#-.-#
Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap...

	Red caught himself tapping his mechanical pencil on the surface of his desk and stopped before Mr. Miller, his pre-calculus teacher, had to say something. Nervous jittery habits were common with squirrels, but Red managed to keep it under control. Usually. Right now he was nearing the end of his mid-term exam and he, along with the rest of the class, was wound up pretty tight. 
He had reached the extra credit questions at the end, and was puzzling over the second. The first had been a trick question and he luckily had seen through it. This second one was one of those really short questions that Mr. Miller liked to throw at them, the sort that required lateral thinking and for which he graded on work shown more than whatever solution one arrived at. Red wasn't sure this one had a solution. He was pretty sure he had got most of the normal exam questions right- the subject had finally clicked with him this semester. He hated to leave anything blank, though, even if they were extra credit.
He checked the clock on the wall. He had ten minutes left. Plenty of time to... Ah! A spark of an idea flared up in his mind and he started scrawling out a little diagram and then some equations, a brief explanation. He lost track of the time and had not actually reached a solution when Mr. Miller called for everyone to turn in their exams. Good enough, he hoped. Well, he was pretty confident he got an A there. 
After setting his exam booklet on Mr. Miller's desk and zipping up his backpack, he headed out with the rest of the class into the noisy hallway. He had a free period next, which put him in a cheerful mood. Because of his good grades, instead of having to spend the next period in a proctored study hall, he was able to spend it as he pleased. His bushy red tail flicked from side to side as he made his way out of the building and into the spring sunshine. 
He blinked a couple of times and pricked up his tufted ears as he heard laughing and chatting from the quad, in the direction he was headed. The noise was coming from several little groups of students, mostly juniors and seniors who had even more free periods than Red did as a sophomore. They were sitting on the grass of the quad, enjoying the weather. Red didn't know any of them very well, so he didn't pause. He walked along the asphalt path that bisected the quad and led to the doors of the library. He looked up at the glass windows of the library, but they had some kind of coating on them that made it nearly impossible to see inside during the day. In the evening, the glow from the interior lights made the place look warm and inviting. It didn't matter if he couldn't see up there, he knew there would be someone in room 210. Someone always was.

#-.-#
Room 210 was one of the private study rooms that filled one side of the second floor of the library. There was nothing really special about the room- there were eight of them, and they each had a long conference-style rectangular table with lots of chairs, a whiteboard, and a terrific view of the quad out one side of each room, which was all glass. What made 210 different was that it was serially occupied. Red and his group of friends "owned" it, in a strange sort of way. When they had free periods, they went to 210 and hung out there. They read, they did homework, they played games (it helped that the study rooms were soundproof with the door closed). Red's circle of friends was just the latest in a constantly changing loose sort of clique of students. Some would graduate each year, and at the same time there would be one or two new freshmen who somehow just ended up there. It had reached the point where they were now getting a picture in the yearbook. 
Red walked in through the glass doors of the library and pulled his tail tight against his back so it wouldn't get caught. He waved to the librarian at the main desk and headed up the central spiral staircase. The second floor was dominated by tall bookshelves, and of course the doors to the study rooms. He headed straight to 210, and opened the door. It was unusually quiet inside- no discussions of the latest superhero cartoon on television or science fiction film in the theatre. No boardgames being played. In fact, there was only one person there besides Red.
Red chittered and said, "Oh, uh, hey Megan. Where is everyone?" as he came inside and closed the door behind him, dropping his backpack nearby.
Megan looked up from what appeared to be earth science homework, judging from the title of the book next to her worksheet. She was one of those freshmen who had found their way here and joined the group, just like that. There was nothing formal about 210- if you liked the atmosphere, you stayed. That was all. The atmosphere today, Red noted, was quiet, and a bit musky, as Megan was a skunk. 
She shrugged, "No idea. The room was actually *empty* when I got here."
Red clicked his teeth and said, "Wow. I'm not sure I've ever seen it empty. Don't tell anyone- they might get superstitious about breaking the chain or something." He chitter-laughed at his lame joke. The room was empty all night, every night, as the library closed every evening at eight. 
Megan was still sort of new to 210 though, and she asked, "Really?"
Red got to play the wise old veteran for a change, despite being only one year older than Megan. But he just waved it off and said, "Nah, I was kidding. I mean, yeah, it's rare to be empty during the day, but it happens." Red was starting to get into this mentor role, and he walked over to take a closer look at what Megan was working on. He said, "Earth science with Mr. Hackberry, huh?"
Red stood off to Megan's right, paws on the table. He looked at her worksheet- her class was apparently studying rivers and erosion or something. His eyes wandered back to the skunk herself. The big fluffy tail, broader and bushier than his own, was usually the first thing people saw. The two white stripes against the coal black fur matched the pattern in her headfur (and presumably down her back, but her green t-shirt covered that). Her face was decorated with a thin white stripe that traveled up along her pointed muzzle and her forehead. Her face was broader than a true mustelid's would be, but still had some of the same quality to it. She was, in fact, broader in general, on the heavy side of things. Red didn't mind that. He thought she was pretty. And she liked to read comics and play Dungeon Raiders, which made her cool in his book. He caught himself staring too long at her green t-shirt and looked back at her paper. She was only 15 (or maybe 14, Red wasn't sure when her birthday was), but she already had plenty to look at up front. 
She nodded to his question and asked, "You took it too?"
He said, "Yup. I loved the parts about the rocks and crystals. And the field trip to mine up north?" He grinned, prompting her to nod and grin back, as he assumed she had gone on the same trip this year. He went on, "The rivers and silt and whatever you're doing now wasn't as much fun."
She sighed and seemed to agree. "Yeah..."
Red wasn't sure what to say next. It was easier to talk to Megan when there were other people here, and a discussion to be had. He thought back a week before, trying to conjure up whatever he had done, when it felt like he had mastered the art of talking to females. Pam, his parents' friend from college, had come to stay for a couple of days and somehow... somehow he had ended up having the most incredible sex with her the night before she left. It was also the only real sexual experience he had had, so he had no basis for comparison. But it did feel incredible. The lady raccoon had certainly enjoyed it too! Just thinking about it made his groin stir, but he was sore from masturbating, having tried to recall every single detail, every chance he got, unwilling to let the memory fade. This time, standing next to Megan, he tried to remember what he had said- how it had happened. Pam had been the one to come to his room and make the offer. Why? He hadn't cared at the time. Now he wished he could ask her. She'd tell him, he was sure. But she had left the next morning before he woke up and he knew asking his mom or dad for her phone number would raise some eyebrows.
Still silent, Red began to feel nervous. This always seemed to happen when he was trying to talk with a girl. He wanted to impress them so badly... and the pressure of finding the right thing to say was overwhelming. Why hadn't he felt that with Pam? At least Megan was easier to talk to than the other girls he tried to ask out. His heartrate had been so fast on a couple of those disappointing occasions that he thought he might pass out. 
He looked out the glass wall and mused, "Maybe they found a spot on the quad, since it's such an awesome day."
Megan had turned back to her work. "Maybe..." she murmured, obviously not really listening. 
Red began to feel awkward, hovering right next to Megan in the otherwise empty room, sporting half a sore erection, so he went to stand in front of the glass, looking out. He could see the little knots of students on the grass, and he looked from one group to another, picking out people he knew from this or that class. His eyes tended to linger on the girls, especially since he had a perfect vantage point, invisible to those he spied on. 
His tail flicked occasionally behind him, and then his ears pricked up as he spotted a group of three girls walking together along the path on the far side of the quad. Even at that distance, he knew who they were. The mouse with the grey fur was Sarah. For reasons Red could not understand, just seeing her made his fur stand on end. On the rare occasions where he sat close to her in an assembly or the one class they shared, her scent was enough to give him an insistent and somewhat embarrassing erection. He couldn't tell if it was some natural odor her fur had, or something she used on herself. Her two companions- her constant companions Red had quickly learned- were a tigress named Laura and a Siamese feline named Amy. Red thought they were plenty cute as well, especially Amy, but he got tunnel vision when it came to Sarah. Unfortunately for Red, his bumbling advances (including little foolish notes and flowers on the day of the spring fertility festival) were met with indifference from Sarah and unhidden snickering from her two friends. This did little to change the yearning he felt, that unfathomable adolescent need to have someone to touch, to hold, to pet, to... 
Red rubbed his face with his paws, briefly performing the rodent grooming ritual. He didn't need to be dwelling on this again. Having had a taste (with Pam) of what he had been missing only made it worse. He knew it would be a long time before he saw the raccoon again, and (as much as it hurt to admit it) that the night they had shared would probably never be repeated. He turned from the window and went to his backpack, crouching down on the ground as he rifled through it. He pulled out his history text, figuring as long as it was quiet he might as well try to get some of the reading assignment done.
He took the seat across the table from Megan, who was focused on her homework, it seemed. He flipped through the pages of his history text until he came to the section his class was studying that week and next, and tried to do the same. Unfortunately for Red, his acumen in the sciences did not extend to the humanities, and history especially bored his whiskers off. That, coupled with the warmth of the room and the musky scent of his companion, soon had his eyes feeling heavy. Eventually he crossed his arms and rested his head on his open book, telling himself that he'd feel more focused after a little nap anyway.
Megan, for her part, was not as engrossed with her assignment as Red had thought. She kept stealing glances at the slim sophomore squirrel, and when he finally gave in to the nap, she smiled and watched him for a little while. His whiskers and tailtip twitched every so often- apparently squirrels never stopped moving, even while asleep! His natural fiery orange fur looked soft, but she didn't dare test that and risk waking him up. She licked her nose and returned to her work, still smiling. 

#-.-#
Midway through the period, the door finally opened and four more two-tenners burst into the room, which woke Red up instantly. His eyes popped open and his tail frizzed out and he picked his head up off his book, wiping a bit of drool from the side of his cheek. The first one through the door was a coyote, who caught Red before he was fully awake. He grinned and mimed pointing a shotgun at the squirrel, exclaiming, "BOOM! Headshot!". Red jumped from his chair and threw himself backwards onto the ground behind it. The coyote blew the imaginary smoke from his imaginary weapon and flumped into the nearest chair. Red clambered back to his feet, grinning. 
The coyote said, "12 to 3, Red. You're never gonna catch up."
Red replied, "Yeah, yeah, who's winning online, though?"
The rabbit buck who followed the coyote in piped up, "I am, you scrubs."
Red countered, "I meant between me and Pete, Harry."
Harry the rabbit made a dismissive gesture with his paw. "Pff. Details."
Following Pete and Harry into 210 was a sleek black sable and a rangy-looking orange tabby feline. They all looked like they had come up together, so Red asked, "Hey, where were you guys? Megan said the place was deserted when she got here."
The unkempt feline swiveled his pointed ears forward in surprise and answered in his slightly nasal voice, "Where were YOU, dude?"
Red was flustered. Had he missed something? He managed to chitter, "Wha?"
The sable sighed and said in his smooth, cultured accent, "He forgot. Didn't you, Red?"
Red definitely felt a little panicky now. His tail flickered and his eyes widen. He stammered, "Uh, what? What did I f-forget?"
Megan also looked a little alarmed, even though the attention was not directed towards her. In fact, none of the guys had even looked at her. If Red had missed something important, surely she had as well. 
Pete withdrew his datapad from a pocket and checked the time. "You still have about 25 minutes, man. Though I bet all the best ones are full by now."
Best ones... full... realization dawned on Red. He squeaked a particularly vulgar squirrel curse, which made the four newcomers laugh. He had been so relieved coming out of that exam! He had totally forgotten about elective signups. He closed his history book and jumped up to stuff it in his backpack. Zipping it up, he sighed and said, "Well, wish me luck..."
Harry helpfully consoled the squirrel. "I'm sure there's still spots in Miss Crenshaw's interpretive dance elective!"
Red groaned and cursed again, the angry chitter sounding comedic to his non-rodent friends, then hurried out the door.
Unwatched, Megan had also begun packing up her books while they were teasing Red. Electives were open to everyone, freshman and up. And if you didn't pick one, you got placed randomly wherever there was space left. That was a disastrous prospect for anyone, and the skunk quickly got up and slung her pack over her shoulder, following Red out the door without pausing to admit that she had forgotten as well. The others guessed though and she could hear them giggling as the door shut behind her.

Red was pounding down the spiral staircase, so he missed Megan hissing his name in a vain attempt to catch his attention and still maintain the quiet the library required. All she could do was hurry down after him. He was out the door by the time she got to the bottom, and she had to hustle, her slightly flared black and white tail streaming behind her. She could see him starting to bound down the path across the quad, moving quick, and she would have to catch him then, or not at all. There was no way she could keep up with that skinny little squirrel. 
She grabbed her tail and pushed through the double glass doors, then let it go and cupped her paws around her muzzle. 
"RED! WAIT!"
Most of the heads on the quad turned to look at her. Luckily Red's was one of them. He skittered to a stop and turned. He waved, a little impatient, and mouthed, "What?" with an accompanying paw-gesture. 
Megan raised a paw that pantomimed, "Wait up" and she did her best to jog down the path towards the squirrel. It made several parts of her jiggle a fair amount, and was pretty undignified. She wasn't *obese* by any means, but she was nowhere near athletic and she certainly had a belly and the hips of a more mature female. Her doctor had told her that her body chemistry might change in the next few years, or it might not. There was no way to tell. Jogging along under the gaze of so many of her classmates was intimidating, no matter how comfortable she was with her shape most of the time. She felt the heat of her shame burning in her ears as she made it to Red, panting a little. The squirrel looked impatient.
"What's up, Megan? I gotta go see what's left."
Megan nodded, panting a little. "I uhm... I forgot too. I wanted to come with. Is that ok?"
Red nodded, trying to avoid taking a survey of who was watching him and the skunk girl. "Yeah, come on. Maybe I can tell you what to avoid. If you have a choice, that is." He sounded grim.

#-.-#
Red could have made it to the registrar's office in half the time it took him while accompanying Megan, but he found he liked her company as they discussed the electives they wanted to take, and the ones they would rather die than be forced to endure. She seemed to share most of the same preferences and he happily told her stories of the previous year, when he was a freshman. He had been on time for that signup, and got into the coveted robotics elective. 
They began looking at the signup sheets posted along the wall outside the office. Robotics was full, as was the standby list, but he couldn't take it a second time anyway. He spotted Harry and Pete's named on the computer game design elective, which was also full. Red cursed under his breath. He had really wanted that one. He even had a game in mind. "Oh well, maybe next semester," he sighed to himself.
In fact, all of the cool electives seemed full. Model rocketry, Rockhounding, Film and Animation, all of them. He and Megan looked at each other as they began to check out the lists that still had open spots. They both chuckled over the interpretive dance sheet and moved on. Red spoke up, "Maybe we can take one, like, together. Then it won't be so horrible."
Megan nodded, quickly agreeing. "Ok, yeah, then I'll at least know one person." She trill-giggled quietly. 
Red liked that noise and turned to look at her, but looked away before she caught his eye. He walked along the wall, scanning the elective subjects. He stopped at one that was only half-full.
"Hey, come check this out, Megan."
"What is it? Something good?"
"I don't know... but it's the only one with one of these," Red said, pointing at a note written in bold text at the bottom of the sheet. It read, "Requires signed release form from parents or guardian. Please see registrar for form."
Megan said, "Wow... why do my parents need to sign, ohhhhhh..." she trailed off as she realized.
Red wasn't following. He asked, "What? It's an art class. Says 'Figure drawing'."
Megan elbowed him. "Yeah. Figures. Like, naked ones. You know, Art."
Red began to grin. He had never really felt like much of an artist or seemed able to appreciate art that he'd seen at the museum on the level that some others did. But naked females were relevant to his interests! He didn't consider the fact that there would also be male models. Or where the models might come from, for that matter...
He said, "Well, anything with a parental advisory sticker or equivalent is ok in my book. What about you?" He was already moving to add his name to the list.
Megan nodded. "It seems like the best of what's left, anyway. And maybe I'll be able to draw my Dungeon Raiders character when it's over. I could do like a whole comic with her!" 
Red signed his name, still grinning that buck-toothed rodent smile. Megan signed right below him and said, "Hey, why are there names crossed out?"
Red hadn't even noticed that, and shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe their parents said no?"
Megan tilted her head, "Maybe... but I doubt anyone's been able to get the form home less than an hour after getting it." She shook her head. "Whatever. Let's go."

Red knocked on the door to the registrar's office and her voice came from inside, saying, "Come in!"
The squirrel and the skunk entered and stood in front of the cluttered desk. Mrs. Winifred, the registrar, asked, "What can I do for you two?"
Red said, "Well, uhm, we signed up for an elective that needs like a form?"
Megan added, "Life drawing."
Mrs. Winifred nodded. "Of course! It's a new elective this year. Mrs. Kearney wanted to do something traditional to give the students a feel for the real world of art, and life drawing is a foundation of the visual arts." She shuffled through the folders on her desk, looking for the one with the forms, and continued. "Now, there are some things you need to know. First, life drawing involves drawing the living body, male and female. Nude. Live models." She looked up from her search to gauge their reactions. 
Megan nodded. "I know. My aunt is an artist. I've seen lots of her studies."
Red just grinned.
Mrs. Winifred continued. "And the models in the case of this elective will be your fellow classmates. Class members will be expected to take turns." She had found the forms and was offering one to each. "If you don't think you'll be able to handle that, or you know your parents will object, you should go out and take your names off the list."
Red took his form and said, "Nah, my parents aren't too uptight. When do I need this back by?"
Megan was staring at her form, a little wide-eyed. She would normally have declined after hearing what would be expected of her. Naked in front of her classmates? She was getting butterflies in her stomach just thinking about it. But Red seemed so blissfully unconcerned, and if she opted out, she'd have to take some lame elective with no one she knew. At least she would not be the only one baring her fur in the name of art. Red would too! She wondered if that had dawned on him yet. She also wondered how he looked naked. She'd heard things about rodents...
Mrs. Winifred replied, "No later than Friday, or else your names go back into the undecided pool."
They both nodded and headed out of the office. Red said as they headed down the hall, "Man, this is going to be different." Megan didn't reply. He said, "Let's uh... let's not tell the guys in 210 what we're taking, ok? Just say we had to take some art elective because all the cool ones were full."
Megan nodded. "Yeah... totally."
The bell rang as the period came to an end. Red slipped the form into his backpack and waved to the skunk. "Seeya, Megan, I gotta get to history." He was bounding off with his tail fluttering behind a few seconds later. Megan stowed her own form and headed off in another direction, at a less frenetic pace.

#-.-#
There had been some raised eyebrows at Red's house when his parents scanned the form he was asking them to sign. 
His father had remarked, "Art, huh? That's a switch for you. No computer electives this year? Or did going to that gallery show with Pam give you some ideas?"
Red had been forced to admit that he was late to the signups and his father had patted him on the shoulder. "Eh, don't worry. Your mom and I did art together in college at umm... parties. It was fun!"
Red kept quiet. He had heard some of the party stories from Pam. His dad suddenly felt the stern gaze of his mate and had hastily signed the form, handing it back to Red and interrupting any line of questioning. "Ok! I hope you enjoy it. Who knows, maybe you'll find a skill you never thought you had."

The discussion at Megan's house were a little more conflicted. Her mother just could not get past the fact that her 15-year-old daughter would be disrobing in front of her classmates and then gawked at. 
This attitude only cemented Megan's resolve to take the class, of course, even if she had harbored the same anxiety about the whole modeling aspect. She acted like her mom had grown up repressed and had no appreciation for true art (even though Megan herself had little, up until that moment). This had forced her mother to admit that she had taken a similar class while she was in college working on her degree, but that was different! She had been older! Out on her own! Boys Megan's age could not control themselves!
This last assertion had elicited a laugh from another room, where Megan's father had wisely been keeping out of the conversation. He earned a pointed look and a flared tail from Megan's mother and once again fell quiet.
Her mother had signed the form in the end, muttering still about how fast kids grew up these days, with Megan beaming triumphantly.

#-.-#
It was over a week later before the first session began. Elective classes were held during the last two periods on Friday, in order to wring some enrichment out of what would otherwise be the most distracted time of the week. Red and Megan had seen each other in 210 on several occasions in the interim, but hadn't mentioned the class. They had no other classes together, of course, being in different grade levels. 
They met on the path to the building that housed the art department, both carrying new plastic boxes full of the required art supplies for the class. Red had purchased his box at a sporting goods store- it was meant for fishing tackle, but worked just fine for art supplies.
Red asked, "Nervous?"
Megan flicked her tail and said, "I dunno..."
Red nodded. "Me too."
They spotted some other students carrying art boxes on their way to the same destination. Red recognized a couple of them. None were two-tenners, it looked like. Just as well, he thought. Most were upperclassmen- juniors and seniors. 
When they reached the door, they found it locked. A sign on the door said, "Knock for entry!" and Red laughed. "Oops," he said, knocking on the metal door.
After a short pause the door was opened by Mrs. Kearney, a cheerful polar bear. She was wearing a rainbow tie-dyed bandanna over her head and a large smock that might have once been white or cream-colored. It was stained with paint and clay and ink and chalk dust to the point where it looked like a piece of modern art itself. After ushering Red and Megan into the room, she closed the door again behind them. 
"Welcome, welcome. Pick an easel, and when everyone is here, we'll get started."
Red and Megan surveyed the room. Easels were set up in a ragged circle, all pointed at the small raised pedestal in the center. The pedestal was covered with carpeting and there were a couple of pillows there as well. The easels all looked as if they'd been there for years, with layers of paint and scratches and tape. They chose a couple next to each other on one side of the room and perched on the tall stools near them and waited as the rest of the class filtered in. Red was secretly pleased to see that more females than males appeared to be interested in life drawing.
Once all the easels had been claimed, Mrs. Kearney walked to the middle of the room and welcomed them all to the class, quickly taking roll.
"I'm very happy to see we're all on time today! We'll try for that every week, to ensure the maximum amount of time for drawing. You'll find in the coming weeks that the two hours we have to us will never seem like enough to get what you want done. Now, let's get some things out of the way."
"You are all aware of the nature of the course, and so are your parents, as they all signed the release forms. This will be a college-style life drawing course and I will be expecting you all to display a measure of that level of maturity. There will be no snickering or leering over naked bodies. It may take a couple of sessions to get over your learned shame and titillation, but I assure you, you will. Life drawing is difficult because of they way all our brains work. You will not only training your paws to draw, you will be training your brain to see. You will cease to see your classmates modeling, and instead will see shapes and lines. Muscles and bones. Fat and fur. I am glad to see such a variety of species and body shapes here!"
Red listened intently. She sounded serious. Maybe he'd end up learning something after all...
Mrs. Kearney went on, "In this first session we will be laying the groundwork, and there will be no model today." Several held breaths were released around the room. "However, next week one of you will be the drawing subject. The selection will be made randomly. The door is always locked. Your artwork will remain here, in this room, in your portfolios, and will not be displayed outside this room. You will be able to take them home at the end of the semester. Any questions?"
There didn't seem to be any, and the heavyset white bear went on, explaining the uses and purposes of the items they had been asked to bring to the class. Then she said, "Time to loosen up. We will do this most classes. Ten to fifteen minutes of gesture drawing. Get out your newsprint and charcoal and I will fetch today's subject."
Red blinked. Didn't she say there would be no model today? Mrs. Kearney went to the corner of her room where her desk was and withrew something white and furry from a drawer. It was a stuffed toy polar bear cub. 
"This is Mr. Fuzz." There were several giggles from around the room. Mrs. Kearney smiled. "Believe it or not, Mr. Fuzz may be the most difficult thing you attempt to draw for the entire class. But we'll get into why down the line. For now, just use your charcoal to try to get the shapes that make up Mr. Fuzz down on your paper. I don't want to see details. Imagine he's made of simple geometric shapes."
She walked around the class, giving advice and encouragement to each of them in turn. She was also gauging who had artistic experience already. Red was struggling not to put in details, as he felt those were the cool parts, that made his picture look real. Mrs. Kearney made him start over on another piece of paper. "I know it's difficult. But the little things go last. Get the shapes first." She walked on past, examining Megan's paper. "Very good... go a little faster. Don't give your brain time to start thinking."
Red peeked over at Megan's paper. It looked like a bunch of overlapping circles, not a bear cub. He shrugged and tried to do the same.

As the class went on, they did more seemingly bizarre and somewhat boring exercises. Red could see the point of some of them, but not all. He was starting to regret his choice and  kept reminding himself that it would get cooler next week. At the end of the day, he had a stack of charcoal scribbles on newsprint, that he dutifully stored in the portfolio with his name on it. He and Megan walked out together, and headed towards the carpool pickup area.
Red began, "So, uh..."
Megan interrupted him, "It was cool, I thought! Like how real artists work. I want to draw more stuff now. Maybe I'll do some when I get home! I gotta call my aunt Dahlia and tell her."
Red smiled. He hadn't been quite so impressed, but he felt glad Megan was. 
He nervously scratched at his neck and began again, "So uh..." but didn't get to finish. Her dad was already there to pick her up. She hurried in the direction of his idling car, calling out, "Seeya, Red!"
Red watched her get inside and then drive off. He had, somewhat to his surprise, been about to ask her to go with him to the upcoming spring dance. Not that he had managed to do it, but the thought was there. She was cute! And so... friendly? He couldn't think of the word that described his impression of her. Non-intimidating was so unpoetic. But the more he thought about it, the more scared and small he remembered feeling when he tried to ask Sarah to a dance. Not to mention the other girls he had asked on dates. But he could imagine himself asking Megan. He could even imagine her saying yes! The thought made him grin as he waited to be picked up. He just needed the right moment.

#-.-#
As luck would have it, *his* name was the first to come out of the little canvas bag the next week. A cold, slightly sick feeling hit him in the gut when Mrs. Kearney announced whose name she had pulled. The rest of the class seemed to sigh in relief as one, and Mrs. Kearney gave him her best sympathetic smile. 
"I know you're nervous, Red, but we all appreciate you going first and breaking the ice for everyone. Don't we?" She addressed the rest of the class.
There were some softly murmured, "Thanks, Red..." and a lot of nodding. He looked over at Megan. She was... blushing? It was hard to tell with her black fur and small ears. Maybe she felt embarrassed for him. Or...
Mrs. Kearney was motioning him to one corner of the room, where a tri-fold screen was set up. "You can get out of your clothes back here, and hang them right there on the hooks. When you're ready, come on out to the center and I'll help with the pose."
While Red shed his clothing, he listened to the bear speak in her gruff but cheerful voice. "We'll be doing the gesture warm-up first, and I will probably have Red change poses very quickly in the beginning to make sure you don't spend too much time on each one. Thirty second gestures! Be ready to flip your newsprint."
Red swallowed hard. He was nude, unruffling some of his fur with his paws. Now for the moment of truth: He'd have to walk out under the gaze of ten classmates, one of whom was a girl he wanted to impress. He chittered nervously and his tail flickered. Mrs. Kearney noticed.
"Everything all right, Red?"
"Yeah!" He responded quickly, trying to sound confident. His voice cracked, though, when he did it. There was some giggling. It didn't help. 
"Ok then, we're ready to start when you are."
Red knew that now if he delayed it would just get worse. So he clapped his paws together and just strode out. He kept his eyes on the teacher, who seemed to be the only person in the room not feeling nervous. She offered him one of her large white paws and helped him step up on the pedestal. She whispered, "You'll be fine," and winked for him.
She said, louder, "Ok, Red, stand, hands on hips. Everyone else, get sketching!"
Thirty seconds later, she said, "Switch paper! Red, reach up with both paws and look at the ceiling. Ok, go!"
The gesture drill went on for about ten minutes. It was fast enough for Red to focus on holding whatever pose Mrs. Kearney had demanded, so his mind didn't start to wander and cause trouble. He tried not to catch the eyes of any of his classmates, who also seemed to be actively trying to avoid eye contact. 
When the drill was over, she said, "Ok, Red, rest a moment." He sat down on the pedestal, feeling vulnerable all of a sudden because he wasn't actively doing anything. He wasn't a model now, he was Red again. He tried to catch Megan's eye and she gave him a little dipped-muzzle smile and even a little wave of her fingers. This was a mistake. He felt a familiar little twinge from his groin and then a panicky chilly feeling in his stomach. Oh *fuck*, he thought. Not now! He couldn't hide it, and the more he tried to will it to stop, the faster it developed. His tapered red shaft slipped free of the fluffy pouch of fur it usually stayed hidden in and grew upwards against his belly, as he sat on the pedestal, knees up against his chest. He flipped his tail around himself and looked to Mrs. Kearney.
She was explaining the next exercise. "...for about 20 minutes. This should be enough time to get the proportions correct and the prominent contours. Don't forget the negative space we talked about last time. It can be more useful in pinning down proportion and balance because it's just shapes. Your mind isn't trying to muscle in and tell you what you're seeing." She finally looked down at Red, who was now huddled in a tight little red ball of fur. She raised her eyebrows. 
Red looked mortified. His eyes were wide and he motioned with his nose down to his lap, hoping she'd catch on. She clucked her tongue and nodded to him. 
"All right, since this is Red's first longer pose, I'm going to go easy on him. It's harder than you might think to stay still for a long time. Maybe harder still for a squirrel!" This got a chorus of laughter from everyone, including a nervous titter from Red. Some of the tension in the room dissolved. "Red, why don't you spread out on your stomach. Here, use the pillow for your head, bend this knee up, this arm over here..." She arranged him with gentle touches of her paws and he sighed in relief. His erection was pinned against his belly, out of sight. She said, "You'll have to keep your tail up in the air, or else someone will end up with just a drawing of that. Do you think you can do that for 20 minutes?"
"Sure, no prob," he said against the pillow. He pricked up his tail and let it hang in a lazy arc over his back, as squirrels do when they want a sun shade.
"All right, begin!"
The room was filled with the quiet scratching of charcoal on paper then, and Red closed his eyes, trying to relax. Keeping still was a challenge. His tail wanted to flick, as did his ears and whiskers. He became hyper-aware of it, which made it worse. At least this new focus had made his other problem begin to recede. Although if he knew what was going on behind him, it would have returned with double intensity.
He had sprawled on his belly in the quickest way possible to hide his dick from the rest of the class. He ended up pointing almost directly away from Megan, who was having trouble keeping her own focus. With one of Red's legs bent up, she had probably the most unobstructed view possible of one of the things she had been curious about. Well, two of the things, she thought. She had heard that rodents of all species had large testicles. Like, huge. And now she was staring at a pair. They were covered in white fur and were held very close together, like a pair of fused soap bubbles. How did he manage to walk, let alone run? She had to force herself to remember the shape lessons. Block out the major containing lines, the landmarks... she set her jaw and concentrated.
Once again Mrs. Kearney made the rounds, giving quiet encouragement and additional instruction where needed. When she got to Megan, she praised the young skunk for her good grasp of proportion, but quietly advised her to leave details until she had the major forms balanced. Megan stood a few steps back from her easel to look and blushed. Certain parts of her portrait of the prone squirrel were certainly more detailed than others. She nodded and forced herself to work more evenly.
Red had closed his eyes to avoid distraction and anxiety, and so by the time Mrs. Kearney called time on the pose, he had nearly drifted off. Thankfully this meant that his embarrassing erection had subsided. He was given a few minutes to stretch and shake out his joints, then it was time for another pose. The ursine instructor had him lie on his side with one knee up and his cheek resting on one paw, tail once again curled back. Red had arranged to face away from Megan again, fearful that he'd catch her eye and she'd smile and then he'd have his dick pointing right at her, as well as everyone on that side of the room. 
Megan was disappointed at first with how Red faced away from her again. She'd have no practice with faces at this rate. On the other paw, that was a very cute little squirrel butt. Perhaps she should count her blessings, she mused. This time she consciously kept her initial sketch loose, and worked in contours and edges moving from one side to the other without getting stuck in one spot. Mrs. Kearney just nodded as she made the circuit, apparently more pleased with her work this time. By the end of the pose, her drawing looked more or less like Red, though it was still uncolored charcoal and she had made his head too small, and there was something very wrong with his foot and... she frowned. She found herself wishing Red had been picked later on in the course, so she could have made a better picture. Maybe... maybe he'd let her practice with him some day. Art homework. The thought made her smile. 
Red had finally got into the "groove" and and did two more poses before the last bell rang, one of them sitting in the "Lotus" meditation position, showing off what a flexible squirrel he was. He was still relieved to get his clothes back on. While he was dressing, the rest of the class was putting their work up on one wall so that everyone could see and compare. Red was astounded. Some of them were admittedly bad (not that he thought he could do any better), with lots of rigid clumsy lines, but a few were impressive. And seeing himself from so many angles! He stood and stared. 
Mrs. Kearney came up behind him and said. "You were an excellent model, Red. Wasn't he, everyone?"
The rest of the class gave him a little scattered round of applause, which made him blush. He said, "Thanks... and these pictures are awesome. It's so weird... seeing myself from all these angles."
The class spent the last few minutes discussing elements of the drawings, and where people could improve. Mrs. Kearney was careful to point out one positive thing in everyone's work. Red stayed quiet. He wondered if next week, when his artwork was up on the wall, if that would be more embarrassing than just lying naked on a dais.
Mrs. Kearney announced, "That's it for this week. I advise everyone to practice what you've learned at home- the more you practice, the easier it will be. Use a mirror, use a family member. Use photos as a last resort, though. I can't assign you real homework, but feel free to bring me whatever you've worked on, if you like!"

#-.-#
Red didn't have anything to pack up, so he headed to the door while everyone else was putting their supplies away and washing the charcoal off their paws. He was already halfway to the pickup area when he heard running feet (and the muffled clatter of boxed art supplies) behind him. He turned and grinned as Megan caught up.
She was panting from the little jog and asked him, "Why'd you run off so fast?"
Red hadn't really run off, he thought. So he shrugged. Then added, "Hey, I liked your drawings. I think you were one of the best!"
Megan beamed, grinning toothily. "Really?"
"Seriously. I bet you've done this before."
She shook her head. "First class like this! But uh... I used to draw when I was little. You know. Houses, birdies, flowers. I don't think it counts."
They resumed walking to where their respective parents would pick them up. Red chittered a laugh and said, "Yeah, it was a first for me too..."
Megan said, "You did really well. You looked so relaxed! And you were uhm... fun to draw."
Red laughed. "I wasn't relaxed for that first pose! I had a little er... guy problem. Mrs. Kearney was cool, though. Let me lie on my belly."
Megan trill-giggled, which made Red's fur stand on end for a second. "Oh, no way! I am so glad to be a girl right now."
"Just wait 'til it's your turn, Megan."
"Rrrf. Not looking forward to it."
Red grinned, "I am..."
Megan's face flushed with heat. Did he mean that he wanted her to know how it felt to be on display, or that he wanted to see her nude? 
Red continued, "I'll need to buy a new box of charcoal, though, after one drawing of you!" He laughed at his own lame joke.
Megan surprised herself by laughing as well. They walked on in silence for a bit, after which Megan tentatively said, "So, you know what Mrs. Kearney said about practicing?"
Red pricked up his tufted ears. "Yeah? I was going to use some uh... pictures. I don't think I can stand still and draw myself in the mirror at the same time. And I'm *not* asking my mom or dad to model for me."
Megan nodded. "But she said pictures were a last resort. Maybe we can like... practice on each other?"
Red liked the sound of that! But he tried to play it cool. "Uhm... sure! I mean, hell, you've already seen all I got to offer, right?"
Not quite everything, thought Megan. But she just smiled. "We wouldn't *have* to be nude for practice, silly."
Red's tail drooped. Megan noticed. He said, "You're right. I guess I just... figured it would be more... valuable. Artistically speaking. I bet we'd learn a lot more."
Megan wondered if he meant to put it exactly that way. She asked, "You live south of the city, right?"
Red nodded.
Megan sighed, "Might not matter, then. I live out west."
Red chittered in frustration, "Can't wait until I have my license! But yeah... I guess it's sorta... wait! Do you have a webcam?"
Megan excitedly said, "Yeah! Why didn't I think of that?"
Red unshouldered his backpack and rifled through it, pulling out a small assignment notepad. He wrote his email address and phone number on a page and tore it out, handing it to Megan. She took it and then held out her paw for the notepad and pen. Red looked on gleefully as she wrote her own information and handed it back to him. He tucked the notepad carefully back in his backpack and said, "Awesome! I'll email you tonight, ok?"
Megan nodded and departed, having seen her father's car pull into the pickup lane. Red watched her go, noticing just how her bottom moved as she walked, her tail flicking in counterpoint. Already, he thought, he had a greater appreciation for the female figure. And he hadn't even had a chance to draw one yet!

#-.-#
He was bouncing on his toes, waiting for Mrs. Kazan to arrive to pick him up (his dad drove the carpool in the morning and she drove Red and her two children home in the afternoon) when Beth walked up from behind. The young jackal cocked her head and stared at Red for a second and then shook her head. Being 12 and fairly popular, she felt Red was a complete dork and was not terribly pleased to be seen near him. Not that anyone actually took note of such things. In her mind, though, it was just another indignity that she had to bear. Her brother Jason, the last member of the carpool, was nowhere to be seen. Unsurprising, as his basketball practice usually kept him late. She would have preferred to wait with him, even if he was usually pretty grouchy. Unwilling to stand with the squirrel, she walked laterally over to one of the maple trees that lined the pickup drive and leaned against it. 
Red heard her footsteps in the grass and turned his head, grinning like a fool. "Oh, hey Beth!"
Beth rolled her eyes. "Hi Red." 
She didn't seem open to conversation beyond acknowledging his existence. Red's mood was not so easily dulled, though, and he kept grinning. He said, "Hey, that's a good pose! Can I sketch you?"
Beth sputtered, "What? No! No, don't open that box!" she dashed behind the trunk of the tree. Red laughed. Beth shot back from behind the tree, "Dork! You've only had like two of those stupid art classes. I bet you suck!"
Red said, "Yeah... I didn't get to draw today, I had to be the nude model," as proudly as he could.
Beth make a gagging sound. "You? Gross!"
Red's tail frizzed out and he said angrily, "So gross one of the girls in the class gave me her phone number!" He hadn't really meant to share that but Beth's constant derision was getting to him. He turned away from the jackal and watched the street for her mother's car. 
Beth's muzzle hung open for a moment in disbelief. There was no way any girl could find him hot enough to give him her phone number, she thought. "You're so lying," she challenged.
Red unzipped his backpack and withdrew the little assignment notepad and held it up (not that Beth could see the writing from where she was standing) then put it back in his backpack without saying a word. He was done talking to her. So he was a dork. A nerd. So what? He'd already had a grown female invite him into her bed. Hell, into *his* bed. And now he somehow had Megan's phone number and a webcam session to look forward to. His grin returned. He'd heard about other students doing stuff with their webcams, showing off for each other. He couldn't wait to get home. Where was Mrs. Kazan already??

#-.-#
The ride home was quiet, and the atmosphere was tense. Red was still giving Beth the silent treatment for being a little bitch princess and Beth refused to admit that she might be wrong about something, though she did keep looking Red up and down while he stared out the window. She still didn't see it. He didn't have an ounce of fat on him, sure, but he had no muscle tone either. And he had *no* fashion sense. All he wore were those geeky gaming t-shirts and corduroy pants. At least he washed, though she was willing to bet he wore the same pair of pants several days in a row.
Up front Mrs. Kazan and Jason appeared to also not be speaking to one another, for reasons beyond Red's understanding. He knew that Jason had taken the divorce badly, so he just chalked it up to that. As they pulled up to his house, Mrs. Kazan broke the silence to say to Red, "Tell your mom to come by next Tuesday after school. I'll take her measurements and you can catch a ride home with her after."
Red nodded. Mrs. Kazan was a pretty good seamstress and was trying to earn a little extra money with it. His mom had already bought a couple of outfits from her. He said, "Ok, see you next week!" as he got out and shut the door. He hurried up to the door and went inside. As usual, his dad was still at work.
He called out, "Mom?"
His mother answered from the kitchen, "In here, Eddie."
He left his backpack by the front door and bounced into the kitchen. "Hi! Mrs. Kazan says to come by on Tuesday after school for measurements. I guess I'll just hang out there until you're done or something."
His mother nodded. "Ok... why are you bouncing?"
Red beamed. "Oh, we had a rad art class."
"Uh-huh. What did you draw?"
Red giggled. "Nothing. I was the model today!"
"And you enjoyed that?"
"Well... no, not really. It was sort of embarrassing and stuff. But..." Red realized he could not share what had actually made the class ultimately enjoyable. He quickly improvised, "...I realized that I got my turn out of the way first! Plus it was neat to see the pictures everyone did."
Red's mother nodded. The boy seemed genuinely enthralled by the class. She *thought* Pam's visit had had an effect on him. 
Red said, "Ok, well, I'm going to go play some games. Seeya later!" and dashed upstairs.
His mother raised an eyebrow. Odd, he hadn't try to raid the pantry at all. 

#-.-#
Red logged onto his email account to find a message already waiting from Megan. He grinned as a warm, pleased feeling washed over him. She actually emailed him! He read the short note.

Hi Red! We're going out to eat tonight so I won't be on until later. IM me at like 9:30, ok? My ID is megaskunk995

Megan

He'd have to find something to distract himself with until then. There was dinner, of course. Man, he was hungry! Why hadn't he noticed until now? He closed the email and went downstairs to forage.

After dinner he retreated back upstairs to his room, telling his parents he would be playing an online game with friends. By now they were used to the sound of him talking (sometimes shouting) into his headset. This was not a lie- Red logged on to Faction Wars and played for a couple of hours- most of the two-tenners played. This evening he played poorly, however, his eyes always on the clock. He spent more time dead than not.
"Sorry guys, my head's not in the game tonight," he confessed.
The voice of Harry came through his headset, "We saw. A little distracted are we?" The rabbit's grin was almost audible.
Red admitted, "Yeah. I think I'll log off early tonight. Good luck, guys."
A chorus of good nights and some trash talk followed before he shut down the game client. It was 9:15. He didn't want to ping her too early, so he rifled through his art supplies and got out his charcoal and sketch pad. Then he checked on his little webcam. He had it clipped to the top of his monitor. He switched it on and checked the view, looking at himself on the screen. He practiced his smile, and several other poses he hoped would look cool, wondering if he should change clothes. Maybe... maybe pick up his room a little. Don't want to look like a total slob.
By the time he was finished it was close enough to 9:30 for him. He opened up the messenger application and added megaskunk995 as a friend, and waited for the confirmation. He didn't have to wait long- the window chirped and a little icon of Megan appeared in the box. He grinned and began typing.

Dragonsqrl: Hey Megan how was dinner?
Megaskunk995: Awesome! Sushi. Mmmm lol
Dragonsqrl: I've never tried it. Raw fish :P
Megaskunk995: It's so good! You gotta try it.
Dragonsqrl: Maybe.
Dragonsqrl: I got my cam up here. Lemme try to connect
Megaskunk995: ok
Dragonsqrl: There did you get the request?
Megaskunk995: yeah ok let me turn mine on

Red sat back and watched. His half of the video chat showed him, staring at his computer screen. The other half showed an hourglass... then suddenly Megan's face, in a similar pose to his, looking slightly off-center as her eyes fixed on her screen and not her camera. He could also see her room in the background. She was wearing a nightshirt or something. Not what she had been wearing at school. Red suddenly wished he had changed too.
He said, "Can you hear me?"
Megan nodded on the screen, and leaned in close to where her microphone must be. "Yeah, but I have to keep it quiet or else my parents will wonder who I'm talking to in here."
Red lowered his voice, even though Megan had surely turned down the audio on her end. "Oh, ok. I told mine that I would be playing Faction Wars so they expect to hear me yelling about snipers or whatever."
Megan held up her sketchpad and said quietly, "I've got my art stuff, do you?"
Red picked his up and displayed it for the webcam. "Who goes first?"
Megan stopped talking and returned to typing, apparently worried about making too much noise.

Megaskunk995: I think it's my turn to pose, right? You did it for a couple hours already lol
Dragonsqrl: Ok!
Megaskunk995: What kind of pose should I do? 
Dragonsqrl: umm

Red looked nervous on camera. Megan tried to keep a straight face- a serious, artistic face. She'd have to help him, she thought. She reached down and without any sort of warning or hesitation, pulled her nightshirt up and over her head, tossing it off out of camera range. She did her best to maintain her calm expression as her full set of black-furred breasts suddenly filled Red's screen.
Red was not prepared. He had *hoped* for this sort of thing, but had told himself to keep it cool. His eyes widened and he lost the ability to type or speak. Sure, he had seen Pam's tits up close just a couple weeks before, but these were different. Megan was different. Was every pair of breasts going to have this effect, every time, for the rest of his life? Megan's extra bit of padding made her teenaged breasts fuller than they maybe should have been, her nipples barely visible through the lush black fur that covered her entire chest and belly. No sign of white except up between her eyes, continuing through her headfur. Red knew it split at some point, probably on her back, since her tail was twin-striped. The chime from the messenger pane went off three times before he collected his wits.

Megaskunk995: Red?
Megaskunk995: Red???
Megaskunk995: Helloooooooo
Dragonsqrl: Sorry sorry your very pretty
Megaskunk995: YOU'RE haha
Megaskunk995: but thanks Red

Megan was trying to contain her laughter, watching the squirrelboy gawk at her breasts. She had to admit it felt really nice. Of course, needling him about his grammar after he was already blushing and off balance had made her start laughing. Red had been covering his eyes with his paws in shame but he grinned when he heard her laughing over the speakers, the high-pitched sort of trilling laugh giving him a nice little shiver. 
Red uncovered her eyes and watched her tits jiggle with her laughter. He returned his paws to the keyboard.

Dragonsqrl: So should I take off my clothes too? To be fair.
Megaskunk995: It would be fair, yes.
Megaskunk995: Also I never got to draw your front side the whole class!
Dragonsqrl: I know... after that one scare, I tried not to look at you in case uhh
Dragonsqrl: you know

Megan bit her lip. He was as good as admitting that she made him hard. The thrill of the power there was real. It felt rather good, she had to admit.

Megaskunk995: You don't have to be embarrassed now. It's ok.
Dragonsqrl: I'll try. 
Megaskunk995: So give me a pose
Dragonsqrl: Can you stand so I can see your tail and back? I love your stripes.
Megaskunk995: Ok

Megan stood up, and flashed Red a brief view of her belly and crotch. Completely on purpose, and it had the expected effect on the squirrel. It was only a view of a shadowed area of smooth black fur, with perhaps the hint of a cleft down the center of her somewhat pudgy pubic area when her desk lamp hit it right, but it was effective. Megan watched Red on the screen even as she turned to walk towards the center of her bedroom, her own face out of view while she smiled. If he wasn't hard before, he had to be now. 
The skunk struck a pose under the light of her ceiling fan, turning away from her webcam at a slight angle but looking over her shoulder. She put her paws on her hips and left her tail hanging down towards the floor. The angle of view of the webcam was not the greatest, and it cut off the tip of her tail and her calves and feet. 
Red collected his scattered wits and moved his keyboard to make room for his sketchpad and did his best to concentrate, trying to remember the tips Mrs. Kearney had been giving the class. Shapes. Lines. His erection started to subside after he had set his mind to the task. His sketch was rough, his proportions off. He spent too much time trying to get the details of her stripes correct, and he ran out of room near the top of his page and made her head too small to compensate. It made her bottom look a lot bigger than it should have been. He tore the page out and started over.
Megan watched as his expression turned dark and frustrated. She meant to hold the position for as long as he needed but the difficulty and the soreness began to creep in after about 20 minutes. She dropped the pose and came back to her keyboard.

Megaskunk995: Need a break?
Dragonsqrl: Yeah it's not coming out right. I suck at this.
Megaskunk995: practice practice practice! Show me what you did
Dragonsqrl: It sucks
Megaskunk995: I want to see anyway
Dragonsqrl: It's not what you really look like. You're really pretty and I wanted to draw you like I see you.
Megaskunk995: you're so sweet! <3 you'll get better

Red showed Megan the picture he had rejected, as well as the second attempt he had just barely started. He looked miserable. 

Megaskunk995: That would have been a good first attempt if you had a bigger piece of paper lol
Dragonsqrl: Maybe. Maybe it's your turn to draw for a while.
Megaskunk995: ok! I want to see your front side this time.

Red nodded and pulled off his t-shirt, revealing the ruffled white fur of his thin chest and belly. Unlike Megan, the lines of his ribs were visible. Then he stood up and undid his pants, opening the fly and revealing his fuzzy white pouch where his thankfully un-erect penis hid. He watched Megan's face as he began pulling his pants off further, revealing the webbing that was stitched into the crotch, cradling his oversized testicles. Megan's eyes revealed that she had never been exposed to the details of rodent-tailored clothing, but she kept quiet. 
He bent over to remove the pants from his ankles and took a few steps back until he was fully in the camera frame. Giving Megan a smile he tried to strike a pose like hers, with his paws on his hips and his tail held up against his back. Megan couldn't help herself, and covered her muzzle with a paw while she trill-giggled.
Red took his paws off his hips and said, "What's so funny?"
Megan shook her head and smiled, grabbing her sketch pad and charcoal.
Red resumed the pose and tried to be all business. He watched the monitor. Megan's eyes flitted back and forth between her monitor and her sketchpad. He could not see what she was drawing, but he could see her breasts, pushed together slightly from the hunched-over drawing position she was in. Her nipples, he discovered, were in fact pink as they had finally poked through her fur. They were very tiny, thought Red. 
Staring at her tits as she worked had the expected effect on the teenaged squirrel. He felt the tingle from his groin but fought the urge to hide it. His shaft peeked out of the fuzzy pouch and steadily grew, twitching slightly with his heartbeat. Before long, he was fully erect again, as he had been when Megan had first pulled her shirt off.
Megan did her best not to react to Red's arousal. The slow lengthening was fascinating, though. It would grow a little, then pause, then grow a little more. She wondered how it must feel to have something like that, and not be able to fully control when it decided to do that. She also wondered how it would feel to curl up with him, fur against fur.
She took about 20 minutes, and in the end came up with a passable likeness of Red, complete with erection. When she showed it to him, he felt worse than he had before.

Dragonsqrl: Oh man that's awesome. I will never be able to do that.
Megaskunk995: Stop being so negative! You just need motivation and practice.
Dragonsqrl: Motivation?
Megaskunk995: Well you said you wanted to draw me like you saw me
Dragonsqrl: yeah
Megaskunk995: There's motivation. We'll just have to practice a lot ok?
Dragonsqrl: ok. 
Megaskunk995: You sound pretty grumpy for a guy who has a girl to posing naked for him!
Dragonsqrl: Haha totally. Sorry I really appreciate it Megan
Megaskunk995: Ready for another turn?
Dragonsqrl: Sure

They traded off several more times, and Red had to admit that even over this relatively short span, he was making improvements. Their poses became more elaborate, and somewhat racier with each turn. Finally, sometime after 1AM, they fell to just chatting.

Megaskunk995: So does it hurt?
Dragonsqrl: Does what hurt?
Megaskunk995: Having a hardon like that for so long.
Dragonsqrl: o.o;
Dragonsqrl: It doesn't hurt... aches a little maybe. And I haven't had it the WHOLE time. 
Megaskunk995: Most of the time :)
Dragonsqrl: I can't help it. You're hot and naked.
Megaskunk995: *^.^*
Megaskunk995: Will it go away when you go to bed?
Dragonsqrl: c.c I will deal with it before I go to bed.
Megaskunk995: Deal with it? Like it's a problem?
Dragonsqrl: Yeah. I mean, it sort of IS a problem.
Megaskunk995: Are you gonna jerk off?
Dragonsqrl: Yeah. Only way to get it to go away really.
Megaskunk995: What will you think about when you do it?
Dragonsqrl: ...
Dragonsqrl: I don't wanna say. Kinda obvious tho
Megaskunk995: I want to see!

Red gaped at the monitor. What had gotten into Megan? First she totally outshines him in this class he convinced *her* to take and now she wants to watch him stroke himself off? The idea turned him on even more than he already was from watching Megan's series of nude poses. 
Megan giggled at his reaction and leaned forward to whisper into her microphone. "My parents are asleep, and I think you're cute, Red."
Red said in a quiet voice, "Are you sure? I mean... I've never done it while someone was watching. Maybe... you could do it too, at the same time?"
It was Megan's turn to be caught off guard. But the squirrel had a valid point. She swallowed and whispered, "I don't know... I'm not sure I could."
"Why not?" Red demanded. "Or do you not masturbate?"
"I do... it's just... Private." She squirmed in her seat. 
"What do you use?" Red was genuinely curious now. No one ever talked about this! Sure, they said in health class that nearly everyone masturbates and it was perfectly normal and blah blah blah but they were light on the details, especially with how girls did it.
Megan bit her lip and looked off-camera at her door, as if her parents might burst in and catch her talking about this. She said, "My fingers mostly. Sometimes I use the handle of a fur brush."
Red grinned. "If you show me, I'll show you. And we'll help each other and feel better after."
Megan considered for a minute, then just nodded. She picked up her webcam, making the view on her side suddenly tilt and shake. When it came to rest, she had placed it on the edge of her desk, and pointed it at her pelvic area. She swung one of her legs over the arm of her desk chair, opening her thighs enough to give Red a very intimate view of her nether regions. He could see the cleft of her vulva much more clearly now, and he chirred in response.
"Megan that is so hot... I wish I was there right now..."
Red heard that trilling giggle again and he grabbed his webcam, dropping it once before he managed to set it on the edge of his desk, similarly pointing at his crotch. He said, "Oh wait, hold on..." and hopped off his chair to fetch a hand towel. Returning, he said, "Always have to be prepared, you know."
Another giggle. Megan's paws came into view, sliding down her belly, digging into her thick fur. Her pubic fur was thinner and looked softer. She used two fingers to spread her black-furred labia apart, showing Red the deep rose of her inner lips. Red recalled the scent of Pam's pussy and wondered what Megan smelled like- probably a whole lot muskier. 
His paw found its way to the base of his shaft and squeezed, pulling upwards. A generous burble of clear pre came out of the tip and trickled down to meet his paw. He draped the towel across his belly and spread his own natural lubricant over the tip of his cock and began to gently paw himself. He consciously made himself go slowly, wanting to put on a good show for Megan. He ran his paw down to cup his own balls, rolling them about.
Megan watched, riveted. Squirrels were built very differently than skunks. Red's nuts, of course, were enormous. But the shape of his shaft was also exotic, to her. Skunks shared the mustelid curved design, but Red was so straight, and so thick near the base! She had to wonder how it would feel... her brush handle was narrow. Her fingers stroked her petals lazily, spreading her own nectar as it seeped forth. Her mound was soft and full, protruding a bit below the small roll of her belly above. She shivered and her tail twitched, a small gasp escaping her unseen muzzle.
Red made little noise aside from the occasional chrrling moan, and even those were possibly for effect. A teenaged boy quickly learns how to keep quiet, after all. He quietly moaned Megan's name as well, just enough for her to hear.
Megan slipped two fingers into her opening and rubbed her palm in a circle over her clit, her hips squirming a bit in the chair, especially when she heard her name from her long-distance partner. She thought about what he had said earlier, how he wished he was actually there. She said, as loudly as she dared, "If you were here, Red... what would you do?"
Red's stroking rhythm quickened, the low resolution of the webcam making it blur a little. He said, "I... I'd want to mate with you," he admitted. 
The excitement was obviously getting the better of Megan's judgement, caught up in the hot rush of the moment she was sharing with her friend. She moaned, "I'd want that too... ohhh..." 
She began to slide her fingers in and out of her vagina, and Red imagined he could hear the wet sound it must be making. His own stroking was reaching a feverish pace and he was dribbling more pre-cum than he could recall ever having done in the past. His eyes remained glued to the monitor, watching Megan's paw blur as she worked herself into a squirming juicy state. 
It was too much for Red. He couldn't draw it out any longer, feeling the familiar tingle at the base of his shaft the signaled the point of no return. He huffed and said, "I'm gonna cum, Megan..."
"Yes! Cum for me Red! I want to see it..."
Red moaned and made sure he was still in the frame. He straightened his towel. "It's coming, Megan... gonna shoot!"
Megan fucked herself with two fingers while her other paw rubbed her clit, watching the monitor. Red's balls had tightened up and the skin of his shaft looked taut and shiny. Red's paw gripped most of the length but she still saw the sudden twitching contraction that resulted in the first tremendous gout of squirrel semen that leaped from the tip of his cock and landed on the towel in an unsteady arc. She blurted out, a little too loudly, "NNf! Oh yes Red... shoot it all... all inside me..." as she allowed her fantasy to get ahead of her mind. Her hips bounced off her chair as she shivered through a climax, her paw held close against her pussy as it spasmed and quivered. Her tail flared and blocked the webcam for a moment before she came back down, panting.
Red was still spurting when she looked back at the camera after her momentary loss of control. The towel was becoming a mess of pearly streamers, and his paw was getting coated as well. His chest rose and fell rapidly with his gasping breath and he shuddered, holding his dick without stroking now. After a bit, he let go and wiped his paw on the cleanest corner of the towel he could find. He watched the monitor. Megan moved her paw away, and shuddered every so often with an aftershock. He smiled. She should have got herself a towel too- her desk chair was a little damp-looking. 
Red broke the silence. "That was an excellent study session."
Megan simply responded, "Uh-huh."
"We'll have to practice more another night," Red suggested.
"Uh-huh."
"Uhm... I need to..."
"Yeah. Me too. Uh... g'night!"
Megan tilted forward in her chair and suddenly her image on Red's monitor turned into a blank white pane. In the chat window, it said simply: Megaskunk995 has gone offline.
That was abrupt, thought Red. He hoped she hadn't regretted what they had done. What would they say to each other on Monday when they saw each other in real life again? Red began to regret it a little, himself. He really did like Megan... what if he had ruined it all? For the sake of one really good orgasm! He rubbed his face, and then remembered that his paw was still rather sticky. He sighed and folded up the towel. Damn, he had outdone himself this time. It's all in the inspiration, he guessed. What had she said there, towards the end? 
He remembered, and nearly got hard again thinking about it.

<<<<>>>>