1-10
Fox & Hound

Alex looked down at the kitsch doormat below him, 'Welcome Home' it said. He smiled, the little cottage looked like it was straight out of a Thomas Kinkade painting, down to its location on a serene hilltop just on the outskirts of Possum Springs. He wiped his shoes on the mat and knocked on the old wooden door. He was immediately greeted by Eide, who wore a great smile on their face while holding a mug of hot cocoa. Although tall, he still was much shorter than his compatriot. The bright orange cat wore a sky blue wool sweater and sweatpants, and had cute white tipped curls on the top of his head and cheeks. The man looked like an orange cream popsicle that had gained sentience.

"Alex!" The cat smiled wide as he wrapped the wolf in a hug.

"Eddie, it's good to see you!" He hugged him back while grinning like a madman. "Sorry for taking so long to get back to you, work's been crazy."

"It's fine, come in." The feline guided his friend into his home. The interior was just as cozy and welcoming as its exterior, a warm fire both illuminated and warmed the house as golden lamps twinkled.

"Come, sit. I made you some hot cocoa." The cat said as he guided him to a comfy armchair.

"Thanks." Alex replied as he sunk into the chair. He chuckled as he looked around the room. "You haven't changed the ol place one bit."

"Thanks, it's my little museum." Eide prepared a cup of hot cocoa for his friend. "Got any plans for your uncle's place?"

"Oh you have no idea, for a start it's fucking filthy in there. I'm gonna have to hire someone to strip the place and get it redone, and that's assuming there isn't any black mold, structural problems or god knows what else."

"That's what happens when you don't live in a house for 40 years, you better pray for it." Alex punched the air above him.

"Every night." He exhaled. "Man I missed this town, when was I last here anyways? '74?"

"I think so." They said as they took the cup and approached him.

"Jesus." Alex leaned back and sighed as Eide sat down in a parallel armchair. "We're getting old."

"Who isn't?" He asked. "You know, I'm not exactly a ladies man anymore."
"Oh please, you're 50 and you still look like a Gerber baby." They both began to laugh at his joke.

"Here." He handed them the mug of hot cocoa they had prepared.

"Thanks." He took a sip and smirked. "When was the last time we were together anyways?"

"Last time I visited…" Eide looked at him sideways, hesitant to continue. "I think it was for your son's funeral." Alex's heart dropped and his smile turned into a somber expression.
"Right…" The wolf's head sunk down and he stared at his feet. The cat was about to speak up when they continued. "I should have cared, paid more attention to him, maybe then-"

"Alex." The cat looked at him dead on as he placed a hand onto his shoulder, and the wolf looked up. "I know that it hurts, but fantasizing about what you could have done is only going to make it worse, I've been there and it's not a place you want to be." The wolf nodded softly.

"Thanks." He gave him a somber smile.

"Hey, look at what I've got." He stood up with a pep in his step and walked over to the back wall, where a record player was sitting.

"No way, that thing still works?" Alex asked.

"Yep, I got our old favorite right here." He pulled out Miles Davis's Bitches Brew and held it up on display.

"You crazy son of a bitch, play it!" Alex grinned like a mischievous child as the cat began to play the record, and a wave of ominous jazz washed over the room. The two of them took a moment to enjoy the record's thick atmosphere. "Is it strange that I find this kind of southing?" He asked.

"I wouldn't say so." They replied while plopping back down into his armchair. "So, what brings you back to our little corner of the world?"

"Well, they were looking for a new chief and I thought I'd step up." Eide shot a sarcastic look at him. "OK you got me," He held his hands up defensively and they both chuckled. "I just missed this old town."

"Alright then, what brings you from New York?" Eide asked while taking a sip.

"Well I mean look at me, I'm getting too old for the NYPD, people were wondering when I was gonna retire 10 years ago for christ's sake."

"Still going though?"

"Until I collapse. Honestly, I really just don't want to be useless, I want to be doing some good while I still can." He cleared his throat and took another sip. "But really, I just need to center myself, the past year has been just… ugh. It feels great to be back, I just wish I had the time to enjoy it."

"What do you mean?" Alex looked around before leaning in.

"I'm going to be frank with you, this department is a shitshow. We got all new guys, all transfers from out of town, and let me tell you those departments really scraped the bottom of the barrel for these idiots. I've been trying to wrangle them all together and man I haven't had a minute to myself since I stepped foot in this town. Really I'm just surprised that Molly held up for as long as she did."

"She's one tough cookie."

"Just tough can't get you through that circus, no wonder she just wants to be a deputy now." He looked off into the middle distance. "A year with them, what a woman."

"Think you can handle it?" He asked.

"Please, I was the NYPD's finest, I can handle it." He leaned back and took a long swig of his drink. "Ah, look at me talking your ear off. What's going on with you?"

"Honestly, nothing. My life isn't as interesting as yours is, that's for certain."

"C'mon, it's been 40 years since I was in Possum Springs, something must have happened right?"

"Not really, other than what happens to every other mining town these days."

"Ah, figures…" Alex sighed.

"I've got something else to show you." Eide stood up and exited into his bedroom. The record seemed to go quiet as Alex had the moment to himself. Something felt off though, and it wasn't long before he identified it: There was a very faint and very low humming sound emanating from somewhere in the house. At first he thought it was coming from the record, but he realized that while the record was louder in his left ear, the humming was louder in his right. Before he had another moment to think about it Eide came back with an antique cigar box.

"Here." He opened it up and presented it to the wolf, who cocked his head at it.

"Cuban Cigars? Aren't those illegal?" They looked up at him with an accusatory expression.

"Only if you tell anyone." He winked.

"Fuck it, why not?" He shrugged as he grabbed one before standing up. "Let's take this outside."

Alex and Eide leaned on the porch deck, looking out at the town below as an orchestra of crickets played. The two men lit their cigars, they were the only source of light besides the moon and stars. The officer took a puff and began to cough and sputter as plumes of smoke erupted from his mouth.

"Fuck, that's strong." Eide let a chuckle out at his friend's misfortune while he waved the smoke out of their face.

"You'll be alright." He said before taking a drag.

"You should have given me a regular cigarette, broken me in…" The two continued to smoke in silence.

"Something on your mind?" Eide asked.

"Nothing, it's just…" Alex took a deep breath. "There's something wrong with this town, I can feel it." He looked over at the wolf, who was mindlessly staring down at the town below.

"What do you mean?" He didn't respond instantly, instead pondering the question.

"It's small stuff, you wouldn't notice it normally. I brushed it off before but now I'm starting to notice it. For example, everything smells kind of musty. It's just the faintest whiff, but it's everywhere. Never thought I'd say this in my life but the pavement is wrong, I'll walk down a piece of sidewalk that I went down the day before and it'll feel different under my feet, like it shifted while I was gone." He took another puff off his cigar as Eddie stared at him.

"Are you OK?" He asked in a very concerned tone.

"Are you kidding me? Fuck no." They chuckled.

"Have you told anyone this?" He turned his body to face him.

"If I did I'd be the town's crazy old man." The cat chuckled and punched him softly in the shoulder.

"Hey, you aren't taking that title away from me anytime soon, you hear?" Both of them laughed at his joke.

"Always a joker, you were."

"I never pinned you as superstitious though."

"I'm not, it's just that… yeah, I guess I am being superstitious." He admitted.

"If you want my opinion on all this, I don't think there's anything supernatural going on, really." He explained. "This is all fairly mundane, leaves pile up and they can grow mold and smell, and concrete isn't as fixed as you'd think it would be."

"I guess." He took another puff off his cigar. "I just can't get my mind off it."

"Seriously, are you OK? Did something happen?"

"Don't worry, It's just police shit putting me on edge…" He lied as he took another drag off his cigar. "I don't know, something feels wrong, I just can't really put my finger on it. That stuff about the must and the concrete almost feel like just some bullshit I made up to explain why I'm feeling the way I do." Eide put his hand onto the wolf's shoulder and looked him in the eyes.

"Alex, I think you need some time off." He came clean

"Can't, I've got some stuff planned for this weekend- oh shit I forgot, I've got this thing I was gonna to go to tomorrow that got pushed back to Sunday, I'm gonna have to shift my schedule. Fuck." He groaned.

"Don't worry, you'll figure it out." He rubbed his shoulder.

"Yeah I know." He took the cigar out of his mouth and snubbed it on the porch fence. "Sorry to cut this short, but I gotta go. I was gonna be with this Casey kid Sunday but that's getting moved to tomorrow morning." Eide's ears perked up and he looked at the chief.

"Casey? Casey Hartley?" He asked in a very interested voice.

"Yeah, why?" Alex responded, slightly cautious of his interest.

"What do you know about him?" It was a strange question, but he decided to humor him.

"Uh, he went missing about a year ago, everyone thought he'd just skipped town. When he came back he was in awful condition, he was- no, is emaciated. I've talked with him, he's a good kid, I gave him my uncle's jacket." He explained as Eddie sighed.

"Alex, I'm going to be frank with you: That kid is a heroin junkie, everyone knows it but no one says anything about it."

"And you're sure about this?"

"He's probably already sold off that jacket for a hit."

"Jesus… poor kid. He's in really bad shape, I hope he wasn't doing what I think he was."

"Chances are he was, you never know with kids like that. I'd bet he just ran off to some drug den for a few years and came crawling back here once it got busted." Eide went back to smoking his cigar. "What are you doing with him tomorrow?" He asked.

"I'd rather not say, out of respect for him. Anyways I've got shit I gotta deal with, calls to make." He mumbled as he walked inside and pulled his phone out. The cat stayed outside for a moment, thinking about what he'd just said while looking at Alex's phone.

"Did you call me with that cell phone?" He asked. Alex stopped in his tracks and looked back.

"Yeah, why?"

"We don't have cell service out here." A surprised look spread across Alex's face.

"You don't?" He questioned.

"Never have, just landlines." He looked down at his phone. It was an ancient iPhone, the original model from 2008. It had more cracks than swiss cheese had holes, it was a miracle it was still working in the first place.

"My phone's been working fine since I got here." The wolf thought about it some as he stared at the cracked screen. "Maybe they set up a service tower?"

"Nope, woulda heard about it." Alex furrowed his brow.

"Huh, weird. Molly didn't say anything about that…" He put his phone back and continued inside, with the cat close behind. He picked up his mug of now cool cocoa and drank the rest of it.

"Well, I'd best be going now." He said before wiping his mouth. "It was good being with you again man, next time I'll stick around for longer." Alex gave his friend another hug and patted him on the back. "Shit is insane right now, I'll give you a call when I'm next available, OK?" He said while approaching the front door.

"Use that magic cell service while it lasts." They joked.

"You bet!" He went through the door and left the cat in the silence of his own home, Pharaoh's Dance still playing. The smile fell from his face like melted wax, his expression now transforming into nothing. He peaked out the window and watched Alex pull out of the driveway, and the moment he vanished a whistling sound swept through the room, and Eide was gone. He was in front of his record player, he lifted the needle and put the record away, and once more at the call of a whistle he vanished. He picked up his friend's empty cocoa mug, in front of the sink washing it out, put out the fire, take the cigars, forgot to lock the door, close the blinds, turn off the lights, all while a barrage of whistles flew around the house with him.

Eide was in his bedroom now. He got down onto his knees and moved a box with a magician's costume in it out of the way of a trap door. He opened it, and a human ear was inside, it was alive and wiggling slightly. Opposite to it was an old phonograph speaker. He crouched down and began to whisper into the ear while keeping the speaker close to his own, listening to whoever or whatever was on the other end.

SEX WITH DOGS!

Now that I have your attention, I'd like to announce that I'm going on hiatus. This is because 1: I've got 2 trips planned for this and next month, and 2: I need time to plan out the rest of the story. I want it to be as good as it can be and that time to plan it will be crucial, and 3: I've got some other projects I need to work on (one of which is a very special compatibility item to this fic!) I'll pick up with the project at some point in March, until then I suggest re-reading the fic, there are some details you might not want to miss that will be important later!

This concludes Chapter 1, which as of now doesn't have a name. When I pick back up we'll be on chapter 2, see you then!