Osmophobia. Chapter 2. Surrounded. The city woke
up fast. It always did. Jade liked to believe
there was a window, a fragile stretch of time
where the city hadn't yet decided what kind of
day it was going to be. Quiet mornings were calm.
Late mornings, not so much. By the time she reached
the edge of the park, the sidewalks had filled.
Footsteps overlapped. Voices layered, different
scents mixed together from the city's musk to
a nearby bear's cologne. She took a deep sigh
of preparation and checked her phone. No notifications,
no messages. Capclaw refreshed itself once more,
feeding her videos she barely registered. A clip
of a panther falling off a skateboard. A lioness
dancing confidently, yet still kind of funny.
A fox doing a daily vlog. Jade smiled despite
herself. Here we go, she whispered to herself.
Eyes down, shoulders in, keep a distance. That
was rule three. The sidewalk spilled into Main
Street just outside of Emerald Park. Jade slowed
instinctively. Her steps shortened. Her tail
twitched in a low sway behind her, already tense.
She exhaled through her nose and stepped forward.
Someone brushed past her arm. A fox, maybe? A
strong smell of cologne on that one. Too much.
Always too much. Another body followed. Warm,
woolly, smelling faintly of coffee. Jade's ears
flattened and she continued in a straight line.
She felt it then. That familiar tingling on the
back of her neck. People were just now noticing
her in the street. Don't react. Don't apologize.
Don't make eye contact. Her phone buzzed. A meaningless
notification, but she welcomed it like a moth
to light. She stared at the screen, thumb moving
automatically, even though she knew she was being
watched by, well, everyone. A mutter from behind
her. Obvious long stares. A young leopard pointing
and whispering questions to their mother. Jade's
jaw tightened. She didn't turn around. She didn't
speed up either. Just a straight black and white
line through the sidewalk. She reached the intersection
just as the light turned red. Stopped. Trapped.
Great. The crosswalk filled in. Bodies pressing
closer, but not toward Jade. The scent of damp
fur, deodorant, breakfast sandwiches, and stress
filled the air. A generous six to seven foot
radius of strangers around Jade was so clear
you could easily mark it with chalk. She focused
on something neutral. Something boring. Concrete
cracks. A faded gum stain near her shoe. The
rhythm of the walk signal slowly ticking down.
A polar bear beside her did a double take in
Jade's direction. She felt it like a physical
sting. He leaned away, not dramatically, but
enough. Enough to notice. Her shoulders curled
inward. She tried to make herself smaller, though
her huge tail already took up quite a bit of
space. Years of practice had made that second
nature. The light finally changed. She moved
immediately, crossing fast but not running. Running
invited attention. She power walked up to a cozy
bakery across the street. People were lined up
and crowded on the sidewalk. Everyone was getting
breakfast and coffee. The crowd was giving her
dozens of sour looks and scowls. She tried not
to notice. Too late, though. Jay gently sidestepped
into the alley beside the bakery. She leaned
against the brick wall, closed her eyes, and
took several sharp breaths. Okay. Okay. She exhaled
slowly. Deep breaths. A smell of fresh bread
lingered faintly in the bricks. Coffee. Sugar.
Warmth. It helped. She checked the time on her
phone. Too early to go home. Too late for a public
breakfast. Just in time to look weird hanging
out in the alleyway. Jade straightened, cracked
out her knuckles, and started gently bouncing
on her feet to get some adrenaline going. She
glanced to her right. Her reflection stared back
from the dark bakery window. Striped fur neat.
Green eyes, a little sharper than she liked,
but steady. She looked fine. She always did.
That was the cruelest part. No one in this world
gave her a chance. Jade pushed herself forward
out into the street and kept walking, choosing
a route with wider sidewalks, fewer shops, and
more sky. She let Capclaw autoplay nonsense until
her breathing evened out again. By the time she
was actually chuckling over some stupid cap claw
short, she heard something strange over her shoulder.
Someone out of breath. Running. Jade was used
to the joggers and fitness buffs in the city,
but this sounded like someone who hadn't run
in a while. Well, well. Ma 'am. Jade's stride
broke for half a second, but she kept forward.
Who would be talking to her? Excuse me, ma 'am.
Jade froze. and slowly turned around. A tall,
slender wolf stood just a few feet in front of
her with a bracelet in his hand. This has been
Osmophobia. The story continues.