Chapter Text
This was the breaking point, my life was over. Everything I had ever worked for washed away in the blink of an eye. There was no hope for recovery, no chance to rebound from the dark pit of despair I had been cast into it. Truely, It could not get any worse than this. I felt an anger rise in my chest. Why me? Why must I be punished like this? I heard footsteps approaching, and turned my gaze towards the sound.
“Bro, you good?” Justin asked, an amused look adorned his face.
“No, the vending machine stole my dollar.”
Justin stood next to me and scanned the contents of the machine. “Ah, I see.” A small package of peanut butter crackers hung limp, caught on the divider used to dispense the food. “You try shaking it a little?”
I let out a dejected sigh. “Yeah, but this thing weighs like, a million pounds.” The vending machine in the break room had just been replaced with a fancy new, modern counterpart, and compared to the old one it was huge. It was roughly four feet wide, probably a couple feet deep, and was tall enough that I had to fully extend my arm to touch the top. It had tap to pay now, which was nice, I guess, but that didn’t warrant replacing the whole darn thing. “The old one worked just fine, I don’t get why they didn’t just replace the card reader.”
“I don’t think it’s up to the office, I’m pretty sure it’s whoever owns the machine.” Justin crossed his arms. “It’s only a dollar, just buy another one and then you’ll get two.”
I shook my head in defeat and reached into my pants pocket to, once again, grab my wallet, when a shadow enveloped the space around me. I turned my head to see a familiar Saber-toothed- tiger standing behind us. For such a large woman, she made next to no noise when she walked. The lack of shoes probably helped, her broad foot-paws paws were instead covered in some kind of plastic coverings you would see at a hospital. She was wearing her typical uniform and black undershirt, although her fur looked a little more deshifled compared to usual. Although I imagined keeping an entire body of fur groomed was a nightmarish task, so I wasn’t going to judge.
“Trouble with the vending machine?” She asked in a quiet, tired voice.
“Yeah,”I had to crane my head up to meet her face. “But it's no big deal, I’ve got it sorted.” As I began to turn back around, Mack casually held out a hand and grabbed the top front corner of the machine, and slowly tilted it forward. With a practiced ease she gently rocked the machine up and down, causing the package of crackers to be freed and fall to the bottom.
“It’s been acting up all day.” She spoke while carefully pushing the machine back into its original position. A few strands of blonde hair had fallen across her face, coming to a rest atop her muzzle.
Justin stared at me with wide eyes, spooked or impressed by the casual display of strength, I didn’t know. “I’ll let Carmichael know, I’m sure he can contact whoever owns this thing to come and fix it.” I reached down and grabbed my rescued snack before offering Mack a smile. “Thanks for your help, saved me a dollar.”
“It’s nothing.” I had hoped to earn a smile out of her, but instead she just turned her head away, leaving us stranded in an awkward silence. I had been successful in engaging in small small talk with her, and she seemed to be breaking out of her shell, at least a little bit. She enjoyed hiking, and camping, and basically any outdoor activity that got here away from the city. I was planning on asking if I could join her next time she went out, however she seemed to be in a dower mood.
“Welp,” Justin began to back pedal towards the door. “My breaks about over so…” He gestured at me with some finger guns, then Mack. “I’ll leave y’all to it.” He then slipped into the wall way, the sounds of his steps quickly grew distant.
“Is that all you have for lunch?”
I turned my head and her piercing brown eyes immediately met mine. I was still trying to get used to the way they looked at me. Whenever we talked she gave me her undivided attention, eye contact unwavering, ears perked up to capture every minute sound I made. She would even lean a bit forward, causing my entire view to be filled by her body. It was honestly a bit intimidating.
“Loui?”
I snapped to attention, realizing I had let her question go unanswered. “U-uhm, yeah.” I looked down at the package of crackers in my hand. “I was in a bit of a rush this morning, and…” I lifted my head up to see her fishing through her pocket before she pulled out a zip-lock back filled with what looked like anthro-sized jerky. “You just… keep that in your pocket?” I said with a grin.
She had opened the bag and was in the process of taking out a strip of the mystery meat when she froze. “Is that weird?” she asked slowly.
It was a little, at least I thought it was, but I wasn't going to tell her that. “No it’s- just curious is all.” I quickly moved the conversation forward, shyly pointing at the bag. “What kind of jerky is that?”
“It’s Gazelle…” Each strip was about half an inch thick and as long as my forearm, although it looked rather normal in her hands. She tore half of a piece off and timidly extended it towards me. “H-here…” Her eyes shifted down to the floor, shielding herself from my reaction to her offer.
“Oh, uhm, thank you.” I took the piece of jerky from her hand, the smokey smell hitting my nose before I even brought the piece to my face. It was still rather large, but considering my lack of a proper lunch the portion seemed oddly appropriate. I wonder if an anthro Gazelle would take offence to me eating their feral counter-part. Hopefully not. I bit down on the meat and tore a chunk off with my teeth. Definitely very smokey, and unexpectedly very sweet too. “Damn,” I spoke while chewing, “That’s actually pretty darn…” I looked back up to Mack and… Woah.
Her eyes were wide, and her pupils had shrunken to tiny dots that were staring a hole straight through me. Her ears were perked up, and she stood dead still. It didn’t even look like she was breathing, like she had just solidified into a statue. “M-Mack?”
She blinked a few times before shaking her head back and forth, like she was trying to wake herself up. Her pupils were larger now, and her breathing seemed to resume like normal. “S-sorry, I…” She shifted nervously on her tall, digitigrade legs. “Do you like it?”
“Yeah.” I was trying my best to keep my nerves under control. “I like the smokey flavor.”
She smiled softly, and opened her maw to take a bite of her own, revealing her large and very sharp teeth that cut through the meat with ease. I imagined her biting into a feral Gazelle, in combination with her large fangs she could easily kill it in moments. If she were to bite a person… I shuddered at the thought, and regretfully she noticed.
Her smile quickly faded, her shoulders slumping forward slightly. “Well, I should probably get back to work.” She began to turn towards the break room exit.
FUCK. Stupid fucking intrusive thoughts! “W-wait!” I quickly side-stepped in front of her and held up my hands. She immediately stopped, her attention once again returning to me. “I-I wanted to ask if you… um… wanted…” I stopped and exhaled a breath I didn’t know I was holding, although that didn’t do much to calm my nerves. Her head tilted to the side, the cute gesture bringing me the ounce of courage I needed. “I was wondering,” I started again, “If you wanted to go on a hike this weekend?”
She didn’t immediately react, although I could tell from the way her ears twitched she definitely understood what I said. “I…” She straightened up her posture, but the way she fidgeted with her hands showed the confidence was feigned. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but all that came out was a weak, “oh.”
She visibly cringed at my response and turned her head away to break our eye contact. “L-look, I appreciate you Loui, I really do but…” She glanced towards the door of the break room, her ears perking up. A moment later the sound of footsteps approached, then promptly faded away from the door. “I can tell I make you nervous.” She returned her eyes to mine, “And I don’t want you to waste your day off on me.”
She could read me like a book. It also didn’t help that I did a lackluster job of stealing my nerves away whenever that nervous feeling entered my chest. I took a deep breath to gather my thoughts. “You do make me a little nervous, yes…But I think if we got to speed a little more time together, outside of work, then maybe those nerves would go away.” My face was starting to get a little hot. “And a day with you definitely wouldn't be a day wasted…” Burning would be a better word to use. If anyone walked in on us now I would probably die of embarrassment.
“Even,” Mack leaned forward slightly, her big eyes opened wide. “Even after what I told you? About the things I did.” She spoke in a near whisper.
I shrugged at her quarry. “You’ve been nothing but nice to me. And besides, I’d probably have to bribe anyone else here to spend more than an hour away from a computer.”
She giggled at my comment and seemed to ease up a little. “That's really kind of you.” Her smile widened more and her pupils narrowed as she leaned even farther forward. “Does this mean I can have your number? You know, so we can plan our trip?”
“Y-yeah, sure, It’s-” She pulled out her phone and typed in my number on her cracked screen.
“I’ll text you tonight, I really need to get back to work.” She stepped around me towards the door before I could stop her for a second time, but as she grabbed the handle she stopped and turned to face me. “Thank you, Loui, for being such a kind person.” She opened the door and ducked through the frame.
I pulled a chair out from under a table and sat down, taking the new silence as an opportunity to finally take another bite of the Gazelle jerky. I would have to ask her where she got this because it was pretty damn good. I guess it would make sense that a carnivore would have a keen eye for meat.
The same carnivore I would hiking through the woods with.
Alone.
I normally liked to spend my Saturdays sleeping in, basking in the glory of my soft bed sheets with no fear of an impending alarm clock. Even if I did have any plans, they were almost always much later in the afternoon, so there was no rush to get up and face the day. However, today's plans were rather different, as it was six thirty in the morning and my damned alarm was going off. I swatted my hands towards the night stand to turn it off but I couldn't find it, and after several attempts I gave up and simply let it beep at me. Mack had texted me shortly after I got home from work asking if there were any trails I wanted to try. I didn’t know any off the top of my head, so I just told her to pick one that she liked. The link she sent was for a regional park about forty minutes away, which wasn't too bad of a drive, and she wanted to meet there at eight am. I agreed to the plans and set my phone’s alarm, assuming waking up a little early wouldn't be such an ordeal.
However, an ordeal it was. My eyes refused to open, and getting out of bed felt like an impossible task, like I had a thousand pounds of rocks tied to me. I eventually mustered the courage to throw my blanket off of my body, then forced my legs over the side. As soon as my feet touched the cold floor of my bedroom my eyes finally opened, allowing me to see that the sun wasn't even up yet. With a heavy sigh, I sat up and grabbed my phone to finally silence it, then made the eventual effort to rise from my bed. I wandered to the kitchen and had the usual bland muffin for breakfast before hopping in the shower. As the hot water ran over my body, my thoughts turned to the hike I was about to do, and more importantly who I was doing it with. A familiar nervousness rose in my chest, although now it wasn't just the primal fear of being around a giant predator. Mack was a sensitive girl, and I was going to be around her more than I ever had. I desperately hoped I would be able to keep my nerves in check, and just enjoy her company. She was incredibly sweet, and admittedly very attractive, and I wanted our time together to be enjoyable for both of us. I thought back to the look she gave me in the break room, when her eyes dilated and she adorned a predator's gaze. She seemed ashamed of herself afterwards. I guess I wasn't the only one with instincts to keep in check.
After my shower I put on some shorts and a light shirt, and packed a small backpack with some of the items Mack told me I should bring, which was essentially just some snacks and a lot of water, then put on my sneakers and headed out to my car. It was about ten past seven, and the sun was just starting its ascent into the sky. Now that I thought about it, the sun rising wasn’t something I saw that often, I always woke up after the golden hour had passed. It was a short drive, and after locking my car I pulled my phone out of my pocket to text Mack that I was there.
“Loui!”
I looked up, the messaging app having just opened when I heard my name. Approaching from my front was Mack, and while she slipped her arms through the loops of a backpack I saw her out of uniform for the first time. She was wearing a plain white tee shirt, the kind you would buy in a pack at the store, that seemed a size too small, as it hugged tightly around her breasts and stopped a few inches shy of her beltline, exposing her fluffy, toned stomach. The sleeves just barely made it past her shoulders, showcasing her large biceps, as well as several scars that decorated her arms. Her denim shorts were also a bit on the small side, hugging her wide hips, and being just long enough to not be considered skimpy. This left her long legs exposed, and god damn those were some legs. Her thick, muscular digitigrade legs came all the way up to my chest, and just like her arms were dotted with scars and small patches where fur was missing. Surprisingly she didn't appear to have any form of footwear with her, I guess her large foot-paws were tough enough on their own.
My staring was interrupted by her having her hand in front of my face. I looked up to see her giggling, a large genuine smile on her face. I had always thought cats were cute, but Mack’s smile was pure gold, and as usual, all of her attention was on me. “Ready to get started?”
“Oh, y-yeah! I’ll follow you.” I straightened up my posture in an attempt to appear confident for the towering tiger. Overall she seemed far more comfortable than usual. It probably helped to be away from the city and its prying eyes.
She gave a happy hum and turned towards the trail's entrance, her hips swaying gently as she walked. While I followed her I took a quick glance around the small parking lot, noticing only one other vehicle besides my own. It was a beat up, two door pick up truck with large flood lights mounted on to a large crash bar, its dark red paint fading to rust around the wheel wells. I turned back towards Mack to find she was now quite a ways away from me. She turned her head to look over her broad shoulder. “You coming?” Right. Her legs were twice as long as mine, no doubt her casual stride was many times faster than mine.
I quickened to a jug to catch back up with her. Thankfully she slowed her pace down a bit as I found my place besides her. After walking past a large board with a map of the park's trails, the paved ground of the parking lot quickly gave way to a dirt path through the woods. The vegetation was fairly dense, with tall trees lining the trail and shrubs and undergrowth decreasing the ground. It was all a prominent lush green, occasionally being broken up by patches of colorful flowers. Not to mention the sound, the constant sway of leaves and branches crashing into each other filled the air as well as birds and various insects chirping. All of this in combination with the sun's warmth washing over my face, it was a wonderful feeling.
After stepping on a particularly crunchy patch of ground, I figured now would have been as good of a time as any to ask a question that had been in my mind for a while. “So, uhm, Mack. Do you ever wear shoes, or… anything?”
She raised an eyebrow quizzically. “I have a pair of boots for when it rains, but besides that, no. My paw pads are thick enough that shoes are just more of a hassle than anything.” She adjusted one of the straps on her backpack as we walked. “Besides, finding clothes that fit well is already a major pain in the ass on its own.”
“Can’t you just order some online?”
“I guess.” She said with a shrug. “But anthro sizing is so inconsistent it’s easier to take what I can find locally.”
“Well, I think you look great.” It was such a simple compliment, but saying it nearly made my heart burst out of my chest. I hesitantly looked her way to see her reaction, but instead met her brown eyes. I could stare into her eyes for hours, and I would have if the front of my shoe hadn't caught on a tree root sending my face cornering towards the ground. Instinctively my arms shot out in front of me to catch myself, however the ground quickly receded as I found myself moving upwards. Before I could realize what was happening I found myself being placed gingerly back unto the ground, Mack’s large hands coming out from under my arm pits.
“You need to be careful!” We continued our walk as she scolded me. “I don’t know what I would do if you got hurt.”
“S-sorry” I felt like I was a child talking to my mom, the height difference only amplifying the feeling. “You're pretty quick though, that was impressive.” And strong too, she picked me up like I was nothing.
“Thanks.” She responded with a toothy smile, as well as a roll of her shoulders. “I tried doing track in highschool, but most of the time I was the only person in my division, so I quit after a year.”
“Are there not a lot of anthros in Nevada?"
She shook her head. “Plenty of anthros, mostly rodents though.” She gave a low laugh before continuing. “Or any species that can dress up pretty at a strip club in Vegas.”
“I see, not a fan of Vegas I guess?”
“Don’t get me started.” Rolling her eyes she continued. “It’s hot, nothing to do but gamble and get drunk. Everything is expensive as hell.” She stopped and exhaled, her shoulders sloping downward a bit. “Hardly a great place to grow up but I still miss it.”
“Oh.” I connected the dots rather quickly. “I knew you said you were from Nevada, but I don’t think you mentioned you grew up in Vegas.”
“Yup, if it wasn’t for…” She turned her head away from me. “Certain life decisions, I would probably still be there, no doubt working for my Mom.”
“Well, what did she do?” I silently prayed to myself that the answer had nothing to do with the previously mentioned strip clubs.
“She was head of security at Caesars Palace.” She said it with a smirk, like she couldn't tell if she was proud of that or not. “My Dad worked there too, but he was a dealer.” The smirk turned into a genuine smile. “One time he caught this guy counting cards, and he said Mom picked the guy up by his suit’s collar,” She held up her arm, mimicking the motion, “carried him across the entire casino floor, and threw the man, like, twenty feet out the front door.”
“Oh shit.” I couldn't help but laugh, even if it seemed a bit sadistic. “You definitely have the strength for it. Although, I think you're too nice to be throwing people out of casinos.”
Mack’s smile widened even more, and she appeared much more confident. “Oh Really? You think I’m too nice?” She brought her muzzle close to ear, bracing a heavy arm on my shoulder for support. “It won’t take you counting cards to show you how rough I can get.” She spoke in a low rumble, and she was close enough I could feel her warm breath on the side of my face. My whole body clammed up, although it wasn’t entirely out of fear. Although she didn't know that, and immediately straightened her posture, taking a step to the side to create a space between us. “S-sorry! Sorry.” Her ears pressed back into her skull as she apologized. All of that confidence she had been building drained away in an instant. “That was inappropriate, I shouldn't have said that.”
I responded quickly to try and dismiss her concerns. “Don’ worry about it, it’s not a big deal.” What it was was hot. Although It was nice to see Mack more open and talkative, I don’t know if my heart could handle any more forward advances like that.
“No, it’s- it’s not fine. It’s not okay for me to scare you, attentionally or not.” She clenched her fists and then quickly relaxed them.
Without much thought I reached out and grabbed her hand, which visibly made her jump.
“Wha… What are you doing?”
“I’m holding your hand.” Her pupils dilated as she looked at our hands together, then her eyes shifted to mine. It was just like the gaze she had in the break room, her pupils reduced to small dots, and her body was unbelievably still. She looked like a predator stalking her prey.
“Does…” Her voice was quiet, although an obvious confidence stirred within it. “Does this mean we’re mates?”
“M-m-mates?” The word felt heavy within my mouth. I had meant for my gesture to mean simple reassurance, however it seems Mack interpreted it as much more than that. She didn’t get like this when we hugged. What made this so different? My heart was starting to beat harder.
She shifted on her feet, though her eye contact remained iron clad. “Mates. Lovers. Whatever you want to call it. I like you Loui. I like you alot.” She gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “And if you like me too, in that way, then that makes us…”
“Mates?” I said the word sheepishly. My face was red hot. I didn’t know if that was the anthro term for a couple, or if it was the equivalent of being married. “What exactly does being ‘mates’ mean?” I asked apprehensively.
“It…” Finally her eyes shifted away, moving off and to the side. “I’m being stupid again…” She tried to move her hand away from mine, however my grip was strong enough that instead she ended up just pulling me into her stomach. My face impacted her abs through her shirt and her large breast crested the top of my head. “SHIT! SorrysorrysorrRRIEEEE-” In a desperate attempt to put distance between us Mack attempted to take a step back, however she failed to account for the large rock directly behind her which sent her tumbling over onto her back. As she fell her massive legs kicked outwards, knocking me off balance, sending me careening forward with her, but she quickly braced me against her body with her thick arms, her body cushioning the impact of the fall. My face ended up level with her collar bone, her breasts squeezing my sides as my legs were sprawled out over her stomach.
Her fur was so, so soft it was extraordinary. I lifted up my head slightly and saw that much of the fur around her neck was thicker compared to on her arms and legs. Moving my head more I was brought face to face with Mack, her eyes wet with building tears. Our faces were almost touching; they were so close.
“L-loui. I am so, so sorry. Are you hurt?.” Her voice was shaking as she resisted the urge to cry.
Despite her dreary state I couldn't help but laugh and work at weasling my arms up towards her face, which caused her ears to perk up and her grip to relax around me. “Mack, I’m fine. I’m not made of glass.” She tilted her head back in an attempt to hide her tears, but I gingerly placed my hands on the side of her head and brought her gaze back down to meet my own. “See?” I then gave her my best smile.
In response she smiled, smiled even wider, then began to laugh as well. Her maw opened wide and she laughed jovially, my whole body being bounced up and down, my hands moving down to ground beneath her to try and steady myself. I could feel her left arm reinstating its grip on my body, then when her laugh slowed, her right hand gently scooped up my own and brought it back up to rest against her face. I gently brushed the fur on her cheek with my thumb, earning a hearty purr from her. Just like before it was deep, and caused my whole body to vibrate, although this time instead of my vision being obscured by her breasts, my vision was consumed by her face, her eyes dreamily looking into mine. We stayed like that for a while, my body on top of hers, it was such a great feeling. It made me think about what she said earlier, about being mates. Before I could think much of it Mack’s eyes widened. “Shitshitshitshit.” She began to rise from the ground, holding me up against her before gently placing me onto the ground once she was back on her feet.
Before I could ask her what was happening two elderly human women came into view, rounding a corner on the trail. They were power walking in exercise gear straight from the 80’s, and as they walked by they gave me a gentle wave, and Mack a wide eyed stare. After rounding another corner they were gone, leaving me and Mack alone once again.
“Loui, I’m sorry about earlier.” I turned to her, her expression having soured slightly. “About us… being mates? I know relationships between humans work differently, they move slower… But.” She held her hands together and took a breath, a shy smile hiding behind her fangs. “If you're willing to try, I’d love to… be closer with you.”
I returned her smile with my own, a new warmth growing in my chest. “I’d love to.” I held out my hand, and she gingerly accepted. We resumed our hike, although it felt different than before. I found that that underlying nervousness I always had had around Mack was gone. She may not be a perfect person, no one was, but she was actively trying to better herself, which I found incredibly admirable. She was still a little foreboding, sure, but intimidating? No, not anymore.
“Hey Mack, how long was this trail?”
“It’s just over ten miles.”
…
If I was with anyone else, I would’ve complained.