"Hey, what's your name?" the pointy-eared blue-and-white dog asked. He leaned in obnoxiously close, but the fox sitting next to him whose space was invaded couldn't help but appreciate the friendliness. Not many people had been friendly to him before.

He wouldn't ruin the once-in-a-lifetime experience now. So he lied. "Rueben," he said. Not that it mattered. He'd probably never see the dog again.

"I'm Rover. I ride this train a lot. Sometimes I'm actually going somewhere but most of the time I just ride to meet new animals and people."

The fox smirked as he flicked a blue dog hair off of his blue-gray business suit, and the dog leaned back in his own seat, frowning. It was silent for a moment before "Reuben" muttered, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed. That was the old me again."

Rover wasn't sure if he understood what he meant by that, but he decided not to question it. Many of the interesting characters he met on this train were trying to start their life over. Maybe he was one of them.

"You remind me of someone," Reuben continued. He paused to think for a moment until he remembered who the dog reminded him of. "That human kid… the one who lives in Animalville." Same dumb smile, same eagerness to meet new friends. He wondered if this dog was just as gullible, and reached to pull out his pack of wares to sell before realizing he'd left that behind long ago.

"So… Animalville, huh?" Rover said. "I've been there. I think I know the kid you're talking about too. I helped him get a good deal on a house ol' Tom Nook was selling. You need a house there too?" Rover was brimming with excitement, like he was about to jump up and rush to call Tom Nook at any second.

"No, no! I'll be fine! I've already picked out a house and everything!" the fox exclaimed quickly. That, like the name he'd given Rover, was a lie. But he didn't want Tom Nook alerted to his presence in Animalville. If he was lucky, he could keep using a false name and no one would suspect a thing.

"Oh, ok," Rover said. "But if you ever need anything, just let me know."

"Will do." Reuben leaned his face against the window and watched the scenery rushing by them begin to slow down. The chugging sound of the train came to a stop and the whistle blew as it pulled into the station. "I guess this is my stop. Thanks for everything."

He exited the train with his single, small suitcase and gulped as he watched the door to the train fold closed. Maybe he should have let Rover call Tom Nook after all. Oh, well. Too late for regrets now. He turned and surveyed the town. Same old town he'd been to so many times before, but it suddenly looked different. Like a fresh start and a new home. A new home. Right. But no new house. Where would he live?

He sat on the steps of the train station and watched the clouds roll by. He'd have to face Tom Nook sooner or later. That darn raccoon owned all the real estate in Animalville from what he'd heard, and he had to find a place to live eventually. But not just yet. He didn't have that kind of courage just yet.

He was sitting there, looking at the ground, when he felt a presence in front of him. He lifted his head to see a face directly in front of his, complete with goofy grin and dumb-looking hat. He was startled at first, then said, "Oh, you." That weird, gullible human kid.

"What have you brought to sell this time, Mr. Red? I've never seen you arrive in town before. Can I help you set up your tent? Is that a new suit? It looks good. All they sell at Tom Nook's are these boring old shirts. I mean, you can always design your own shirts at the Able Sisters' place, but that's not the same as having a real suit. Have you ever been to the Tailor Shop, Mr. Red?"

"Please, keep it down," Red hissed. "I don't want anyone to know my real name. Call me… Rufous. Yeah, Rufous."

"Why don't you want anyone to know your real name?"

The kid was so friendly and seemed to genuinely concerned, Red almost spilled out his entire life story, but then thought better of it. This kid was so innocent. He thought Red was a good person. Why ruin for him? So he lied for the third time that day. "I'm a secret agent."

"A good one or a bad one?"

"A good one. So no one can know my real name, okay?"

The kid winked. "Okay, Rufous!"

Red resisted rolling his eyes. How old was this kid anyways? How did he manage to live alone when he was so dumb? Red patted the kid (he felt bad for not remembering his name) on the back. "Go run along and catch some butterflies now, okay?"

"Aye-aye, captain!" He ran off and Red was left with only his worries.

He stood and stretched and picked up his suitcase, then began making his way to Tom Nook's store. He'd visited many towns over the years, but he still remembered his way around Animalville. Tom Nook's was just across the bridge and a couple of acres west of the train station.

He was shocked to see how Tom Nook's store had expanded in the time that he'd been gone. It was now a full-blown department store with two floors. It made Red respect and despise the raccoon even more.

He hesitated at the door. If he went in there now, and asked Tom Nook for help, it would make him appear weak and desperate. If he didn't, he would be homeless and out on the streets. I should have at least kept my tent to stay in. Although, it said "Black Market" all over it. That wouldn't have been a great way to start my new, honest life. He thought it over a little more, then decided there was no choice. He took a deep breath and entered Tom Nook's shop.

Thankfully, there were no villagers shopping there at the moment. He and Tom Nook could have their conversation in private. Speak of the old, money-grubbing raccoon, here he was now.

"Ho ho ho! If it isn't my old friend Red! I never thought I'd see the day you'd step into my shop! Are you here in town to sell your overpriced junk again? Copper's got his eye on you, you know."

"I know, Nook. But I've changed. I moved here to make an honest living. I'm just not sure doing what yet."

"Why here? I'm your top competitor, as though you can actually compete with me!"

"I don't know. Animalville just seemed like a nice place to start over. I don't visit here as often as I visit some other villages, so I thought maybe no one would recognize me. I thought I could change my name and begin a new life. Besides, I'm not selling anymore."

"What? You don't say! Did you finally give up after seeing all that I've achieved and you never could? Is that what you're here to tell me? Ho ho ho!"

Red clenched his teeth and tightened his paws into fists, then forced himself to relax. "No," he said casually. "I just came to tell you that you can expect great things from me from now on, and that I'm no longer a Tom Nook wannabe. Good day, sir." How do you like that? There's no way I'm stooping lower than you to beg you for a house now. Red got a good look at Nook's shocked face, then turned and exited the department store before his old rival could say a word.

Walking away from the store, his heart felt light. I'm no longer a Tom Nook wannabe. I've wanted to say that for so long; I just never knew the words for it. Ever since he was just a cub, he'd been tied down by his own competitive nature. It was a long time ago, in a village called Bell Town that it'd all began. A raccoon, a hedgehog, a wolf and a fox were the best of friends. The raccoon was ambitious and charming even as a young cub. The hedgehog was a hard worker and very determined, and the wolf was beautiful and well-liked. But the fox was a scruffy cub whose only talent seemed to be lying. As they grew up, the raccoon became very successful and he and the hedgehog even fell in love and moved to a new town to begin a shop. The fox, on the other paw, was left with only a few bells in his pocket and love for the beautiful wolf in his heart. At first she was all he thought about, and although she played hard-to-get, he was all she thought about as well.

But as the raccoon became wealthier and wealthier, the fox began to feel bad for his own lack of success. His despair became envy, which eventually became obsession. He used the few bells he had left to buy a tent and a few items to sell and began his climb to compete with his old friend, but for every step forward he took, he seemed to take two backwards. The obsession to surpass the raccoon verged on madness, and the beautiful young wolf began to notice. Fearing for him, she tried to get him to close shop, but he wouldn't listen. She wrote him one last letter saying that he cared more for money than he did for her, then caught a train leaving the station and disappeared.

Tears in his eyes, the fox bundled up his tent and began his journey to become a traveling salesman. He swore never to return to Bell Town.

"Hey, why are you crying?"

Red was awoken from his memories by the voice of the human kid. "I'm not crying," he said. "I'm sweating through my eyeballs."

"Whoa! Awesome! What kind of workouts do your eyeballs do to get them to sweat so much?"

"Uh… weight lifting."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Don't try it at home, kid. Hey, do you think you can catch a fish for me?"

"Sure! What kind?"

"It's called a coelacanth. And make sure you don't come back until you've found one, okay?"

"Okay!"

The human ran off and Red was left alone with only faded memories. But he didn't have to be sad anymore. He'd left his frantic race to beat Nook behind, and he would find Whitney, the wolf he loved so much in Bell Town. That's why he'd decided to change in the first place, anyway. He'd finally discovered that he was not Tom Nook and never would be. Now all he had to do was find out who he was.