Chapter 1

God I hate class trips. Especially this one. Grad-Bash. It's honestly laughable. Let's congratulate the students for surviving three years of hell and being subjected to a hilarious attempt at a hospitable place where teens can supposedly learn in a peaceful environment. But at least they decided on North Carolina as the place to take us. When I first heard about it I thought to myself "This is going to be awesome!" I asked my parents (who are very protective) for a month straight until they either thought it was a good opportunity for me to have some time with my friends before college, or so I'd stop annoying them. Either way, I was really excited to go.

Er, well, I was excited to go at first. But it's really hard to enjoy yourself when your boyfriend (his name's Brent, football jock, hot, popular, the usual) is an egotistical asshole who craves attention from everyone and anyone, and doesn't even care that I'm sitting five seats behind him. I can see the girls compliment him and stroke his biceps like it was a scratching post. I can see them slide closer to him. The worst part of it all, though, is that he looks back at me and smiles and waves when we make eye contact. What is that? The only reason I'm sitting with some of the soccer kids is because he wanted to be with the "cool" crowd. To get hit on. Is it just an athlete thing? I mean, I play tennis recreationally, but I'm talking more varsity jocks. Like the football, basketball, baseball stars. Not all of them come off that way, hell the only one who isn't full of himself and is still part of the "cool kids" circle is the one sitting next to me.

Whatever. I'll just pretend it's not happening and listen to my music. I should've gone on the other bus. But no, I had to be an idiot and think that when Brent asked me to go on his bus, he meant sit with him.

I sighed.

I know I may paint him as a completely bad guy but he isn't that bad. He's really romantic (for the most part). He usually pays for dinner. He's great in bed (that's totally an understatement). Not to mention protective.

He isn't all that bad.

'Who are you trying to persuade? '

No one. He is a good guy sometimes.

'Right. So when he left you at the restaurant to go party with his friends, he was being a good guy? That just screams boyfriend of the year.'

Hey, he asked if I wanted to go but I said no. Who asked you anyways?

'You.'

Whatever. We're only like thirty minutes away from the place anyways. I hope it's nothing too fancy. I've been to North Carolina before, and it's so beautiful. The mountainous parts anyways. It was fall when I first went, like now, and the trees, and lakes, and the rocks, and the sky...all so beautiful. Too beautiful for words even. I just wish it could be like that again. I haven't really been paying attention to the outside, with the whole random people loving on my boyfriend situation, but considering my phone has no bars, it's safe to say that we're in some remote region, hopefully with mountains and trails to hike.

Something hard fell onto my shoulder. The buds in my ear flew from their place and I dropped my phone in surprise. Hot breath washed over my chest and something wet and cold drenched through my thin hoodie.

My heart still pounding, I glance over and Carson was leaning against my shoulder fast asleep. What am I? Invisible? I nudged him a little with my shoulder and his eyes fluttered open. His black markings covering some of his face, usually lively and moving with his upbeat attitude, were sagging. He could barely keep his eyes open and kept nodding off, now almost crushing me with his muscle. I nudged him with my shoulder, harder now, and his eyes shot open.

He gave a tired yawn before his emerald green eyes rested on me. It only took him a second to get his smile back. "Hey, Scout," he said with a low chuckle. "Did I fall asleep on you?"

I nodded. "It's no problem though."

He stretched his slender, muscular body and I couldn't resist but to catch a quick look. He bent down and came up with what looked like someone's phone. Though it couldn't have been mine. This phone had a spider web-like crack throughout the entire screen. But it had the same case as I did, even the little upside down rainbow triangle sticker on the back.

You've got to be kidding me...no. No. No. No. Shit, my parents are going to kill me! I don't have the money to pay for this and I sure as hell can't see anything with all those cracks.

"Oh shit, is this yours?" Carson asked.

I nodded and he gave me the phone. I checked everything before setting it down on my lap. There was no way I could possibly use this, let alone see what I'm doing on it. Mother isn't going to like this one bit. Caron, whose ears were somewhat down, asked what I did to get that many cracks. "I sat next to you," was my response.

It wasn't the friendliest thing to say, but between the phone and Brent, I didn't care. I did feel bad though when Carson's black ears drooped lower than they had been. "I did that?"

"When you fell asleep on my shoulder."

"Shit dude. I'm so sorry. I can front you the money if you need it."

I thought about it, but it was an accident and I wasn't going to extort money from him. He seemed genuinely sorry. "No, it's fine. Really it is," I lied.

"You sure?"

I nodded and he said sorry again before whipping out his own phone. "Do you know how long we'll be on this bus? My whole body's cramped up."

"I think we only have-"

A loud and robotic sounding voice made the bus silent (surprisingly). "STUDENTS, TEN MINUTES TILL WE REACH THE SITE. PLEASE PICK UP ALL TRASH FROM THE FLOOR AND GET YOUR THINGS TOGETHER. THANK YOU."

"-ten minutes," I finished.

"You think it's going to be fun?"

Fun? No. A good way to change the subject from my phone? Yes. "I mean, it could be."

"Yeah, I get it.

The bus pulled into the small town about twenty minutes later. There was a gravel parking lot just big enough for the four busses to fit in. Besides that, there was a big grassy hill with what looked to be a mess hall to the right of it. The building looked to be made of wood (or at least that fake wood that is supposed to look like real wood) and had some logs in between long pieces of glass that strays he'd around the building. Beyond the mess hall and the grassy hill, the tall, slender trees that stretched up to the sky. The mountains in the background looked like they were on fire with the warm colors of the trees. I know its different then the place I came before, but it was just similar enough for me to think of how wonderful it was to be back here.

"Wow, it's...wow," Carson whispered behind me.

I had to let a slight smile cross my muzzle. Most of the kids here were still staring at either Brent or their phones. But Carson was transfixed on the wilderness.

"Isn't it?" I said, my head turned towards the window.

"Yeah, it's beautiful. Hey," he said lightly punching my arm. "The leaves match your fur."

"Well it seems someone passed the first grade."

"Har. Har."

The busses stopped in their designated spots and the rush to get out first began. You'd think it was a crowded airport and everyone had been away from their families for three years the way people pushed past me. But I do see where they are coming from. Being stuck in a bus full of teenagers (who probably rushed to get to school at 4:30 in the morning and forgot deodorant), especially for longer snouted species like myself, can sometimes be overwhelming. A perfect example is when I get asked by Kit, who is my other best friend and house cat, what it feels like to be stuck in a crowded place with hundreds of people, I tell him it's like sticking your head in a dumpster. Though, I've learned to take my hoodies and put them over my muzzle and that neutralizes some scents (or I'm telling myself it is and Dr. Henry K. Beecher was right). And, it's always nice to just stretch your legs after a twelve hour bus ride. Maybe that's it.

Carson jumped off the bus a moment after I did and began to bend low to the ground, his claws almost reaching the gravel. He spun his body around keeping his forearms parallel to his body before bringing his legs all the way up to his chest and then letting them plummet back to earth. It looked like he was warming up for a game.

"Damn that feels great!" he exclaimed, letting his arms fall to his side. It seems the fatigue he felt minutes before arriving suddenly left him.

"Well at least the temperature's pretty cool. You must like that," I remarked.

"Oh hell yeah," he responded with a smile. "My fur's too long and thick for Florida. This is more my style." He paused then got a glint in his eye. "That tail of yours must be happy."

"Are you calling my tail fat?" I asked, bristling my fur to make it look bigger.

His eyes widened and his palms shot up to face me. "What? Oh, no. I mean your tail isn't fat, it's nice...I mean not nice but...good?"

I loved seeing jocks struggle with words. I busted out into laughter and assured him I was joking. The shock left his face and his ears popped back upright. He gave me a playful punch before a big, dark grey paw rested on my shoulder and spun me around. The large, muscular frame of Brent materialized in front of me. His usual arrogant smile was plastered to his muzzle. Though, it was kind of attractive. He was so confident and charismatic. He protected me in a way.

' Sure.'

He bent down like he was going to whisper something in my ear but went lower and gave me a quick kiss instead. "Hey, fox," he said. His voice was low enough that I could feel a quick thrum pulsate through my body, coming to rest in my stomach.

A smile spread across my muzzle. "Hi, wolfy."

We locked eyes for a few minutes before he broke the silence. "How was the ride up?"

I don't know, you were there. "It was good."

"So," he said, sensing my terse tone, "I hear its two to a cabin. Want to room with me?"

Is that even a question? Maybe you should room with the faggots that were stroking your muscles. Idiot. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Awesome."

"Alright everyone!" Mr. Hockey (the economics teacher, who was too laid back to even be considered a teacher in my opinion) said. "Two to a cabin. Guy's cabins are on top of the hill, girls on bottom-"

"Hear that, Scout? You're bottom again!" someone shouted. There were scattered snickers and even more paws covering muzzles. My ears reared back.

"Fuck off, asshole," Brent responded.

"-pick whoever you want to room with carefully. We'll be here for two weeks," Mr. Hockey finished, ignoring everyone.

"Both of you, shut up!" Coach Sofareli shouted. The mocking stopped and everyone turned their attention back to Mr. Hockey who had continued talking through all of this.

I nudged Brent. "Thanks," I whispered.

He smiled down at me. "Anything for you."

"Now," Mr. Hockey said. "You can make your way to your cabins, take your pick and get settled. There's nothing planned for the next couple of days so just relax and take in the sights."

"Even though most of you are legal 'adults'," Coach cut in, "that doesn't mean you can run off and get hurt. We're still liable for you."

"Dinner starts at six sharp. Don't be late," Mr. Hockey finished with a smile.

Carson said goodbye and apologized, again, for the phone before he went off to find a roommate. Brent grabbed my bag off of the bus and his own and trudged up the hill with me in tow.

When we got to the top of the hill I had to stop and just take in everything. If I thought it was beautiful from the parking lot, this was...amazing. The trees seemed bigger and more intimidating; their leaves looked like they would bring fire down upon the cabins that rested below. The cabins looked like something from the 1700s. They were made with all wood with two windows looking out to the tired teens walking up the hill. They were assembled in a semi-circle with several rows. I could see the lake to the left of the cabins in the distance. The sun glistened off the surface and lit up the brown, yellow, orange, red of the leaves.

While I was scanning everything, my eyes rested on Brent. He had the bags over both shoulders and the muscles on his back popped out of his tank top. Man was he strong. And hot.

When we made it to the cabin, near the front of the hundred or so cabins dotting the landscape, I opened the door for the hulking wolf. He slipped right past me and dropped the bags. He heaved a deep sigh and then turned to me. "Like the cabin?"

It was pretty barren. There was one picture of the mountains from outside on the wall in the hallway that led to the back porch and a bathroom. In the "main hall" I guess you could call it were two beds, each on one side of the room. Other than that there wasn't much. Though I wish he could have picked one further into the forest.

"It's great."

Brent made a low chuckle that came from deep in his throat (a noise only heard when he wanted one thing). Before I knew it he had me in his arms, our body's pushed up against each other. He tickled my ear with his teeth and I nuzzled closer to his chest. His tail was wagging, and so was mine (probably a lot more than his). He wrapped his paws around my ass and brought me even closer to him. He lowered his muzzle so I could feel his wet nose chill my neck.

"I think we have some time before dinner," he whispered.

---

About two hours later I was scanning the small crowd gathered outside the mess hall. I couldn't see any small black ears, or hear high nasally voices. Guess Kit hasn't gotten here yet. I did see one girl sitting by herself, though it couldn't have been Sera, who can't go without attention for more than a few seconds. But it actually was.

She was sitting on one of the benches near the cafeteria looking back towards the forest. Her white tipped tail swished lazily and her long brown ears moved back and forth. I waited till I crept up a few feet behind her before aging hello. Her tail bristled and she jumped up. She turned towards me and reared her arm like she was about to throw a punch. I instinctively recoiled and backed up to a safe distance. When she saw me she lowered her fist and exhaled.

"Scout! What the hell?" she gasped. "You know you shouldn't sneak up on me. You remember the last time? You're dad wasn't happy that you got beat up by a girl."

I folded my arms. "Hey. You didn't beat me up."

"I did give you a black eye and bloody nose."

"That's only because I wasn't ready."

"You were the one trying to scare me."

"Aye, people, can't we all just get along?" a high, nasally voice called out from behind us. We turned and saw a smiling cat looking up at them. "Can't you two go an hour without fighting?" Kit asked.

"We're not fighting," I said, relaxing my arms.

"I know, if you were, you'd have a bloody nose again," Kit smiled.

'He's right, y'know. You got beat up by a girl.'

Shut up.

We ate dinner pretty quickly. I hung around for a little bit after Kit and Sera left waiting for Brent. He said not to wait up for him but it wasn't like him to skip a meal. I was pretty tired too; I kept myself awake on the bus so I wouldn't be up all night tonight. Maybe Brent fell asleep.

I got up and placed my tray on top of the trash can with the others and turned to leave when I heard my name being called. I perked my ears but I didn't have to. Carson was half out of his seat waving me over.

"Hey Scout," he said with a toothy smile. "Some of us were going to go hiking tomorrow around 1-ish. You wanna come?"

The other guys around him, mostly soccer players with some baseball plyers here and there, looked down with their ears stuck to the back of their head. Experience told me that they didn't want me to go. Probably didn't want to get hit on or whatever because fags are just like vampires...but with dick. I was about to decline but Carson was still smiling up at me and the words just flew out of my mouth. "I'd love to."

"Great! See you at one," Carson said.

While I turned I could see some of the jocks towards the back whispering to each other. Probably wondering where to find the garlic and holy water.

All the way back to the cabin I just kept seeing all those eyes avoiding me. Usually this wouldn't affect me. I mean, yeah it hurts a little but I get over it or say something witty to lighten the mood. But now it just hurt...more. Maybe because Brent isn't here to say something like "Who gives a shit what they think?" He is mostly the one to cheer me up with this sort of thing. Probably because no one dared call him a faggot, or if they did, they were his friends and were just messing around.

I opened the cabin door and the room was empty. The bags and bed (minus one wolf) hadn't been changed since I left. That was over an hour ago. Where was he?

He probably just took a different route to the cafeteria and I missed him. Whatever the case, he had to come back eventually. Then we could spend our first night together and I could finally wake up to his handsome face. I know that sounds dumb but I've always wanted to wake up next to someone and wake up at the same time and our eyes meet and we share a kiss before cuddling until midday then having breakfast naked then fool around again...man that sounded really gay.

I sighed and bent down to my bag next to the bed. I fished out a book and reclined on the bed. I could probably finish the book tonight it's not that late.

---

I opened my eyes and sat up in bed. The book I'd been reading a few minutes before fell to the floor with a thud. I rubbed my eyes and gave a tried yawn.

Man that nap was good. How long was I-

The digital clock on the dresser read 9:30am. What the hell? I was out for only a few minutes!

' I don't think it was a few minutes.'

Really? I had no idea.

'I'm just trying to be helpful...'

When are you ever helpful?

'...shut up.'

I settled back into bed and closed my eyes again when something occurred to me. I perked my ears and listened for anyone in the cabin. I heard nothing. I felt the bed around me but felt nothing. And it wasn't like Brent to be up before eleven. Where the hell was he?

Probably got wasted or something. Maybe he found someone to fuck-

Shut up. He wouldn't do that.

'Ha! You're deluding yourself.'

I am not. But I knew he was right.

'I know I am.'