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The Gift

Daniel's Intro, Part 1

copyright comidacomida 2018

So, way back in high school we learned that America was becoming more and more urbanized as the years went by. Apparently people who grow up in cities were more likely to stay in cities than people and people who grow up in the country tend to move toward more urban areas. It's a double-whammy since more people are born in cities where the population is already higher. It's like my high school statistics teacher always said: a double exponential growth curve. Don't ask me what it means though-- I barely passed that class.

What I'm getting at is that I fell into the second group; I grew up in eastern Oregon in a town of under 10,000 and moved to Cherry City, a city over 15 times the size. It isn't the biggest city in Oregon, but it's definitely one of them. While I wasn't sure that graduating was all that it was cracked up to be, my folks convinced me to finish high school. Ultimately, they were the ones who brought up the idea of moving to Cherry City so my dad could get some better work but they decided to stay even after I decided to move. Considering I'd already aligned my dream with being anywhere but my home town, I went alone. It was a big step on starting my adult life but I was ready for it. Well... I THOUGHT I was ready for it.

Any self-sufficient adult knows that every month is a numbers game; you have to make as much money as you spend or else you're in a bad way. Fortunately I managed to pick up a part time job at a movie theater. Part time was important because I needed enough hours out of the week to pursue my dream: I wanted to be an artist. Granted, Cherry City wasn't big enough to support any real 'fine art' scene, but I wasn't really interested in being the next Rembrandt or Van Gough so that was just fine with me. I made a few bucks here-and-there doing artwork for online sites and selling personal commissions, so at least I was headed in the right direction.

One other bonus of working part time was that it could allow me some extra hours in the day for attending art classes at college... but, then again, the crappy income meant that I barely had enough for monthly expenses so the whole community college art class thing wasn't really all that feasible. Between the cash my parents gave me to help get me started and the 20-hour-a-week minimum wage job I was able to rent an apartment.

It wasn't a NICE apartment, and it wasn't exactly on the nice side of town, but at least it wasn't a crappy apartment and it wasn't on the bad side of town. I guess you could call it 'perfectly middle of the road', but actually I think an average apartment would have been nicer. Still, the property management company kept things in good repair and the rent wasn't super expensive since I signed a lease for a year.

It was a studio apartment, which means there were only two real rooms: the first was a combination of a living room, kitchen, and bedroom while the second was a bathroom. From what the rental agent said the square footage was actually pretty good for the price but, to be honest, it wasn't anywhere close to what I was used to have since I grew up in a huge ranch-style house. For over a week I couldn't help but dwell on all the things I missed about living at home: a room specifically for my bedroom, lots of windows, and someone who handled all of my cooking and laundry. It wasn't all bad though.

The apartment was pretty centrally located which made it a lot easier to get places without a car. I had a supermarket across the street and down a block, and a few strip malls were just down the way a few stoplights. There was some fast food maybe 100' away from my front door, and even work wasn't too far off. One major bonus was the internet-- oh my GOD, it was so much faster than I'd ever had back home! By the end of the week I had pretty much gotten over my home sickness, but there was another major reason for that too.

That Friday I worked until ten. Even though the bus ran right by the movie theater my apartment was only five or six blocks away so I figured I'd save the two bucks and walk. Considering it was so late I decided to stop by the supermarket on the way and I picked up some pop and an eight pack of fried chicken. Considering I wasn't about to eat eight pieces of chicken in one sitting I figured $5.99 was more than worth it to have a couple of meals ready to go.

I was home before I knew it and sitting down at the small table I'd brought with me from home. Granted, it was an old lamp table my mom got from her mom, but it was more than enough for a household of one, and the folding metal chair I sat in wouldn't have looked right at a real dining table anyway. Besides, it didn't make sense to spend any money on a new table with matching chairs since it was only me at the apartment. With my dinner complete I went and tossed all of the bones and the paper plate into the trash then tied off the bag and took it out.

The trash bin at the apartment complex was on the other side of the parking lot from my apartment so I had a short walk to get rid of my garbage. The two street lights that should have helped me see were both out so I was left carrying the trash bag in one hand and my cell phone, with flashlight app on in the other. It wasn't a very complex or difficult chore but, having just finished six hours of minimum wage drudgery I was already more than tired enough that I was almost on top of a wild animal before I'd realized it. At first I thought it was a small dog, but I was wrong.

Foxes, despite what some people say, can be found in Oregon. I'd heard stories from back home that gray foxes were the most common ones west of the Cascades so I was surprised to see that it was actually red. I'd never seen a red fox in person and I the artistic part of my brain marveled at just how beautiful its orange-red coat was. He (yes, I checked visually-- don't judge me!) had black-tipped ears, which matched the black fur of hiss legs and paws. What really caught my attention though were his eyes: deep ruby, and almost glowing as they reflected the light from my cell. That stunned admiration ended immediately when he let out what sounded like a warbling growl, and the Fox dropped down off of the lid that covered the trash bin.

The predatory sound, despite the thing being the size of a small dog, was still enough to surprise and frighten me. I know, it might sound silly being afraid of a fox, but it caught me off guard, and its growl was pretty intimidating. Still, I managed to overcome my initial response when I realized that it was probably just hungry and thought I was trying to get between it and its food. Keeping an eye on the animal, I reached into my trash bag and pulled out a chicken wing; I'd only nibbled at it and there was still plenty of meat on the bone. I know cooked chicken bones are a bad idea so I pulled a hunk of meat free then slowly knelt down, holding it out to the four legged visitor. "Okay then... come on over, guy. This'll be a lot better than what's in there anyway."

The sound the fox had been making halted immediately and it flicked its tail; I don't know if you've ever seen a fox in real life but as I watched it I couldn't help but think that its face was so expressive. Sure, foxes might look like a dog at first glance, but as I squatted there and watched it I saw body language, tail movements, and complex tweaks to his eyes, lips, and ears. The Fox inched closer, then pulled back, then tip-toed closer, then paused, then circled a few degrees. He actually came toward the chicken at an angle that put my hand between him and the meal; for a moment I thought he was going to bite me-- and then he zipped past to the other side of the trash bin enclosure with the morsel in his muzzle.

Standing, I considered my good deed complete; not only had I given the thin-looking little furry visitor a snack he had also vacated the container so I could more easily get rid of my own garbage. It seemed like everything was going well until I hefted the trash bag up and the entire side opened up, spilling garbage all over the concrete. Sighing, I closed my eyes before gazing skyward. "Come on! Really?!"

Turning back to the task at hand I made ready to pick up my mess piece by piece, then paused when the fox emerged from beneath the bin where he had been hiding, half of his body visible as he kept its rump and hind legs back under cover. He sniffed at the air, apparently taking in the sight of my garbage in a curious manner. I had to do a double-take before I realized that I must have been mistaken; when I first saw the fox I thought it had red eyes, but they were very distinctively green. Was there more than one fox?

Even as I pondered that question, my four legged companion eased the rest of its way out from beneath the trash bin and sat down with his rump on the concrete; I did a double-take when I realized that he had his tail casually wrapped around his forepaws... from both sides. I had never seen a fox with two tails before! What was even more unusual was the way he cocked his head to the side. Just like I'd seen in some wildlife pictures the fox's eyes created perfect little upside down V's that you'd expect to see on an anime character. As if reading my mind, the world decided to be particularly confusing; he opened his muzzle and clearly declared "Konbanwa!"

It was Japanese-- that much I knew. I didn't speak Japanese, and hadn't expected to encounter an animal that did. My response was in the universal language of confusion. "Uhhh....?"

He cocked his head the other way and, before my eyes, the fox's body enlarged and elongating until a handsome, naked Fox man was kneeling before me. Sure, go ahead and judge me for calling a Fox man handsome, but it's true! His two tails wrapped around his body in an entirely contrived PG-13 way, providing a LOT of suggestive considerations for my brain-meats. He cocked his head the other way, raising an actual humanlike, fur-covered arm to rub at the back of his head as his smile widened, eyes still perfect upside down V's. "Kon'nichiwa. Hajimemashite. Dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

He followed up the greeting with what looked like a formal bow, which pulled his tails away from his groin and made me loose focus on whatever else he was or wasn't saying. His body was a mix of human and animal, which meant that a fuzzy sheath and velvety coin-purse sac lay nestled within his thick, light-gray groin fur. After that we remained standing there in silence for a few seconds (and my eyes finally rose) I spent a few extra seconds figuring out exactly how I was going to respond (between a few more occasional glances downward).

He eventually opened his eyes again; they gleamed greenish in the indirect light from my loosely-hanging cell's flashlight. That same smile remained on his muzzle as if it were painted on permanently, and I felt even more uncomfortable. A gruff voice from behind grunted at me aggressively. "Move! You're not the only one with trash to pitch, kid."

The fox's smile actually grew wider, and both of his tails began swishing from side to side mirthfully; he was obviously not the least bit body shy. I was just starting to think of the viability in using him as a body model when he spoke again-- in English. "Oh. English! That will be fun too."

I stepped aside to let the man behind me get access to the trash bin; my attention went from the Fox to the newcomer then back to the Fox. "I... uh... we--"

The man paused after chucking his trash into the bin. "We?... Whatever."

He walked off as if seeing a naked Fox man standing in the trash area weren't anything out of the ordinary. I opened my mouth to say something but realize I didn't really have anything I could say to him so I looked back to the fox, who had stepped closer; apparently while I wasn't paying attention he'd found some clothes. His body was covered in blue jeans and an unzipped black leather jacket, but no shirt beneath it, continuing to provide me a fine view of his wiry-but-visible abdominal muscles Apparently my curiosity was written on my face and his smile widened as he pulled out a comb and ran it through his mane. "Don't worry... he can't see me. Nobody can. Just you, Hiro."

Originally I had trouble figuring out what to say before that moment, but after that incomplete explanation I--