Hiya! This is my first Calvin & Hobbes fanfic, so please, no flames. I accept constructive criticism. Hope this goes well: it's my first fanfic in two years! I apologize to anyone who doesn't get the beginning. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Intro

What is your favourite season? If you were to ask any inhabitant of a certain town in Mid-Western USA, this would most likely be their answer: Autumn. The signs of summer – intense heat, outings at the beach and, of course, summer vacation – would disappear, and autumn is born as soon as its predecessor has died at last.

In that town I was speaking of, Autumn has never disappointed the townsfolk once. While Summer was working her magic, Autumn was busy bringing her show altogether, and once Summer's show had ended, Autumn's show was to begin.

Emerald green leaves turned to stunning colours of ruby red, golden yellow and brassy brown. As soon as they had fallen from their respective branches, Mother Nature decided to show off for a while. The wind gathered the jewel-like leaves into their invisible arms, and, in a magnificent display of beauty, guided them in a dance that included cascades, twirls, swoops and turns. The sun acted as a kind of spotlight, lighting up the leaves in their dance to show them off to the world. Soon, the wind would abandon their partners, leaving them scattered around on the ground like confetti.

Despite the crispy, cold air and the light showers of rain over the few days, everyone was happy and at peace. It also brought families and friends together at times, especially when they went for walks in the woods or fishing together. Yes, Autumn was definitely the most perfect season in that town.

And it was during this beautiful Autumn in this town, that it all started . . .

Seven years. Seven, long years since the day Hobbes was captured in a clever tiger-trap. Yes, Hobbes was a tiger. To others, he appeared to be a stuffed toy tiger. They were wrong. He was a real tiger: his coat was wild orange marked with black stripes, with white fur adorning his face all the way down to his stomach. Other than his long whiskers and equally long tail, one of the things he liked most about his appearance was his eyes: emerald green eyes that were enough to scare someone in the middle of the night.

Unfortunately, the only person he could scare was Calvin, who was his best friend and whom he lived with for the past seven years. The adventures they had together during those years were extraordinary: traveling back in time, fighting off deranged mutant killer monster snow goons, special G.R.O.S.S (Get Rid Of Slimy GirlS) club missions . . . and it still continued even though Calvin was now thirteen.

Hobbes stood on hind-legs at the window, looking out at two teenagers – a boy and a girl - who were standing at the school bus-stop. The boy, whom Hobbes had his eyes on, had spiky yellow-coloured hair that stood up: it gave the impression he had received some sort of electric shock. He wore a red t-shirt underneath a light-blue coat, a pair of black jeans and red-and-white shoes. The boy was an inch taller than the girl he was with.

The girl had shoulder-length brown hair, and her eyes were a soft hazel. She, too, wore a coat, but it was coloured a very light purple, and the rest of her attire consisted of a bright yellow shirt, blue jeans and dark-blue sneakers. This girl was the same age as the boy (that being thirteen). Her hazel eyes shined as she hugged a thick book to her chest.

"Isn't it wonderful to go back to school?" said Susie Derkins, looking at the boy, who looked very miserable. "I can't wait to learn new things, make new friends and work, work, work! What about you, Calvin?"

The boy looked at Susie and studied her for a few seconds before saying, "Wait, I hear something. Can you hear that?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Susie, straining her ears, but she could not detect a sound. "What is it?"

"Well, it's the sound of nobody actually caring!" said Calvin, throwing his arms up in the air. "For God's sake, Susie, you've been at school with me for seven years already! You know I hate school! We're forced to go there against our wills to be tortured and brainwashed while our so-called parents are planning to get rid of us! Though of course, I wouldn't mind if they got rid of you-"

"Grow up, Calvin," said Susie, frowning at him with disgust. "And for once in your life, actually do what I say for once!"

But Calvin was lost in his world, muttering things like, "They think I don't know, but I know! They should never doubt my genius! I'm too great and special to be doubted!"

"More like a great idiot and a special case," muttered Susie, rolling her eyes. It was amazing that she hadn't gone mad ever since she met Calvin, but by now she was used to his wild imagination and the fact he was still carrying around that stuffed tiger.

While Susie was thinking about these facts, Hobbes walked away from the window, sighing to himself. From the window, he could hear their conversation. Yup, just an ordinary day.

Hobbes flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. He was bored. There were no new comics to be read or vandalized, no television to watch (the television was being repaired, as Calvin accidentally broke the screen while playing football in the house), no (edible) food to eat . . . but even if those things were there, Hobbes would still be bored. Staying at home everyday was not as grand as Calvin thought it was.

"I wish I can go to school with Calvin," said Hobbes out loud, sitting up. "I admit, my maths skills aren't as perfect as I said. Maybe I can meet new friends, try things I never did before. I wanna go out there into the real world and be like those other people who are actually doing something, rather than sleeping around all day. I want to see how THEY live!"

Hobbes jumped off the bed, his chest puffed up with pride and his eyes to the heavens (or ceiling, in this case). "I want people to take me seriously for once! I'm tired of being treated as some sort of cuddly tiger toy! In fact, I don't want to be a tiger anymore! I want to be the only thing that can be granted with respect! To be noticed by everyone! To actually be taken seriously! I want to be a HUMAN!"

After that speech, the tiger was out of breath, inhaling and exhaling with a little bit of trouble. When he got his breath back, Hobbes sat back on the bed, putting his face in his hands.

"All I want is to be human. Surely it isn't that hard? That's all I want . . ."

Hobbes remained like that for a few minutes, then he lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling again.

"The question is: how?"

Little did Hobbes know, and soon Calvin, the answer was in the form of a cardboard box . . .

Woo!! I'm finally done this chapter. It took round about two hours, but I did it. If any of you find a mistake in spelling or grammar, don't hesitate to tell me. ^^

Hope you liked this chapter. Best I could do. :)

Reviews are welcome! :)

Seeya! ;)