Accommodations and Acclimation Chapter 4

I’d made myself comfortable in the back seat, tossing the bag I’d brought under my neck as the car started moving. I’m not sure if I dozed off or it was the rhythmic thumping of the tires over some poorly paved road that lulled me but by my ears set at the sound of Bridgett snickering in the front seat.

“He ordered the Pecasta pasta and Garlic bread. I haven’t either. I didn’t even know it was possible.”

I sat up and sighed, catching her eyes flick to the rearview mirror. “Tell them I’m a squirrel and it will be easier to explain.”

“Yes, that’s him, he’s funny too. At least he thinks he is. Still a wolf though.”

I smirked as I leaned back into the seat. “You shouldn’t be talking about me with civilians. I think you need some kind of security clearance for that.”

She looked back narrowing her eyes in a sly smile and shook her head. “Let me call you back. He was angry at me when we left, but now I think he wants attention. Bye.”

She laid her phone on the dash and the car swerved as I crawled between the front seats and shimmied into the passenger side. Another vehicle rushed up beside us with a shocked buffalo gaping at me as I flipped him off and falling back with a disgruntled frown. “Making enemies isn’t going to help you in this.”

I looked at her sarcastically and chuckled. “As if putting me in a position I know will fail will make me friends?”

“Wow.” She shook her head. “You really are depressing. You don't eat meat. Can you tell me why you’re a nutter?”

I had to blink when she looked at me waiting for an answer like that was a real expression. I couldn’t stop laughing for a good five minutes. Every time I looked at her and tried to stop it only got worse as her face lit up with embarrassment or anger. I couldn’t tell which, but it didn’t matter because I couldn’t help it. I finally had to bite my own finger and keep my eyes out the window for a while. “Vegetarian is probably what you should stick with, Bridgett.”

“Clearly.” She snarked as I looked back and found her tipping her eyes between me and the road with a confident smirk.

“Did you say that on purpose?”

“There was a delayed reaction from you. I was trying not to laugh at the look on your face and then I knew it was the look on my face making you laugh. It made it harder, but I think you needed it more than I did.”

I folded my arms over my chest and looked at her with a new appreciation. “Funny I had the same reaction when you were describing Ale on base. I could only imagine you climbing on a chair and squealing trying to get away from a spider any better than I did with that look on your face." She started laughing as she took an offramp and nodded. I guess that does sum it up well. But I eat them on occasion. I had to do a double take and the look on my face was only rivaled by her laughing. “I’m just kidding. I’m a desert warthog. I only eat plants. The common warthog will eat insects though.”

“If they have to, they have to.”

I looked away when she looked at me like her curiosity might burn though her tusks. But it wasn’t a question I wanted to answer. At least not unless it was something I needed to use to make a point or absolutely had to reveal. Things between species had become tense and many social constructs within each branch had started to pick up old ways we’d once tried to move away from. Not so much in the military because that was a different set of rules. Still- Civilization was returning to something more primitive. Packs and herds started coming back together because there was safety in numbers. It was a gruesome thought, my kind killing again. I wasn’t averse to seeing blood, but the thought of eating something/someone that had the capacity to reason and beg left me out of the loop to join anyone who’d approached me, along with the first few memories burned into my mind. It made my stomach churn. Another glance at her and I could see her watching the unease as I clutched my stomach. I didn’t want to get sick in her car any more than she wanted me to.

Synthetic proteins made of beans and nuts had taken over the predator diets many generations before I was born. Fish and birds were an acceptable alternative most preferred. Not me. I stayed with the nuts and synthetics. Anything that started with Pe was made of pecans. The rest is self-explanatory when eating anything created with any kind of nuts. You were pushing boundaries when it came to any kind of reptiles. Particularly if they walked on four legs. Turtles, salamanders, lizards, frogs and the like were vehemently protested against anywhere they were served and it created a black market that wasn't so black. At least until the packs started coming together again and smaller mammals started disappearing. Nothing I wanted to think about again.

Evenyo, moon above, how I wished those days would never return. I know I’ll end up starving to death if it comes to taking another life. I prefer the pastes they’d managed to fashion into so many different textures and flavors as substitutes. And the supplements larger predators could use to build and maintain muscle mass were impressive, one of the reasons I stayed in shape when coupled with vigorous exercise. How could anyone see food where a person was standing? Maybe I should have been born prey instead of a predator.

“Mr. Canker? Have you ever been to Primwood Arena?”

I almost laughed. “No. If you hadn’t noticed it’s out of my reach.” I didn't need to explain that as she sighed. The towering sequoias were proof enough, add in the elegance and expense and it was like throwing a dandelion into a bouquet of roses. I’d seen pictures of the trees in this part of town many times, but they were nothing compared to the actual scale of the place. Hell, even the bridges that moved between branches were covered so you couldn’t see the clear canopies that let light in. Buildings sat nestled into limbs and fancy restaurants glittered within the wooden confines of massive trunks. Crystal lights hung from branches and though it was mid- morning, I could easily imagine the glow they cast over the bricked streets that created paths in every direction. Due to their ages, the trees were considered historical and nothing could be built without the infrastructure already being a part of the natural beauty. Instead of cutting things down to make things fit, they worked around, in, and through the tree's present structure, finding ways to incorporate modern amenities by weaving them into the fabric of existence itself. This place was unlike any other part of the city. It was still alive.

I could feel the fur on my neck stand as we pulled to large glass doors structured within the bottom of a tree so large, I was sure it touched the clouds; Beckoning like heavens pearly gates and slapping down anyone not familiar as if they'd come from hell itself. “This isn’t an accurate representation of our world for the Lofurs to be introduced to.”

Bridgett closed the doors behind herself and frowned. “No one thought there would be a more acceptable place for him to stay. The security in this area is the best in the city, and so are the resources.”

I scoffed. “That’s because unlike the rest of the world who still have to struggle and deal with the collapse, these people have more money than they know what to do with. We mean nothing to them.” She looked up at me as I clenched my jaw and looked around scowling.

“Mr. Canker. I can guarantee the mammals in this province are willing to oversee many attributes considering the benefits that will come from this alliance.”

“My attributes or his? I know what they'll think if they see me walking down the street here. Benefits for who? The only things these types of people do is what will benefit themselves.” I asked looking down at her as she sighed.

“Not all people can fall under a single umbrella.”

“But they will if it means getting out of the damn rain.” As if anyone didn't know every drop would remove fur and skin if you weren't smart enough not to run for cover. An expression she clearly understood as her ears folded back.

“Please, Mr. Canker. Ale has waited patiently to meet you and you’ll find everything you might need within the dwelling provided. There’s also a detailed itinerary and schedule for you to follow.”

“I’ve no intentions of being a puppet parading him around like a freak show. I may find what I physically need, but I don’t expect any peace of mind. I haven’t agreed to this yet.” I turned to face her and she lifted her tusks when I dipped low enough to meet her eyes. “Make it clear to your bosses, and anyone else I have to deal with that I will not be bought.”

She cleared her throat and turned her eyes. “I believe they are already aware, given your recent actions.”

I lifted a brow and smirked. “Then why did you ask about my affairs earlier?”

“As a courtesy, Mr. Canker. The fall of society may be what others see, but it isn’t what I’d like to accept.”

I chuckled, unsure of the truth behind her words, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t mock her delusions and ask as if I didn't understand. “So, they’re watching me and know what I did with all the money?”

“Yes.” That was a shockingly honest answer and she truly enjoyed the disbelief I displayed at her response. I think she sensed my disapproval and it fueled her admittance. “You set up a new account. Separate from the one you already have. Made arrangements for a meager sum to be transferred each month. If I’m correct just enough to cover the payments on your family home, the storage you purchased, and annual maintenance. Combined, these charges are less than what your annual salary was before. You also requested two cards on the account, one to be authorized at a later date with the name you send to the bank system. Looking over it at first, it looked admirable, but then I saw you intended to use two cards. May I ask who it is you’re trying to get money to?”

I had to laugh, like I had use for anything other than basics anymore and didn't understand it was never truly mine anyway. “You all think I’m trying to send money to someone else?” When she tipped a brow and shrugged, I rolled my eyes. “You didn’t give me his last name and I’m not sure how he’s going to be viewed as far as citizenship’s concerned, but it’s his money. I have no use for it other than personal care."

She blinked at me, a little taken back when I smiled. “You intend on giving the other card to Ale?”

“You said I could do what I wanted with it. Yes?”

“Of course, Mr. Canker, but-

“Be as generous with him as they are being with us. Isn’t that what you said?”

“Of course, but-

“Can you have it arranged for someone to go shopping for me once a month?”

“I can do that but Ale-

“I can’t take him shopping with me, can I?”

“No but-

“The only butt on the line here is mine. I’ll return every penny if I don’t stay. Do you think I’m going to know where anything is in this part of town or not catch s**t for shopping in it?”

“An oversight I’ll correct it Mr. Canker. But Ale has no knowledge of how things work here and very little need of monetary assets. The payments are for your services."

“My services. I need very little if I’m being provided housing, food and already have personal items. I’m supposed to be teaching him, aren’t I? I think money is probably the first thing he needs to understand. Then he can decide how it’s used.”

“Well, I suppose, but don’t you think that’s the last thing you should approach?”

“No. If the Lofurs are providing something that can save the upper world, why aren’t they being paid for their services?” When I opened the door and saw her looking at the ground deep in thought, I sighed. “Bridgett.” She looked up curiously and I smiled. “Just because someone's offering you something they don’t understand the value of, doesn’t mean they should be taken advantage of by not compensating their value or the value of what they’re offering.”

She nodded silently and downed her brow. “But your value in this is just as high, we’d have no cooperation without your participation.”
“I’ll take it into consideration. I’m aware of my own value, but it’s nothing compared to what they’re offering. However, I believe you’ve misunderstood me. I don't need it and I already told you.”

“You're priceless.” She laughed and though it wasn’t the point I was trying to make, it was amusing. I think I felt something bubbly for a second. I let her step ahead of me as we entered the large house and left my bag by the door. “We’ve set up a temporary viewing room so you can get used to how he looks before you meet in person. It may help with any awkwardness before the fact. We still have a few communication issues. They don’t use an alphabet like ours and there are a few things he’s struggled to understand the meaning of in our language.”

“That’s probably normal for anyone learning a new language. You said they sing instead of talking?”

“Would you like to hear it?”

I nodded as she led me through a door where a large wall made of glass had me trying to peek over the couch in front of us. At first there was nothing but the screen in the wall playing some old movie I gave her a sarcastic look about. “We didn’t think it appropriate to show him anything aside from certain cartoons or older movies that had better…”

“Morals?”

She looked at me sadly and nodded. “But he does have access to general knowledge.”

I froze as a long arm raised above the couch, watching pale flesh shine under the lighting above. The bulbous ends of his fingers were curled into his palm, save the one swiping at the touchscreen. I couldn’t help but lean forward and compare them to mine. “He has pads on the ends of his fingers, but not his paws?”

“We aren’t sure. It appears that way. We were allowed to examine him, but were very limited in physical contact because off his natural reactions.” The television flipped to another screen and long spindly fingers grabbed at air, easily flicking through information. A large vocabulary came up and each tap on a word would exude a small whistle. I bent to my knees to see the slanted screen better. It wasn't helpful trying to discern the reflection of grey and I didn’t notice how Bridgett stepped back smiling when I started paying attention to what he was looking up. Each time a word was chosen, a word within the definition was followed to another definition until every example was exhausted. “He can read our language? This is how he learns?”

I looked over and my face fell at her grinning. “Yes. Very much like a child.”

“How did he come up with his name?”

My ears perked as the blip from another word was clicked. Morph. I looked at her and she shrugged. He's answering the question. Morph led to recast, recast led to communication and transformation, transformation led to wring, wring led to twist, compress, often used with out … I lost track they were moving so fast, but not all were technical definitions. Some were things that led to deeper meanings quoted by others. Somehow, he landed on Alé. Not defined as any kind of alcohol. It was defined as; unexplained. One letter’s sound being changed and sent it to Ala. Several different definitions for the words popped up, most of them I’d never considered the meaning of. A la; A wing? à la; in the style or manner of. (“to, on, in”), from Middle French [Term?], from Old French a (“to, towards, belonging to.) Al- eh? Torchbearer, researcher, teacher. My face scrunched up and I narrowed my eyes as Bridgett bit her lip.

“I don’t understand that but it appears his name is very intentional to this situation. He already knows we’re here.”

“Yes. His hearing is extraordinary.” The uncomfortable stance she took reminded me of her animations while describing him at the base.

“And?”

She chewed her lip looking back into the room as I stood again. “He’s without clothing right now but there isn’t anything to see. Their social structure is difficult to explain from what we know. They couple after they reach a certain age and are never alone from the time they’re born. Once they’re paired, they’re always with the other in a unit we can only assume is something like a family.” My eye twitched as she cringed. “There’s no intimate physical interactions between what they call Paira’s. He’s asked that you are his Paira.”

I didn’t need to narrow my eyes but I know I did. “You want me to pair with this guy, but he doesn’t know how to understand the language. I thought you said he sings?”

My ears set as another low whistle filled the room like a gust of wind, enveloping all my senses as several tones sent my ears flipping back and forth. How so many different sounds could be made like a symphony with enough depth to rattle your core almost had my knees wobbling. Flutes and woodwinds of anything you might imagine you'd never seen were all I could conjure in my head. So many pitches and different sounds on too many levels to confine to a single instrument going at the same time. It broke into softer bursts I swear almost caused me to see colors dancing. I clamped my eyes shut and listened to them soften to a lullaby like hum that tapered to silence. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” When I looked at her asking how silently, all she could do was smile. “Mr. Canker, I know this is a lot, but this little guy has been told his whole life that you were meant to be his Paira.”

“Paira. What is that?”

“A guide through life. A simple companion that has aged to maturity and will oversee anything his Paira is taught. A teacher, a protector, and a friend in your language.”

We both looked back in and my ears set at the mechanical voice that answered. "Step away from the furniture so I can see you." I stepped around the wall and set my ears as a thump hit the floor. She wasn’t kidding. It took everything I had not to take a step back as he hobbled around the side of the couch. Her depiction was fairly accurate. Pale sickly-looking flesh. The bands she spoke of around his squat body resembled bicycle tires stacked over each other. He was as broad as my shoulders, but he couldn’t have been more than three feet tall. Ears hung beside the sides of his face and looked like they were attached through flaps of skin that curled around the back of his head. They reminded me of curtains someone pulled up with a draw string. The longest section rested just below his shoulders. I was also struggling to understand how he maintained any kind of body heat.

No claws, no teeth that could be seen. I couldn’t imagine how he ate when his mouth didn’t appear to open any further than the slight slit below an upside-down triangular nose. It was the only thing that resembled the rabbit like appearance she’d mentioned before. He reminded me more of a furless rat with a much shorter nose. He looked about as helpless as a newborn and I’m sure if anyone hit him the right way, he’d roll down a hill and bounce like the tubes that wrapped around his body. Not much of his chest was exposed, but just under his head I could see the ‘Stitches’ she’d tried to explain and another ring where his neck should be, just above the communication collar he was wearing. The ‘stitches’ resembled opalescent scales in a much brighter white than his ashen skin. Examining his legs as he waddled closer left me staring at the same stitches along the sides of his feet and disappearing under the coils he was wrapped in. I wasn’t exactly sure how he could move at all. Most mammals had taken to walking on what was once part of their legs. The heel we now used were considered knees at one time. I could see this was the same for his species, yet he walked on his toes with what we now considered a heel tapping the coils under his back each time he took a step, making his ‘knees’ appear backwards. He wouldn’t be able to move very quickly if he got into any kind of trouble. This guy looked completely helpless. How could this species possibly have survived for so long through the ages of hunting?

I bent to my knees to greet him and carefully extended a paw. “It’s nice to meet you, Al.”

His head cocked to one side and black beady little eyes that rolled in their sockets looked up at the warthog. “I believe there has been a miscommunication in how my name is pronounced.” His mouth never moved other than a slight pucker of his lips and faint whistles that were drowned by the monotone mechanical voice speaking over them.

I chuckled. “Well, the way you speak sounds more like a machine character I used to watch when I was young. He was my favorite.”

This made his head tilt to the opposite side as he looked off in thought. “It is something you were fond of and you have given me a name similar to my own while correlating it to this character? Is this a common practice in your culture?”

“Sometimes. But only among friends, at other times doing this can be considered an insult.” I answered, smiling as I held my paw out.
“This is an acceptable explanation. What shall I call you?”

“My first name is Eric. If we’re going to be pals, we may as well start there. You speak and understand things better than I thought you would.” He looked at my outstretched paw and my ears pinned back as he took a step away. “I cannot touch you unless you are sure you wish to be my Paira. There is no other translation in your dictionary for comparison.”

I looked behind me to find Bridgett chewing her lip as she looked down at me. “It’s why our physical exams were so limited. They were as extensive as we could be without touching, but it’s part of their culture and he speaks in very technical, matter of fact terms.”

I flattened my brow looking back at him. “You’ve studied our culture?” A slight nod and he watched me take my own thoughtful glances around the floor. “Physical contact is going to be necessity for you to fit into this society. You can’t touch anyone to greet them or shake their paws?”

“No. Not without it becoming a Paira if I have not already been assigned to one.”

I sighed and closed my eyes. “What are the duties of a Paira in terms of physical and emotional expectations?”

The flaps of lose skin at the sides of his mouth puffed out and I wondered if this was frustration or part of how he communicated, but also noted the stretch mark like scars along both his cheeks crinkle. “Emotional expectations. This is not necessary. I must be within ten feet of my Paira at all times until it is well established. Physical parameters are very strict in the beginning and require contact almost constantly.”

I groaned, literally, and looked up to find him drop his eyes. “What kind of physical contact?”

“Mere contact is enough. Whatever you are comfortable with. Expectations of other duties have already been explained.”

“Is a Paira like a parent in our culture compared to yours?”

“Parent?” He asked as if searching through his memory.

“Yes. When young are born here, they’re raised by parents. In ideal situations there is absolute trust, protection, and guidance from the parents. It’s another kind of bond, is it similar?”

He waddled back to the touch screen and my ears flicked at the sharp taps on the floor as he jumped back to the couch. I looked back at Bridgett, impressed he could move in such a way as his arms dragged behind him and looked like they’d hinder any such movement. The word parent was quickly researched and he tilted his head back and forth as he swiped though several pages that led him into male and female, mate, offspring and bond. I was becoming uncomfortable enough that the warthog was silently giggling when he jumped from the couch and waddled back around the corner. “No. This is not an acceptable comparison, but the closest you may understand. May I ask you something, Eric?” I returned to my bended knees to look him in the eye and nodded. “Out of the many we sought to guide us, why have you not bonded with another of your own kind?” I was pretty sure I curled my lip when his eyes locked onto me like missiles. “It’s a very personal question.”

“You are a wolf. Yet you do not move with others of your own kind and seek no mate or offspring. Why?”

I made it obvious I was annoyed with the line of questioning. “I have no reason to. Is a Paira closer to a mate?”

“No. It is not something that anyone in our social structure understands. There is no male or female distinction in our lands. We do not have children in the way your kind do, or seek out individuals to procreate. We are assigned those we are to teach and learn from and form small wrens. Paira’s are at the top of each wren, but most Paira’s are merely companions for the times travel to other wrens for assignments. It is a social construct designed for safety and guidance, but not all it is can be translated.”

“You had Paira’s above you?”

“Yes.”

“But others around you also had Paira’s?”

“Yes.”

“Well Al, we don’t get to choose the family we’re born to either. Paira’s can also be like siblings? Like Bridgett said, a friend who’s more like family?” I asked as my ears set.

He looked off and almost nodded as the light on the collar he was wearing blinked a few times, waiting for his next reply. “Perhaps, though it does not encompass the full scale of the idea.”

I sighed and closed my eyes. “But this cooperation will help rebuild things above ground and the trust needed for others of your kind to help?” “Yes.”

“May I ask something of you?” He gave a slight nod as I contemplated my wording and decided on being direct. “How and why was I chosen to be your Paira?”

“You were the one who sent the most positive vision and the first choice because you have never had what is considered a bond among your people as a singular entity or with a group. We are pleased you have decided to help, all will become clear through our journey.”
All that did was raise more questions I had to come back to later so I could focus on one. “That’s very concerning. How did you come by that information?”

He tilted his head so far to one side that the flaps and folds on the right side of his face rested over his shoulder and almost revealed an actual neck. “It was passed down to me through the chain directly from what you would call parent and is something I have known all my life.”
I dropped my head. “So, I was right, same boat as me then. You’re a soldier. A pawn they’re using to figure everything out. Well, how do I become your Paira then?”

“I do not know what a soldier or a pawn is.”

“You don’t have disputes in your society, or need others to keep the weaker safe?”

“No. We are cooperative as a whole. Only a few are kept separate for higher wrens.”

“But you listen to the instructions of those few?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a soldier, Al. You take orders, do and go where you’re told to keep things the way they should be.”

"Is this indication that he was forced to comply?" He looked at me before looking back up at Bridgett.

The warthog smiled. “No one is forcing him to take any action. He is as you asked, making the decision himself.”

“Al, what would happen if I refused to be your Paira?” I asked.

“We would simply leave. I do not know more than that.”

I looked at Bridgett and she shrugged. “No one’s pushed me into anything, Al. I’m the one who decided to come and this is my choice. Besides, making a friend isn’t going to change my life.”

“Yes, it will Eric.” He answered, watching as my ears set on him. “If you are my Paira, I will be with you always.”

I shrugged. “Isn’t that what a friend is supposed to be. Always there?”

He looked at me and I could have sworn I saw an orange flash behind his eyes, but had to shake it off and smile. “You are willing to always be there for me as well?”

“That’s how it works.” I held my paw out and for the first time I think I saw hesitation as he pulled one paw off the floor from the arm he’d dragged behind him. Bridgett chewed her lip as he hovered his paw next to mine and carefully curled his fingers around the base of my palm. The way his skin felt was exactly the opposite of what I’d expected. Unlike the almost dead grey tint, it was warm, softer than anything I’d ever touched. The scent that enveloped me as he got closer was overwhelming. It matched the way his flesh seemed to fold around mine like a mystery. Sweet, soft, almost sickeningly so because I forgot the rest of my senses in the brief moment of trying to figure out what was under his skin as if it were anything other than muscle and bones. Shivers set my fur on end, wondering how anything that looked so bleak and pale was softer than any down pillow I’d ever slept on. I didn’t even know I’d been staring at his paw until Bridgett giggled. It snapped me out of the trance and I found him watching me with the same- for lack of better words - ferocity of exploration. I pulled my other paw away from his arm where I'd run my other fingers from the top of his paw to his elbow. “Sorry. I don’t know why I did that.”