Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hunted 

Chapter One: There is a man in the woods  

Warnings: Gun violence, injury, gore,  

Summer had just begun. The trees were lush and full of foliage. Sunlight filtered through their gnarled branches and warmed the moss-covered ground. The forest was ancient but alive. Slowly, William stalked through the underbrush.  

His chosen prey was only a couple of feet in front of him. A brown rabbit. Still unaware of his presence. Soon, William was close. The rabbit twitched its ears and turned its head towards him. Finally noticing the predator hunting it, but it was too late.   

William pounced and bit down on the back of the rabbit’s neck. The rabbit started to scream and flail, but William successfully restrained his prey. He started to nibble on the rabbit's soft flesh and fur. Savored the rabbit's flavor on his tongue. He sniffed deeply, inhaling the rabbit’s scent. His double tails wagged, and his heart raced from excitement.  

After a minute, William let the rabbit go. It immediately bolted away from him and disappeared deeper into the forest. To him, hunting the rabbits was a fun game.  William did kill and eat the rabbits he hunted, but just enough to survive. He mostly let them go.  

William walked away and felt satisfied with his hunt. Just as he was about to return to his den and call it a night, William picked up the scent of another rabbit. He felt extremely lucky and started to follow the scent trail. William left the area of the forest he had grown used to and called his home. He entered an area of the forest he did not often visit. It was too close to human civilization for his liking.   

He followed the rabbit’s scent. It became very strong, but William still saw no sign of the rabbit. This confused him greatly. He continued to sniff around. Determined to find it.   

SNAP  

A loud snapping noise filled the air. William felt a burst of agonizing pain in his front right paw. He let out a loud yelp and then looked down. A metal trap was clamped around his paw. Its metal teeth sank deep into William’s flesh.   

William was caught in a trap.   

He started to panic and try to escape. Every movement tore his flesh more and sent pain coursing through his nervous system. Suddenly, William heard rustling bushes and a masculine voice.   

“I finally caught you!” the voice said. Full of excitement.   

William looked towards the voice. Emerging from the tree line was a human male. He had raven black hair and honey brown eyes. Looked to be of mixed Asian and Caucasian descent. Wore a red and black plaid top and grey pants. William completely froze when he saw that the human was holding a large hunting rifle.  

“Look at you! What a gorgeous pelt and two tails! How unique,” the hunter said. He was smiling widely. Acting like he had just won the lottery.   

William let out a loud, fearful whine and resumed his desperate struggling. His terror and adrenaline numbed the pain. Soon, he could feel the trap start to loosen.   

“It’s been fun, but the hunt is over now,” the hunter said and then pointed his gun directly at William. The trap loosened even more.  

“Don’t worry. Your death won’t be in vain. I am going to turn you into something beautiful,” the hunter promised and pulled the trigger.  

BANG  

At the exact same moment, William managed to escape the trap. William attempted to dodge the bullet, but he was still hit. He screamed loudly as he felt the bullet enter his gut.  

William fled into the forest. He found it difficult to run. His front right leg was injured, and his stomach pulsed with agony. William was also losing a lot of blood. The blood loss was making him dizzy.   

“Shit,” the hunter swore and ran after him.   

For what felt like hours, William was chased.  William couldn’t escape. The hunter was following the blood trail he was leaving behind. Every time William tried to slow down or rest, the hunter shot his gun and missed him by a sliver. William barely managed to reach the city.   

William ducked into a random alleyway. Then slowly started to transform. He shed his fur and grew larger. He transformed until he looked like a completely normal human aside from his yellow eyes. William hid in the shadows. To the human eye, he appeared as just a silhouette.  

The hunter poked his head into the alleyway. “Have you seen a fox?” he asked.   

“No,” William lied from the shadows. His voice was full of pain.   

“Fuck, where did it go? I was so close,” The hunter swore angrily. He then moved away from the alleyway.   

William waited a little longer. Ensuring the hunter was truly gone. Then he emerged from the shadows and walked into the busy street. He approached the first human he saw.   

“Help me, please,” William begged. Then he collapsed to the ground. Unable to continue any longer. He fell completely unconscious.   

.  

.  

.  

.  

When William awoke. He found himself in a sterile white room. Tucked carefully into a bed. He let out a groan of pain and then sat up.   

“You are awake,” a feminine voice said.   

William turned his head towards the voice. He saw a woman in a white laboratory coat. She was staring at him with a concerned expression. Held a clipboard in her hands.   

“Where am I?” William asked.   

“A hospital. You were really lucky, sir. If you had arrived just a little later. Or if the bullet had hit you an inch over. Then we wouldn’t have been able to save you,” The doctor said.   

“Thank you for helping me,” William said. He then laid back down. William felt completely exhausted and still in pain.   

“I must ask. How did you end up nude on the streets with a bullet in you?” the doctor asked. Her voice was full of curiosity.   

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you the truth,” William answered. He then closed his eyes. Trying to get some rest.  

He had survived and was now safe.   

One month later  

William entered the dorm room. He carried a large cardboard box that was filled with his belongings. The room was empty. So, he must have arrived before his roommate. William claimed a random side of the room and set the box down.   

“Well....I guess this is it,’ William sighed.   

When William had turned eighteen. He had decided to leave humanity behind and live completely as a fox. William had managed to live four years in peace. He was completely happy and satisfied with his simple life. That was until the hunter trapped and shot him.   

After William was declared stable and allowed to leave the hospital, he tried to return to the woods and his life as a fox. Only to find that his forest was now completely covered in traps. The hunter’s scent was everywhere.   

For his own safety. William felt like he had no choice but to leave the woods behind and live as a human once again. He hated it. Being stuck in his human form felt like he was wearing an itchy sweater that was three sizes too small.   

William sighed once again and started to unpack. First, he made his bed. Making sure to carefully place his rabbit plushies next to his pillows. Then he hung up a large painting depicting the woods. Finally, he placed numerous rocks, pinecones, and bones onto the desk on his side. They were his treasures.   

He took a step back and nodded his head in approval. This wasn’t as comfy as his den, but it would do. William felt a moment of peace and content, but that was quickly interrupted.   

“Hi! My name is Mark. You must be my roommate,” a voice said. William recognized the voice immediately. He heard it in his nightmares. 

Every muscle in his body became tense. His heart rate picked up, and his instincts screamed danger. Slowly, William turned around.   

Standing in the doorway was the hunter. He was smiling at William and had a large cardboard box in his hands. William’s instincts spiked. He wanted to run, but the hunter was blocking the only exit.   

“Oh wow, your eyes, are they real or are you wearing contacts?” Mark asked. His face turned very red for some reason.   

“They are real,” William said. He immediately felt stupid for telling Mark the truth. Humans didn’t have yellow eyes.   

“Like gold,” Mark said. His voice was full of amazement. Mark raised his hand and took a step towards William. Reaching towards his face.   

William backed away from him. Trying to maintain some distance between them. Mark finally seemed to notice that William was uncomfortable and lowered his hand.   

“What’s your name?” Mark asked softly.   

“William.....” William answered. Mark smiled a little wider.   

“It’s really nice to meet you, William. I hope that we can become good friends,” Mark said. He fully walked into the room and started to unpack his belongings. All while humming the tune of Daisy Bell. William watched him warily.   

William fully expected Mark to pull out his rifle and shoot him. Instead, he was acting incredibly friendly. Not hostile in the slightest. William realized that Mark thought of him as just his human roommate. As long as Mark continued to think that way, then he was safe.   

He continued to watch Mark unpack. Mark kept leaving the room and bringing in more boxes. William let out a small shriek of fear when Mark unpacked a hunting rifle. He recognized it as the exact same hunting rifle that had shot him.   

Mark looked over to him. His expression was full of concern. “Are you okay? Why did you scream?” Mark asked. He followed William’s gaze and noticed that he was staring at the hunting rifle.   

“Oh, are you scared of guns?” Mark asked. He placed the rifle back into one of the boxes and placed it under his bed. Hiding it from view.   

“Yeah....during the summer I was shot,” William answered.   

“Someone shot you?” Mark gasped. He sounded completely shocked.   

“Yeah,” William answered. He then sat down on his bed and grabbed one of his rabbit plushies. Placing it in his lap and wrapping his arms around it. Finding some comfort.   

“Do you mind if I ask what happened? But please don’t feel pressured to tell me. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Mark said. His voice was soft. Very gentle.   

“A hunter mistook me for an animal and shot me,” William said. Answering Mark with a half true story.   

“What a reckless asshole,” Mark said. He sounded very angry.   

“He was indeed a total asshole, so um yeah. I am kind of terrified of guns. Could you please keep it away from me?” William asked.   

“Of course, William! But don’t worry. I am very knowledgeable about gun safety. Would never shoot you,” Mark promised. William had to resist rolling his eyes.   

Mark continued to unpack. William started to relax a little until he noticed that Mark was setting up an elaborate string board. He took out numerous pictures and started pinning them to the board. All the pictures were of William.   

“Holy shit,” William said. Mark turned to look at William and smiled.   

“Here, come take a closer look,” Mark said. His voice was full of excitement.  

Before William could protest, Mark reached down and wrapped his arm around the back of William’s neck. He then forcefully pulled him away from his bed and towards the string board.   

“This is the fox that I have been hunting. See the two tails, William? Have you ever seen anything like it?” Mark said and pointed to one of the pictures of William.  

“No, I haven’t,” William lied. He tried to pull away, but Mark did not let him go.  

There were countless photos of William. In all of them, he was completely unaware of Mark’s presence. There were also locations written down and dates going back over a year. William had no idea that he had been hunted for so long.  

“Exactly! So unique! And look at that fur. The coloring. The quality. It’s beautiful,” Mark said. His voice was full of praise. William would have been flattered if Mark weren’t a hunter.   

“Yeah, it is...so wouldn’t it be better to leave the fox alone? Seems like a shame to kill such a unique animal,’ William said. Mark laughed in response.  

“You don’t understand, William. Something so unique and beautiful needs to be preserved and cherished.” Mark said. He finally let go of William and reached into one of his cardboard boxes.  

“When I catch it and believe me, William, I will catch it,” Mark said, his voice full of certainty.    

Mark then pulled out a taxidermized fox and presented it to William. “I am going to taxidermize it and make it the star of my collection,” Mark said. Spiraling in his eyes was a deep, dark obsession that sent a chill down William’s spine.  

William suddenly felt very sick. His stomach filled with nausea, and his skin became covered in sweat. He stared at the taxidermized fox. Its soulless glass eyes stared back at him.   

Its death had not been natural. Instead, the fox had its life violently ripped away by man. Its corpse was not allowed to rot and be reclaimed by the earth as was natural. The fox’s corpse had been mutilated.  Eyes and organs removed. Replaced with plastic and stuffing. Flesh and fur stitched together. Then put on display as an object. All for Mark’s own enjoyment.   

If he caught William, then this would be his fate.    

Unable to contain his nausea any longer. William ran to the bathroom. Collapsed to his knees. Then started to vomit into the toilet. He was shaking violently and holding back tears.   

“Oh no! William, are you okay?” Mark asked. His voice was full of concern.   

William heard footsteps and then felt Mark’s hand on his back. William violently flinched from his touch. Mark started to gently rub his back, trying to soothe him. No matter how gentle his touch, William did not want Mark to touch him.  

“Shhh, it’s all right. Just let it all out,” Mark said softly.   

“Fuck....” William said.   

He was completely screwed. 

Art of William's true forms

Chapter Text

Chapter Two: And they were roommates!  

Warnings: Cannibalism mentioned 

The next morning, William awoke to the smell of bacon. Its smoky aroma wafted through the air. The sound of it sizzling and crackling was very loud. Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw that Mark was standing next to his bed. Staring down at William while smiling widely.   

William let out a very canine-like yelp of surprise. Then frantically crawled backwards away from Mark. Until his back hit the wall with a thud. “Aww, that was a cute noise, sorry, did I scare you?” Mark asked.   

“Were....were you watching me sleep?” William asked. He stared up at Mark with wide eyes.   

“I was just waiting for you to wake up. I made us breakfast,” Mark said. He reached a hand downwards to the top of William’s head. William flinched when he touched him. Mark’s smile fell.   

“Why do you keep flinching? I am not going to hurt you,” Mark said. He gently started to ruffle William’s hair in an affectionate manner.  

“See?” Mark said. His voice was very soft.   

William didn’t believe him. Sure, Mark might not hurt him while he was successfully disguised as a human. But he was still actively hunting William. Planned on taxidermizing him.   

“Your hair is so soft,” Mark said and smiled again.   

His affectionate touches became more rhythmic and gentler. Mark was full on petting him now. It felt nice. Very nice. William had been distant from humans for so long that he had forgotten how much he enjoyed being petted.   

“Hmmmmphf,” William let out a small murmuring noise. Closed his eyes and nuzzled into Mark’s hand.   

“Oh wow....” Mark said. His face turned a little red, and his eyes widened.   

William suddenly realized what he was doing. He opened his eyes and violently pulled away. He felt incredibly embarrassed.  

“So, um, yeah, breakfast,” William said. He escaped Mark and left his bed. Then started to walk towards the kitchen.    

“Right...” Mark said. He also sounded embarrassed.   

Mark walked faster than William. He was much taller than him, so his legs were longer. Mark reached the table first and pulled out a chair for William.   

“Thanks,” William said and sat down.   

“You are welcome,” Mark replied. He then went back to cooking them breakfast.  

“What do you want for your pancakes? Plain? Chocolate chips? Blueberries?” Mark asked.   

“I can’t have chocolate, but would love some blueberries,” William answered.  

He missed eating the wild blueberries that grew in his forest. The ones available at the grocery store were not the same. Wild blueberries were smaller but much more flavorful.   

‘You can’t have chocolate? Why?” Mark asked. He sounded very curious.   

“Umm....allergy,” William lied.   

William’s internal biology was more canine-like than human. Figuring that out had not been fun. When William was a child, he had been invited to a classmate's birthday party. At the party, they served the guests a chocolate birthday cake. William ate a slice, and his parents had to rush him to the emergency hospital.   

Soon, Mark was finished cooking. He brought William a plate of food and placed it down in front of him. The plate was full of crispy bacon and blueberry pancakes. The pancakes were topped with lots of authentic Canadian maple syrup and whipped cream.   

Mark then sat down in the chair across from William and joined him at the table. He had a plate of food of his own. “I hope you like it!” Mark said. He lifted a fork and started to eat.   

William stared at the food. His mind flooded with suspicion. He wondered if this was a trap. Perhaps Mark had drugged the food. Or maybe even poisoned the innocent-looking breakfast.   

“You aren’t eating....is something wrong, William?” Mark asked. He sounded incredibly sad and gave William the biggest puppy dog eyes.   

“No, it’s fine,” William said. He went to lift his fork and winced. William also let out a small whimper of pain. He had tried to use his right hand.   

“Are you okay?” Mark asked.   

“Yeah...I just can’t use my right hand much anymore,” William said. He lifted the fork with his left hand instead.   

“Why?” Mark asked.   

“Permanent muscular damage, I don’t want to talk about it,” William said bitterly. Mark’s trap had permanently disabled him.   

“Okay,” Mark said. His voice was full of curiosity, but he respected William’s boundaries.   

William stabbed one of the slices of bacon and brought it to his mouth. The bacon tasted strange. Not bad. Just strange. It was more gamey.   

“This bacon tastes different,” William said.   

“It’s venison, hunted the deer myself. I believe in using every part of my prey. Never waste the meat.” Mark said. He sounded very proud of himself.   

William’s entire body shivered in disgust at the implication that Mark would have eaten him. Slowly, he ate the food in front of him. William didn’t feel hungry anymore, but forced himself to eat.   

When they were both done eating, William stood up. Grabbed his and Mark’s plate. Then carried them to the sink. He started to wash the dirty dishes, but Mark snuck up behind him. Grabbed William’s hands and pulled them away from the sink.  

“I got it!” Mark said.   

“You made the meal, the least I can do is the dishes,” William said.   

“Don’t worry about it. You should just relax.” Mark said. He then let go of William’s hands and gently pushed William away. Then started to wash the dishes himself.   

William felt very confused about Mark’s behavior. He was friendly. Too friendly. From Mark’s perspective, they had just met. Were just roommates. Yet he was treating William like they had known each other for years. It was strange.   

He walked away from the kitchen and started to search through his clothing. William successfully chose an outfit for the day. An orange and white striped t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. He then started to pack his school supplies into a backpack. Getting ready for his first day of classes. Mark finished washing the dishes and started to do the same.   

William finished packing his schoolbag. He picked up his clothes and turned around. Ready to walk to the bathroom and get changed. William was shocked by the sight that greeted him.   

Mark was changing right in the open. His shirt was already off.  Displaying his admittedly impressive chest. It was rippling with muscles and covered in scars. His nipples were perky and bubble gum pink. Mark had his fingers in his waistband and was starting to pull down his pants. William could see the start of his happy trail.   

“Mark, hey, what the hell?!?” William shouted. His voice was a little squeaky, and he felt very flustered.   

Mark looked over to him. “Hmmm, interesting reaction, my eyes are up here, William,” he smiled. His voice was teasing.   

William hadn’t realized that he had been staring at Mark’s partially nude form. His eyes quickly flickered upwards. Meeting Mark’s eyes. “I was just looking at your scars. Also dude! Stop getting naked!” William said.   

“Fine,” Mark said. He chuckled a little and stopped pulling down his pants.   

William tried to move past him and run to the bathroom. Mark lashed out and grabbed his shoulder. “Want to know how I got these scars?” Mark asked.   

“Um, sure?” William said. He did feel a little curious.   

“An ex-girlfriend slashed me up,” Mark revealed very casually.   

“Jesus Christ. That’s horrible, what a monster,” William said. He suddenly felt a flash of pity towards Mark. He had no idea Mark was a victim of domestic violence.   

“No, Eve is not a monster. She is beautiful. You should see her hair. It’s like fire.” Mark said. His voice was full of admiration.  

“Still...she hurt you,” William said.  

“She was a fighter. It was one of the things I liked about her personality,” Mark said.    

He then released William’s shoulder. William didn’t know what to say. So he just walked away. Entered the bathroom. Then closed and locked the door.   

The second, he knew that Mark couldn’t see him. William shifted into one of his true forms. His human ears disappeared. Fox ears emerged from the top of his head. His fangs grew. Double fluffy fox tails emerged from his tailbone. His eyes glowed a bright golden yellow.   

William let out a sigh of relief. It felt dam good to be in his true form. He felt finally comfortable. William tried to stay in the bathroom for as long as possible, but soon there was a knock on the door.   

“Are you okay, William? You have been in there for a while. You aren’t sick again, are you?” Mark asked. His voice was full of concern.   

“I am fine,” William answered.  

He quickly shifted back into his human form. William hated how it felt, but he endured. He then quickly got changed out of his sleepwear and into his chosen outfit. Then opened the bathroom door. Mark was waiting for him on the other side.   

“Are you ready to go.... wait...what’s that?” Mark said.  

He got closer to William. So close that their chests were touching. William took a step backwards away from Mark, but his reaction was too slow. Mark reached a hand downwards to William’s shoulder. Then pulled something off him.  

“Fur?” Mark said. In his hand was a clump of orange, white, and brown fur. William started to internally panic.   

“My family has a dog. A shiba inu, his fur gets everywhere,” William lied.   

“Oh, cute! What's his name?” Mark asked.   

“William,” William said and then internally cursed. He was so fucking stupid.   

“You and your dog have the same name?” Mark asked.   

“My parents are not creative,” William lied.   

He then wiggled past Mark over to his bed. William threw his sleepwear onto it and picked up his schoolbag. Then left the dorm and started to walk to his first class. He was thankful to finally get away from Mark, but had no such luck. Mark was closely following behind him.   

“Why are you following me?” William asked.   

“I thought we could walk to class together,” Mark said. His voice was soft, and his eyes pleading.   

“Mark....um.....” William mumbled. He tried to think of the politest way to tell Mark to fuck off.   

“Then, when our classes are done. Do you want to go to a movie together? The local theater is having a special showing of “Surviving the Game”. It’s one of my favorites,” Mark said. He sounded very excited.   

“No, thank you...I have plans,” William lied.  

“Dam... that’s too bad,” Mark said. His shoulders slumped, and he sounded very disappointed.    

William walked faster. Trying to leave Mark behind. Mark just started to walk faster as well. William tried walking even faster. Mark just increased his speed. William tried to run. Mark full-on chased after him.   

He felt scared. This reminded William far too much of when Mark had chased him through the woods. Mark didn’t have his rifle this time. But that didn’t mean that he couldn’t hurt him. They soon ran into one of the university's public parks.   

William was forced to stop. He wasn’t used to running in his human form. William was panting heavily, and his skin was covered in sweat. Mark stopped as well and stood a foot in front of him. He was smiling widely. It was creepy how much he smiled. It was unnatural.   

“Why did you chase me?” William panted.   

“Why did you run away?” Mark asked.   

“Did you consider that maybe I wanted to get away from you?” William finally snapped. His voice was full of irritation. Mark flinched like William had physically hit him.   

“Oh.......look, William, I’m sorry if I..” Mark said. He reached out and tried to touch his head again. William violently flinched and moved away from Mark. Putting himself out of his reach.   

“You flinched again.... William...are you scared of me?” Mark asked. His smile completely fell, and his eyes filled with hurt.   

“Of course I am ......” William mumbled.  

“What? Why? I am friendly,” Mark said. He sounded totally devastated.   

William did not have an answer for him. He couldn’t tell Mark the truth. Or think of an excuse. It didn’t matter, though. Because at that exact moment, William spotted a rabbit.   

It was behind Mark, a little distance away. The rabbit calmly hopped around the park. Foraging for food in a place that it probably thought was free of predators. Instinctively, William sniffed the air and went into a crouch.   

“William, what are you looking at?” Mark asked. He turned his head and also spotted the rabbit.   

“A rabbit? Oh! You like them, right? You have all those plushies,” Mark said.   

William started to slowly stalk past Mark and towards the rabbit. The rational and human part of him was screaming for him to stop. This behavior was not human, and the last person he wanted to act like a beast in front of was Mark. Who was staring right at him with laser focus.   

As much as William tried to resist, his attempts were useless. He could not fight his hunting instincts. Because of Mark, he had been unable to hunt rabbits for an entire month. He craved it. Like an unbeatable addiction.   

“William...what are you doing?” Mark asked. He sounded very interested. William was not listening to him. His entire focus was on the rabbit.   

The rabbit noticed him. Recognized him as a predator and bolted. William’s heart fluttered with excitement, and he let out an excited yip. He  then ran after the rabbit. Chasing it.   

Mark just watched William in fascination. His eyes followed William’s figure as it disappeared further into the park, chasing after the rabbit.   

“How interesting....,” Mark said. He smiled widely once again. 

Bonus art 

Hunter Mark crashing out because he doesn't understand why William is scared of him. 

Chapter Text

Art by https://x.com/ito_milanesa (thank you for accepting my commission) 

Chapter Three: Drunken Kisses

Warnings: Drunken behavior, mild sexual content/discussions around kinks/sex, nudity, unwanted touches, kissing, and biting. 

Four months later  

“We know what you are.”  

William lifted his eyes from his textbook and stared at his friends. The three of them were smirking at him. With a mischievous tint in their eyes.   

“And what is that? If it’s that I’m gay, then y’all really need to check your gaydar. That should have been a day one realization. Not something you figure out four months into the friendship,” William sassed. Internally, he felt a flash of anxiety that somehow, they had figured out he wasn’t a human.   

“A furry,” Shannon said.   

“A warrior cats fan,” Amy said.   

“A therian,” Emily said.   

All his friends answered wrong. William let out a laugh.   

“Why do you guys think I am any of those things?” William asked.   

“When that jock flirted with you and tried to touch your ass. You straight up growled at him and then tried to bite him,” Shannon answered.   

“You also chase after rabbits all the time. Sometimes on all fours.” Amy answered.   

“I saw rolling around in a pile of leaves, while making yipping noises. Like a happy dog,” Emily answered.   

“That’s....ummmm,” William sputtered. He had no idea how to explain any of his abnormal behavior.   

“There is no shame. Just admit to it.  Look, we even got you a gift,” Amy giggled.   

She reached into her school bag. Then pulled out a pair of faux fox ears. Which were glued onto a plastic headband. Before he could protest, she reached across the table and placed them onto his head.   

“Aww,” Emily cooed.   

“They really suit you,” Shannon said.   

“Guys....... this is ridiculous,” William let out a sigh. He was just really glad that Mark wasn’t here to see him like this.   

“Adorable,” Mark’s voice came from right behind him.   

William violently turned his head around and found that Mark was standing right behind him. He stared at William with wide eyes. His face blushed a bright scarlet red. Mark pulled out his cell phone. Then took a photo of him.   

“Mark! This isn’t what it looks like! I'm...I'm not a...” William stammered and ripped the faux fox ears off his head, throwing them aside. He felt anxious that somehow this would make Mark realize that William was not human, but in reality, the fox he was obsessed with hunting.   

“Not what William?” Mark asked. He tilted his head to the side and smiled widely.   

“Wait, are you William’s roommate? That Mark?” Shannon asked. Her voice was full of shock.   

“Yes! Are you William’s friends?” Mark asked.   

“We are,” Amy said.   

“That’s wonderful! I was worried about him making friends. He’s so timid, nervous, and shy,” Mark said.   

“What? Are we talking about the same William?” Emily said. Her voice was full of confusion.   

“What do you want, Mark?” William asked. His voice was full of caution.   

“You forgot your lunch at home,” Mark said. He then placed a paper bag in front of William.  

“.....thanks,” William said. He relaxed slightly. Mark wasn’t acting hostile, so he must still not realize the truth about William’s true nature.   

“I tried making something new. Let me know if you like it!” Mark said.   

He then reached downwards and placed his hand on William’s head. William flinched and tried to pull away, but was unsuccessful. Mark started to pet him gently. William tried to resist but ended up nuzzling Mark’s hand just like always. After a solid minute of petting him, Mark lifted his hand.   

“Good luck with your classes, William! It was nice to meet your friends. You should invite them over sometime.” Mark said. He then turned his back on the group and walked away.   

“That was Mark?  I thought you said he is terrifying??? ” Amy said.   

“He seemed really nice,” Emily said.   

“Mark is terrifying! He watches me while I sleep! Is so touchy! A total freak. You all saw him pet me like a dog,” William said.   

“You seemed to be enjoying it...” Shannon said.   

“And he made and packed you a lunch? Seriously?” Emily grabbed the paper bag and opened it. Then examined its contents.   

“Dude, he cut up your apples to look like bunnies, that is so cute!” Emily said.  

“Let me see that,” Amy said and grabbed the bag from Emily.  

“He wrote you an encouraging note. There is a doodle of you and a heart,” Amy said.   

“I don’t think you have a roommate. I think you have a wife.” Shannon said.   

“He’s not my wife,” William scoffed.   

“He should be! I mean, wow. What a hottie! Tall and thick as an oak tree. If I were you, then I would be climbing all over him. Like a very enthusiastic squirrel.” Amy said.   

“Mark is straight. He’s brought up having girlfriends before,” William said.   

Shannon reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “William...that was very much not straight behavior. The way he was looking at you.....” She said.   

“He might be bisexual. Or pansexual. For sure something Williamsexual.” Emily snickered.   

“I don’t care about his sexuality! I don’t want him near me, and I especially don’t want him to fuck me,” William said. He forcefully pulled Shannon’s hand off him. Gathered his belongings. Including the lunch. Then walked away.   

“Aww, come on. Don’t be so pissy, William. We are just trying to help you get laid.” Amy called after him. William ignored her and continued to walk away.   

This situation was driving William crazy. He needed to distance himself from Mark, but it was proving impossible.  

He had tried to go to his residential advisor and request a room change, but had no actual evidence of Mark being a bad roommate. In fact, it was the opposite.   

Mark kept their dorm spotless. Cooked him meals every day and insisted on washing the dishes himself. He was quiet and respectful of William’s study time. With the exception of his disturbing decorating choices. With the taxidermized animals, hunting rifles, and string board dedicated to hunting him.  Mark was the perfect roommate.   

He was also friendly. Too friendly. William tried to avoid him. Make it clear that he did not like him. But that only increased Mark’s friendliness and determination to befriend him. He followed William around like a giant love-sick puppy dog.  

He was stuck with Mark.  

William finished his classes for the day and returned to the dorm. He entered and let out a sigh of relief when he realized that Mark was home. Finally, he had the place to himself. Quickly, William undressed himself. Then grew fur and became much smaller. He transformed completely into his feral fox form.   

Immediately, he felt a sense of calm and relief. He had been disguised as a human for so long that it was affecting William negatively. His skin had turned pale, and he was losing weight. Every day that passed, he felt sicker. He knew that transforming in the dorm was risky, but he could endure his human disguise no longer.   

William ran up to his bed and jumped onto it. He then pounced on one of his rabbit plushies and bit it. William shook his head back and forth. His double tails wagged, and he let out many loud yips of happiness. He felt overcome with euphoric joy. William ripped the plushie open and started to pull out all its stuffing.   

“William? Are you home?” Mark’s voice came from the front door.   

William lifted his head and quickly started to transform back. He returned to his human disguise the exact moment that Mark walked back into the bedroom. Mark’s face turned very red. His gaze lowered.   

“Dam,” Mark said. His tone was very low, and he licked his lips.   

William didn’t understand Mark’s reaction. Until William followed his gaze and realized that he was very nude. He let out a small shriek, which was muffled. William also realized that the mostly destroyed rabbit plushie was still in his mouth. He spat out the plushie and grabbed a pillow. Then covered his genitals.    

“Get out!” William shrieked.   

“William....I live here.” Mark said. His eyes were quickly scanning William’s body. William felt like every inch of him was being examined and memorized.   

“OUT!” William shouted. He bared his teeth. An instinct, even though his teeth were dull at the moment due to his human disguise.   

“Fine, I am going to make us some tea,’ Mark said. He turned around and left the bedroom.   

William let out another scream. He felt incredibly embarrassed. William lowered the pillow. Left his bed and got dressed. Then started to clean up the mess. He felt a little sad that, in his excitement, he had destroyed one of his beloved plushies. After a little while, Mark’s voice called out to him from the kitchen.   

“William! The tea is ready!” Mark said.   

William sighed and walked over to the kitchen. Mark was already sitting down at the table. A cup of tea in his hands. Across from him was another cup of tea. Ready for William.  

“Please sit down,” Mark softly requested. William obeyed and sat down in his usual spot at the table. Then picked up the cup of tea.   

“Thanks...” William said and took a sip. It was flavored with honey. Just as he liked it.   

“So....can we talk about what happened?” Mark asked.   

“I'm sorry...that must have been strange to see,” William apologized. He felt another flash of embarrassment and a deep sense of shame.    

“William....if you want to be nude and rip apart your plushies. That’s fine.  I just don’t understand why you would do it? Is it like...a sexual thing?” Mark asked.   

“NO!” William shouted and spat out some of his tea. Getting it on his shirt.   

“I'm not judging, just curious,” Mark said.   

“It’s not!” William continued to shout. He felt even more embarrassed and ashamed.   

“Then why do it?” Mark asked. He sounded very curious.   

“......secret,” William said. Unable to come up with a good excuse.   

“Ah, I see...” Mark said. He sounded a little disappointed.   

Both drank their tea in silence for a little while. When the tea was almost done, Mark spoke up.   

“So William...um...can I ask you something?” Mark asked. He sounded nervous.   

“What is it, Mark?” William said. His voice was full of suspicion.   

“This evening .... do you want to go to the local fair with me?” Mark asked.   

“No,” William immediately turned him down. Like he always did whenever Mark tried to ask him to go somewhere with him.   

“Are you sure? I am going with a couple of my friends, and we accidentally bought an extra ticket. It would be a shame to waste it.” Mark said. He sounded a little desperate.   

“I am sure,” William said.   

“They are holding a rabbit show at the fair. Think of all the rabbits you could see. You would like that, right?” Mark said. Even more desperation entered his voice. For a moment, William was tempted, but then he shook his head back and forth in refusal.   

“I said no, Mark. Stop asking,” William said. His voice was full of annoyance. William stood up and walked away from Mark.   

“Okay....” Mark said. He sounded incredibly sad and disappointed.   

William suddenly saw an opportunity. He walked towards the front door.   

“Where are you going?” Mark asked.   

“It’s none of your business,” William said. He left the dorm and closed the door behind him. Not looking back.   

William started to feel very excited. If Mark was going to be at the fair for the evening. That meant he wouldn’t be out hunting. It was finally safe for William to visit a forest and hunt some rabbits.  

The closest forest to the university was small. Heavily developed and full of busy trails. It wasn’t anything like William’s forest, but it was a forest all the same. The second William arrived he undressed himself, transformed and started to sniff around for rabbits.   

William had a wonderful evening. At the end of it, his hair was messy, and his mouth was full of the taste of rabbit. When he arrived back at the dorm, it was the middle of the night. He hoped Mark would already be asleep.  

He entered the dorm. William was surprised to find that the lights were still on. Even more surprising was the state of the dorm. There were empty beer bottles everywhere, and things were a complete mess.   

“WILLMS!” Mark yelled and suddenly appeared. His face was very red and his eyes hazy. He completely reeked of alcohol.   

“Mark? Are you drunk?” William asked. He didn’t even realize that Mark drank.  

“I missed yoooooou!” Mark said. He lunged forward and wrapped his arms around William. Pulling him into a bone-crushing embrace.   

“Whoa, what wait?” William squeaked out in alarm. He tried to pull away, but Mark would not release him.   

“The ears. The ears were so cute! If I bought you some ears and a tail, could you wear them?” Mark asked.   

“What, no?” William said. Mark wasn’t making any sense.   

“What?! Whyyyyy not? Please!” Mark pleaded.   

“No, Mark.” William said.   

“I’ll pay you,” Mark begged.   

“No,” William once again refused.  

“But it would be so cute,” Mark said.  

“How much did you drink at the fair? Then did you just not stop? And your friends just left you like this? Not cool,” William asked.   

For once, William was not scared of Mark. Being so close to the hunter usually made William tense up and on guard. Instead, in this moment, William just felt a strange mix of annoyance and confusion. Mark felt harmless like this. Even kind of cute.   

“I didn’t go to the fair, and there are no friends. No friends. I’m so lonely....” Mark babbled.   

“Wait,what?” William asked. He felt very confused.   

“A trick. If you thought there was a group, then you would feel more comfortable and agree to go. Then I would pretend they all canceled. So sneaky.” Mark giggled.  

“Wow,” William said. His voice was full of disbelief.  

“We would have had so much fun! Yay! But you said no. Whyyyyy William?” Mark slurred his words. He sounded incredibly sad.   

“Mark, let me go,” William demanded, but Mark didn’t listen to him.   

“I get the most adorable roommate evur and I scare him. So sad.” Mark cried out. He sounded devastated. His mood kept shifting from being giddy to depressed. Then back again.  

“You think I am adorable?” William asked. His voice was full of shock. His friends may have been right.   

“I adore you, but you hate me. What did I do wrong?” Mark asked.   

Mark had shot him, but he didn’t know that. From his perspective, William was terrified of him for no reason. Mark was so desperate to prove himself not a threat to William and to befriend him. It was kind of sad.   

“You......um,” William said. Even though, realistically, William knew that none of this situation or their dynamic was his fault. He was starting to feel a little guilty.  

“Your eyes are so pretty, so unique,” Mark said. He closed his eyes and leaned his head downwards. Then, to William’s absolute shock. Mark pressed his lips against Williams and started to passionately kiss him.   

William let out a muffled noise of surprise. He completely froze in shock. Mark was a very good kisser.  William didn’t kiss back, but he also didn’t pull away. For a couple of moments, he just became lost in and consumed by the sensation.   

Then Mark stuck his tongue into William’s mouth and started to enthusiastically explore. The kiss went from being good to fantastic. William’s heart beat a little faster with excitement. For a moment, he considered kissing Mark back. Before he could decide. Mark suddenly violently flinched and broke the kiss. His tongue was bleeding.   

“Ow...your teeth are sharp....” Mark said.   

“Huh?” William said. His voice was full of confusion. He was in his human disguise, so his teeth should be blunt.   

Mark looked upwards. Towards the top of William’s head. He then released him.   

“Ears?” Mark said. His voice was full of confusion. His gaze then lowered, and he let out a loud gasp of surprise.   

“Tails? Fluffy?” Mark said.   

Every muscle in William’s body tensed up, and he felt panic rising. He looked down and saw that his tails were indeed out. William was so surprised by Mark kissing him. Completely lost in the sensation. That he had lost his concentration. William’s human disguise had slipped.   

“A cute puppy boy? No....fox?” Mark said. He seemed to be trying to think, but the alcohol in his system was making his brain sluggish.   

Quickly, William willed himself back into his human disguise. “What are you talking about, Mark?” William asked. He tried to sound confused instead of panicked.   

“You were foxy, but now you are not?” Mark said. He sounded even more confused.   

“Mark, you are drunk. Imagining things,” William said. He took a couple of steps backwards towards the front door. Ready to run if necessary.   

Suddenly, Mark wobbled and fell onto him. William barely managed to catch Mark and stop him from falling to the ground.  Their size and weight difference was immense. William’s legs started to shake from the strain of holding Mark up.   

“Hey, you, okay?” William asked. He felt very concerned at first, but then realized that Mark was just so drunk that he had passed out.   

William considered just letting him fall. Mark deserved it for shooting him. All the terror and pain he had put him through. William could take advantage of his vulnerability to get some revenge. His grip loosened. Ready to let Mark fall. Then William’s grip tightened again. He let out a loud sigh.   

“Come on, it's bedtime,” William said softly. He then attempted to drag Mark to his bed. Showing him some compassion.   

It was a struggle. William was sweating and panting and had to stop numerous times. But eventually, he managed to get Mark into his bed. William tucked him in and then took a step back.   

“There...” William said.   

He felt satisfied and tried to walk away and go to bed himself. Before he could, Mark suddenly became conscious again and lashed out. He wrapped his arms around William’s waist and forcefully pulled him into bed with him. Then started to snuggle him. Like William was his beloved teddy bear.   

“What the hell?!” William shouted. He tried to escape, but once again Mark had him trapped.   

“You are so soft and warm. Smell just like the woods. I love it.” Mark mumbled. His voice was full of affection. He then brought his mouth to William’s neck. Then started to gently kiss him.  

“Mark! Ah!” William yelped. Mark's kisses became rougher. William was for sure going to end up with some hickies.   

“Great...just great, I should have just let you fall...” William grumbled. He felt flustered but mostly just very annoyed.   

Then Mark full-on bit his neck.   

“OW! What the fuck was that for?” William screamed. It had hurt.   

“Mine, imma keep you,” Mark mumbled. His voice was full of possessiveness.  

“No, I'm not! Dude! Stop acting like a freak and let me go!” William shouted. He felt completely pissed. Mark did not respond. Instead, he started to snore.  

“Mark? MARK!” William continued to scream. He then realized that Mark had fallen completely asleep. Yet his grip on William did not loosen. He was still trapped.   

“This is some bullshit!” William swore.

Bonus 

POV you are a Bunny/Rabbit