A strange friendship -190

It was a rainy evening when Chris, a young man deeply immersed in the furry community, first stumbled upon the mysterious entity known as Mal0. Chris, whose fursona was a vibrant, fox-like creature named Ember, enjoyed the vibrant and accepting world of furries, where creativity and camaraderie thrived.

He spent countless hours online, engaging with friends, creating art, and diving into the lore of various characters and stories. Little did he know, his latest curiosity would lead him down a path of fear and excitement.

One late night, while browsing through a forum dedicated to urban legends within the furry community, Chris encountered a thread discussing Mal0, also referred to as "Skull Dog. The thread was filled with ominous warnings and eerie anecdotes. Some claimed that Mal0 was a digital entity that haunted its victims through disturbing images and stole their memories.

Intrigued and skeptical, Chris began reading more, his curiosity outweighing his initial discomfort. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he delved deeper into the stories. The tales were filled with accounts of people who had been driven to madness, haunted by the sinister grin of Mal0.

Yet just as they seemed at the point of breaking, those people seemed to forget it all, as if their fear and memories had been stolen. It was curious indeed, and it was only hours later that he stopped reading, feeling rather satisfied with what he had just assumed to be a creepypasta.

He had expected that it would end there, that he would just move on with his life, that it was a few funny hours spent one lonely night, but that all changed when, the next day, while eating breakfast, he wanted to check the thread again, only to be unable to find it at all.

The thread was gone, seemingly erased from the forum as if it had never existed. Chris frowned, refreshing the page several times to no avail. It was unusual for an entire thread to disappear so completely. Determined to find out more, he tried searching for other mentions of Mal0 across different platforms but found only sparse, fragmented information. It was as if the story was deliberately being hidden or erased.

As the day progressed, Chris couldn't shake off the unease that had settled over him. He tried to distract himself with his usual activities, drawing Ember in various adventures, chatting with friends, and diving into new furry lore. But the thought of Mal0 lingered at the back of his mind, a shadow he couldn't ignore.

So, he kept on trying to find anything, starting threads online himself, asking around about what happened with the story, and what he got back mirrored his own experience. People read and enjoyed it, and then it was just gone, all gone.

It was strange, and even more so when his own thread was suddenly deleted without warning; well, he was given a warning after the fact that such topics weren't allowed, and if he were to continue, he would get banned.

Chris felt a chill run down his spine. Why would something as harmless as an urban legend thread be banned? His curiosity was now mingled with a genuine sense of fear. Determined to get to the bottom of it, he decided to reach out to his friends within the community.

He messaged a few close friends, explaining his encounter with the Mal0 thread and its subsequent disappearance. Their reactions varied from skepticism to concern, but one friend, Max, who was known for his interest in the supernatural, took a particular interest in Chris's story.

He promised to look into it for him, and there it could have ended, with neither of them finding anything, just going along their day believing they found something strange. But it didn't end there, not for Chris at least.

He mostly just put the whole thing behind him, spent his days just doing what he did, worked a mildly satisfying job, and then get back home where he could submerge himself in the world of furries, and his own Ember.

Then, after two weeks, he once again talked with Max. He just so happened to remember what they had talked about, that creepypasta, and asked about what he had found out.

Max's response was unsettling. He denied ever having heard about such a thing, that he hadn't looked at such things, and asked if Chris remembered correctly. All of which quickly reminded Chris about the fact that this demon apparently stole memories.

Chris just mumbled something, and the topic ended there, though his mind was racing about the whole situation. He had mostly forgotten about it, but now, now it was personal. His friend has somehow ended up under this curse, and Chris decided to get to the bottom of this.

Now, Chris wasn't entirely sold on the idea of a demon-eating memories. No, to him, it was almost more likely that the government was somehow involved. Given the kind of technology Ironman had, it didn't seem out of the question that there was some kind of way to erase memories.

Which meant that this Mal0 might be a secret government project, and if someone got too close, they would be silenced. The only reason he himself wasn't yet a victim was likely that his search hadn't been intense enough.

He likely didn't seem like someone who would look more, and someone who just believed it was some story, a creepypasta. Not something the government would bother with, Max had likely been more in-depth with his search and gotten their attention.

This meant that Chris would have to be careful. He couldn't recklessly continue to look around on the Internet and ask questions as he had done in the past; he would somehow have to evade whoever was out there looking.

Yet, he wasn't a spy, and honestly had no idea how to do what he needed to do. He was just a normal guy, well as normal as a furry could get, so how could he possibly get around the government's surveillance?

There was only one option, that was to try the app itself, if this was some kind of runaway AI that the government was trying to get back under control, they likely didn't yet have a way to track it, and could only track people who talked about it.

Which meant that the only way to get answers, was to go straight to the source of them all, Mal0 itself. While he didn't want to download some shady app onto his phone, he still did it, managed to find the app, and with a rapidly beating heart, he clicked download.

Chris watched the progress bar inch forward, his anxiety growing with each passing second. When the download was complete, he was confused, since he couldn't find the app anywhere on his phone, he really wasn't sure if he had been scammed, if he had just let his imagination get away with him or not.

But he did remember the original thread saying that you would have to wait, so with nothing else to do, he just waited, and waited, hoping and fearing that something would happen.

However, just a few hours later, his phone buzzed with a new text message from an unknown number. The message contained an image of his favorite coffee shop. In the background of the image, a large humanoid figure with a canid-like skull and black hair stood, barely noticeable.

Chris's heart skipped a beat, but he remembered the stories from the thread and felt a rush of excitement and fear. This was exactly what he had been looking for.

As the day went on, he received more images, each taken at places he frequently visited. The eerie figure was always present, sometimes in the foreground, sometimes in the background, but always watching.

By the time he received the fourth image, Chris was on edge but determined. The images were too specific to his routine to be a coincidence.

After 24 hours, the images became more unnerving. Now, they were taken at locations he had visited recently, sometimes only hours before the message arrived. One image showed the aisle of a grocery store he had been to that morning, with the figure standing ominously at the end.

The reality of the situation was beginning to sink in, and a sense of dread washed over him, he now realized that he might have made a mistake. He was tempted to try to research more about what was happening but was afraid it would lead him to have his own memories wiped.

Though he had to admit that with every new text he got, he grew less and less certain about his idea of this being some kind of government conspiracy and more afraid that this really was some strange kind of demon now haunting him.

 By the 48-hour mark, the images had escalated to real-time photos. Chris would receive a text and, upon opening it, see himself in the very spot he was standing, with demon close by. The entity was no longer a distant observer but a constant, menacing presence.

His phone buzzed as he sat on his couch, and the message showed him from the perspective of his living room doorway, the creature looming behind him. He whipped around, but the room was empty.

Fear gripped Chris, and he began to see the figure in his peripheral vision, flickering at the edges of his sight. Reflective surfaces became portals to another dimension where this furry demon lingered, watching him intently.

He would catch glimpses in mirrors, windows, and even his coffee table's glossy surface. Each sighting sent a jolt of terror through him but also a thrill—he was getting closer to understanding it.

Yet, it didn't take long before dread was replaced with curiosity; after a few days since he downloaded the app, he could now see the creature with his own eyes. Only he could see it, but he could see it as clear as day.

It… she just stood around, waving at him, looking scary but acting friendly. He noticed her trying to communicate with him, and he struggled to understand her and communicate with her. She did seem able to hear and understand him, though sadly, that was a one-way track.

Still, he wasn't afraid any longer; clearly, if she, if Mal, had wanted to hurt or harm him, she could easily have done so now; instead, she was just like a strange roommate or a pet of some kind.

Chris found himself adjusting to Mal0's constant presence. The initial fear had dissipated, replaced by a sense of curiosity and companionship. As days turned into weeks, Chris and Mal0, whom he started calling "Mal" for short, developed a unique bond.

Every morning, Chris would wake up to find Mal waiting for him, her eerie canine skull tilted in curiosity. She seemed fascinated by his routine, often mimicking his actions in an almost playful manner. When Chris made breakfast, Mal would sit across from him, watching intently as he prepared his meal. She couldn't eat, of course, but she seemed to enjoy the ritual.

One day, Chris decided to test Mal's interest in his furry art. He set up his drawing tablet and started sketching, feeling Mal's gaze on him the entire time. When he finished a new illustration of Ember, he showed it to Mal. Her reaction was immediate and enthusiastic. She clapped her hands and leaned closer to examine the details, her presence almost tangible through the screen.

Encouraged by her response, Chris began involving Mal in his creative process. He'd sketch different scenes and characters, showing her each one. Mal's reactions became a silent form of feedback; she'd clap and nod when she liked something and tilt her head or turn away when she didn't. It was an unusual but effective way of gauging the quality of his work.

Their bond deepened when Chris decided to wear his Ember suit around the apartment. The first time he did, Mal's reaction was one of pure delight. She clapped her hands and made a sound that Chris interpreted as a form of laughter.

He posed and pranced around, playing the role of Ember to entertain her. In return, Mal would mimic his movements, creating a strange but joyful dance of sorts.

Chris started talking to Mal more frequently, treating her as if she were another member of his furry community. He'd tell her about his day, share stories about his friends, and even vent his frustrations.

Mal would listen silently, her presence a comforting constant in his life. Although she couldn't respond verbally, her gestures and expressions conveyed a surprising amount of understanding and empathy.