The Adventures of Ryan Michaels I

First Encounter

It was a sunny day in Suburbia, Colorado. Deep in the mountains of the Continental Divide, a bright evening sun showered a town of peace, serenity, and playfulness. It was quiet aside from passing cars and the various chirps and squeaks of wildlife, until a young boy was heard screaming loudly from an alleyway. Several high-schoolers were holding him down, “asking politely” for his new sneakers. The sneakers were a sleek, almost regal shade of red, with heavenly white accents and soles, topped off with big black shoelaces, which almost ate just about any light it could get its hands on. All looked like things will go directly southbound with no return for the kid, until a man in a suit, baseball cap, and sneakers of his own walked past the alleyway. He saw what the high-schoolers were doing to such a young, unfortunate kid, and his eyes gleamed with intent. The high-school punks weren’t scared at all, but amused.
“This ain’t your business,” one of them said. “go away, or both you and this kid will go home barefoot.” The punk strutted right up to the man in the suit. “What’s your name?”
“Ryan Michaels,” the suited man said. “Leave that kid alone if you wanna keep your varsity spots.”
“Like the principal will listen to you,” said the punk, before taking an eager swing at Ryan. Ryan dodged swiftly and hit the punk right between the eyes and clapped his ears with what seemed to be the force of an angry elephant. The punk immediately fell backwards crying like a baby whose candy was stolen. The others, though visibly shaken by such a swift takedown, tried their hands, with no more success than the first. All three were battered and bruised, and went home with their heads down. Ryan helped the kid up.
“Are you okay, Bobby?” Ryan asked.
“Yes,” the kid replied. “Tell the principal everything you saw.”
“I’ll try.”
“He’ll be at the grocery store soon. I see him walk there everyday after school.”
An hour, an alerted principal, and several apprehended students later, Ryan sat in his home, making toaster oven pizza rolls again. He knew it wasn’t the best meal, but he’d rather have it than nothing. He had a standard 9-5 job, living by himself, and didn’t have too many friends or family members left. He was paid only enough to keep living in Suburbia, and high school punks having to be scared off was more common than you thought. He wanted a way out, though no doors wanted to open up, even after all his hard work, heroism, and whatnot. His doorbell suddenly rang out of the blue. Ryan didn’t expect any delivery, though Billy’s class was selling chocolate bars, but what were they doing just 15 minutes before sundown? Ryan opened the door, only to discover a box. It was small and narrow, and had little holes, possibly for air. It might’ve been a small animal, but he heard no sound. It had his name on it, so surely it couldn’t be a mistake. It even had his town of Suburbia, his street, his information… all of it. It was his, but what was his? Cautiously, he opened the box, finding an unusual plant. It had a long, narrow stem, almost tye-dye like petals, and a big ol’ filament in the middle. He tried to set it aside, but it sprayed a purple mist with a fiercely foul smell and the stinging power of a hundred wasps. Ryan fell unconscious seconds later.

When Ryan awoke, it wasn’t Suburbia. It had the forests that looked fresh out of a fairy tale, clear blue skies, and majestic mountains similar to that of what Suburbia had, but it was… off, as if this wasn’t his hometown. He got up, dusted himself off, and made his way through the dense forest. He trudged over logs and through tall grass. When he reached the edge of the forest, he saw a small two-story cabin with a very prosperous apple tree overlooking a small village. He meekly looked through the window of the cabin to find a nice, medieval style kitchen, living room, and decorations. He saw what seemed to be a happy couple and quickly put his head down. Ryan then, not wanting to be rude, walked around to the front of the cabin, knocking on the door. The door opened, revealing a short, excited, and almost hyper-energized anthropomorphic fox.
“Hey there, I’m Foxy!” she happily exclaimed, bouncing up and down uncontrollably. “And that’s Aurora back there!”
“Foxy,” said the big white wolf in the background identified as Aurora, feasting on a big wooden bucket of chicken with an unidentified nonalcoholic beverage and a sauce that looked like honey mustard. “What did I tell you about answering the door for strangers?”
“Sorry to bother you two,” said Ryan, visibly shook that the couple was a fox and wolf. “But where am I?”
“Woodland Village,” replied Foxy. “You don’t look like you’re from here. Aurora and I can show you around.”
“I’ll be down for that.”
“Down for that?”
“I mean, I would appreciate that.”
“I’m not done with lunch yet,” said Aurora. “Give me another few minutes, please.”
“Alright, but hurry!”
After a few more minutes than anticipated, the trio walked down the hill and into the village. The village was populated with humans and humanoid mammals, both old and young. It had a bustling marketplace, particularly with goods from other cities, none of which Ryan was familiar with. They said Atlas City this, Hammerstein that, and sprinkles of other cities like Sien and Pride Lake. The trio then entered the local tavern, ran by a cow rivaling Aurora’s size, though definitely had more muscle definition, as well as some sort of knee brace on her muscular leg.
“That’s Betty,” said Foxy. “She used to be a guard for the village, but she took an arrow to her knee. She still goes out of her way to protect the village with Aurora and me, though she’s not as fast as she was before.”
“Who’s your new friend, Foxy?” asked Betty.

“This is Ryan,” replied Foxy. “We’re showing him around.”
“Where did he come from? I didn’t see him walk in from one of the main roads.”
“I… I woke up in the middle of the forest,” said Ryan. “Last thing I remember before I woke up was being sprayed by some weird plant I got in the mail.”
“Well, I hope you’ll have a good time during your stay. Would you like a drink?”
“What drinks do you have?”
“Pretty much everything non-alcoholic, but I do have some flavors of mead, if that’s more of your thing.”
“What about lemonade?”
“Sure.”
There was something off about this land, but whatever it is, at least its inhabitants seem good and happy. Ryan couldn’t describe the exact feeling, though; as if he was… home. He looked very out of place in his suit and baseball cap, let alone his sneakers. Betty handed him his lemonade, while Aurora got her chicken bucket washed and refilled.
“You can stay with us until you can buy a house in Woodland Village,” said Foxy. “We have some of the cheaper houses in the kingdom of Elora, but don’t worry, we keep our citizens in check, Aurora and I.”
“How cheap?”
“Up to 500 gold per month,” said Foxy, holding a gold coin.

That night, Ryan slept in the guest room of Foxy and Aurora’s cabin. The window showed a direct view of Woodland Village just down the road. It was still bright and lively, due to the marketplace and Betty’s being open really late, as well as all the streetlights being as bright as the sun. The room itself was also pretty, with fine china, paintings, and curtains, making the room look borderline luxury compared to most of Suburbia. Ryan pinched himself, thinking it was a dream. He felt it. It was like the zap of a doorknob, but one of confirmation that he might now be rewarded for his grind; a grind that went through multiple bones. When he awoke the next morning, he discovered that Foxy and Aurora had filled his wardrobe with clothes. They snuck out and bought them from the market. How they got the size right, who knows, but it was like the clothes were tailored. When he went to the kitchen to thank them, it was only Aurora there, making scrambled eggs.
“Good morning, Aurora,” he said. “Where’s Foxy?”
“She’s out running around in the forest,” replied Aurora, as she seasoned the eggs and looked out at the woods through the window concerningly. “She does it a lot, and somehow always comes back without anything major, though I would like to stop her due to the influx of Lunatics running around the surrounding forest.”
“Lunatics?”
“People that have been turned mad by Nikolai Stroheim’s ‘experiments,’” Aurora said, putting emphasis on ‘experiments.’ “They are not even experiments, he just makes them ill with a random devastating disease and sends them into the woods. From there, they go crazy, loot their own homes, and become nomadic savages.”
“Why doesn’t anyone do anything about it?”
“Nikolai is supposedly a member of the Dark Order.”
“Dark Order?”
“I can’t really explain it well, but they sound really strong and powerful, supposedly having members all over Elora.”
“And the authorities haven’t cracked down on them, why?”
“They’re so powerful,” said Aurora, holding her tail stressfully after she served breakfast. “The Royal Militia isn’t strong enough to take them down as a whole.”
“Well, if Nikolai is out here somewhere where there isn’t anything major to target, that means he’s probably one of the weaker links.”
“That’s what I think too, but we can never be sure.”

That evening, Foxy returned from what looked like several back-to-back marathons, from how matte her fur was looking. She was breathing a little heavy.
“Foxy, are you okay?” asked Aurora.
“I’m… fine…” panted Foxy. “I just passed out for a little--”
“What!?” exclaimed Aurora.
“Aurora, I think I just ate a bad fruit--”
“Foxy, a bad fruit should not have you passed out until sundown! I’m taking you to Joseph!”
“Joseph?” asked Ryan.
“He’s the village’s doctor,” Aurora and Foxy said simultaneously, with Foxy panting still.
When the trio arrived at Joseph’s office, the door was open. Joseph was treating the injuries the farmers sustained that day: cuts, bug bites, infections, and whatever else they could get out in the fields without them getting killed; the tall, dark, slim, middle-aged man with messy dreadlocks and a goatee was treating them left and right with some kind of magical glow. There was an old pirate flag hanging on his wall with a small blood stain on it and some tears. There was also other obsolete pirate memorabilia with some burn marks and blood stains, suggesting that he knew who previously owned the items, and Ryan may have had a pretty good idea of how he acquired them. When all the farmers were treated for their injuries and illnesses, he saw Foxy and looked a little shocked.
“What happened, girls?” asked Joseph. “And who’s your friend?”
“I don’t know,” said Foxy, panting even more. “I feel hot, heavy, and my fur is so dirty…”
“This is Ryan,” said Aurora.
“She passed out in the middle of the forest after eating a strange fruit.”
“She’s also looking a little…” said Joseph, observing Foxy’s more filled out middle, looking for the right words, as she looked distressed enough already. “...fat.”
“FAT!?” Foxy exclaimed. She looked down at her middle as pale as a ghost. Yes, she did indeed look like she ate like Aurora for once.”What happened!?”
“Maybe that fruit you ate had something to do with this. Can you show me where you found it tomorrow morning, Foxy?”
“I guess…”

The next morning, Foxy looked a bit bigger as she showered. Aurora and Ryan were making breakfast.
“This is the biggest I’ve seen her,” said Aurora. “She was always as slim as a blade, but now she’s starting to outgrow her clothing. You should see how much she stretched out her nightgown!”
Aurora took the nightgown from the bed she and Foxy slept on. It looked like the big white wolf tried to wear it once, with how bulky she was for a wolf her age.
“Maybe… a jog around Woodland Village will help fix this?”
“That sounds like a good idea, Aurora,” said Ryan as he put on some of the clothes Aurora and Foxy gave him. “Let’s eat some breakfast and head out.”
After breakfast, the group walked down the hill to Woodland Village. T was a bit warm today. As they sped up into their jogging at the base of the hill, Foxy looked noticeably more and more worn out. When Aurora and Ryan turned their first corner, all they heard from Foxy was a loud thud and some passerby panicking. Foxy had passed out from exhaustion, and they weren’t even breaking ground in their workout. Now Foxy looked twice as big as she was before this started. She wailed in pain as Ryan quickly went to go get some water for Foxy, and Aurora stood there panicked as her girlfriend looked very flushed and sweated like a pig.
“We have to get you to Joseph!” exclaimed Aurora as she lifted Foxy, who was wheezing and crying. “You’re getting so heavy!”
Ryan came back with a jug of cold water for Foxy to drink as she was hefted to Joseph’s office. In Joseph’s office, Joseph looked on in horror at what he saw; a sweet, innocent fox woman who protected the village and baked the best apple pies in the area, now a big fat wet slobby mess.
“Oh my goodness…” he said, feeling Foxy’s forehead. “She’s burning hot!”
“Is there anything we can do?” Aurora asked, with a whimper of melancholy as she hugged Foxy gently. “Anything? She’s getting as big as me!”
“I am not sure about keeping her calm, but maybe you two can go and get an ingredient I need for the potion to cure this.”
“What ingredient?” asked Ryan.
Joseph points to a nearby mountain with a tall stone castle.
“In that castle is Nikolai Stroheim, who is guarding the only nearby source of the plant I need to make the cure, but is not willing to give it easily,” he said to Ryan. “I will send my friend, Alan, to assist.”
“Who’s Alan?” asked Ryan.
“He is a werewolf that works on the fields, and has been waiting to get his hands on Nikolai for a while. Nikolai was the one who turned him into a werewolf in the first place.”
“Well, are you coming too, Joseph?” asked Aurora.
“No. I have to make sure Foxy is okay, even in this woeful state. Ryan, you should acquire some gear before you head up to the castle. Who knows what Stroheim has in store?”

As the sun fell over the forest, Ryan had some gear from a local blacksmith, with the help of Aurora and Betty. He had leftover leather armor refitted to his body, a sword, and a revolver that looks mildly used. The blacksmith handed him some bullets for the revolver. Aurora put on her gear, Alan sharpened his claws after saying hello to Ryan, and Betty fastened a special brace of sorts on her knee, which was also as armored as her wrists. Guess the ‘arrow in the knee’ story Foxy told him was true. Betty grabbed her longsword and Aurora grabbed her axe. They gave Ryan reassuring looks, as Ryan looked visually spooked by the circumstances; Foxy has until sunrise the next day, at minimum, he was going to fight someone who supposedly had magical powers, while traveling through a dense forest with Lunatics all over, who were potentially cannibals, savages, and who knows what else?
“Ryan, you’ll do just fine, promise,” said Aurora. “Couldn’t be worse than my first walk through the forest.”
“How bad was it?” asked Ryan.
“You couldn’t possibly do worse, no matter how hard you tried. I got stuck in a cave back in my hometown, Whitewood, and ate what I thought was fresh chicken I had in my sack, and had severe food poisoning for a few days. It took almost a week to find me. Since then, I’ve always had someone by my side when I venture out, mainly my love, Foxy.”
“It wasn’t fun for Foxy either,” added Betty. “Foxy gets… anxious when she’s away from Aurora, even for a few minutes.”
“You mean separation anxiety?” he asked.
“Oh, how did you know that? Are you a medic, like Joseph?”
“No, I’ve seen it before. It was like that with my--” Ryan stopped dead in his tracks for a few seconds, not knowing how to word anything from his time period without confusing them. He knew ‘pet’ would elicit reactions he wouldn’t want. “-- friend. He… he didn’t feel right if he didn’t see anyone he knew.”
“Well, I’d ask you more about where you came from, but we have more important things to worry about,” said Aurora, holding her axe with intent. “Let’s go save Foxy!”

It was dark and chilly as the party trekked through the woods to Nikolai’s castle. It wasn’t the best conditions, but it was recommended by several of the travelers who were barflies at Betty’s pub. Despite the low temperatures, Aurora and Alan were fine, with Betty in a close second and Ryan not even remotely close. Ryan trudged on, however, as Foxy had been the one who greeted him to such a unique world. The castle wasn’t as far as it seemed, but Alan suggested going through the back door.
“I know this place like the back of my hand,” said Alan. “I know exactly where the Botany lab is, even if I was stripped of my sense of smell.”
“I should’ve packed some snacks,” said Aurora.
“Too bad. You’re getting a bit big for your britches, Aurora.”
“At least I still have britches that fit me comfortably!” she snarled.
“Not for long with that appetite.”
It wasn’t long at all until they sneaked past the kitchen. Aurora quickly separated from the group, since there was a motherlode, to the wolf, at least; a big, succulent roasted chicken, seasoned to perfection, with what smelled like freshly-brewed apple cider. It almost seemed too good to be right there in front of her.
“Aurora, focus!” yelled Betty. “I’ll make you some of that when we get back!”
Aurora looked back at the group, before her ears drooped, only taking the apple cider, since it was gone at Betty’s almost immediately.
“I wish I brought my bag so this chicken couldn’t go to waste,” Aurora said with a hint of disappointment.
Just then, the floor of the kitchen gave way underneath Aurora. She fell down a deep dark hole and hit the floor hard. Her cries of pain made even air raid sirens sound soft.
“AURORA!” squealed Ryan and Betty.
“Are you okay!?” exclaimed Betty.
“Told you,” said Alan.
“You gotta pull me outta here quick!” shouted Aurora, holding back sobs. “My arm’s busted!”
Aurora’s arm bent in more directions than it should have. Betty instantly had a shade of green added to her sleek brown and black coat. Even the stoic Alan is shook by such a sight. Ryan was also really shook, not having seen a sight in the flesh before. Alan grabbed a rope, gave one end to the other group members, tied his end around his waist, and dropped down into the chasm to retrieve Aurora. He held Aurora as tight as he could and climbed back up the wall, with assistance by the rope Ryan and Betty were pulling. When Aurora finally got out, she hugged Betty, before she and Alan heard footsteps.
“It’s Nikolai,” Alan quietly exclaimed. “Hide!”
The group hid in the room across from the now floorless kitchen; the library. Bookshelves seemed to be the only thing holding the roof up, as they were so tall and dense with books. Most of these books depicted anatomy of most species, illnesses, conditions, and more found in Elora. Luckily, Nikolai didn’t look in the library. They were safe for now. The group continued through the labyrinth-like castle until they caught a whiff of plants; one that was either pleasant or rancid with each passing minute.
“This way,” Aurora pointed, with her and Alan’s senses of smell being the strongest of the bunch. The sight of her broken arm nearly made her pass out at times. “It should be at the end of this hallway.”
Alan sniffed the air.
“Second to last door on the right,” added Alan.
They continued through the hallway, careful to not make even a peep, for Nikolai was now onto them, in some sense. He knew there were intruders. They quietly opened the door to the botany lab that contained the plant needed for the cure to Foxy’s aliment, only to be greeted by the mad scientist.
“FOOLS!” exclaimed Nikolai. “YOU PLAYED RIGHT INTO MY HAND!”
He takes a slash at Aurora, who’s barely able to defend herself, since her arm was basically like a wet spaghetti noodle, preventing her from being able to use her axe. Aurora dodged just in time, just grazing her lucious white fur. He then threw a bottle of oil at an intervening Alan. It connects, blinding the werewolf. Betty and Ryan were left to fight off the villain. Ryan pulled out the revolver the blacksmith provided and fired a few shots at Stroheim. The bullets just graze him. Ryan fires again, only to be met with a click. He’s out of ammo. Betty charges at Nikolai, only for him to take advantage of Betty’s war-torn leg, kicking her right where the arrow of oh so long ago struck her. With no other options, Ryan charges at Nikolai, taking him through a door and down a staircase. It was a long way down the stairs, with each thud causing damage to either man. They reached the bottom floor, and kept swinging at each other throughout the main hall of Nikolai’s castle. They just grazed each other with about 90% of their attacks as they continued a path of destruction through the main hall. With the scientist distracted, Aurora and Betty devise a plan. Alan is to stay with Ryan as he attempts to take care of Nikolai while they retreat with the plant in hand. Alan removes the oil from his eyes as best as he can, hoping to help in Aurora and Betty’s escape. By the time the oil was fully removed, Aurora and Betty were long gone. It may be a little dangerous going through that forest with a broken arm and an injured leg, but Nikolai seems to not have noticed them get away in the heat of his brawl with Ryan. Alan decides to stay and make sure he gets out as well. Nikolai had a whole host of tricks up his sleeves, but was overwhelmed by the two. Ryan and Alan make their way back to Woodland Village.

As morning came, Aurora and Betty made it to Joseph’s office, despite their injuries. Betty opens the door to see Foxy as a hot sweaty mess, her fur matted with sweat.
“That’s gonna take forever to clean once she’s cured,” said Aurora.
Joseph, barely waking up, greets the two.
“You have the plant?” he asked.
“We do!” replied Betty. “Ryan and Alan should be here soon. They seem to have Nikolai in the bag.”
Joseph takes the plant and begins breaking it down to put it in their potion.
“You will have to give her some food afterwards,” he said. “Losing such weight and mass will not be easy on her.”
Foxy finally awakens. The poor girl can barely breathe.
“A…. A-Aurora?” she wheezes.
Aurora embraces her love cautiously. Not just because she only has one working arm, but also she’s all grimey, and smells of a months-old corpse. You could have sworn she was turning greener by the second under her fur, if you ever saw that wolf in the position. Joseph finishes the cure and gives Foxy a dose.
“I… I… f-feel funny…” she says weakly.
“You should. And a burning sensation, if not warm.”
After some time, Foxy falls asleep. Just as her eyes feel heavy, Ryan and Alan enter the office. They were overjoyed Aurora and Betty made it, and that Foxy could start recovery. Joseph tends to the party’s wounds as well.
After a few hours, Foxy awoke to Aurora almost vibrating impatiently, waiting for Foxy to wake up. The rest were already going on with their days. Foxy gagged as she caught a whiff of her scent, and also felt like she had not eaten since she was born. She looked down to find she had returned to normal, though she felt so weak.
“Come on, honey, I got you,” said Aurora, gently helping her up onto her feet.
“Thanks,” she whispered weakly. “Now I’m as hungry as you are around chicken… that sounds really good, let’s get some.”