The morning of the first big event of Brickhedge started like any other morning on Main Street. The summer sun slowly rose through a darkened sky, bringing with it a shade of blue that would only intensify as the morning trekked onward.
Traffic, what little there would be, would be redirected through the southern parts of town. Each street heading into Main was partly blocked off the previous night after the last of the food trucks rolled in. News crews, were there to be any, would be parked on a backroad somewhere. Other town and privately owned vehicles had been ordered off Main and to a nearby outlet as some emergency vehicles were moved in and stationed at either exit and at two alleys, just in case.
Even in these early morning hours, the smell of funnel cakes and popcorn penetrated the walls of 987 Main Street Brickhedge, New Hampshire.
Advrik slept with his head pressed to the side of his headboard in a most uncomfortable position. Likely having shifted in his sleep as he tended to do in the week following a full moon.
The slits of his eyes, as they began to part, glowed with a slight luminescence that disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. The beast rose and wiped the crust from his eyes. He'd been looking forward to today's festivities for a multitude of reasons, number one being the chance to see the purple fox again. But he'd been equally interested in seeing how a small town like this was going to pull off such an event without catching the attention of the myriad of hate groups in this country.
Not to mention the bigots who were already residents.
The thermometer this morning already read a humid 87 degrees outside, but inside was a chilled 68 degrees. The air conditioner, though he seldom used it, had been cranked up to the max last night. The temperatures the day before made his little Vornado fan practically useless even when focused directly on him, so on came the air conditioning. An hour into another viewing of John Carpenter's The Thing, the entire house had begun to flood with not only the chilled air but the sweet floral scent of lavender and vanilla.
The scented filter he'd placed in the unit after he cleaned it up back in the spring!
Loping across the hall and into the small bathroom at the end, tossing the pair of black athletic underwear he slept in into the hamper, then quickly showered off. Forming a thick lather of suds on his head. Then proceeded to use a loofa that had been coated in body fur lotion, washing the dirt, grime and sweat away.
The shower was brisk, but the results left the wolf feeling refreshed and clean. There'd still be time left before he would the festivities began, which had been stated to start closer to nine, so there was time for a quick light breakfast and probably some YouTube as well.
He picked up his phone from the back of the toilet and texted Desmond,
ME: "Hey buddy, what time do you want to meet up?"
It'd be hours before he actually got a reply.
* * *
The purple fox sat alone at the dinner table, one paw resting on the seat of the chair while the other rested on the floor below. She wore an oversized shirt over a black bra and a pair of panties.
She ate from a bowl full of Lucky Charms cereal, her hair a frizzy, sweat-tangled mess. Heavy bags hung under her eyes as she gave the back of the box the thousand-yard stare. She wanted to pick up her phone and shoot Eligh with an angry text, ranting and complaining about the air conditioning, much like she had done last night.
"It's out in the whole building!" He had said; his voice was small in contrast to the giant lump of muscle that he was. It would have been comical if the situation wasn't so miserable.
It happening at midnight didn't help matters, and since the owner of the apartments didn't actually live here themselves, there wouldn't be any rush to get repairmen out to fix the fucking thing, either.
So began the long, scorching, sleepless night—the prelude to what was supposed to be an energetic, exciting day.
She'd tossed and turned until well after midnight. She contemplated opening the window and sleeping entirely in the nude but opted for one of the shirts she had stolen from Eligh years ago, which now dangled off her right shoulder, revealing her bra strap.
"Definitely going to need a damn energy drink," she said miserably as she rose from her chair, leaving the soggy cereal behind as she made her way to the bathroom to freshen up.
She'd sorted the day's clothes out the night before, just an hour before the AC shorted out. A simple white tank top and sports bra beneath a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt and a pair of cutoff denim shorts. She'd grab one of her many weathered baseball caps, putting her hair in a ponytail that she'd pull through the snap. Spending time out in the sun, coat fur or not, one had to go prepared.
Leaving the bathroom, her phone began to ring. "Big Guy" flashed across the screen along with the image of a drunken Eligh from last year's New Year's party.
"Aye," she practically yelled into the receiver. "Still no air conditioning."
The sound of metallic clatter and reverb could be heard coming out of the speaker before Eligh's gravelly voice drowned it out, "I'm really sorry about that, Brigs. The landlord had sent out a group text saying that it'd be this evening before it got fixed, tomorrow afternoon at the latest."
Brigid remained silent, chewing on the info before replying. Sure, she'd be out and about until this evening and might even go party afterward, but the peace of mind of knowing she'd be coming back to a chilled apartment would have made things more enjoyable. Hell, she might even meet that special someone--
Advrik.
Any bitter retort she'd chambered fell out blank at the thought of that wolf. Why had he run away like he did? They were having a decent time, or at least she thought so. Turning back to see nothing but a half-empty red party cup had singed her more than she thought. She didn't necessarily believe in love at first sight, but that interaction that night was edging her toward becoming a believer.
"Meet me at Town Hall around 9am. That's when we'll be holding the opening ceremony. I want you there with me--"
Brigid interrupted him, "I know, I know; I'll be there to support you, Big Guy." She paused for a second, chewing on her following statement. "And before you ask, yes, we're going to get you laid tonight. For sho'."
* * *
He'd heard and seen the text from Advrik an hour ago, but he wasn't a texting sort of beast. Or even a communicative one, for that matter. Sure, he'd humor an in-person conversation for a few minutes(depending on the beast) and would regularly talk with customers and describe menu items as needed, but for those he was paid for.
Deep within his underground bedroom, the clacking of a mechanical keyboard was the only other noise to accompany the hum of the boarding houses' AC unit.
"And that, my friends," That last bit sounded so forced to the mole who would never talk like that in real life, "was how the old raven and the old field mouse came to bond over their mutual hatred for anybeast younger than sixty years old." He hit the Enter key, finishing the final paragraph of yet another chapter of his, as he described to Advrik that fateful day back in the cafe, "Not-So Fictional Tell-All About a Small Northeastern Town."
Outside, the sun was up high enough now that even the blackout curtains across his ground-level windows couldn't hold back the heat, or the noise for that matter, as the crowds began to amass in the street.
Stretching, his arms (and nose tentacles) all reaching towards the ceiling, a popping sound reverberated from his lower back as he shifted his wide bottom out of the chair. "Fuck me, that hurt. Been sitting there too long," He said as he rubbed his ass, noting a particularly tender spot that was for sure turning into another sore.
"The price one must pay to achieve underground greatness," He thought as he climbed atop the old wooden chest Toh had given him. Well, less had given him, but more allowed him to use as it was already stored here, to begin with. The cat had claimed he was never able to rent out the basement-level room, so it went unfurnished for the most part and was used as storage.
Pulling back the curtain and lifting the blinds, he was assaulted with a sea of legs, paws and claws as the sidewalk and the street beyond it was full of beasts. "If I had a decent camera, I could probably make a killing selling candid paw photos from this view." He tapped his chin with his claw as he pondered the prospect. "Definitely going to make a mental note of that for later,"
Down the road, the testing of a microphone could be heard. The opening ceremony for the day's events was about to begin.
After climbing down from the chest and retrieving his phone from the crevice between his bed and the wall, he opened his texting app and finally replied to Advrik.
ME: "I'm up. About to head to the street, meet me @ funnel cake truck."
The reply came seconds later,
ADVRIK: "About time. The opening ceremony is about to happen. Get over here to the town hall."
He hit send and tucked the phone into his pocket. He'd be wearing a simple solid color shirt under his usual denim overalls this time. "Eh, clean enough," He thought as he spied the raspberry jam stain that had befallen him at the bakery the other day.
Grabbing his backpack from the door hook and tossing it over his shoulder, he ascended the stairs that would take him into the living room of the boarding house. The old, unworking television sitting on the floor still, he spied. Having offered several times to fix it for Toh, the cat declined every time. It pained the mole to see such lovely artifacts from his childhood left in unworking state, even if it wasn't ever necessarily to be used.
Someday, he thought as he glanced at a few of the other boarders. They largely kept to themselves, thankfully. The only time any interactions were to be had usually happened when lines formed for the bathroom or laundry rooms.
He stepped out into the morning sun, his eyes burning as they adjusted to the blinding sunlight. Not a cloud in the sky, just a bright burning ball of gas lightyears away and an oceanic blue as far as the eye could see. "Damn, it's already fuckin' hot." He groaned, rubbing his burning eyes as he stepped out onto the street and right into the backside of the last beast he wanted to see in town today.
"At least you aimed for my ass this time," said the lioness.
* * *
Callista the Mountain Lion. The fur of a pale seafoam blue and hair of the neighboring seafoam green with waves of a deeper green throughout. Standing just under six and a half feet with the body of a supermodel. If her long, slender legs, ample bosom, or shimmering yellow eyes didn't catch your attention, the two sabertooth-like fangs jutting out of her upper jaw certainly would.
"Oh shit!" The tentacle-faced mole growled.
If Desmond had the slightest inclination of a sex drive, the sight of the two women that loomed overhead right now would have had him pitching a tent. Callista had dressed accordingly today, expressing her sexuality by sporting a silky magenta-colored halter top that draped softly over her breasts, revealing the outline of a supportive sports bra beneath, the bands that reached around her back revealing it to be a lavender color.
She finished her ensemble for the day with a simple royal blue bikini bottom, completing the clothing assortment that mirrored the colors of the Bisexual flag.
"Desmond Mogu, what were the odds we'd meet with you trying to plow into me yet again?" She was trying to sound flirtatious, but the volume she had to reach made it mostly fall flat. "I'd like you to meet my friends, Leif," She gestured to the opossum with the green hair, the arms of a raccoon draped over his shoulders from behind. "And this is Ellie," she wrapped her arm around the waist of the tough-looking Doberman with the mohawk.
"Yes, well, I don't know how you learned my name, lady, but I highly suggest you not dig any deeper--"
"Ah! You see? Even his threats are digging-themed!" Callista said excitedly, eliciting a little chuckle from the intimidating canine. Even in the skimpy jogging outfit, the dog's body showed off her muscular legs and arms, complete with a toned belly and the buds of a six-pack.
"Oh fuck this and fuck you!" He yelled.
"Hey there little guy, not until I've had my fun with her." Said the doberman, her voice being far more feminine than the mole had expected.
He fled the scene, losing the lion and her pack in the crowd.
"You weren't kidding about that one, Callie," Leif said, "I'd never seen a star-nosed mole in person before. Really makes you wonder what he's capable of with those tentacles, ya know?"
The group followed the flow of the crowd as they began to amass in the courtyard of the town hall building. There, standing atop the makeshift stage behind the podium, was a positively massive grizzly bear. His body was covered in thick blond fur, and his short-cut, angular combover, and thick beard were a deep red, which stood out in stark contrast to the rest of his body. He wore a simple white tank top over a pair of black cargo.
"Got'damn!" Leif and his boyfriend both simultaneously said aloud, "The town planner is ripped!"
Callista's eyes widened at the statement as she raised a hand to point, "THAT is the town planner? The same one that put this whole event together?!" The pair nodded.
"The very same one. Didn't you hear his first speech at the town hall meeting a while back?" The raccoon said, finally releasing his grasp around Leif's shoulders.
"I... didn't attend that. I was tied up that night." She glanced at Ellie, who returned the glance with a little smirk. "So is he, like, just super supportive of the community or--"
"Oh, he's gay, all right. But very quiet, nervous, and shy." The raccoon said, "I met his roommate, and she said that Eligh-that's the town planner-that Eligh, the government official, and Eligh the grizzly bear are two totally different beasts."
Leif nodded, continuing the dialogue: "He may look like this huge, muscular beefcake, but he was super soft and quiet. I can't help but melt at the sound of that voice, though. Never seen anything like him before."
Callista glanced at the clock tower that loomed over the government building. It was nearing time for the grand opening ceremony. She could smell the fryers from the various food trucks beginning to rev up. Further mic testing from the stage in the pavilion as live performers geared up to supply musical entertainment throughout the day.
They had even erected a large projector screen in the park for movies later in the day.
The mood was positive, and the crowd's energy was electric. But despite that, the lioness couldn't shake the feeling that there was something dark brewing. She hated the feeling as it was the same one she got whenever lab results came back with bad news.
TAP, TAP, TAP
"Is this thing on? Can you all hear me?" Said the mayor.
* * *
"Before the festivities get started today, I just wanted to personally thank you all for the hard work and donations our contributors put into putting this event together. I realize that it was on such short notice for such a thing, but I had faith in our new town planner that it'd come together, and looking at you all here today and the town of Brickhedge as a whole, I can see that my faith was not misplaced." This prompted a roaring round of applause from the crowd.
"And so, with that, I'd like to turn over the mic to Eligh to give the opening remarks before we really start having some fun. Eligh, if you will?"
Sitting just off to the side, the big bear's hands shook violently. The crowd was even more significant than the one at the town hall meeting. He hadn't taken extra medication this time either, choosing to go in under as little intoxication as possible.
He was regretting that now.
A smaller hand took his, covered in purple fur. The pads of her palms and fingers were a bright pink that matched her eyes. Each pad was ringed with black fur. "You got this big guy; this is your moment; It's what you came here for; now knock 'em dead!" Brigid said encouragingly. He swallowed loudly and stood up, towering over all that currently presided over the stage.
His appearance got an even bigger reaction from the crowd, this time accompanied by catcalls, cartoonish wolf whistles, and the odd remark here and there. The blond bear took his place behind the mic, extending the stand by a whole foot just to meet his height.
Looking at him, one wouldn't be remiss to think he was a college frat boy about to swear to the assembly that he'd be taking his football team to the championships, all the while withholding remarks about how much sex he was going to have as a result.
"I first want to echo the mayor's sentiments and thank every one of you for your time, your physical and monetary contributions to the cause, and for this amazing turnout here today." His voice cracked and wavered as he spoke but maintained a steady speech pattern overall. Nobeast seemed to notice from what Brigid could tell, with several males in the front staring at the big bear with lust in their eyes.
She couldn't blame them either. She'd lived with Eligh for several years now, and hardly a day had gone by that she didn't catch herself checking him out. Eligh always feigned ignorance, but he knew. Being what he was, who he was, and how he looked, he became painfully aware of how other beasts, male and female, gazed upon him like he was some national treasure.
"When me and my friend both moved here to Brickhedge early last spring, we admittedly weren't well versed in what to expect from the town given just how little knowledge and info there actually was of it. I don't know what town currently holds the title of America's best-kept secret, but Brickhedge is certainly qualified to hold it if I do say so myself." This got the crowd going again, this time in the name of hometown support.
"Brickhedge number one!"
"Best town in the world!"
"We rule!"
Eligh smiled. "Today's Pride Month celebration only happened because of all of you. The amount of support the office saw flood in following that town hall meeting was mindblowing. We live in a world today where beasts like me;--like the lot of you--we're mistreated as if we were subprimal not just in America but all over the world. Whether you're transgender, gay, or lesbian, it doesn't matter. Hatred and bigotry are rampant in society in every corner of the world. It's a sad matter of fact." He said, his voice sounding more firm now as he looked out over the crowd, then back at Brigid who was giving him two big thumbs up.
Turning his focus back to the crowd and scanning it once more, he saw the beasts that supported him every step of the way here. Members of the LGBTQ+ were loud and proud here in Brickhedge, and that's what this event was primarily about.
"Pride Month to some has been coopted by mega-corporations in recent years, which has admittedly become a double-edged sword of sorts. Sure, it's a show of the progress we have made in this world, but at the same time, it hurts as well seeing the Suits up in their office attempting to understand us with their tone-death product placement and ill-informed support campaigns. This event today is to remind everyone that we're beasts like everyone else, that we just want to be accepted as everyone else."
One last glance across the audience, his sight lingering on a blue lion who'd been hanging on to his every word before moving onto a brown wolf with a distorted visage at the far back. Beside him was a little fat mole with an odd-shaped nose that Eligh recognized as Desmond from the coffee shop; why his vision had rested on these three individuals for as long as it did was perplexing, almost making him lose the final bit of his speech to the ether of his mind.
"So, as we begin the festivities today, I'd like to thank every single one of you lovely creatures one last time for coming out today and making my first project a colossal success. I hope you all have a great time, and I will see you around town." He awkwardly bowed and quickly stumbled off stage to a roaring round of applause as Kesha's 'Die Young' began to play over the town hall's PA system.
"I saw him," Eligh said, his voice husky as the adrenaline began to subside and his anxiety took the wheel.
"Who?" Brigid asked.
"Your little wolf boy. He's in the crowd." He said, twisting the cap off of his bottle of Xanax and popping two bars. "If he even had the slightest impression that we were a couple before, I think my speech probably did away with that." He smiled before sitting down beside a tree, chugging an entire bottle of water in one go.
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