That Demon Furry

“I need a coffee.” She breathes out, splaying her arms high above to stretch her shoulders and back. She is rewarded with some satisfying joint cracks and tension releasing. The cafe she was planning to go to wasn’t too far away, so she didn’t need to get completely dressed up. A quick squeeze into some jeans, and warm half-zipped up hoodie was the outfit additions she settled on, along with her snug wrist support she wore to prevent carpel tunnel. Purse, keys, phone, and head full of fictional drama and world building. Time to go!

The cafe was moderately busy, though with mercy was staff accordingly. Jessa could tell the queue was moving at quite a pace, soon finding herself at the counter. The slim fox behind the counter gave a polite but tired smile.

“Hey Jacob, I’ll have my usual please.” She already had her reward and bank cards at the ready. Jacob grabs a disposable cup and sleeve, scribbling her name down as well as a few quick ref notes for the drink.

“Coffee with milk, caramel and a choc dusting.” He responded in a monotone voice of the hard worker, punching in the selection, swapping the rewards card and setting the reader to payment. “Shouldn’t be too long, Kraol is on fire today.” Kraol is the tall Hyenid further along the counter, managing to juggle two different orders simultaneously. Jessa thought she spied the yeen trying to squeeze a third order into the routine.

Jessa Joins the small crowd at the end of the counter, heads bowed in prayer to the rectangle of captured attention everybody owned. She used her time to glance through her socials. A couple fellow artists were having an intentionally bad art throw down, filling up most of her Hootling timeline. She came back to the present hearing Kraol calling an “-essa” to the counter. She had a moment of tunnel vision, nearing bumping into another woman.

“Ye, that’ll be me!” “Thanks darling!” Jessa and the other woman stop in pace with each other, looking to each other in confusion.

“Uhm, Tessa?” Kraol looks between Jessa, and the sheep anthro. Her face is a deep brown, with fluffy white wool framing her face, Her eyes are a mustard yellow with the recognizable Caprinae shaped pupil. Cascading down the back of her was straightened lavender dyed wool from the top of her head, a few bangs intentionally resting over her forehead. She is dressed just as casual as Jessa was, with a loose for a wooly sheep t-shirt with an indie band logo and navy blue tracksuit bottoms, with matching tracksuit jacket tied around her waist. Kraol had put the drink down on the counter to not lose her rhythm.

“That’s me.” The sheep woman picks up her drink, making her way to a table. Jessa couldn’t hep but blush over the moment, inwardly screaming to herself to pay more attention, but also marveling at how pretty the woman before her was.

“Jessa!” Kraol was back with Jessa’s drink. She is shaken from her second zoning out, collecting the drink from the yeen. As she turns to leave, the sheep waves for her attention. Jessa falters for a moment, feeling the blush on her face again. “Tessa” seems to notice, giggling softly as Jessa approaches.

“So, ‘Jessa,’ you come here often?” Tessa has a playful smirk on her face. “All’s wool that ends wool, as they say though.” She leans forward, resting her muzzle in one hand, using the other to sip from her beverage. Jessa notices the ref notes on the sleeve are identical to hers.

“Well, ‘Tessa,’ I come every other day or so.” Jessa can’t help her attention be drawn to Tessa’ eyes. She also feels like she’s being a dork of nerves, so attempts to go on the offensive. “I must really need more caffeine to miss you walking around.” Give her a wink, that’ll be the right signal, right? Jessa shrinks into herself internally, recognizing that she is completely up a paddle without a creek. Tessa smiles more, holding back a small laugh.

“I’m Theresa, lovely to meet you.” She set down her drink, and offers Jessa her hand for a shake.

“Jessica.” She takes the hand, and politely shakes it. “I am surprised we haven’t crossed paths before if we’re both regulars here. I see we also have the same taste in coffee.”

“Always best to keep it simple, I find.” Tessa examines the cup, returning to regard Jessa. I’m normally here in the afternoons. Need to get a boost to keep up with my friends online after a long day of staring at a screen with line after line of text, and seeing the same clips over and over again.”

“Oh I know the feeling.” Jessa leans forward, nerves set back to speak more calmly with a kindred creative. “I needed a refill today because the scene I’m working has got so much drama up in the air, it’s intense.” Tessa’s eyes flick over to Jessa’s wrist support, a moment of worry on her face.

“Ooh, you’re an artist? Sadly I’m more somewhat the enemy of the artist, being a reviewer by trade.”

The two women settled to chat as they slowly drank through their beverages. Tessa finished hers, but Jessa’s managed to go unfinished and cold. The unsavory taste made Jessa check the time, coming to the forlorn conclusion that she had spent nearly two hours in the cafe. It saddened her hat she’d need to leave.

“So listen, I know we only just met, but seem a lovely person to get to know.” Jessa started, Tessa giving a knowing but polite smirk. “Maybe I could get your number, and we can maybe plan to bump into each other another time?” The heat returned to Jessa’s face as she spoke.

“That sounds lovely. Trade phones a second?” She pulled out her own phone, and loaded up the contacts list for Jessa to add hers, and Jessa did the same. She briefly gets cold-feet, but having the other woman's phone in hand made her keep going. ‘The Other Coffee Shop ‘Essa’’ is what she put down as the contact name.

They traded back, both getting up from their seats to dispose of rubbish and make their way out. Jessa’s phone was already locked when she got it back, which she hadn’t thought to do herself. It meant she would have to wait to see what Tessa had put in her contact field. They stepped out and to the side of the cafe door.

“Well I’m going this way, how about you?” It was only now that Jessa noticed that Tessa was roughly the same height as her, maybe an inch taller than her 5’9” self. Following behind her, she had noticed Tessa’s lavender hair reached just below her shoulders.

“Sadly I’m the opposite way.” Jessa fidgeted a little in the street. “It was lovely to meet you, perhaps properly since we both come here.”

“Don’t keep a girl waiting, would you?” Tessa gives her a smile and a wink, and turns to leave. Jessa takes a moment to watch the sheep walk away before turning herself home. Somehow home felt further away now.

*Kuh-thunk* The door closes behind Jessa, and she lets go of the breathe she has been holding the entire time. She feels weak in the legs, flumping against the door and sliding down to the floor.

Following the instructions given by Mully over the phone, you and Maliella try your combined best to relax into the friday night. This manifested as throwing on cheesy horror movies from decades past, with over the top practical effects, cringe inducing dialogue, and checking the boxes of at least twenty horror movie clichés.

Over the course of the night is when it happened. In your memory, you can’t quite remember when the change occurred, except that it was just after recovering from a lame but well timed jump scare.

You had grown used to the feeling of having someone in your arms, snuggled up close. One hand gripping the front of your unbuttoned work shirt, as you softly rubbed her shoulder in turn. Maybe it was the flick of her ear? Or a quick glimpse at the light that was nestled in each eye socket. The movie was forgotten, and you could only marvel at the women beside you.

She is covered in fur, unkempt in places and darker than the deepest void. Her body is at a guess about your height, minus an inch or two, with a very slim athletic build. Her face is a stark contrast of a canine, or perhaps vulpine, skull including jaw. Lightly fluffed and triangular ears sit behind, nestled into the denser head hair. Something inky but not quite black fills the gaps in places like her nasal cavity and eye sockets, or as a muscle-like structure somehow both in front and behind her upper and lower teeth. You’re finally drawn to her eyes as she catches on to your staring, looking up to meet you face to face for the first time. They’re expressive pools of the purest white you have ever seen. Combined with the inky filling of the sockets, they look like the proverbial “light at the end of the tunnel.”

You bring your free hand over, and slowly bring it to her jaw. The sensation like static erupts at your fingertips, combined with the subtle dips and grooves like wood grain inlaid into the distinctly bone material. She mirrors your motions, her black furred hand tenderly coming up to caress your cheek. Her fur is warm, and doesn’t tickle. You maybe feel small leathery pads akin to those on dog paws. She is deft in ensuring her present claws come no closer than needed.

As if reading each other's mind, you pull closer, her longer-than-a-humans’ snout making the journey trivial. Your lips touch bone but also do not, feeling the soft resistance of lips that quiver in longing. She lifts herself up to free her other arm, and you continue to pull her close. She moves both hands around your neck, trembling as if in the denial of a drowning sailor finally being plucked from a storming ocean. She loses balance, but you hold her close as she twists to now lay across your lap.

The fanfare of possessed dolls causing mayhem on the TV does nothing to sully the moment. It feels like you’ve known her for over a year, teased this moment through every message sent between you. You both break the passionate kiss, and look again into each other's eyes. You stare at her in wonder, she upon you as if her saviour. Her breath hitches, prompting her to wrap her arms around you tightly as oil-black tears roll across her features from her eyes.

…

*jingle* Mraow~

You and Maliella are interrupted from your cuddling, by Madam Snowbell McDeathblizzards’ jumping into the space between you both. You and Maliella glance at each other, before laughing softly. The cat takes an interest in Maliella, leaning up to the skull face to give a sniff, a quick lick, and finally an affectionate headbutt to the side of the skull.

You smile warmly as the newest woman in your life finally meets your manager of the home. You hadn’t thought this outcome was likely just a few weeks ago. Your reverie disturbed by the grumble of your body reminding you food is important. McDeathblizzard turns to you, and gives a very loud hungry meow to punctuate the point.

“Seems we nearly forgot dinner.” You think aloud, prompting a small laugh from Maliella.

“Good thing you have such a cute reminder, here.” The first words spoken by her, and your heart flutters. Such a sweet voice, with a subtle edge of static most noticeable in the ‘S’s.

“I have to ask, will you be joining me?” You don’t think it’ll be a problem for you to cook for two, but also you had no idea if she actually needed food. She may just need a fully charged phone battery for sustenance?

“You asked me that already.” She playfully pokes your gut. “I enjoy the smell of your cooking, but I don’t think I physically need it.”

You decide to order in a large pizza, half is your personal preference, while the other is a mixed party topping. Plenty for two, and never anything wrong with having the leftovers stored in the fridge. With the pizza ordered via phone app, you sit down on the couch and are quickly joined by one fuzzy companion then the other.

“Shouldn’t be too long for our order to arrive.” One hand pet the cat, while the other gently holds Maliella’s shoulder.

…

“It is really useful that you don’t seem to be seen by most people, even now.” You comment, after closing the door and walking to the kitchen. “Unless that delivery guy did see you, and just didn’t want to say anything.”

“I don’t think he saw me” Maliella replies, finger on her chin in typical thinkers fashion. “I somehow feel that the only ones who could see me would be other oddities and such.” She shivers, shuffling closer to you for comfort. “Makes me scared about that Moira woman. When she appeared in the coffee shop, I hid, even though I wanted to be there for you…”

“I came out of that alright” You reply, turn to stroke her head and peck a kiss on her skull face. “Shaken up, yes, but she didn’t try anything else. Hopefully these people Mully is sending over will be able to shed some light on what we’re dealing with?”

…

…

…

It is late saturday morning, and you’re waking in your double bed with your arms filled with soft woman. Her back is against your chest, your face is drowned in her mane of dense black hair though you breath easy. Your left arm is softly wrapped around her torso, hand tucked under her slim waist, your right curved a little awkwardly around her pillow. If this is how you’re going to wake up from now on, how will you ever get to work on time again? But get up you must, especially when you notice the time as gone 10am, and you need to give the apartment a quick clean up at least where your guests will see.