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Hearts Entwined: Love begins - By Stephen Alexander 2005
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Chapter 1 – Friends, love and fear
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It was the 4 weeks until the end of the summer holidays. The sun was shining high in the sky sending warm rays dancing over a large seaside town; many of the furs living there are spending the day relaxing at the beach enjoying the wonderful weather. It’s very pleasant all year round but today for one group of people it would be one of the memorable days of their life.
On one of the larger beaches popular among the community a large round fox is lying on a towel with an ice cooler next to him full of food and drinks, which could be enough for two families on a very large picnic. This fox had always been big and loved his food, but he wasn’t that fat that he couldn’t move, we’ll it was a lot of effort but manageable. 

 Footsteps could be heard on the nearby stairs that lead to the beach, the fox glanced round to see who it was. He looked up and saw a young Bull step on to the warm sand, towel over his shoulder.
The Bull looked along the beach with a cheerful smile on his face then looked seeing the fox looking at him. The fox turned away as the Bull began approaching him 

“Oh dear” he thought “Not another person come to mock me”

The Bull stopped next to him, the fox slowly looked around again to see him close up. He was young, smooth short brown fur covering his whole body. He must work out too as he was quite well muscled too, up close though he didn’t seem as intimidating as he looked from first glances. He was looking down at the fox still smiling and spoke.

“Hello, I’m Sacred” he said in a gentle voice.

The fox just sat there not moving or saying anything. The Bull waited but nothing and spoke again

“Do you mind if I sit here next to you, its one of the best spots on the beach I find?”

The fox was surprised this Bull was the first person to have come close to him since he had arrived at the beach, many of the other furs kept there distance pointing and gossiping to each other and laughing at him, but not Sacred he had to be special.

“No, no not at all” the fox replied shyly

Sacred merely smiled and lay down his towel next to the foxes and sat down on it and stretched upwards.

“So you must be new here, haven’t seen you here before”
“No I don’t think you would have, you see I’m here on vacation, with my younger brother”, he says quietly.
“Its nice to meet you erm…”?, he looks to the fox for his name.
“Syriko, my name is Syriko, nice to meet you too, I guess you will want to stay away from me though”, as he says it his tummy jiggles a little.
“Why would I do that unless you don’t want me to sit here”?
“No no it’s perfectly fine, it’s just you’re the first fur to have come near me today. It’s probably because I’m fat no doubt” he sighs and his ears droop.
“I don’t mind how you look, it’s none of my business to judge you for who you are, and you seem nice enough to me so I’m happy to sit here with you”
“Really?”

Sacred nods with a smile, the fox looks up and smiles too and the two start to converse like they were old friends.
A short way away a bunch of furs were playing volleyball. Women loved to watch the guys play this normally but this time they were disgusted with the yobs who had interrupted a game they was watching and began walking off, the gangs failed attempt to impress them and started ‘whooping’ them rudely. The players left too without a word and the gang began messing about playing and shouting.
To one side a young Dingo sat on the sand watching sadly, he was part of the gang but if you saw them all together he would look the most out of place. Truthfully he didn’t like to hang around with these guys, he use to think them cool but now he hated being with them, he didn’t like the things they did but was pushed by the others to do stuff. He had to do this as if he didn’t he would get beaten up and if the gang was feeling really sly rape him, but that had never happened so far and he didn’t plan to let it happen. But all the same he wished he could get away and be safe from these gits of the town.

“Hey Xingoy! What you doing moping about there come on and play you ungrateful mutt”
“Yes Mike, sorry”
“Well get moving then”

The fox stood up, at this moment Sacred happened to look down the beach and focuses on the gang and rolled his eyes, but then looking at the guy just getting up a well toned Dingo and couldn’t help but look at him. Was this love at first sight, he didn’t know. He blinks shakes his head a little and looks back to the fox, now reaching into the ice cooler.

“Do you want something to eat or to drink Sacred?”
“I could really go for a drink, say you relax I’ll get them for you”
“Thank you, it was a little uncomfy trying to reach in, the fat you see”
Sacred chuckles “Oh don’t worry about it I’m happy to help you” He sits up and gets out the drinks. He hands one to Syriko when out of nowhere a volleyball bounces off Syriko’s tummy with a thud and stops. 
Syriko winces and rubs the place it hit him, Sacred looks up as he hears some laughing, only to find it was the Dingo and his friends. The Dingo was at the front of the group smirking weakly.

“Hey wide load give us back our ball or is that too much of a struggle for you?”

The gang behind him snigger and guffaw. 

“Get it yourself, that hurt you know and I’m not getting it”
“Lazy flabby fox your polluting the beach, get out of here,” said Mike prodding the Dingo in the back sharply.

The Dingo came closer to the fox; Sacred glares at the Dingo and gets up and standing in front of Syriko. Seeing the Bull standing there in front of Syriko was a surprise to both Syriko and the Dingo, both stared.

The Dingo would have to look out for this beefy Bull but yet seeing him their body tensed and the look of determination on his face made him feel a little queasy in his stomach. 

“Leave my friend alone” Sacred says firmly as he scoops up the ball and throws it back to the Dingo, he caught it but moved a few inches backward in the sand. What strength the Dingo thought, could this guy be for real? He raised his fist but his feet wouldn’t move, what was stopping him hitting this Bull right there and then.
“It couldn’t be” he thinks to himself “Can it”? Mike poked him sharply in the back and he came back to reality.
“Hey Bull why do you stick up for that tub of lard, god he is foul like a beached whale”.
Sacred folds his arms “Well he isn’t doing anything to you so take your ball and leave us alone, or do it have to make you?”
“Oh...no that isn’t necessary we will go…to get away from the blob” He turns and walks off down the beach with his friends shouting and jeering in front of him. The Dingo turns his head back to the Bull again sadly and sighs.

“It could never happen, my friends would ditch me and I’d be alone again. Oh why do I have to be with these guys, they don’t like me, I know that, but why do I stay?” he thinks to himself, and he walks off after the others thinking about the Bull and his friends and what to do.

“Good they have gone, thank you Sacred that was great, I don’t know what I would have done if you wasn’t here”
Sacred turns around smiling “Hey don’t worry about it Syriko those guys had no right to say those things, especially to my friend” he sits back down on the towel and gently rubs the spot the ball hit Syriko’s tummy. The fox looks up and smiles at the Bull.

“You’re the first person to call me their friend, you’re really nice, why cant everyone be like you”
Sacred chuckles “Well they would be a fool not to like you, you’re a nice guy and cute”
The fox blushes “Say would you like to come to dinner with me tonight with my brother, I’d love it if you could come and introduce you to him, he could use your help”
“I’d love to, thanks for the invitation what time and where?”
Syriko looks behind him at a restaurant. “How about there at 6pm?”
“Sure that’s the best place in town, well I better be going back to the gym before I get fired it was nice meeting you Syriko”
“You too Sacred” He hesitate a moment before hugging the Bull tight, blushing a little. Sacred smiles and hugs back, making Syriko feel even happier. Sacred pulls off.
“Sorry to have to break this but I must be off, see you at six” 

He picks up his towel and with a cheery wave heads away from the beach, leaving the fox watching him, eyes full of happy tears. Someone actually liked him for who he was and he had a new friend, maybe even more than a friend. He lies back on the towel and closes his eyes smiling, tears rolling down his cheeks.
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No part of this document may be reproduced in any form without written consent.
All characters and names Copyright © of Stephen Alexander (Sacredbull) and (Syriko) 2005