes:

I hope no one minds the way I wrote this part, I felt that it would be better to write it this way to give the reader another view point to see the other characters from. Also for those of you who don't know, Zeke and his dad are from the south. Zeke is a bit calmer and doesn't have much of an accent but his dad has a heavier accent so that's why he talks that way. Also I hope that this chapter explains Zeke better, he's a complex character with a lot of issues to deal with, but hopefully in the future you'll see just who he really is deep down.

Lots of stuff has kept me from writing more, mainly writer's block, but I'm still working on it, so hope everyone keeps enjoying my work. Thank you once again for reading.