Greetings all, this is my addition to the fandom. It's just a one shot but there's room for expansion if I feel like it. Please sit back, and enjoy.
It had been another long day, just like many before. The window was wound down and Gazelle's soft voice was trickling out of the speakers. He was tired. Smoothing over the latest incident had proven to be more difficult than he had previously realized, but it was nothing outside of his expertise. He was satisfied, but more importantly he was done and had finally called it a day. However he had one final obstacle to overcome.
Night had long descended over the affluent suburb, and the Chief slowly pulled up outside of his house. The signature white picket fence ran across the front yard, and beyond he noticed a few lights on upstairs with the ground floor laying dark and dormant. His face scrunched into a mixture of half-baked concentration and tactful determination. He might actually make it this time. The conditions were perfect. Cape buffaloes though were not a subtle species, as police officers they were first-rate for anything which required their sizable presence. They weren't however good at sneaking around...
Getting this wrong could add at least another hour to his day, so failure was not the preferred option. He had to be up again early tomorrow morning and he was determined to get this right. As much as he loved them, he just wanted to sneak in, shower and go to sleep. Simple.
He secured the car, grabbed his briefcase and as silently as he could crept through the front gate. As he tip-toed up the path towards the front door, he gently took his keys and slid the house key into the lock. A dark looming suspicion hit him. This was going too well. Something had to be amiss. He put his ear to the door just to be sure...
Nothing.
He exhaled deeply needing a steady hand for the next task, slowly turning the key he heard a muffled click. He hid beside the central glass panel like he would taking cover in a shootout, he listened again tentatively...
Still nothing.
Joyful silence. Easing the handle the door gently opened and he slid into the dark hallway. Smelling the readily prepared jungle grass salad in the kitchen, he could hardly contain his glee as a big smile crept across his face. If he could pull this off he felt like it would be like every holiday and his birthday all rolled into one. Alas, as he carefully turned to close the door his efforts were suddenly undone.
As he felt his radio knock the table beside him, he could only watch as the decorative flower urn he brought his wife for her birthday gracefully shunted off the side, sending glass, roses and water skittering across the room. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened, he could not believe it.
"You have to be kidding me..." He whispered in frustration, hoping in vain that no one had heard it.
As the lights at the top of the stairs penetrated the darkness, an all too familiar voice closed the lid on an otherwise admirable attempt.
"Chris? Chris is that you?"
The Chief's wife could be heard making her way to the top of the stairs quickly followed by many more boisterous footsteps, as delicate as three cape buffalo children could be.
"Daddy!" The children cried in unison, they were simply overjoyed to see him. The Chief stepped over his failed attempt to garner an early night and made his way to the bottom of the stairs. He looked up and saw his wife, her hands on her hips looking decidedly unimpressed by the chaos that had unfolded in the hallway. As attractive as she was, she was the person who scared him the most especially when she was angry. As her ears slowly lowered, her deep blue eyes narrowed to an intensiveness that penetrated his soul.
"I see you found where I put my anniversary present!" She exclaimed.
"Look, Helen... I can make it up to you..." Bogo retorted as he put his arms up in continuing disbelief, almost an automated response for a grovelling husband.
His wife pondered a moment, knowing that she was in complete control. She understood that he had been at work all day but looking after three children wasn't exactly a walk in the park either. She sighed gently, she was thankfully in a good mood and was glad he was home. But she wasn't going to let him off that easily.
"Listen," she said lowering her voice slightly, "put the kids to bed, and I'll clean up the mess and finish dinner. I think that's a fair deal."
Bogo sighed in relief. To some husbands an incident of this magnitude could land them in serious trouble for days. But they were a team and although they often snapped at each other, any altercation never lasted long. They were both tired and tonight there was no wish for a fight.
"Okay, fair deal." he smiled, squeezing his wife's hand as they crossed on the stairs. He then turned his attention to the children, and with his signature stern look he addressed his waiting audience, "Come on you lot! Time for bed!"
His offspring laughed excitedly as they scrambled for their room. Three themed beds all laid out against the back wall were suddenly occupied and with a night light spreading stars and crescents across the ceiling. They only wanted one thing, story time.
Bogo yawned as he gently sat down on a chair certainly many times too small for him, and after deciding it wouldn't collapse beneath his weight he looked at them one by one, "So, what story do you want to hear tonight? Little Red Riding Kit? The Buffalo and the Cheetah?"
"Tell us the story of how you got your scar daddy!" Said his young daughter excitedly, pointing to the circular indent on his arm.
"No," he deadpanned, expecting that answer, "that is a story for when you are older."
A collective moan of disappointment emanated from the children. They loved daddy's police stories, but there were many he understandably wouldn't tell. That was one of them. They always tried regardless, in case they got lucky.
"What about the story of why you wanted to join the Police dad?" Asked his oldest son. His looks and mannerisms were already very much like his father.
"Okay," he huffed mainly through tiredness, preparing to tell this story for what seemed like the hundredth time. "Well..."
(***)
It all started in the summer of the Chief's final senior year at Savannah High. At that time he had no desire to be a police officer. For this reason he always reassured his children that it was okay if they did not know what they wanted to do when they grew up. The Chief wanted to be a professional football player in his youth as many of his characteristics were especially advantageous on the field, his authoritative no-nonsense approach had earned him the captaincy of the team and he was good at it. His size and strength were perfect fits and he could hold his own versus the few animals larger than himself. To seal the deal he was excellent with tactics and foresight, and could gauge situations extremely well. These were all attributes he had no idea would be perfect in his future career.
An incident in a downtown mall was his turning point. It was a place where most students went in their spare time, but it also wasn't the nicest place around. Crime was more rampant in the city center back then, and organized crime in particular was not afraid to make its presence known. Petty criminals used to throw name recognition around as if they were cheap coupons so the cops would stay off their backs, and as a result they steadily become bolder and more brazen when committing their crimes. It was mid-afternoon in a small discount jewelry shop towards the back of the mall.
Bogo's girlfriend at the time, eagerly pointed to an amethyst and gold necklace in a scruffy looking case, paw prints smeared across the glass...
"Chris, I want that one! It's beautiful." Her heart appeared set and she knew what she wanted, much to Bogo's relief. He did not like this place and he could not afford anything in it although she always insisted on bringing him here.
He looked at the price and his heart skipped a beat. There was no way he was going to afford that especially as he was between jobs at the time.
He turned to her with a look of boredom and frustration. "Sweetheart, I can't afford 250 bucks right now. Come on, we've gotta go and see your folks. We're already 10 minutes late."
A middle aged fox behind the counter stood in an ill fitting brown suit and gave a slight grin as he approached the desk. He could smell the pressure he was under.
"That necklace was just made for her!" Said the Fox putting his hands half in the air in a spate of fake showmanship to gain her attention, "my dear this will look beautiful on you. It matches your eyes!"
"Oh my! It does!" She said in a jubilant tone. Bogo gave a stare of disdain at the fox, who just smiled back. It was all part of the game for him. And then it happened.
Suddenly, two rhinos crashed in through the door each packing a shotgun and a large sports bag. Ill fitting balaclavas donned their faces along with signature jeans and jackets. You could tell they had done this before.
"GET TO THE GROUND. NOW. GIVE US WHAT WE WANT. NO HEROES." The rhino had a very deep intimidating voice and was built like a tank, he didn't really need the gun, if anything it was it seemed as if it was just there for show.
The fox knew the drill, he put his hands candidly in the air and went silent. The rest of the patrons hit the deck and when a tigress began to sob she was promptly comforted by a bystander. Already on the floor, Bogo's then girlfriend looked up painfully at him prompting him to do the same, gesturing towards the badly stained blue carpet. Bogo looked at his new nemeses, he wasn't going to comply. He simply said nothing and bolstered his shoulders and stared in an act of defiance. For a young cape buffalo, he definitely had a presence of his own.
The rhino quickly approached him and before he could really react the butt of the shotgun made contact with his head, "I said, NO HEROES."
Bogo went down, bounding off the counter in the process. As his girlfriend's eyes widened with horror, he hit the floor with a dizziness which made certain he was going to comply with the rhino's first request.
He came around quickly, his head pounding from the intimacy of the last hit. It seemed that they were still there, loading the bags with a variety of plunder. The rhino that hit him was across from him, preoccupied with his latest score and probably sure that he had knocked the buffalo out cold. He caught the eye of the fox, who subtly shook his head at Bogo, in a futile attempt to get him to abstain from any more futile acts of 'bravery'. Bogo however was not letting this transgression go unpunished. In an act that could be interpreted as either bravery, stupidity or both, he decided he was going to deal with the situation himself.
"Hey buddy..." Bogo chirped, with as much defiance as his thumping head would allow.
As the rhino turned with his weapon primed, Bogo leapt from the floor and in a feat of surprising strength and agility head-butted the rhino square in the temple. A nasty but satisfying crunch was a good indicator that he had met his mark.
The rhino's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he toppled back like a felled tree. Time slowed it seemed as he fell, his weight utterly disintegrating the cheap counter behind him, sending bits and pieces everywhere. Bogo grunted defiantly, and slowly looked across at the other rhino, who was stunned in amazement. An emotion shared among the rest of the people in the shop.
The fox in the mean time had scrambled for the gun, and was now gingerly pointing it at the remaining thief. "Don't think I don't know how to use this!" He stuttered, definitely sounding out of his league. The remaining rhino promptly raised his weapon and pulled the trigger.
*Click*... Nothing happened.
Bogo and the fox looked at each other in utter disbelief. Was this really happening? Bogo turned back to the thief who in state of utter panic was now furiously messing with his gun. It was simple, now or never.
Bogo was now angry, very very angry and just to prove it, he let forth a deafening roar. It was time. The thief quickly looked up, simply dropped the gun and made for the exit with his swag. Bogo charged making after him in hot pursuit, there was no chance he was going to let him get away.
To passers by watching the commotion, they couldn't escape a hint of irony watching a rhino with a bag full of diamonds high tail it from a rampaging buffalo out of a shop called 'Going Wilde'. The rhino was not as fast as Bogo, years of playing football had prepared him for chasing people, and putting them down hard. And that's exactly what he was going to do. Animals looked on as the chase continued through the mall, with the rhino futilely attempting to whip chairs, tables and other pieces of mall furniture into Bogo's path, with the buffalo simply jumping over or smashing through them. Then as a bunch of police officers suddenly ran towards them the rhino was forced to apply the brakes. Thinking his odds could be better he turned to face Bogo.
Bogo wasted no time in both grabbing the bag and running him through like a freight train, with the loud crunch of two bodies colliding filling the mall. The rhino promptly went airborne, and was sent head first through a cell phone kiosk, knocking him out cold.
He stood victorious, a bag full of jewelry in hand and two foiled felons. He breathed in deeply, taking in the atmosphere around him. What a rush. He felt alive and he wanted to do this again. He sat down on a nearby bench in an attempt to compose himself as more police rushed in to secure the area. That's when he felt a hand on his shoulder...
He turned to see an older lion officer staring down at him. The look on the officers face confused him and his head was beginning to hurt again, adrenaline slowly dissipating from his body from the frantic chase before.
"What's your name son?" Asked the officer, authority emanating from his voice.
"Bogo, Christopher Bogo." He replied as he rubbed his forehead.
The officer knelt down and came to his eye level. His mane was vibrant, he wore a golden badge and four golden stars donned each side of his collar. He looked important.
"That was some fantastic work there Christopher. Very impressive. We could use someone like you in the department."
"Uh, thanks." Bogo replied, still trying to bring himself together.
"We will need to ask you some questions regarding this incident," the lion continued, "but if you're interested, come down to the station and see me when this is all over. We'll talk then. Just ask for Gallant, say to the front desk I'm expecting you."
With a strong final pat on the shoulder the officer strode away, the idea seemed pretty tempting. Maybe being a police officer would be a good idea. Certainly more fun than working in a government office like his father, and if it was going to be like today's experience he would never get bored. He had nothing to lose...
(***)
"And that is... how..." Bogo tapered off as he observed three sleeping children in front of him. Noticing the light from the landing dimming, a shadowy figure leaned suggestively in the doorway.
"Did she ask you about your scar again?" Helen smiled. Their daughter always asked about the scar on his arm.
"Yes," Bogo replied still looking at his daughter, "but as usual, I did not say anything. She's too young for that. Luckily she does not know about the rest of them."
"She'll find out eventually," she replied as she headed back to the landing, "coming down for dinner?"
"Sounds good." He said, gently closing the door behind him.
Thanks for reading, I thought it would be interesting to see a story without the emphasis on the usual characters, you know, something else. If I do write another don't worry it will be including others, it's just finding the time. Thanks to Disney for another awesome movie and the rest of the writers on here for being my inspiration! There are some truly gifted individuals on here and it is a pleasure to read your work. Keep at it!
All the best,
Phoenix