The Gardener



An original story by Kathmandu katmandu@vidnet.net

This story is copyright 2000 Kathmandu (David White) and is covered under the Berne Convention and international copyright laws. This story may NOT be posted or used on any commercial or pay site without my WRITTEN consent. Any other posting is only by expressed permission of Kathmandu. Any other reposting is a no-no and is forbidden. Where reposting permission is given, all titles and headings including this one must be included. I'm easy to get along with, just ask.

The following material may be of an explicit sexual nature and intended for adults only. If you are not an adult, if you think you might be offended, or live in a country/state that prohibits such material, please do not read.



This is a standard furry story, with all the cliché elements included at no extra charge. Skunk! It's got a skunk!

So, you want to know how we met? Well, it's a long story but then again you don't look like you are going anywhere at the moment. I will never forget that day for as long as I live. She changed my life forever that dark, cold night three years ago. I couldn't imagine how dull my life would have been without her if she hadn't entered into it.

I was in the market for a house. My roommate of almost seven years was moving out shortly and I couldn't see staying in the big, expensive house we rented together. It's not like we were a couple or anything, just a couple of ordinary Joes sharing the bills. He had finished college and had found the perfect job 130 miles away. The present place was too far from my work and way too expensive for me by myself. I needed someplace to live and I needed it quick, hopefully nearer to where I worked and not too expensive to live in.

I ran across just such a slice of the American dream about a week into my search. It suited my needs perfectly, if a tad small. It was an older two-bedroom pier and beam with a nice fenced in back yard and small garage. It was five minutes from work and two minutes from the nearest Wal-Mart. I popped the top off a coke and made a toast, I designated this house to be my new swinging bachelor pad. More importantly, the house payments were cheap.

It was an old house, built in the late forties for young soldiers coming home and starting a new life. I was lucky finding it because the guy I had bought it from had completed a lot of improvements. It had been remodeled, new roof and a lot of other improvements too numerous to list. He had fixed up the house for his grandson. To his disappointment, the boy had turned to drugs and become a general piece of shit by the time he had finished it. The guy was selling it for what he had in it. Translation: I got a real good deal on it. The finance company was more than happy to mortgage it for me and I moved in a month later.

I had the pleasure of moving right in the middle of a hot, miserable week in July. I used a week's vacation and worked my butt off. I made a promise to myself there would only be two suit cases and my computer if there was a next time. Not only did I have to move my own stuff but I also had to help my ex-roommate move his stuff into his new rent house one hundred and thirty miles away. It was awful; trust me.

A month later, I had finally gotten the house in some semblance of order; most important was the setting up of the computer. I did some painting and some minor repairs. I had to go out and buy a refrigerator... joy. The yard was a disaster. The front was mostly dead with a few weeds poking up and the back was a jungle of vine choked chain link fence and wild bushes. I really hadn't looked that hard at the outside until I had the inside situated. I walked around the house and yard and made a careful inspection about two weeks after I moved in. I was rather disappointed when I found a large hole knocked into the base of the house so they could run the a/c plumbing through the crawl space under the house. I peered into the darkness and saw some old fencing material and spider webs. I left that little adventure for another day. I did get some plywood and plugged the hole with a removable panel a few days later.

I noticed something strange about the backyard while on my inspection tour, there was a garden hidden in the weeds. It was overgrown and weedy but there were a lot of vegetables growing in it. I suppose it was courtesy of the previous owners, showing signs of neglect. Funny thing was, it wasn't as overgrown and wild as I would have expected. The house had been vacant for a few years before it was renovated and the garden should have gone wild or died by now. Instead it boasted a lot of different and very healthy plants. I plucked a ripe tomato from a vine and bit into it, spilling its tangy juice on my chin. I picked another for later and considered the garden, juice dribbling down onto my sweaty t-shirt. Taking a closer look I realized the soil had been turned recently and it was a bit damp compared to the dry dirt of the rest of the yard. Curious

I seemed to be witness to someone's secret garden, hidden in the weeds and brush of a formally empty house. One of the neighbors most likely, not wanting to disturb their roses and azaleas had been keeping this garden on the sly. I had no problem with it; I could let them have their garden, perhaps enjoying an occasional tomato or cucumber every now and again. Next year though, they were out of luck. I had plans for my own garden and they would have to go elsewhere. Later that week I got to work on the yard, cutting the grass and cutting out the worst of the jungle. I left the garden alone since I had more important things to worry about. It was an eyesore but I really didn't care at the time. I would deal with it later.

I came home from work a couple of days later and went into the backyard to fire up the barbecue grill. I had a nice steak to cook for supper and wanted to relax and enjoy suburbia a little. I was surprised to find someone had cleaned and weeded the garden, making it rather respectable. Must have done it while I was at work. More power to them, I thought. Wish they had cleaned the gutters while they were at it. A little later my neighbor drove up and I met him at the fence. I told him about the mysterious gardener and he was at a total loss to explain it. He had never noticed anyone in the yard and the garden was hidden due to the weeds. He told me to consider myself lucky and enjoy the vegetables.

I kept an eye on the garden, watching for any clues as to who the phantom gardener was but I never did catch them or any clue as to whom they were. I put locks on both gates but it didn't seem to slow them down any. I asked around but got nothing but blank looks from the neighbors. They did tell me that an older couple owned it years ago and they had a beautiful garden that was the talk of the neighborhood at the time. They had both died a few years ago and the house laid empty until it was sold at auction to settle the taxes and their estate.

I worked on the house a bit before winter set in. The garden had been quietly harvested several times that summer and fall then set up for winter while I was gone one day in mid November. Later that week I had a surprise waiting for me on my back porch, 10 glass jars of preserved vegetables. I smiled to myself. It was probably just a fraction of what was growing in the garden last summer but I couldn't complain. I looked for a note but found no clue to their identity. I gathered the jars up and put them away and couldn't help thinking I could get used to this effortless gardening.

*********


Winter set in around the end of December like it usually does. The winters here are usually mild with maybe a snowstorm every couple of years, the snow sticking for a day or two. The last three or four had been rather mild, almost balmy compared to normal. Blame it on El Nino. That is why the first freeze of the year at the end of January took everyone by surprise. People had gotten so used to the warm winters that they were unprepared when a normal winter returned, bringing ice storms and cold temperatures. Most had neglected to take the proper precautions they normally would. An unusual cold front hit quickly and almost without warning and froze the area hard with temperatures in the teens that lasted for three days. You were lucky if you had electricity and water. The unlucky were then faced with broken water pipes, broken toilets and ruined walls and carpet. I managed to escape unscathed because this old house was built with cold winters in mind.

The third night of the freeze, an unusual thing happened. I was at the computer chatting with my sister online when I heard crying in the silence. It was very faint but I heard it plainly over the clicking of the keyboard and the hum of the heater. I thought at the time it was a loud TV or radio, maybe a fighting neighbor. I shrugged and didn't think of it again. The next day the temperatures were back into the sixties again and everyone set out to assess the damage. The drive to work was an experience seeing all the fountains formed from broken water lines, usually bubbling up from a newer house. I was a little worried about my house after the thaw; I found no problems at all.

The relatively warm weather held until the middle of February when a true, dyed in the wool blizzard struck the area. It was bad, the worst storm in 20 years or more. It began as freezing rain and sleet that froze solid in an inch of ice. Then it snowed for three days. It paralyzed the city with a foot of snow the first night and made things worse with another two feet the following day and night. Quite a few homes lost water, power or both during the storm with snapping trees and freezing water lines. Once the snow finally stopped and people began digging out and surveying the damage, they found a seeming war zone. Roofs were caved in, carports crushed, buildings collapsed and frozen fountains indicating broken water lines. Trees, snapped like twigs, were everywhere and cars and trucks were stranded and scattered like a spilled toy box on a white carpet.

The roads impassable, I was stuck at home for most of the week. My neighborhood was luckier than most as we didn't lose power or water that week. Many went without power for a quite a while after the storm hit and were forced to stay with relatives who still had power or move to emergency shelters. I had to wrap myself in an electric blanket when I was watching TV or on the computer because the heater just couldn't keep up. I counted myself lucky if that was the worst of my problems. The temperatures dipped below zero the first night and stayed there for two more nights. It stopped snowing on the third night and warmed up a little the next day. I spent part of the day digging out my car and a path to the street even though there was no way I was going anywhere with the dozen or so stranded cars blocking the road down to the main street. I needed the exercise and it got me out of the house. It also resulted in me being bone tired and cold to the point that I showered, put on a pair of sweats and went to bed early.

Later that night I was awoken by something, some noise I suppose. Something wasn't right was all I could remember, nothing specific. I opened my eyes to the darkness of my bedroom and looked around. There was a copper glow from the streetlights reflecting through the window blinds and frost that allowed my dark adjusted eyes to see in the dimness. I sat up and peeked outside and saw a frozen world bathed in a coppery light, still as death. I convinced myself it was just the old house creaking or something and rolled back under the covers and tried to go back to sleep. That when I heard the noise, sounded like something moving in the other side of the house. Must have been what woke me up, I thought as my heart began pounding in my chest, I could faintly hear floorboards creaking as they were being quietly tread upon.

I rolled over and quietly pulled out the .380 semi-automatic pistol I keep in my nightstand. I pulled the Interarms Astra A-60 out of it's Uncle Mike's nylon holster and put it under the blankets, clicking off the safety and chambering a round as quietly as I could. I dropped the hammer back down but kept the safety off since it is a double action auto. I could shoot if I needed to while not stumbling through a dark house with a loaded and fully cocked gun in my hands. Besides, I really didn't want to shoot anyone, especially accidentally. Hopefully the gun would gain me instant respect and attention though. I eased out of bed and quietly made my way to the bedroom door, glad that I had put on my sweats before hand instead of sleeping in my underwear as I normally do. Geeze, the house was cold. I peeked into the hallway outside my door and found nothing but darkness. I crept into the hallway, stopping to turn up the thermostat so that the furnace would hopefully cover any noises I might make. I waited a few seconds until it kicked on and ran for a bit, masking my movements. I slowly moved to the living room and peered in. The room was dark and quiet, a dull coppery glow came from the streetlights outside and the power light on my computer was a tiny green dot in the darkness. I stood there listening, hoping to catch some sound that would betray the intruder's location. All I could hear was the furnace and the computer's cooling fan. I did catch a strange scent though, almost like a wet dog, only different. A wet, musky animal smell. Oh great, I've some animal lose in my house.

I slowly moved through the living room dancing around the coffee table and made my way towards the kitchen. About halfway across the room, I saw a dim light come on in the kitchen and heard the refrigerator open. Who or what was in my kitchen was rummaging around in the refrigerator quietly. I tiptoed quietly into the kitchen, my heart pounding like mad. I had the pistol out in front of me like I had seen T.J. Hooker, Starsky and Hutch and Hunter do a thousand times on TV. I suspect I looked more like Barney Fife but I did have more than one bullet. In the dim glow of the refrigerator light I could only see open door and some movement. "If you are breaking into my house to steal food, looks like you found some mighty slim pickings," I said as calmly as I could. I wasn't kidding, there wasn't much there but some near rotten potatoes, condiments and a half bottle of flat Coke. Every thing I had was frozen or in the cupboards. I turned on the kitchen lights.

My voice and the lights scared the living daylights out of my uninvited houseguest causing them to jump and drop a potato; I noticed a bite taken from it as it rolled across the floor. I eased the door open and trained the pistol on the intruder behind it. At first I thought it was a large, wet black dog that looked in blinking wide-eyed terror at the gun. It whimpered and tried to scramble backwards until it hit the kitchen cabinets. It then curled into a ball and shook violently. I jumped back at its sudden movements and pulled back the hammer of the gun, my hands shaking badly and my heart in my throat. Yep, defiantly a Barney Fife moment.

I looked at the animal curled on my floor and realized it was absolutely terrified, shaking uncontrollably and whimpering piteously. It was black with a white stripe running down it's back and onto it's wet and matted tail which was tucked between it's legs. Ice and snow was clinging to its fur, slowly melting into a puddle on my linoleum. As I looked at this mess on my floor, a yellow fluid flowed into and expanded the puddle and the strong, unmistakable odor of urine added to the musky funk.

"What the hell?" I asked as I stood there pointing the gun at this creature. I stepped forward causing a board to creak in the floor. It gave one last piteous moan and passed out cold, slumping limply into the puddle, urine soaking into its fur. I walked up to it and took a closer look. My eyebrows shot up as I realized this was no dog. In fact, it looked rather more like a person than an animal as far as I could tell. It had black fur covering most all of it's body with a white stripe down it's back and tail. It was matted, wet and rather dirty with thin spots here and there. It was painfully thin and its ribs were showing distinctly. I looked at its face and saw that it was sort of animal-like with a short muzzle but the eyes were very human like, even closed. The white stripe actually started between its eyes, which kind of surprised me. Its mouth was opened slightly, allowing it's small pink tongue to loll out and its breath came shallow and ragged. I walked up to it and poked it with my toe, the gun pointed at its head. I could feel it shivering and my toe came away wet and ice cold. It didn't move. I realized this thing was in no condition to do anything but die on my kitchen floor so I lowered the gun. I kneeled down and gently rolled it over onto it's back to get a better look. The fur on its chest and belly was white like the stripe on it's back. It appeared to be female but I couldn't be sure because of the fur, there were a set of small breasts and nipples about where they would be on a human female though. I stood up and looked at it again and suddenly something clicked. "Damn, this thing is a skunk. A giant 5-foot tall female skunk that looked far too human for an animal. Perhaps it was some sort of mutation maybe?" I thought. That explained the odd odor mixed with the wet fur, skunk. Not very strong, thankfully.

It's...her hands were very human like except they were tipped with claws as were her feet. That bothered me and made me pause as I thought about it a second. This creature was in a bad way and will probably die if I don't do something but I didn't want to get hurt in the process. I made up my mind and stood up. I pressed the magazine release on the gun and removed the clip, then cleared the round from the chamber and put the gun in a drawer. Slipping the loose bullet back into the clip, I then put the magazine in a second drawer under some potholders. I then went out into the garage and brought back some old towels and some nylon zip ties plus an old army blanket. I put the blanket over her and then picked up one of her paws. I took a towel and wrapped it around it and secured it with a zip tie, then did the same with the other. I then wrapped both of her feet together with a towel and zip tied them together. Now, don't get me wrong, I wasn't into some sort of kinky bondage play or anything, her claws could have carved me up like a Christmas turkey and one rake of her claws across my belly could spill my guts all over the floor so I figured a little caution was in order.

I wrapped her in the blanket and lifted her up easily, I doubt she weighed a hundred pounds. She was shaking almost violently and a whimper would escape with almost every breath. I carried her into the bathroom and laid her down on the floor while I filled the tub with lukewarm water. As it filled, I turned up the furnace to try and take the chill out of the house. I stepped back into the bathroom to find her conscious and looking at her tied hands then looked up at me. I stopped dead in my tracks, expecting it to go crazy and try to escape. Instead, it... she cowered a bit, eyes wide with fear, "Please don't hurt me!"

I stood there in total shock, my jaw felt like it hit the floor. This was no animal; this was some sort of person. Not only was it intelligent, it was tied up in a strange man's bathroom with no clothes on, scared and near froze to death. I squatted down on the floor so I didn't appear quite so intimidating. "I'm not going to hurt you, I'm trying to help. See," I held out my empty hands, "no gun." I reached out my right hand in as friendly a manner as I could but this only caused her to cower away in terror. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she passed out again.

"Oh, great," I thought. I scooted closer to her and shook her shoulder, "Hmmm, out like a light." I peeled the damp blanket off of her, lifted her up and gently lowered her into the bath. Her eyes fluttered a bit as I settled her into the tub but she remained unconscious. The water was barely above room temperature and would be chilly to me but to her it would be rather warm until her body warmed up a bit. I could imagine the pins and needles starting up about now. Hopefully she wouldn't feel them.

No such luck, she started to squirm and whimper as circulation started returning to her near hypothermic body. Soon though her shaking stopped and her breathing soon evened out and her body seemed to relax. I turned the water back on, bringing the temperature up a bit more. Soon her whimpers died out altogether and her breathing became slow and regular. I looked at her for a while, trying to figure out what to do next. Her fur was a real mess; the bath water was already turning brown. The fur was matted and thin in spots, almost bare. The water allowed me to see that she was nothing more than skin and bones, her ribs were standing out sharply through her wet fur. It was obvious it had been a while since she had eaten regularly.

I grabbed up a bar of soap to wash her with then thought about it for a second, then traded it for a bottle of shampoo. I lathered up a washcloth and began washing her arm, just above the towel and ties. I got about halfway up her arm when she opened her eyes. I pretended not to notice and continued washing her arm. Her eyes followed my every move; just a twinge of fear was still evident in her azure depths. "If you promise not to claw me, I will undo your hands and feet, ok?" I said, scrubbing her elbow.

She looked deeply into my eyes for a second; coming to some sort of decision apparently, then nodded her head slowly. I got up and retrieved a pair of toenail clippers and proceeded to clip away the nylon ties from her paws. I unwrapped the towels and tossed them on the floor. I then clipped the tie from around her ankles. I sat back and said, "If you like, I can let you have some privacy so you can finish up yourself." I knew full well she was in no condition to do it herself but I wanted her to realize I didn't have much choice in the matter.

I handed her the shampoo bottle and she immediately dropped it, "I don't think I can, my hands are still numb and I am too weak." She looked at me with a rather pitiful expression then looked down into the water, "I'm so sorry mister, I would never have done anything like this but I think I was dying."

"No harm done, just scared the tar out of each other. By the way, my name is Phillip." I picked up the bottle and returned to my cleaning. As I moved up her arm and neared her rather small breasts, the more nervous she became. I could tell this was very embarrassing for her and it wasn't a walk in the park for me either. Best thing I could think of was to distract her with conversation. "So..." I said, displaying my usual brilliance for conversation, "What is your name? Wait let me guess. Flower, right?"

She smiled, which with the way her mouth was made, looked rather intimidating, lots of pointy teeth. "Sorry to disappoint you, my name is Sab... Sab... ahchoo! Samantha."

"Bless you, Sabsabachoo Samantha." I said with a laugh.

Sniffing a bit, "T'anks." She wiped her nose with the back of her hand and laughed. "My Papaw used to call me Flower sometimes, even though I am a girl and Flower was a guy in the movie. He used to tease me about it. I miss him so much..."

"Who was he and what happened to him? Was he your father?"

"His name was Ed Buchanan and he and Josephine raised me from a small child, they both died about two years ago in a car accident, I think. I could never really find out, they left for the store and never came back. The police came by the house the next day, looked around and shut everything off then left. A few days later a truck came by and took everything in the house.

"I'm sorry to hear that." I said, dreading the next question, but I had to ask, "Ok, Samantha, I don't want to sound rude or anything but what exactly are you?"

"I really don't know other than the obvious, a talking skunk girl. I like to think I'm an alien but I really don't think so. I am a perfect combination of two earth creatures, human and mephitis. My body works too well to be some sort of experiment and I know I had a mother that looked like me. Paw paw and Momma Jo seemed to believe we are something like Bigfoot, hidden from the world. Perhaps there are many more like me hiding in the forest, maybe some underground civilization perhaps. Either that or we were a couple of escaped circus freaks. I just don't know."

As I digested this, I began washing her head fur, which was long and about like a normal head of hair except it was black with a set of white stripes down the middle. "Close your eyes, I don't want to get soap in them." I helped her to sit up and worked the shampoo into her hair. "So where have you been living since your adoptive parents died?"

"Well, I couldn't let them know about me so I've been hiding.

"I guess I can see that but where have you been hiding...? I trailed off thinking of the garden and the hole in the side of the house. "My god, you have been living under the house for two years?" I said, my eyes growing wide. "That must be your mysterious garden as well." She just looked down and didn't say anything. "Well, that is quite an accomplishment, I had no idea. I figured it was a neighbor with limited space." I scooped up some water and rinsed the soap from her hair. "How have you managed to live under a house for so long? It must have been miserable."

"Oh, no. There is a room built underground that Papaw and I dug years ago so I would have somewhere to hide in case of trouble. It's not so bad. I have electricity; running water and a toilet that we rigged up to work even with everything cut off in the house. The garden made sure I had plenty to eat along with a squirrel or a rabbit every now and then. Everything was fine until the last freeze when my electric stove burned out and allowed my preserves to freeze and bust. It ruined the food I had put up to get me through the winter. What was left ran out about a month ago, I broke down and killed and ate a small dog last week but it just wasn't enough, I have been starving ever since. This storm was the last straw, with no food and no heat I think I was dying."

"I can't blame you I suppose." I said as I lathered up her shoulders and neck. I shuttered a little thinking about her eating a dog but could I say I wouldn't have done the same? "So, how did you get in?"

"I still have a key, you really should change the locks," she said, smiling rather sheepishly.

"Number two hundred thirty six on my list of things to do."

"I'm sorry about sneaking in and stealing your food, I was desperate and I can't just go out and ask for help. I tried not to wake you up but I was shaking so hard I couldn't move very quietly. I was freezing to death."

"I can honestly say I'm not upset about the shriveled up old potato you were eating, they were going in the trash anyway." I moved down her back and realized I could feel every rib and vertebrae. "I'm really sorry about pulling the gun on you, all I knew it was very late and someone was in my house."

"My folks always told me never show myself to anyone because they would shoot me on sight. I thought I was dead for sure. I was so scared I think I peed on myself." She looked at me then back down at the water, making an attempt to cover herself with her hands. "I'm so embarrassed." Her voice quivering just a bit, perhaps she was fighting back a tear or two.

"Don't worry about it, it's going to be ok. Trust me, I would probably have done the same thing myself looking down the barrel of a gun in a house I just snuck into."

"Really?" She said as I gently laid her back in the tub.

"Yep, it's a natural body reaction to impending trauma, it is an attempt to prevent more damage. Really brave men have a rather high incident of ruptured bladders." I said, trying to be funny and failing miserably. "So, your parents told you people would shoot you on sight?"

"Yeah, that was their biggest fear since they found me and brought me home, either that or the government would come for me and cut me up. That is why I have to hide, I am a monster, a circus freak."
"Monster? Hardly. A little unusual maybe, but I wouldn't call you a monster. In fact there is a genetic condition that can cause a person to grow hair all over their body just as you have. In fact, if it weren't for the tail, I would have thought you had it. No, not a monster at all."

"I'm an ugly five foot three inch talking skunk, what else would you call me?" she said as I grabbed a foot and began washing.

"Special, unique, exotic, Flower..." She just looked at me like I was nuts, her fur plastered against her painfully thin body making her look like a drowned rat, err skunk. "Just because you are not human doesn't make you a monster or a freak, nor does it make you ugly. I can look at a tiger and be moved by its beauty or be awed by the grace of a dolphin." I moved a strand of hair from out of her eyes. "Besides, as far as I know, you are the most beautiful skunk girl in the world."

"As far as I know, I am the only one in the world."

"Yep, see what I mean?" I worked up some lather and washed her knees and calves, "Hey, if you are a skunk, how come you didn't spray me when I pulled the gun on you?"

"Something Momma Jo told me once, a scared person can still shoot a gun no matter how bad I smelled. I haven't ever sprayed anyone anyway although I have practiced it once or twice. Believe me, the smell is awful to me too and I just never think of doing it. I was so weak, I probably would have just sprayed all over myself anyway."

"Glad you didn't or we would both be sleeping in the snow tonight," I said, smiling. I picked up her other foot and washed it, working hard to get the caked mud out her fur. "How do you feel?"

"I'm feeling better by the minute, this feels really nice even though I am embarrassed as hell having you do this. This my first real hot bath in over two years." I stopped and looked at her. "Oh, it's not that big of a deal, I don't need to bathe like you do, I can usually get by with a good brushing, I'm not human, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, right." I finished up her feet and legs and moved to her abdomen, rubbing the shampoo into the creamy white fur on her belly that ran to her inner thighs. I finished up her front in an awkward silence. I noticed the bathwater was rather nasty so I drained it and replaced it with clean warm water, almost too hot. As I did this, I found myself in a quandary on how to finish doing her backside. She noticed my hesitation and realized what the problem was. She slowly rolled over in the tub. I saw what she was doing and helped her turn over until she was on her stomach, her tail tucked into the cleft of her buttocks. She held herself up with her elbows for a second or two then her head slipped under. I panicked and slipped my arm around her chin and pulled her back up out of the water. She blew water out of her nose like a dog and blinked the water out of her eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to dunk you." Are you ok?"

She lifted herself onto her elbows again, "I'm ok, I got some soap in my eyes and I needed to rinse it out. I'm ok, I can hold myself up."

"Ok, you scared me for a second, I thought I managed to drown you."

"No such luck, monkey boy."

I laughed and splashed her a little. The irony of this skunk girl being a "Buckaroo Banzi" fan was just too much. Couldn't keep from smiling as I then set to work on the mess that may have been a tail at one time. It was matted and caked with mud. I shampooed it then rubbed conditioner into it in the vain hope it would ease some of the tangles. I took a comb to it and worked the fur loose. As I worked, I noticed she had relaxed and closed her eyes. She looked rather content in fact, the most relaxed I had seen her since this started. She lowered herself into the warm water and dunked her head under. She lay very still; only her tiny round ears would twitch every now and then as I worked on her tail. I started to worry since she had been under for maybe 30 seconds or so, but soon her nose popped up and she took a few breaths and ducked under again. "Just like a kid," I couldn't help thinking. I finished her tail and began scrubbing her back, starting at her neck and slowly working lower. I felt her tense up as I touched her buttocks but she quickly relaxed as I worked in the shampoo. Her nose would pop up occasionally and take a breath and disappear again. I washed her thoroughly but quickly as I could, knowing how embarrassing it was for her.

I did discover she was indeed female and pretty much in line with the human norm except for the two odd looking nipples on either side of her anus. I'm glad she decided to do the Diver Dan routine because I must have turned five different shades of red while I washed her. It's not what you might think, I was embarrassed for her and she looked so pitiful, she really did look like a drowned rat. Trust me, it never even crossed my mind. Well, not for long anyway.

Having finished, I reached over and tugged gently on her ear. She raised herself up and blew water from her nose. "All done," I said.

She rolled over in the tub and sat back against the rear edge while wiping the water from her eyes. "You have no idea how good this feels, considering." She stretched a bit then relaxed. "It has been so long."

"Do you want to relax here in the tub a while, I'll see what I can dig up for you to eat. You are hungry right?" She nodded shyly. "Ok, oh, ah... what do you eat?"

She flashed a big smile and said, "Warm blood would be nice." Her fang-like canines glistened in the harsh bathroom light. My mouth fell open and I looked at her in total shock. Then I realized she was kidding, probably the set of her ears or something, the humor in her eyes maybe. "Oh, you!" I picked up the washcloth and tossed it at her and it landed on her muzzle, draping over it. She burst into a fit of giggles. "I can eat most anything you can, except a lot of beef or pork. Preservatives and additives can cause me problems, especially MSG and sulfur dioxide. I prefer vegetables and some fruit. I have to eat a little meat occasionally or I get sick. At this point I'll eat anything though."

"How about some stir fried vegetables and some soup?"

"That sounds wonderful," she said as she settled even further into the tub and closed her eyes. Her pink tongue flashed out and licked her thin lips, reminding me of a cat. I then heard her stomach growl. Smiling, I got up and went into the kitchen. I pulled down a can of chicken vegetable soup and opened it up with the can opener. I dumped the salty mass into a large bowl and added a can of water then slid it into the microwave. I took out a bag of frozen vegetables and dumped it into a colander to thaw while I sat up the wok. I fired up the gas stove and put some peanut oil in the wok and let it heat to temperature. I ran warm water over the vegetables to thaw them then tossed them into the wok. I stirred them around then went to the nuke wave and stirred the soup. I set the timer then went back to the wok. I added some soy sauce and some Mr. Wang's stir fry mix then commenced to stir in earnest. While I was playing "Iron Chef," Samantha turned on the faucet, probably to warm the water up. I thought about it a second then read the label on the soup can and found Monosodium Glutamate listed toward the bottom. Well, the Campbell's soup was out, I would eat some of it and put up the rest. I stirred the vegetables again then I looked around and found everything in the cabinets had MSG in it except for the cans of tuna. Oh great. Surprisingly, Mr. Wang's mix was MSG free.

I thought about it for a while then the proverbial light bulb came on. I grabbed a jar of preserved tomatoes and dumped them in a pan, then added the same amount of water and let it boil. I looked around and found some instant rice and tossed in a handful and let it cook. Meanwhile, I stirred the veggies and added the Mr. Wang's then stirred some more (they don't call it stir frying for nothing). I took the soup off and added some olive oil, salt and a whole bunch of spices and just a dash of Tabasco hot sauce for flavor but no heat. I covered it and let it sit to allow the rice to finish up. As the veggies finished, I put a small pitcher of water in the nuke wave and heated it for tea. I was out of Lipton's regular tea so I had to use the green tea my Mom gave me that I keep as a back up. I'm not that crazy about it so it reminds me to get more of the good stuff.

With the cooking and having the heater turned up, the house was almost warm, almost. I figured it would take quite a while to dry her off and there was no use having her freeze before I could get her fed. I decided it would better to let her eat something while still in the tub. As the tea bags steeped and the food cooled to a reasonable temperature I went into the garage and retrieved a piece of countertop that had been cut out to allow the installation of the new sink, it would be perfect to use as a tray. I went into the kitchen and washed it off then piled on a bowl of soup and some stir fry on a plate, a couple of glasses of hot green tea and some flatware. I carefully carried the tray into the bathroom. I knocked on the doorframe before I walked in so I didn't startle her. I walked in and set the impromptu table across the tub, making a workable table. Her eyes grew large as I set the food down in front of her.

"Take it easy, you haven't eaten much lately. I don't want you getting sick on me." I handed her a large spoon. She took it from my hand and seemed to be able to hold it reasonably well. "Think you can handle eating like this?"

She used the spoon to stir the soup then scooped up a portion and brought it to her muzzle, shaking only a little. I watched as she put the spoon up to her lips, then made a slight "U" with her tongue and blew on it to cool it down. She then dipped the tip of her tongue into the soup then silently slurped the liquid into her mouth. She rolled it on her tongue a second then swallowed. "I seem to be able to manage, I think." She spooned up another dollop and said, "This is really good, thank you."

"You're welcome, just something I whipped up real quick." She slurped a few more spoonfuls of the soup than sampled the vegetables. Her face lit up and she said, "This is fantastic!"

"Well, thank you. Of coarse, it would mean a lot more if you weren't starving to death." I said, smiling. "You learn to cook when you have been a bachelor as long as I have." She took a few more bites then I put my hand on hers. "Slow down, if you eat much more you are going to get sick."

She set the spoon down and settled back in the tub, still looking very hungry. "Here, try this. It's green tea, you can drink it right?" I handed her the cup of tea. "I don't really go for it myself that much but it is all I have right now. Taste it and see if you like it, I have some sugar if you like it sweet." She picked up a mug with both hands and I picked up the other one. I took a swig, it was a little weak compared to how I drink it but I figured she would have trouble with it. She dipped her tongue in it and took a taste. She made a seal with her tongue and upper lip and took a drink.

"A little honey and this might be good, hmmm let me have some of that sugar please."

"Wait a second, I have some honey." I dashed off to the kitchen and found a bottle of Sue Bee Tupelo Honey. I came back and put some of the golden fluid in her cup and stirred. She tasted it again and made an odd sound in the back of her throat and closed her eyes. "I take it you like this stuff?"

"Very much, I've never had anything like it. My foster parents only drank coffee and really strong iced tea. I couldn't drink coffee and I had to water down the tea a lot."

"Well, there is plenty more where that came from, I don't really care for it much, I like my plane ol' Lipton's. I keep the green tea for when I run out of the regular stuff, motivates me to get more." I took a sip of mine and asked, "How do you feel, stomach ok? Queasy?"

"No, I feel fine, a little full. Funny I only had a few bites of food."

"You aren't used to eating and your stomach has shrunk, you will have to take it slow for a while. When you feel up to it, try eating a little more but not too quickly. While you eat, I'm going to gather up some towels and blankets so we can get you dried off. I think I have an old hair drier around somewhere. Be back in a little while."

I left her and went back to the kitchen and cleaned up the mess she had made on the floor I went rummaging around in the garage for about ten minutes before I found the hairdryer, a relic of the eighties given to me by a balding friend. I made a stop in the laundry room and picked up what towels and blankets there were and headed back to the bathroom. I walked in and stopped dead in my tracks. She was lying back with her eyes closed, apparently dozing. I knocked on the doorframe. "Samantha, I've got some towels, you ready to dry off?" I said quietly, hoping not to startle her.

"Yeah, I think my toes are turning to raisins," she said as I walked in. I noticed the food was mostly eaten and she looked a lot better. I spread some towels on the floor and set the rest on the sink. I grabbed up the tray and set it on the floor out of the way. "Do you think you can stand up?"

"Maybe, if you help me up."

"My pleasure, ma'am," I said as I took her hand and steadied her as she stood up, water running and dripping through her fur. She seemed steady enough so I let go of her and draped a towel over her shoulders. I pulled the drain plug then grabbed another towel and started rubbing her hair and her head. I worked my way down as quickly as possible trying to dry her fur before she became chilled. Thankfully she didn't start shivering until I was mostly done. I got her fur to the point where it wouldn't drip on the floor too badly. I had her step out of the tub and wrapped a few more towels on her and guided her to the bedroom and had her sit on a blanket spread out on the bed. I plugged up the hairdryer and turned it on. I began at the top and started working downward. I remembered it worked better with a brush so I went back in the bathroom and grabbed a hairbrush and tried that. It helped out and made the job a little faster.

The transformation was unbelievable. She went from a miserable drowned rat to a creature of beauty as her black and white fur dried to a wonderful fullness and sheen. I couldn't resist running my hands through her amazingly soft fur as I dried it off. I wanted to pet her like some delightfully fuzzy dog. I had to stop myself from doing it on several occasions. I worked my way down her body, brushing out the tangles as best I could, saving the worst for a pair of scissors later. "So, how did you happen to end up being raised by the Buchanan's?" I asked as I continued her grooming.

"From what they said, they found me while they were vacationing in the Ozarks up around northern Arkansas. They were driving to some remote campground but found themselves on the wrong road in the backwoods. They had a flat tire and pulled the pickup to the side of the road. As they got out, Paw heard someone screaming for help off in the woods. He picked up a tire iron and went to look, telling Momma Jo to stay with the truck. He took off into the woods until he came across a creek swollen by a sudden rain upstream. The water was swift and white.

In a somewhat sheltered area about fifteen feet from shore he saw my mother and me clinging to a tree, tangled up in a pile of brush and logs. Mother was holding onto the tree with one hand and me with the other, screaming for help. I was just an infant, less than a year old probably. Paw paw thought it was a black woman and child in the water at first, not really looking that close. He tried to wade out to us but the water was too fast, he was suddenly swept off his feet and washed down river a ways. Luckily he was tossed on the bank just a few yards downstream. He clambered back on shore just as Momma Jo had arrived to investigate. She immediately realized not only were we in danger of dying but of also Ed killing himself too. She ran down to the shore and looked over the situation and told my mom that she was going to get a rope from the truck. My mother yelled to Momma Jo that she couldn't hold on that long.

At about that time, Momma Jo got a good look at us and realized we weren't human. Paw paw walked up and she told him to take a close look at us. He nearly fell over when he realized we were a bit different. He gathered himself up and said it didn't matter, they were in trouble.

My mother became real calm and said she couldn't hold on any longer. She looked strait into Momma Jo's eyes and begged her to save her baby. Momma Jo stood there, helpless. Suddenly, she said very quietly to throw the baby. She said it so quietly; Paw paw didn't hear what she said at first. Momma Jo said it again a little louder and Paw paw heard it that time and yelled to my mother. She only nodded, knowing she had to let go in order to do it. She let go of the tree and with all of her remaining strength, she threw me to shore. I landed in the water near their feet and Paw paw jumped in and grabbed me and brought me to shore. The both had their attention on the baby and forgot about my mother for a few seconds. They checked to make sure I was ok and saw exactly how strange I really was. They looked up and saw that my mother was being dragged away by the current along with the tangled brush. Momma Jo ran along the bank yelling to my mother, asking what do I eat, how should she raise me, what are you, who are you?

My mother said to raise as she would her own and I wasn't much different from them. She begged them to tell her daughter about her and that she loved me very much. She also said that I wasn't a freak. The last thing she said was my name was Samantha and she told them thank you. The brush and logs suddenly rolled over, dragging her over the top of the pile. She came out of the water and they said they could see a branch had been pushed through her stomach, pinning her to the logs. They couldn't believe she had held onto the tree and the baby so long being injured like that.

The last they saw of her, she had a look of relief in her eyes and didn't make another sound. The pile then rolled over and dragged my mother underwater, disappearing around a bend in the river. There was nothing they could do, so in a state of shock they changed the tire and drove home with a very unusual baby. That was twenty years ago. They did the best they could considering they were in their sixties when they found me."

I sat there in silence for a while, brushing out her fur and thinking about her story. "Did your adoptive parents ever go back and look for signs of others like you?" I asked.

"They said they did a couple of times when I was still a baby but they never found any trace. They were never really sure they ever found the right spot again since the water went down to normal. Everything looked different."

"Did they ever show you where it was?" I asked as I motioned her to lie down on her stomach so I could finish her backside and tail. I draped a towel over her to give her a little modesty. I know, like it mattered now but what the hell, I'm a nice guy.

"They showed me on a map, they wanted me to be sure and know where it was. It was near a town called Jackson up around the border."

"Have you ever been there?" I asked as I worked on her tail. It began to fluff out anciently.

"No, I've never been out of this neighborhood. They were terrified that someone would see me. I have prowled around at night a few times, but I've never gone very far. I'm always afraid of getting caught outside when the sun comes up with no place to hide. I feel like a vampire sometimes. I'm afraid of being seen and getting shot."

"Well, I can see where you are coming from, but I've seen you and I haven't shot you yet. This isn't the same world your adoptive parents were raised in. There are places where you wouldn't even raise an eyebrow."

"Really?"

"After years of TV and movies with aliens and such, you're not that strange at all, unusual, exotic maybe. Most folks would think you are in costume or something. I think we could manage a trip up to Arkansas sometime when the weather is warmer."

She turned her head and looked at me, her eyes getting big. "I don't... what if... I.."

"Don't worry about it now, we will talk about it later, right now we both need to get some sleep." I turned off the drier and ran my hand through her tail fur one last time and put the brush on the dresser. "You should be dry enough not to leave a wet spot... er you won't get cold." I think my face turned red as a fire engine. "You want some clothes to sleep in? I have a sweat suit that may have a slight chance of fitting if I cut a hole for your tail."

She shrugged, "My fur is dry, I'll be ok. I prefer to sleep in the buff anyway. I could use a couple of blankets and a spot on the floor though." I got up and turned down the bed covers and said, "Crawl in and get some sleep, we will talk again in the morning."

"But this is your bed, I don't want to take..."

"Hush, don't worry about it, I'll take the couch. I sleep there most of the time anyway, I really don't mind. You look like you could use a real bed for a change, anyway." I couldn't be sure in the light, but I think I saw a tear in the corner of her eye. She weakly crawled into the bed and I tucked her in. "Good night and don't worry, you will never have to stay under the house again unless you want to, I promise. We will figure something out." She looked at me with her shining blue eyes; I suppose to see if I really meant what I said. She sniffed and said, "Good night."

I got up and as I reached out to turn out the light she said, "Phillip, can you come over here for a second?"

"Sure"

I turned around and stood beside the bed. She motioned me to bend down and I did. She reached up and put her arms around me and hugged my neck. She whispered into my ear, "Thank you, Phillip. You saved my life tonight. I think maybe I was committing suicide to tell the truth. You have no idea what it has been like. You are so kind."

I didn't know what to say. I think a tear may have welled up in my eye as well, must have been a stray hair or something. "It's ok, everything will be ok, I promise."

After a few moments she let go and snuggled up in the covers and I stood up and walked out of the room, turning off the light and closing the door quietly.

**************************************************************************

The next morning I woke up a little disorientated, wondering how I ended up on the couch. Then I remembered a certain skunk making an appearance in my kitchen and then ending up in my bed and me out here. What a really strange night that was and this promises to be an even stranger day. I rolled off the couch and walked over to the window and looked out. It was snow with a gray sky and cold as hell. Looked like a couple more idiots tried to drive and had gotten stuck since yesterday. I got some clean clothes out and took a shower. When I finished, I dressed and went into the kitchen to rustle up some breakfast.

I made a pot of coffee and warmed up the Campbell's soup I opened last night and got out a couple of frozen biscuits I baked last weekend and warmed them up. I was pouring a cup of coffee when I heard a rustling noise behind me.

"Paw paw? Is that you? I am so gla..." I turned to face her and she just stood there, wrapped in a blanket. Her eyes grew big and her mouth fell open, "Oh, my god! I thought..." She just sort of collapsed there in the living room and started crying. I set down my coffee cup then went over and kneeled down beside her.

"What's wrong?" She just sobbed louder. I reached out and gently touched her shoulder. She in turn put her arms around me and buried her face into my shoulder and wept. I hugged her tightly and let her cry herself out. As I held her, I ran my hands through her fur and made comforting noises, telling her it will be all right. After a few minutes the tears eased up and her sobbing turned into sniffling. "Samantha, tell me what's wrong."

"I... I woke up in my old house and everything seemed to be the way it was, I even smelled the coffee my parents drank in the morning. It was like nothing had happened and I was home again. I saw you pouring a cup of coffee just like Paw paw would and for a moment I thought it had all been a dream and everything was the same as it was, I was so happy." She wiped her nose on the back of her hand and sniffled," You turned around and it all fell apart. My parents are dead, this is your house now, I have been living under it like an animal and I have not spoken to or been touched by another person in years. I miss them so much," she said, through tears streaming into the fur on her cheeks. "I can't go outside, I can't walk in the sunshine and I live in constant fear. God, Phillip, why didn't you shoot me last night and end this nightmare?"

I was at a total loss, what the hell could I tell her? I panicked inside like most guys do when confronted by a crying female. The only thing I could think of was to hold her and let her greave. We stayed there on the floor for a while just holding on to each other. Finally I said, "Samantha, I cannot help what happened to you and your families. I'm sorry these terrible things happened and I wish I could change the past, I really do. All I can do is help make your present and future better, if only with the knowledge you have a friend."

Samantha looked up at me through her tear-reddened eyes, "Thank you Phillip, I could use a friend. I've never had one before." She hugged me close then licked my cheek with a small, quick flick of her tongue. I guess my expression of surprise at her doing that made her nervous. She pulled back some and said, "I'm sorry, Phillip, I didn't mean to embarrass you or anything. I don't have proper lips like you so it is as close as I can get. I didn't think about it first. You probably wouldn't want something like me doing that."

"Oh, don't be silly about a peck on the cheek. You just surprised me is all." I took a corner of the blanket and wiped away her tears and dried the fur on her cheeks. "Come on, how about some breakfast? Some tea maybe?" I helped her to stand up and guided her to the kitchen table. She sat down and I wrapped the blanket around her a little better then went into the kitchen and made her a cup of tea and I warmed up the cup of coffee I had poured earlier. I heated some leftovers from last night in the microwave and brought them to the table along with the remaining biscuits.

I handed her a steaming mug of tea and the bottle of honey. She just stared at her tea for a while stirring it listlessly. I sat there drinking my coffee watching her. I broke open a warm biscuit and dribbled a little honey on it and handed it to her. She sniffed it and took a small bite. It seemed to brighten her mood a little; it also reminded her body it wanted food. She licked her muzzle with obvious hunger then devoured the remaining biscuit in just a couple of bites. A tiny drop of honey glistened against the blackness of the fur on her muzzle where it landed unnoticed. I handed her a spoon and she began eating her soup pausing for a drink of tea now and then.

"So, how did you sleep?"

She put her tea down and wiped her muzzle with a paper napkin, "I can't remember sleeping in a more comfortable bed. I was warm and clean sleeping on beautiful colored sheets that were soft as a kitten's belly. It was wonderful."

"Didn't sleep very well did you?"

"No, I guess not. It was too nice, I am not used to it."

"I understand. If you want to take some blankets or what ever under the house, you are welcome to if you would feel more comfortable."

"No, it's too cold right now. I'll just curl up in a corner with a blanket. I'll be ok, it will take me a while to get used to this again."

"There is a mattress in the spare bedroom you can sleep on. It's a bit worn but still serviceable. I'll move some stuff out of there and it can be your room, how is that?"

"I... I don't know what to say. It is very kind of you. Thank you."

"It's no problem really, I just use it to store junk in anyway. You are welcome to it." I said, slurping up some soup and spilling a few drops on my chin.
"Phillip... I can't repay your kindness; I don't have anything to give. I am not even human so I can't pay you with that particular coin. I..."

I slammed down my coffee cup on the table, "Let's get a few things straight, right here, right now. I am not the type of guy who would even think of taking advantage of this situation. It would not matter if you were the most beautiful woman in the world or the ugliest, it wouldn't have made any difference. You were dying and in need of help. I don't expect you to try and repay me and I feel bad that you think I would. Especially that way. You are welcome to stay here as long as you like, forever if you want since there isn't much of anywhere you can go. The only thing I will ever ask of you is to clean up after yourself and maybe help around the house every now and then."

"I'm sorry, I... I don't really know much about people, Phillip. All I know is from television and a few things I have read. Paw paw and Momma Jo were old when they found me and I can't compare them to most humans. They did teach me that I was expected to make my own way in the world and not to expect handouts. They taught me not to steal and to pay for what I take even though they knew it would be almost impossible to do. The garden is a prime example. I made sure you received a share because it is your house and your water. I can't do it every time but I do try. Momma Jo once told me that men will usually exchange sex for things. Unfortunately, I can't even do that."

I sort of stared at her in shock. I didn't know what to say to that really. She was right, to a point anyway. I've traded a diner and movie for a roll in the hay on occasion, even paid for a hooker once. "Well, you are right. Most men will do it, even if they don't really think they are. It would take a really low scuzball to take advantage of your situation though. I wouldn't enjoy it at all if I thought you were doing it just to pay me back for my help."

"Oh," she said, looking at her feet. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult you."

"Don't worry about it. Consider your company my payment if it will make you feel better. Gets lonely around here. Sampling my cooking may be too high a price to pay sometimes though."

She smiled at that, "Above and beyond the call of duty, huh? From someone who has scavenged from trashcans, eaten dog food and the dog it was for, so far it has been heavenly."

I laughed at that. "So what does dog taste like anyway?"

"I don't know what regular dog tastes like. I know that yappy little shit eating mongrel that lived next door was just like what you would think a high strung bundle of nervous energy would taste like; tough, stringy and almost inevitable. It made me sick actually. I was sick anyway so I didn't notice it much."

"Ah, so that is what happened to that dog. I hate to say it but it won't be missed by any of the neighbors I bet. Pete, my neighbor on the other side of the house would probably pay you for your trouble." She smiled and just grunted as she continued to eat. "I don't even think the owner will miss it much either, she inherited it from an old boyfriend who left it when she kicked him out of the house. Did make an outstanding watchdog though, a squirrel didn't move that she didn't bark at."

"Yeah, made it a lot harder on me too. I had to be more careful so no one would see me. Fortunately, no one paid her much attention since she barked at every little thing. I still feel bad about it though. Wasn't all that bright in the long run either. I could still steal a bit of her food now and again but once the owner realized the dog was gone, there was no more food to swipe."

"Hmmm, good point. So, why were you running around last night in the snow naked? I assume you wear clothes right?"

"I did until my parents died, I haven't worn much since except to keep warm. I can't really wash them and hang them out to dry and I can't just go out and buy some. They are rags now so only wear them when I need to." She finished her food and wiped her muzzle with a paper napkin. "Why I was outside last night is simple, I was looking for food. I go naked so that I can pass as a big dog. It works." She stood up let the blanket fall. She dropped to all fours and wagged her tail and I would have sworn she was a dog. An odd looking dog though. She stuck out her tongue and panted and I had to laugh. In the dark, I couldn't have been able to tell the difference.

She got up and put the blanket back on. I got up and walked into the living room and picked up the TV remote and turned on the television. "Go ahead and watch some TV while I take care of the dishes. After that we'll see what I have that might have a chance of fitting."

"OK," she said as she looked at the remote. "Ummm, how does this work?"

"Point it at the set and press the channel buttons. You mean you haven't seen a TV with a remote before? They have been around for years."

Paw paw had an old set that worked well but didn't have this." She pointed it at the set and changed channels. "Hey, neat"

I left her to the tube and I took care of the dishes and straightened up the house some while I was at it. I went back into the living room and found Samantha asleep in front of the TV. I let her sleep, she needed it.

I went over to the computer and logged on. I checked the email and then checked a couple of newsgroups I regularly subscribe to. After puttering around answering posts and whatnot, I went to a search engine and looked for information on skunks.

I realized after a while that this info didn't help much. Real skunks were omnivores and it seems they have a problem with eating cat food and certain preservatives, much like Samantha. I know a lot people have the same problem so I couldn't tell if it was because she was part skunk or just sensitive to them. I did find out those odd nipples were part of her scent glands and even watched a video clip of them in action. There was information on the fallacy that skunks were carriers of rabies, they were no more likely to get it than any other mammal in the wild. They also extolled the virtues of having skunks as pets. Interesting but not helpful. I did run across someone saying that skunks, while mating can sometimes lose control and spray themselves. I filed that under "good to know" in the back of my mind, you never know...

A couple of hours later, I knew a lot more about mephitis than I did before. Exhausting all the information I could, I began looking at other references to skunks. That's when I ran into "furry" references. Being an anime fan, I had run across a bit of "anthroporphics" or furries before, there being a bit of overlap here and there. The classic anime cat girl is actually considered furry in fact. The typical furries were fantasy creatures usually melded from elements of human and animal to form a hybrid creature. Centaurs and mermaids are the classic example but also include just about any sort of animal and human combination, even animals with human intelligence. If you liked Bugs Bunny, you are a furry, if you were into werewolves; you were probably a furry too. The Egyptians worshiped furries if you applied the definition. I looked around some more and ran into a lot of pictures of various furries, the quality ranging from child-like scribbles to works that could hang in a museum. I also ran into a veritable avalanche of adult orientated artwork, a great deal of it homosexual to boot.

Now, don't get me wrong. I have about two gigs of porn on my computer, a big part of it being hentai, or anime porn. I am a reasonably normal guy so yeah, I like dirty pictures. Being single means I like them... a lot, so sue me. Seeing that furries liked to make adult pictures didn't surprise me, I sort of expect it really. What used to surprise me more was the idea that someone could feel sexually attracted to a woman with a dog's head, or a guy for that matter. Or, at least it did anyway. I had always thought it sort of odd, that's why I wasn't really into it much beyond the occasional "cat girl" or maybe a sexy alien. Having a real live one in the house has changed my perspectives a bit though. She didn't really look like the stylized fantasy creatures I had seen so far although there were a few that came close. Foxes seemed to be the animal of choice, though wolves, big cats and skunks seemed to be very popular as well.

I followed a link to a web site that had a lot of skunk art on it which had a link to another which turned out to be a rather explicate site with a lot of furs, mostly skunks, having sex with each other and leaving nothing to the imagination. I was about to click off of it when I realized Samantha was looking over my shoulder. I looked up and saw her eyes were wide and her mouth was open in an expression of shock. I reached up to turn it off but she grabbed my shoulder and said, "No, please. I want to see."

I know I turned six or seven shades of red with embarrassment but I leaned back so she could look. She studied the various pictures for a while, her eyes growing wider by the minute. "Are there others like me, I mean there has to be if there are pictures of us right?"

"I... I doubt it Samantha. These are just drawings of fantasy creatures, they are not taken from real life. I guess you could think of them as cartoon characters perhaps, I dunno. I mean look at that picture, that would hurt like hell in real life, and that one there looks like it would probably kill her. I'm sorry, I didn't intend for you to see stuff like this, not right away. The Internet can be unpredictable sometimes. I was looking for information on skunks when I found this.

"If it's not... that means there are people who... who fantasize about..." She stepped back from me with this really odd look on her face. She sat down on the floor and just stared at the screen. I exited and returned the screen to the desktop then I turned to face her. She looked into my eyes with something akin to wonder or fear, I couldn't tell.

"I'm sorry, I didn't intend to shock you like that, it was an accident really," I stammered in embarrassment. "I'm sorr..."

"You don't understand... this, this is wonderful! I never dreamed..."

"Huh? I'm confused."

"Phillip, there are humans out there who don't consider what I am to be a monster. They actually think of a skunk girl like me in ... in that way. I have always been told I would always be considered a freak. Something to either be pitied or feared, never in my wildest dreams did I think there would be humans who might consider umm... "mating" with me."

"Well, let's put a little perspective on this first. Keep in mind these are just drawings and it is no more than that. I could make a drawing of myself driving a nail into my foot, doesn't mean I would enjoy doing that in real life. Just because an artist draws a furry skunkett doesn't necessarily mean he wouldn't be terrified of you in real life. Big difference. On the other side of the coin, there are guys so hard up they would be attracted to a strategically placed knot in a tree. Don't think some girls may be attracted to you as well, it happens you know.

People are as varied as snowflakes, no one the same. You could run into people who would fear you, perhaps kill you or try to capture you and keep you like a pet and then there are those who would sell their souls for the chance to touch you. Each one just as bad as the other. Then there are the rest of us who will hopefully will treat you with respect once they get a chance to know you."

"I... I think I know what you are saying, Momma Jo used to say things like that. I just never dreamed people might think of me... that way, even if it is just fantasy. It... it changes things."

"Yeah, I suppose it would," I said chuckling.

I reached out and touched her shoulder. She looked at me with just the tiniest bit of hesitation and I could tell something had changed between us. Thankfully she didn't cringe away from me, which was a good sign anyway. "Nothing has changed Samantha, I will never ask anything more from you. You are safe here. Trust me."

"I trust you Phillip, thank you." She placed her cheek against my hand and closed her eyes. Her fur was soft and warm. She stayed that way for only a second but it spoke volumes.

"Let's see if we can find you some clothes. I think I have something that may fit." I got up and went into the bedroom, rummaged around some then came back out with an arm full of clothes. They were a couple of t-shirts and a set of sweats, all of which were small on me but they may work on her. I also stopped and grabbed my old navy sewing kit, which had an assortment of sewing items like needles, thread and buttons. I walked back into the room and found her sitting on the couch with the blanket wrapped around her. I handed her the sweatshirt, "Give this a try."

She took the shirt and stood up, dropping the blanket. As she put the shirt on over her head, I could count every rib and noticed the bare spot on her left side that I had noticed last night. Her slight breasts moved around a bit as she struggled to put the shirt on. Soon she had the neck of the shirt on her head then first one ear then the other popped up then her head and muzzle appeared. Her arms filled the sleeves but didn't emerge from the cotton. The sleeves were way too long for her as was the rest of it. She could wear the shirt as a dress with the addition of a belt. Oh well, better than nothing.

I noticed the back of the shirt was bunched up around her tail so I grabbed up the scissors and cut a slit up the back allowing the tail to part the material. The sleeves were about six inches too long but they could be bunched up on the arms and work OK that way. The pants were going to be a lot tougher. Or I thought it would be, she grabbed up the pants and laid them down, back side up. She placed her hand on the waistband, little finger held out. At the point where her finger ended she cut a hole in the fabric up to her fingers. She handed me the scissors then put the pants on slipping her tail through the hole. Once she had them on, the tail hole was perfectly placed. The legs were long as well and they bunched up like the sleeves. Maybe not high fashion perhaps but it should be warm.

I handed her a pair of white socks, "I don't have any sort of shoe that would fit but these will help I think."

"It's not really a problem, I don't usually get cold feet unless the rest of me is cold."

"Even in the snow?" I asked as she tried the socks on, of course, they were huge.

"Yeah, I don't need shoes for the most part and I have gone years without wearing them. The socks are nice though, thank you."

I went to the closet in the spare bedroom and grabbed up an old trench coat and my regular jacket and headed back into the living room. She tilted her head a little when I handed the trench coat to her but she put it on. Her tail pressed against her back under the coat and was undetectable. As she fumbled with the belt I went into the kitchen and picked up the pistol and inserted the clip, then slipped it into my pocket. Insurance is best when paid up and in force. I came out and found she had the belt cinched up and it fit reasonably well though the coat drug the ground just a little. "Feel OK?"

"OK, I suppose. Getting hot."

"Good, come on then." I walked into the kitchen and she followed. I opened the back door and she had a look of near panic in her eyes. "What, what are you doing? It's daylight, someone will see me."

"So? It's just the back yard and with that on, no one will give you more than a quick glance. I doubt anyone is up now anyway. Come on." I reached up and pulled the hood up on the sweatshirt, completely covering her ears and head. From any distance, she would look human enough. I lifted her chin and said, "Don't be afraid, trust me. Step into the light."

We stepped outside into the snow, sinking several inches into the fluffy powder. She looked around very warily, trying to spot any onlookers. There weren't any, the cold kept them inside. We noticed a set of tracks through the yard, most likely a rabbit or squirrel. They led from under the house the pile of bramble along the back fence. "That's Bugs Bunny, I have been trying for a long time to snare that darned rabbit but he has never fallen for one of my traps."

"Smarter than the average, eh?"

"Yeah, I could manage to catch others but not that one."

We walked around the yard some, inspecting for damage or other problems. Nothing seemed to be amiss at the moment so I relaxed a bit. I noticed Samantha was looking up at the gray sky, her attention diverted. I picked up some snow and made a snowball. Wasn't easy, the stuff was very powdery. "In coming!" I yelled as I launched the projectile. Being I am a really bad at throwing, I was surprised the silly thing connected at all. I was in shock due to the fact it caught her square in the face. She had a look of utter surprise on her face. She buried her muzzle in her hands and sank to her knees. "Oh my God, Samantha! I'm sorry, are you OK?" I said as I scrambled over to her. "Oh geeze, what's wrong?" I said as I kneeled next to her. She didn't move or make a sound so I bent over to look into her face. She was staring down into the snow. "What's wrong? I ..." I followed her gaze but I didn't see anything in the snow.

That is I didn't see anything except about a square yard of snow erupting into my eyes as she plunged her hands into the snow and threw it into my face. I had snow in my eyes, up my nose, down my neck and even in my right ear. I had been had. She started laughing, I sat up and blinked the snow out of my eyes and she doubled over in laughter. Snow was covering my entire face like a mask except two holes where my eyes were. "Oh, you think that's funny huh?" I said as I wiped the snow off of me. She looked up and tried to stifle her mirth but burst out again. I grabbed up some of the powder and the snowball fight was on. She squealed as I landed the first one on the side of her head. The second caught her in the shoulder. She rolled away, stood up and scrambled behind a lawn chair for cover. I kept up a steady barrage but couldn't connect. We were both laughing and she would squeal whenever I came close. When she saw me start to move around the chair to attack her flank, she returned fire in earnest. Since I had no cover, she was pummeling me. I had to abandon the flanking maneuver and seek refuge behind the side of the house.

I was effectively pinned because she had a much better field of view and anytime I peeked out she put a snowball right square in my face. She was good. I looked around and considered my options, I could run out and attempt to overrun her position but I would end up eating a lot of snow. I then remembered the gate. I turned and ran for it and opened it as quietly as I could. I ran around the front of the house and came around the other side. Again I opened the gate quietly as possible and snuck in. She was behind the lawn chair still looking at the side of the house waiting for me to peek around again. I made several snowballs and put them in a pile and readied my attack. She stood up a bit trying to see what I was up to and that was the opportunity I was looking for. I pulled my arm back to throw but at the same moment her ears swiveled to the rear and she suddenly jumped over the chair, turning in mid air and let fly a nice, wet snowball that caught me right between the eyes. My shot went wild and I fell over backwards from the stinging impact.

I was flat on my back looking up at the cold gray sky and laughing like I was crazy. Samantha walked up and asked," Are you OK? You startled me, I didn't mean to hit you like that."

"No... It's OK," I tried to control my laughter, "Nice shot there, you are pretty good. I thought I had you for sure."

"I heard your jacket as you got ready to throw. The snow makes everything sound muffled so I didn't hear you move around the house. Pretty sneaky."

"Where in the world did you learn to throw like that? I don't think you missed a single shot." I asked as I wiped the snow from my eyes and sat up.

"Dogs," she said, fluffing the snow out of her hood and hair. "I have to deal with dogs a lot, usually strays. A well placed rock usually takes the fight out of them plus I can sometimes hit a squirrel or whatever if I'm lucky."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's hard to do but I can usually put one in the stewpot if I really need to. That is, if there are any around. They have been scarce this winter, probably cats marauding the neighborhood."

"Wow, that's a right handy skill. I imagine you would be good with a gun with your aim. A natural."

"I really don't have any desire to touch one, seeing as how I will probably meet my end that way. I am not a violent person and I only hunt to survive, I really hate killing. Before my adoptive parents died, most everything I ate except what came from the garden came from a package or a can. Papa showed me how to clean rabbits, squirrels and such incase I had to hide in the woods. I read books and tried to get myself ready to survive once I ended up on my own. Unfortunately, they both died so suddenly, and the arrangements we had planned were useless."

"What were your plans? I mean you knew they were old and time was short." I asked as we both brushed snow off of each other.

"The plan was when one died, we would sell the house here and buy some wooded land up in Arkansas with a small house. They had some money put away for this and they had an estate set up to pay the taxes and everything, unfortunately we didn't count on them both dying at the same time. They actually had the land and were making payments on it up until they died, but that is all gone now."

"Maybe, maybe not. Depends on how they set it up. I'll look into it."

"Thank you Phillip, you don't know how much your help means to me."

"No promises, but I'll do what I can. Come on, let's go back inside. I have melting snow running down my back. I wonder how that got there?"

"Hmmm, I don't know," she said in mock seriousness. We went back into the house and took our coats and footwear off. I hung her damp socks to dry over the sink and handed her a towel to dry off with. I took my shirt and t-shirt off and draped them on a doorknob to dry as well. Samantha used her towel and dried the dampness out of my hair and back.

She stopped and I turned around. She was using the towel to dry her hair and was looking at my bare chest until I noticed her looking and she diverted her eyes quickly. I knew what she was looking at and I smiled, somewhat embarrassed. I flexed my right arm and struck a body builder pose and said, "Body by Pizza Hut!" then changed the pose raising my arm above my head the other curled against my side like superman about to leap into the sky. This caused Samantha to burst out in a laugh then she tried to stifle it with her paw over her mouth. Now, what makes this so funny is I was built more like Chris Farley than Arnold and my poses looked rather silly. I wasn't huge or anything but you could tell I wasn't missing any meals. I struck the classical archer pose and said, "No pain, no pain," then tried to suck in my belly. The effect was hysterical and Samantha burst into laughter and so did I.

After the laughter died off I put my shirt back on and said, "Too many Doritos and Big Macs I suppose." There was only a hint of sadness in my voice and I'm glad she didn't catch it. I've been the tragic clown a long time and I hide it well. I helped her out of her coat and draped it over the back of a dining room chair. I noticed she had a fair amount of snow on her back and neck, "Geeze, isn't that cold?"

She looked at me then ran her paw down her neck and came back with snow. "I have fur, I didn't feel it at all. Once it starts melting I will though." I grabbed up a towel and proceeded to brush the snow onto the already snow dampened linoleum of the kitchen floor. She had a fair amount down her back inside the sweatshirt so I told her to take her shirt off. She raised an eyebrow for an instant then turned and took off the shirt. I took it and snapped it a couple of times to shake out the snow then used a towel to brush her back off. I draped the towel over her shoulders once I was done and we walked into the living room. I picked up a t-shirt off of the pile of clothes and handed it to her. I watched her as she dressed and noticed she was acting tired. Probably over did it a little out in the snow. I picked up the rest of the clothes off the couch and put them on the coffee table then flopped down and patted the cushion, motioning Samantha to sit down. I turned on the television as she sat down and settled in to vegetate in front of the tube for a while and rest up from this morning's adventure.

I handed the remote to her and she surfed a bit then settled on the Cartoon Network watching some old Yogi Bear cartoon. After a few minutes she leaned against my side and yawned. We lounged there for a while watching cold war era cartoon reruns and dozing off and on. I kept idly running my hand through her fur and stopping myself. After the third time she grabbed my hand and put it back against her arm and said, "I don't mind Phillip, really I don't. It feels nice."

"I'm sorry, I am just afraid you will resent me treating you like I would a pet or something and we've only known each other a short time."

She giggled and said, "Running your hand through my fur is not the same thing as putting a collar around my neck or swatting me with a rolled newspaper. It's OK, really. Momma Jo did it all the time and so did Papa until his arthritis got bad. I don't mind."

I smiled and went back to stroking her fur and watching TV. I noticed some hairs coming off onto my hand so I got up and retrieved the brush out of the bedroom and settled in to brushing her fur. I noticed her eyes close and she seemed to lose herself to the rhythmic sensations.
I ran into the knots and tangles I skipped last night and worked out as much as I could without snatching her bald then resorted to the scissors. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but it still took quite a while to finish.

She fell sound asleep by the time I was done so I slowly untangled myself from her and laid her down on the sofa and put a light blanket over her. While she slept I went into the spare bedroom and cleared out the junk and set up the mattress and box spring I keep for guests. I didn't have a bed frame so I put them on the floor. It would do for now.
I had a nightstand I didn't use in the garage so I set it up next to the bed and dug up a lamp and put it on the stand. It had an ugly yellow shade but it worked. Digging around I came up with a small boom box radio and a couple of bland landscape pictures for the walls. I made the bed and donated one of my pillows for the cause. As I finished I looked at the room and couldn't help thinking I was going to have to come up with a better decorating theme other than "early frat house." Oh well, it had to be better than a hole under the house.

By the time I finished it was lunchtime so I went into the kitchen and put some frozen leftover beans in the microwave and let them thaw while I made a pitcher of orange juice from can of concentrate. Not exactly the Ritz but until the roads were passable, it was 'catch as catch can' around here. Speaking of the roads, I went to the front windows and looked out. The roof had a steady stream of water dripping off and the snow on the roads looked like it might be melting off a bit and one or two cars had been moved. The snow may actually melt enough by afternoon that I may be able hit the grocery store and stock up on 'vittles. Samantha needed some fresh vegetables and maybe some vitamins too. As the food warmed up, I made a shopping list. As I made it out, I remembered I had used up most of the shampoo I had. Jotted down "get big bottle, conditioner too" then thought, do I get human shampoo or pet shampoo? Then I thought about feminine hygiene products... does she need them? What would she need? How can I ask her?

The food was ready so I went into the living room and started to wake Samantha but hesitated. She was a fully loaded and primed skunk (well, skunk person) that just might be startled if I woke her. That would be bad in my line of thinking so I backed away to let her sleep. She opened an eyelid and looked at me. "Hi, I was considering waking you for lunch but figured you needed to sleep," I said, lying through my teeth.

She figured out the real reason pretty quick and said, "Phillip, I guess I can't blame you but I can't spray unless I really want to. Waking me up or startling me won't do it and unless I'm hurt really bad or dead I doubt I can actually spray otherwise. It has never been a problem."

"That's good to know, it's just I really don't know you very well. You are an unknown quantity really. I didn't intend to insult you or anything. I mean, you are a skunk and it is cold outside... you know?"

"I know Phillip, and I'm sorry if I make you uncomfortable. I can move back under the house if you like. I hope I can beg a little food from you now and again until spring."

"Don't be silly, if you say it isn't a problem then I won't worry about it again. The nicest person in the world can be violent when they first wake up, especially among relative strangers. You have an added bonus is all, I would be just as cautious if you were a ninja." I said, smiling. "Besides, you can't go back under the house, not after I made up your room."

"What?"

"Come on sleepyhead, take a look." I took her hand and she stood up, a little wobbly at first. I guided her to the bedroom and opened the door. She walked in and her jaw dropped. I hoped she wasn't too disappointed. "When I get a chance, I'll see if I can't find something better later on but it is a comfortable bed. Sorry about the flop house decor but it is all I have."

"It's wonderful Phillip! It's like my old room when I was a kid. I even had a lamp like that. Thank you so much." She turned and hugged my neck.

As she pulled our bodies together in a hug, I asked, "Are you sure it's OK? It's just some stuff I had in storage." The sound muffled by her hair in my face. She pulled back and licked my cheek.

"It's perfect! You are so kind."

Her fur felt warm and soft, and the hug stirred feelings I really didn't want to deal with at the moment so I broke it off as quickly as I could without causing her to be offended or alarmed. We had enough problems at the moment although it did get me thinking. The longer I was around her, the less odd her appearance became. I guess I was getting used to her. Something also changed in me, I no longer saw her as an animal. I knew that intellectually but not instinctually I suppose. At least, not until then.

She walked around the room and then fell on the bed, bouncing a bit, her hair splaying out and her tail between her legs. She ran her hands on the sheets and pillow, savoring the half worn out material like fine silk. I suddenly felt a pang of sorrow for all she had endured. You don't realize how lucky you have it until someone less fortunate reminds you.

She closed her eyes after a bit and seemed to relax. "You think you can sleep on this OK? If you want, we can put the mattress on the floor or you can just curl up there, what ever you want. You are welcome to the couch or whatever if you like it better although out there I'll probably wake you up going to work "

"I will give this a try Phillip, thank you. It is very nice. It beats my old cot by a mile." She looked around the room and somewhat sheepishly asked, "Phillip, do you mind if I bring a few things up from under the house?"

"I don't mind at all, within reason of course. It's your room, just don't break out the walls or tear up the carpet and we will get along fine." She sort of smiled at that, even though she really didin't smile. I interpreted her expression and the set of her ears that way, body language maybe. "Go ahead and bring up what ever you need, I'll help if you like."

"Thank you Phillip, it isn't much just a few photographs and stuff," she said as she opened up one of the empty drawers on the nightstand then closed it again. She got off the bed and stood up. "I'll go down later and get my stuff later on when it is warmed up some. It's fine where his right now I suppose besides I will get all dirty again crawling down there."

"That's fine, what ever you want to do is fine with me. Umm, by the way since we are talking about your stuff, it looks like I may be able to go to the store this afternoon. There are some things I need to get besides groceries, are there any items that you really need? The shampoo is almost gone for one thing, is there any particular type you want? Will human shampoo work OK for you or would some sort of animal shampoo work better? Also do you need any other sort of hygiene products...um... tampons or whatever? Also do you have any special requests as far as food is concerned?"

Samantha thought about it for a second or two then said, "well, there was this shampoo that Momma Jo used to get that worked really well. It was actually a horse shampoo that came in a big bottle, I think it was called something like Australian Beauty. She said it was for people to so it worked out rather well. There was also some conditioner made by the same people that I used to use too. Human shampoo seems to work OK as well it really hasn't been a problem. As far as female needs are concerned, it isn't that much of a problem either. You might pick me up some napkins just in case. If you are taking food requests I would really love some carrots and peanut butter. Also, if you would, see if you can find some chocolate. I haven't had any in so long."

"Ok," I said, "that sounds easy enough. Out of curiosity, how often do you have a period? Is it monthly like humans or do you go into heat a few times a year?" I asked, somewhat embarrassed.

"I have a monthly cycle much like humans do, although I haven't had one here lately. I will probably return to normal once I start eating regularly again." At that precise moment, her stomach growled. "And speaking of eating, I smell something good coming from the kitchen. Any chance I can get something to eat?"

"Ah yes, lunch is ready." I smiled then bowed with a flourish, "the finest beans in all the land await you, my lady." I said in a rather bad English accent.



"Show me the way oh great and valiant knight!" With that she held out her hand which I took in mine and I guided her to the kitchen. We shared a meal in relative silence, discussing a few items to add on the shopping list. After lunch was over and dishes cleaned up, the rest of the afternoon I spent showing her a few things about the computer. About four clock I noticed the sun peeking out from behind the clouds, I got up and looked out the window and noticed a neighbor's car was gone. In fact the roads looked to be in pretty good shape. Being I didn't want to drive in the dark, I decided it was time to head off store. I let Samantha play with the computer on her own while I got dressed and took off for the store.

Have I told you how much I really enjoy shopping? Incase I haven't let me tell you I enjoy it about as much as a root canal. Anyway, I returned home about an hour later with a dozen or so sacks of groceries and other sundry items. I carried them in and set them on the kitchen floor while Sabrina attempted to put everything up. After I showed her where I usually put stuff, it didn't take long for us to put everything away. Watching her pick things up I noticed she was still rather weak. That reminded me about the vitamin tablets I bought for her. I rummaged around the remaining sacks and found the bottle. I opened it up and handed her a tablet. She tilted her head slightly and had a quizzical expression on her face. I told her it was just a vitamin and handed her a glass of water. She took it and then we finished putting the groceries away.

The rest the afternoon passed quietly, we watched a little TV before I started supper. This time Samantha did her best to help out, but she gave out halfway through making the meal. I told her to go lay down on the couch while I finished making spaghetti. It had been a long day and I had to remind myself that she was a long way from having her health back. During the meal, I told her about my childhood, my parents and where I grew up. After we cleared the dishes, I pulled out the photo albums and hopefully didn't bore her too much showing her glimpses of my life.



This is all I have written so far, stay tuned.