For a brief moment Theodore couldn�t remember what exactly happened the previous night. Then like a lightening bolt it all came rushing back to him. The urges, the drug dealers, and of course the warehouse.
He killed those men last night. Stomped them like insects and even ate a couple of them. Despite Melanie�s assurance that they would have been killed in any event, the guilt was apparent.
�Hey Junior, you�re finally up.� Ralph announced as he walked into the room.
�What time is it?� Theodore inquired still feeling a little lightheaded.
The well-dressed man replied, �It�s about 11 o�clock. You slept almost 12 hours. Hell, one look at you last night and Mel knew to let you sleep it off here rather than letting your folks see you. And you had this look��
�Hey Ralphy�� A young raccoon fur interrupted walking into the room, �The Boss wants to see him once he�s dressed.�
�Alright Joey. Tell her we�ll be by in about�� The man paused and took a moment to look Theodore over, �15 minutes.�
�OK Ralphy.� The fur replied respectfully and scurried out of the room.
�I�ll be out in the hall Junior. Mel picked up a change of cloths for you last night and threw it in the closet.�
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The raggedy jean shorts that he loved so much fit like a glove. Along with an old T-shirt, and a worn pair of sneakers the young wolf chose not to wear, he officially looked like a street bum. Theodore wondered if his mother choose the clothing as a joke or to punish him for not coming home last night. Either way he felt just a little silly.
After changing, he met Ralph in the hallway. As the older man led him down the hall the young wolf dragged his bare feet along the floor. The fine fibers of the office grade carpet tickled his pawpads and helped to wake him up. If it weren�t for the rubber in the sneakers he was carrying, the fur probably would have built enough of a static charge to give someone a nice zap.
�She�s waiting for you inside.� Ralph said pointing to a closed office door, �I�ll have one of my boys take you home after you�re done.�
Ralph gave Theodore a friendly pat on the head before heading outside. The young wolf took a moment to watch the man leave before opening the door to walk in.
Behind the professional looking office door was a warmly decorated lodge. The walls were trimmed with mahogany paneling and decorated with scenic pictures of distinct tropical lands. There was a refrigerator, couch, several tables, and chairs inside. The air had a fruity scent to it that Theodore just couldn�t place.
On one of the chairs was Melanie. She was stretched out with her footpaws on an otterman. Another fur, a young fox, was sitting on the floor rubbing the soles of her feet. Melanie was smiling down at him. Oddly, he seemed to be deriving almost as much pleasure out of the massage as she was.
�I hope I�m not interrupting anything.?� Theodore inquired softly.
�Oh no.� She replied with a smile, �This is Johnny, my pawslut. He�s just giving me a much needed paw rub.�
Johnny took a moment to turn around and give Theodore a casual wave. Then he turned back around and kissed the sole of the foot he had been rubbing, almost to verify his status as a pawslut. Theodore had heard of those with an infatuation with paws yet he had never met one before. In all honesty, he really didn�t understand such a thing. The only person that ever rubbed his paws did it out of motherly love.
�So how are you feeling?� Melanie asked, the relaxing effects of the massage apparent in her tranquil tone.
�My head is throbbing. I never knew that�� Theodore stopped himself giving Johnny a cautious look.
Melanie smiled, picking up on his concern, and said, �Don�t worry sweetie, Johnny can be trusted. Besides the only thing he really cares about around here are my paws.�
Just as she finished the sentence Johnny carefully selected a spot on Melanie�s pawpad and pressed in hard several times. The she wolf let out a gratifying moan and closed her eyes tightly in ecstasy. The pawslut then turned around and gave Theodore a mischievous wink.
�Ahhh�� Melanie moaned, �I�ll have to reward you for that for later.�
Johnny smiled in acknowledgment and resumed gently rubbing her sole. At that moment it became apparent that this pawslut�s affections probably earned him something special in return. However Theodore suspected that his reward was probably not monetary.
Turning back to Melanie, Theodore continued, �Well like I was saying my head was killing me when I woke up. Last night in the warehouse it felt so� so��
�Good?�
The young fur hung his head in shame and replied, �Yes. If there were more of them I don�t think I could have stopped myself. It was like a dark part of me was unleashed and��
�Well like I told you, it will be easier now.� Melanie interjected confidently, �Although you�re still a predatory and will crave the hunt.�
That thought really alarmed Theodore. He felt like the women was telling him �Oh you�ll be fine just as long as you slaughter a couple of furs from time to time.� The very thought made him feel like a monster again.
�Oh sweetie�� Melanie said and slowly climbing out of her chair, �You can�t change what you are. Besides the furs you killed were criminals. They sold poison to children and deserved what they got.�
�But I killed them!� Theodore burst out releasing all of the built up guilt in a shower of tears.
�Shhh� It�s alright.� Melanie said getting up and gently hugging the distraught fur, �We are what we are sweetie. It may not feel like it now, but what you did last night was the right thing.�
�It sure doesn�t feel like the right thing!�
�The problem is that you�re applying standards from the littles� world to our world.�
�What does that mean?� The young fur asked dumbfounded.
�It means that we are macros. Not only macros, but macro predators. We take pleasure in things that littles find appalling. This isn�t because were sadistic, it�s just our nature.�
�So how do I deal with the guilt?� Theodore asked desperately.
�Guilt can be a good thing for a macro if used right. It can provide you with the motivation not to harm innocents, much like the way pain motivates you not to do things that are harmful. But you need to learn to distinguish between prey. Some of them don�t deserve your guilt. The scum from last night certainly doesn�t.�
�And how do I learn to distinguish between prey?�
�That comes with time and experience.� Melanie replied confidently, �But I�ll be here to help guide you.�
�But��
�Go home now and see your folks.� Melanie interrupted firmly, �Don�t tell them what happened here last night, they won�t understand. Spend some time with them so they can see you�re better.�
�I never told my folks about the urges.� Theodore said.
�They�re your Parents! Trust me they�ve noticed something was wrong.� Melanie declared confidently.
�What do I tell them?�
�Don�t worry, you�ll think of something. And when things are back to normal at home come and see me. We need to discuss your future.�
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