[A/N] This short piece takes places roughly four or five years after the events of Loves Bond, book two of my main story. I have been thinking of working on an offshoot of the main story with a pair of my own characters so this is one of the ideas I came up with. Please let me know if you would be interested in reading more about Sara and Ryan, or let me know is there are any other of my characters you would like to read more about.

Chapter 13 - First Day

Freshly mown grass covered one side of the small, manicured hill. A gravel path, straight and narrow as an engineer's measuring stick, marched up the side of the hill to a set of well worn, marble stairs. Mounted solidly atop the white stone steps were four marble columns carved in the classic style.

The university's library was perched on top of a small hill in the center of the campus. Solemnly it watched over all the other halls of learning that were spread around it like spokes on an old fashioned wagon wheel. It was the only building that remained after a devastating fire ravaged the area nearly two centuries ago. When the school was eventually rebuilt, the new buildings were constructed in a more modern, brick and mortar style, than the giant stone blocks used in more ancient times.

Nestled beside one of the large columns that held up the tremendous roof was a long table where a line of young students waited to receive colored bundles of paper. Behind the table was a small group of older students helping the younger ones get their orientation packets.

When Sara Maky reached the top of the steps, the line of freshmammals had thinned significantly. Two llamas stood at the near end of the table arguing over which color of packets they should receive as she walked behind them. Past the llamas was a short cougar who patiently waited for the attendant to find his name badge and identification card.

Sara walked to the end of the table where an okapi sat chatting with a nervous looking skunk. With a firm, yet polite voice, Sara interrupted the two older students and asked, "Is this the new student registration table?"

"Yes, of course," the okapi replied. Around her neck was a long lanyard printed with images of a cartoon mouse on the cord. Hanging from a clip at the end was a plastic card with a picture of the student and her name, "Mandy Barkjumper." With a warm smile, she stood up and asked, "Name and major?"

"Sara Maky," the half rabbit, half lemur answered. Sara's mother was a lop eared rabbit and her father was a ringtailed lemur, and she seemed to inherit the best features from both species. She had long ears like her mother and the long bushy tail from her father. Unlike her mother, Sara's ears did not reach all the way down her back, but hung out to the sides and shaded her shoulders. She also had very sharp, unrabbit-like teeth, with a pair of fangs that hung down from her upper jaw.

Today, she was wearing a tight black top, with a white skull drawn in a slightly cartoonish style, and a black skirt with white horizontal lines that gave the impression that the skirt was made from sewn together belts. Around her neck was a metal chain choker with the long end hanging down the front of her shirt and between her small breasts. Despite the late summer heat, the dark outfit matched well with her black and white fur color.

"What's your major?" Mandy asked again as the skunk tried to hide behind the taller okapi.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sara apologized. "I am taking forensic science," she declared proudly.

With a firm nod, Mandy stepped to the side. "That will be the Criminal Justice Department. Wait here a second while I fetch one of the blue packets." After two more steps, she turned back and spoke to the skunk, "Ryan, can you find her ID?"

Ryan gulped as he quickly glanced back and forth between the two females. Taking a deep breath he stepped up to the long table and began rifling through a large box that contained dozens of plastic cards.

"Ryan?" The doe asked with her head tilted slightly to the side. "Ryan Febreche? Your Tera's brother."

"Yep, that's me," the skunk replied without lifting his muzzle from the box full of ID cards.

"I thought I recognized you."

Before Sara could say anything further to the embarrassed skunk, Mandy returned with a blue packet in her hooves. "Ryan? Did you find her card yet?"

In an instant, Ryan pulled a small laminated card from the box and pawed it to the taller black and white mammal. He then stepped away from the table quickly without looking at either female.

"How is Tera doing these days?" Sara continued to ask. "I have not spoken with her all summer. Did she ever manage to get accepted at that college she wanted?"

"She's been good," the skunk shot back quickly while trying to retreat down the length of the table.

"Do you know each other?" Mandy asked Ryan as he tried to slink away.

Holding out her paws as she waited for her ID and orientation packet, Sara hopped in to answer the question, "Yep. He is my best friend's brother."

"Oh, I see," the okapi said with a nod as she passed over the items in her hooves.

"I hardly know him however," Sara said with a shake of her head. "Since he always seemed to disappear when I would visit my friend."

"Is that so?" Mandy turned curiously towards Ryan who was greeting a young boar further down the table.

"The first time that Tera introduced us was at lunch during our sophomore year. He never even spoke a single word before he ran off. Didn't even say hello, or goodbye or anything, just poof." She held up her paws and made an imitation explosion with her fingers.

Mandy chuckled as she declared, "How rude?"

"I know," the rabbit hybrid said as she covered a snicker with a black-furred paw.

Turning back to the table, the okapi motioned to a box filled with colorful lanyards and asked, "Would you like one? It's not required, but it makes it so much easier to carry around your ID." She lifted her own card and showed off the cord it hung from. "Plus you're going to need to keep it within easy reach since there are several doors that require a card to open."

Sara looked down at the jumble of cords in the box and asked, "I guess you don't have any with spikes do you?"

"Afraid not."

"How about rabbit print?"

"Sure." Mandy dug around in the box for a few seconds and pulled out a black lanyard with white, long eared rabbit silhouettes printed along its length. "Here, this should even match your fur."

"Ohhh," Sara squealed slightly as she reached for the proffered lanyard. "That is perfect."

"It will be an extra three dollars," Mandy said flatly.

"Pardon?" Asked the younger student.

""They are three bucks," the okapi said as she pointed to a small sign that was crudely taped to the front of the box of lanyards."

"Ah," Sara thought for a second before setting her ID and the blue packet filled with neatly stacked papers on the edge of the long table. "Ok, I guess that's fair."

While Sara was pulling out the bills to purchase the black and white rope, she asked another question, "I was also told that there would be full campus tours here?"

"Of course," Mandy smiled as she accepted the money and passed over the lanyard. A frown split her muzzle after looking around the area under the shadow of the huge library. "The last tour just left, and they won't be back till the end of the hour."

"Oh." A frown similar to Mandy's slowly crept across Sara's muzzle and her ears drooped. "Maybe I can grab some lunch while I wait for the next one."

The frown suddenly vanished as Mandy glanced at the skunk who had barely reached the far end of the long registration table. "Ryan," she called with both hooves cupped around her muzzle. "Get back over here!"

As short as Sara was, she could barely see over the table, but it was clear from her point of view that the skunk shook his head. When Mandy firmly pointed at the ground in front of her, he finally began to saunter towards them.

"I have a brilliant idea," Mandy declared as the skunk slowly approached. "Ryan can give you a tour of the campus."

"Are you sure?" Sara asked shyly.

"Yep," the okapi affirmed with a loud clap of her hooves. "As a junior he knows more than enough about the campus to show you around. I just need you to sign up for a tour." She hoofed Sara a clipboard that was already full of names.

After Sara had signed her name, Mandy passed the board to Ryan.

"What is this?" He finally asked with a scowl.

"Your going to take this nice freshmammal on a tour of the campus."

Ryan looked across the table at Sara like she had suddenly appeared out of thin air. He shook his head and tried to shove the clipboard back towards the okapi. "No can do. I just remember that Professor Reignherd wanted me to clean the lab before his next class."

He turned to sprint towards the stairs but Mandy quickly grasped his shoulder and shoved the board into his chest. "Come back here. There aren't any classes this week silly." She then leaned over and whispered something into his smallish, black ears.

After a quick shudder and his muzzle turned pale, he accepted the clipboard and signed his name and the time in the slot for the tour guide.

"Great!" Mandy clapped. "You two know each other so this should be easy." She turned towards Sara and added, "And if he causes any trouble, come straight back here and let me know. I will personally make sure that the school administration hears about it."

With Mandy glaring at him, Ryan stepped around the end of the table. Once his broad tail was clear, he let out a sigh and waved for Sara to follow him. "Shall we get started then?" He asked shyly.

Sara hopped up beside the skunk and cheerfully responded, "Lead the way." As Ryan stepped towards the entrance to the library, she added, "This is going to be fun."

Ryan held a single finger over the end of his short muzzle and made a soft noise as he pulled open the library's huge oaken door. When Sara hopped through the giant portal he began to whisper, "This library was originally built as a temple to Atheetah back in the third century of the modern era. It was later ransacked during the siege of the seventh century."

Inside, the library was tremendous, with a huge domed ceiling that could easily house a hundred full grown elephants. Everywhere that Sara looked were giant shelves of books, or quaint little tables for studying. Classes had not started for the fall semester, yet a few mammals could be seen browsing the shelves or quietly reading.

As the door quietly swished closed behind them, Ryan's hushed voice continued. "During the renaissance period the temple was converted into a warehouse of knowledge and learning that you find today." He motioned for Sara to follow him towards the front counter and then lifted his own ID and lanyard. "You will need your ID to check out any books or use the other resources. They also have a large stock of popular movies from the last three decades."

"They rent movies here?" Sara gasped.

"Not exactly," Ryan explained in his hushed voice. He held up his paws to try and calm the excited rabbit-lemur hybrid. "Movies are free but have to be brought back the next day. Books can be borrowed for up to a week, unless you acquire explicit permission from a professor. Some older texts are not allowed to leave the premises, and the ancient tablets they keep in the back room, you can't even touch without certain language professors' supervision. So unless you're studying ancient languages, don't even think about it."

Sara giggled at how seriously Ryan explained the last part.

After strolling across the giant library, they exited through a second door that was almost as large as the one they had entered through. Down the steps and across a small plaza, Ryan led them to a rather plain looking brick building. At first glance it could have been a typical two story collection of classrooms, except for the bars on the windows and the numerous antique chimney's sprouting from the roof.

"This is the Sir Amedeo Armadillo building, or as the students call it, the Sir Explosion building. It is where the main chemistry labs are housed. Built after the great fire, in the Gregorian style popular in the period, it has become…"

Sara stepped up beside Ryan and cut him off with a paw to his arm, "Can we cut the history lesson, please?"

Startled, he jumped back from her gentle touch and looked into her eyes, "What? What do you mean?"

"Ryan," she chuckled warmly. "Classes won't start till next week and you're already giving me a lecture on the history of this place."

The skunk huffed with a shocked expression on his muzzle. "As your guide, it is my job to show you around and explain how the campus works."

She stepped forward again and looked him directly in the eye, "Of course, but this packet has a map, and if I want the stuffy details, I know where the library is."

Ryan raised his paws and tilted his head in an expression that clearly said, "So what?"

Reaching out, she placed her paw on his arm again. "What I need is someone to show me where my classes are. What are the cool places to hang out, and places I should avoid."

"Oh, right," Ryan nodded as he thought about what she had said. After a few seconds, he shyly stepped back and asked, "What classes are you taking this semester?"

"Let me check," she replied as she sifted through her packet until she found her schedule. "I am taking Calculus II, Forensic Art, Forensic Biology II, Criminal Psychology, Molecular Spectral Analysis, Ballistic Physics and Computer Security and Data Encryption."

Shocked, Ryan replied, "All at the same time?"

"Yep," Sara replied.

"Those are all second year courses!" The skunk exclaimed.

Putting her blue packet back into order, she explained, "I wanted a head start so I took the prerequisites online in high school and over the summer."

"No wonder you and Tera got along so well."

Folding her paws across her chest, Sara's hind paw began to tap on the crunchy gravel path. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're both," he began. "You're both really focused on your goals."

"Speaking of Tera," the hybrid's paw paused for a few seconds as she asked her next question. "You never answered if she ever got into that university that she wouldn't stop talking about at school?"

Sadly, Ryan lowered his muzzle. "Naw, she did manage to get into Bearkley though. It was her second or third choice. She never told me which before mom and dad drove across the country to drop her off."

"I hear that is a very good school for a geology degree."

"I guess," the skunk shrugged as he reached out a paw towards Sara's blue packet. "Can I see that class list again?"

"Sure," Sara said, pulling out the paper once again. When she pawed it to the skunk, she accidentally brushed against his paw before quickly pulling away.

Ryan didn't seem to notice the brief encounter as he glanced at the list. "So we're standing in front of the chemistry building. Psychology is next to the biology building over there." He pointed back towards the library, but Sara only shook her head since what he pointed at was obscured. "The computer department is on the other side of the campus so it will be a bit of a hike."

Again Sara shook her head uncertain of his description.

"Don't worry, I will show you the way." Before he pawed the list back to the rabbit hybrid he added, "Oh, and physics is in the physical science building, right here next to the chemistry labs. So that should be easy to find."

Retrieving her list of classes, she asked, "What about the art class?"

"The art department?" He asked confidently. "That is where you will find me." When she gave him a puzzled look, he posed with one arm in the air like he was lifting a heavy load and the other under his chin like he was deep in thought. "I am an art major, so that will be our next stop."

Sara giggled warmly at his odd stance and the base of her long ears grew slightly redder.

Ryan quickly quit his pose and began to walk away. After several deliberate steps, he turned around and asked, "Are you coming?" Still giggling, Sara raced after the skunk.

As they walked side by side around the small hill where the large, ancient library was perched, Sara noticed that she kept running into Ryan's large, black and white tail. It had a curious curl at the end that was slightly higher than her head, and the tip kept tickling her long ears. The tail seemed to sway in opposition to Ryan's own steps and she found it would brush against her occasionally causing her to swat it aside.

When they reached the plain brick building that housed the art department, Ryan's shy demeanor was replaced by an almost bold confidence. He marched up the steps to the main door with a paw outstretched like he would pull the half rabbit, half lemur up behind him, even though their paws never touched.

"Room one twenty three is on the first floor about halfway down the main hall," Ryan began to explain. "Professor Sandby is pretty cool, but tough when it comes to details. She will dock you a grade if even the slightest hint of fur is out of place, but her suggestions have greatly improved my skills at sketching muzzles."

"That's pretty interesting." Sara said. "What is your favorite medium?"

"Do you mean like painting or sculpting?" He led her down the long hallway of the art building until they stopped at a sculpture of a palm tree sitting in the middle of an intersection.

"Mmhmm," she nodded.

"Well, I have recently gotten into metal sculpting." He casually nodded towards the tree. "It has been a lot of fun, but I haven't really found anything that truly inspires me yet."

It was then that Sara noticed that the tree was constructed entirely of sheets of copper and brass that had been welded together to form the shape of a leaning palm tree. "This is yours?"

Several minutes passed as he explained how he had found bits of scrap laying around the campus and managed to put them together. He hardly had to cut or bend any of the pieces as they all seemed to fit together in just the right way to form the broad leafed tree.

After his long description of the work, they stood side by side not speaking.

When their paws accidentally collided, he immediately stepped back and declared, "The coolest part about the art department is that the food court is right next door." He once again ran off leaving the doe racing to catch up.

They grabbed a couple of sodas from a vendor before they started their long hike towards the other side of the campus. Neither mammal spoke more than two words as they strolled across grassy fields and followed winding gravel trails.

The trail they were following eventually came to a lightly wooded area surrounding a large pond. A rustic stone bridge spanned the pond allowing small and medium sized mammals to cross, while larger mammals had to take the long way around.

As they crested the top of the bridge, Sara stopped to look out across the water and admire the scenery. Ryan stepped up beside her as she looked down at the murky water below. Bright flowers floated on the surface and she could make out dark shadows swimming in the weeds below. Large, colorful insects flitted about the water, zipping from one flower to the next, or resting on the tall felinetail reeds that lined the shore.

Once again she felt Ryan's paw brush against her own. The gentle touch was warm and comforting, yet she was getting frustrated that he didn't simply reach out and take her paw. She enjoyed his closeness and seemed yearned for the casual affection of a friendly paw.

As a hybrid, she was the source of many jokes and ridicule in high school. She wasn't fully a rabbit, nor was she a lemur. Her ears stuck out at an odd angle and many kids would often ask her if she could fly like a helicopter. Even the black and white rings on her long, fluffy tail were often laughed at for looking too much like a racoon's tail.

Without taking her eyes off the floating lilies, she could feel his gaze on her. She could sense that he wasn't laughing at her, but seemed more curious than anything. Was that a smile on his muzzle?

She turned to look into his curious black eyes, but as soon as her paw moved, he stepped out of the way and began strolling down the far side of the bridge. Letting out a long sigh, she had to turn in a full circle before she could see him walk away, with his large, curled tail swish with each step. There was something about that tail that caused her vision to blur and left her gasping for breath.

"We had better hurry," he called back. "Your hour is almost up, and I need to have you back before the other's start to worry."

"Alright," she said with a wave before skipping down the slope after him. At the bottom she almost reached out and took his paw but he started off again, just barely out of reach.

The computer science building was built entirely of steel and glass in a much more modern style. The main hall was a half circle that jutted from a large wavy structure. Several unique shapes and angles made up the rest of the building making Sara feel like she was back in the art department looking at one of the student's many projects.

"I have never been inside there myself, but I hear many of my fellow art students come here for their projects," Ryan was explaining as Sara approached.

She gave him a curious look and opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off with a wave.

"I'm not into virtual art. I have to have something I can hold in my hands or feel with my senses. Computer art just doesn't feel real to me." He shrugged and stepped away from the giant building that was mostly modern art.

"So that's it then?" She asked.

"I guess," he shrugged again. "That's where to find all your classes."

"Thanks for the tour, Ryan." Sara turned around in a circle as she gazed around the large university campus and the downtown skyline in the distance. "I think I can find my way around now, but I don't know where the dorms are." She waved her paws around at numerous other buildings that lined the paths, even a few looked like they might have been apartments.

"Oh, right!" The skunk cried. "I completely forgot. So you're staying on campus then?"

"Yeah," Sara replied confidently. "I wanted to get away from home and my parents while I focus on my studies."

"So which dorms did they assign you too?"

Once again, Sara thumbed through her blue packet until she found the housing form. "Small mammal dorms of course. Are all the buildings on campus named after famous mammals or something, the name listed here is Diana Ramswool, Building D."

"Yep," Ryan nodded. "Or wealthy alumni who donated a significant amount to have the building constructed." He tapped his chin and looked back at the wooded areas they had recently passed through. "I think the Ramswool building is back the way we came."

Sara held out her elbow gentile like, for him to take. "Well, lead the way, sculpture boy." When he gave her a confused look, she dropped her elbow and tried to cover the giggle that followed.

Several minutes later they were standing in front of a wooden two story building with a large letter 'D' nailed above the door. The lawn outside was quaint and several trees grew along one side providing shade in the afternoons. Standing next to the path that led up to the door was a large sign with the name Diane Ramswool printed in a large, formal font.

"Well, this is the place," the shunk stated shyly. He looked back and forth between the front of the building and the half rabbit as if he was trying to decide what to say next.

Both mammals stood silently in the freshly mowed grass and gazed into each other's eyes. Each one desperately trying to think of what to say, but afraid to break the awkward silence.

Sara took the first step and moved slightly closer to the skunk, but he seemed to shy back slightly out of reach and broke their eye contact. When she noticed that one of his hind paws had started to twitch and move towards the gravel path, she blurted out the question that had been on her mind since they had stopped on the bridge, "Are you actually going to kiss me this time or run away again?"

Ryan's paw suddenly stopped twitching as his eyes widened in shock and he seemed to stop breathing. After several heartbeats, his hind paw moved back and he turned to run, but something held him firmly by the collar of his shirt.

Looking down at what held him in place, he immediately saw Sara's puckered lips and her beautiful eyes as they fluttered shut. Her lips were so close that he could feel her sweet, warm breath on his muzzle, and she was pulling him inexorably closer. He could feel the pounding of his heart as it frantically raced inside his chest. His throat tightened and he was unable to breath as the half rabbit drew closer and closer.

Quickly, he turned his head as her lips made contact. She tightly pulled him closer and planted the kiss firmly on the fur of his cheek instead of his lips.

When Sara realized that it was his cheek and not his muzzle that she kissed, she opened her eyes and released her grip on his shirt. That was when he made his move.

One second she was staring affectionately into his eyes, the next she was watching his tail swishing as he ran down the path before it disappeared around a copse of trees. Sighing, Sara took a single step towards the fleeing skunk. Her paw raised as if she could reach out and pull him back.

"I think he has a girlfriend," a voice called from the front of the dorm.

Sara turned towards the voice and spotted a pretty young otter in a fashionable summer dress. The otter was leaning against the door frame waving a paw in the direction that skunk had run. "Hello there. I'm sorry to interrupt such a tender moment, but, well you were standing outside the front door."

The rabbit hybrid only tilted her head curiously as she looked over the otter. "Sorry?"

"Oh, my bad. Let me introduce myself," the otter said as she stepped out of the doorway with a friendly paw stretched towards Sara. "My name is Linda Diver. Language major, international languages more specifically." She nodded back towards the dorm building and said, "I'm in D-7. What about you?"

"Did, did you say D-7?" Sara asked.

"Yep. I just got unpacked when I stepped out to see that cute little scene you two were putting on for the whole world to see."

"I'm assigned to room D-7," the hybrid declared firmly, like this newcomer had stolen the last cookie.

"Then we are roommates!" Linda cheered as she rushed over to give Sara a hug. "Well don't just stand there, come on in and let me show you around."

[A/N] This collection of stories are purely experimentally as I practice writing and come up with new ideas, so it is entirely rough and first drafts. Despite the regular uploads from my main story, I have not written for four months and this is my first attempt at getting back into the swing of things. This short story did not feel as cute and fluffy as some of what I wrote back in the winter. The summer weather here is usually hot and exhausting that I find it difficult to write fluff so please forgive me if this is a little dry.

I have several random ideas for this collection, but have recently gone through a bout of writers blocks. I will try to post some more chapters between my main uploads when I am able. These short chapters usually take me a day or two to write and with out any major proofreading I can usually post them right away.

Thank you so much to everyone who has been following this collection of short stories and side plots from my main story. The comments really mean a lot to me and help me to improve my skills.