full
Excerpt from “Lost Inside the Blue Line” by Harry A. Wozzeck
Avery navigates both his group dynamics and his own demons on the set of Scavenger Hunters in this excerpt from Lost Inside the Blue Line.
Today’s story is an excerpt from “Lost Inside the Blue Line” by Harry A. Wozzeck, otherwise known to the Voice of Dog as Herr Wozzeck. He has self-published today’s excerpted novel: you can find it on Amazon, either in paperback or Kindle formats. You can find other works of his either on his Patreon or his FurAffinity pages.
Read for you by Rob MacWolf — werewolf hitchhiker.
thevoice.dog | Apple podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts
If you have a story you think would be a good fit, you can check out the requirements, fill out the submission template and get in touch with us.
https://thevoice.dog/episode/lost-inside-the-blue-line-by-harry-a-wozzeck
Transcript
You’re listening to The Voice of Dog.
Speaker:This is Rob MacWolf, your fellow traveler,
Speaker:and Today’s story is an excerpt
Speaker:from “Lost Inside the Blue Line”
Speaker:by Harry A. Wozzeck,
Speaker:otherwise known to the Voice of Dog as Herr Wozzeck. He has self-published today’s excerpted novel:
Speaker:you can find it on Amazon, either in paperback or Kindle formats.
Speaker:You can find other works of his either on his Patreon
Speaker:or his FurAffinity pages.
Speaker:Please enjoy “Lost Inside the Blue Line”
Speaker:by Harry A. Wozzeck “Oh,
Speaker:so you want to steer Kyle to your alliance, huh?” “Y
Speaker:-yes. If possible.” Roberta frowned,
Speaker:crossing her arms as she regarded the hawk’s nervous glances to the ground back at the campsite.
Speaker:“Well, I dunno, kiddo.”
Speaker:“About what?” asked Avery.
Speaker:“What your plans are for the merge, once it happens,”
Speaker:said Roberta. “You gotta admit,
Speaker:askin’ us to save someone
Speaker:from Mahamamo for ya is kinda askin’ for an alliance we can’t keep up with once we merge.”
Speaker:“True,” said Clara. “We don’t know what their numbers will look like.
Speaker:like.” DeQuan shrugged. “It’d be good for our numbers if Mahamamo makes it there,”
Speaker:he said. “If it gets to that point and Mahamamo does as poorly as they always have,
Speaker:I don’t think we’ll even need that advantage,”
Speaker:said Roberta. “No offense, Avery,
Speaker:but another number for ya ain’t good for my game.”
Speaker:Avery opened his mouth to speak,
Speaker:but before he could say anything,
Speaker:Lee shuffled toward the fire.
Speaker:“Does it matter?” the Salamander asked,
Speaker:his deep gray eyes glinting in the light.
Speaker:Roberta blinked. “It kinda does,”
Speaker:she said. “With alliances splinterin’, we all know how that’s gonna go.”
Speaker:“Those alliances will splinter that late in the game no matter what you do,”
Speaker:said Lee. “I think it’d make more sense to agree to it in the off-chance that it might help you in the long run.”
Speaker:Roberta frowned, but before the Cougar could say anything, Leah scooched forward.
Speaker:“He has a point,” she said. “We’re
Speaker:only a week into the game as is,
Speaker:and we don’t know what’s going to happen between now and the merge.
Speaker:Sure, maybe it’ll be a bad idea,
Speaker:but unless they pulled a have-not situation on the other tribe like they did in Palau,
Speaker:they can’t keep losing until the merge.”
Speaker:Roberta sighed. “I guess ya bring up a good point.
Speaker:I just wanna be ready for when the game gets cutthroat.”
Speaker:“It hasn’t hit that stage for us just yet,”
Speaker:Lee said. He turned to the hawk slowly.
Speaker:“Avery, I don’t think there’s much we can promise now, but if it gets dire later in the game,
Speaker:I’m down to help.”
Speaker:“Same,” said Leah. She then turned to Rachel.
Speaker:“I bet you’re going along with it too, right,
Speaker:Rachel?” “You bet!” Rachel grinned,
Speaker:gently nudging Mai’s shoulder.
Speaker:“Counting Angela, that means you’re in the minority, Roberta.”
Speaker:Roberta sighed. “I guess ya got a point.”
Speaker:Clara placed a hoof on Roberta’s shoulder and said,
Speaker:“I’ll trust your judgment on this.”
Speaker:She turned back to Avery.
Speaker:“But for now, I think you’ve got my back on that.”
Speaker:“Thank you,” Avery said,
Speaker:bowing his head as he felt a sense of relief flood through his entire being.
Speaker:“I thought you’d all be more…wary
Speaker:of that?” “Again, it’s early in the game,”
Speaker:Lee said. “Things can change.”
Speaker:He then looked directly into the fire.
Speaker:“I think a smart player can look at those changes and adapt.”
Speaker:Roberta nodded, the Cougar’s ears flicking gently.
Speaker:“Yeah, I getcha,” she said.
Speaker:“I hope this ain’t a mistake.
Speaker:mistake.” “Kyle is trustworthy,”
Speaker:Avery said. “I don’t think we’ll be making a mistake.”
Speaker:A silence fell over Manja.
Speaker:Avery glanced around, realizing how oddly comforting it was to have solidarity in a game like Scavenger Hunters.
Speaker:Roberta was right that it was a very cutthroat game,
Speaker:but at that moment, he found himself surrounded by friends,
Speaker:and that was good enough for him. ----**----
Speaker:Avery settled in on his spot in the communal sleeping area.
Speaker:He preferred sleeping closer to the edge of camp.
Speaker:He would often sleep on his side on a much harder surface,
Speaker:and where he slept provided the best view of the stars above.
Speaker:There was something about the stars of Madagascar that were more intense than they were in Montana:
Speaker:it was a beautiful starscape,
Speaker:and Avery took it in that note, serenaded by the snores of the rest of the Manja tribe.
Speaker:It was then he felt a shift behind him,
Speaker:and he looked back to find DeQuan.
Speaker:In the starlight,
Speaker:Avery could just make out his smile.
Speaker:“Sorry. Didn’t know you were that sensitive.
Speaker:sensitive.” DeQuan usually slept closer to the center of the shelter,
Speaker:but on a clear night like what they were witnessing he realized just how strange it was to have DeQuan’s breath dancing on the feathers of the back of his neck
Speaker:right at the edge of the shelter.
Speaker:It was, however, a strangeness he welcomed,
Speaker:and Avery leaned into it subconsciously.
Speaker:“You’re alright.
Speaker:I wasn’t sleeping anyway.”
Speaker:“Right.” DeQuan propped his head on his hand,
Speaker:looking down at the Hawk with that same devilish smile glinting in the starlight.
Speaker:Avery turned slightly towards DeQuan.
Speaker:“Thanks for having my back about Kyle,”
Speaker:Avery whispered. “I appreciate it.”
Speaker:“Hey, anythin’ for an ally.
Speaker:You nervous he’ll make it there?”
Speaker:“A little. I know he’s sometimes…
Speaker:abrasive, and that can lose him allies.
Speaker:I can’t help it, I guess.”
Speaker:He sighed. DeQuan exhaled.
Speaker:“Sounds like ya put a lot of stock in what he thinks,”
Speaker:he said. “Yeah. I went to him about everything.”
Speaker:“Everything?” “Yeah.” Avery leaned his torso back slightly,
Speaker:the back of his shirt just
Speaker:ghosting over DeQuan’s torso.
Speaker:“I’d…rather not get into it if you don’t mind.”
Speaker:“Not in front of the cameras?” DeQuan asked. “No,”
Speaker:said Avery. He realized there weren’t any camera lights around the camp for once.
Speaker:It was a brief respite,
Speaker:although it left Avery wondering
Speaker:how late at night the camera crews were around.
Speaker:“There are…things I don’t want some people to know about me,”
Speaker:the Hawk continued. “Oh?
Speaker:I wonder what they are.”
Speaker:The Hawk and the Pit Bull gazed into each other’s eyes. Avery could have sworn he saw some mischief in the Dog’s eyes,
Speaker:but his instinct was to let it slide.
Speaker:The cameras weren’t there.
Speaker:If there was ever a time to gauge DeQuan…
Speaker:Avery turned his head back to the stars,
Speaker:but he ever so subtly pressed his back
Speaker:against DeQuan’s torso
Speaker:experimentally, seeing how the Pit Bull would react.
Speaker:Avery only felt a light contact of DeQuan’s paws on his hip, but that was all Avery needed.
Speaker:He sighed, adjusting his posture but not pulling away.
Speaker:“Stars are lovely at this time of night.”
Speaker:“Yeah?” asked DeQuan. “Any you know?”
Speaker:“Not really,” said Avery.
Speaker:“Constellations are weird here. I don’t recognize any of them.
Speaker:them.” DeQuan’s pawpads dug gently into Avery’s hips,
Speaker:the fingers just snaking over the curve of his hip.
Speaker:“Sounds about right,”
Speaker:he said. “Sometimes that’s a pitfall of being in an
Speaker:unfamiliar place;
Speaker:things you’re lookin’ for aren’t always there.”
Speaker:His nervous tension rose again, but at the sight of DeQuan’s smile, it faded almost immediately.
Speaker:“But…I guess there’s something nice to be surprised by.” DeQuan chuckled,
Speaker:the sound deep and rumbling.
Speaker:He then shifted his posture, his hand remaining on Avery’s hip.
Speaker:“We should get some sleep,
Speaker:we got immunity to worry about.”
Speaker:“Yeah,” said Avery. He closed
Speaker:his eyes. “G’night, DeQuan.” “G’night.”
Speaker:As Avery drifted off, he smiled,
Speaker:all of his nervous energy going into the game
Speaker:vanishing with each breath
Speaker:as he slowly sank
Speaker:into a deep slumber. ~~~~**~~~~
Speaker:Avery found himself on a farm.
Speaker:The smell of cherries danced in his nostrils,
Speaker:and he could almost feel the way the branches tickled the top of his head.
Speaker:The day was slightly overcast, but there was a strangely comfortable warmth,
Speaker:one that complimented the summer breeze well.
Speaker:“Louise! It’s a lovely day outside!
Speaker:Come out of the shade!”
Speaker:Avery turned to his right,
Speaker:seeing a rather masculinely dressed German Shepherd standing outside of a cabin.
Speaker:Avery didn’t know when the cabin had sprung out of the ground, but there it was,
Speaker:the August sun bearing down on it gently.
Speaker:It was as he looked on that he realized two things:
Speaker:the first was that the German Shepherd looked familiar, like one of
Speaker:his neighbors back in Montana.
Speaker:The second was the identity of the slightly
Speaker:older Sheepdog who sat there,
Speaker:holding her dress down in the wind.
Speaker:“Mrs. Smith!” If they had heard Avery, they didn’t acknowledge him then,
Speaker:with the Sheepdog shaking her head.
Speaker:“It’s too warm outside,”
Speaker:the Sheepdog continued.
Speaker:“It’s perfect.” The German Shepherd then crossed over to the Sheepdog.
Speaker:“Come on, let’s get out there and pick some cherries!” “I guess…” Avery recognized the Sheepdog almost straight away as the other woman that lived with Mrs. Smith.
Speaker:She was also a Mrs. Smith,
Speaker:and as he thought about them, he wondered why they were appearing in his dream.
Speaker:“How dare you!” That was when he heard his father’s voice
Speaker:barrel across the landscape,
Speaker:knocking leaves from the cherry trees.
Speaker:Avery immediately turned around,
Speaker:seeing the visage of his father rushing up to him.
Speaker:Behind him, he could faintly make out the specter of a rather tall Deer
Speaker:which hovered over the older Hawk as he stormed toward Avery.
Speaker:“That is not normal!”
Speaker:His father’s voice rang out in the air.
Speaker:“You know this!” Avery moved toward where Mrs. Smith had stood.
Speaker:“Dad, wait!” Avery shouted.
Speaker:“She’s not doing anything wrong!
Speaker:Right, Mrs.…?” When Avery looked back at the house, it had vanished.
Speaker:The field was barren
Speaker:of all the cherry trees.
Speaker:An ominous shade of orange tinted everything, even his feathers.
Speaker:“I raised you to be a good boy!”
Speaker:Avery’s father continued.
Speaker:“This is not what a good boy does!”
Speaker:Avery squeezed his eyes shut, lifting his arms. “Dad, please!”
Speaker:“It’s a little late for please.” Avery opened his eyes to find everything had changed around him.
Speaker:His father still stood before him,
Speaker:but rather than the specter of the Deer hovering behind him,
Speaker:a Rhino he recognized from his days in art school walked out from behind the avian.
Speaker:“You’re disgusting, you know that?”
Speaker:asked the Rhino. Avery blinked.
Speaker:“J…Johnny…” He shook his head.
Speaker:“Why?” “You know what you did! You know what you’re doing right now!”
Speaker:“Johnny, please! Just let me explain!”
Speaker:“You had your chance, and you
Speaker:blew it!” Suddenly, Avery felt something pull him off his feet,
Speaker:and down he tumbled through nothingness.
Speaker:He sank among a slew of papers with crude ink drawings on them.
Speaker:It wasn’t just crude art in the sense that the lines were messy, either;
Speaker:the suggestive glances each page threw at Avery almost taunted him with what he could never have.
Speaker:“This is where that led!”
Speaker:Johnny’s voice rang out in his head.
Speaker:“You were warned!” Avery looked up.
Speaker:“I’m sorry! I can’t help it!”
Speaker:“Yes, you can!” The Hawk let out a scream as his arms flapped uselessly to avoid crashing into the ground.
Speaker:He tried to slow down, but he fell faster
Speaker:and faster until… ~~~~**~~~~
Speaker:The Hawk opened his eyes
Speaker:blearily. He was back in Madagascar,
Speaker:and the sun was about to rise.
Speaker:The sky behind him was navy blue in contrast to the blackness he faced.
Speaker:The shelter beneath the right side of his body was at once familiar and hard,
Speaker:and Avery wondered if he had just woken up from a dream.
Speaker:He shifted his body and found DeQuan’s arms wrapped around his torso.
Speaker:His eyes darted straight outside the shelter:
Speaker:someone, somewhere,
Speaker:was getting this on camera.
Speaker:That fact alone was enough to disquiet him:
Speaker:he knew how his father would react if they watched it on TV
Speaker:the way he watched other things… ~~~~**~~~~ “Soon enough, they’ll be converting children to their ways!
Speaker:And that, my friends, is why we can’t have this movie coming out in theaters.
Speaker:I’m your host, Bucker Anderson,
Speaker:and this is my show.
Speaker:Thank you for tuning in.”
Speaker:Avery sighed. His room was dark, save for a desk lamp.
Speaker:It was just enough light
Speaker:for him to make out the blue line of the comic page he was sketching out. It was
Speaker:a short assignment for one of his classes, one he had taken home with him over the break, and Avery was thankful
Speaker:for the distraction.
Speaker:Even if Bucker Anderson had ended his hour,
Speaker:Avery knew what came next.
Speaker:“Ya think I should show that to Mrs. Smith?”
Speaker:He shivered as he heard his father’s voice from the kitchen.
Speaker:It was deep and authoritative, and his twang sounded more distinctly from the Carolinas than it did from anywhere near Montana.
Speaker:“Please, James, you know she’d never let us back on the farm if you did,”
Speaker:Avery’s mother said,
Speaker:her voice carrying a musical cadence.
Speaker:“I can’t make my cherry pie without her cherries!”
Speaker:“You can make do.” Avery could visualize the eye roll.
Speaker:“It’s just…he’s not wrong, is he?
Speaker:They make all these things that other people will see, and then
Speaker:boom, suddenly it changes their minds like that.”
Speaker:“It’s not like that,”
Speaker:said Mrs. Fisher. “At least, it can’t be like
Speaker:that. Not so quick, you know?
Speaker:It just doesn’t make sense because I feel like the number of times I’ve seen the Smiths kiss in front of me,
Speaker:I shoulda been a lesbian by now, and yet,
Speaker:here I am.” “W-well…”
Speaker:A silence came over the house.
Speaker:Avery blinked, realizing only then that his drawing hand had stopped sketching the comic page.
Speaker:He didn’t know when he had stopped, but his hand was tense,
Speaker:the tip of the blueline pencil hovering just above the sketch pad.
Speaker:It hung on everything,
Speaker:waiting for the reply.
Speaker:“…I guess you’re right.
Speaker:But it’s too late for you;
Speaker:we gotta worry about other people that might do that.
Speaker:It just…it’s weird,
Speaker:and we can’t have that cropping up anywhere else near here.”
Speaker:Avery felt his arm twitch.
Speaker:He glanced at a drawer in his desk,
Speaker:thinking about the art that lay within.
Speaker:He imagined his father bounding up the steps at that moment
Speaker:and looking for what was in there.
Speaker:After everything that had happened with Johnny, Avery could imagine nothing worse,
Speaker:so he continued to sketch.
Speaker:His strokes became firmer,
Speaker:more rapid, anything to give him something to concentrate on other than his parents’ customary
Speaker:late-night discussions… ~~~~**~~~~
Speaker:Avery and his dad had bonded
Speaker:over Scavenger Hunters together.
Speaker:How would he take to seeing this?
Speaker:He shivered slightly,
Speaker:his feathers flaring as he looked past the edge of the shelter and onto the ground.
Speaker:He thought to get out of there,
Speaker:but truth be told, he didn’t want to disappoint DeQuan either.
Speaker:The Pit Bull had been nothing but kind to him,
Speaker:and he didn’t want a repeat of what happened with Johnny in art school. If DeQuan was going to be this kind to him, he deserved that back.
Speaker:The Hawk’s thoughts raced a mile a minute as he rubbed the back of his head.
Speaker:With their sixth challenge win in a row under their belts, he felt the pressure would be on them to keep going. But whatever happened, he felt they would have it,
Speaker:and he tried to concentrate on that as his
Speaker:heart raced onward,
Speaker:and he tried not to think about the arms wrapped around him… ----**----
Speaker:“Come on in, guys!” At James’ usual declaration, the Manja Tribe sorted into their usual tribal mats.
Speaker:Avery looked at Rachel as she planted their tribe’s standard into the ground,
Speaker:all members of Manja still standing tall.
Speaker:It was then they watched the Mahamamo tribe walk in.
Speaker:James wasted no time,
Speaker:crossing his arms over his excellently ironed shirt as he regarded them.
Speaker:“Manja getting their first look at the new Mahamamo,”
Speaker:the Retriever said. “Mary voted out at Tribal Council last night.”
Speaker:At that moment, Avery felt DeQuan’s elbow press up gently against his forearm.
Speaker:“Ya think they’ll still be able to do the challenge with numbers that low?” DeQuan whispered.
Speaker:“We’ll see.” Then Avery noticed the burlap bag by James’ feet. “It’s
Speaker:been a pretty tough ten days for you, Mahamamo,”
Speaker:the Golden Retriever said.
Speaker:He turned directly to Kyle.
Speaker:“Kyle, how does it feel to lose this much?”
Speaker:Kyle chuckled bitterly, the Anole shaking his head from where he stood at the front row.
Speaker:“It sucks! I just want to win sometime, dammit!”
Speaker:James turned to Roberta.
Speaker:“Roberta, as a leader in Manja Tribe, do you think you’ll have the energy to keep up your challenge successes against Mahamamo Tribe?”
Speaker:Roberta crossed her arms.
Speaker:“We’ve been doin’ well so far, James.
Speaker:And we’ll steamroll over them, ’cause we’re just that strong a team.”
Speaker:James placed his hands on his hips.
Speaker:He regarded both tribes, and then nodded, his tail swishing behind him.
Speaker:“Well, in a game like this,
Speaker:expect the unexpected,”
Speaker:he said. “And today, we have a surprise.”
Speaker:With this, he turned, pulling out a basket with multiple greyish sacks.
Speaker:And as Avery eyed this, he stilled, knowing almost exactly what James would say next:
Speaker:“Everybody, drop your buffs!
Speaker:We’re swapping tribes!” This was Chapter 5 of “Lost Inside the Blue Line”
Speaker:by Harry A. Wozzeck,
Speaker:read for you by Khaki, your faithful fireside companion.
Speaker:You can find more stories on the web at thevoice.dog,
Speaker:or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker:Thank you for listening
Speaker:to The Voice of Dog.
