Going Places - An Animal Jam Fanfiction

Two - Snapping [julian]

The crimson wolf extended a perfectly filed red paw to Wisteria, whose face lit up as she took it. "Hey, Wisteria! I came to return this." He was holding a black bracelet studded with diamonds. "You must've left it yesterday."
"Thanks so much, Aparri!"
"No problem. Oh. Morning, Julian."
Ice rushed into the red arctic's eyes.
"Hey, Aparri. Nice day, huh?" Julian was always as polite as possible to the famous arctic wolf. He had a hope that some day, they'd become friends.
"I've put some coffee on, if you don't mind." Aparri guestured at the doorway and the two Jammers jumped in. Julian's hooves clacked on the crystal doorstep and he blushed, embarrassed. Aparri always made him feel clumsy and wrong. "Heh, sorry....." Aparri shot him a look over his shoulder and continued acting the 'perfect royal escort' to Wisteria. When they reached the grand steps, he even took her paw, as if you help her up. She can walk! Julian thought violently. Just because she's a girl, it doesn't mean she can't do anything!

If you were to skip down to Jamaa Township, enter any newsagent's and make your way to magazine aisle, you'd see plain monochrome newspapers on one side. Pets, dens and clothes on the other. In the middle? A blaze of red. Photos upon photos of everyone's favourite Famous Jammer, grinning cockily in selfies, modelling just about everything in photo-shoots and, occasionally, arm in arm with Wisteria. A few of these magazines featured other Jammers: Bepper, Wisteria and Julian usually. Skorm, Lilac and Twinkle were also frequent appearances, as well as Gellyjones the singing star and Snowyclaw. Artists such as Artymis and Nymphaaebla also occasionally made the front cover. But mostly it was Aparri this, Aparri that. He was the teenage sweetheart, the dreamboat, the heartthrob. Everybody loved him: he was rare, he was hot and he was funny. Even Julian had to admit that. But recently, Julian had been noticing things. Things he didn't like at all.

Teens who didn't like Aparri were suddenly having it forced on to them, or were being laughed at and cast away. Soon, everybody was an 'Aparrian' (a casual Aparri fan) whether they liked him or not. But, while the casual fans were more laid back, there were also the not so casual fans. The 'Potatoes', as they called themselves, were getting more and more..... pushy. It became their job, their purpose, to defend their precious Aparri at all costs. Rumours sprang up. Some included a girl being attacked in the street by her friends for publishing an online article about Aparri's recent behaviour, as well as a boy committing suicide when a gang of 'Potatoes' started bullying him. Julian had noticed all his and, whilst achingly hating it all inside, bottled it up and watched it go by straight-faced. Nobody wanted to go against the 'wonderful' Aparri, no matter how famous they were. But, from his quiet behind-the-scenes perch, Julian had started carefully watching Aparri. It took no time at all before he knew that, frustratingly, those who were being abused for hating Aparri....... were right. He had changed. For the worse.

The two wolves padded through the house as Julian, his hooves clacking with every step, walked behind them. Halfway up the next flight of stairs, Aparri turned around and glared at Julian. "Can't you shift into something else?"
Wisteria looked at the arctic wolf anxiously. "He's not doing any harm."
"Okay." Julian shrugged casually, boiling inside. He tapped his Shifter with his nose and a little hovering screen appeared in the air. "Falcon," He whispered. There was a flash of green light and Julian felt himself growing, shrinking, changing until the light died down. He flapped his huge brown wings and soared up into the air, turning sharply, cutting past Aparri and landing gracefully next to Wisteria.
"I see your falcon form doesn't glitch!" The brown wolf smiled, turning to face the falcon.
"Ha, oh, I wish it did. That was a really cool glitch!"
"Oh my gosh..... It was crazy!"
Glancing at Aparri with a sweet smile, Julian flew slowly next to Wisteria all the way up into the kitchen, where he shifted back into a horse and trotted up to the nearest chair.
"Wisteria, your den is goals. Just saying!"
Aparri sighed and plunked himself down on a stool. Wisteria poured the coffee and set three mugs down on to the glass table. Julian sipped his politely, before setting it down again. Then there was a silence, slightly awkward, where Aparri glared at Julian, Julian smiled at Aparri and Wistera drank her coffee. Suddenly, she slammed her cup down and leapt up from her seat. "Holy Mira! I forgot to lock the doors and it's nearly 5am! I'll be one second. You guys stay here and be good." And she raced out the door, panicked, before the two stunned Jammers could object.