Kashmir
*Romance (will eventually have some mature situations)
Species: Snow leopard/sphinx

A young highschool student who's life was once consumed with school, is forever changed when a new girl transfers to his school. She opens his eyes to the joys and woes of love, and not only changes him, but ends up changing herself.

Chapter 1-Tear You Apart

An escape is just a nod and a casual wave
Obsessed about it, heavy for the next two days
It's only just a crush, it'll go away
It's just like all the others it'll go away
Or maybe this is danger and you just don't know
You pray it all away but it continues to grow
-Tear You Apart, She Wants Revenge

The school day started just as every other day started for Tohrune. The sophomore snow leopard's last five months of school blurred together in monotony. Come to think of it, every year he had gone to this school became a monotonous blur. He was blessed with intelligence in almost every subject in school, but that didn't make it any easier.

Tohrune attended a private school called "Hidden Grove High" or just HGH. Just like every other student, he was required to wear a uniform. Males had to wear a short-sleeved, white dress shirt, a black tie, slacks, and shoes of the same color. Females were required to wear a short-sleeved, white blouse, a black, pleated skirt, a black tie, knee-high stockings, a tie, and shoes.

Tohrune sat in the cafeteria of the school as he did every morning before class. After AM hockey practices, the snow leopard would sit at a lunch table and study, waiting for one of his friends to come.

Tohrune sat and scanned over his biology notes. He was interrupted by a commotion about ten tables down. The leopard dropped his pen and glanced in that direction. From what he could see, there was a group of people surrounding a single girl. The girl looked to be a sphinx, because she was defiantly a lioness and he saw a pair of wings folded behind her. A rarity, because often a union between felines and avians resulted in gryphons, and only a genetic mutation harbored sphinxes. Tohrune's intuition told him that his girl must be a new student to cause such a fuss. The girl was smiling and seemed nice enough, but he couldn't tell from so far away. Ah well. Who cares?

The young cat returned to his notes and consumed himself with biology. After who knows how long, Tohrune felt someone slip on the bench beside him.

"Hey," a familiar voice said. The snow leopard turned and saw his girlfriend. She was a skunk by the name of Ariala, a fellow member of the HGH band. His relationship with her was, well, it was interesting. Tohrune cautiously slipped an arm over Ariala's shoulder. The skunk looked up at him with emotionless eyes, shrugging her shoulders a bit. Tohrune took this as a sign that the skunk, as always, wanted her own space. This was hard for the snow leopard, who was extremely affectionate. He really didn't know why he was dating Ariala. Tohrune didn't feel that strongly about her. It was probably because it was almost a requirement for guy to have a girlfriend in high school- it was expected. You're also expected to graduate from college, get married and have three kids, and become a business man, a sarcastic part of himself thought. He quickly dismissed it. Some things can't be changed.

Ariala seemed to forget the sign of affection and began to chatter about who knows what. This was common. The skunkess often complained her boyfriend's ears off. Ah well, Tohrune sighed inwardly. The snow leopard resigned himself to half-listening to Ariala's chatter and going over his notes.

Eventually, the first morning bell rang and the snow leopard and skunk got up. They said their goodbyes (not even an "I love you," Tohrune sighed) and went to their respective lockers. Tohrune took his binders for his classes and made his way to English. The snow leopard took his seat near the front of the room and began to flip through his papers to find the previous night's homework.

A few moments later, Tohrune felt a tap on his shoulder. The leopard turned to see one of his friends, Kav. Kav was an Ethiopian wolf with a cute face and a flirty personality. He was a charmer, but a real great guy at heart.

"Hey, Kav," Tohrune said, turning to face his friend. Kav grinned wolfishly and pointed across the room.

"You see the new girl"" the Ethiopian wolf asked, glancing towards the subject of his question. The snow leopard followed his friend's gaze. It was the girl from earlier, and indeed she was a sphinx. She was seated across the room, and was fumbling with her school supplies. one of the guys near her seemed to give her advice, and she gave him a friendly smile.

"Yeah. She seems nice," the leopard answered.

"C'mon. Let's go talk to her," Kav said, grinning. Tohrune shook his head.

"No way," he answered.

"Fine, fine, I'll go myself," the Ethiopian wolf called as he walked away. Tohrune watched as his friend greeted the sphinx, and put his charm to work. Tohrune shook his head. He would have liked to meet her, but shyness clutched at him.

A few moments later, Kav quickly came back to his desk behind Tohrune's. The snow leopard looked over at the new girl to see the reason for his friend's quick retreat. Oh no. Stephen.

Stephan was a raven. A raven with a nasty attitude. one of those guys that date every girl in sight just for the hell of it. He wasn't particularly good looking and was a big jerk, but he knew just what to say to hook a girl he had his eyes on.

"Ah man. And I was just about to get her number," Kav sighed.

"That poor girl doesn't have a chance," Tohrune commented. The snow leopard hoped this girl would be smart and resist the raven. But he heard those six, fateful words.
"Do you wanna be my girl?" Stephan asked. Already?! Tohrune thought. Oh yes, he forgot. Stephan never dated for the emotional aspect, just the physical, and he didn't need to establish a relationship with her. Much to the snow leopard's disgust, he heard the sphinxess say yes.

"Damn"" Kav sighed. The wolf was cut off by the sound of the tardy bell. Just as the ringing ceased, the English teacher entered the room.

Mr. Matthews was a tall, young gryphon, who had an artist's look about him. He was one of the most well liked teachers of HGH because he related to his students and let them express themselves in any way they desired- no matter how controversial. The gryphon cleared his throat and looked out over the class.

"Welcome back to another day of torture. I have another wonderful lesson plan that involves much screaming and gnashing of teeth," Mr. Matthews joked. The class let out a fake, collective sigh. "But first, let me introduce our new student. Ma'am, if you come up here and tell us your name."

The girl stood up slowly and walked to the front of the class, facing her new classmates. She smiled lightly and folded her hands behind her, leaning forward a bit.
"Hi. I'm Kashmir, nice to meet you all," the sphinxess said, her voice a trifle nervous.

"Hello, Kashmir," the class replied. Tohrune studied Kashmir. She seemed very friendly and a little bit of a flirt from the way she stood. Having a sphinx in one's presence was a unique experience for these students, because there was only one other sphinx there, and he was a senior.

"Welcome then, Miss Kashmir. I'm sure you won't hate this class too much and I'm positive you won't have trouble making friends. Now take a seat and we'll start our lesson," Mr. Matthews said.

The rest of the class went by fairly normal. By the beginning of the next period, Tohrune forgot about the new girl. He had algebra, biology, band, and the lunch. When lunch came around, Tohrune got his food and found his lunch table. His friend, Adonis, was already there. Adonis was a quiet, shy, Barbary lion who rarely spoke. When Tohrune came with his lunch, Adonis merely waved and kept on eating. The snow leopard sat beside him and began to munch on his mozzarella sticks. After consuming a few, Tohrune felt a tap on his shoulder. Kav, defiantly.

"What is it, Kav?" the snow leopard asked without turning around, his mouth full.

"You'll never guess who I found wandering the lunchroom?" the Ethiopian wolf said. Tohrune turned around in his seat slowly and almost choked when he saw who it was. Behind Kav was Kashmir. She smiled and waved at the snow leopard. Tohrune quickly swallowed his food.

"Uh, hi," he said a bit nervously.

"Take a seat, my lady," Kav said, placing two trays on the lunch table. one must have been the sphinx's. Kav took a seat between Tohrune and Adonis and Kashmir sat across from them. "This is Tohrune and Adonis," the Ethiopian wolf said, nodding towards each individual respectively. The sphinxess smiled.

"Hi, I'm Kashmir. I believe I'm in the same English class as you," she said to Tohrune. The snow leopard nodded, not sure what to say. When something did pop into his head, he didn't have a chance to think about it before it rushed out of his mouth.

"Where's your boyfriend?" he said, not believing he asked it. Kashmir looked at him strangely.

"Oh, Stephan? He doesn't have this lunch," she said, taking a bite of the turkey croissant she had bought.

"Oh yeah?"Tohrune answered.

The small group sat in an uncomfortable silence for a while.

"So, did you know you're in the presence of a Canadian, Kashmir?" Kav said, breaking the ice. The wolf pointed to his snow leopard friend.

"Oh, wow. That's really cool! I'm actually from up north as well. But not that far north," Kashmir said with genuine interest. With the help of Kav, Tohrune and Kashmir held an actual conversation. It was light, casual chatter, but it was something. Tohrune wondered what Kav was up to. Why was the wolf so set on making sure that the two felines held a conversation?

The small group continued talking for a few more moments. Suddenly, someone's paws gripped Tohrune and Kav's shoulders, pushing them apart. Ariala.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late. Had to stay after in geography," the skunk said. She sat in the spot she had made for herself. Ariala had a double take. "Who's this?" she questioned, looking at Kashmir.

"I'm Kashmir. I'm new here," the sphinxess answered, studying the skunkess.

"Uh huh. I'm Ariala, Tohrune's girlfriend. And I don't appreciate you just moving in here like this, you skank," the skunk girl said, her gaze cold and her voice flat. The whole table was dumbfounded, especially Kashmir. When the initial shock faded, the sphinxess looked hurt.

"I'm sorry," she said and got up, taking her tray and leaving. She found a table with some of Stephan's friends. When she was gone, Kav glared at Ariala and her boyfriend. Adonis continued to look stunned. Tohrune felt terrible. He couldn't believe that the skunkess had said something so cruel. He turned and looked at his girlfriend critically. His feelings were conflicting. Tohrune felt very angry and defensive over Kashmir. But he also felt that he should stick beside his girlfriend. Problem was, he didn't feel the desire to. Ariala had been cold and cruel and he felt the need to defend his new friend.

"Ariala!" Tohrune hissed. The skunk looked at him oddly.

"What?" she asked, swallowing a mouthful of chicken sandwich. The snow leopard closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Why did you do that? That was harsh and uncalled for. Kashmir didn't do anything!" he said through his teeth. Ariala looked stunned.

"You're defending that slut?!" she gasped. Kav and Adonis looked uncomfortable.

"She's not a slut. She's a very nice girl if you would give her a chance!" Tohrune shot back.

"Look at the way she flaunts those breasts of her's! You can see her chest fur! She walks like she thinks she could seduce every man in this building! She's after you!" Ariala growled, her blue eyes narrowing. Tohrune couldn't believe what he was about to say. It was true but harsh.

"First of all, since when have you ever gave a damn about me?! Secondly, I very much doubt Kashmir feels anything for me! Third, and finally, I think you're just jealous of her! Just because she has a more girlish figure than you! It's not Kashmir's fault that you're about as flat as I am!" the leopard snarled. Ariala was dumbfounded. He had never spoke to her like that before. She felt like a parent whose authority just got pulled out from under them. The skunk's shock faded, and she grew angry. Her black paws seized the lunch tray and she stood up, stomping away.

Adonis and Kav looked at their friend with disbelief. Tohrune couldn't believe it himself. Rarely did he ever voice how he truly felt, and he had never said anything against Ariala. What had Kashmir done to him?

"Whoa!" Kav said, interrupting Tohrune's musings.

"It had to be said. I mean, what did Kashmir do? Ariala was hostile towards her for no reason," the snow leopard replied. Tohrune would have liked to go get Kashmir and bring her back. But the sphinx was sitting with some of Stephan's friends and he didn't want any trouble from the raven. So the three males sat and finished eating, reflecting upon the earlier events.

When the lunch bell was about to ring, Tohrune got up to throw his trash away and put up his tray. He sped up when he saw who was already at the trashcan.

"Kashmir!" Tohrune called, rushing up next to her. The sphinx her tray on a cart next to the trashcan and looked at the snow leopard, her gaze a bit cold.

"Hello," she said flatly.

"I'm so sorry, Ariala can be cruel. I know it seems like I didn't stand up to her in your defense. But I did," Tohrune said apologetically, his heart sinking. She's going to hate me. Kashmir looked a bit surprised and cocked her head.

"You defended me?" she asked, a hint of disbelief in her voice. Tohrune smiled sincerely and nodded.

"Of course. Ariala had no right to do that. She has to know I won't stand for her being hurtful towards my friends," he said a bit shyly, glancing at the girl before him. Kashmir's golden eyes lit up at this and she smiled. But then her expression quickly changed to one of guilt.

"Ariala is mad at you, isn't she?" Kashmir asked regretfully. Tohrune nodded but smiled soothingly.

"She is, but don't worry. As you can tell, we weren't exactly close," the leopard said. The lunch bell rang.

"I hope I didn't cause any trouble. See you later?" Kashmir said, smiling at Tohrune. The cat nodded and the two went their separate ways. Tohrune has geography, sociology, break period, then health.

As the snow leopard entered the health class, he was surprised to see a winged lioness sitting directly in front of his assigned desk. From what he could see, she was bent over one paw, and was finishing painting the claws there a deep crimson. Tohrune crept up silently behind Kashmir and gently squeezed her neck. The sphinx squeaked and jumped, turning quickly to see who had scared her.

"Tohrune!" Kashmir cried, her voice a mixture of playful scolding and a genuine happiness. Both felines were surprised at how happy they were to see each other. Much more happy than they were with their girlfriend or boyfriend.

"Sorry, couldn't resist," Tohrune said, grinning. He took his seat as the bell rang and the teacher began to talk.

As Tohrune expected, the work was light and easy, and the felines finished quickly. When their was done, Kashmir turned around in her desk, straddling the chair so she could face Tohrune. The sphinxess smiled and leaned toward her friend. The snow leopard noticed the way her chest squeezed against the desk. Ariala was right. You could see triangle shaped tuft of fur that started on her chest. And, Whoa. He snapped himself out of it and tried to act like he was looking past her. He was pretty sure she didn't fall for it. She leaned forward a bit more, an alluring smile on her face. Maddening.

"What'cha thinkin' about?" Kashmir asked. Tohrune shook his head.

"Ah, nothing. Now, tell me about yourself. I don't know much," he said, trying to distract himself from her. The sphinxess smiled and rested her chin on her paw.

"Well, I'm from Ohio, but I've lived here most of my life. I have three little siblings. I've actually lived in this town for a couple years, but I went to public schools. I'm a music fanatic and I love to write and draw, that's about it," Kashmir explained. Tohrune nodded and subconsciously leaned closer.

"Well, you probably don't care, but here's some info on me. As you know, I'm from Canada originally. I have a little brother. I've gone to this school since the beginning of high school. I'm in band and hockey. I play the French horn, piano, and I'm learning the guitar, and I'm rambling. Sorry," Tohrune said. Kashmir put on a pouting face and crossed her arms.

"I do care. And you should talk more. You're an interesting guy," she complimented. Tohrune shook his head.

"Yeah, right. Anyway, what's your schedule?" the snow leopard asked. The two compared schedules and Kashmir looked as if she was debating saying something.
"Um, I have break period when you have band, and I heard that some students visit their friend's classes during their break, so, would you mind if I came and listened to you play? If you rather I didn't then-"

"No, no. I'd love if you came. I'll tell the band director so you don't have to explain yourself," Tohrune interrupted.

The rest of the period went by fast as the teens casually chatted. When the last rang, they said their goodbyes. Little did the other know, that both cats felt a little disappointed when they parted.

Tohrune got his stuff from his locker and made his way to the front exit of the building. on his way there, he saw Stephan and Kashmir. Stephan's wing was wrapped around his girlfriend's shoulder and he was whispering to her. Tohrune didn't like the way that sharp beak of his hovered near her neck. He felt twinges of jealousy in his heart. That slimeball was all over her. Luckily, Stephan seemed to say goodbye and turned in the opposite direction. The snow leopard rushed forward to keep up with Kashmir.
"Hey," he said when he had caught up. Kashmir turned and smiled in recognition.

"Hello again!" she said in a friendly tone, looking up at him.

"Stephan being good to you"" Tohrune asked out of the blue. His companion blinked and glanced up at him oddly.

"Well enough," she said, her voice half-hearted. Tohrune could tell she was not telling the whole truth. He didn't pry though.

"So, what do you have after school?" the snow leopard asked, changing the subject.

"Ah, I have to work, unfortunately," Kashmir answered.

"Wow. Where?"

"Oh, just a Dairy Queen, nothing special. You should come in some time. I can get you a discount."

The felines kept walking until they reached the front parking lot. They stopped and looked at one another.

"See you tomorrow?" Tohrune asked, a shy smile on his maw. Kashmir nodded, returning his smile.

"Ah, yeah!" the sphinxess reached down into her stocking and pulled and pulled out a folded up piece of paper. "Here's my number. Call me when you feel the need to waste your precious time," she said, smiling, as she handed him the paper.

"I don't have much free time, so I never waste it, so you'll defiantly get a call from me," the snow leopard said, grinning. The two got silent for a moment, shyness passing between them.

"Well, I've got to get to work. See you tomorrow," Kashmir said, smiling and waving. Tohrune nodded, watching her walk to her car. He never dreamed he would have met and made a friend so easily. Tohrune walked to his car and drove away.

The snow leopard's evening was like every other weekday evening. Homework. Dinner. Homework. More homework. Finally, around 9, he could relax. He stripped down to his boxers and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Tohrune studied his thin, muscular fame, his blue-gray fur, his large tail, his face. He couldn't help but wonder if Kashmir thought him attractive. Part of him hoped so, but a more logical side of him doubted it.

Tohrune lie down in bed and let out a relieved sigh. He picked up his cellphone off his pillow and stared at it, weighing his decisions. He wanted to phone Kashmir. But he didn't know if she was at work, doing homework, or sleeping. He didn't want to disturb her. Then his mind went to Ariala. He needed to know where things were standing with her, even though he cringed at the thought of enduring her bitching.

Tohrune called her number and braced himself as the dial tone sounded. After two rings, the skunk picked up.

"Why are you calling me?" Ariala asked in an exasperated tone.

"I, uh, well, " Tohrune stumbled. He heard an annoyed sigh on the other line.

"It's over. Lucky you, you can date that bitch now," the skunkess spat.

"Ariala?"

"Oh right, I'm sorry. That wonderful new friend of yours. And if I were you, I'd be careful. Stephan doesn't take kindly to Kashmir being all friendly with you. He's been suspected of being abusive towards his girlfriends. Now, please. Don't talk to me, call me, or look at me. We're through," and with that Ariala hung up.

Tohrune was not surprised the skunk broke up with him. He didn't really care either. He was relieved, actually. Ariala never satisfied his emotional and physical needs. He didn't love her or like her. The real problem was what she said about Stephan.

The snow leopard continued to ponder the drama that had injected itself into his life. Exhaustion began to pull at him. His last waking thought was, "I wonder if Kashmir is thinking about me too?".

And indeed she was.