Free Fall (A Furry Story)

V

"Hi there," Henry whispers, his hands wrapped around the iron bars peeks from in between the fence. His tail is wagging furiously, and his energetic appearance already has me blushing.

"Good morning," I say cheerfully, and I make my way to the other side of the fence. I think I've gotten the hang of climbing over it, though Henry has to catch me when I fall over. He sets me down just as gently as any other time he's touched me, though I swear there's a faint tinge of red on his cheeks this time.

"Did you sleep good last night?" He asks once we start off away from the gate. The coyote adjusts his scarf as he adds thoughtfully, "It was rather crisp out last night, if I recall."

It's true, it was cold outside. Even now, despite the heavy jacket I'm wearing, there's still an essence of cold that leaks into my skin. "I slept fine," I say quietly. It's not quite true, but he doesn't need to know. It might have been cold, yes, but it's not the reason why I've been restless these past few days.

"I slept wonderfully, not to gloat or anything," Henry says rather proudly, his chest slowly puffing outward. "Usually I don't sleep well for the most part, but last night was surely something else."

"I can't ever sleep right," I admit quietly.

"Why is that?"

"I..."

"It's okay," Henry laughs it off, breaking the short silence. My hesitation withers away, and instead of trying to explain my situation, the two of us start heading into town once again. "You know, I used to have insomnia," Henry mentions. "It sucked, because most of the time I had school the next day... you probably don't go to the public school here, don't you?"

"No," I say quietly. "I've stayed home the entire time. Home school..."

"Public school sucks," Henry says.

"So I've heard."

It's quiet while we continue walking, and for some reason I like it that way. Henry doesn't seem to mind the silence either, though I notice that he fixes his scarf every now and then, as though something's bothering him...

The walk into town isn't nearly as long as it was yesterday, or at least, it didn't feel like it. It's still just as dazzling to see the town again, though there's a bit more charm to it this time around; Henry offered to take me to lunch, an offer that I can't ever think to turn down. We end up finding a nice sandwich shop that seems pleasant, and head inside.

We are seated by a kind looking Labrador, and while he retrieves our drinks, I take in the atmosphere of the place. It's rather late in the morning, probably around ten, so gentle beams of sunlight wash the cafe in a warm glowing light, illuminating the place with a precise aura of serenity. As such, there's a few specks of dust that float around the room, which doesn't bother me in the slightest somehow. The cafe was designed by someone who knew what they were doing, I can see how each piece of furniture works with the overall feel of the place, and how the artwork displayed brings out the hidden nature of...

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" Henry asks, propping his chin against his hands thoughtfully. His tail is wagging quite fast, which causes my own to join in.

His words catch me off guard, and I just sigh and smile. "I like it here," I say. "It's very nice for a cafe."

"I think so too," Henry smiles back at me, and I can't help but stare at his beautifully perfect white teeth. How come I never noticed how brilliant they were before now? It's only when our waiter returns that I snap out of my short daze.

"Here we are, sirs," the Labrador says softly. "A caramel macchiato?" He asks, offering one cup towards the table, silently asking who ordered said beverage.