Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2012 11:52:56 -0700
From: Charles Wolfe <c.sportswolfe@gmail.com>
Subject: The Ultimate Man- Winter Break Chapter 7

Finally!!! The Furry Convention is here! Now for a very fun few chapters to
read over. A lot will be happening.


	After spending a few days back in Sacramento it was clear to see
that Tay was getting antsy over the upcoming convention. He kept sending me
information on what all was going on, what events to visit and where the
booths are. Michael managed to get to stay a little longer, skirting the
issue of why he was staying, but none the less I was happy he could come as
well.

	Come the 11th Tay had had enough waiting, him already packed and
ready to go. He had informed Michael and me that he wanted to leave the day
prior, allowing us to stay at his place so we don't have to travel as far
or wake up super early. The drive to San Francisco was a blast; we all
packed into Michael's car. Tay got to sit up in the front seat, mostly
because he tended to get car sick on long rides. I didn't mind, knowing
that he and Michael could use the time to get to talk with each other.

	I on the other hand took the time to sleep, the constant traveling
starting to wear down on me. By the time we had passed West Sacramento I
was out, even though it was mid day. I always tended to fall asleep on long
drives, especially when I had seen all the surroundings multiple times. Tay
and I had often times headed down to San Francisco, us taking many trips
when we first got our licenses and then again he got into San Francisco
State.

	When I woke we were pulling into the dorm parking lot. Tay had gone
into the reception while I was shaking off the cobwebs to get a parking
pass and when he returned we parked. The dorms here looked a little nicer
than Long Beach, a more modern feel to them. Michael and I could not help
but be a little jealous of Tay as he led us to his dorm, showing us the
awesomeness of his complex. Unlike Long Beach, which was flat and brick,
the dorms here were grey multi story buildings, standing higher than any of
the halls down south.

	As it was, when we entered into Tay's hall, we had to ride the
elevator up to the 7th floor, his one step short of the top. Even though
they were not new, they still gave off that feeling, everything being clean
and well maintained. Entering into his room was even more awe-inspiring, a
one bed room; while smaller than ours, it still had enough room for the
three of us to move around easily. His dorm was connected to 5 others,
almost apartment style, though he shared a bathroom and mini kitchen with
his roommates. We didn't know if any of them were here and from the amount
of noise we made, we took it that they were gone; no one peaking out to see
who the guests were.

	His room was very nice, easy and quaint if I had to describe it. He
had a few pictures of his family (and myself, I took note of) scattered
around his room; some on the desk and some on his nightstand. His bed was a
dark brown, the sheets wanting to clash with the olive walls but working
together enough with the snowboarding and miscellaneous movie posters to
complete it all together. Overall there was not much in his room, it
actually appearing very empty to me. Maybe it was because I had been with
Bryan and Zach for so long; I forgot how big a dorm room could be.

	Michael and I set down our bags near the desk, and stood there as
Tay moved around, shuffling things together to clean up his "mess" that was
on his floor. It was actually school papers that had not been organized
and, with the sudden arrival of Michael and I, were getting a rough
treatment.

	After cleaning up, Tay looked around on his desk and found what he
was looking for; two badges. Handing one to me and holding the other, he
explained what they were. "I got two badges made for us, mine being my
fursona and yours... well yours is a wolf body because I don't really know
what your fursona looks like yet. I know it's very generic but it's the
best I could do under the circumstances." Waving his finger at me, he
cracks a smile, "you need to get a fursona together sometime... I might
have to strap you down so I can make out a reference sheet for you."

	Michael just stood there, trying his best not to giggle at Tay and
I, but when he saw the badges, as low end as they were, he was still
impressed. Tay's bunny face was blue, with huge white eyes peering out at
him. You could see the fursona's short ears perking out behind the head,
jets of pink streaking down the fur. The iris was a deep golden auburn, the
glint done to level of a setting sun. It was a great picture, even for its
small postcard style size.

	The rest of the day was spent around San Francisco State
University, Tay showing us his classes for next semester and Michael and me
comparing and contrasting Long Beach to this campus. It was nice but
different. More spread out and a whole lot more hilly, but the buildings
they were more modern and aesthetically pleasing.

	That night, while Tay was showering in the communal hall, Michael
and I laid together, his body pressed against mine. With all seriousness in
his voice, Michael looked deep at me, "He really is into this furry thing
isn't he?"

	Rolling over, I stared up at the ceiling and sighed. "More than you
know. I mean it's cute how we would text each other and I have fun with it
but he loves it. I mean it's a hobby, no different from the way you and I
enjoy sports. He enjoys the fandom for its artwork and community
involvement."

	Continuing on, I explain my reasoning for joining him. "Tay had
wanted to go to a con for the longest time and while I didn't know too much
about it, I had always been there to support him, which meant that I would
go along as well. I am not going to lie, from what he has told me at times,
there can be and will be some VERY interesting things to see. Some things
that you probably won't want to see." I let my voice trail off at that
part, memories flooding in on some of the images Tay had sent me over the
years. Some of it was very nice and erotic, others he had done to play
around with me.

	Michael pressed into me, wanting to know what these `things'
were. "Well? You can't just leave me hanging there. Come on Chris, what
things?"

	Looking back at him with a very gentle gaze; "You will see
tomorrow, trust me. I will do my best to explain it all but there are some
things that I won't even be able to comprehend. The best thing to do is go
with an open mind and remember not to judge them all by the actions of a
few. Overall it is a great hobby to partake in."

	Leaving it there, Tay walks in, skimpy white shorts hugging his
waist in a fashionable manner. He really didn't need to say much, though I
wouldn't have been surprised if he heard much of what I was saying. I love
Michael but Tay was my best friend and this was his trip.

*****


	Heading out at 8, Tay had wanted to be there at 9 when it
opened. Sadly though, even with Tay driving, we got stuck in traffic and
couldn't move too much. What normally should have taken us an hour's drive
turned into almost a two hour drive, us not arriving until around 9:45. Tay
was a little erratic, moving around the San Jose Convention Center's
parking garage, almost knocking over a few fans and furs in the process.

	Michael and I didn't get a chance to grab a good look at the fur
suit costumes but from what we were able to see, they were nice get
setups. They almost reminded me of sports mascot costumes, the faces being
more detailed though.

	Finding parking in one of the more remote areas, Tay rushed us all
to the corridor to enter the complex, his ushering starting to get on my
nerves. Around us there were a few fans dressed in normal attire, common
street clothes and shoes. As we looked down the line, things got more
interesting; there were fans wearing fur tails (of ALL sorts; lion tail,
dog tails, wolf tails, those seemed to be the most common).

	When we finally entered the convention hall, it was not really
different from any other convention. There were tables set up with people
manning them, products being sold, information being spread. But then again
this was not a normal convention; there were people in animal suits all
over the place. But these suits were amazingly made; Michael and I could
not help but notice the amount of detail put into the fur, the eyes, and
the paws.

	Many of the suits had costumes that went with them, so shirts that
fit them, the cargo shorts that they wore, heck some of them sported around
some very sexy underwear that could not normally have been worn in
public. While yes some of the suits were, I guess, `nude' but even still if
you look at them as pets, then I guess they were not nude, because they
wore collars and had guides helping them around. It was very cute watching
them walk around, and not on all fours but as normal two legged people.

	Tay walked out in front of us, weaving us through the crowds to a
place where we could talk. Michael, completely out of his element, stuck by
my side like a lost puppy, his wide eyes absorbing everything he saw. Tay,
having finally gotten us to a corner, spoke, "Do you just mind if I go find
HuskRy?"

	Looking around us, I didn't know who HuskRy was or what he, or she
for that fact, looked like. "Umm... sure. Look Tay, this is your
convention. Go, have fun, Michael and I will wander around and see what the
fandom has to offer. There is A LOT for Michael to take in, so I am going
to do my best to show him."

	Tay rubbed his hands together, looking around at the numerous rows
of tables and crowds. "Ok, but be careful. If you guys need anything, and I
mean ANYTHING, please call." With a simple nod from me, Tay turned and
disappeared into the crowds, leaving Michael and I to our quest.

	Turning to him, I, with a slightly goofy grin, comment, "Ready to
have your eyes burned?" Michael could only stand there, the though
processors of his brain comprehending the golden lion suit to his right,
the intense care of the owner's fur suit showing Michael how far the fandom
goes.

	Moving out from the corner, I start to work the two of us down the
rows, taking note of the artwork and trying to find a good one to start
Michael out on. Moving over to one of the stalls, I find an adequate
picture. It was one done by a well known artist called Onta, his artwork,
while not for sale, being displayed as name recognition.

	The picture was simple, a bad boy picture of a cat sitting in a car
stroking one off. It was subtle but erotic. The cat, my guess drifting more
towards lion as I remember other pictures that he had been in, had his
jeans undone, giving a great shot towards his cock, a condom resting in his
right hand seductively.

	While the lion was not directly looking at the viewer, his
intentions were clear; at least to me and Michael the stroking of the cock
giving the intent for sex. The dark shirt hung tight to his chest,
outlining his pecs and drawing a line down his chest, equally dividing his
abs up in a muscle manner.

	Somehow I felt this picture fit perfectly for Michael, because
while he doesn't always have that bad boy look to him, his signature brand
clothing makes him for a hot piece of meat, something that other guys
want. As it was, while I was explaining this picture to him, I couldn't
help but notice a few furs move around us, the scent of our first time
radiating off us.

	Flipping through the little booklet, I glanced up to the owner, the
fur almost wanting to protect us from the growing crowd. It was a chick
under the suit, her voice mewing out from the tight black cat's
muzzle. "Don't worry about them. They just smell your first time and are
amusing themselves with it."

	I chuckled lightly, "And you aren't?" Looking around, I saw some of
the furs move on, others moving towards us. Maybe it was my being paranoid
but it was almost as if they knew we were not part of the fandom.

	Michael had grown his interest in the pictures, flipping through
the booklet to see some of the other pictures. "Who makes this art? Cause
it is really... good..." You could tell he wanted to say erotic but he was
a bit too embarrassed to blurt it out. His full rugby body looked so out of
place here, his discomfort shifting back and forth.

	The cat purred out to us, leaning over the table to look at us, her
deep dark eyes peering into our souls. Her costume, while still a dress,
was so well done that had anthropomorphic beasts started to roam the planet
she could have fit in perfectly with them. Taking the booklet from us, her
paw etched an outline for Onta's website, some place called
HardBlush. "This isn't really an official booklet but I respect Onta enough
to not sell any of his work."

	Looking at her, I made a questioned face, "If you don't mind me
asking, why do you collect Onta's work? Doesn't he mostly devil into gay
artwork?"

	The black cat set down the booklet, opening it up to a particular
page. My boyfriend is bisexual so I look at his artwork as ideas to play
with him. For example, this picture." The cat lets us look down at the
picture while she moves to talk with another fan real fast.

	The picture is of is of a cheerleader on the grass, his blue
uniform stuck so tightly to his body that everything is visible. Onta had
formatted the portrait to have the fur's penis to be hanging out, a rear
shot showing the tight underwear hugging its ass firm. The main picture,
the one that was not of ass, was just as seductive, the fur spread out on
hands and knees, legs spread wide, front paws close together. Had this been
a female, her breasts would have most likely been more pronounced.

	"What would you do with this picture?" I play around with the cat,
her moving back to us after helping out the couple that had came up behind
us.

	If her suit could blink, I am sure she would, but instead she moved
her paw to my hand, stroking it playfully. "Sweetheart, that is for the me
and my boyfriend to know..." I did manage to get a slight chuckle from her
as we thanked her for her time and moved on.

	"Those were very erotic pictures Chris. I mean damn they were good
but man erotic." Michael looked around us, eyeing some of the comics that
we passed, noting some bound books here and there.

	As we passed towards the end of the hall, I make it very clear to
Michael that there is more to the con than just porn artwork. "As you saw,
yea some of it is erotic but a lot of it also deals with comics and
stories. It is very anthropomorphic," That got a raised eyebrow from him
"personifying human traits to animals. Picture being able to express your
emotions a whole lot more than just what you normally show." Holding his
hands, I emphasize my point, "This isn't about porn or the want for sex;
it's about emotion."

	While I hold his hands, a fur approaches us, the huge grey husky
standing there for a second before I actually take notice of him. Thinking
he was just another fur wanting to help us out, I look at him, "May I help
you?"

	The husky, his clear cut eyes, moves closer, an obvious stance
telling me he doesn't know what to say. It is almost cute how the pup
approaches me, his tail dragging along the ground slightly; his paws
flicking their thumbs around each other. "Umm... Hi Chris..." His voice is
slightly muffled, understandable but still muffled.

	Completely baffled that this random guy knows my name, I
instinctively think its Tay. "Tay is that you? You didn't tell me you were
getting a suit?!" I move towards the husky but right as I am about to hug
it, he steps back.

	"Tay? Who is Tay? I'm not Tay." The dog looks around, his eyes
scouting out for something. Right as he is about to say something, his
muzzle releasing a slight sound; Tay returns.

	"Chris, Michael, what's going on? You guys know HuskRy?" Tay
sounded kind of annoyed, a disappointment in his voice. His hands are
already full of flyers and brochures, a bag hanging off from his wrist.

	Stumbling back, I gape in awe that HuskRy stood before me. It was
not so much that I knew who he was (because I didn't) but it was because he
knew who I was. Who was this guy? My eyes fly wide as I stutter for my
words, "Who... who are... you?"

	The husky shifted uneasily, unsure of what he wanted to do. Taking
his paws to his head, he starts to lift off the mask, the owner's slightly
wavy hair matted down over his eyes. It had been a while since I had seen
him but his smile was still the same. His grass green eyes instantly catch
my attention, the fire of an old friend returning to me.

	Rushing up to hug him, I grip the suit tight, happy to see the guy
again. His suit is really well made, the fur not patchy at all. While it
was still early in the morning, there was already a slight sweat to him.
"What are you doing here Ryan?!" I step back to stand with Michael and Tay,
both of them baffled that I knew who HuskRy was.


If you are interested in the furry community and what it has to offer, stay
tuned as more will be revealed. All the artists referenced are real. I want
to thank Onta for allowing me to reference him in this chapter as it has
been fun looking over HardBlush for some on the good pictures to talk
about.