Right to a Bear's Arms, Ch. 2 (Patreon)

Kelin had settled into the routine of coming back to the gym on a two-to-three day a week basis rather easily, experimenting with various areas and rooms of the gym, and after two months, he was hooked.  He found the entire place a wonderfully welcoming environment, the staff and other clients were super friendly, the equipment always cleaned, and it seemed there was always someone willing to lend a hand, or a paw, to spot him or help him adjust equipment weights.  He hadn't signed on with any of the personal trainers, but he knew most of them by name, and they him.  His unique accent and his energy seemed to interest them as much as they did him.  He often found himself spending entire days in the various offices and meditation rooms when they were open to the public goers, working on college papers or listening to music.

    One evening, while talking with a few of the personal trainers, and hanging out in their lounge because they were okay with it, one of them, Hugo, ironically the Bovine who had invited him into the gym, asked, "Oy, Kel.  You ever thought of joining the gym as a trainer?"  The australian accented Bull sipped a huge bottle of water in one cloven-nailed hand, the one-gallon jug looking like a regular Dasani in comparison.

Blinking in surprise, and lowering his cup of coffee, Kelin thought about it.  "What all does it entail?  Don't you need to pass a certification process and have a degree?"

"Well yeah," Hugo said.  "But you don't gotta have all that at once.  You could always sign onto being gym staff and becoming a trainee or an intern.  Keep going to class, come here and work and work out at the same time, it's a good gig.  I'm graduating myself soon as a matter of fact.  Got bumped up to an official post because it's my senior year."

"You're a student?" he asked, surprised.  Several of the others laughed.

Ophelia, a lovely Otter woman, who headed up most of the swim classes, chuckled and leaned forwards onto her elbows.  She was only as tall as his shoulder, but she had a way of talking to anyone with such professional mannerisms and a motherly air that she was by far one of his favorite people here.  "You wouldn't think it," she said, teasingly flicking Hugo with her long rudder-like tail.  "The big oaf just used to be a Usual, but we talked him into it just the same.  Not everyone starts college straight out of high school."

Hugo laughed loudly, a baritone sound mixed in with actual 'moo's'.  "Well, some of us have better things to do with our nubile energy than jump straight into more school right after we got out.  Me?"  He rolled up his fur-tight gym shirt and exposed a pale bleach-tattoo on his muscular forearm.  "Semper Fi!"  The bull leaned back smugly after they all whistled and nodded.  "Marines for six years, then came back to Arknought after some tours overseas.  Desk Sergeant recommended I try going to school since it would virtually be for free.  Didn't have a clue what to major in.  Ended up with Phys Ed."

"What did you end up minoring in?" asked Rey, a Fox with various tattoos on his neck and arms.  Apparently the guy had used to be a tattoo-artist before finding his calling here, or so he had said a month ago.

Hugo flushed and lost a bit of his swagger.  "Err... Home ec..." he said lamely, throwing around glares when they all chuckled.  He turned his attention back down to Kelin, the only human in the room.  "So, how bout it Kel?  What you majoring in?  Could easily take a minor in Physical Education if we can talk you into joining."

Leaning back in his chair, Kelin looked up at the ceiling and sipped at his coffee.  The lounge had an excellent machine.  "Music, and a minor in Video Editing."  He blinked at the silence and glanced back at their surprised faces.  "What?  You've probably all failed to not see me with my headphones on when I'm not on the treadmills or bells."

"You play?" Rey asked.

"Yeah.  Some.  I more put together musical styles to see what sounds good."

"Play what?" prompted Hugo interestedly.

"Oh," Kelin laughed and leaned back forwards.  "Guitar, mostly Bass.  I did some flute in High School, and cello.  Even messed around with drums when I was in Band, and I even used to dance.  Music to me has always been so important and I tried to branch out.  Kind of like using different machines here.  You get stagnant if all you know is how to operate just one, and your body doesn't thank you for it.  Your mind doesn't either if all you can focus on is a select group of music."

They all looked suitably impressed.  They were like that, it didn't take much to feel incredibly welcome around the people here.  Back home, he had struggled to have anyone make him feel appreciated or liked because of his interests.  "Would you ever play here?" Ophelia asked, eyes sparkling.  "Even if you didn't become a Trainer, a live concert sometime of your music would be amazing.  We could even bring it up with management, make a set night for it, get you paid."  The others all nodded eagerly.

Blinking, he glanced around the room.  Despite that they were Anthros, and thus inhuman, all of his friends here were so supportive and eager to help out.  Hell, only a year or so ago there had been almost all-out war between Humans and Anthros and several violent riots, protests, marches, and demonstrations done on both sides against the Cohabitation Act, or so the media had claimed.  But here they acted as if it was only second nature to be so kind and giving.  Humans were never like that, at least none that he had ever known growing up.  Were all Anthros like this?
    "I mean...I guess I could."  He said, feeling a bit nervous about performing in front of anyone; he hadn't done something like that since high school, and even those had either been in a group for Band, or for a panel of judges during school competitions.  He usually preferred his online performances, where he didn't have to imagine a room full of people judging him for every wrong note.  That was what the comments section was for, and he had learned to not read too deeply into that.  "I'm not that good you know, and it's mostly experimental stuff."

The others all started talking at once, trying to get him to relent, and after a good minute or so of badgering, he finally pulled out his phone and put on a video he had posted.  Immediately he had five or six Anthros crowding around the table, ears perked and tails waving, as they listened to it.  Barely fifteen seconds in and he could already feel someone tapping their foot to the beat.  He could feel his cheeks flushing from the reactions of everyone here, and not to mention how distinctively hotter it got when so many heavily furred bodies pressing in around him.

"I love the beat, little mate!" exclaimed Hugo, nodding along and his horn piercings jingling.

Kelin didn't have time to respond, as the door to the lounge opened rather quickly and another male voice, dark and commanding, said, "Hey, Hugo?  We need you. Had another Trainer have to drop a client."

The room turned to look at the door, a  serious-faced, masculine Wolf standing there with a clipboard.  Kelin paused his video, feeling sheepish, but Dalton, one of the managers, didn't even blink to see a customer here in the Trainer's lounge.  Hugo sat up straight.  "Shite mate, same one?"

"Yes," Dalton said, looking at his clipboard and sighing.  "That makes three.  The client's handler said that she may be difficult to work with, so I need someone strong enough to get through the remaining exercises, and be on hand if I need help during the therapy.  Your background will hopefully help build some familiarity.  Then I can get to work on assigning someone new."

    The entire room went a little quiet from part confusion, part understanding.  Kelin felt lost, but that wasn't his place.  The Bovine nodded and stood up, rolling his shoulders.  "What all she got left today?"

Dalton glanced at the room, and then handed Hugo the clipboard.  The Bovine took it, whistled, and grimaced.  They shared a look, and then the Bull waved goodbye and walked out with the manager.  They went left, not right, which meant they were going downstairs, to where the more hardcore training equipment, sparring and wrestling rings, and therapy rooms were.  Kelin hadn't gone there often, even with his open access membership it was a bit more dangerous there than other areas of the gym since most of everything there was built for Anthros only.  He couldn't contain his curiosity but he knew that it probably wasn't a good idea to get involved.  He went back to the conversation already buzzing around the room.  Ophelia and Rey were into it already, and of course, despite his just then decision to stay uninvolved, the topic they were discussing put that into question.

"Have you had to work with her yet?" Ophelia asked, her motherly eyes furrowed with worry.

"Nope," he said simply and crossed his tattooed arms.  "Apparently it's a real hard case, she's not responding well to anyone who tries to get her through the therapy, and she refuses to listen to direction for her workouts."

Kelin, feeling awkward, chimed in with a joking tone, asking, "What, is this customer one of those die-hard workoutaholics who run people into the ground?"

The look the other two shared made him feel immediately uncomfortable.  They didn't brush him off, or look like they were ignoring him.  Instead, they looked sad, very sad.  "We...aren't really allowed to talk about it," Ophelia said hesitantly.  "It isn't polite to discuss another client who is in therapy, to say the least, and I don't know the full story.  We get her type every now and then, folks who aren't here to work out just because they want to."

"You mean like...therapy as in physical therapy?"  Kelin probed, leaning forwards a bit.  "From an accident or something?"

Rey sighed.  "We can't really say, Kelin.  I've seen her type a few times, even worked with one, but it's always a hit-or-miss situation.  Either they take the therapy and they get better, or they refuse it and we have to watch someone suffer and we can't help.  Sometimes they even get violent about it...not this one but you know.  PTSD and depression hits people hard, especially here.  We try to give people an avenue to work it out and de-stress..."  The fox shrugged.

Feeling the energy of the room, as it was the topic of conversation at all three tables in the lounge, Kelin nervously asked, "Is...there any way I could help?  Is the person refusing help from just trainers?  Are they military or something?  My whole family was military up through my dad's side.  I even helped my uncle after the treaty was signed, before I moved here I mean."

He figured it would be an immediate dismissal, with them saying, "Sorry, professionals only," or "We can't disclose information to other customers," and he totally understood.  What he didn't expect was for both of them to look at each other, and then another person, behind them, to lean in towards their table.

He was a large, scarred Alligator, slightly portly in the gut but built like a brickhouse.  He made eye contact with both of the other Trainers, and growled out, "It might not be the worst idea.  I know one of the guys who worked with her; she apparently hates psych evals and doesn't respond well to people who analyze her file or whatever.  She's here to recover from some injury, and my friend suspects a good deal of trauma.  Maybe another customer who is just being friendly and supportive could break her out of that ice-cold shell."

They all nodded, and Ophelia stood up from her chair.  "I'm going to go talk to Management.  Kelin, wait here.  If you're serious that is."   When he nodded, albeit a little nervously, she hurried off out of the room.

He glanced over at Rey, who he caught humming the song they had just been listening to.  "Do you really think they're going to say that it's ok?" he asked, worried.  "I'm not a trained professional like you guys.  I don't know how to really deal with or coach someone in this kind of situation."

The fox looked him straight in the eyes and waved his long, white-tipped tail.  His ears did a number of small twitches, and he furrowed one brow.  "Do you want to help, or not?  That's the big question."

Gulping despite himself, Kelin nodded.  His blue eyes were locked onto the vulpine yellow ones staring down at him.

"Then that's all you need," he said, voice growing gentler, as if realizing he was turning on the aggression unnecessarily.  "Lots of people want to help but they can't commit to it.  They see it as an effort to be there for someone who really needs it but can't ask for themselves.  Sure, maybe that isn't what you signed up to the Gym for, but you fit right in with the rest of us.  And it's in our better natures to do what we do.  Sure we get paid, but I came here to better myself after I got out of prison, and the only way to do that was by helping others.  I realized that there were a lot of people trying to make themselves healthier and to work on their own personal problems.  If I could help them do that, then my life wasn't wasted like how I used to believe it was."

"Nobody is going to expect you to work miracles," the alligator said from behind Kelin.  He turned to look up at the reptillian's eyes.  "And maybe it won't work, but the fact that you tried says something."

"Might also help get you that job, if you do want it," Rey said, grinning.

Kelin thought about it, and from what they were saying, he liked the idea.  All he had to do was try, be friendly, supportive, and maybe he might even make another friend.  A job here, surrounded by so much positivity, would be a dream, and this was in fact his favorite place to be.

The door swung open, and Ophelia stood there.  She wasn't so much smiling, she looked genuinely nervous, but she was also confident in her stance, holding a clipboard and beckoning to Kelin to follow her.  He stood to do so, tucking away his phone and disposing of his coffee cup in the trash.  "Management says that so long as you're not trying to take over her therapy, it isn't against the rules, and given the circumstances it would be a major help."

"Well then, what can you tell me?" he asked as they made their way down the left hand hallway towards the stairs.

She sighed.  "Not much of anything, legally.  I can't even tell you her name, but I can tell you that you'll know her when you see her.  This has to entirely be a person to person thing.  You are under no obligation to follow through, and if you feel in danger, all you have to do is walk away."  She talked so quickly and seriously that Kelin felt for a second a little scared.  What was he getting into?  He shook off those thoughts, he wasn't here to be selfish, his friends needed help and someone was genuinely in need.  If he wanted to truly prove that the way this Gym treated people, so openly and with genuine care and friendship, was important to him, morally this was maybe the best way.

"I'll do my best," he said, equally serious.  "Thanks for letting me do this."

"Don't thank me yet, honestly we should be thanking you.  I read her file and I do think this is the best option.  You're good at picking up girls right?"

At that, he balked, looking down at the otter.  "I wasn't aware I was trying to get a date with someone who is in therapy.  Doesn't that seem...?"

She laughed gently.  "I don't expect you to try hitting on her, but just be yourself.  You're an incredibly sweet guy, funny, and easily likable.  You just have to show her that, and I feel that she will open up to you.  If I wasn't married, I would've considered taking a pass at you when you joined.  Just get to know her, be a friend if she lets you, and above all be safe.  She's...been through a lot."

The human blushed hard at her comment, and he smiled shyly down at her before chuckling.  "Thanks, that does help, I think."  The double doors to the work-out room came into view at the base of the stairs and he pushed them open firmly.

While the upstairs was mainly dedicated to the upbeat, positive attitude and music, with workout machines meant for varied cardiovascular and muscle building exercises, the bottom floor was vastly different.  A more serious air hung around them, with padded matts stacked everywhere along the walls and across the majority of the floor.  Anthros of all sizes but almost predominantly of impressive bulk were here, grappling, sparring with gloves or on dummies, or swinging through ropes.  It was also much louder, full of the smack of padded gloves and bodies on thick grappling matts, grunts and growls, and the heavy drum of constant motion. There was barely any music, and that only audible as some heavy metal blasting from speakers in the ceiling.  Reinforced doors with glass panels set into them separated the main room, dominated in the back corner by a huge boxing ring, from other various areas that he couldn't see from here.

They started walking, Kelin out of a natural instinct sticking close to Ophelia, who naturally was able to navigate the packed masses of Anthros.  They all nodded to her if they weren't too busy, but they eyed him oddly, not disrespectfully, but as if questioning what a Human would be doing down here.  In the far back right of the room, the solid thud and grunt came from a small group of people, maybe three or four, gathered around a punching bag.  There was Dalton, the wolf, talking to another employee wearing a polo, probably one of the psychiatrists, and another Canine man in faded green fatigues.   Hugo was there as well, holding the bag sturdy with his large arms, but his head was encased in a padded helmet and so were his hands.  He rocked back onto his heels from another impact to the gigantic sandbag he was holding onto, and he let out a grunt that said that all the wind had been knocked out of him.  And Kelin wasn't surprised why.

Ophelia had said he would notice the person they had been discussing immediately, and notice he did.  Towering above most everyone in the general area, and wearing ripped grey workout shorts and an open-sided sleeveless shirt bearing the ARMY logo over a black sports bra, the fighter snarled and launched another furious punch to the bag, her both upper and lower paws wrapped in fighting tape rather than using gloves.  The bag jumped backwards as if hit by a truck, the Bovine on the other side lurching backwards yet again and barely getting his feet back underneath him before the next blow was incoming.

***Art by Jack-Rip!***

She was an Ursid, a powerfully-muscled Bear with snowy white fur that looked as thick as a rug yet soft and fluffy, a shiny black nose and distinctive black tips to her short rounded ears.  Unlike the bulky or mismatched builds of most the people here, she was more akin to a chiseled statue of physical power, with not an ounce of muscle wasted in the wrong place.  Long almost literally silver hair, more akin to a lion's mane, hung around her face, scarred ears twitching, and a cold, implacable expression upon her muzzle and hollow, amber eyes, as if carved into stone.

Even from here, Kelin felt the raw, animalistic Fury that was characteristic of Anthros emanating off of her like a shroud in the air.  What surprised him even more was that, wrapped around a trim and perfectly toned abdomen was a heavy layer of medical tape and gauze, almost blending into her fur but given away by the lack of the otherwise bushy look the rest of her had.

Her clothes stretched across her impressively, the red shorts clinging to her trunk-like yet limbre legs so tightly that he could see the muscles flex with every motion, tight cords traveling up and down her long legs, to her thick paws, and up to her perfectly sculpted and round posterior, above which twitched an almost uncharacteristic fluffy white tail.  Her shirt was the most impressive part, the sports bra underneath stretched to its utmost and looking as if it was having to constrict the beasts within rather than just holding them in place, perhaps even a size smaller than otherwise she might have worn.  Her arms looked thicker around than his thighs, and her broad shoulders spoke of strength that was forged into shape like steel.  But despite her immensely beautiful and bountiful assets, it was those eyes that kept drawing him, even as he and Ophelia stood a good distance away, watching.  They were cold, empty, and despite the frustration and anger in her jawline, they seemed as if disconnected with where she was.  Wherever she really was, it was far away, and nowhere pleasant.

Above the tumult and cacophony of the sparring room, he could hear the military-fatigue wearing Canine barking out something like, "Come on, hustle into it, hustle into it!" to which she responded with a furious salvo of blows that made Kelin go pale.  He distinctly felt bad for Hugo who was hard pressed to not take those hits even through the several hundred pound bag he was shielding himself with.  She bounced on her foot paws lightly, but seemed to be favoring one of them.  Another set of bandages was wrapped around one thigh, underneath the shorts and just barely visible, and as she threw a wild round-house clothesline punch, he saw yet another across her shoulder on the side not facing him.  Dog tags bounced across her chest violently, the bright silver metal catching the light grimly.

He had a sudden and very good idea why this woman was so hard to work with.  Hugo was bearing the brunt of her training, and while the man handling her seemed to know what he was doing, he obviously wasn't training her.  She barely seemed to heed him, and that only barely above anything else the other two Gym employees told her.  Another savage punch came a second later, followed by an abrupt leap and flying kick to the bag that sent Hugo actually staggering back and onto his ass with a grunt.  The reverberation of the blow echoed around the room and activity in a large radius ceased as everyone looked in surprise and shock, more than a few tails stiff and ears perked up in alarm.  The woman had stumbled upon completing the kick, dropping down to her one good leg and hanging onto the sandbag now.  The trainer rushed forwards but then jumped back as she quite literally flashed her fangs at him, black lips curling up to reveal teeth that were as long as Kelins finger at the canines, her short ears swiveling back.

The entire atmosphere of the room changed, air filled with savage growling that reminded Kelin that while Anthros had evolved from animals, they always remained close to their roots.  The Canine was snarling back at her, Aggression high, with his ears folded and crouched down onto his haunches, hackles raised and teeth showing.  He gave two loud barks, making Kelin and several others flinch, but the Bear only rose back up to her full height and loomed above the man.  Her shoulders dropped and her arms hung straight in front of her, neck held forwards and abruptly everyone took a step backwards, as if expecting violence to erupt.  Kelin could see the raw Fury building between the two for a tense few seconds, before, all of a sudden, it faded.  The hot, blood-like scent faded from the air and the Bear's shoulders shuddered.  Her head dropped to her collarbone and she leaned back against the punching bag as if suddenly exhausted.

Taking the queue, the Canine moved forwards slowly and offered her a paw to stand back up.  She shook her head, not meeting his gaze, and instead looked around the room.  Her eyes had returned their gold, glowing intensity, and she swept her gaze across the room intimidatingly, as if challenging the onlookers.  More than a few purposefully turned away and walked towards another area of the gym.  The rest all averted their gaze and returned to what they had been doing.  And then her eyes met his.

Even that far away, the ice-like sharpness of her gaze was like a dagger held in front of his face, his skin going a little cold and the short hairs on the back of his neck standing up a bit more than usual.  He looked away hurriedly, not wanting her to think he was rude, but a cold weight had settled into the pit of his stomach.  There was something deep and painful behind that intimidating gaze, the intimidation a ruse to scare others away.  He felt very small, and very unhelpful at that moment.

A soft touch on his arm turned his gaze back down to Ophelia, who was looking up at him with a warm, motherly smile that did make him smile a little bit.  She nodded.  "I think you know what you're dealing with now.  Just be gentle, with her, and yourself okay?"

He nodded and watched the small Otter woman walk back towards the doors.  Anthros who were in her way politely moved to the side, and just like that he was abruptly alone, a single Human in a room full of huge Anthros.  He rolled his shoulders and glanced around, spotting a smaller unit that was free nearby and sitting down.  Adjusting the weight to something that was tolerable, he started slowly lifting his legs against the bar, muscles tight, before he felt it rising and falling at his direction.  He nodded, and then focused his attention outwards, straining to listen to the conversation that was going on conveniently nearby.  He wasn't technically eavesdropping...