Randomtail
Life is messy. You can go through it expecting to lead a life with simple step-by-step goals that lead you safely through the minefield you know is there. You think that you'll have health, wealth, happiness. And you think that all it takes is a little work. But work is hard. And as you take those first steps through the minefield you find one smack-bang in front of you. Dodging around them means complication; a complicated life. A messy life. But slamming full throttle straight ahead means disaster. In the game of life, how do you choose which times are appropriate to take the high road and which times to gamble it all? And whom for?
...
Pain. Alastair Randomtail knew it as well as any man did. At least, he told himself, insofar as it mattered to any given individual. He was hurting inside and he knew not what to do. So he stay by his own side and focused on his studies.
Alastair was a university student studying Fashion and Contemporary Design - an easy degree which would hopefully land him in a bespoke tailors job in some quiet little town in the middle of nowhere. Away from people. Away from trouble.
The Rutherford Academy was a bustling place on its own, located on the edge of a busy but peaceful town by a river. The Rutherford Academy had two levels and the entrance for certain subjects on the ground floor was vastly different from the entrance to the upper levels; a huge split stairway to the upper doors. Alastair took the upper entrance because it was easier to navigate around the student body after climbing two flights of uncomfortably steep stairs.
The bulky black wolf Anthro had piercing golden eyes, long strategically messy head hair dyed red at the numerous defined tips, a loose blue tank-top over a loose long sleeve shirt and a pair of dogged blue and black sneakers, poking out from under a pair of long grey camo bondage pants. Over his shoulder hung a light grey and blue satchel crammed with miscellaneous learning paraphernalia.
Alastair stopped by the balcony railing and surreptitiously gazed down at the uni's head Pack. The Beta rank bitch was having a meltdown. She was upset. The rest of the pack save the three high ups in Beta and Alpha were really ripping into her. But Alastair could see that it was because they cared. In tears, the distraught bitch ran off somewhere below the huge main room's upper levels, away from any angle Alastair could keep surruptitious.
She was a troubled female, but she was surrounded by care and even had a lover, off and on though he seemed. Alastair huffed.
Must be nice to be surrounded by loved ones. Alastair closed his eyes to almost nothing and strode to his room.
...
The smell of death. Horrible rasping moans and the grinding of yellowed and bloodstained teeth. Overturned vehicles and military barricades. Fallen scaffolding too, and a faraway burning building. The bloody moon peeking malevolently through the clouds, obscuring the otherwise star-studded night sky. Alastair covered in blood, glaring up a ladder at the man he once knew to be someone he was not. The unearthly moans approaching. A dead woman gnashing at a little girl, screaming her little lungs out. And the feeling of utter ruin.
The alarm in Alastair's phone bleeped repeatedly. The lecture was over. With a bored expression he placed his books into his satchel and made out of the room. Lectures took hours. Too much time in Alastair's opinion although he had no other obligations that would otherwise have his studies put down as an inconvenience.
Anthros of all species clamoured in the halls as Alastair stalked by, ignoring them all. Why were those memories haunting him in the light hours as well now? Alastair tightened his fist around the strap of his satchel and half snarled as he roughly clawed at his own mind for answers.
He suddenly stopped and fell flat on his rump as he collided with a solid tiger Anthro who was eating a loose white tank top and green shorts. The black shoes blended mildly disconcertingly in with his stripes.
"Oh, sorry!" The huge male tiger grinned, turning to the fallen wolf and rubbing the back of his own head apologetically.
"Forget it, I was miles away. I should have been paying attention," Alastair replied with a smile - it paid to be nice to people even if internally he wanted the lot of them to just go the hell away.
"My my, don't you look quite the fierce individual?" The tiger Anthro grinned, offering a hand. Checking that none of his belongings had been scattered Alastair took the offered hand and allowed himself to be hoisted easily up to his feet. "Taiga."
Alastair had no idea how to respond.
"T-a-i-g-a. My name?" Taiga hinted at the befuddled Alastair. "Taiga Kyoryu. Who are you supposed to be, walking around with such a worried expression?"
"Alastair Randomtail. I'm a uni student, same as you." The black wolf said bluntly.
"Well that sure is a reason to fret!" Taiga laughed, wondering why Alastair was so heavy for a wolf his size.
"Ain't you that guy in Fashion? Ya poor bastard, ya got everyone callin' ya homo without 'em ever thinkin' that the girls love a guy in design!" A nearby lion turned and piped up. Taiga snapped his fingers.
"Oh yeah! That'd make ya frown!"
"R-right..." Alastair mumbled, utterly lost. He never spoke to anyone long enough to know what they thought of him. He wasn't especially pleased to discover the general populace's opinion if him either.
"He wouldn't know that now would he? What with that mysterious aura about him - the boy never speaks to a soul! Why, we're the first contact he's had since the orientation ceremony..." Another nearby feline, a dangerously crafty looking wild cat, purred.
"Oh, sorry bro! Didn't mean to kill your enigma rep!" The lion grinned.
"I don't think that's where Kat was going with that, Leo..." Taiga said, referring to the lion's having just alerted Alastair to the world's thoughts of him. Taiga turned to chat with Alastair some more, but the wolf was already gone.
...
"Oi!" Taiga called, padding bouncily up to where Alastair sat, eating, on the lower level of Rutherford Academy. The main hall was crowded and the main pack, which sat on the opposite end if the area to Alastair, watched him off and on to ensure he wasn't going to disrupt the already delicate inter-pack political atmosphere. The wolf failed to react aside from casting a sideways glance towards the tiger Anthro. "Why'd ya run off like that?"
"I don't appreciate keeping conventional company as others do." Alastair said before continuing on his sandwich. Taiga gave him a confused look.
"What?" The stripy one asked. Alastair, his pleasantries expended, glared at Taiga.
"You heard me."
"Yes but I on the whole failed to understand." Taiga responded just as flatly.
Alastair stated long and hard at Taiga. The air between them almost shimmered with the intensity of the stare. Alastair spoke first.
"Why don't you go talk to your friends?" Alastair grumbled.
"Why don't you with yours?" Taiga shot back. Alastair paused.
"I'm not that kinda person." Taiga stated quizzically at Alastair. Alastair gazed cooly back. After a long while Taiga sat down beside Alastair and began on a homemade fish burger.
"What the - !? Go away!" Alastair barked.
"I don't get you. And I won't leave your side until I get you." Taiga said insistently. Alastair regarded him for another long while.
"Fine," the dark wolf conceded having gauged the determined tiger's willpower. "Just keep outta my way."
As if to agree with the terms of the unwritten contract Taiga said nothing, only ate his burger. His quiet compliance annoyed Alastair even more. The wolf annoyedly tore a chunk out of his sandwich.
...
Alastair sighed loudly as he fumbled his keys that afternoon. He stood in the middle of a falling-apart hallway. The paint in the walls was peeling so much that what paint was left looked incredibly meagre. The ceiling appeared, from one angle and the light of the precariously dangling light, to be drooping. The carpet was mangy and was a nasty grey blue colour.
Alastair entered and casually flicked the light on. There was nothing in his apartment save a table and two chairs - all with rusted bases and supports, peeling tops. The sink shone and the majority of the kitchen wasn't peeling - Alastair had been busy on it and several other rooms so that the owners of the building could scrap together the money to hire proper repairmen.
The black wolf wasn't being paid for the deal but in return for his services the rent had been knocked down and his evening meals were free.
The bathroom was also free of horrible conditions and the bed had been freshly made. The owners seemed to like him, Alastair reflected as he dropped his stuff by the old plastic arm chair he had found in an alleyway. He had no clue why they liked him but was beginning to suspect it was because of the help he was giving them with the building. He sat. The only reason he was doing it was because had he not taken action the place would have gone outta business and left him on the street, poor as he was already without uni fees killing his finances.
There was an iPad duct taped to the wall and that combined with the next building's wifi served as the television. Alastair stared at it blankly for awhile before rising. And what was with that bloody tiger, Taiga?
Alastair sighed and dragged himself to his feet. He trudged tiredly to the bathroom and unbuckled his belt. His bondage pants slid down his bulky legs and caught on his shoes, which he lazily untied and shook off. His long white shirt and blue tank top were off next. Left in naught but his red underwear he completed his short journey and turned on the water.
The cold water spluttered into a gentle flow for a long time. The hot water added some pressure but nearly scalded the arm Alastair had in the flow to test the temperature. The shower settled down and Alastair gently, slowly removed the last of his clothing before sliding into the shower's warm embrace.
He always felt vulnerable in the shower, exposed. Not quite scared. But he shooed those feelings away and lowered his arms from around his chest and shoulder to his sides.
"A-a...ahhhh~" Alastair sighed. He was mildly embarrassed at the slip but it also told him just how little he had enjoyed today. Honestly he wasn't understanding the new subtopic in his class and having to deal with people more than usual today had wound him up a bit more than anticipated, it seemed.
Steam soon had the bathroom imitating a sauna and Alastair giggled, giddy from the treat. His stomach gurgled and suddenly a double helping of instant noodles was on his mind - stir fry really, but he hadn't the time, cash or ingredients for that. He stepped out of the shower and shook himself off.
Not bothering to towel himself off Alastair simply shook again and padded naked to the kitchen. As he gathered the pot and sachets - there were thankfully three left - he reflected. He didn't hate people. No...not really. Nor was he afraid of them. After what happened he figured he was afraid of consequences; of hurting and getting hurt. With a humourless smile he reflected that Envy was his sin as he watched people from afar, laughing and holding each-other up.
"My sin..." He murmured. Maybe he should let Taiga in; atone for his sin. His lonesome, piteous envy. But was he willing to risk getting hurt by secrets and lies...? The water began to boil. Alastair absently stirred the food around and list himself in the cheap, plain but appetising smell. The black wolf snatched a owl from the cupboard and flicked off the oven at the wall. He adjusted the dial, stirred the instant noodles one last time and poured it into the bowl through a sieve so the excess broth didn't pour over the bowl.
After tapping on his iPad and hacking into one of the neighbours' internet he began on a silly, mainly plotless anime he had been watching. He sat down and with food in hand and entertainment before him basked in the moment.
He awkwardly noticed his pleasure alter the angle of the bowl warming his lap and, reminding himself he was famished, promptly tucked in. A few episodes closer to nine at night he shut off the iPod as the neighbours did the same to their wifi and headed off to bed.
-----WEEK ONE, DAY ONE end-----
Topic: Randomtail by Enigir (Please, HALP MEE~!) (Read 1998 times)