Author's note: The following fiction contains anthropomorphic creatures and includes content related to furry culture. If you're uncomfortable with stories featuring characters with animal-like characteristics and behaviours, please look elsewhere.
ALL CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY ARE OVER EIGHTEEN.
***
The harsh cold sapped Jason's strength as he trudged along the icy road. His thirty-year-old car had finally broken down a mile back, and with no alternative, he was forced to walk through the harsh Alaskan cold to the nearest gas station. That, however, could have been miles away.
He had a small family up north but wanted to travel down for work. He had finished his degree online and was finally hoping to join the real world. His family protested, of course, trying to remind him that humans should stick together. Alaska had the highest concentration of humans in the world. Overall, though, they made up a meager one percent of the global population.
With the road as his guide, he marched onwards, hoping that sometime soon a car would pass him and give him a lift. He tried not to consider the fact that they might just ignore him entirely. He was certain that if no one were to pick him up in the next couple of hours, frostbite would set in.
The darkness made it hard to see where he was going. His phone was long dead, so he couldn't even use it as a flashlight. As he walked, he felt something illuminate his being, as if the skies above had parted and the sun was shining down on him. He turned around and saw the next best thing, a truck.
Jason quickly started waving it down, praying it would not only see him but stop to save him. The truck blared its horn as if to acknowledge him and began to slow down as it approached. Jason, shivering, jogged to the driver's window and peered up, unable to see through the dark-tinted window. The window, however, began to lower, and the driver was revealed to not be human at all, but rather an imposing wolf humanoid. He had broad shoulders and a piercing white coat. But his sly grin and trucker hat gave him an aura of hospitality.
"Was that your car back there? Good thing I found ya. Need a lift?" The stranger asked in a deep voice.
Jason hesitated. After all, he grew up surrounded by his own kind. He had seen other species before, but had never been this close to them. Most of his interactions came from the internet. But with the cold eating away at his spirit, he saw he had little choice.
"Y-y-yes. Thank y-y-you," Jason said with chattering teeth.
The mysterious wolf unlocked the passenger side door and swung it open. Jason could hardly lift himself up off the ground and into the warm confines of the truck. The temperature difference was instantly noticeable, and the ear-piercing winds finally ceased as Jason shut the door behind him. He held his hands to the vents, trying to regain feeling in the tips of his fingers.
The wolf looked over to him and chuckled. "You'll be alright bud; give it a few minutes."
Jason looked around the truck cabin as he warmed up. It was quite spacious, most likely due to the sheer size of the driver. The wolf's body dwarfed his own in every way, and he estimated that he was likely over seven feet tall. Jason thought he seemed quite muscular for someone who spent most of the day sitting down. Then again, Jason did notice the slight gut that protruded from his shirt.
"So, you got a name, kid?" the wolf asked, lighting up a cigarette as he did.
"I-It's Jason," he replied, trying his best to hide the shivers.
"Well, nice to meet ya Jason. Name's Marco," he said, sticking his hand out towards Jason. He reached out and gripped it, feeling his strong hand squeeze his own much tighter than he expected. Jason felt a strange sense of comfort at the interaction.
"Nearest stations are a full day's drive from here. You best think about who you're going to call when I drop you off," Marco explained, starting up the truck and pulling back onto the road. His cigarette was still dangling from his lips, and his face was illuminated by the soft orange glow.
Jason slumped in his seat. The night had taken its toll on him. And now he was in a truck with a total stranger. Let alone a wolf.
"Gotta say, I don't see many humans leaving the towns up north. Are you hoping to make it big in the cities?" Marco asked, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.
"I've got approval for a rental in Seattle. But to afford it, I had to drive instead of getting a plane like everyone else."
"Tough break, kid. Though, if you make it, you'll be real popular in the city."
Jason was surprised by the wolf's words.
"Why do you say that?"
"A lot of folk down south find humans... exotic," Marco replied, staring back out of the corner of his eye as he did.
"What do you mean?" Jason asked, trying not to let his uneasiness show.
"Well, the majority of the human population is up north. Down south, most folk only get a glimpse of humans online."
"So?" Jason replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Well... there's a lot of people down south that will want to jump you."
"Jump me?" Jason asked, confused by the suggestion.
"Well, fuck you, to be more specific."
