Crevan couldn't help the slight sigh that escaped his short muzzle. Coming to the island had really altered him, both mentally and physically. It was much harder to write, but his stories had never been better. The maned wolf was currently sprawled out on the sands of the beach, his furry toes hanging into the ocean carelessly. Liel was curled up against his chest, sunbathing happily.
It had taken a while for most of the islander's (save Colche) to get used to his preferance for nudity at this stage. Clothes tended to rub his fur the wrong way, and it really annoyed him. Luckily, however, nothing inappropriate was visible anymore...
Gaius, clad in swim trunks and a towel draped across his shoulder, whistled merrily as he made his way down to the beach. The sun was high, the air was warm, and the prospect of somday turning into an animal couldn't be farther from his mind. He didn't even notice the other man lying on the beach, too caught up in his own day-dreams. Setting down his towel, Gaius kicked off his sandals, instantly regretting it as the hot sand burned his feet. "Ah! Hot hot hot!" Yelping, he made a mad skip-run down to the damp sand near the water and sighed in relief.
Liel's ears perked up, and he lifted his head to look at the curious new man. After a moment, he nipped at his master, hopping up and trotting over to the newcomer.
Crevan's ears flicked, and he lazily opened his eyes, that had somehow taken on a color inbetween green and gold. A slight whine escaped his throat and he rolled over onto his stomach, stretching for a moment before pushing himself to his feet.
"Liel, leave the poor man alone," he sighed, his nose twitching slightly and taking in the scent of the other. He shifted so he could get a good look at Gaius, and was instantly glad that his fur covered his face. Otherwise, he was sure the other would notice the sudden blush that had lit up his no longer visible skin.
Gaius looked down, surprised by the sudden appearance of the strangest dog he'd ever seen. Knealing down, he held out his hand for him to sniff, a friendly smile on his face. "Hey there, boy! Where'd you come from?"
Looking up, he noticed the guy sitting on the beach... in nothing but his 'natural' attire. Gaius blinked, averting his eyes before looking back again. Well... it seemed like he couldn't really see anything with all that fur. And it was just another guy, after all. It wasn't like it was Colche! Now THAT was awkwardness! So if this guy chose to sunbathe like that, who was Gaius to tell him otherwise?
Raising up a hand, he waved at the furry guy, a half-smile picking up his mouth. "Uh, hey there! This your dog?"
"Yeah, but he's a Fennec Fox," Crevan said, his tail swishing slightly behind him. He stepped towards Gaius until he could kneel down near the man, holding out his hand and scratching at Liel's head. "His name's Liel."
"A fennec fox? You can tame one of those?" Gaius's eyebrows bounced up, impressed. Then he caught himself, extending a human hand towards the man. He couldn't help looking over the guy's changes - he looked to be one of the canines walking around, though a very shaggy one. "My name's Gaius. As you can tell, I'm pretty new, but I've, uh, heard about what's going on..."
"I'm Crevan. And, if you can't already tell, I've been here for quite a while," Crevan said, laughing lightly and shaking his hand. He eyed the other carefully, curious about what had led him to the island.
Gaius grinned, shaking his hand warmly. He wasn't aware of the guy looking him over, nor of how he must look, standing there shirtless under the warm sun.. "Nice to meet you, though I could imagine under better circumstances... But at least the people here seem to be pretty friendly! Uh, what brought you here? To the island, I mean."
"Supposedly a health study. The effects of living with exotic pets. You?" Crevan asked, moving to sit down on the sand near Gaius. To say that the other man was gorgeous was an understatement in the Wiccan's mind...
The shirtless man snorted, looking away as he glared at something. "I was promised a prestigious job as an architect for an island resort... you can imagine that THAT'S never going to happen!" Sighing, Gaius folded his legs underneath him, watching the water lap a couple feet from them. "I still can't imagine being stuck here for the rest of my life..."
"Neither could I at first. But, I'm starting to like it here. Sure, I was shocked when I first started changing... But, would you think I was crazy if I told you I was actually looking forward to becoming an anthro?" Crevan said, laughing nervously and scratching the side of his face.
"Anthro?" Gaius tilted his head. He was far from being in the 'know' of such trends. "Is that... uh, some kind of dog?"
"No, it's kind of like what they're turning us into. It's basically an animal-person. I'm changing into a Maned Wolf," Crevan explained, straightening up proudly.
"Oooooh!" Understanding dawned in Gaius's blue eyes, and he grinned sheepishly. "That makes sense. I... don't know what I'm going to be yet. My guess is a toss-up between some kind of bear or dog... Maybe something domstic?" He shrugged, running his finger through the sand. "...it still doesn't settle with me. Sorry, I know some people are happy... but... I had a future... I wanted to fall in love and settle down and stuff, you know?" He lifted his eyes back up to meet Crevan's, sadness and frustration clear in his face. "Now... there's nothing."
"You're not the only one. I was an author. My entire life was writing, and even though Mom hated my religion, I did everything I could to take care of her. We may be stuck here, but that doesn't mean we can't make the best of it. We can make new families, you know?" Crevan said, giving Gaius a gentle and understanding smile. Almost everyone here had the same story, but there were the select few, like Colche, who were better off here.
Gaius nodded, managing a small smile. What the wolf-man said was true, and it was similar to what he'd heard from others. Somehow, they'd manage to live. "Yeah... we'll work something out." Sighing, Gaius leaned back on his arms and tilted his head back, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the warm sun. Part of him wanted to bring up the man's odd state of undress, out of curiosity, but the other part of him knew better. It'd only lead to awkwardness! Instead, he switched to a better topic. "So, you were an author? What kind of stuff did you write?"
"Ah, the irony. A mixture of fantasy and lycanthrope horror," Crevan said, chuckling to himself. "A lycanthrope is a werewolf, incase you're wondering."
"Really?" Gaius opened his eyes and looked back at the wolf-guy with an excited grin. "I love fantasy! Though I've always been the medieval knights and battles type. Still, if you have any of your stuff here, I'd love to read it! I have more than enough spare time, as you can imagine."
"Sure, I have copies of all of my books back at my Duplex," Crevan said, grinning and pushing himself to his feet. "You wanna come and check them out?"
Gaius smirked, rolling back onto the sand and folding his muscled arms behind his head. "But I just got here! Maybe later, eh? Which duplex are you in?"
Crevan rolled his eyes and crouched over Gaius, his tail thumping in the sand behind him. Leil yipped playfully, and pounced onto Gaius' chest, crouched down with a canine grin.
"Why put off `til tomorrow what you can do today?"
"Uagh!" Gaius grunted, catching the weight of the fox on his chest, and looked up at the grinning Crevan. "Huh? Well, if you really want me to read them, I guess I can come up and borrow them..."
"Come on, let's get moving!" Crevan said happily, his ears perched forward and his tail wagging behind him. Leil yipped his response and pounced up to his spot curled around his master's shoulder, having been taught how to balance there when he was still small.
Gaius groaned, pulling himself to his feet and fetching his towl, which he used to wipe some of the sand from his back and hair, and followed Crevan up the beach. "Alright," he chuckled. "I should probably stop by the workout room anyways." He tilted his head, watching Crevan, but ever careful not to look too far down south, just out of self-consciousness. "So, uh... are you like Colche, with the whole 'no clothes' thing? I mean, no offense... was just kinda surprising since some of the furrier guys still wear shorts at least."
"Clothes rub my fur the wrong way. I -hate- how it feels," Crevan said, visibly shivering. "Plus, I always go skyclad when I'm at home anyways, and since there's really nothing indecent in view anymore, it's a lot more comfortable."
Gaius shrugged, agreeing with the guy's points. "Yeah... Well, more power to you! I doubt I could ever be that bold..." He looked down and blushed as his modest side resurface. "I mean, if I happened to cross someone else..." He shuddered slightly. "Nah, just couldn't do it. I'll always wear something, even if I have to resort to some kind of kilt."
"You know, there's nothing wrong with nudity. It's comepletely natural," Crevan said lightly, turning to give Gaius a wolfish grin.
"Sure. Doesn't make me any less shy." Gaius countered with a smirk, any light implications flying over his head. They continued up the path, nearing the duplexes. Gaius looked around, wondering just where a more advanced islander would be living. "So, uh, which way to yours?"
"Just follow me. It isn't far from here," Crevan said, leading Gaius towards the area that the newer duplexes had been built in. It wasn't long before they were in front of his door, and he opened it up. The most notable feature would definitely be the bookshelves literally flowing with books, and the heavy smell of rose incense that clung to the room.
Gaius sniffed slightly, noticing the faint - was that perfume? - scent around the room. His eyes widened at the sight of the books. "Wow... you're probably never bored with all of this around!"
"Of course not. I've got quite a collection," Crevan said, grinning over at Gaius and slipping inside. Leil hopped off from his shoulders and curled up on one of the pillows on his bed. After a moment, Crevan motioned to the smaller bookcase next to his bed. There were maybe 16 books on it, all written by 'Bryce Phelan.' "Those are my books."
Gaius closed the door behind him and went over to kneal by the bookshelf, fingering across them before picking one out with an interesting title. "Cool... You really don't mind if I borrow a couple?" He looked back up at Crevan hopefully. The architect had only brought a couple books himself and was in desperate need of some reading material for those brain-numbing nights with nothing to do. "I promise I'll take good care of them!"
"I don't mind at all. I still have plenty of copies of the manuscripts if I need them," Crevan said, waving his hand dismissively. "Everyone's welcome to borrow books from my personal library."
Gaius grinned gratefully. "Thanks!" Picking out a handful, Gaius stood back up and looked around. "Well, uh..." He scratched the back of his neck and smiled lopsidedly. "I guess I should probably head on out and quit bugging you. Thanks again for the books and all."
"It's no problem, Gaius. Come back to visit anytime soon," Crevan said, winking at the other with a wave of his paw-like hand.
"Sure thing. And come visit my place some time! Number 73, just knock. And if ya want, I'm often around the workout room or cafeteria. Feel free to join me if you like." He grinned and nodded his head to the friendly guy before heading for the door. "Was a pleasure meeting you!"
