This story is a long time coming. I ended up redoing it a couple of times, and I'm very happy with how it came out. This is finaly my part in a trade I did with my good friend.  XxUmbraChanxX, and I had gotten her part of it a long time ago. I feel bad that is has taken so long, and if she is wanting something more, I'm willing to do what I can to make it up to her. ^^

Story and Shaiyla: Me
Umbra:
Cyfan:

Drel species is to  Divashi. She is the creator and owner of the species. Do not try to steal or recreat them, and they are closed, so don't ask.



Best Friends Forever


Sitting alone, looking down and depressed, Umbra heaves a big sigh. She pulls her feet up onto the park bench she is sitting at, hugging her knees to her as she tries not to cry. Kids play in the background as she wraps her tail about her. Soon, tears start to stream down her cheeks as she cries silently to herself.
She hides her head in her arms and between her knees. She is startled by a sudden tapping to her shoulder. Her head shoots up as a kind voice says, “Are you ok?” Looking about, she soon finds the source of the voice. Standing over her is a large tiger looking creature, only he has wing and horns. She blinks up at him, not sure she had heard him right or not.
He again speaks. “Are you ok? You look like you have been crying. I hate to see anyone so sad. Especially someone as pretty as yourself.” The strange man gives her a smile and chuckles a bit, almost as if he were nervous. He stays standing there, waiting for some response.
She looks up at him, tears running down her cheeks. She gives a sniffle and shakes her head. Many people have passed her by, so she is surprised to have had someone stop and actually talk to her. “No, I’m not ok. And before you ask, no, I don’t want to talk about it.” She buries her head back down into her knees and continues to cry.
“Now, I can’t just leave you here crying. It goes against who I am to do something like that. Will you please talk to me?” He sits down next to her and puts an arm about her, giving her a hug. “I’m not leaving till I at least get you to smile.”
Taking a deep breath, she lifts her head once more. She gives the man a small smile and sighs deeply. “You really aren’t going to leave?” She closes her eyes when she watches him shake his head yes. “Ok. I will tell you. Will you leave me alone then?” He nods his head again and she turns to face him on the bench.
Taking a deep sigh, she starts in on her story. “I just got in a huge fight with my best friend, and we may not be friends again. My aunt just passed away earlier this week. And to top all that off, I was just fired from my job. This has been one hell of a week for me, and things just keep getting worse.”
She is soon in the strange man’s arms, crying her heart out. She doesn’t even notice it when he wraps his large wings about her in an attempt to calm her down. “Oh wow. That is a lot to have to go through. Is there any way that I could help to make this a better week for you? Or at least a better day?” He gives her a very sincere look as he pets along her back.
Looking up at him, she sniffles and just shrugs. “I don’t know. I just feel like I want to give up on everything. I want to curl up into a little ball and forget everything and have everyone forget me.” She sighs deeply and lays her head down on his shoulder.
He hooks his finger under her chin and lifts her head up. “Now that wouldn’t be a good thing at all. I’m sure that many people would miss you greatly if that were to happen. I only just met you, and I know I would be sad if you just gave up.” He gives her a winning smile and extends out his large hand. “I’m Cyfan by the way.” He keeps right on smiling away at her, giving a little wink.
She tries to turn her head to the side, but can’t as he holds it tightly. She then takes his hand and gives it a shake. “I’m Umbra. I guess it is nice to meet you, Cyfan.” She lets her hand fall back into her lap when it is released and she hangs her head once more.
Cyfan gives a rumble of a laugh. “Now that is a nice name. It is a great pleasure to meet you Umbra. Now, about getting a smile on that lovely face of yours.” He thinks about it for a moment. “How about you come with me back to my place for a nice, hot, home cooked meal? My mate makes some of the best food in the world!” He stands and offers a hand down to her, smiling and hoping that she will accept.
Umbra looks up at him and almost without thinking, takes his hand and stands up to go with him. She follows him as he walks down the path and to the street and they walk a few blocks to a rather nice looking place. She stops and looks up at it, getting kind of worried now. “You have a mate?” She glances at Cyfan as he nods his head and starts up the few stairs to the front door. “Yup, and she will just love you.” He opens the door for her and waits for her to step in.
When the door gets opened, she can smell the wonderful smells of food wafting out from within, and a voice calls out. “Cyfan, is that you sweetie? Dinner is almost done so you better get in here fast!” She then slowly walks into the house, looking all about her, taking in her surroundings as Cyfan follows her in and closes the door behind him. She gives a little jump, feeling a bit trapped now.
“Yes, dear, it’s me. And a brought a friend with me, so I hope that there is plenty to eat!” He leads her into a nice little dining room and shows her to a seat where there is already a place set before watching him head into the kitchen area. Her ears twitch as she tries to understand the muffled voices from the other room. She runs her tail through her hands nervously till Cyfan comes back in the room with another place setting and sets it up across the table from her. “I hope you like chicken, because that is what we are having tonight.”
Nodding her head, she sits and fiddles with her tail and looks about herself as she waits for dinner to be done. Her head tilts to the side as she sometimes sees small flashes of a blue tail tip. Her curiosity abounds, knowing that there are not many out there with such outlandish colors to their fur. She makes small talk with Cyfan while his mate finishes up in the kitchen before he heads in to help bring everything out.
She sits nervously, thinking that this other woman doesn’t want her there since she has not once come out to see who she was, or at least to say hi. She gives Cyfan a smile as he walks back in with a salad and some wonderful smelling rolls. “Oh my! That smells so wonderful. I can’t wait to see what the main course is like.” She fidgets with her tail and looks up as a beautiful woman walks out of the kitchen with a platter of a beautifully roasted chicken. Her eyes never leave the woman though as her jaw drops.
There was no mistaking that unique look. They are a rare species, so when you know one, they kinds stick in your mind. “Shaiyla? Is that really you?” She takes in the woman’s full body, still very muchly so in shock. But there are the blue leopard spots, the fins with deadly barbs, and not to mention those big ol’ ears. It was like stepping back in time for Umbra.
Upon looking up from setting down the chicken, the other woman gets the same look on her face. “Oh my gosh! Umbra!?! Wow, I haven’t seen you in years!” Umbra gives a smile as she watches her old friend look between the two on the room. “How did you two meet? I didn’t know you guys knew each other.”
Cyfan then steps in and shakes his head. “Wait a moment. You two know each other?” He looks at his mate and gives her a playful push. “And why haven’t you brought her around before?” He gives a sheepish grin and lowers his head a bit. “We actually just met. She was over at the park crying, and I figured a good home cooked meal could do her some good, so I invited her back here.”
Both ladies giggle and Shaiyla walks over and gives her old friend a hug. “It really has been too long sweety. It’s been, what, three years now? How have you been?” She ignores her mate’s question and sits and smiles at the wolfess. “It really is a wonderful surprise to get to see you.”
Umbra smiles and giggles. “I do think it has been that long Hun. I have been doing pretty good. Just the last week has been rough on me.” She gives another giggle and lightly lays her hand on the drel’s hand. “I definitely agree that this is a wonderful surprise. I really have missed you.” She smiles at Cyfan, so as not to make him feel left out of it all. “We used to be the best of friends before I had to move away for school.”
Grinning and nodding, Cyfan picks up a serving fork and knife. “So this turned out perfect for everyone then. I’m so happy to hear that. Now you two can talk and catch up with each other while we all eat. I’m starving, and all of this smells really good.” He cuts into the chicken and starts to serve everyone their dinner.
Umbra and Shaiyla talk almost constantly all during dinner. Cyfan just sits back and watches them, smiling at how the women talk and eat, managing not to make any mess at all. Tails flick and swish about as the ladies laugh as they recount things that happened to them in bygone years. They don’t even notice when Cyfan brings in a lovely looking cake and serves them each a slice.
Interrupting them, Cyfan nods towards the living room. “It has to be more comfortable in there than sitting in here in these uncomfortable seats.” He smiles at both of them and gets up and pulls the chairs out for both of them, leading both of them off into the living room. Umbra sits herself down on one side of the large couch while Cyfan and Shaiyla snuggle up with each other on the other side.
“Let’s see, where were we? Oh yes, we were just getting up to this last year, weren’t we?” Umbra smiles as she thinks over the events of the last year of her life. “Well, about 11 months ago, I met my mate. We fell in love almost instantly and have been very happy together ever since.” She smiles as she thinks back to the day.
“It was a beautiful day, not too much unlike today. I had been sitting at a coffee shop by myself, doing nothing at all but watching the couples around me. Tatchi walked in, and it was love at first sight. I knew then that I had fallen in love, and that I couldn’t let him get away. So, I introduced myself to him, and we talked all afternoon. We went on several dates before he asked me to be his mate. That was the best day of my life.” She smiles at the couple cuddled up with each other. “I would love to get to hear how you guys met each other.”
Cyfan grins at this question. “Now that is an interesting story. And since you and Shaiyla have been doing so much of the talking, I think I will tell this story.” He smiles at both ladies and gets himself into a story telling mode as they both giggle at him.
“Let’s see, where to start on this.” He thinks about it for a moment and then grins. “Well, it started with my ex becoming a manager at a bar, and wanted to hire the both of us to work for her. I didn’t know Shaiyla at that time, but we had both been friends with the same lady for years. How we never met before I will never know.
“Well, the job fell through for us, but we got to be friends. I was told she was a flirt, but I never thought she would be such a flirt!” He gives Shaiyla a loving look as he says this, showing he really hadn’t minded at all. “We talked all the time and got to be much better friends. I was staying with a friend, and Shaiyla had come to visit them for the weekend, and the only place she had to sleep was in my room.
“All the first day she was there, she flirted and teased so much, and that night I was really freaking horny. I was on the outs with my then girlfriend, so I decided to have myself a little bit of fun. We ended up having fun several times that weekend.” He grins big and chuckles. “I think we both fell in love that weekend.
“My ex kept treating me like crap, and I had so many people telling me that I needed to dump her and get with Shaiyla. So after about a month, that is exactly what I did. And I have been happy ever since that day.” He gives Shaiyla a loving kiss and she purrs at his sweetness. “I definitely agree.”
Umbra smiles and gives a little giggle. “Now, that is an interesting way to get together with someone.” She gives Shaiyla a wink. “You always did end up getting your way, didn’t you?” Shaiyla just winks back and nods.
Suddenly, Umbra’s phone goes off, and everyone jumps. She pulls out her phone and checks her messages. “It’s Tatchi, he is worried about me. It has gotten surprisingly late. I really should be getting home.” She reluctantly gets up and sighs. “I have just been having so much fun with you guys, I don’t really want to leave.”
Shaiyla gets up herself and hugs Umbra tightly. “Well, you know where I live now, and we can exchange numbers so we can still talk to each other.” They quickly exchange numbers and hug each other once more. Shaiyla walks Umbra to the door and smiles as Umbra walks out. “I really am looking forward to getting to know you again.”



The End