By Andrew R. Coon

Codes: Romance Humor

Species: Artic/Desert Fox Squirrel

Synopsis: In this day and age, twelve hour work days are no longer unusual. However, twelve hours a day, 365 days a year is a bit extreme, even for the most jaded workaholic. Andrew Blackbird is just such a fox. After being instructed to "Get a life," he actually tries, with mixed results.

"Hello, Andrew," said the retriever standing in the office doorway.

"Hi Steve," replied the fox. "I almost have the Anderson file done. If you need it tonight, I can put in a few more hours."

"Andrew, I don't need that report for another three months." The retriever came over to his desk and looked at the laptop. He, in fact, was not working on the Anderson file; he was finished and already working on another client.

"When was the last time you saw the sun?" asked Steve.

"When I came in to work," replied Andrew. The retriever looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Which day?" asked Steve.

"What do you mean?" asked Andrew, defensively.

"When is the last time you took a day off?" asked the retriever.

"Christmas," replied the fox, still typing.

"No," replied the retriever, "you came in for only six hours that day."

"That was a day off," replied Andrew. He looked up at Steve. "Look, do you have a point?" he asked. "I am rather busy and,"

"You are not busy," said Steve, closing the laptop. "You are doing way too much."

"And since when has this been bad?" asked Andrew. "You hired me because I was a tireless worker, right?"

"To a point," said Steve. "But for God's sake man, you need a life."

"Work is my life," said Andrew, defiantly. Steve sat on his desk and looked directly at the white fox.

"Doesn't your wife miss you?" asked Steve.

"I'm not married," said Andrew, reopening his laptop. Steve slammed it shut again and snatched it from the desk.

"Girlfriend?"

"Don't have one of those either," said Andrew, standing up. "May I have my lap top back?" Steve put the computer under his arm
and shoved Andrew back down to his chair.

"Goldfish?"

"It died some time ago," said Andrew. "Look, with all due respect, what the hell is your problem?"

"I'm interested in your personal welfare," said Steve. "When was the last time you had a date?"

"Some time back at the end of college," lied Andrew. "Er? Never mind; she canceled for that."

"God, you're pathetic," said Steve. "When was the last time you got laid?"

"That's none of your damn business," growled Andrew. "Give me back my computer."

"No can do," replied the retriever. "You need to get a life."

"I already told you,"

"A social life," said Steve. "You've been holed up in this place for three years now. I've never seen you leave before nine, and you're back here at seven every morning."

"What's wrong with that?" demanded Andrew.

"You're going to die a bitter and lonely fox," said Steve. "Look, you may be my employee, but you're also my friend." He sighed. "Listen, why don't you at least come out to dinner with Mary-Anne and I tomorrow?"

"Because I have to finish," began Andrew. Steve dropped the laptop into the trashcan and stared at Andrew.

"You are six and a half months ahead of everyone in this company," said Steve. "You've been employee of the month seven times in three years and you've been invited to countless recognition ceremonies for your work." He sat back down and shook his head again. "Did you know we had an award for you at the company picnic last year?"

"I wasn't aware we had a company picnic," said Andrew.

"We're not just a company," said Steve. "We're a family. Quite frankly, you're a lousy member."

"I do three times the work of anyone here and I'm a bad employee?" demanded Andrew. "Where the hell do you get off telling me that?"

"Because you have no interpersonal skills," replied Steve. "You stay in your little office, giving us brilliant ideas, sending us prize winning reports, giving perfect presentations." Steve looked directly at the fox and stared into his brilliant yellow eyes. "But you don't interact with your coworkers."

"They're not too fond of me," said Andrew. "Or hadn't you noticed?"

"Get off your high and mighty perch," spat Steve. "Everyone in the office thinks you're a dick because you won't even talk to them."

"I hadn't noticed," replied Andrew, sarcastically. "If I cared what they thought, I'd be concerned. They're just coworkers, not my friends."

"That's the problem," said Steve, "is that they have to be your friends. You won't even play a game of 'Quake' over the network with them once in a while."

"I'm too busy,"

"You're not busy anymore," said Steve. "You're fired."

"WHAT?" screamed Andrew.

"You heard me," said Steve. "You're fired. Be gone by the end of the day. I don't want to see you around here till you've had a date. Then maybe you can have your job back."

"You can't do this!" he cried.

"I just did," replied Steve. "Get moving." He walked out of his office and shut the door behind him. Fired? What for? Not being the
office jester? What a horrid way to treat your most valuable employee! Andrew grabbed his laptop case and began to put his personal effects into it: his notebook, and a steel pen. He looked to see if anything else was his, but there was nothing at all. There wasn't even a picture frame with someone nice looking back at him. He looked about his office and saw that he had nothing of his own to decorate the place. No awards, no pictures, not even an etch-a-sketch. He picked his laptop out of the trashcan, dusted it off, and put it back in its case

"You still here?" asked Steve. "It's five o'clock now."

"I was just getting my stuff," said Andrew, sadly.

"You don't have anything," replied the retriever. "You're office is the only one that doesn't even have pictures in it." Steve came up to Andrew and put his arm around his shoulder. "Don't you see what I'm trying to tell you?"

"I think I do," said Andrew.

"Look," sighed Steve. "I'm not going to fire you. My superiors would have my head on a stake if I did. They don't care that you're working yourself to death, but I do." He handed Andrew a piece of paper. "You're going on mandatory vacation."

"Meaning what?" asked Andrew.

"It means that you've got two weeks to yourself," said Steve. "You're not allowed to be in the building at all and you're not permitted to telecommute. Go to the beach or something; get away. I want you to have fun because you haven't done anything with yourself in three years."

"I have..." began Andrew.

"No, you haven't," said Steve, cutting him off. "You've been here at least twelve hours a day for the past three years. You've taken one day off sick because I sent you home. You didn't even go home. You fell asleep in your office."

"I had too,"

"Don't make excuses!" yelled Steve. "Go out and live. Find a pretty girl and have some fun, damn it!"

"I don't think that,"

"That wasn't a request," said Steve. Andrew walked quietly out the door and quickly down the hall. Steve locked the office behind him as a calico cat approached.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Andrew is leaving before seven? Did someone die?"

"No, Tamara," replied the retriever. "He's on mandatory vacation."

"Wow," replied the calico. "I didn't know we had that policy."

"We don't," said Steve. "But he doesn't know that."

"Hi Mom," said Andrew.

"Hi dear," replied his mother. "How've you been?"

"Well," said Andrew, "I almost got fired for being too good today."

"Pity," she replied. "So what happened?"

"I'm on mandatory vacation," said Andrew.

"Even your boss told you to get a life?" asked his mother. "That's just sad."

"Yeah," replied Andrew. "So you want to do anything this week?"

"You're going to spend your vacation with your mother?" asked his mother. "Sorry, dearie. Can't let you do that."

"Are you kidding?" asked Andrew, incredulously.

"Not at all," she replied. "Besides, your father and I are going on a cruise tomorrow."

"Well that sounds like a blast," said Andrew. "You have fun then." He hung up the phone and laughed at himself. "I can't even get a date with my own mother." He looked around his sparsely furnished place. It was a small house, outside the city, only five rooms. It was a good place to be for him, not too many neighbors and a place where he could think. He looked out his window to see his neighbor watering her garden. She was a young mouse squirrel, about his age also starting out in the world. He never really saw much in her, nor did he ever give her much thought. He had no reason too, and it was just as likely as not that she was unaware of his presence. Besides, she probably had a boyfriend of some sort anyway. She was rather cute, after all.

Why was he thinking of her? She didn't mean anything; she was just the girl next door. He didn't socialize with her or the other neighbors, and it often seemed as if the neighborhood didn't recognize his presence.

He heard footsteps on the porch and the opening of his mailbox. He knew it was the otter boy from down the street there to tend to his yard. Andrew wasn't home often enough to deal with it himself, and he had arranged every year for him to come mow the lawn. The doorbell rang this time though, which was odd. He must want to talk, as he hadn't seen whoever was mowing his lawn for about two years. Andrew answered the door. A tall adult otter stood there instead of the youth he had hired previously.

"Hello," said Andrew. "What can I do for you?"

"Well," said the otter. "My boy went off to college early and he won't be able to mow your lawn for you anymore."

"Well, okay," said Andrew. "Tell him I said thanks."

"I will," replied the otter, starting to walk away. He snapped his fingers and spun around. "Oh, and there's a block party going on next Saturday if you're interested. My wife and I are hosting it."

"Uh, yeah, I'll try to be there."

"Great!" replied the otter. "I know how reclusive you are and all, but I think it'd be a good chance for you to get out some."

"Sure," said Andrew, a bit put off. "You have a nice day." The otter walked away as Andrew shook his head. Was everyone determined to get him a life? The phone rang; probably some long lost friend wanting to invite him over for a barbecue. He picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Hi there," said a female voice. No one ever called here, especially sounding that chipper.

"Sorry, I think you have the wrong number," replied Andrew.

"Isn't this Andrew Blackbird?" asked the voice.

"This is he," replied Andrew.

"This is Suzie, from across the street," said the voice. "I haven't seen you about lately."

"Well, um, I've been working and all," stammered Andrew.

"Well, I'm having a party tonight," said Suzie. "You're free to stop by."

"Thank you," said Andrew. "I may just do that." They said their goodbyes and hung up. How did she get his number anyway? The phone rang again. What the hell? This was more phone traffic than he got in a month. Andrew picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Oops," said the voice. "Wrong number." They hung up abruptly leaving Andrew scratching his head. He hung up the phone again and walked to his hall. The mirror there reflected a rather odd picture back at him. Andrew stared at the reflection to see a pale, dirty white coat of fur staring back at him. He wasn't unkempt. Quite the opposite, his fur was neatly brushed and in place. Nor was it dirty. It appeared that his summer coat of tan was trying desperately to come in, but
being blocked out by the lack of sunlight. He hadn't noticed it before, but standing in front of it now, he saw it very clearly. His black tips were turning grey. He wasn't
getting old; it was just that he got no sun. He hadn't spent a day outside in years. His coat was no longer shining with the vigor of youth. He looked terrible, and felt even
worse after looking in the mirror.

Andrew walked on into his room and looked at his sparse furnishings. Not a single picture hung from the walls. His room was his prison cell, a place to sleep and not much else. What else was there for him to do? Work? No, he was forbidden to come back to the place until he had gone and done something. He sighed and sat back on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. He lay there briefly, and then fell asleep.

A knock on his door awoke him a few hours later. Andrew woke sleepily, and staggered his way to the door. He opened it to see the young mouse squirrel wearing a flattering, if somewhat revealing skirt.

"You coming over?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah," said Andrew. "I fell asleep for a second there. Let me,"

"Never mind that!" she said, grabbing his wrist. "You look fine!"

"But,"

"Here," she said unbuttoning his shirt. She untucked the over shirt he was wearing to expose the plain white tee underneath. "That looks great."

"I feel like a slob," he complained. She ruffled up his hair so it wasn't nicely combed as it had previously been.

"Nonsense," replied Suzie. "You look great." She dragged him across the street to the music and the fun that was emanating from her house. "You're going to have fun tonight if it kills me," she said.

"Eh?" he asked. "I can't hear you?." A tall shrew grabbed his arm and swung him about wildly, dancing to the music. She looked as if she had a few too many and she staggered more than danced. A collie approached Suzie and picked up a full wineglass from the table.

"Well, that worked," said Steve.

"Not too well," said Suzie. "I'm not sure he's having any fun."

"He'll have some sort of fun," replied the retriever. "He's not an 'party animal' in case you hadn't noticed."

"Well, it's kinda hard to pin down neighbors you never see," said Suzie. "You shouldn't make him work so hard," she chided him.

"He pulls it on himself," said Steve. "He won't leave tills he gets done what he has to do, and generally, he tells himself that he's got too much to do." Steve could see that she wasn't really paying attention to him anymore, but instead staring at the young fox, trying not to kill himself on the dance floor. He deftly maneuvered away from the shrew and managed to land himself in a chair by a window. This party would soon be out of hand, and the police would come by, dispersing the mass of animals that had gather for whatever celebration Suzie was holding. He then noticed the small town's only three officers standing over by the cooler. This was going to be a longer night than Andrew had expected. A female chipmunk dressed in rather loose and somewhat less than moral attire sat down on his lap, obviously drunk beyond comprehension.

"Hi there," she said in a slurred seductive voice. "You look like you could use a good time."

"Um, not tonight, thanks," said Andrew, a bit worried. "If you'll excuse me," he got up and headed for the door. What strange friends this girl had! Or perhaps he it was the pre-block-party experience she was going for. It seemed to be the reminder as to why Andrew lived by himself and preferred not to associate with others. He approached the door when it opened suddenly, catching him between the eyes. He fell backwards and stared up at the ceiling. The hostess shook her
head at him as he lay on the floor.

"You okay?" she asked.

"I'll be fine," said Andrew, unable to remove himself from the floor. "However, if you'd be so kind as to stop the room from spinning, I'd be happy to get off."

"Maybe you need an ice pack," she said, picking him up.

"Maybe I should just go home," said Andrew. "These party things are not my cup of tea." He shook his head, trying to clear the dizziness away. "Besides, I'll just bleed all over your carpet."

"Well, okay," said Suzie, visibly disappointed. "Be safe." Andrew staggered across the street, then into his back yard. Finding his hammock still serviceable, he rolled into it. He looked up at the bright June sky awash with twinkling lights of space. He could see the inky blackness of space and the few stars that managed to cut through the light of the suburban area that he called home.

Or was it a home? This was just his house, not his home. He
could never really call what he had a home, for it had nothing in it for him. He could just as easily leave everything here and move somewhere else if the mood struck him. So why didn't it? This question passed though Andrew's aching head until he finally passed out.

Since he had a penchant for rolling in his sleep, the hammock was probably a poor choice for sleeping as he woke up the next morning on the ground. Andrew discovered it was a lousy place to nap, as his back ached and his joints protested at him getting up. He finally managed to lift himself off the ground and drag himself into
the house. He worked his way to the shower, passing through his few and sparsely furnished rooms.

The house was neat, as it had always been. There was not much to mess up, and what there was often never was used anyway. The room, however neat it was,
still had a layer of dust, settled in like grey snow on the furniture. It was obvious they hadn't seen use in quite a while. They floor practically cried to have someone walk on it, and the table to have someone put their drink on it. There was no television, as Andrew never watched it anyway. The stereo system sat in it's corner, alone, off, and largely forgotten. The CDs in it had not been changed for several months, and the dust was so thick on it that it resembled a grey velvet doily instead of its slick metallic surface. This place needed a party more that its owner needed a life. Granted, Andrew was a fairly neat animal, but simply that nothing in his house had been used hinted that something more than just sheer tidiness was the problem here.

Andrew walked back into his spare bedroom where the dust had taken on a life of it's own. This room hadn't so much as been looked in for more than three months. Mostly along the wall sat the camping equipment that he had bought back in his scouting days, but never used anymore.

An idea came to his head when he spotted the equipment. He grabbed a few of the items and stuffed them into the backpack. He was going camping today, and there wasn't anything to stop him. Perhaps something interesting would happen on this excursion. Or perhaps not. It was always the chance that he'd have to take. It was the
chance that Andrew had not taken in quite a while.

The site had not been used for some time, though what appeared to be a fresh set of tire tracks came back from the parking place; probably someone looking for a turn around off a dead end road. This land was an infrequently used area that had no real name, and no real purpose other than having be property of someone who never had any intentions of using it. The area would go to waste commercially, but stay living as nothing more than "something pretty." As it was, the only use of the property was camping, and even then there were no accommodations. Most animals shied away when you told them there were no flushing toilets for a few miles. Andrew, however, was just looking to get away from the civilization that had burdened him so much for the past few years. He skipped a rock silently across the lake that sat in the middle of this untainted beauty of the woods. He sat down next to the water and gazed out across the surface. He could see that the fish lived in peace there, quietly living out their lives, doing what they chose to do. Andrew dropped his backpack and fished through it, pulling out his cell phone and turning it off. No one needed to call him here anyway.

Andrew continued to look out on the water's surface and saw the water looking back. It called to him, inviting him to join with the fishes; to swim like in nature like God had intended the animals of yore to swim. Andrew stripped to his shorts and dove into the shallow water, feeling like he was somehow expecting to be brought back to his roots. However, his roots were of mixed ancestry, forcing his primitive nature to take two diverging paths. One was the snow fox, pushing him to the cold arctic north, the other, the desert fox, calling him to the warm and sunny south. Andrew pondered this as he floated along, trying to make sense of himself, and of the primitive inside that he tried to escape. His instincts were suppressed, even the ones that were common to men and women alike, the urges that came to animals, their calling to reproduce. They were never very strong for him.

Andrew thought about this quandary as the day passed lazily behind him. He never had the urge to go out and find someone, nor did he expect anyone to come find him. He was his own island, and quite frankly, it wasn't a terrible lot of fun. Idle thoughts came to his head as he thought about what he had missed back in his days at school. He had missed out on the entire dating scene for one. Everyone bragged about his or her first kiss as a youth, while Andrew sat back and listened. He passed through college silently, without a single date, never even daring to take a gander at a young woman. It wasn't that the urge wasn't there; it was more that it was repressed; hidden and buried underneath his overwhelming sense of duty to himself and what he thought were other animals. He never dated, and his first kiss never came. This was sad to know that he, a grown man, had never even held a girl's hand. Not once did anyone ever offer him a date, not even on a dare.

Andrew heard a splashing in the water some ways off, probably a fish flopping into the water in pursuit of some insect. He paid it no mind and continued his swim. The lake seemed quieter than it had been in the past. He felt that there was something up here other than him, perhaps a feral animal, or something else? He looked around the area, growing more paranoid. He still saw no one and nothing. His imagination must have been getting to him. Andrew relaxed and floated idly to the shore where he sat
down on the sandy bank. Closing his eyes and laying back, he tried to imagine what it would be like just to live out here in God's country, away from the city, and by himself. Or maybe, even with someone else?

Who would ever do that? No one would be willing to give up the comforts of living near everything just for the opportunity to have solitude here in the wilderness; no one that he knew anyway. He heard the splashing again, this time much closer. In fact, it sounded as if it were right on the edge of the water where he lay. Andrew opened his eyes and beheld what had come from the water.

"Well, well," said Suzie. "What are you doing up here?" Andrew looked at her in her bathing suit, wet and dripping with the fresh spring water. She put her hands on her hips and stared down at him.

"I'm camping," said Andrew. "Trying to get in touch with nature." She came up to Andrew and sat down beside him.

"How'd you ever find this place?" she asked. "I thought I was the only one who knew of this area."

"I've come up here before," said Andrew. "Back when I was still in school, this is where I'd come when classes were out. My little shelter away from the world."

"I've come up here every month for the past three years and I've never seen anyone but me," said Suzie. "Why didn't you come up here?"

"Work," replied Andrew. "I just buried myself in work."

"That's no way to be," said Suzie, taking his hand. "Come on, let's go swimming. I won't splash you," she said grinning. "Promise." They walked into the water and swam about, playing as if they were children again. Andrew felt a renewed sense of being that he hadn't felt in quite some time, and was, for the first time in a long while, having a great deal of fun. He splashed around in the water, trying to make it his second nature to enjoy himself. Andrew caught up with the girl and grabbed her around the waist in an effort to pull her under water with him. He grabbed her and she shrieked as they both fell backwards into the chilling water. She surfaced and shook out her fur. Andrew appeared a few seconds later, giggling like a fool.

"I never thought you knew how to have fun," said Suzie. "You always looked like you needed to loosen up." Andrew looked at her with his head tilted in question. Suzie smiled at his query and walked over to him. "You know," she started, "you look really silly all wet."

"You're not too much better," replied Andrew. "You look like a drowned rat." Suzie slipped her foot out and tripped Andrew backwards into the water. He brought himself back up immediately and leapt at her. Suzie tried to move, but the water acted against her, and Andrew pounced upon the mouse squirrel, knocking them both down to the shore. Andrew landed on top of Suzie and jumped away so she wouldn't have time to retaliate. She got up and shook her fur out again.

"See? Aren't you having fun?"

"I think so," said Andrew. "But it's getting dark. I should probably set up camp."

"Me too," said Suzie. "Hey, why don't I bring my tent over here? There's safety in numbers you know." She trotted off to her gear, swinging her tail behind her, leaving Andrew to watch her walk away. She really was cute. Not super model gorgeous, but very cute. She glanced behind her and saw Andrew watching
her walk away. Andrew then realized he was staring and quickly averted his eyes so as not appear to be doing so. He couldn't help it though. She was shamelessly flirting with him, even if he didn't realize it. That was fine though. It'd be a first for him.

Though it was large, Andrew quickly set up his tent and got started on making a fire. An unexpected deluge of rain thundering from across the hills quickly doused his plans and sent him diving into the tent. A shriek came from across the sandy banks as the mouse came diving into the tent after him.

"Difficulties?" asked Andrew, sarcastically.

"It's wet out there!" cried Suzie.

"You weren't soaked already?" he asked.

"Oh hush," said Suzie. "I need to change out of this swimsuit."

"I'll just step out side then," said Andrew, reaching for the zipper to the tent. Suzie grabbed his paw and pulled it back.

"It's your tent," said Suzie. "I'll go outside."

"That would defeat the purpose," said Andrew. "I'm already drenched, a little more isn't going to matter."

"Oh just turn around," said Suzie. "You act like you've never been around a girl getting changed." She began peeling off her bathing suit

"Right..." said Andrew, turning to face the tent wall. She quickly removed her bathing suit and put on a pair of loose fitting shorts and a tee shirt. Suzie looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"You haven't, have you?" she asked.

"Haven't what?" asked Andrew, nervously.

"Been around women much," she replied.

"Not so much," said Andrew. "You want me to help you set up your tent?"

"Actually," said Suzie, sheepishly, "I left it on the other side of the lake. Figures it was the only thing I didn't grab."

"You want me to go get it?" asked Andrew.

"Nah," said Suzie. "Wait till the rain settles down." She pulled over her mini cooler and opened it up to reveal some foodstuffs and drinks. "Hungry?"

"Not right now," replied Andrew. "Besides," he added, tapping his cooler, "I got my own provisions."

"Got anything decent to drink?" asked Suzie. "All I have are these bottles of water."

"I have a few wine coolers," he replied. "They aren't the best, but they beat nothing."

"A guy drinking wine coolers?" asked Suzie. "You're not normal."

"Well, I've never been the beer type," said Andrew. "But I'll drink a Guinness once in a while. In fact..." he pulled two from the cooler. "I brought some along."

"Oh, a beer snob," said Suzie, sarcastically. "Pass me one of those, would you?"

"You know, this is probably the most fun I've had in quite some time," said Andrew. He had consumed enough alcohol to for him to relax a little, but not enough to impair his judgement.

"I get the impression that you don't go out much," said Suzie.

"Not at all, actually," said Andrew. "I don't get out at all. Okay, it's your turn to ask a question."

"Hmm..." said Suzie. "Who's the first girl you ever kissed?"

"Well," said Andrew. "Uh, her name was, um..."

"You don't remember?" asked Suzie. "Wow, I didn't think that was possible." She looked at him and squinted. "Or did it never happen?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh, it happened," Andrew lied. "It was um..."

"Liar," said Suzie, grinning. "I can tell." She moved closer to him as he backed away slightly. "You've never been kissed? How is that possible?"

"Well, I didn't get out much in school and I didn't date at all in college and..." Suzie leaned closer to him and put her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her.

"Can I be your first?" she asked with a grin. Andrew visibly paled and looked for an escape route. She didn't give him time to answer the question. She pulled him close and kissed him deeply. Andrew was much too shocked to reply anymore than simply passing out on her.

"Damn," said Suzie. "I knew I was good, but I didn't think I was that good." She snickered and began tidying up the tent waiting for him to come around.

The wind began howling across the lake now, bringing the smell of thunder with it. The worms crawled from the earth to avoid the impending doom that was sure to come from the waters. The tent had long since been moved to a nearby cave, where the fox and the mouse squirrel were playing cards.

"So did you like it?" asked Suzie.

"Well, yes," said Andrew. "I'll have to try it again before I pass on."

"Oh, you'll find someone nice," said Suzie. "You just need to find someone that will let you be yourself. Gin."

"Again?" asked Andrew. "You're a card shark."

"You want to play strip poker?" asked Suzie, with a mischievous grin. "I'll take you for everything you've got."

"Uh, no thanks," squirmed Andrew. "I'd rather not lose my shirt." They continued chatting and playing cards till the sky was black and heavy with rain and darkness, shrouding out the little light that was coming into the cave. Andrew turned his lantern on and they continued playing in the shadows. He looked up at the girl and stared at her. She was a curious blend of a squirrel and mouse, looking a bit like a chipmunk with a squirrel's tail. She was cute, even in her tee shirt and shorts, and her smile never seemed to fade. It was an infectious smile that lit up the dark cave and cast shadows of happiness that it had probably not seen in quite some time.

Suzie looked up at Andrew and he quickly looked to his cards, pretending he was more interested in the game than in her. She looked at him, his curiously light tan fur and black tips. She guessed he was of mixed lineage as well, though she could only see fox. She cocked her head and stared at him trying to guess.

"What is it?" asked Andrew.

"If you don't mind me asking," said Suzie, "what's your lineage?"

"Straight fox," said Andrew. "Arctic and desert to be specific. How about you?" he asked, only being polite to inquire back.

"Mouse and squirrel," she said, proudly. "Most animals think chipmunk and squirrel."

"You don't have the stripes though," said Andrew. "And your ears, your nose, and cute tail..." Andrew slapped a hand over his mouth, not believing the words that had just come out of it. Suzie just smiled widely.

"You like my tail?" asked Suzie, shaking it from side to side. "I think it's my best feature."

"I'd have to agree with you," said Andrew, shyly.

"Now is that so hard?" asked Suzie. "Complement a girl and she smiles at you. That's how it works." She sat down beside him and gave him a hug. "You're a nice guy."

"Thank you," said Andrew. "You're pretty nice yourself." He thought about adding something onto that, but he held back.

"But what?" asked Suzie. "What are you holding back?"

"Well, you're nice," he began, then hesitated. "And more than just personality wise."

"Why, thank you," said Suzie. "That's about the best compliment I've ever received."

"It's true," he added, bashfully.

"I know," said Suzie. "You're not so bad yourself."

"You really think so?" he asked.

"Definitely," said Suzie. She kissed him lightly on the cheek and gave him a hug. "I'm going to go to bed now."

"Good night," said Andrew. He crawled into his tent and turned off the lantern. He wished he could sleep under the stars tonight, out in the wilderness, in nature. The rain had other ideas though. The sound of thunder rolled across the lake and echoed throughout the cave, rumbling as the voice of the creator. Andrew, however, was not concerned about the thunder. He was in a cave with a very pretty young lady not more than a few yards away. It was probably the closest that he's ever come to having someone sleep beside him for a night. He pondered that thought for a few minutes, and lapsed into sleep.

Suzie, on the other hand, was wide-awake. She had always hated thunder, even as a small child. She was absolutely petrified of this ominous rumbling. She wished desperately to be at home so she could hide under her bed with her teddy bear. Another rumble of thunder came echoing through the cave, terrifying her even more than
before. She almost began crying. Here she was, all alone in this cave...

Wait a second, she wasn't alone. She kicked off her sleeping bag and felt her way through the darkness to the tent. She opened the zipper and hurried inside before the next bolt struck. Suzie realized foolishly that she had left her sleeping bag outside the tent. She reached for the zipper and heard the crashing of the heavens, seemingly right outside the cave. Not thinking twice, she crawled into Andrew's sleeping bag, and held him tight.

"What?" asked Andrew, sleepily. "Huh? What are..."

"Andrew, I'm scared," cried Suzie. "I'm sorry, I'm terrified of thunder." Another rumbling set her sobbing into Andrew's shoulder. "Please..." Andrew looked at the poor woman, absolutely frightened out of her wits, and crying like a kitten. He hugged her back and gently petted her head.

"It's okay," he said reassuringly. "You're safe here. You can stay with me." She clung to him tighter, and stopped crying. Andrew thought for a brief second that he could use her fear to his advantage and maybe...

He put the thought out of head immediately, disgusted with himself for even thinking that. He felt ashamed that he was willing to put his personal wants in front of someone else's fear. He mentally reprimanded himself and put that line of reasoning to rest.

Suzie hugged the fox, and felt closer to him than to anyone else. Perhaps it was just her fear, but she really felt connected with him. She was huddled up close enough to him to feel his soft fur, and see his shining yellow eyes even in the dark. She felt something inside of her twinge and she looked at him again, not as a fox, or as a friend but someone that was willing to care about her. She looked into his eyes and saw his genuine concern for her, that he would not do anything, even with such a temptation beside him. She knew how easy he could have her now, and he must have known it too. Yet, he did nothing, but comfort her and keep her calm. She relaxed and felt at ease in his arms. But he didn't feel at ease with her. He was very tense, and was obviously going to get no more sleep with her beside him. That seemed exactly like him, always putting himself in front of others. It was time that someone repaid him, even just a little.

"Andrew?" asked Suzie, quietly. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he replied. "Anything at all." She nuzzled against him and moved her hand down his back. Much as she might have thought that would have relaxed him, it made him only tenser.

"Will you kiss me?" she asked.

"I..." he stammered. He trembled in the darkness and tried to move away from her. That, however, proved to be a futile gesture, as they were both in a sleeping bag.

"Please relax," said Suzie, as she ran her hands down his furry back. "I don't want you to be scared of me." She pushed his hands down around her waist. "Just hold me and see how much you like it." Andrew breathed deeply, afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing to ruin the moment. He ran his hands down her back, and rubbed her neck, trying to avoid bungling his chance with this girl, this first chance of a lifetime. He pulled her close and led the kiss; a nervous
kiss, but a real kiss none the less.

"There you go," whispered Suzie. "I told you that you'd like it."

They fell asleep in each other's arms, like best friends that had become old lovers, letting the never ending thunder roll past them into the bleak night. For Andrew, he now knew the touch that came from beauty, the touch that took his breath away and filled the gap that he had tried to fill with work. He knew that this beautiful girl was now more than just a neighbor; she was someone that cared about him.

Suzie no longer feared the thunder in the night. She held the fox close and knew that everything would be just fine. Suzie looked into his tired eyes and saw a reflection of something she hadn't hoped for. It was a look of contentment, a look of care, and of compassion that she'd never seen before. She slept with a smile on her face, knowing that the fox beside her had just now realized what he'd been missing. He had missed the romances that came with life, the connection that came from a kiss, and the strength that came from having a friend beside you, just because you cared enough to let them care back.