Carlos wandered through the forest. He knew he’d seen a cave somewhere – it looked like an old bear cave, though he hadn’t gone in it before. He wanted to be as far away from his camp and the summer camps, in case the children had an idea to wander around at night to hunt for snipes. The full moon would make visibility perfect for it, so it was a reasonable concern in Carlos’ mind.
He finally came across the cave he was looking for. And not too soon either – the moon would rise probably within the next ten minutes. Carlos ventured forth, holding his flashlight up to search the inside of the cave. Hopefully it was empty. Could a werewolf beat a bear? Maybe?
his tail swayed softly ‘It Must Be Nice, But Why Not Tonight?’
Carlos thought about how to put this.
Because… you could say I’m having a bad night, and I don’t think I’d be perceived as good company in the state I’m in.
‘You Have Seemed Grumpy All Night..’ he glanced out of the cave ‘.. Maybe You Could Come Back Tomorrow When You’re Feeling Better’
Carlos made a non-committal huff as he carefully arranged his clothes onto the labcoat he laid out.
You said… that you liked the children at the camps just fine, right?
‘Yes, They Give Out Good Treats, Though Some Of The Olders Humans Don’t Like Me Hanging Around..’
Well, that’s understandable. Children are young and could be considered easy prey to some predators.
Carlos was quiet for a moment as he tried to fold his pants with his too-big paws.
What if I told you that one of those children is mine?
he lifted and tilted his head ‘Really? Which?’
Carlos would have smiled. Instead, his tail thumped cheerfully against the ground at the thought of Angela.
The little girl with long, curly black hair. She likes… learning. And she likes… um, human stories with things called ‘robots’ in them. She likes ancient creatures that used to walk the Earth and she’s just… she’s very sweet. And loving. And eager to know everything.
his tail started to wag with the others, his wings twitching slightly “I Think I’ve Seen her Before!’
You might’ve, Carlos said. Though she never mentioned you… she hasn’t been here as long as some of the other kids.
You know, I had a friend when I was like 13 who said sexuality was a spectrum and it made a lot of sense at the time in the most simplistic concept of a spectrum of sexuality as I understood it back in like 1992. As I have gotten older, the spectrum has gotten more complex from the way I viewed it at 13, but the basic concept was one that has continued to seem relevant. And never has it had to be completely rethought to me as I have become more aware of all the different shades in the spectrum of sexuality, only expanded to include new shades.
Carlos wandered through the forest. He knew he’d seen a cave somewhere – it looked like an old bear cave, though he hadn’t gone in it before. He wanted to be as far away from his camp and the summer camps, in case the children had an idea to wander around at night to hunt for snipes. The full moon would make visibility perfect for it, so it was a reasonable concern in Carlos’ mind.
He finally came across the cave he was looking for. And not too soon either – the moon would rise probably within the next ten minutes. Carlos ventured forth, holding his flashlight up to search the inside of the cave. Hopefully it was empty. Could a werewolf beat a bear? Maybe?
his tail swayed softly ‘It Must Be Nice, But Why Not Tonight?’
Carlos thought about how to put this.
Because… you could say I’m having a bad night, and I don’t think I’d be perceived as good company in the state I’m in.
‘You Have Seemed Grumpy All Night..’ he glanced out of the cave ‘.. Maybe You Could Come Back Tomorrow When You’re Feeling Better’
Carlos made a non-committal huff as he carefully arranged his clothes onto the labcoat he laid out.
You said… that you liked the children at the camps just fine, right?
‘Yes, They Give Out Good Treats, Though Some Of The Olders Humans Don’t Like Me Hanging Around..’
Well, that’s understandable. Children are young and could be considered easy prey to some predators.
Carlos was quiet for a moment as he tried to fold his pants with his too-big paws.
What if I told you that one of those children is mine?
he lifted and tilted his head ‘Really? Which?’
Carlos would have smiled. Instead, his tail thumped cheerfully against the ground at the thought of Angela.
The little girl with long, curly black hair. She likes… learning. And she likes… um, human stories with things called ‘robots’ in them. She likes ancient creatures that used to walk the Earth and she’s just… she’s very sweet. And loving. And eager to know everything.
Carlos wandered through the forest. He knew he’d seen a cave somewhere – it looked like an old bear cave, though he hadn’t gone in it before. He wanted to be as far away from his camp and the summer camps, in case the children had an idea to wander around at night to hunt for snipes. The full moon would make visibility perfect for it, so it was a reasonable concern in Carlos’ mind.
He finally came across the cave he was looking for. And not too soon either – the moon would rise probably within the next ten minutes. Carlos ventured forth, holding his flashlight up to search the inside of the cave. Hopefully it was empty. Could a werewolf beat a bear? Maybe?
his tail swayed softly ‘It Must Be Nice, But Why Not Tonight?’
Carlos thought about how to put this.
Because… you could say I’m having a bad night, and I don’t think I’d be perceived as good company in the state I’m in.
‘You Have Seemed Grumpy All Night..’ he glanced out of the cave ‘.. Maybe You Could Come Back Tomorrow When You’re Feeling Better’
Carlos made a non-committal huff as he carefully arranged his clothes onto the labcoat he laid out.
You said… that you liked the children at the camps just fine, right?
‘Yes, They Give Out Good Treats, Though Some Of The Olders Humans Don’t Like Me Hanging Around..’
Well, that’s understandable. Children are young and could be considered easy prey to some predators.
Carlos was quiet for a moment as he tried to fold his pants with his too-big paws.
What if I told you that one of those children is mine?
Carlos wandered through the forest. He knew he’d seen a cave somewhere – it looked like an old bear cave, though he hadn’t gone in it before. He wanted to be as far away from his camp and the summer camps, in case the children had an idea to wander around at night to hunt for snipes. The full moon would make visibility perfect for it, so it was a reasonable concern in Carlos’ mind.
He finally came across the cave he was looking for. And not too soon either – the moon would rise probably within the next ten minutes. Carlos ventured forth, holding his flashlight up to search the inside of the cave. Hopefully it was empty. Could a werewolf beat a bear? Maybe?
his tail swayed softly ‘It Must Be Nice, But Why Not Tonight?’
Carlos thought about how to put this.
Because… you could say I’m having a bad night, and I don’t think I’d be perceived as good company in the state I’m in.
‘You Have Seemed Grumpy All Night..’ he glanced out of the cave ‘.. Maybe You Could Come Back Tomorrow When You’re Feeling Better’
Carlos made a non-committal huff as he carefully arranged his clothes onto the labcoat he laid out.
You said… that you liked the children at the camps just fine, right?
Carlos wandered through the forest. He knew he’d seen a cave somewhere – it looked like an old bear cave, though he hadn’t gone in it before. He wanted to be as far away from his camp and the summer camps, in case the children had an idea to wander around at night to hunt for snipes. The full moon would make visibility perfect for it, so it was a reasonable concern in Carlos’ mind.
He finally came across the cave he was looking for. And not too soon either – the moon would rise probably within the next ten minutes. Carlos ventured forth, holding his flashlight up to search the inside of the cave. Hopefully it was empty. Could a werewolf beat a bear? Maybe?
his tail swayed softly ‘It Must Be Nice, But Why Not Tonight?’
Carlos thought about how to put this.
Because… you could say I’m having a bad night, and I don’t think I’d be perceived as good company in the state I’m in.
Carlos hadn’t been feeling well when he got up this morning. That didn’t stop him from going down to the lab to work, of course not, but he just felt… different.
As always, while working Carlos had the radio running and he was listening to Cecil’s show in between the weather reports and the eyeless children that showed up at the station to give memos from City Council.
Carlos wandered through the forest. He knew he’d seen a cave somewhere – it looked like an old bear cave, though he hadn’t gone in it before. He wanted to be as far away from his camp and the summer camps, in case the children had an idea to wander around at night to hunt for snipes. The full moon would make visibility perfect for it, so it was a reasonable concern in Carlos’ mind.
He finally came across the cave he was looking for. And not too soon either – the moon would rise probably within the next ten minutes. Carlos ventured forth, holding his flashlight up to search the inside of the cave. Hopefully it was empty. Could a werewolf beat a bear? Maybe?
he lifted his head up ‘You Don’t Have To Go, Honestly It’s been Nice Having Someone To Talk Too..’ he sighed softly ‘I’m Sure You’ve Noticed There’s Not Many Other Animals Over Here…’
There still aren’t, Carlos couldn’t help himself saying. He looked at his clothes and tried to think of the best way to carry them. His paws could grab onto things, but they were so massive that… he just wasn’t used to them at all.
he tilted his head confusedly as he looked at the clothes ‘What Do You Mean By That?’
Carlos looked back at him. Um… I’m not exactly a wolf? I would have thought my size alone would have clued you in, but… you know, most wolves aren’t exactly sapient like you and I…
he looked more confused before replying ‘You’re The Same Size As Other Wolves..? I Thought You Were An Indoor Wolf..’
Carlos just looked at him. An ‘indoor wolf’?Like… a dog? No, I’m… quite a bit bigger than that too.
‘You Smell To Much Like The Camp To Not Be Though..” he shifts his wings
I’m really not a dog either. I’ll just… I’ll try to be out of your hair before sunrise. It’s for the best.
he whines softly, looking abit upset ‘You Don’t Have To Go..’
I really do. I have, uh… stuff to do.
Carlos used his paw to pick up his labcoat and tried to lay it out flat on the ground. Maybe he could make a bindle with it…
he whined again, laying his down slowly ‘Okay…’
This made Carlos pause. He felt bad about it, yeah, but… he was concerned. The other creature said
it was alright with children, but it also said that people were…
hunting it, or something. Carlos, as an adult, could be perceived as a
threat (maybe more threatening than a giant wolf-man, apparently). And
as a human, Carlos couldn’t defend himself. It was just… logical that
he try to relocate before he turned back.
Should he try to explain
it, though? Explain what exactly was going on with him? He barely knew
this other creature, and honestly didn’t quite trust it, but… it
seemed genuinely upset by Carlos leaving.
Do you… have a name?
he asked curiously. He wasn’t expecting an answer, really, since he
didn’t think animals gave themselves names, but… he wasn’t sure.
his ear flicked slightly, taking a minute to think before replying “People Call Me Drake Alot, So I Guess That’s My Name, What’s Yours? Do You Have A Name?”
He could use this as a segue, he thought.
It’s… Carlos. It’s a human name.
‘Do You Spend Your Time Around Alot Of Humans?’ he tilted his head slightly
All my time, Carlos said. Except tonight. He didn’t mean to sound cryptic – he was trying to ease into the actual truth with half-truths, like slowly opening a velcro bag so that it didn’t make too much noise.
The Perfect Scientist 