High School Days Ch 29 Scene 5: Alan's Night Out

Scene #2 for July, 2017

Universe: High School Days

Tags: Rat, Hyena, Raccoon

1,266 words

High School Days Ch 29 Scene 5: Alan's Night Out

Illustration by AJ-thecanaanfox

***

Alan had never been this far backstage at Mystic before, even though he’d played at the club before. The club hosted open mic nights on Wednesday, and Alan and his friends from band class often tried to impress the crowd of fellow students, hippies, and punks who hung out at the club during the week. They’d even had some moderate success, but they’d never been noticed by anyone important. Important people in the music industry only came to Mystic Brew on the weekends.

On open mic nights, he’d made it as far back as the green room just off the stage, but never into the maze of hallways, dressing rooms, kitchens, technical closets, and back offices that made up the real back stage area of the club. So the rat followed close behind JD, who made his way confidently through the halls, until they were in the wings just behind the back curtains of the stage, looking out onto Mystic’s stage itself and the crowd of people beyond.

On stage, Shane was singing along with a ram guitarist and a fox drummer, neither of whom Alan recognized. Both of the potentials were playing their hearts out, heads banging the hard beats of the song. The fox’s long hair flying so much he could hardly see their face.

Alan felt a little tingle run up his tail as he looked at the ram that was playing guitar. He was another bass player, and he was wailing on the strings like his life depended on it. Who was this guy? He had some real talent, that’s for sure. Could Alan impress the Dogs who were watching out in that shadowy crowd enough to beat him?

And there were definitely guys from the band here tonight; Alan could see them out in the crowd. The usual mid-week crowd of students and hippies had been replaced with a much smaller collection of goths and hard edged looking rap fans, the kind of folks who normally only came to Brew on the weekends.

Several tables had been set up in the middle of the pit, around which a gaggle of music industry types sat, including several of the Diamond Dogs. Front and center, his eyes locked on the stage watching the fox on drums now was Twist, the dingo who played drums for half of the Diamond Dogs label. The dingo’s paws were twitching, like he was mimicking the fox as they played on stage. Beside the dingo was Killer, the massive bulldog who played bass guitar for the band.

Alan knew that those two were the music snobs of the Dogs, the two who tweaked and engineered their songs until the music was exactly what they wanted it to be. Both canines were paying rapt attention as Shane sang, their ears perked and eyes focused.

Alan’s ears were perked too, at first, but the longer he watched the ram play the more they drooped. The guy looked like he was only a couple years older than the rat was, but he moved with so much passion, and he was playing Alan’s song with real skill. His white wool was cut close to his body, and his open vest showed off tattoos along his arms and across his chest. He had the stringy, taught muscles of someone who never worked out, but also never ate anything. His jeans were torn and he rocked out as if only the music mattered, even ignoring Shane when the raccoon tried to engage with him during the song, the ram’s horns flashing as he jumped and banged his head in time with the beat, playing Alan’s song perfectly. The rat knew it too, he’d composed this damn song after all, and despite how much practice he had with it, Alan wasn’t sure that he could beat the ram’s skill.

A paw touched Alan’s lower back, and he jumped a little, looking up at JD, eyes wide as he glanced out at the crowd.

“You look worried,” the big hyena said calmly, holding out a bass guitar to the rat.

Alan took it hesitantly, eyes lingering on the head banging ram. “He’s good.”

“Yah, Rixan is good. He’s been bouncing around the rap scene for a year now, trying to break into the Dogs or latch onto any band who will take him. But he doesn’t click with anybody. He’s got no stage presence.”

Alan swallowed as the ram went into the guitar solo that ended the song, the notes perfect as Shane belted out the final chorus. “JD, I don’t think-“

“Don’t,” the hyena said firmly, shoving the guitar into the rat’s paws. “Not another word, right? This is your song, you can own it. Tune this thing how you want in between songs, and get a feel for the strings back here.” The big hyena gestured behind them, towards the door to the green room where Alan had practiced in the past, when going on stage had just been a game and not something real. “When we finish the next song, come out, jack into the sound system, and prove why you deserve this.”

The rat looked down, mouth opening to object, when the hyena’s paw caught his chin, forcing him to look up. JD’s muzzle pressed to Alan’s for a third time, and this time he took the kiss deep right away, forcing his tongue into the rat’s mouth when he opened it in startle squeak. “And don’t you dare try and tell me you don’t deserve this.” The hyena growled at him, and for a moment, he and Alan stared each other in the eyes.

The rat was angry as being pushed into this so fast, at being kissed again without being asked. Alan was pissed about everything that had happened in the last few weeks. Everything about his life was moving too fast, forcing him to do too much and face too many things…

Alan realized with a start that he wasn’t mad at the big hyena, not about the kiss… if they were back in Shane’s kitchen, he would have kissed the hyena eagerly. He was mad that he’d done it practically on stage this time, where the Dogs could have seen it happen and screwed up the band’s chances at landing a record.

And this was his band, damn it! those were his songs Shane was singing! He would damn well prove it too; he had practiced with Shane and JD. Okay, it had only been a few times, but fuck it! He could do this!

All the anger and arousal Alan felt churning inside him turned into determination to prove himself as the hyena left him there, stalking out on stage to cheers and wolf whistles from the crowd. JD and Shane bumped fists, the raccoon’s rainbow tail swishing as the hyena cut across the stage, motorcycle leathers gleaming in the spot lights.

The hyena shook out his mane, taking his seat at the keyboard and turning off the prerecorded tracks and starting the next song. The drummer fox was taking a break, head down and long hair draped across their face, but the ram was glaring at the hyena as if JD had somehow offended him.

Shane meanwhile turned towards the stage side, eyes searching the shadows until he saw Alan, and then flashed the rat a huge grin as JD worked his way through the opening.

Alan gripped the guitar he’d been given tighter, nodded once at the raccoon, and went to tune the thing, properly damn it, until it was his turn to prove himself.

***

So, the ram is a new character, but the fox is someone we've seen before... anybody want to make a guess who?