Once Doesn't Mean Always (Straight Furry Story)

34: Awakening

Smoke

??th of ??????, ????

I sit on an outdoor chair, staring out to the ocean from the back of my house. In the distance, I see my little pup, Alex playing along the water. I love watching my son being happy, in these last 10 years, I loved every step of raising that boy.

I take a sip from my glass of lemon, lime and bitters before putting it down, promptly observing a beautiful, white ball of fluff walk up and sit on my lap moments later. The bloated fox looks about due for another child any day now. I allow my wife to get comfortable as she wraps her arms around me and gets comfortable.

"He playing by the ocean again?" Cloudy asks before kissing me

"as he does" I calmly respond, not taking my eyes off him. Cloudy rests her head on my shoulder as I wrap my arms and tail around her

"damn, I'm so glad I met you" I say, losing myself in memories of my past

"I'm so glad I married you" Cloudy laughs in response "and I don't want this life to end, I really think this is all perfect" she adds. I nod in agreement.

Cloudy then turns to me, exchanging her look of happiness for a sad and sorrowful yet relieved expression

"but it seems all good things must end ... and this life is no different" she says. I look in confusion before looking back out to sea, things start fading one by one. I look back to Cloudy as she stands a couple meters in front of me.

I get up and try to reach for her, however, getting stopped by some invisible force

"Cloudy, what's happening!?" I yell in confusion and fear, tears streaming down my face
"Your waking up, Smokey, and that means ... this dream must come to an end" she says, walking towards me, crying. She caresses my face and we both go from being in our mid 20s to looking much younger, like when we were 16.

"Don't cry for me, Smoke, this life can still be yours, you can grow up, get married, have children, you can do it all in the real world" she says, letting go tears but wearing a smile.

I continue to cry uncontrollably as I try to reach out to her again

"please, let me live here, this world is perfect for us, I KNOW IT IS, PLEASE!" I yell but even she eventually fades before things go black, no feeling, no sound, just nothing.

17th of August, 2016

I wake up to the sound of beeping and a view of a white roof, coming to realization

"Cloudy!" I yell as I quickly shoot into an upright position. I'm calmed as I see my beautiful snow angel, leaning over my bed, arms crossed and her head resting on top, eyes closed and making her look peaceful. I look to a clock to see the time, 5:30 in the afternoon.

A smile of relief stretches across my face as I see her so peaceful, I pull the strobes off my half naked, bandaged and casted body. My body is burns with pain, almost as if every bone in it is broken. I push through the pain and remove the strobes, thus making the machine go from a continuous, recurring beep to a long and high pitched screech.

The noise wakes my sleeping beauty as she gets up and rubs her eyes before finally seeing me clearly. Her face fills with pure disbelief as she reaches out to stroke my face

"Puppy?" She forces out through her shock. I pull one of my arms up to hold her embrace "your awake?" She asks, I nod before responding

"I'm awake".

I suddenly feel a massive force sting across my face, I come to the realization that I just got slapped, I feel shock as I turn back to Cloudy only to be hit again by a massive kiss instead. She cries through closed eyes as she holds. I close my eyes and completely hold the kiss for an extra few moments until she breaks it off in exchange for a massive hug.

"Please, never scare me like that again, I don't want to lose my handsome puppy" she cries with her head resting on my shoulder, clearly not hiding how worried and fearful of the worst she had been, I frown and wrap my arms around her

"I'm sorry" I say, starting to cry at the thought of what I put her through "I'm so so sorry, I promise, I'll never do that again" I force as I start to break down and cry

"I love you too much to put you through all that again".

Running is heard coming from the hallway outside my room shortly after. I remain locked with Cloudy as Cloudy's mum and a few other doctors appear to stop at the doorway, staring at our moment.

As the doctors calm themselves and go back to work, I let go of Cloudy, however, she doesn't let go of me.

"you can let go now" I inform, all the response I get from her is

"no, never again", I just smile before stroking the top of her head as I hold her again.