Early June 2003, later that day:
Sarah eased off the gas pedal, again. She found it more and more difficult to keep from speeding up too much on the bad road "Only a few more minutes until I'm back to Chris."
At last she pulled into the driveway and killed the engine.
Chris must have heard her car. He nearly jumped down the stairs, quickly walked up to her car and opened the door. Grinning he said "Welcome home, Madam!"
Sarah laughed "I trust everything is in perfect order, James." She said in a mock haughty tone, then she laughed again and climbed out of the car. She hugged him tightly and kissed him "I'm so glad I'm back. I missed you."
He took a step back and brought up his right paw, that had been hidden behind his back, "A little something for a lovely lady." holding a small bouquet of flowers.
Sarah took the flowers, sniffed them and smiled "Oh, thank you." She hugged him again and kissed him again, much longer this time.
After some time they parted again. Smiling and panting a little, they padded around the car and Sarah unlocked the tailgate. Chris opened it, picked up most of the bags and carried them into the house. Sarah picked up the few remaining bags, locked the car and followed him.
When she entered the kitchen, Chris had put the bags on the counter and was carrying a covered plate to the coffee table. She was a little surprised that he had not set the table "What's for lunch?"
He smiled mysteriously "It's a surprise. Don't you dare to look!"
Sarah grabbed a glass, filled it with water and took a long drink "Ahhh, I'm parched." After a short visit to the bathroom, she helped him store the perishables.
"So, what do you want to drink, Sarah?"
"Hmmm, orange juice."
"Ok." he filled her glass and carried it to the coffee table and sat down on the couch. Patting the space between his legs, he said "Come here. Sarah."
She sat down and made herself comfortable. She turned to him and regarded him.
He put his left arm around her waist and said "Close your eyes and open your muzzle."
Sarah put one arm around his neck and did as he had bid her. A few seconds later he deposited a bit of food on her tongue. Chewing slowly, Sarah tried to identify what he had given her. "Hmmm, Rye and some cheese and a small piece of walnut." She felt his gaze as he watched her chew and could not keep herself from smiling. He slowly fed her several more pieces, then he pressed the glass against her lips and she drank a few sips. Sarah slowly relaxed, content to do nothing but the food he gave her. She felt safe in his arms and enjoyed having his complete attention. She molded her body and her tail against him. From time to time she playfully nipped at his fingers, prompting a mock howl of pain from him. They did not speak, but then it was not needed as they enjoyed the shared intimacy.
After some time he licked her ear, causing it to twitch violently. He laughed and whispered "That's it, I'm out of food."
Sarah sat quietly for several seconds, then, without opening her eyes, turned to him and kissed him.
When their lips finally parted, she slowly opened her eyes and breathed "Thank you, Chris. This was incredible."
"My pleasure. I really enjoyed doing it, Sarah."
"Do you think we have time for a little..." She stopped when she saw the clock. It was a quarter to three. "Unfortunately no. Alice will be here soon." She grinned "You'd better put on some of the clothes I bought for you." and regarded him, licking her lips "Unfortunately the real fashion show will have to wait until later."
They got up to prepare for Alice's visit.
# # # # #
As Alice slowed down and carefully negotiated another deep pothole, she felt the muffler scrape on the rough ground "The potholes get worse every year. We really should get a SUV. Thank God, it's only a few more curves and then I'm there." A few minutes later she pulled into the driveway and stopped behind Sarah's car. She killed the engine and climbed out of the car.
Sarah was already waiting in the doorway, smiling widely. Alice stretched, then she padded up the stairs and hugged her friend. While they held each other, she sniffed her friend's fur and realized "She's really with someone, I can smell someone strange. And they've been... friendly, very friendly." She held onto Sarah for a few seconds more, trying to make sense of the scent, but she could not. It was too faint and mostly overpowered by Sarah's own scent.
Then she let go, and keeping her paws on Sarah's shoulder, examined her face. The smile on Sarah's muzzle was infectious, "She's so different from Saturday." she could not keep an answering smile from her lips "Sarah, you look great. It feels so good to see you happy again."
"Hello Alice, glad you made it."
"So, where is your 'alien' lover?"
Sarah laughed "Don't worry, you'll meet him right away. He's in the kitchen, brewing tea." grinning she went on "Just so you don't break your jaw, when it hits the floor, I was not joking." the look on her face turned serious "He is really different."
"Come on, Sarah, you were joking, weren't you..." She trailed off when she saw the serious look on Sarah's face.
"No, Alice. I was not joking." They looked at each other for several seconds "Come on in." Sarah turned around and Alice followed her to the living room.
Alice was almost afraid to enter the living room, but after a second's hesitation, she did. Her eyes went to the kitchen corner. There he was, his back to her. She felt her knees go a little weak as she saw him. His headfur was short, but normal enough, but the small ears and the neck were furless, as were his arms. And he did not have a tail. She watched as he poured the water into the teapot, then he turned around.
His furless face was even stranger, "Sarah made love to something like that?!?" flat, the nose was all wrong. He did have a bit of fur on his throat and chin. She stood there, mouth wide open staring at him, "He's really an alien!" her thoughts in a tight spin.
After a some time Sarah prodded her "Come, sit down." and led her to the easy chair.
Alice followed her and sat down, feeling numb.
He appeared before her, holding out a glass of water "Have a drink."
Alice took the offered glass and drained it in a few gulps. She found her voice again "Thank you. I'm Alice. ... Sorry, but you really surprised me. I could not believe Sarah, when she told me about you."
"Hello, I'm Christoph, my friends call me Chris. It's ok. Well," he mused as he watched her "I may have to get used to this reaction." He held out his paw and she shook it, then he sat down on the couch, next to Sarah and put his arm on her shoulder. Then he asked "Surprised to see me? At least a little?"
Alice giggled at that, but then she could not stop and the giggle turned into full out hysterical laughter. When she finally stopped, she was completely out of breath and Sarah's look was full of concern. She gasped "I'm ok." When she got her breath back she said "More than a little. I thought you were only playing a joke on me, Sarah. Or that you had gone nuts. It kind of knocked me out that you were real."
He smiled, then "Oops!" he got up and padded to the kitchen. He returned with the teapot and asked "How do you like your tea?"
"A little sugar, please." Alice sipped her tea slowly, and her heart rate slowly returned to a normal level. When he had refilled her cup, she asked "So, tell me about yourself, 'Alien'. Where are you from, how did you get here, and do you like it here?"
"To start with your last question. I love it here." he kissed Sarah's cheek and licked her ear, causing it to twitch violently.
"Stop that!"
"Sorry." The grin he gave her showed that he was anything but "It's just terminally cute when your ears twitch like that."
The next half hour or so he told her about how he had come here (what little he knew) and about his home world and the differences to this one.
# # # # #
"How about a short walk?" Sarah asked.
Alice answered "Why not? I'd like to have a look at the lake."
The human carried the dishes to the sink. Before they left the house, he put on the protective boots.
"You need those?" Alice asked.
"Well, yes. I normally don't walk barefoot all that much, and I don't have footpads like you do. I'll try to get more used to walking barefoot, but it is too easy to hurt my feet here in the forest."
They left the house and headed in the direction of the lake. Sarah and Chris walked close together, their arms around each other's waist.
Watching them, Alice could not help but notice how happy Sarah seemed with him "She has fallen for him, hard. So far he seems pretty nice. But he's so strange! I hope he is not just exploiting her, he could hurt her very bad. I don't know what to think of him." She shuddered at the thought of kissing someone like him.
A few minutes later they reached the lake. Alice went down to the waterline and tested the water "Hmmm, just a little cool. But if the weather gets any hotter, they way the weather service promised, it'll be really nice on Sunday."
The human gave an exaggerate shudder "Brrrr! Just looking at that liquid ice you call water makes me cold all over!"
Alice laughed "It's not that bad!"
"So you and Martin will come on Sunday?" Sarah asked.
"Yes, that's the plan anyway" Alice eyes the water wistfully "Actually it would be nice to have a little swim. Too bad I did not bring a swimsuit or a towel with me."
"Well, if you really want to go, I can fetch a towel or two from the house..." Chris offered "And I promise I won't look" He smiled at Sarah "You would not claw out my eyes if I cheated a little, would you?"
Sarah smiled back, sickly sweet and regarded her claws "Well, if you promise not to look, I promise not to claw our your eyes. Deal?"
They looked at each other, smiling widely.
Then Sarah turned to her "Well?"
"You really don't mind if I do? And you would fetch some towels for me?"
"No, I don't mind. And yes, I would fetch some towels for you." Chris said.
Alice thought about it for a few seconds and looked at Sarah speculatively "Yes!"
Sarah pawed him the keys "The towels are in the bedroom in the first dresser on the right."
"Ok. I'll be back in a quarter of an hour or so. See you!" He padded off.
When he was out of sight, Alice said "Now we can talk without him listening in."
Sarah turned to her, smiling widely and asked "What do you think of him?"
Alice motioned for her to follow and they started slowly circling the lake. She was silent for several moments, then she suddenly burst out "Have you gone crazy!?! Falling in love with something like that!"
Sarah was taken aback by her outburst, she could not answer, but the smile disappeared from the face.
Alice went on "Well, he seems nice enough. But he is so different!" She shuddered "He creeps me out! You've known him for only a few days! And you're already crawling into be with him! Aren't you at least a little careful? He could hurt you so badly!"
Surprised by her friend's outburst, it took Sarah some time to get herself together before she answered "Yes, he could have hurt me as much as he wanted. But he did not. He did not tell you any details on how we met, so you don't know about it."
Alice looked at her curiously and Sarah went on "I brought my gun with me. When I opened the door to let him in, I had it ready, I did not directly threaten him with my gun, but it was clear he knew that I would not hesitate to use it if he gave me any problems. Then I made sure to keep enough distance between us, so that he could not jump me. He was shivering so badly, so I had him take a hot bath and I locked him into the bathroom. When I let him sleep in the guest bedroom, I locked him in as well."
She took a few deep breaths and went on "But I must have already fallen in love with him or something. Anyway, the next morning when I was making breakfast, I was daydreaming about him. He managed to snag the gun from the table. When I heard him click off the safety, I passed out from fear."
Sarah paused a few seconds, remembering the concern on his face when she had woken up again "He could have done anything with me, I was completely helpless. But when I woke up, he had put me on the couch and had covered me with a blanket to keep me warm. He kneeled next to me and told me that he was sorry for scaring me so badly and that he had never wanted to hurt me. Then he gave me the gun back, just like that. He put his life in my paws. And he has been very nice and considerate since then."
"I see. Well, maybe he is not that bad. But ... I still don't feel good about him. There's just so much you don't know about him or his kind ... I hope you don't regret this."
Sarah smiled "I'm sure I wont. He is not the kind of person who would deliberately hurt someone he cares for."
Alice took her paw and squeezed it "I hope you are right." She tried to smile, but the frown would not quite leave her muzzle.
They finished circling the lake and sat down on a fallen tree, enjoying the warmth of the sun.
I returned a few minutes later, carrying a bag with several towels.
Alice took the one I offered to her and spread it on the grass. Then she looked expectantly at us.
Sarah got up and took my hands in hers and made me face away from her. She grinned at me and said sweetly "Is there anything you'd rather look at than your girlfriend?"
"Put like that, I can't really argue with you." I pulled her closer and kissed her, looking deeply into her eyes.
After a minute or so there was a splash and Alice called "It's ok. You can look now."
I turned around. She was swimming in circles, incredibly quickly. I shivered when I thought about the temperature of the water.
Holding hands, we watched her swim for several minutes, then she called "I'd like to come out again."
Sarah made sure I was not looking in her direction and kept me pleasantly occupied while Alice dried her fur. When she was finished, I folded the towels she had used and put them back into the bag. We sat there, chatting pleasantly for another half hour or so, then we strolled back to the house.
# # # # #
Sarah asked "So, what would you like to have for dinner?"
"Have you planned anything?" Alice asked.
I considered "Did you buy any meat, Sarah?"
"Yes, there's a slab of turkey breast."
"Then how about a mixed salad with grilled turkey strips?"
"Sounds good."
Twenty minutes or so later we sat down on the porch to eat and chat.
# # # # #
Alice looked at the clock "Well, it's getting late. I have to go." She drained her glass.
We all got up.
Sarah asked "So, Alice, when are you and Martin coming to visit us again?"
"Well, if it's fine with you, I'll come and visit you for dinner Thursday or Friday, depending on work. One of the other furs fell ill, so our work hours will be shifted around. I don't know yet on which of those days I will have the late shift."
"Either one is ok with me. I'll probably go shopping again on Friday and I'll call you at work. But if you come on Thursday, that is fine with us as well."
"Martin won't be able to come, however. The roofs of several houses were damaged by the storm last weekend, and he is working overtime. We will probably come and spend most of Sunday up here. We'd really like to go swimming."
"Then I'm looking forward to a Sunday with you both."
"Goodbye, Sarah." They embraced "Bye, Alice."
"Goodbye, Chris. It was nice to meet you." She smiled at me, but the smile did not reach her eyes as she shook my hands.
"Goodbye, Alice."
She got into the car, we stood there, waving, until she disappeared around the first bend, then we went back into the house.
# # # # #
"Honey! I'm home!"
"I'm in the kitchen!" Jane Carolinae called back and continued cutting up the vegetables for tonight's dinner.
Harold padded up to her and put his arms around her waist. She turned and they shared a quick kiss. "So, how was your day?"
"Hmmm, interesting. I've been thinking about Sarah a lot."
"What's up with her? Did she call?"
"Yes, she called." Jane said carefully.
"And?"
"Well, she sounded happy."
"That's good to hear." He paused "But ... ? The way you say it, something is not right."
"She said she met someone new. I think she's fallen head over heels for him."
"Hmmm, not that this is really a bad thing, but it is a bit quick, considering what she went through in the last few weeks. What did she tell you about him?"
"That's the strange thing. She has not told me anything about him. Except that he will be with her when she comes to visit us."
"Nothing?"
"Well, that he was caught out in the open when that storm hit them on Saturday. But nothing else, not even his name."
"Strange. And we can't even call her while she is up there."
"She said Alice would visit her today. I'll call her in the evening, maybe she can tell us more."
"That's a good idea." They kissed again, then he went to the bathroom to get cleaned up for dinner.
# # # # #
Alice stopped her car in front of her house. "Martin is not home yet? They must be really busy." She thought as she got out of the car and padded up the stairs. Just as she unlocked the door his car stopped behind hers. She waited for him in the doorway.
He bounded up the stairs to embrace and kiss her "Hello sweetheart."
"Hello." She sneezed violently "Dust in your fur."
"Uh, oh. Sorry. I'd better have a quick shower then."
"Do." She answered "I've already eaten. Do you want me to fix you a couple of sandwiches?"
"Yes, thanks. See you in a few." He walked off, in the direction of the bathroom.
Martin grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat down on the couch, balancing the plate with his food on his knees. He turned to Alice, who sat next to him, kissed her cheek and asked "So, how is Sarah?" then he took the first bite.
Alice was silent for several seconds before she answered "She is doing rather well, better than I expected. But I'm a little concerned about her."
He took a draught "Her mystery lover?"
"Yes."
When she did not elaborate, he asked "What about him? What kind of fur is he?"
"Well, that's part of the problem. I'm not sure if one can really call him a 'fur'."
"What!?!" he nearly choked on the bite he was chewing. When he had his breathing under control again, he asked "What do you mean?"
"He is... He is a human. Like the ones in Star Voyager."
His eyes widened "Come on. That is just a TV show. You don't expect me to believe ..." He petered out when he saw the serious expression on his wife's face "Really?"
Alice nodded "Yes, really. Sarah told me about it when she called me but I could not believe it, so I did not tell you. But ... I've seen him with my own eyes. I still have a little trouble believing it."
Martin thought about it for some time, munching the last of his food "And they are ... lovers?"
"Yes. She seems to be very much in love with him. They hardly let go of each other. I would not be surprised if they had strewn their clothes all over the bedroom five seconds after my car disappeared around the corner."
"Wow. Uh, oh."
"Exactly. He seemed to be a reasonably nice male. But I don't trust him. And she is so vulnerable right now."
Just then the phone rang and Alice got up to answer it.
# # # # #
"Hello. Alice Castor speaking."
"Hello. This is Jane Carolinae."
"Sarah's mother! What do I tell her?" She thought "What can I do for you, Mrs. Carolinae?"
"It's Jane, Alice. How are you? Sarah told me you have decided to have kits."
"Yes, but only recently."
"So no good news yet?"
"Not yet."
"Well, best of luck then, Alice."
"Thank you."
"Now... Sarah told me that you visited her today."
"... Yes. I drove up to the lodge after lunch and spent the afternoon with her."
"So, how is she?"
"A lot better. She was quite stressed out and miserable on Saturday but she perked right up. She's much better now."
"So, she's enjoying her stay at the lodge?"
"Yes." Alice thought about how Sarah and the human had been holding paws and kissing "Definitely."
"Sarah told me she met someone."
"Ummm, yes."
"Well, tell me about him."
"He's nice enough, I suppose. A real gentleman."
"But?"
"I don't know. I just don't have a good feeling about him. Maybe it's just me."
"You think she is in danger?" The squirrel femme's voice had risen a little.
"No, I guess not. They have been out there for a couple of days now. If he had wanted to ... kill her or something, he would have done so already, before anyfur knew about him."
"Okay... Tell me a little more! What's his name? What species is he?"
"His name is Chris. Chris Saepin. ... She has not told you his species?"
"No."
"Then I'd better not, either."
"Come on!" Jane pleaded "What's so terrible about his species? You know that we ain't purists."
"Yes, I know. But it's better if Sarah told you herself."
"You are really worrying me, you know?"
Alice sighed "I know, but it would really be better is Sarah told you."
Jane was silent for several moments and when Alice did not volunteer any more information, she said "Well, thank you for telling me ... at least a little. Good bye, Alice."
"Good bye, Mrs. Carolinae."
# # # # #
Harold watched his wife as she slowly put down the receiver, her face thoughtful and a little anxious "So, what's up with Sarah?"
She was silent for several moments and asked in a slightly shaky voice "Can you get me a glass of wine, please?"
"Sure." he said and padded off to the kitchen.
He pawed her the glass and sat down on the couch, next to her. Jane sipped at the glass, leaned her head on his shoulder and recounted the news Alice had given her.
"Should we drive there and check up on Sarah?" he asked when she was finished.
"I want to." She answered "But I guess we'd better not. From what Alice told me, she is not really in danger and she is a grown woman. And she does not like it when we pry too much into her private life. Besides, it would take more than a day to drive there and come back. And what should we do? If he wants to do something to her, he will just wait until we are gone again."
He agreed with her, grudgingly "You are probably right. But ... I don't like it. Why won't she tell us at least his species?"
"I don't know. This is really weird. And it frightens me a little. But what could be so terrible about his species?"
"I don't know. Try to find out a little more when she calls again."
"I will."
They sat silently for a long time, holding each other.
# # # # #
When I came out of the bathroom, wearing only my non-furry one button suit, Sarah was waiting for her turn, pajamas in her hand. I looked at them and asked "Do you think you will need those?" She looked perplexed for a second, then she smiled, dropped them and stepped into the bathroom. I crawled under the bed sheets and waited for her.
A few minutes later I heard the door open and got up. She saw me, padded up to me and stopped half a meter in front of me. I put my hands on her hips and looked at her face, grinning widely.
Sarah lifted her paws and put them on his shoulder. Then she looked up to meet his gaze and a smile formed on her lips.
I let my gaze travel slowly down her body until I looked at her feet. "So short and wide. And such huge toenails. I would not like to have those used on me in anger. It was bad enough when she stepped on my food by accident."
She looked at his feet "So long and narrow. And such stunted claws. The skin looks so delicate." Looking at the claw marks she had put there, she grimaced "Is so delicate."
I slowly moved my eyes up a little "I've never seen a woman with that much body hair. It hardly matters if she wears clothes or not, pretty much everything is hidden anyway."
"He has so little bodyfur. I wonder how he manages not to freeze. He only has anything resembling normal fur in a few spots. At last a male who is really happy to see me. Too bad he does not have a tail as well."
"Hmmm, actually her nipples are showing, just a little bit." I grinned "One woman who does not worry about shaving her armpits, I'm sure. Oh, boy do I love that fluffy tail of hers."
"His face looks so weird, no muzzle at all. Only the lower part and the throat are covered in fur. And the nose. At least you have proper headfur."
"Never thought I'd get together with a woman who has more of a beard than I. Your hair is nice, so colorful and long. But your eyes are set so far apart."
"Whatever, you are still kind of handsome."
"So what, you are beautiful."
Our eyes met and we moved closer together, until our bodies touched. Then we brought the tips of our noses together.
"She smells so good."
"I like your scent."
Then our lips met.
She felt his arms gently encircle her hips.
Her arms locked behind my neck, then her tail wrapped itself around my waist.
We stood like this for an indeterminate time, then we slowly moved towards the bed.
End of Chapter 5