Last Tail - Chapter 06: Settling In

 

The week following the grand migration from his little beaten-down apartment in Pennsylvania to… wherever the heck Brickhedge was had been a peaceful affair for the wolf. 

Despite the state of the property and the amount of work looming overhead in getting it back up to living conditions, Advrik felt a glimmer of positivity in his life once again for the first time in a long time.

The springtime sun shone down with a warmth tinged with an underlying chill, indicative of this time of year. It felt great against his fur as he slowly began to shed the thick winter undercoat that had insulated him these last few months.

Walking the perimeter of the house, the first thing he noticed about the structure was that the foundation was well-kept, if nothing else. It’s just… everything else that needed to be done on the outside, as well as the mountain of work that the inside required, meant a heck of a time.

First, the piles of debris from what he had assumed to be storms had to be piled up and carted off. Then he’d need to borrow a scythe or buy an industrial-strength herbicide to kill the impossibly tall weeds that choked every square inch of the hundred-and-fifty square-foot yard.

 Then there was the matter of replacing the black iron fence that outlined the yard. Bars and posts were rusted away or flat-out missing. Empty soda bottles found themselves impaled on the random spike. It looked bad and would be one more major expense when the time came.

It was his fault, he thought to himself as he attempted to walk the microscopic plot of land, stepping over decaying trash bags full of garbage, cinder blocks, and, was… was that a pull-along aerator in there?! Crimeny! There wasn’t even enough room to run a riding mower in here.

Inspecting the actual foundation of the house and relieved him to some degree. The corners were a bit damaged, chipped here and there, but nothing in dire need of repair. He’d lucked out in that regard. Considering the location, the house could have easily landed in the six-digit range if it were anywhere else in the country.

It was an absolute steal, or so he thought, up until he turned that key and had to push the door open against nearly two feet of solidly packed trash!

The interior of the house was much, much worse. They say all houses have a story to tell. But the first impression the wolf got on the first day was that whatever story this house had, it probably belonged to a Godless Horror publication.

Trash littered nearly every square inch of the ground level. In every room. Reminding the grey wolf of the trash compactor scene from Star Wars. At any moment, a huge eyeball on a thick stalk could pop up and scan the area before disappearing below the debris once more.

It smelled relatively okay, all things considered, save for a few leaks in the upstairs roof that led to mildew and possibly mold here and there. But the downstairs, with its twelve inches of accumulated trash, lacked much of an odor at all. It was just discarded empty food boxes and… remarkably, a bag of Cooler Ranch Doritos. 

“They haven’t called them Cooler Ranch since the 90s…” Advrik said aloud, using his grabber tool to stuff the ancient waste into a bigger bag.

After a few hours of steady work inside, the ground floor had been fairly traversable. The dirty grey carpet that ran the length of the base floor became visible. Dark, deep-set stains were common, pockmarks that could only be made by greasy foods.

He could now walk the length of the house, starting from the front door, which settled beside two large side-by-side windows. Something the wolf felt he might tear out down the road and put in a large bay window.

Starting from the front door, he walked along a path of remarkable pristine hardwood flooring that he’d uncovered as he cut away the nasty, grunge-filled carpet. Following it forward, past the staircase to the “second floor,” straight to the kitchen. It was an open-air sort, divided only by a small island bar. None of the appliances in here beyond the microwave looked as if they’d been used, all looking surprisingly brand new.

Turning around to survey his work, he was pleased. A wave of the confidence he’d had prior to actually seeing the structure had returned as he envisioned his life in this admittedly small house, but as a single wolf just trying to make it in life, yeah, this could work.

The “EEE-EEE” sounding horn of the local USPS truck driver snapped him out of his reverie, the sight of the vehicle pulling up to the curb just outside his windows. He knew the bed frame and foam mattress he’d ordered were supposed to arrive today, and since he hadn’t had much time to mingle with the locals since he arrived, why not make it good with his mail carrier?

Stepping outside onto the warming spring sun, past the mounting pile of black construction-grade trash bags, down the shattered cement paved walkway, and through the rusty iron gate whose hinges sounded like the shriek of a Banshee, the wolf arrived at the sidewalk, and the small rocking USPS truck that awaited him.

The pleasant aroma of freshly blooming mountain flowers assaulted the wolf’s nose. It danced on the gentle breeze that swept through the town, bringing with it not just floral scents, but smells from the various bakeries and diners that were all along Main Street. It was delightful.

But not as delightful as what he saw the moment the side door of the USPS truck slid open.

An almost too perfectly round of a butt, accented by prominent hips and crowned with a thick black tail with a long stripe of white fur running its length, appeared from within, held aloft by two long, powerful-looking legs that ended in clawed paws.

“You’re lucky you’re on my route,” the woman said, pulling not one but two large boxes from the truck and setting them onto the sidewalk with ease. “I doubt the other route-runners would be as accommodating to you, Mr…” She turned, revealing her true identity: A skunk with vibrant, glimmering emerald green eyes, black and white hair done up in box-braids that perfectly accentuated the shear beauty of her face.

“Drahcir,” He said, extending a hand in greeting, “And you are…?”

She studied his hand, green eyes shifting from it to the wolf’s ember-red eyes. Finally, she took it, her black pads meeting his brick-red pads in a shake. Her touch was delicate, he thought, but her paw pads were dry and cracked.

“I’m Gwenivere, or Gwen for short,” Her eyes darted to the pile of trash bags in front of the small house, its wide open windows. “I see you’re doing some work on the old Crenshaw place. They’re finally getting it prepped for demolition, or…” She paused, realizing one of the boxes she’d pulled from her truck had “Serta” printed on the side.

A foam mattress.

“You moved into that dump?!” She said behind a stifled laugh.

Advrik felt his ears droop. She’d been the first townie to emote in a way that didn’t immediately come off as kind. “Well, yeah. I got it for a steal. Sight unseen—“

“You’d have to! No way anybeast would buy that trash heap if they had the chance to look at it first.” Even through her mockery, the skunk was drop-dead gorgeous. Her pink nose accentuated her green eyes even further. She sported a healthy-looking full figure, ample breasts, and hips that, if used correctly, could seriously injure a person. 

“It… It really isn’t as bad as it looks.” He said, fully aware of the pyramid of stuffed-full trash bags that piled up outside the front door. 

Gwen disappeared into the truck again, retrieving the last of the mail addressed to the wolf. As she stepped back out onto the sidewalk, her breasts jiggled in that tell-tale way that told the wolf that she wasn’t wearing a bra.

“You’ve ordered quite a bit. All from Amazon, too…” She scanned each package, marking it as delivered. “There’s even more back at the office, so our weekend Prime carrier will swing around in the morning with the rest of it.”

He felt embarrassed all of a sudden. It was true he hadn’t brought much of anything besides a few blankets, his clothes, and his electronics from his old place. The listing HAD said it was fully furnished, but that quickly translated to “Local thrift shops required for further furnishing” as he explored the place.

“Yeah, I guess it was a bit more than I anticipated, being a first-time home buyer and all.”

She patted him on the shoulder. “Oh yeah, sure thing there, big guy.” The skunk smiled as she climbed back into her truck, giving Advrik a marvelous sunlit view of her butt before she sat down. “See you around, Mr. Wolf.” She drove off, stopping at the neighbor’s mailbox a few yards away.