Gary closed his eyes and let his powerful ears and nose absorb all the sensory information from the celebration around him. Mammals of all shapes and sizes were shouting and cheering while the intoxicating fumes of thousands of scents assaulted the large white wolf. Normally, the sheer variety of emotions emanating in crowds cause Gary to dread large groups but this time every scent was excited which was causing a supercharge of sorts for the mammal. Opening his eyes, he continued to wave from one of the many floats during the annual Zootopia Pride. The white wolf wore a tight fitting pair of dance shorts inspired by the back-up dancers for Gazelle. His white fur was colored with patches of red, blue, yellow, purple, and orange charcoal, adding festive color to his usual monochromatic pigment. Two large grey paws pulled his slightly chubby chest closer.
"Having fun pup?" A husky voice said with a large muzzle burying itself into Gary's white fur.
"Oh you know it Larry!" The white wolf responded turning to his partner. It had taken a lot of bribing but the larger grey wolf wore a similar pair of shorts and a leather harness across his chest. Despite being shyer than his boyfriend, Larry was enjoying the attention and could barely stop his tail from wagging. Splotches of color had made its way across the cream colored belly of the toned wolf. "We were overdue for a celebration."
Gary thought about the last few of years, from being arrested and in jail for a few months to spending some time between jobs and finally finding work at a local gay bar catering to predators. The bar, "Howl at the Moon," actually asked both wolves to dance on their float for the Zootopia Pride celebration. Normally, Larry worked as a barback and Gary worked the door, but the owner had wanted all of his staff to have fun on the float and show a little skin. "If we have eye candy on the float more people are sure to show up!" The large polar bear had said. The white wolf looked over his boyfriend's shoulder to see the owner happily waving at the large crowd on either side of the float. Catching the wolf's eyes, the bear gave the couple a toothy grin.
"Gary? Everything ok?" Larry asked, his blue eyes softening. With a smile, the white wolf gave his boyfriend a long kiss. The pair held each other closely while being embraced in all the excitement of the parade. The wolves broke their kiss when cheers erupted around them and mammals started yelling "ohhhhh," and "awwwww,". One voice even yelled a good natured "Get a room!" which caused the rest of the bar staff to laugh out loud. Blushing, the pair started to laugh as well and returned to waving at the crowd.
Gary had a thought and felt his tail start to wag uncontrollably. "Larry, can I do it!?" He held his paws in front of himself like he was begging for a treat.
With a roll of his eyes, the grey wolf smiled at his begging partner. "Let's do it together!"
The pair pointed their muzzles to the sky and released an echoing howl. Soon wolves, dogs, and even a few other mammals joined in with the loud noise. Throughout the streets of Zootopia, the howl bounced through the air. Not every mammal could understand what exactly the howl meant but they could tell one thing. It was a howl filled with celebration and happiness.
After a moment, the wolves ceased their howl and fell into a fit of laughter. "I love you Larry!" The white wolf smiled deeply into the rich blue eyes of his partner.
"And I love you Gary." The grey wolf responded booping his nose on his partner's own snout.
