Modern Kristanna

Chapter 1

"Are you sure you don't want any more furs Mr. Duncan? I have about two more mountain lion pelts." Kristoff held up a large rough fur pelt, the empty head of the animal hanging over a hand.

"I'm sorry Kristoff, I've got enough furs to last me until next spring." An old man shook his head, and he scratched his beard. A young and burly blonde, Kristoff, put a muffled disappointed look on his face, and lowered the furs. He suddenly blinked, and looked back up at the man.

"Do you happen to know anyone who would need furs, I've got tons more, and I could use the money." Kristoff looked at the man in faint desperation, and he sighed, rubbing an eye.

"This town isn't very big Kristoff, it's hard to think of anybody else that could use more of your furs, or, any other products that you've got. I'm sorry, you sold out." Kristoff looked at the ground for a second, and nodded slowly.

"Well, thank you for your business Mr. Duncan." The man held up a hand in a wave, and turned away from Kristoff. Kristoff turned himself to an old truck covered in faded red paint, scratches and dents. He packed an array of different products such as furs, milk, and meats. He raised the back end and slammed it in, having to tie bungee cords across so it stayed in place. He climbed into a dusty drivers seat, and turned the keys. The car whirred rustily to life, and Kristoff began to drive down a dirt road, dust flinging up from behind the black tires. He passed a sign that said, "Go to Denver, Colorado! A good place for the entrepreneur!"

Kristoff scratched his chin and looked back at the piles of unsold products. He grunted, shook his head, and continued down the dirt road.

Kristoff stopped in front of an old house, large enough for maybe him and one other person. He pulled his car key from the ignition, pulled himself from the drivers seat and shut the car door with a metallic clang. He trudged up the steps to the front porch and swung open a white door, it's paint peeling. Once inside, the pitter-patter of large paw steps resounded in his ears. A large animal, a wolf, pounded into the room and pounced on Kristoff, knocking him down and giving him an endless array of kisses. The wolf had a brown head, that faded into dirty grey down his back, and dark brown again to his paws. His big, black, shiny nose flared with excitement as he smelled the young man, all the places he'd been today and all the people he'd met. Kristoff laughed. "This is what I get for not taking you with me, eh Sven?" Sven dragged his paws off Kristoff and plopped onto the floor, lowering his ears and whining. Kristoff lowered his voice and spoke in a goofy tone, what he did often when he spoke what Sven was thinking.

"Why can't I go out with you?" Sven bobbed his head to Kristoff's speech.

"Well," Kristoff returned to his usual voice, "potential costumers don't exactly enjoy a vicious wolf staring at them from the window of a truck."

"You really think I'm vicious?" Sven looked up at Kristoff with big, brown puppy eyes, and lowered his ears again.

"Sven, please, your a wolf, it's a complement."

"Oh, I knew that." Kristoff was about to say something else, when the musty sound of his doorbell rang through the old house, vibrating strings of delicate spiderwebs. "Land Lord?"

"Land Lord," Kristoff growled. He pushed himself up with the heels of his hands and lumbered to the door like a duplicate of the wolf trotting behind him. He fiddled with a lock of the door. CLUNK, the brass lock fell open, and Kristoff swung open the door. It creaked on rusty hinges. In the doorway stood a large, tall, African American man. He wore a dirty white shirt and simple denim jeans ending in surprisingly well shined black boots. He was bald, and smelled like dying pigs. He held out a musty hand, and gestured with it at Kristoff. Kristoff smiled guiltily, and scratched back of his head with his hand, putting the other in a pocket. The mans frown deepened. He returned his hand.

"Two months overdue Christopher, one more month and you lose the house, and the barn." The man retreated and stomped down the porch steps. He crammed himself into an expensive looking blue car and drove off into the trees. Kristoff shook his head, and turned to Sven, who had his head cocked to one side, his ears lopsided. Kristoff squated in front of Sven and scratched behind his ears.

"....... Christopher?"

"I know, it's not that hard to say or pronounce, I mean sure, it's German, but seriously. Kris-toff, Kris-toff."

"I don't mispronounce your name." Kristoff let out a short caterwaul of laughter.

"Sven, I speak for you, of course you can pronounce my name right."

"Oh, well, um, I knew that to." Kristoff shook his head and smiled.

"Come on Sven," he patted his thigh and heaved himself up, "let's go into town, I have to show you something." Kristoff got up from the floor, dusted off his hands, and walked out the open door. He shut it when Sven was beside him. He jumped down the several porch steps and ambled to his old truck. Once he helped Sven into the back, he got in the drivers seat himself, turned the key, and drove down the road. After driving for a ways, he slowed the truck to a tired stop, climbed out, and helped Sven out of the open trunk. Towering above, about as tall as the dozens of trees at the sides of the road, stood the Denver, Colorado entrepreneur sign. He scowled up at it, but it continued to loom over him, teasing him.

He looked back at Sven, then mirrored his exact thoughts. "What's this?"

"This Sven, is our future," Kristoff kneeled next to the perplexed looking wolf, putting his arm over him, "I can't afford our house anymore, so, I'm afraid we're gonna have to move to a bigger city, where I can get a real job, live in an apartment-" Something caught Kristoff's eye, flapping in the wind like a fly stuck in sticky sap. He walked over to it, ripping it free with more force than he meant to. He read over it. "Apartment in Denver, in need of roommate. Free the first month, 500 dollars monthly. Three room apartment, one bathroom, large two car garage with extra parking, pets allowed." There was an experation date and address at the bottom. To Kristoff's pleasent surprise, the advertisement was fairly new, mabye only a couple weeks since it was sent out. Well, it wasn't really pleasent. He needed to do this yes, or he would become some homless man, waiting for death on the side of a dead road. Mabye he was over thinking this. Mabye he could just move to another town, search for employment elsewhere, but, that couldn't last. He had to move to a place that held a possible future for him. He couldn't wait and rot in a small town, he needed to do something.

Kristoff spat at the ground beside him, it would be better to rot and live with Sven, independent, alone. He loved that word, alone. Nobody to hurt him, tease him for his unhuman attachment to wild animals. He frowned down at the paper. One part of him was saying, "Are you crazy!? You can't survive a day around people, nevertheless live with them!" Another part was saying, "You have no future here, your future is out there, and you could use some friends that don't smell like rotting food." Kristoff scoffed at himself and thought, "Sven doesn't smell that bad." He shook his head to clear it.

"Come on Sven," the wolf grunted and climbed into the back of the truck. As he drove, Kristoff ran a hand through his unkempt blond hair. What was he gonna do?