Strange request.
A three shot.
Carmelita felt uneasy as she walked down the long drive way of the huge manor. She had received a message asking if she could come there. She held her shock pistol in her paws tightly. The old manor was abandoned years ago. She scanned the area to make sure it was safe. Then she saw a flicker of light. Inside the building, someone had lit a fire. She crept closer until she got to the door. She gently jiggled the handle and opened the ancient door. She followed the glow of the fire until she found the manors large library. She was amazed at what she saw. There asleep on a tattered old sofa, was a young raccoon….or wolf….whatever it was it was asleep. She crept into the room. She saw the young animal was a male, no more that seventeen. His clothes were torn and nearly threadbare. He was shivering and holding a stuffed doll in his hands. On the floor she saw a red backpack, a blue hat, a pair of old torn shoes and a picture frame. The boy was thin and looked very unhealthy. Carmelita gently tapped his shoulder. The boy stirred and woke up. He panicked when he saw Carmelita.
"GAHHHHH" he shouted. He fell over the back of the sofa.
"Oh…are you okay?" she asked. Why was this boy so…..familiar to her?
The boy dusted himself off and nodded.
"Yeah…I guess…..who you are?" he asked eyeing her in a suspicious manner.
"Inspector Carmelita Montoya Fox."
"YOU….Your the cop who chased my brother." He said joyfully.
"Your brother?"
"Yeah….you're the expert on Sly Cooper…I'm Tony...Tony Cooper…" the boy said proudly, then his expression sank.
"But…I haven't seen my big brother since that night when mom and papa got killed. Sly and I got separated. I had to live in twenty different foster homes…so I finally ran away...I want to live with my REAL family, not a bunch of creepy strangers….The last I heard , he just escaped from you after lying about memory loss….have..Have you heard anything?" Tony asked his eyes welling up with tears. When Carmelita shook her head Tony sighed and sat on the sofa. He pulled his knees into his chest and stared at the slowly dwindling fire.
"I'll never find him……" Tony said sadly. Carmelita sat down next to him.
"You want to live with a man on the run?" She asked.
"I don't care if he's a thief…..he was never supposed to be…he was going to be a cop like Mama...like Papa wanted him too….but that stupid metal bird ruined everything. Not even Mamas old pack wanted us….nobody ever wants a hybrid….I just want my brother back…he always took care of me…." Tony said. Finally he broke down and began to cry. He shivered and Carmelita heard his stomach growl. Tony hiccupped and wiped his eyes. Carmelita felt her heartbreak at the sight of the sad teenager. It had been over two years since she had seen Sly last….except for one last time...he had come to say goodbye…he just stood on her balcony, a sad look on his normally cheerful face..Then in a flash he disappeared, leaving his badge and to her great shock….his mask. She never saw him again. Carmelita felt her heart long for her beloved raccoon. She had finally come to realize that she loved the master thief despite her father's temper. Her mother and siblings were supportive on the other hand. Her mother said that Sly would make a good husband...he just needed a stong woman to guide him. Then her brother, a Captain for Interpol had requested that the entire Cooper Gang be pardoned. After a few long hours of arguments the request was granted. Even with them off the hook, Sly had still not surfaced. Then looking at the only connection to the raccoon she had fallen for, she finally spoke.
"Look….Why don't you come with me….Your half starved…I don't think your brother would want you to get sick…My family will look after you until we find Sly...Okay?"
Tony looked up at her. His gaze said he had been lied to far too often to be fully trusting.
"Why would you help me? Nobody else has..."
"Because …..Well…look…I owe your brother...let's just leave it at that." She said. Tony shrugged and got up and packed his things and slipped on his torn sneakers.
"Better than living off of scraps and handouts…..Plus…I really need to take a shower..." Tony said in a joking manner. He then barked in laughter.
"So…not to be rude but what are you?" Carmelita asked. She knew all too well that Raccoons couldn't bark.
"Well me and Sly are wolf/raccoon hybrids…Mama was a wolf. Papa was a raccoon. Enough said." Tony shrugged, his green eyes filled with a thousand questions. Carmelita got up and then she guided him to her car.
A few hours later…….
Carmelita sat and watched at Tony told her family of how he and Sly had been separated. Then he told them of how he had been bullied for being a hybrid. All the while Carmelita's mother fed him, stating he was too thin. Tony ate like a healthy teenager. He was also a gentleman like Sly. He had very proper manners. Carmelita's father glared at him, his face filled with disgust.
After a while Carmelita's mother showed Tony the room he would stay in until they found Sly. After he showered he was soon fast asleep.