Anon spent 4 years away at college, learning how to be a sound engineer while Fang stayed back in Volcadera Bluffs working as a teacher’s aide at their alma mater. The College he attended was known as Glacier Falls University, located in the cold mountainous region of Colorado. A big change from the warm and sunny weather of California. He made his fair share of friends, and even had some memorable moments along the way. 

 

But this story isn’t about him. It's about one of the scarce few other humans who attended this college at around the same time as he. This is the story of a young man named Gene Eric, and the trials, tribulations, and adventures he had in his final year and a half of higher education. It’s a story about the new friendships, romance, drama and heartbreak he encountered along the way. A story about how his choices helped define everyone he met. Whether for better, or for worse. 

 

Enjoy! 

 

- Iron_Oreo 




March 11th, 2022. 

 

I wake up to the feeling of chilled glass against the bare skin of my head. At some point in my snooze my hat must’ve fallen off. I lift my head from the bus window and take a look at my surroundings. The plane had flown into Denver, and from there it was a bus ride to Glacier Falls. It must have been at least an hour since I left the airport. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes I pull out my cracked phone and check the time. 2 in the afternoon, but hard to tell due to the overcast. I mindlessly swipe through my feeds before circling back to my email and double checking the response I received from one Michael Soras to be accurate. 

 

‘Dear Mr. Gene Eric, 

 

It is my pleasure to extend to you a proper greeting on behalf of all the staff here at Glacier Falls University. Just letting you know again that your submission has been approved and we look forward to seeing you on campus! All of your credits from East Coast Technical College have been transferred and verified, and your current trajectory sets you to graduate in about a year and a half. Your requested classes have been scheduled, and I am pleased to inform you that one of the local fraternities, Theta Phi Omicron, has agreed to host you during your tenure. Please let me know when you will be arriving on campus, so I may show you around personally and guide you to your fraternity house. 

 

I look forward to meeting you in person! 

 

Your friend and TA, 

 

Michael Soras.’ 

 

I sent an email back letting him know that I had landed and was en route to the college before I even boarded the bus, but haven’t heard anything back yet. I’m nervous he hasn’t seen the message. If he didn’t, I was fucked. I have never been to Colorado before, so I haven’t the slightest idea as to where anything would be. But I’ll be damned if I’m gonna call out for directions like some helpless kid. I can hopefully manage on my own, if it comes to that. 

The bus lurches to the left and rips me from my thoughts. The fat Triceratops behind the wheel lays on the horn and shouts a string of slurs and swears at a sleek gray and yellow motorbike as it speeds by. I can’t make out much of the motorist, except for their flat feathery tail and the fingerless gloves proudly displaying a middle finger as they zoom off down the highway. I don’t know how they could wear so little in such cold weather, especially traveling at speeds of, if I had to guess, an excess of a hundred miles per hour. I just hope they don’t crash. I got back to looking out the window, my hand conveniently falling onto my hat that had fallen off earlier. I hold it in my lap as I gaze out the window and across the open fields to the approaching mountains. The scene before me was covered in snow. Despite it being spring break, the freezing weather has continued to plague this state. Nothing that I wasn’t familiar with of course, being from Steepletop on the east coast. It’s…. Tiring, is all. I shift from my position to something more comfortable. Maybe I can sleep a bit again? Only one way to find out. 

 

…

 

I wake up again, this time to a bad crick in my neck. I sigh and look up to see the annoyed bus driver staring back at me from the wide rear view mirror. 

“C’mon kid. End of the line. GFU is the last stop. Grab your stuff and get off.” He said in a tired voice. He didn’t seem annoyed, just exhausted. I was probably holding him up from getting off his shift, so I grab my suitcase from the overhead compartment and my carryon from the seat next to me and hastily exit the bus while muttering an apology. In a flash the engine roars and I’m left coughing in a cloud of exhaust. 

Before me resides a picturesque town nestled into the side of a mountain. The wet, black asphalt contrasts the alabaster blanket across the multitude of red brick buildings. Towards the east side of the city lies a large facility with a small cluster of houses on the outskirts. Glacier Falls University and the local student housing, most likely. I guess that's where I'm headed?  

I start in that direction just as the afternoon sun begins to peek its way through the cloud cover. Small patches of blue sky occasionally make an appearance as well. It’s also not as cold as I thought. The temperature must be hovering somewhere close to 45, maybe 40 at the least. The brisk wind was annoying, though. 

As I approach, I can see a majority of the surrounding houses seem quiet. My guess is most of my new peers were off spending the remainder of their break off in warmer climates. I don’t blame them. In the distance I make out a beat up brown sedan parked on the side of the street in the direction I’m heading. Leaning against the car was an orange parasaur in a blue button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Upon approach, the first thing I make out are the giant bags under his eyes. This guy looks even more tired than that bus driver. I make no effort to hide my approach, and he turns his head my way when he hears me. 

 

“Ah. You must be Gene?” He says in a quiet voice through a forced smile. I nod and hold out my hand. He observes my hand for a moment before grasping it in a firm handshake

 

“Good to meet you. You’re the TA… Michael Soras, right?” I say. 

 

He nods. “Yes. I’ll be taking you to your frat. Somebody should be there to help get you acquainted, and introduce you to your…. Roommates.” He finishes in a mumble and stares back down at his phone. He gestures to me to follow him down the snowy sidewalk and towards the first row of houses. 

 

“I’m supposed to read you this whole welcome script, so bear with me here.” He says, wincing as he clears his throat. It does little to change his scratchy voice. “Welcome to Glacier Falls University, home of equality, diversity, and forward thinking innovation. We can’t wait to bring you on board and help you on your way to a successful life in the field you are interested in. If you ever have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask any of our helpful staff, including me, your TA for the year. Please allow me to show you to the Fraternity house that has accepted you and help get you properly situated.” He finishes.

 

Everything he says sounds phoned in and exhausted. I have no idea what this poor guy does outside of his TA work, but whatever it is must be absolutely draining. Unless this frat I’m joining is what's draining him… 

 

“Not far from here. Theta Phi Omicron is towards the edge of the town.” He says. I’m beginning to see a trend on how monotone and tired he sounds. His attitude is nothing like I expected from the emails he sent. He seems so… done with living. Like he’s tired of people in general, despite being only a handful of years older than me, if I had to guess. The more I look, the more he looks disheveled, too. Wrinkled shirt, bed head, constant frown smeared over his face. When he speaks it’s almost like he has to force the words out. “Oh yeah, I hope you’re okay with seven roommates.” He says. 

 

“Seven?? How big is this house!?” I exclaim as Michael shrugs unphased. 

 

“Dunno. House sized? It’s probably a bit… cozy, but there’s rooms in the basement, first, and second floor. From what they told me, you have a room on the first floor.” He responds. First floor huh? Not the worst. Better than being stuck in the freezing basement, I suppose. 

 

Eventually, our walk leads us past newer homes dotted here and there, slowly adding in volume until we reach an older street with more lived in looking houses. You know the kind; chipped paint, rotting wood smell, squeaky floor boards and windows that wobble in their frames. Houses that have probably been standing for the better part of a century and partly modernized some twenty years ago. Michael turns on heel and points to a blue two storey house with a semi-splintered screen door. Above the porch hangs three greek letters that look like they spell out ‘ooo’. 

 

“This here’s the place. The guys should be inside…. I think.” He gives me a hesitant pat on the shoulder and starts back for his car parked all those blocks away, leaving me standing on my own in front of the place I’ll be calling home for the next year and a half. “If you need anything, just call!” He barely shouts, just above his normal volume. 

He can’t just leave me here like this, can he? What am I supposed to do? What if nobody’s home? Fuck it. I’ve been through worse. I can figure this out myself. I approach the garage first, and notice a half assembled convertible up on blocks. Silver lettering on the back end by one of the fins reads ‘Ortega 770’, Whatever that means. I don’t know about cars.

This one is pretty slick looking, however. At least in its partially put together form. I step around to the right side and spot the engine on some hook thing, outside of the car. It must weigh a ton based on the size of that hook. I continue around the side and to the front, admiring the vehicle’s funky retro grille and headlights when I hear a noise that sounds like shuffling. I peek over to the left side, and to my horror a creature that looks like a giant greased up rat wriggles its way out from beneath the car. I jump back a bit as the thing gets up and stands before me. 

 

“Who the fuck are you?” The hairy thing asks in a familiar brooklyn accent. I rub my eyes and get a better look at the creature, only to realize it must be some type of human… or something closely related. A guy absolutely covered in hair. I can’t even make out his face besides the huge beard and long locks. Even his arms, visible from beneath a rather tacky Hawaiian shirt, are heavily covered in hair. 

 

“Uh… Gene. Gene Eric. I’m new to GFU and I’m staying here, I think?” I stutter out. I can see the gears in the hairy man’s head turn and he wipes his greasy hands on a ratty cloth he pulled from the back pocket of his jeans. 

 

“Gene Eric, huh? Yeah that sounds about right, I’m pretty sure you’re the new guy bunking with us.” He holds out his hand and I reciprocate it with a shake. “I’m Inno Minate. The only other human you’ll find here on campus. Or well, pretty close. Close enough.” He pauses, “C’mon! Follow me inside, I’ll introduce you to the rest of the guys.” He says while tossing the rag into an open tool box. I grab up my bags and follow him through the garage door and into the house proper.

 

Inside seems relatively tidy, save for the dirty dishes in the sink. The house is obviously old, and the musty wood scent lingering in the air mixes rather unfavorably with the stale scent of ramen noodles somebody probably had for lunch. It’s cold, too. Not as bad as outside, but certainly not ‘log cabin toasty’ warm. Something I’ll probably need to grow accustomed to. It’s a good thing I made sure to bring every last sweater and hoodie I ownedhad with me. Past the kitchen connected to the garage was a small living room. A ratty couch and patchwork loveseat sat facing a surprisingly newer flat screen TV on a coffee table. On either side of the TV was a patchystation 5 and the latest XROX. How the hell did these guys afford all of this? To the left was the front door, and down to the right was a hallway with four doors. The two on the right were closed, and the one closest on the left was open to reveal an empty room. Inno gestures to it. 

“You can drop your bags off in there. That’ll be your bunk while you’re here.” He says. 

 

I open the door, which creaks loudly as it slowly swings open, and drop off my bags on the floor. I take a moment to look around before continuing on. Single window and a cheap set of blinds, accordion door that opens to a small closet, and a single outlet on the left wall. I’ll need to get a power strip if I wanna be able to plug all my stuff in. Aside from that the room was barren, not even a bed frame or clothes hanger. Good thing my old man is sending some of my old furniture up. I think he even scrounged up an old mattress from the basement back home. Only time will tell if it all makes the trip though. I stretch my arms and head back out into the hallway with Inno. 

 

“So now that you’re situated, I’m gonna take you around and introduce you to everyone, starting on the top floor and working our way down. C’mon.” He wastes no time in continuing the tour, taking the stairs two at a time with impressive agility despite his larger physique. The floorboards all seem to squeak underfoot as we ascend, and at the top of the stairs is a narrow hall with two doors. Inno points to the one on the right. 

 

“That room’s mine. I don’t really care if you go in there, just don’t touch my tools on the far wall or I’ll scalp you.” He says in a surprisingly calm demeanor. No issues from me, I don’t know jack shit about cars. Inno meanders across the hall and slaps his hand against the other door. 

 

“Thurston! The new guy’s here, come meet him!” He shouts. I look back between him and the door as the sounds of shuffling grow more prominent.

 

“One sec! I’m in the middle of something!” I hear a deep voice call from the other side of the door. I dunno what the guy looks like yet, but surmising from his voice I’d guess he’s probably more brick shithouse-y than Inno is. Speaking of, Inno leans over to me and whispers in a hushed tone. 

 

“In the middle of something, he says. I bet he was jerking off. I’d put money down.” I shrug at that. This place is probably already soaked in the fluids of decades of young guys and girls doing god only knows what to each other. It’s enough to make my skin crawl. The door knob twists and creaks open, revealing a dinosaur the likes of which I’ve never seen before standing at about half my size. He’s wearing an orange bandana around his head and has an intense look about him, like he was in the middle of some strenuous workout. In one of his webbed hands he clutches a Guitar Villain remote guitar. His piercing aquamarine eyes give me a tentative once over, staring at my shoes and slowly working up my form and to my hat. He refocuses and stares directly into my eyes. 

 

“You the new roomate, then?” He says. Honestly not the voice I was expecting for a guy of his… stature. I nod and extend my hand to him. 

 

“Yeah. My name’s Gene Eric. I’ll be on the ground floor if you need me.” I say. He remains silent for a time as he extends his hand and grips mine. 

 

“I probably won’t.” He says before releasing his grip and disappearing behind his door again, which locks with a *click!*. Inno gives me a pat on the back. 

 

“Don’t take it too personally.” He reassures me. “Most of the guys in this frat are pretty introverted, ‘sides me and Chuck. It’s a response you’ll get a lot until they warm up to you.” I nod my head in response and the two of us make our way back down to ground level. I don’t know why we didn’t just start here. I follow Inno past my room and towards the two doors at the far end. He moves to the right first and knocks. 

 

“Cameron! Are you here?” The door opens, revealing a long neck and a head with glasses. 

 

“Can I help you?” The brachiosaur asks as his eyes move between myself and Inno. “Ah. I see our new roommate has arrived. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Cameron, I’m set up across the hall from your room I think, but I assume you already know that.” He shuffles his body into the doorway and extends his hand, which I take in a firm shake. His eyes flick back to Inno. 

“If you’re taking him around for introductions, you’ll have to wait for Vinny and the Yates brothers. They went out on a booze run not too long ago and I doubt they’ll be back for a while.” He pushes his glasses into place and slinks back into his room. The door shuts with a creak and Inno shrugs his shoulders. 

 

“Eh, so we won’t be able to introduce you to everyone right away, not a big deal. You got to meet me, and that's what’s important!” His gut ripples as he laughs.  

 

It's at this time that the door on the other side of the hall opens to reveal an athletic looking purple raptor. He offers a smile and a nod before moving past us and towards the front door. He seems pretty quick to leave somewhere. Inno puts a hand on my shoulder and points.

 

“And that’s Wren. Frat historian and probably the most well adjusted of us. He doesn’t talk much, but he’s a great listener and records all major events when it comes to our misadventures.” He says. I nod along and head back to my room. Inno stands in the doorway and gives a final nod. 

“Anyways, I’m gonna go back to working on my car. If you have any questions, lemme know. Sorry I couldn’t give you full introductions, but hopefully the other guys will be back later.” He waves and turns, heading back to the garage. 

 

That whole thing couldn’t have been more than ten minutes, and Inno had left me with so much information and so many names to remember that I was bound to forget. I shut the door and lean against it, sighing as I gaze upon the peeling egg-shell walls of my room. First order of business was getting that mattress that Dad said he was sending. Until then, I would be sleeping on the vinyl wood floor. I still need a desk to set up my laptop as well. I’m pretty sure I saw a discount furniture store close by, so I could get what I need there. As of right now however, I want some fresh air. I throw the rest of my bags down and gingerly open the front door so as to not break it further before mindlessly strolling down the street. The cold air hits my face and nearly causes my hat to fly off my head. This last hour has been intense. I met a whole slew of people I’ll be spending the majority of my time with, and settled into my new room. To the best of my abilities, anyways. It felt as if time was crawling by, the sun having barely moved from its position when I had stepped off that bus. Speaking of, just ahead of me now I spot a familiar gray and yellow motorcycle parked next to the neighboring frat. 

 

Outside the house a pachycephalosaurus is arguing with the motorist from earlier. I couldn’t make out her face from behind the helmet she wore, but her body language suggests she’s pretty pissed off about something. That and the rather offensive gestures she threw his way. As I approach she goes back to her motorcycle without giving me a passing glance. I turn back to the guy as she sparks the engine and takes off down the street. The pachycephalosaurus throws his hands up and shouts in frustration. 

 

“Yeah, well fuck you too! God I hate these bitches sometimes, I swear to god.” He shouts in a gravelly voice. He spits out a wad of something brown on the ground next to him and turns towards me. Even with the cold temperatures, the guy wore a tank top and torn up jeans. His emerald eyes give me a tired once over. 

“Wrong neighborhood, skinny. These are college frats ‘round here.” He says with a prominent edge. I brush off the slur and shrug. 

 

“Yeah, I know. I just got settled.” I respond. He perks up at this and stands a bit straighter.

 

“Oh yeah?” He says. “Sorry you had to see that then. I’m Craig Dorschine, one of the two co-presidents here at Epsilon Sigma Xi. What frat do you belong to?” He asks. 

 

I point next door to Theta Phi Omicron. “I’m actually right there. Just put my bags down.” My words grow quiet as I watch the expression on his face change from a stretched smile back to the frown he wore when he was fighting with the motorbike girl. 

 

“Oh.” Is all he says at first. A silence fills the air as he kicks at the dirt absentmindedly. I can tell he’s contemplating what to say every time he looks me in the eyes. “Listen… Those guys at Theta Phi Omicron are a bunch of losers. You’re new so I’ll cut you some slack, but those guys over there are going nowhere fast.” He hisses. Geez, what kinda bad blood does this guy have?

 

“Really? They seem pretty chill to me. Besides, I just needed a place to stay while I finish out my last year and a half. They were kind enough to take me in.” I respond in earnest. 

 

He scoffs. “Eh, I’d put money down that they were just looking to split the rent further so they could all work less. We’ve had problems with them since before any of us were even in the frat. It’s a feud that’s been boiling for decades now.” His mossy hued eyes narrow on me. “I suggest you take a big step back, You really don’t wanna involve yourself with them.” 

 

I can feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up as he speaks in that lowered tone. I can’t say I'm a fan of his intimidation technique, but I'm not looking to start a fight on my first day here. I offer a passive shrug and attempt to change the subject

.
“Yeah so uh… Who were you yelling at there? The one who took off on the motorbike?” I can see Craig relax from his tensed form and roll his eyes. 

 

“Don’t worry about it. Just some bitch who thought she had a chance with me. We’ve been talking on and off for a while now, but it doesn’t look like it’ll be going anywhere anytime soon. Oh well.” He says unenthusiastically. It must not have been too important of a relationship, I guess. I start to walk again. Something tells me this isn’t the type of guy I wanna associate with here. I’ve only been around him for a few minutes and I’m already getting rubbed the wrong way. He gives off ‘try-hard jock’ vibes. A dude who’s probably not actually an asshole, but has to maintain a facade in front of his friends, and has done so for so long the mask is starting to stick to his face. The peer pressure this dude probably faces must be out of this world. 

 

I offer a polite wave and continue on my way down the street. The furniture store should be just down the next road. Maybe I’ll take a look around and see if I can find anything that can work in my room. I still need that bed frame and the desk, but those can wait. For now, maybe something simple like a lamp or a chair will do. At least something to put in there to make it feel more homely. Besides the bed though, dad didn’t really say if he was sending anything else up. I had my old shitbox, but the chances of it making the trip across the country were slim to none. I could have it shipped to Glacier Falls, but it would probably cost more than the car was worth. Inno could probably help patch it up though, help to make it run for a few hundred more miles at least. He seems to enjoy tinkering, from what I’ve seen with his car. Then there was my PC. All I could carry on was my laptop, but I poured my heart and a fair amount of my spending money into my setup back home. 

Nah, I don't wanna risk it getting damaged. I approach the intersection and take a right, heading in the direction of the town. The retail buildings farthest from the city center weren’t too far away. I could make out a strip mall that had clearly seen better days. There was the previously mentioned furniture store, an office supplies store, a small grocer, and a liquor store. Neighboring the strip was a building that looks like a fast food joint. There was a drive thru and a big glowing sign out front that read “Paleo-taco”. Heh. Clever. 

 

There weren’t many cars in the lot. A PreHis in the corner and a rusty red pickup as well. Towards the center was an 80’s model Volvo and further down was a motorcycle with monkey handlebars. I kept my head down and went straight for the furniture store at the end of the strip. There weren’t many people about, but I don't feel like attracting any unwanted attention. My social batteries were depleted after having to go through introductions. I’ll have to go out of my way to avoid people for the rest of the day, the way things have gone. It seems like that’ll happen sooner than I thought, too. I can hear a commotion coming from the liquor store. I scramble behind a corner and hope whoever it was didn’t spot me. Seeing as I was probably one of only a handful of humans in this town, I wouldn’t be surprised if they wanted to touch me or ask me a bunch of questions. I can hear a little bell jingle as the door swings open, revealing four saurans about my age. 

 

“-Swear to Raptor Jesus, Chuck. If you damage any of those wine bottles I will slap the shit outta you. I’ve paired each one with a meal, and they aren’t cheap!” A taller dino with a feather plumed pony tail said sternly. He is pointing to a turquoise raptor precariously balancing a hefty amount of alcohol as he walks towards the Volvo that was parked close by. I can see him roll his eyes. 

 

“Relax, Cody. I got it all under control. I’m not gonna spill anything, I swear!” He responds to the first dino reassuringly. Tailing behind the two was another pair; a second raptor and a hunched ptero. The four move towards the car, bickering amongst themselves and stuffing the booze into the car’s trunk. I shrink into my hoodie and beat a hasty retreat to the relative safety of the furniture store. 

The door opens and I’m hit with a welcoming blast of warm air and refurbished upholstery. I shiver a bit and took in the sight around me. The store had multiple open floor concepts displaying their newest pieces, nothing I could afford of course.

I move back towards their discounted section before I could be wrangled by any bloodthirsty salesmen. I was here for one purpose today and by god I wasn’t getting distracted from my goal. I just needed a lamp, that was it. I weave through the couches and tables to the light section. There’s a small desk back in this area, and a Titanboa much too large for the desk is snugly coiled into a corner. She appears to be snout deep in her phone. She gives me a small glance, but otherwise goes back to whatever YouSnoot video she was watching. 

The lamp selection over all is… Mid. Most of the lamps are simple beige stands for a lightbulb. No fancy etchings or any other real styles for most of the selection. Toward the end cap, buried behind more boring beige, I do manage to find one that looks at least a bit different. It’s black, and it has a neat spiral design in place of the solid brick of ugly tan. I snatch it up and head to the register to pay. 

The best part was there isn’t much interaction with anybody in the store, and even the registers are self-checkout. That means I don’t need to worry about introducing myself for the twentieth time today. The time is closing in on four o’clock, and the sun is getting ready to make its way down to the horizon. I didn’t know what this town’s like at night, and I’m not planning on finding out so soon. I quickly power walk my way back to the neighborhood. 

 

It’s only now that it hits me, but that one Cody guy from the liquor store called the other guy ‘Chuck’. A name I’m pretty sure I heard Inno use at some point during introductions. I’m betting that those four guys must have been my remaining roommates. I didn’t get a good look at them, but I have a feeling I’ll be meeting them again real soon. 

It’s a lot of names to remember, and I just keep meeting more and more people. I don’t plan to stick around here once I get my degree, but it’s still a common courtesy to at least learn the names of the people I’ll be around the most. Inno will be easy. He’s probably one of the few other humans… human-like…. Bi-pedal somethings from the homo-genus here. Then there was the guitar villain guy upstairs, the long neck guy and the quiet guy. I’ll figure it out in time. Hopefully once this year and a half is over I can find a nice production gig back home and get a cozy apartment somewhere. 

 

I bury my bald head into my hoodie as the wind picks up and batters my ears. This weather kinda sucks. I’m used to cold temperatures, considering I grew up off the east coast, but this cold has a different feel to it. As I pass the Epsilon Sigma Xi frat, I can see that Craig guy talking to a Quetzalcoatlus on their porch. Their eyes dart to me as I pass with my lamp, and I can see the Quetzalcoatlus fold his arms and squint in my direction, as if he was trying to get a better view of me. He had his hair cut short and he wore fancier clothing. He gave off trust fund kid vibes. I feel my gaze flick to them for a moment as I soldier on. The whole air about their house gives off a hostile feeling to me. It makes me feel unwelcome, despite them hardly knowing me. I try my best to pay it no mind and hop up the front steps to Theta Phi Omicron. 

 

According to Inno there was only three more frat members I hadn’t met. I close the door behind me and head off to my room. Everybody still seems to be doing their own thing, so most of the house is empty. I close my door behind me and plug in my new lamp. More light fills the room as I twist the knob to give it power, marred by the setting sunlight beaming through my window. I slump down next to my new furniture piece, pulling out my phone and checking through my usual feeds. Nothing new besides a couple texts from dad. 

 

Dad: “Hey, Son. Mattress sent. I also found an old desk and some other junk in the attic and sent that off to you too. Should be to you in a few days.”

 

I tap away on my phone and send a quick response to my old man. A simple ‘Thx Pops’ Will do just fine. Glad he was able to find that stuff. I dunno if I have the funds for something like a new mattress. Until then though, I'll be sleeping on the floor. It’ll be a literal pain in the neck, but I can manage. I pull myself off the floor and gaze out my window. From my view I can see the Epsilon Sigma Xi frat pretty easily. It looks like they’re celebrating something from what I can see. The shadows cast from inside the house looks as if one of the guys is holding something in his hands. An animal of some sort, maybe? I can’t tell from here. Not to mention the dipping sun was shining directly into my eyes, making it incredibly difficult to focus. I draw my blinds and stand again. It would still be some time to nightfall, and I had nothing better to do for the time being than fuck around. 

I meander my way from my room and to the garage again when I feel my stomach rumble. I should have gotten food when I was out. I head down the concrete steps and spot Inno still under his car. He left the garage open too, probably to air out the stench of old motor oil and body odor.

 

“Hey, Inno. You know any good spots around here that deliver?” I say as I make my way to the driveway. Inno doesn’t bother pulling himself out from under the car. 

 

“Yeah. Paleo-Taco delivers. Same as the Sub-Bros. There’s a small pizza joint that delivers this way too, don’t remember their name though. Pick your poison.” He grunts as he attempts to pry something loose. There’s a metallic *THUMP* that reverberates off the walls, followed by a pained cursing from Inno. 

“God dammit! Fucking piece of shit mother fucking trash!” I hear him shout. He scrambles his way up from below the car, all the while shaking his hairy hand about and flinging small crimson droplets across the concrete. He makes his way inside and slams the door shut behind him. That must’ve hurt badly.  

I make my way down the driveway and peer off to my left. Our neighbors to the right don’t seem the friendly type. I wonder what the house to the left holds? There is a nicer hatchback in the driveway, but apart from that there is no indication as to who resides there. The house isn't as big as the two frats next door, so I can only assume that it must be owned by one or two people. Maybe whoever it is doesn’t even go to GFU. My stomach vibrates again… Right, food. I pull up my phone and begin browsing through the local delivery spots. Pizza seems decent tonight.

 

An hour later and I have my pizza. It was pretty mediocre, I’m not gonna lie. The crust was greasy and the sauce was watery. The breadsticks that came with weren't the best either. Tasted like the seasonings and parmesan were put on sparsely, so in some bites it was like I was munching on a loaf of bread. Food was food though, and it was cheap enough to have me considering buying from them again. It was still a substitute for the boxes upon boxes of ramen I’d be eating otherwise. I offered up the leftovers to whoever was in the house, and retired to my room. 

From past my door I can hear a commotion. Someone just entered the house and is making sure everyone else knows it. 

 

“NO! THOSE SONS OF BITCHES TOOK FURTIE!!!!” Anguished cries emanate from the living room, one thin wall away from me. “DOWN AND DIRTY FURTIE!” More cries from the same voice. More voices fill the hall, some familiar, some not so much. I open my door and file into the hall just in time to spot the culprit. A turquoise raptor was pointing to a spot upon the TV stand coffee table.  

“He was right there.” The raptor says. I don’t need somebody to tell me that’s Chuck. I recognize him from the liquor store. The other three were in attendance as well. Chuck turns his attention from them to Inno, who has propped himself against the door to the garage and is messing with a bandage around his hand. 

 

“Inno? Get ready. You, me, and Wayne are heading over to Epsilon Sigma Xi tonight.” He proclaims to the others. I could see one of the other dinos step forward. I think this one is Cody.

 

“Hold on a sec, Chuck. How do you know that they took the uh… the Furtie?” He rebuttals. I’m almost certain he’s some sort of Hadrosaurus? Whatever, I can ask him later. What’s important here is the stuffed ferret that they seem to need. I say ferret, because I believe Chuck’s hunch is right on the money. I vividly remember earlier in the evening, when I was looking out my window across to our rivals. I decide to speak up.

 

“They did take the stuffed ferret. I saw them partying with it earlier, dunno what they were planning with it, though.” I say. 

 

“Weasel.” The taller raptor grunts from behind Chuck. “And who are you?” He inquires. The four new faces turn to me, and I see Inno spread his arms wide and take a step in my direction. 

 

“This is Gene Eric! He’s our newest member! Gene, This is Chuck, his brother Wayne, Vinny, and Cody from next door. Uh… the other next door. The one we don't have as many problems with.” He mumbles the last part in a barely audible tone as he nudges me forward. 

 

I take a moment to acknowledge the last of the frat members. Cody is the tan Hadrosaurus with a thing for fancy wines, Vinny’s the quiet red ptero in back with the forward facing crest, Wayne is the tall purple raptor in the tanker jacket and aviators, and Chuck was the loud turquoise raptor who’s riling everyone up about weasel. Speaking of, “Why is the Weasel so important anyways? Isn’t it just an old mantle piece?” 

 

Chuck looks offended for a fraction of a second before smiling wide. He clasps both his hands on my shoulders and holds me firmly in place. His snout was close enough to almost touch my nose, and his amethyst hued eyes stare into my soul. 

 

“Gene, there comes a time in every brother’s life when he must drink unidentified liquor from the asshole of an old taxidermied mammal. Your time will come soon, and you will truly experience our initiation. But in order to do that we need to steal Furtie BACK from those jack ‘o’ none fucks nextdoor. We won’t have you do any of the heavy lifting the first time around, rest assured. We just need you to keep watch while Wayne, Inno and I sneak into their place.” 

 

“A-are you sure that's a good idea, considering how they only grabbed it a couple hours ago?” Cody asks from behind Wayne. The others join us now from their rooms. 

 

“You don't actually plan to just sneak in there while they’re all asleep, do you?” I add on. Chuck puffs his chest and points to Wayne. “What say you, brother? Lend me your stealthy military training to get Furtie back?” He declares with a heroic tone. 

 

“Meh.” I see a single twitch from Wayne’s mouth as an indication of emotion. “I was an air wing mechanic, dumbass.” 

 

Inno spins on his heel and opens a drawer next to the fridge. He pulls out a roll of quarters and sets it into his knuckles like a makeshift knuckle duster. A one way ticket to break his hand, for sure. “Count me in. I’ll bring my quarters just in case one of them wakes up.” 

 

Chuck nods eagerly. “That’s the attitude I’m lookin’ for! Gentlemen? We regroup here at dusk!” 

 

Chuck seems to be the only one that was really excited to go on a dangerous rescue mission for some old knick-knack. I guess you could say Inno too, but it seems he is more interested in getting a chance to throw some punches. Wayne is a wildcard though. Is he just appeasing his brother? Acting as the anchor to Chuck’s antics? As much as I’d like to, I can’t wind down for bed like I usually do. The guys were kind enough to compile some extra blankets for me and my pillow from home cushioned my head from most of the hard floor, but the new environment coupled with Chuck’s night raid plans kept me from being able to get into a comfortable position to be able to sleep. Dusk had come and gone about an hour ago, and I hadn’t heard anything from any of the guys. Part of me kind of hopes they went without me. I didn’t feel like getting caught up in the middle of a frat war in the first twenty four hours of my arrival here. Unfortunately it seems fate had other plans. As soon as I finish my thought, there's a knock at my door. 

 

“Come in.” I say. 

 

Chuck pops his head in and offers a toothy grin. Without a word he wiggles his eyebrows and nods for me to follow him. I groan to myself, feeling my heart sink as I throw on pants and my jacket before following him. Outside my room, Wayne and Inno are waiting. Both of them look just as tired as I do. Chuck puts his arms around us and huddles us close. 

 

“Alright gents! This is the moment of truth! This is crunch time! We’re gonna sneak into Epsilon Sigma Xi and take back what they stole! Maybe we’ll even fuck with their stuff while we’re in there. Maybe clog their toilet with teepee or loosen the bolts on their plumbing.” He waves his hands and shakes his head. “I digress- We’re gonna get in there and fuck with them for fucking with us. Are you boys ready?”  

 

There’s a small chorus of half awake mumbles, and Chuck opens the door to lead us next door. Save for a light on in a room on the second floor, the house sits quiet and dark. The frat’s lettering creaks on the sign it dangles on, the chains holding it quietly clinking and jingling as we slowly sneak our way onto the property. From there, Chuck dashes across the front lawn and to the stairs. He hops up and makes his way to the front door as the rest of us catch up. He looks over his shoulder, his amethyst eyes falling to his brother. 

“Wayne? Take Inno and see if you can find an alternate way in and out. If we gotta beat a hasty retreat at any point I want multiple avenues, you feel me?” 

 

Wayne nods and heads back down the front stoop with Inno close behind. He grins at me as he pulls a small plastic card from one of the pockets on his puff jacket. I see him approach the front door and slip the card into the crack in the door. After a bit of finagling I hear a click and the door bids us entry. 

 

“Bienvenu” Chuck mumbles to me as we slip in through the front door. Brief flicks of shadows outside tell me where Wayne and Inno are, and I track their movements to a back corner window. They get to work opening it as Chuck starts snooping through the living room. There, an unconscious stegosaur snores next to a half empty bottle of fireball. Chuck gingerly hops over the drunk’s outstretched legs, his head swiveling back and forth as his eyes scan for signs of the taxidermied animal. I am honestly having a bit of fun with this now, I feel like seal team six as we both sweep the house in half-assed silence. I head further in. Across the walls are a number of awards and photos, even some framed newspaper articles, yellowed with age. Each picture tells the story of some young upstart from Epsilon Sigma Xi and their rise to fame and glory in whatever field they studied in. One thing I notice after a short time browsing was the wide variety of fields that the young men went into. Everything from media and entertainment like what I’m studying, all the way to aviation or law. The medals pinned to the walls all shine with etched metal, offering words of praise and some latin phrases I can’t understand. Big bold number one’s glint in the moonlight on a majority of the trophies organized neatly upon the shelves. From what I was told this wasn’t any sort of major frat, yet from the looks of their achievements they are well renowned in Glacier Falls. On the other wall was a line of portraits, grainy black and white photos of both humans and saurans from the Frat’s founding lead the way down through the years to the current lineup of members and their names. Chance, Craig, Royce, Mitch, Stan, and a few others. Was it really a good idea to be causing trouble with a frat that was so well liked?

 

“Gene! Check those rooms out down the hall. Maybe one of these bastards took Furtie in with them.” Chuck whispers with his back turned to me as he tiptoes into the kitchen. 

 

I slink down the back hallway, quietly peeking into all the rooms I find. Most contain sleeping dinos of different kinds. In one there was a microraptor with his eyes glued to a pc monitor. He looked like he was on some sort of religious forum, but I couldn't care less. He didn’t have Furtie from what I could tell. Eventually a commotion from further down the hall draws my attention. A loud crash, followed by a thud. I flinch at the possibility that it was Wayne or Inno, and from the look on Chuck’s face behind me, he’s thinking the same thing. Regretfully I begin inching my way closer to the room the noise came from. There’s a light on, but the door is closed. From the other side the commotion continues, and I can hear an unfamiliar voice. 

 

“Get off me, motherfucker!” 

 

“Piss off, meteor-dodger!” 

 

I reach for the handle to open the door, but at that exact moment it flies open and hits me in the forehead. Pain shoots through my brain as I stumble backwards and collapse onto the floor. Out of the room spills Wayne and some blonde haired human with a cardigan draped over his shoulders. The human socks Wayne in the jaw, who then throws him in my direction. Before the guy falls onto me, I spot Furtie in Wayne’s grasp. The door down the hall opens, revealing the microraptor from earlier. He has an angry expression across his snout that only gets more pissed at spotting us. 

 

“Mierda! They’re here already!” He shouts. 

 

I see Wayne leap over me and the other guy and dash for the front door with the microraptor right behind him, hurling a volley of angry spanish as he swipes at the taller Yates brother’s tanker jacket. After Wayne runs by Chuck, he sticks his foot out and trips the pursuer up, causing him to tumble into the coffee table and land in the lap of the sleeping stego. Lights begin turning on in the house as the rest of the frat begins to wake up to the noise. My heart pounds in my throat as I shove the dazed human off of me, scrambling to my feet and following the others. 

 

“Where’s Inno??” I shout as the three of us barrel out of our rival’s house.

 

“Don’t worry.” Wayne says. “Inno’s covering our escape!” I chance a look back and see the stego shouting at the microraptor, and the human pointing at us and yelling something as we dash down the sidewalk and to the relative safety of our frat’s territory. Just then, all the lights shut off in Epsilon Sigma Xi, leaving the house in quiet darkness, save for the confused shouts of those inside. I spot Inno sneak his way across the street before he links back up with us by our garage. We’re all out of breath, especially me, but what matters is we found Furtie. 

 

“Inno.” I gasp as I attempt to catch my breath. “I thought you said we were the only humans here. What gives?” Inno shakes his head.

“Naw, I think I said there were only a few of us, not just you and… possibly me? I dunno. Besides us there's Professor Schwartspferd, that douchebag Chance Bradford over at Epsilon Sigma Xi, and some other dude named Anon. A total of four and a half of us.” He grunts while stroking his shaggy beard. I’m still pretty sure he said only two of us, but before I can argue I feel a hand clasp my back. Chuck is staring at me with bright eyes. He holds up the rear end of Furtie to me. 

 

“I say we celebrate the return of our beloved mascot… And the welcome of our new brother-in-arms with a bit of a party! We just restocked our booze cabinet… So let’s dig into it!” Chuck says to the group rather eloquently for declaring an impromptu party. The others all cheer in agreement, even Wayne who seems to be more on the stoic side. 

Chuck heads back inside to wake up the rest of the house. I suppose I’ve earned a bit of a break after all the hard work of settling in for the day. Some liquor is just what I need! I just hope I’m not as much of a lightweight as I was back on my 21st birthday. The lights in the house begin to turn on one by one as the baja blastosaur begins to sweep the house. I turn to the taller of the two brothers. 

 

“Is he always this energetic?” I ask. Wayne is quiet for a moment as he considers what to say. His mouth opens and closes a couple times before he simply sighs and nods.

“Pretty much. Ever since we were kids he did most of the talking for us.” I could see a smile creep across Wayne’s face. “He could smooth-talk us out of any trouble we got ourselves in back in Wyoming. Seems even here he likes to take charge.” He finishes. 

 

“Does anybody else here even care about the stuffed ferret?” I ask in a quieter tone. Wayne shrugs. 

 

“Erm, I dunno.” 

 

Chuck comes back out and hangs on the door frame. “Don't just stand there, Get on in here! I even got Wren to come out and join us! We’re gonna watch ‘Space Odyssey 3’ and take shots whenever he corrects something about the movie’s space or science scenes!” Wayne shrugs and heads inside, followed by Inno and myself. 

 

*********

 

March 12th, 2022.

 

What a way to spend my first night in Colorado. I don’t even remember much of what happened. My breath reeks of alcohol and ferret ass and I’m freezing cold. As the booze fades from my system, I quickly realize where I am. Facedown in a snowbank on the front lawn. I try to stand, but my shaky arms buckle beneath me as I attempt to pull my face free from its snowy imprint. The world spins violently around me and as I put all of my effort into focusing my eyes, I spot a pair of brown, fur lined Grugg™ boots casually approaching me. As my eyes work their way up the feminine form, I make out steam coming off of her. Her head blocks the morning sun, casting a shadow down upon me and obscuring the view of her face. Blonde hair tickles my nose as this strange girl swipes the hat from my head. 

 

“Damn. A skinnie and Bald? That’s tough, pal.” She says in a smooth tone as she donns my hat. “You idiots threw a party without me? Not that I care, it was probably lame as shit anyways.” She scoffs. I weakly lift my hand and swat at the temptress in an attempt to recover my hat. 

 

“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhuhhuuuhhhhhuhhhhhhhyyyhuuuuhhh” I intelligently retort. She snorts and grabs my wayward hand. Her pink scales are warm and slicked with sweat. With a single heave I’m yanked from my frozen depression and pulled up to my feet. I lock my legs and do my best to stand on my own. It’s very difficult. 

 

She watches me stumble in this imaginary earthquake. “I’m guessing this was your first college party?” Her snout twists into a smile as she observes my awkward dance.  

 

I tried to respond properly but the words in my mouth turned to liquid with an acidic taste. Before I can realize, my words were now spilling from my mouth onto the frozen sidewalk. My vision is blurry, suddenly now looking at the steaming bile seeping towards my shoes.
The girl takes a step backwards, seemingly unphased by my outburst. “Lightweight.” she mutters. I mumble more as I attempt to string together a coherent sentence.

“Let’s get you inside, hm? I’m surprised you didn’t freeze to death. You endothermics might be able to handle the cold better than us dinos, but you don’t need to show off.” The mystery girl drags me up the stairs of the front porch and into the house. A lukewarm blast of air hits my face with the smell of more stale vomit. I’m finally able to focus now that the rest of the poison has been purged from my system. In the living room, it looks like everyone is up already, and they look just as shitty as me. I can see a variety of microwave breakfast sandwich boxes and toaster pastries strewn about the messy kitchen, empty bottles of beer and harder liquor haphazardly piled up as well. I slump into one of the recliners and clench my throbbing head. 

 

I can see her mumbling quietly as she seems to count all of the lazily hanging heads, silently moaning, groaning or eating microwaved foods. “One, two.. Three…” She pauses, “Where’s the other skinnie?

 

“Tex, what the fuck are you doing here, you bitch?” Thurston slurs from his position sprawled on the floor near me. 

 

“Obviously taking care of your sorry asses. Now where the fuck is Inno?” Tex repeats, annoyance already clear in her voice. The pint-sized Chronosaurus sits up and rubs his eyes. His shaggy hair is frayed in all different directions, and his bandana hangs loose around his neck. 

 

“Inno went to Sub-Bros to get their day-old broccoli cheese soup. They would just throw it out anyway so Inno started taking it instead. He’s probably on his way back now, so you can go back to your run.” He mumbles in his deep monotone before flopping back down. I turn back and finally get a good look at the femme fatale that saved me from my snowy demise. To say she was hot would be an understatement. She was sweaty. Despite the cold weather, She wore tight fitting leggings and a tank top hidden by a short sporty coat that exposed her toned, scaly midriff. She had on a hat that looked alot like mine- WAIT. 

 

“That’s my hat!” I grunt as I try to stand. “Gimmie!” She snickers and shakes her head, easily fending off my attacks with a slight push.  

 

“Not yet, still memorizing your scent.”


“What?”


“You humans don’t have it, but Apex’s olfactory senses blow yours out of the water.” She says proudly. 

 

“That’s not the only thing you're blowing.” Chuck says from his position slumped over the couch like a ragdoll.

“I get it, smaller species don’t like the idea of being tracked. Here, I was done anyway.” She slides my hat off her head, pushing it into my chest and nearly causing me to fall backwards.”

 

“...Tracked?” I ask, nervously looking at the others. They don’t seem to give as much of a shit as I do. Is this a dino thing I'm unaware of? 

 

“Sure is. But you’ll find out all about it sooner or later..” Tex saunters over to me and holds out her hand. “I’m Jackie, but everyone always calls me Tex.” I cautiously take her hand in mine and give her a ginger shake. She nearly squeezes the life from my palm. 

 

“No, everyone calls you bitch.” Thurston mumbles snarkily. 

 

“You won’t get bitches with that attitude, you virgin.” She shoots back. 

 

“Oh hey! I almost forgot.” Chuck interrupts with renewed energy as he stands up. He walks to me and heartily pats me on the back like last night. I have to hold onto the loveseat to stay upright. “I wanted to thank you for the help you gave in stealing Furtie back from those assholes at Epsilon Sigma Xi. You have a real ride or die attitude. That’s what we like.” 

 

“Uh… Thanks?” I respond. 

 

“Yeah, a real Goku-Get ‘Em attitude.” Thurston mumbles.

“Shut the fuck up.” I hear Wayne say from inside the pantry. “...But during the stone age-” Wayne’s muffled chuckle echoes from behind the closed door, picking up where the chonosaur left off, followed by various rattling and unseen falling objects. A loud *GUNG* can be heard as something connects with the poor raptor’s head. 

 

Chuck’s laughter drew me away from the exchange. 

 

“I  almost forgot… I switched all of their TV guides to chinese….” He giggles as he eyes our not too friendly neighbor’s home from out the window. 

 

I feel an odd sensation work its way through my body as I gaze upon the sprawled out forms of my roommates. Not the same queasy feeling as before, rather something warm and welcoming. I’ve never really had too many friends before… Is this what it's like? The camaraderie? The jokes? I feel like I’m a part of something bigger than myself, now. A close knit community that I seem to fit in with surprisingly well. I really hope that things stay this way. 

 

A metallic crash from outside shakes me from my thoughts. I see everyone else perk up as well, and we all stare outside at the direction the noise came from. There, on the sidewalk out front, was Inno in his typical Hawaiian t-shirt and cargo shorts. He was sprawled out and groaning on the sidewalk, cold broccoli cheese soup spilled out around him from a pot he still held firmly in one hand. He must have slipped and fell on some Ice. 

 

Oh wait- Thats the spot I threw up.

[POST-NOTES]
    That's the first chapter. I'm not sure how many chapters this is gonna run for, but there will be more. Please be patient I write kind of slow, and leave any comments or critiques below. Thanks.

    -Iron_Oreo