The Sweetest of Times

This is a short work of erotic fiction containing furry, or anthropomorphic, characters, which are animals that either demonstrate human intelligence or walk on two legs, for the purposes of these tales. It is a thriving and growing fandom in which creators are prevalent in art and writing especially. These stories have been public for some time, but I am slowly uploading my back catalogue of stories currently.

Author's note: as I've been receiving some very peculiar comments, I'd like to clarify that all commenting on stories has been disabled and I've changed my feedback to only allow non-anonymous comments. These are my oldest works and I'd also like to note that furry/anthro work is pure fantasy and it's just a way of imagining characters that this particular fandom appears to enjoy - it is not animal sex. I have some real erotic animal (dragons etc) stories but, if those are actually permitted here, they will be tagged correctly and in the correct category.

Until then - please enjoy! The newest stories, when I come to them, will be my best work in terms of style, grammar and so on; so please be patient while I upload the back catalogue.

Thanks!

*****

The Sweetest of Times

William poked at his sandwich, seated alone in the raucous school canteen. The gun-metal grey wolf sighed theatrically, tearing apart bread and cheap luncheon meat until it no longer resembled a sandwich or anything that a self-respecting wolf should devour. In his free paw was a small, black box of a mobile phone, one of the newer models that friends should have been eager to see, if he had had any friends close enough to talk to about such gadgets. Other students in the densely populated high school avoided him in the corridors and the same rang true in the canteen, so he could at least spend lunch breaks in relative peace. Hell, even the skunk boys had more company than he did. The lengths to which other students went to in order to avoid being around him had risen to ridiculous proportions, but what could one wolf do? Lilith said they found him intimidating.

"Not hungry today, are we?"

He jerked back, shocked to be addressed as the subject of his thoughts startled him. A small black cat with grey on her paws and the underside of her muzzle shifted anxiously from hind paw to paw, her hazel eyes contemplative. She stood with her arms folded across her chest and a book clasped between them as if she was afraid that someone would snatch it away if she released it for even a moment. As was usual for her, she wore her 'Pikachu' hooded sweatshirt with the hood tugged up around her ears. The pointed, Pokemon ears flopped to the sides comically, though the cat was unaware of their disarray, which made her appear as if she was drooping with dramatised sadness: typical Lilith.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" He gestured at the phone, though the wolf could not keep the smile from his voice; it was hard not to smile around Lilith. "I thought you were going for lunch today with the girls."

"Not today," she slid easily on to the seat beside him. "Jane and Sarah are fighting again and, well, you know how that goes. I just don't get why those two are still friends after all this drama."

Oh yes, William knew all too well about that particular duo. He had heard about the fights between Jane the husky and Sarah the malamute for too many years, even if he would always listen to Lilith no matter what she wanted to talk about. He couldn't fathom how those two canines always seemed to drift back together after every one of their explosive fights, usually public, both growling at one another as ferociously as ones caught in a lover's feud. Perhaps they were locked away lovers.

"So you'd rather sit here alone with me?" He asked critically. "Surely the free show is more than worth it."

Lilith rolled her eyes and clapped a paw over her lips to stifle an untimely chuckle.

"I'm not here alone if I'm with you," she said, opening her book to ensure the purple bookmark had not dropped free during the course of carrying - she could not stand to lose her place while reading. "So what did that poor sandwich do to you?"

"Nothing," William sighed. "Just not hungry, that's all."

"Don't you make your own lunch?"

The wolf shook his head, unwilling to agree or disagree. He would only seem stupid if he admitted aloud that he made his own lunch every day, yet rarely ate any of it. He hated to look stupid, especially in front of Lilith. Sure, she was his best friend, but sometimes the simplest of actions around her had him stumbling over his paws like a pup, goofing up yet again. And the 'goof up's' often included things that he'd rather not repeat or recall, quite frankly.

He looked up, caught her eye and looked away again, cheeks burning. What was wrong with him? Digging out her own lunch from the depths of her shoulder bag, Lilith scooped a squashed sandwich on to the crumb-strewn table, nose wrinkling in distaste. The wolf shuffled awkwardly, lost for words that should have come far more easily around his friend than they currently were. Was he unwell? He had felt fine before... He had felt fine before Lilith had joined him. Or as fine as a lone wolf could feel. What was going on? Thoughts scrambling for precedence, he dared not answer his own question. Instead, he cleared his throat loudly, glancing awkwardly from side to side as her gaze slid vacantly away from his.

"Are we still on for this weekend?" He asked, hoping she had not noticed his fumbling change in demeanour.

She unwrapped her sandwich slowly, lost in her own thoughts. William had to poke her shoulder to get her attention and she jumped as if she had been stung, tail fluffing up in surprise. Biting back a laugh, the wolf repeated the question and her muzzle lit up with a smile.

"Oh! Yes," she grinned shyly. "My mom said it was okay for you to stay over, said she didn't know why I was asking."

"We are over each other's places quite often," William admitted, scratching away an itch from the back of his paw. "It's not exactly uncommon for us."

"Nope!" She chirped. "Not strange! Dad isn't too keen on it though, but you know how he is. He thinks the worst of everything, worst case scenario and all that."

"What would be the worst case scenario?"

"Probably setting something on fire."

William laughed, a note of embarrassment in his reluctant amusement. That had only been one time and the sofa had been fine once they had dumped water from the vase over the arm. The flowers in the vase had been less okay. He was abruptly aware of every little motion, the sound of his breathing and the way his heart pounded against his eardrums. The beat was obnoxiously loud and he wondered that Lilith could not hear it and question. She seemed too caught up in her own lunch to engage in greater conversation or awareness, however, so William was left to silently suspect.

Why didn't she know? They said males were the slowest to catch on but Lilith... He sighed heavily. Couldn't she see how much he cared about her? He didn't know about anything more - how could he?

"Something on your mind?" Lilith cocked her muzzle.

A strand of brown hair tugged free of her hood, fluttering across her eyes.

"No, nothing," he said, as unwilling and evasive as ever: he could not say.

"I think I know you a bit better than that." She put her half-eaten sandwich down. "Come on - tell me."

"Oh, it's..." William cast about vaguely for something - anything - that he could say instead of the suspected truth. "Oh, a test later."

"I didn't think you usually worried about tests," Lilith's mouth twisted sympathetically. "Must be a bad one."

"It's with Mr Evans, you know what he's like."

A perfect excuse at least.

"Yeah, I know," Lilith fell for it, shuddering in memory; she had had the strict otter for her chemistry module last semester. "Do you want me to quiz you before you face the beast?"

"It would certain increase my intellect points."

William kept his expression as neutral as possible as Lilith struggled to work out whether or not he was serious, whiskers twitching curiously. A smile tugged at the corner of the wolf's lips, giving the game away, and she broke into a smile, rolling her eyes.

"You are such a geek," she laughed, tearing away the crusts from her sandwiches, a personal quirk. "You had me going then, thanks, wolf."

"Geek? Look who's talking!" He teased, warmth flooding his veins. "It'd be a help if you did quiz me though, really would appreciate it."

"'course I will," she said. "What's the poison this time?"

Lilith was smarter than she claimed and, although he was actually fine with the content of the upcoming test, William could not deny that he was grateful for additional assistance. Perhaps he was a little too much of an intellectual due to his self-imposed solitude, but nothing helped him more when studying than another fur to bounce questions and answers off. Lilith was especially helpful and what wolf would he be if he did not take the chance to spend even more time with her.

Licking his dry lips, he dragged his stained science textbook from his backpack, ignoring Lilith's 'tut' of disapproval: she could not stand a damaged book. Thankfully, William did not mind damaged textbooks for school subjects as he usually succeeded in destroying them during the course of study - how he did this, he could never accurately relate - and cared little if they served their purpose. The feline's textbooks, on the other paw, were irrefutably pristine and she mourned a damaged book like she would a friend. She took the textbook from him and fired off questions rapidly, testing his skills in every manner she could think of. She mimicked the otter teacher's style so precisely, however, that William was hard pressed to take the study seriously, earning some light-hearted chiding.

When the bell rang for next period, signalling the end of their lunch slot, Lilith sighed, tugging her hood down a little further over her forehead as she wished to disappear into it. The wolf's ears perked. Maybe she was disappointed to have to leave him? Maybe she wanted to spend more time with him? Or maybe his hopes were simply the futile ones of a friend that wanted more. He cleared his throat, banishing the threads of moping, and poked her shoulder, startling a smile from her downturned lips. She was even more beautiful when she smiled. Their eyes met in a moment of connection, neither wanting to leave the table and walk away, and shyness bade Lilith to shuffle her hind paws uncomfortably, skin tingling beneath her fur.

"Meet you after last period?" William smiled, sliding his glance away. "I've got that book to give you, but it's in my locker."

He swore her eyes lit up with the mention of a new book and warmed with satisfaction: thankfully, his interest in reading and exploring fresh genres had hit the right note this time. No goof up. Lilith's tail flicked against his leg, almost unconsciously, and he flushed.

"Sure," she met his smile with her own, glancing quickly down as she edged towards her next class. "Took you long enough! I'll see you then."

*

"Oh come on!" William thumped the controller against his leg, feigning anger. "I had that one!"

"Clearly not."

Uncharacteristically, Lilith's lips curved up in a cheeky grin, paws folded around the gaming console's controller.

The weekend had come at last and the pair sat on the floor in front of the wide, beige sofa, a bowl of popcorn between them. It was an hour after last period late Friday afternoon and Lilith had challenged William to a gaming match (as one does), which turned out to be much to his detriment. Neither would have considered themselves hardcore gamers, though there was good fun in the challenge, even if William felt that he was a little too prone to losing at Mario Kart. He would have thought he would have been better at the game with the bright graphics, but the silly voices made him laugh and lose concentration - a fatal move when it came to gaming with Lilith. He was better at other games, so he supposed it did not really matter. Gaming was simply another thing that he had in common with Lilith, even if she teased him when he lost. Regardless of this loss, he would get her back in another game, there was no doubt about that!

"I've got to get you into something better than this," William shot her a sideways glance.

"Hey, don't have a go at Mario!" Lilith's fur fluffed up as she was briefly affronted. "At least I don't need to know ten hours of story and plot behind this game before going out to shoot things one after another."

The wolf laughed and grabbed a piece of popcorn, tossing it in the air and catching it expertly in his maw. Lilith shook her head in a pretence of long-suffering weariness.

"Say what you will: shooters are just another brand of hack and slash games."

"Take that back!" William mock-growled.

"Or what?" The cat's eyes sparkled deviously.

"Or else!"

She laughed, calling his bluff, and William pounced, grabbing her wrists and lightly wrestling her back against the sofa. Squeaking in surprise, the feline squirmed, eyes startlingly wide until they narrowed into sly slits in the next heartbeat. She twisted like a snake, almost throwing the wolf off - not that he was exerting much pressure on her shoulders as he pinned her back. Tail wagging nineteen to the dozen, William scrambled on to his knees, dropping backwards to the carpet with the feline on top of him as they wrestled playfully. They rolled from side to side for a few seconds, neither gaining the upper paw, until the wolf managed to manoeuvre on top. Using his weight to his advantage, he bore the agile feeling down until she was pinned by his body, unable to squirm free. Trying to ignore how her body pressed to his made him feel, he caught her flailing wrists and trust them above her head.

"Gotcha!" William yelped triumphantly, slamming Lilith's paws gently back against the carpet.

She huffed and wriggled but his greater size and bulk rendered her near helpless in such a position.

"You still can't beat me in game," she quipped, tail lashing wildly.

"We'll see about that."

Realising that he was still holding Lilith down, William scrambled back hurriedly, coughing lightly into his paw and scooping up a paw full of popcorn to hide the pink tinge colouring the interior of his ears. He could almost feel the heat emanating from his muzzle and, no stranger to his own body, his jeans were uncomfortably tight in one particular area. What was wrong with him? It was Lilith! And it was that fact that made all the difference between her and any other female fur.

Shaking his head as if to clear water from his ears, the wolf flopped on to the sofa, sinking into the plush cushions. A moment or two later, Lilith joined him, sitting at the other end with one leg crossed over the other, hind paw jiggling in what he would have thought a nervous twitch. Then again, he could not imagine Lilith being nervous around him. There were very specific things that the feline became nervous about - tests like the one he had undertaken earlier in the week, for example - and William was fairly confident that he was not one of them. What if he had made her feel uncomfortable though? The tip of his tail twitched anxiously.

"Do you want to take your bag up to the spare room?" Lilith broke the silence, swallowing hard.

Holding back a sigh - what was wrong with the cat now? What had he done? - William nodded quietly and leaned over the arm of the sofa to grasp the strap of his navy holdall. It had a sports brand logo embellished on the side but he was not big on brands or following what was popular and what was not. It was such a waste of time. His tail drooped as he stood, glancing at the cat to catch her sliding her gaze away, arms folded across her stomach. She had shed her hooded sweatshirt for a black tank top in the warmth of the house and hardly seemed to notice how it clung to her torso. It shamelessly highlighted the shape of her breasts, even through the loose fabric, catching William's eye as he tried not to look.

"Um..." He coughed, the flush across his muzzle evident to the curious feline. "I'll just take this up... Back in a minute."

Could he have been any more awkward? William fled the room as if the hounds of hell snapped at his heels, bag thumping painfully against his hip. Angrily, he half-stomped up the stairs, only checking himself when he recalled that Lilith's mother was still in the house; it wouldn't do to aggravate them, he didn't want to be kicked out. Did Lilith want to get him out of the room for some reason? Why did he have take his bag upstairs right that minute? His thoughts whirled and he thought himself a petulant cub briefly, as his understanding was of such.

At the top of the stairs, he automatically turned right, passing Lilith's room and the upstairs bathroom, pushing the door open to the spare room with the small double bed. Barely large enough for the bed and a chest of drawers, Lilith told him before that it had used to be a study when her father worked from home. He supposed he was lucky they had converted it into a guest bedroom over the years; it meant that he had not had to sleep on an uncomfortable, old air mattress any longer. Squeezing into the room, he dropped his bag in the narrow gap at the foot of the bed and rubbed the back of his neck, gathering himself to return downstairs. Why did things have to be so difficult? He had no answer for that question, which was only to be expected in his flurry of thinking.

He turned and nearly leapt out of his skin. As quiet as a mouse (which was amusing when one considered Lilith's species) the feline had crept into the bedroom and stood in the doorway. She leaned against the door frame as she fidgeted with a loose thread in her tank top, eyes curiously downcast. Trying to slow his rapidly beating heart - damn, she had scared him! - William scratched his arm, counting slowly backwards from three: enough time to compose himself.

"Why'd you follow me up?" He said at last, making a feeble attempt at a joke. "I know where the room is, I've been here enough. Did you think I'd get lost?"

"Ah, well," Lilith shuffled, arms crossed tightly over her chest - something that William noted with a flicker of disappointment. "I didn't mean to be...you know..."

"Huh?" William blinked, uncomprehending.

Just what was she on about? The wolf shook his head slowly, paw smoothing the grey fur on his arm flat. Lashing her tail - anxiously? - Lilith licked her lips and shrank back against the frame, seeming to quail under the light probing, if it could even be counted as such. He couldn't bear to see her so timid. Embarrassment forgotten, he stepped forward in a sudden surge of boldness and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her in close to his broad chest. She was so small that the tips of her ears did not even brush his chin and, after a tense moment, she unfolded her arms and hugged him back, cheek pressed to his chest with a quiet purr. Holding each other close for seconds that seemed to flit by far too quickly, William closed his eyes and inhaled her soft, feminine scent, the clean, floral aroma of her fur conditioner oddly alluring.

"Let's go back downstairs," Lilith breathed a sigh, refusing to look up. "Please?"

"Of course," William said at once.

Though he was perplexed by her behaviour, he followed her back down the stairs, pretending his gaze was lowered to watch his step rather than admire her body. Why could she not see? He must be making her uncomfortable, he decided with a shamed flush, which meant he would have to try much harder to hide his affections from her. It was all he could do...right?

Things seemed to revert to normal for some time, for which William was thankful. Still, it was as if the two of them were going through a set of very well practiced motions, which admittedly came easily to both of them. Well, it could have just been in William's mind, as he was becoming prone to over-thinking events as they became increasingly confusing. Half an hour later, the wolf's brow furrowed in concentration as he determinedly paid the feline back for the humiliating Mario Kart loss. Shooters were definitely more his forte, even if Lilith made a formidable team member in group games. Strange to think that such a sweet cat was deadly with a controller in her paws.