Skinnies Winning Entry

Spring time once again. The time of the year when my allergies get the best of me. The time of the year when the weather changes and I must rid of my winter coat. I would take baths regularly in attempt to rid of the loose hairs, but it still seemed to coat everywhere I went.
It is now late spring, and my coat has decided it has become thin enough. As I enter my den to clean out the hair, I notice something different. Things weren't in their usual spots, there was a different smell in the air. A deep growl rumbled in my throat, and I struggled to stop it. The scent that lingered in the air was still fresh, so that meant that the intruder was still inside. I lifted an inky paw, sniffed the air again, then silently made my way through my shelter, all the while my senses on edge. I was beginning to think I was going insane when a crash in the west wing reassured me I wasn't. I froze, eyes wide, nostrils flared. The intruder wasn't a very good one; it couldn't stay quiet. I convinced myself that if it couldn't stay quiet, it wasn't a threat, and trotted cautiously to my storage room.
As I rounded the corner, something blond and burly bumped into me. I backed up a few paces, and glared angrily at the form in front of me. "What do you think you're doing in here?" I half yelled half asked.
The animal in front of me looked as startled as I did. He had blue eyes with a flare of brown over one, and blue noes and claws. He was like a bear, but not, as I was like a wolf and lion, but not. "I was just wondering if you were having as much hair loss as I," he murmured. The intruder was clearly self-conscious about himself. I smiled reassuringly at him, feeling slightly embarrassed by my anger. "Yes, as you can see, I've lost a lot of hair." I smiled.
He stayed for a while and we talked. Once he left, I resumed my cleaning. I finished within a matter of two days, my den now spic-and-span. I certainly would never forget that spring, even though I had many to come afterward.