Luna slowly crept up the stairs.  Her ears twitched as she listened to her surroundings.  She could hear her mother walking around downstairs, but there was only silence in front of her.  She slowly edged herself to bedroom door of her brothers and gazed through the small crack in the frame.  She spotted Ren sitting with his back facing the door; no doubt doing school work.  To the side Tom was lying on his bed.  Luna couldn't tell if Tom was sleeping or not, but it wasn't going to stop her little tradition.  Luna smiled mischievously as she slowly, quietly opened the door.  She got onto all fours and crawled her way towards Tom's bed.  She paused when she noticed him shift himself.  She remained still as she watched her brother stretch his arms upwards before letting them fall to the side.  Luna's tail started to wag as she focused in on the arm which now hung over the side of the bed.  She resumed her advance until she was directly underneath Tom's hand.  She giggled softly before she quickly pounced towards the hand.

Tom's eyes opened slowly as he felt a familiar gnawing on his left hand.  He gazed to the side to see his little sister playfully nibbling on his hand.  He sighed as he quickly rolled onto his side and grabbed hold of Luna.  She shrieked with surprise as Tom rolled back onto his back and held Luna helplessly above him. 

Luna giggled.  “Hi."

“Hi" Tom smiled.  “How was your first day of kindergarten?"

“Good!" Luna smiled.  “I met so many kids today, and we played games together, and then we took a nap…"

“Sounds nice…" Tom said as his eyes started to close.

“Hey!" Luna pouted as she struggled in Tom's hands.  “Don't leave me up here!"  Tom chuckled as he lowered his arms until Luna was sitting on his stomach.  “You tired?"  Luna tilted her head as she gazed at Tom's closed eyes.  “Did you not nap at school?"

“Nope…" Tom said with a soft sigh.

“Renny…" Luna said as she turned her head back.

Ren's ears went straight up.  His body tensed for a moment.  “Yes?"

“Make sure Tommy doesn't skip nap time tomorrow" Luna said with a giggle.  Her words echoed in Ren's ears.  Thoughts of reminding Tom to take a nap started to fill his mind.

“No…" Tom said softly.  “Don't worry about it Ren…" 

Ren's mind went clear again.  He sighed with relief as he went back to his school work.  “Got it."

Tom peaked one eye open.  “I won't forget, Luna."  As Tom watched the smile of satisfaction form on his sister's face he began to close his eye again.  He suddenly felt Luna push herself off of him and dashed out of their room.  “Is there actually naptime in kindergarten?" Tom asked inquisitively.

“Yep" Ren responded.

“Aww…" Tom said with a heavy exhale.  “Luna's got it good."

Ren smiled as he sat back his chair.  “Yeah… it was nice…"

“Stop bragging, you jerk…" Tom smirked. 

Ren chuckled as he turned to face Tom.  “Yeah… sleeping on a soft mat for an hour…" Ren smiled.  “Being able to bring our own pillows and blankets.  Nothing could beat nap time."

A soft thump, followed by a surprise yip echoed in the room as Ren suddenly found his face getting personal with Tom's pillow.  As the pillow fell from his face Ren could see Tom's blood-shot eyes staring at him with slight annoyance.  “I'll stop now…" Ren joked as he reached down for the pillow.

“Please…" Tom let out a deep yawn as he stood up from his bed and approached Ren.  He grabbed the pillow offered to him and clutched it to his chest.  Tom gazed at the desk and glanced at Ren's homework.  It all seemed like gibberish to him.   He doubted he could understand it even if he had been fully rested.  “Is that from your honors class?"

“Yeah."  Ren responded as he turned to face the paper. 

“Is it hard?" Tom asked with another yawn.

“A little" Ren shrugged his shoulders slightly.  “It just takes more time to complete than regular homework.  Interested in learning some of it?"

“No thank you!" Tom said as he turned around and retreated back to his bed.  “Regular school work is difficult enough for me."

“Speaking of which…" Ren said as Tom laid face down on his bed.  “When are you going to get to your homework?"

“I'll get it done later tonight…" Tom sighed as his body started to shut down.

“You're making a bad routine for yourself, you know?"

Tom's words became gradually softer.  “Yeah… well… it's not the first time I've been on this routine…"  

Ren's ears twitched as he managed to hear that last bit.  He decided against asking him about it and instead just let his brother finally fall asleep.  A look of concern swept across his face as he tried to figure out what his brother meant by those words.  He started to wonder if this wasn't the first time Tom has had trouble sleeping.  A twinge of anxiety began to rise in him as he quietly left the room.

Ren passed through the living room where Luna was preoccupied watching some afterschool cartoons.  Her face turned into that of annoyance as he briefly broke her line of sight with the television screen.  Ren walked into the kitchen where he noticed his mother looking over some paperwork.  He figured it must have had something to do with her work.  “Hey mom…" Ren said to get her attention. 

Sera's focus shifted from the small text in front of her to Ren standing near the entrance.  “Yes Ren?"

“Um… you know how my bi-yearly checkup is coming up in a few days?"

“Yes?"

“Well… I was wondering if it would be possible for Tom to get a checkup too…"  Ren noticed his mother's ear twitched from the suggestion.

“Is something wrong?" Sera asked.

“I don't know… Tom's just been really tired lately.  I'm just wondering if a trip to the doctor might be able to help him out…"

“I'm sure it's just him adjusting to being back in school again" Sera said as she gazed back her papers.  “But if you're worried about it, I'll talk with your father about setting it up."

Ren's tail wagged from a feeling of triumph.  He walked over to his mother and gave her a brief hug.  “Thanks, mom."

Sera smiled as she watched Ren leave the kitchen.  She had become sidetracked long enough for the sound of the television to register in her mind.  “Luna…" Sera said as she stood from the chair.

“Yes, mommy?" Sera called back.

“Were you given any assignments from class?"  Sera asked as she entered the living room.  She gave Luna a knowing smile as stood between her and the television. 

Luna giggled, playfully.  “Read a book…"

“Which book?"

“Any book."

Luna smiled.  “How about you pick a book from your collection and do it now?"  Sera watched as Luna's expression turned into a mix of disappointment and bitterness as hers eyes tried to glance at the television behind her mother.  “The tv and your shows will still be there.  The sooner you finish the sooner you can get back to them."

“Can I do it after this show?" Luna asked.

Sera glanced back and noticed it was four minutes past the hour; there was another good twenty minutes before the show ended.  “Not this time, Luna."

“Please…" Luna stared at her mother with pleading eyes.  Cute, but Sera knew when her daughter was acting.  She remained standing there, obscuring Luna's view of the tv.  “Please, mom… let me watch this show…"

Luna's words began echoing in Sera's mind.  “You can watch it… later…" Sera grabbed the remote and pressed the small red button.  A time bar appeared on the bottom of the screen.  “There… it's saved for when you finish your assignment.  Now go do your assignment, please." Sera said with a slightly firmer tone.

“Okay…" Luna sighed in defeat as she headed towards the stairs.

“When you're finished let me see it, alright?"

“Okay…" Luna said as she rushed up the stairs.

Sera initially was about to turn the tv off, but she instead decided to use this opportunity to check if there was anything interesting happening in the news.  She pressed a few numbers on the remote and the screen changed.  Sera huffed as she recognized that the main story in the news was still the presidential race.  Sera couldn't give a damn about this upcoming election.  The few blue collars in the running had no chance of even being taken serious.  She had no interest in the white collar candidates, even the ones who were trying to convince everyone that they had the interests of every Hund demographic in mind, all the while they had those insincere, rehearsed smiles plastered on their faces.  Sera knew it would only be a matter of time before a Red collar would step into the race and win by a landslide like they always do.

Sera sighed with relief as the current spotlight program faded for a quick break.  “Later tonight, we discuss the rising abduction of human youths across the country and the world.  What consequences will this hold as the average age of the remaining humans decreases every year?"  The screen went black.

“Damn sickos…" Sera growled as she pressed the power button on the remote and tossed it onto the couch.  She clutched her arms against her body and squeezed.  She let out a groan as she retreated back into the kitchen.  She thought that the news would be a good distraction from her work, but now she needed work to be distracted from the news.

--------------------------------------------------

Todd relaxed on the couch he tried to wind down before bed.  His eyes were already getting heavy from a long day.  He glanced to his side when he heard someone coming down the stairs.  He couldn't help but smile when he noticed it was Sera coming his way.  “The kids in bed?" he asked.

“Yep…" Sera said with a sigh as she took a seat next to Todd.  When she felt Todd wrap his arm around her she smiled and tilted herself against him.

“Think we should do the same?" Todd asked as he lazily rested his head against Sera's.  He took a deep breath and sighed lazily.

“In a while…" Sera said her own lazy sigh.  The two sat in silence for minutes, saying nothing.  It was only when Sera felt herself falling asleep did she force her eyes open.  She straightened herself.  “I went ahead and scheduled Tom a doctor's appointment."

“Oh?" Todd asked.  “Why so suddenly?"

“Ren said Tom's been having trouble sleeping, so I figured this would be a good opportunity to do what we discussed a few weeks ago."

It took a moment for Todd to recollect what Sera was talking about before his ears straightened.  “You really think he needs it?" Todd asked, concerned.

“It was mentioned in the news today…" Sera said softly.  “I'd rather he'd get it and have my mind at ease than…"  Sera felt Todd softly rubbing her back.  “I know it's... wrong, but…"

“Hey…" Todd said softly.  “You're just thinking about his safety."  Todd leaned in closer.  “If you think it's a good idea then I'll support you."

“Thank you…" Sera smiled as she rested her head back.  She let out a long, deep yawn.

“I think it's bedtime for you…" Todd said as he reached under Sera's knees and behind her back and gently lifted her from the couch.

“Dear!?" Sera said with surprise as she wrapped her arms around Todd's neck.  When the initial shock faded she realized she was eye-level with Todd who was trying his best to give the most suave smile he could muster.  “You goofball…" Sera giggled as she rested her head on Todd's shoulder.  She closed her eyes and smiled with content as she felt Todd slowly carry her to bed.

--------------------------------------------------

Tom felt something softly nudging his arm.  He opened his eyes.  As his eyes adjusted to the dark room he could barely make out the figure that was whispering his name.

“Tommy…"

“Trouble sleeping again?" Tom asked softly as he let out a soft yawn.  He could barely make out his little sister nodding her head with slight embarrassment.  “Go on to your room; I'll be there in a moment." 

“Ok…" Luna said softly as she quietly left the room. 

Tom stretched out his arms as he slowly sat himself up.  He sat there for a moment, letting his mind come up to speed.  Despite the nap before dinner and the few hours of sleep afterwards he still felt exhausted for some reason.  He looked over at his brother and watched as he slept blissfully unaware.  “Stop bragging you jerk…" Tom said softly as he shifted his legs over the edge of his bed.  He could hear some of his joints pop as he stood up and stretched his body.  He gazed around his room in confusion momentarily as he tried to recall where he had tossed his bag.  He gave himself a mental slap on the head when he finally realized he shoved it under the bed and that his foot was standing on one of the straps.  He softly grabbed it from the ground and snuck out of the room. 

It wasn't hard to navigate his way to Luna's room.  Even if his feet didn't seem to have memorized every step from his room to Luna's, the night-light that shone from the crack in her door was helpful.

Tom closed the door behind him and set down his bag near the door.  He looked over and could see his sister sitting up in her bed.  A mix of excitement and embarrassment covered her face.  Tom slowly walked over and sat down at the foot of her bed.  Tom waited for Luna to say something first, but she remained silent.  “So… was your first day as horrible as you thought it'd be?" Tom asked jokingly.

“No…" Luna said with a giggle. 

“Oh?" Tom mused.  “You mean you weren't whisked off by some strangers to a strange place?"

Luna shook her head in slight embarrassment.

“The other kids weren't actually monsters in disguise?"  Again, Luna shook her head.  “The teacher didn't take away your dessert?"

“Actually he did…"

“The fiend!" Tom said playfully.  “Only a monster would take away someone's dessert!"  Tom slumped his shoulders.  “And after all the effort I put into sneaking it into your bag…"

“He gave it back after we ate.  He said I shouldn't eat sweets before meals."

Tom nodded his head.  “True… that is the responsible thing to do…  Wait…" Tom eyed Luna with suspicion.  “Who gave you the idea to eat your desert first?"

“You do it all the time!"

Tom raised his index finger to his mouth and quietly shushed her.  Part of it was due to her increased volume, the other was his desire for not wanting that information to be spread.  Luna playfully covered her muzzle.  “Mom and dad would get mad at both of us if they knew we were up now." Tom reminded Luna who responded with a nod.  Tom pondered for a moment what to talk about.  “Did you make any friends today?"

He watched as the playfulness left Luna's expression and her ears slowly flattened against her head.  “No…"

“No!?" Tom said with a mix of playfulness and confusion.  “Someone like you should have no trouble making friends!"  Tom noticed Luna remained sullen.  “Hey… give it some time, alright?  Maybe they were all just as nervous as you were.  I'm sure you'll make some friends in no time!"

Luna's tail wagged from Tom's reassurance.  “You think so?"

“Yep" Tom nodded as he reached out and started to ruffle the fur on his sister's head.  “With your playful personality it'll be hard for anyone not to like you."  Tom let out of soft grunt as he felt an all too familiar feeling that only came from his sister.  “Though you kind of get carried away…"

“Sorry…" Luna said with a smile as she widened her jaw, allowing Tom to pull his hand back.  “Do you have a lot of friends at school, Tommy?"

Tom suddenly found it hard to swallow.  “Why do you ask?"

“You're the most playful person I know!" Luna giggled.  “Is everyone at your school your friend?"

Tom found himself speechless for a moment as he tried to figure out a response.  His eyes began to wander so as to avoid Luna's curious gaze.  His focus came to his book bag and realized he still needed to take care of his schoolwork.  “I think that's a story for another night…" Tom said as he slowly stood up from Luna's bed.

“Aww…" Luna said with a disappointing whine.

“None of that now…" Tom teased.  “You're going to need to be well-rested if you want to make friends tomorrow."  Luna's ears straightened as she quickly lay herself back and pulled the blanket to her chin.  Tom chuckled as he grabbed his bag.  “Goodnight, Luna"

“Night, Tommy." Luna said as she watched Tom gently open the door and softly shut it behind him.  Luna took a deep breath as she slowly calmed herself down enough to fall asleep.        

--------------------------------------------------

The room was filled with laughter as the class of sixteen young Hunds were enjoying their playtime.  There were multiple stations littered about the classroom so as the children could have a variety of activities to choose from.  While most of the children knew where they wanted to go from the start, Luna stood in the center as she tried to pick one.  She glanced over at the toy corner where some of her classmates were pulling out various toys from a large chest.  On the other side of the room was a table stacked with papers and various drawing utensils.  The kids there weren't being as vocal as the rest of the class, but they were still giggling from the activity.  On the far end of the class some of the kids were playing with some instruments, mainly drums and tiny guitars.  Luna also noticed that a few of the kids were just sitting in a circle just talking and laughing.  Luna decided to start there since they were the closest.

The group of four Hunds all instantly became aware of Luna's presence as she approached them.  As Luna stood in front of them with a smile one of the Hund's ears flattened against his head.  “Can I join?" Luna asked with a smile.  She was met with responses which ranged from a nod of the head, to a shrug of the shoulders to just pure silence.  Luna took this as an approval.  As she proceeded to sit down with the group the Hund boy who had flattened his ears promptly stood up and walked away, confusing the rest of them.  They didn't focus on it for too long and instead shifted themselves to fill the newly-formed gap in the circle.  “What'cha talking about?"

“Telling funny stories" one of them responded.  “Why don't you tell us one?"

“It can be about anything?" Luna asked.  She was met with nods from the group.  Luna tilted her head momentarily as she thought up a story.  “Alright.  I have two older brothers, Renny and Tommy.  Whenever Tommy isn't around I like to have fun with Renny.  Whenever I tell him to do something he'll do it!" Luna giggled as a certain memory came to mind.  She stood up from the group.  “One time, I told Renny to hop on one leg and cluck like a chicken.  Like this."  Luna started to do a quick imitation.  As she started hoping around and clucking she could hear the kids of the group starting to giggle.  Luna smiled and stopped.  “But then Tommy came and Renny stopped."  Luna cleared her voice.  “How many times have I told you?" Luna said with the lowest voice she could muster in order to imitate her brother.  “Don't use Ren for your amusement.  Besides, you're making him do it wrong!"  Luna giggled as her voice slowly reverted back to normal.  “Then Tommy started to act like a chicken better than Renny did."

Luna smiled when she realized the other three in the group were amused.  She sat back down and listened to their stories.  As the hour dragged on Luna noticed the kid who had left the group as he went from group to group, but kept looking her way.  Many of the kids he talked would occasionally shift their gazes towards her.  Luna smiled as she wondered why she was getting so much attention.

A soft bell chimed on the teacher's desk.  A collective groan echoed in the room as it marked the end of play time.  Now it was time for an hour of learning before lunch and then nap time. 

“Make sure you clean up your mess and put everything back where you got it" the teacher announced to the class. 

Luna and the others stood up.  As Luna walked away with them she felt someone tapping on her shoulder from behind.  She turned around and recognized the girl.  Luna's tail wagged involuntarily as she came face-to-face with the only other white collar of the class.  “You're wasting your time."

Luna tilted her head in confusion.  She watched as the girl gave her a look of pity.

“You really think any of them will want to be your friend?"

Luna's ears shot up.  “Why wouldn't they?"

“We're different from them, that's why" she said bluntly.  “My parents told me blue collars are hateful of us because of our collar."

Luna shook her head.  “My brother said having a good attitude is all you need to make friends!" Luna said with a smile.

“Your brother is stupid…" the girl said in response.

“Tommy is not stupid!" Luna raised her voice.  “I was playing with blue collars for the past hour and didn't have any problems, so he was right!"

The girl shook her head.  “You really didn't notice?"  Luna's gave her a confused look.  The girl shook her head and walked away.  “You'll figure it out eventually…" she said over her shoulder.

Luna stuck out her tongue.  “Meanie…"  As she glared at the girl her eyes caught those of the boy who'd been moving all about the room.  His eyes quickly averted hers.  Luna shrugged her shoulders as she proceeded to where the rest of the class was gathering.

--------------------------------------------------

Tom let out a yawn as he and the rest of the students waited for the teacher to come and start class.  This hour was one of two classes Tom didn't share with Ren.  He felt some anxiety from not knowing how Ren was doing, but took solace from the fact Ren said there were no white collars in either of his honors classes.  Tom chuckled as he wondered how he would fare in those kind of classes.  He figured he'd find himself dozing off twice as fast based on his current state.

The door opened and the class went silent as the teacher walked in followed by a new face.  Tom examined this new Hund with tired eyes.  She appeared to be a wolf whose fur was brown with traces of gold mixed in.  She was carrying a white bag for her books.  Tom's gaze shifted up.  She wore a blue collar, had hazel-green eyes and appeared to keep her fur very well groomed.  She appeared to be quite nervous as she avoided making eye contact with anyone.

“We have a new student who was a little late in the enrollment process" the teacher said as he sat down at his desk.  “Please, why don't you introduce yourself to the class."

The new student nodded her head.  She took a deep breath and stared out at the students, but again seemed to avoid making eye contact with any of them.  “Hello.  My name is Irena.  I recently moved to the area so sorry if I come off as a bit lost."

“Well, I'm sure someone will help you adjust here" the teacher said with a comforting smile.  “There are a few empty seats in the class so go ahead and pick whichever one suits you."

“Thank you" Irena nodded and glanced over the class again.  Her gaze stopped searching momentarily as she focused on Tom.

Tom chuckled as he figured she most have finally realized there was an actual human not only in the same school, but in the same class.  His gaze shifted to his right and realized one of the empty seats was to right of him.  He looked back at the front and realized Irena was already on the move.  She gently placed her bag on the ground and took a seat.

Tom just watched as Irena tried her best to keep her focus on the teacher up front, but every once in a while she'd glance over in his direction.  “Let me guess, first time meeting a human in person?" Tom asked in a hushed voice.  Irena softly nodded.  “Yeah…" Tom chuckled.  “Give it some time; the novelty will wear off and you won't even realize I'm here." 

“I'd hate for that to happen" Irena said with a smile as she glanced over at Tom.  “What's your name?"

“Tom" he responded with a smile of his own.  “So… where are you from?"

Irena hesitated.  “I'm from out of state."

“Ah…" Tom nodded slowly.  “How do you like it here so far?"

“It's beautiful… though I personally enjoy the mountains more than the sea.  I haven't really gotten the chance go out and explore yet."

“I could show you some places, if you'd like."

Irena chuckled.  “You don't have to do that."

“Oh, it's no problem" Tom grinned.  “And I'm sure my brother would be happy to help out as well."

“Are you always this generous to Hunds you've just met?" Irena shook her head with playful disbelief.  “How about, for now, I ask just for a tour of the school?"

“I can do that" Tom shook his head.

“Thanks" Irena said as she reached down and pulled out the course book.  “Now, let's actually learn…"

“I think you and my brother are going to get along great…" Tom smiled as he brought his tired eyes to focus on his teacher.

--------------------------------------------------

“Here's room 135" Tom said as he guided Irena through the bustling hallway.  He glanced below the room number and noticed the class name.  “Honors biology?  You're in honors classes?"

“Yeah…" Irena responded, slightly embarrassed. 

Tom smirked before he noticed the number of students in the hallway growing smaller.  He knew he didn't have long before next period started.  “Well, after this is lunch.  How about we meet up at the cafeteria?"

“Which way is that?" Irena asked.

“Just follow the crowd when class lets out; they'll lead you there." Tom said before turning around and blending in with some Hunds rushing to class.

Tom chuckled when he made it to his next class with about a minute to spare.  No surprise, Ren was already sitting at his desk.  His ears straightened up when he realized Tom was coming his way.  “What took you so long?" Ren asked.  “Your last class was only four doors down."

“Sorry" Tom chuckled as he took his seat.  He gazed at Ren with a smile.

“What is it?" Ren asked as Tom continued to grin.

“I met someone who I think you're really going to like."  Tom chuckled right as the class bell rang.  He faced the front of the classroom, leaving Ren to stare at him with a look of confusion.

--------------------------------------------------

“She's even in a few honors classes" Tom said as he sat across from Ren in the cafeteria.

“So?" Ren shrugged his shoulders nervously as he continued to listen to Tom talking about Irena.  “There are other girls in honors classes.  What makes this one so special?"

“Well…" Tom stopped to think about it.  “There's just something about her… she's not like other Hunds here who just take a glance at a curiosity and move on…"

Ren smirked.  “She actually seems interested in pursuing that curiosity?"

Tom's tired eyes widened.  “Hey… this is about why you'd like her!"

Ren stood from the table with a laugh.  “I think I like her just by how excited she's making you feel.  I'm going to get some food.  Be back in a few."

“Yeah…" Tom said with a sigh as he slowly sat back and gazed over the cafeteria, watching all of the Hunds coming and going.  He let out a soft yawn as he awaited for Irena to appear.  Her class was at the other end of the school; it didn't surprise him that it was taking this long for her to arrive.  Tom laid his arms against the table, supported by elbows, and gently rested his head in his hands.  His eyes were starting to feel heavy from his late-night homework session.  “A quick nap wouldn't hurt…" Tom cooed with a smile as his eyes started to close.  “At least I could tell Luna I managed to get some sleep…"  Tom's eyes closed.  Despite how loud the cafeteria was with the echoing of hundreds of Hund voices Tom found it rather easy to doze off.

“Tom?" a voice echoed softly in Tom's mind.  The voice was familiar, but he couldn't place who it belonged to.  The world around him was dark and the voice called out his name a few more times.  After a few echoes there was silence followed by a sudden sensation to his shoulder.  Tom's eyes shot open as he felt the support of his arms starting to give out.  He looked around in confusion.  His mind went on the defensive, thinking this was one of those damned pranks.  “Do you damned white collars have nothing better to do today than bother me!?"

“What!?" a voice said in surprise.

Tom looked over his shoulder as the haze in his eyes started to clear away.  He was met with a look of shock from the Hund he had only met earlier that day.  “Oh!" Tom said as he quickly rubbed his eyes.  “Sorry about that" Tom said with a chuckle as he tried his best to brush off what he said.  “I thought you were someone else…"

Irena looked away with hesitation.  “Sorry."

“Nah" Tom said with a smile.  “It's not your fault.  The white collars around here like to mess with me every once in a while."  Tom chuckled.  “Pretentious bastards…"

“Oh…" Irena said as she took a seat next to Tom.  “Does… every white collar mistreat you?"

“Kind of…" Tom smiled.  “I'm used to it though.  I've come to accept that most white collars are deceitful, manipulative, and power-hungry."

“Most?" Irena asked.

“Oh…" Tom grinned.  “I have a little sister who's a white collar.  She can be quite a handful, and brash at times, but she's one of the sweetest Hunds I know."

Irena smiled.  “Well, sounds like not all white collars are bad."

Tom shrugged his shoulders.  “I guess… but they're definitely the minority...  When they're not bothering me they're always trying to take advantage of other Hunds, especially my brother."  A realization came to Tom as he turned towards the lunch line.  He could see Ren in the checkout line.  Tom figured either he dozed off for a few minutes or Ren must have rushed through the line.  “My brother should be back shortly" Tom said as he pointed Ren out in the line.  “See him?  He's the fox just getting checked out."

Irena looked up to where Tom was pointing.  Her gaze focused in on the fox Hund.  Her eyes went wide as she shifted involuntarily in her seat.  “Your brother is a black collar?" she stuttered.

“Yep" Tom said as he waved at Ren who was starting to walk back to the table.

Irena quickly jumped from her seat to her feet.  “I've got to take care of something…" she turned around and started walking away.

“What?" Tom asked in confusion as he quickly stood up and placed his hand on Irena's shoulder.  “Irena, what's going on?"

Irena looked back at Tom.  Her gaze shifted towards Ren and then back to Tom.  Her eyes narrowed, her breathing became shallow, her pulse hastened.  “Please, Tom, I need to go."

“But why?" Tom asked as his tired, confused eyes stared into her distressed eyes.

Irena's gaze constantly noticed how close Ren was getting.  Her body began to shake.  Her eyes narrowed when she realized Tom wouldn't let go.  “Let go of me you-" Irena said as she broke away from Tom.  She cut herself off as she walked away.  “I'm sorry…" Irena said weakly as she maneuvered her way out of the cafeteria.

Ren stared in confusion as he approached Tom.  “Was that the Hund you were talking about?" he asked as he set his tray down on the table.

“Yeah…" Tom said as he continued to stare out in confusion.  He looked over his shoulder.  “Do you know her?"

“Nope" Ren said as he took a seat.  “Never seen her before."

Tom looked back.  Irena was out of sight.  He crossed his arms as he tried to figure out what the hell had just happened.  He gazed back at Ren.  “What does she have against you…?" Tom muttered.

--------------------------------------------------

“Going to do your homework late again?" Ren asked plainly as he watched Tom get comfortable on his bed.

“You know it" Tom smirked as he shifted his head on his pillow.

“I could help you tackle it faster, you know." Ren insisted as he started taking out his own schoolwork.

“Don't worry about it…" Tom cooed.  “You got your own work to deal with…" Tom took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.

Ren sighed.  “Just trying to help you out, you know…" he said as he sat down and proceeded to finish the rest of his school work.

“Thanks…" Tom whispered, eliciting a slight smile from Ren.

It only took a few minutes before the room was filled with the sound of Tom's soft snoring.  Ren took a deep breath as he finished off another one of the problems.  He leaned back in his chair and softly exhaled.  He looked over at Tom who had rolled onto his side, facing the wall.  His focus drifted downwards to the floor where Tom had haphazardly tossed his book bag.  He noticed a few of Tom's contents were poking out.  He didn't know if it had become unzipped as a result from the toss or if Tom had neglected to fully zip up the bag earlier.  Deciding this would be a good distraction from his own work Ren stood up and approached the bag.

Ren was initially going to just zip the bag up and set it neatly back on the ground, but as he lifted the bag off the ground he realized just how chaotic Tom's bag was.  Class books were normal to see, but scattered between them were sheets of paper.  Ren sighed in disbelief as he stared at the numerous sheets of paper scattered about in the bag.  Some of them managed to keep their form since they were being kept within the pages of the books, but others were wrinkled and folded in various ways.  “Where does he even keep that folder…?" Ren muttered as he searched through the bag, but was unable to find it.  He unzipped the section in front and there he found Tom's blue folder.  Ren wondered if Tom even remembered he had a folder.

One-by-one Ren picked out each sheet of paper, flattened it out, and placed it into the folder.  During this process he managed to get a good look at the kind of homework Tom was receiving.  “Sheesh… I could do these in minutes." Ren chuckled as he continued the process until every sheet of paper was tucked away.  Satisfied with his effort, Ren placed the folder in Tom's bag and set it back down next to Tom's bed.  Ren smiled triumphantly, his tail wagging slightly as he sat back down.  He hoped this would help Tom in some way.

Ren picked up his pen and tried to do the next problem, but couldn't bring himself to write anything.  He let out a frustrated sigh as stared out the window.  The sound of his brother's snoring still filled the room.  “Can't I do anything else…?" Ren asked himself as he closed his eyes.

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Tom let out a satisfied moan as he rubbed his stomach.  Ren smiled as he followed behind Tom.  Ren knew that Tom would head right back to bed just like he did after dinner yesterday.  He didn't bother to say anything about it, especially since he was starting to feel mentally drained.

As Tom got comfortable again, Ren sat down and continued his work.  “Sheesh…" Tom said with one eye staring at Ren.  “You're still working on it?"

Ren chuckled.  “Yeah… had a lot of material today."

“Well don't let yourself get burned out" Tom said as he closed his eye.

“I won't" Ren smiled.

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Tom yawned as he was awoken by Luna later that night.  He grabbed his bag and snuck off to her room.  “Surprised you didn't wake me up when you got home."

“You were sleeping…" Luna smiled.  “You didn't take a nap today did you?"

Tom laughed softly.  “I tried, Luna, but some things happened today that kept me awake."

“Like what?" Luna asked, curious.

“Well I met this Hund today.  She was very nice.  I tried to have lunch with her…"

Luna giggled.

“What's so funny?" Tom asked.

“Is she your girlfriend?" Luna giggled again.

Tom started laughing.

“Shh!" Luna pressed one of her digits to her muzzle.

Tom immediately softened his laughter.  “No, Luna, it's nothing like that."

“Sure…" Luna said with a wide grin.

“Nah…" Tom smiled back.  “I actually don't know what to think of her right now…" his smile faded.

“Did something happen?"

“I don't know…" Tom said with a soft sigh.  “Everything seemed to be going alright, but then she started acting strange and ran away."

Luna looked down at her sheets.  “Ran away?"

“Yeah… almost like she was scared of something."

“A boy in class did the same thing today…" Luna sighed.

“Oh?  Why?" Tom asked.

“I don't know" Luna said, shrugging her shoulders.  “When I tried to play a game with him he just left."

“Maybe he was just shy" Tom said.  “Maybe he has a little crush on you…"

“No way" Luna shook her head.  Her voice started to crack from mild embarrassment.

Tom chuckled as he waited for Luna to calm down.  “So did you play with the other kids today?"

“Uh huh" Luna shook her head.

“Did you make any friends with them?" Tom asked, expectantly.

“I think so, but…"  Luna's ears suddenly flattened against her head as she remembered what the white collar said to her in class.

“What's wrong?" Tom asked with a concerned voice.  He rarely ever saw Luna flatten her ears.

“Well… there's another white collar in my class, and she talked to me today.  She said that…" Luna let out a soft whimper. “She said I was wasting my time trying to make friends with everyone."

Tom involuntarily clenched his fist.  “Hey… don't let her words discourage you, alright?"  Tom reached out and scratched behind Luna's ear.  “If those kids had a good time playing with you today, I'm sure they'll enjoy playing with you tomorrow."

“You think so?" Luna said, her ears slowly perking up again.

“Come on…" Tom said as he quickly ruffled Luna's head fur.  “Where's my confident little sister?"  Luna started to giggle.  “You just keep being yourself, alright?" Tom said as he pulled his hand away.

“Okay" Luna said with a nod.

“Good.  Now, I think it's time for you to go to sleep." Tom said as he stood up from Luna's bed.

“Goodnight Tommy." Luna said as she tucked herself underneath her sheet.

“Night Luna." Tom said as he grabbed his bag and left the room.  Tom quietly headed downstairs.  Once he was in the dining room he turned on the light and set his bag down.  He groaned as he thought back to Luna's story.  “White collars…they can't even leave Luna alone…"  Tom shook his head as he took a seat.  He reached down and unzipped his bag.  To his surprise all of his papers were missing.  “What the…" Tom muttered as he pulled out the blue folder.  On the front was a sticky note which read, 'Hope this helps.  Please don't stay up too late'.

Tom smiled as he flipped the folder open.  His smile vanished and was replaced with one of disbelief.  He glanced over his homework assignments and noticed all of them were already completed.  As much as he wished he could do his homework in his sleep, Tom could easily recognize that the hand writing wasn't his.  Tom chuckled as he held the papers in his hand.  He glanced up.  “Thanks Ren…" Tom held onto the papers with both hands and tore it straight down the middle.  “But I can do my own assignments, you jerk" Tom chuckled as he ripped up the papers a few more times.   

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Luna decided to try the arts and crafts table today.  There were five other kids sitting around the table scribbling, coloring, cutting and pasting various things.  When she sat down, their ears went at attention.  “Hi!" Luna said with excitement as she briefly stared at the work of the other kids.  “May I join?"  Luna asked the kids, but they only stared at her.  Luna shrugged her shoulders and reached out grabbed a piece of paper and a few crayons.

It stayed relatively quiet at that table; the only noise was Luna's occasional humming.  As she continued coloring she realized she needed a green crayon.  She looked around the table and noticed one at the other end near one of the other kids.  “Hey!" Luna said to get his attention.  “Pass me that green crayon."  The kid reached down, grabbed it, and handed it off to Luna.  “Thanks." Luna smiled.  The boy remained motionless.  He looked down at his paw and flexed it.  He wiggled it around as if trying to see if he could still move it.  The others of the group watched silently, their gazes shifting between him and Luna.  Slowly, one-by-one, the kids stood up from the table and walked away.  Luna was too busy putting the finishing touches on her drawing.  “There!" Luna said as she gazed down at her drawing.  She looked up and realized she was alone.  She figured they most have gotten bored with drawing.  Luna picked up her drawing and walked over to where the kids from yesterday were sitting.

There were six of them this time.  Luna recognized one of them from art table.  “Can I join?" Luna asked with a smile. 

The kids looked at her briefly.

“We've got enough" one of the kids blurted out.

Luna watched as the kids scooted closer together so as to close off any gap between them.  “Oh… alright.  Maybe another time?" Luna said as she turned around and gazed around the room.   She decided to try the toy area since there were only three kids there.  As she got closer she recognized one of the kids as the boy from yesterday.  He didn't seem to notice her.  Luna walked past him towards the chest full of toys.  She dug through the assortment of playthings, shifting them back and forth.

“Hey!" a voice said.  Luna looked back over her shoulder and noticed that boy giving her look of mixed fear and anger.  “Go play somewhere else."

Luna's ear twitched in frustration.  “Why?  There are plenty of toys here."

“We don't want your kind playing here!" the volume of the boy's voice started to rise.

“My kind?" Luna said with confusion.

“My mommy and daddy told me white collars are meanies!  They said you all are bullies!"

“I am not a bully!" Luna raised her voice.  “If you don't like me then how about you go play somewhere else!"

The boy's ears straightened, his body tensed.  He let out a small grunt as he dropped the toy in his hand and started walking away.

“What a meanie…" Luna pouted as she sat down on the floor.  She looked around and noticed the other kids started to move away from her.  “What?" Luna looked around with confusion as she was greeted with looks of fear and scorn.  “What did I do?" Luna asked as she found herself, one again, alone.  She let out a soft whine.

“I told you" a familiar voice said.  Luna looked up and noticed the white collar from yesterday was now sitting across from her.  “Blue collars are jerks."

“What do you want?" Luna pouted.

“I want to be your friend" she responded.

“You do?"

“Of course!" the girl smiled.  “You and I are the only white collars here; we've got to stick together.  My parents told me white collars have got to stick together.  We don't need blue collars."

Luna let out another whine. 

Hey… the girl said as she pointed her paw.  “What did you draw?"

“My family…"

“Can I see?" The white collar asked.

“Okay" Luna said with a smile, a sense of excitement building inside her.  She flipped the page over.  “Well, here's my mom and dad" Luna pointed to the two tall figures.

“Your parents are blue collars?" the white collar asked.  Luna nodded.  “No wonder you don't know any better…"

“Hey…" Luna pouted.

The white collar giggled.  “So what else did you draw?"

“Well… these two are my brothers.  Renny's really shy and doesn't like to play.  Tommy, though, is really fun!  He's always playing games with me and tells me funny stories, and…" Luna stopped talking when she noticed her new friend was now staring intently at the picture.  “What?"

“Is your brother a human?" she asked.

“He prefers to call himself a collar-less Hund" Luna giggled.

“So he's a human…"

“Well… yeah."

“Mom and Dad told me humans are diseases" she said with a glare.

“Disease?" Luna repeated, not knowing the meaning.

“They're horrible creatures.  I was told they were so horrible that they got this disease that's slowly wiping them out."  Luna's ears flattened against her head as she listened to her words.  “From what they've told me, humans are getting what they deserve.  Soon there'll be no humans left."

A soft whine echoed from Luna's throat.  “That's not going to happen to Tommy, is it?"

“It will…"

“No!" Luna said, shaking her head.  “You're lying!  You're just being a meanie like everyone else!"  Luna screamed as she jumped to her feet and ran away.  Luna fled to a corner at the other end of the classroom, away from all of the kids.  Luna sat down and faced the wall.  “Why is everyone being so mean to me?" Luna whined as she leaned her head against the wall.  “What did I do?"  Luna started to sniffle.  “What do I do, Tommy…" Luna's eyes widened with fear as the words of the white collar started to fill her mind.  “Disease?  Die?  Deserve it?"  Luna clutched her head as it began to throb.  “It's a lie… it's not true!" Luna screamed out.  “It's not true!" She cried.

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Tom yawned as he sat in the empty classroom.  The bell wasn't due to ring for at least another seven minutes, but he didn't have anything better to do.  If it was any other day he would take a quick nap, but his mind was elsewhere right now.  Tom watched as the class door opened and in walked Irena.  Tom grinned slightly from his luck.  When Irena noticed Tom was already seated she sighed and walked over.  “Hey Tom…"

“Hey…" Tom responded as he watched Irena take her seat.  “So… about yesterday…"

“Could we not discuss it, please?" Irena said as she shifted herself in her seat.

“You can't just pretend like it didn't happen!" Tom said as he shifted himself to face Irena.  “What's going on?"

Irena shook her head.  “It's personal, Tom." Irena sighed.  “If it makes you feel any better it has nothing to do with your brother specifically.  I'm sorry if it came off that way…"

Tom could hardly say he was satisfied with that answer.  “So... then you have something against black collars as a whole then?"

Irena shifted her gaze to avoid Tom's.  She remained silent.

“Irena…" Tom sighed.  “I don't know what it is that makes you so uneasy around black collars.  Whether you want to tell me or not, that's up to you, but… Ren and I are team, alright?  Outside of this classroom, here, wherever one of us goes, the other goes as well…"

“That's fine…" Irena smiled.  “I'm just disappointed you won't be able to show me around now…"  Irena's gaze shifted upward when the sound of minute warning bell echoed.  Tom realized it was the start of the sixty second derby.  As his classmates started pouring in Tom looked back at Irena who stared down at her desk with a look of disappointment.  Tom would be lying to himself if he said he didn't feel the least bit disappointed as well.

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Ren let out a soft yawn.  As he proceeded with his assignments of the day.  Ren chuckled “I think you're contagious…" he muttered loud enough for Tom to hear him.  He peered over his shoulder and noticed the corners of Tom's mouth smile.  Ren turned back and sighed softly.  He had hoped his help would have let Tom sleep the previous night, but it didn't seem to have an effect.  Ren closed his eyes and rested his head in his paws.  He just sat there, motionless, wondering if the doctor would find anything wrong with Tom.  A soft whimper echoed from his throat at the thought.  He hoped that if it was anything it could be fixed with more sleep or some medication. 

As Ren continued to imagine the possibilities of their upcoming doctor visit he suddenly felt the fur on his face and head shift slightly.  His mind went blank as he felt it again.  He smiled as he felt the ocean breeze course through his fur.  Ren took a slow, deep breath from his nose and slowly exhaled out his mouth.  His body relaxed and his mind was calm as it focused on the wind.  Ren began to wonder if, perhaps, he should take a quick nap as well.  “Nah…" Ren hummed with a smile as he continued to let the wind ruffle his fur slightly.

He wasn't sure of how long he sat there in that state.  He could still hear everything from the tweets of the birds to the rumble of cars driving by to the sound of the waves crashing in the far distance.  His ears twitched when he heard the familiar sound of a car driving into the parking lot.  Ren sighed with disappointment as he knew Luna would probably be coming up soon to bother them.  He opened his right eye slightly.  “Hopefully…" he said as he turned his head slightly to have Tom in his peripheral.  “She'll let you sleep like yesterday…"   Ren turned his head back and closed his eye again.  He figured he had a few more minutes before their sister would decide to come.

Ren could hear the sound of the front door being unlocked followed by the sound of someone rushing up the stairs.  “She's not wasting any time today…" Ren sighed.

“Tommy!" Luna screamed.  Ren's eyes blasted open, his ears shot up as Luna entered the room crying.  Ren turned around and watched as Luna leapt onto Tom's bed.  Tom's eyes flew open in confusion.  He sat up in bed, looking around with groggy eyes.  It took a few moments before Tom focused on the crying Hund clinging to his arm.

“Luna?" Tom said as he quickly rubbed his eyes with his free hand.  “What's going on?"

Luna continued to cry, not saying a word.  Tom and Ren glanced at each other with confusion.  Tom tried his best to calm Luna down by rubbing the back of her ears, but it didn't seem to have much of an impact at the moment.

“Tom…" Sera said as she entered the room. 

“Mom what happened?" Tom asked.

“I don't know…" Sera said with a surprised look.  “She was quiet the entire ride home…"  Sera approached Luna.  “Luna… how about we go watch some of your favorite shows?"

Luna shook her head as she tightened her grasp around Tom's left arm. 

“I'll handle this mom…" Tom yawned as he slowly pushed himself out of bed.  Luna's clutch lowered to his wrist.  “How about we go outside Luna?" Tom asked with a tired smile.  Luna didn't respond.  Tom slowly walked forward, Luna kept up with his pace.

Tom led Luna to the base of the tree in their backyard.  “The usual spot?" Tom smiled as he slowly sat himself down and rested his back against the trunk.  He looked up when he realized his arms were hanging in the air.  He was met with Luna's teary eyes that seemed hesitant to look at him.  “Rough day at school?"  Luna nodded.  “Yeah… I know what those are like…" Tom rested his head back.  “Want to talk about it?" 

Luna glanced to the side briefly before she slowly nodded her head.  Tom patted the ground in front of him, signaling Luna to sit down.  She maintained her hold on Tom's arm as she stepped over his leg and sat down.  She remained silent for a few minutes.  Tom didn't say a word as he waited for Luna to go at her own pace.  “Tommy… are you going to die?"

The color drained from Tom's face.  He looked down at Luna as she began to shake.  “What makes you think that?" Tom asked.  Luna didn't answer.  Tom let out sigh as he figured it out.  “Was it that white collar in your class?"

“Yeah…" Luna said softly.

Tom closed his eyes.  “Luna …" Tom reached down with his other arm and scooped Luna up against his chest.  She let out a surprised yip as she suddenly found herself being bear hugged against Tom.  “I'm not going anywhere, Luna…" Tom whispered. 

Luna started to shake.  Tears continued to roll down her face as she turned around in Tom's arms.  “Tommy…"  She wrapped her arms around his side.  “She said…" she sniffled.  “She said you were diseased and that you're going to…" she went silent.

“Hey…" Tom said as he reached up and scratched behind Luna's ears, this time eliciting a soft smile from Luna.  “Don't let her words get to you, alright?"  Tom smiled reassuringly to Luna.  “Why don't we talk about your friends instead?"  Luna let out another whimper.  Tom gave her a look of concern.  “What happened?"

“I don't know… no one wanted to play with me today…"

“What?  But you were having such a good time with them yesterday!"

“I know!" Luna whined, her tears starting to flow again.  “Tommy… am I a bully?"

“No!" Tom said as he hugged his crying sister tighter.  “Luna… you are such a sweet kid; there's no way you could be a bully.  Who made you think that?  The white collar?"

“No… the boy from yesterday…"  Luna looked up at Tom.  “Tommy… are white collars bullies?"

Tom was taken aback.  “Luna…"  He tried to think of something to dissuade Luna from thinking that way, but based on personal experience he didn't have much praise to give for white collars.  “I…"  Actually… Tom was having trouble of coming up with praise for anyone outside of his family.  Tom took a deep breath; he wasn't going to sugarcoat this one.  “Luna… there are going to be those who hate you because of the collar you wear…"

“Why…" Luna sniffed as she buried her muzzle into Tom's shirt.

“I don't know Luna…" Tom sighed.  “I can't understand; I'm a no-collar…" Tom smirked from his slip of the tongue.  “I mean, I'm a human.  There are so many Hunds who don't like me just for that reason.  Sure… white collars are the ones who treat me the worst…"  Luna looked away, slightly ashamed.  “But you know what… my experience with blue collars hasn't exactly been the greatest either.  I mean… did you know that Ren is my only friend?"

“What!?" Luna said, genuinely surprised.  “But I imagined you being the most popular kid at school!"

Tom started laughing.  “Oh no…" Tom took a deep breath to calm himself down.  “It would be great to have so many friends… but it's hard when one group of Hunds hates me and the other avoids me…"  Tom closed his eyes.  “I thought I finally met a Hund who I could become friends with, but… well… it didn't work out like I had hoped…"  Tom felt Luna crawl up and wrap her arms around his neck.  Tom peaked one eye open to the sight of his sister giving him a comforting smile.  Tom smiled in response.  “Hey now… I thought I was supposed to be comforting you."  He and Luna laughed.

Minutes passed.  Luna crawled back down and sat in Tom's lap, her back against his chest.  Tom was trying to keep his eyes open.  “Luna…" Tom said softly.  “You might only be able to make friends with other white collars, but…" Tom ruffled the fur on Luna's head.  “Don't ever change the way you are, alright?"

“Alright Tommy…" Luna said with a hint of disappointment in her voice, but a smile on her face.

“Good…" Tom smiled.  “Now…" Tom's eyes started to close.  “I think I'm going to take a nap…"  He didn't get a response from Luna.  He felt her shuffle around in his lap until he felt her head resting against his chest, her arms wrapped around him.  Tom peaked his eyes open and watched as his sister rose and fell with every breath he took.  Her eyes were closed and she let out a small yawn.  Tom closed his eyes and rested his head back.  As he started to drift into slumber he felt the wind rise and caress his skin.  It was brief but it left a smile on his face.

The wind always seemed to carry one's worries away.

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A quick thank you to GFR21 for motivating me and correcting some silly errors on my part