“Hey Buddy” by Dirt Coyote (read by Kergiby)

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You’re listening to The Voice of Dog.

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Today’s story is

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“Hey Buddy” by Dirt Coyote, who,

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when he’s not causing all sorts of trouble on twitter, is writing a novel,

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a novella, and short furry fiction.

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Find his writings as DirtCoyote on sofurry

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and follow him on Twitter for future updates.

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Today’s story will be read for you by Kergiby,

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a full-time panther.

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“Hey Buddy”

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by Dirt Coyote Sacha rolled cold eggs around his plate,

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twiddling his fork between his fingers.

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The metal scratched about, irritating the two other wolves at the table.

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Dad pretended not to hear it,

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scrolling through his phone

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and twitching with every scrape.

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Mom, however, was not having it.

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Her utensils clattered against the granite tabletop

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and she coughed. "You know,

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I'd sure like to meet Calvin this weekend.

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He sounds lovely.

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lovely." Subtle. It'd been a month.

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Not since Sacha'd come out.

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That happened years ago and all

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discussions about that

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were long since distant hazy memories.

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It'd been a month since he told his parents about

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Calvin, the charming dalmatian he started dating.

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Sacha let his fork go,

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pulling out his phone without taking his eyes off Mom.

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"I can text him. He gets straight A’s so I'm sure his parents wouldn’t mind.

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Maybe tonight, if I send it right now.”

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Her tongue clicked in her cheek,

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but he knew she'd do that.

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Something in his teenage hormones told him

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he had to make everything difficult,

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especially if he knew it would make everything difficult.

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The two’s stares bore into each other,

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an argument boiling up to the surface underneath the silence.

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A hard crack of ceramic wheels rolling over the driveway's cement slabs rang hard.

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It was enough to distract them,

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all six lupine ears

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flashing upwards

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to listen for an impending fall.

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It never came and they relaxed.

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Mom was first to speak.

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"I think you know that's not what I'm saying," she said,

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claws rapping at the table.

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"Why can't Calvin just come over?”

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Leaning in and lowering his voice,

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Sacha continued,

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“I don't see why I have to talk to Reggie first.

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first." His little brother wouldn't be able to hear him from outside.

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Not while practicing ollies on his skateboard,

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but Sacha didn't like talking about him behind his back.

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Mom dropped her voice similarly.

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"I want him to understand.

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We don't like springing any surprises on him.

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him." Dad followed up, a chuckle in his voice,

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"Boy nearly had a heart attack when we served salmon instead of hot dogs that one night.

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night." Both Sacha and Mom glowered,

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his sense of humor not welcome.

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He rolled his eyes

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and put himself back into his phone.

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Sacha's fingers went up to his temple,

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rubbing a patch of white fur that circled his eye.

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"Why don’t you two talk with him?

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You’re the adults.”

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Her brow furrowed,

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the argument rehashed for so long

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it could walk on two feet.

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“He’ll have questions.

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Questions I won’t know the answer to.

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And, no offense hunny,

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but do you really want

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your father to talk to him about this?”

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Dad shrugged and mock frowned,

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accepting the out like the joker he was.

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It wasn’t that simple.

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Dad pulled Sacha aside once and said they’d talk to Reggie if he really couldn’t,

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but he had to at least try.

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He had to genuinely

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try and help his little brother understand his sexuality

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before his father might intervene.

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Not before then. Sacha pushed his plate away

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like his responsibilities were on top.

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“What do you want me to say?

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I date dudes? Just tell him

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I’m gay like he doesn’t already think that word means stupid

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or bad?” Mom’s ears ducked,

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but she pushed forward anyways,

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“If he thinks that then

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you can correct him on it.

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He’ll listen to you.”

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Frustration growled out from Sacha’s throat

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and graveled his words as he spoke,

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“What if he doesn’t?

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What if he freaks out or something?”

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Dad squinted, a warning to keep those growls in check.

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Mom rubbed a paw through her headfur,

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just as annoyed as Sacha.

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“That’s why you need to talk to him

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first.” It’d become circular, this argument.

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Sacha’s paws came down hard on the table.

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“You guys don’t understand!”

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He winced, embarrassed at what he’d just done.

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There was a ninety percent chance he was grounded,

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no matter what he’d do.

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Neither Mom nor Dad spoke,

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their faces frozen in shock.

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Seeing their expressions hurt him,

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almost physically,

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and he had to be honest with them.

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“I’m sorry. I wanted to tell him.

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I really did. I just don’t want him to hate me,”

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Sacha said, voice quivering.

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Cause, oh god, he really did try.

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The weekend prior,

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he’d sat down in the driveway with Reggie.

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He was ready to tell him everything

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and it just got stuck in his chest.

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All the words he’d meant to say,

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and all he could do

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was teach his little brother to do an ollie.

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Mom rose and Sacha’s head went down.

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He closed his eyes, ready for the scolding of a lifetime.

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Arms draped over his shoulders, whiskers brushing against his own as she hugged him from behind.

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Her cheek was warm,

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his tear soaking into the fur on her muzzle.

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“He’d never hate you,”

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she said softly. “I know that, cause we love you too much to ever.

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Him especially.” Sacha let out a sigh of relief,

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her affection enough to pull off some of his worries.

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When he opened his eyes,

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Dad was smiling.

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His eyebrows flicked up in a sorta,

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“She’s right, you know?”

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but at least he didn’t say it.

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The front door opened,

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skateboard collapsing onto the hardwood floors of the foyer.

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Mom would give Reggie shit for that, but for now,

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she released the hug and sat back in her seat.

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Sacha nodded to both of them,

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took a deep breath,

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and walked into the living room.

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Reggie was on the couch,

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flicking through channels on the TV.

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Two bluish-grey ears poked out of the helmet he’d not yet taken off.

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A white spot of fur circled his eye same as Sacha’s.

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He was so focused on screen, he barely registered his older brother sitting down next to him.

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“Hey, buddy.” Reggie turned,

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eyes and smile lit bright.

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Sacha knew in that look,

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everything was going to be alright.

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This was “Hey Buddy”

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by Dirt Coyote, read for you by Kergiby,

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a full-time panther, who also hosts the Star Wars Rebels podcast

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"Rebel Heir" - that's heir with an h -

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alongside your faithful fireside companion.

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You can find more stories on the web at thevoice.dog, or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.

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And if you have a story you think would be a good fit,

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please reach out to @khakidoggy pineapple @khakidoggy

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on twitter or telegram.

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Thank you for listening

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to The Voice of Dog.