Hey! This is teardrop456 speaking! My friend Animals are my LIFE and I are sharing this story. Basically it's a modernized Terrier.
Disclaimer: All the characters in this story aren't mine, same with the basic plot.
"Keep running! Let's go people! Faster! Stop panting like a girl, Ersken!" the coach yelled. Beka smiled grimly and kept on running. She found it funny that whenever a boy did something wrong, they were always told to 'stop acting like a girl'. After all, Beka was a girl.
"Run faster Beka! Stop day dreaming!" the coach yelled. Startled, the girl lifted her eyes from the floor and met the eyes of her coach, but then she blushed and looked back down at the ground. She was shy; there was no doubt about it. And compared to the other apprentices, Beka was one of the weakest.
But despite being shyer and weaker then the other boys and girls in the program, Beka had motivation. She wanted to be a police officer more then anything in the world. Her adoptive father was the head police officer in the New York City, and he had been clearly delighted when Beka had signed up for a two-year apprenticeship in Police Cadet Corps. Her adoptive mother and her sisters had apposed to that from the beginning.
"Why can't you pick a proper job, like a teacher or a doctor?" her adoptive mother had said. "They are woman's jobs, and they pay much better!"
"Are you going to shoot people and eat doughnuts all day?" one of Beka's sisters, Diona, had asked, laughing.
"Won't people attack you and shoot at you? What if you get hurt?" her other sister had asked.
But no one and nothing could sway Beka's dreams; she was going to become a New York police officer, and that was that. Her two years of apprenticeship were done, and she was more then ready to become a Probationary Officer. She had passed all the written tests, and the physical ones. This 'gym class' was just to keep her in shape. Even now that she was a Probationary officer, she had physical training twice a week so she could keep in shape.
Tomorrow night Beka would attend a ceremony, welcoming her into the police forces, and then she would be partnered with veteran officers. Her 'Probationary' period would last for two years.
Tweet! Tweet! A whistle blasted its way into Beka's mind. Beka stopped, panting, and then she walked wearily to the coach, along with the other probationary officers. They were all sweating like crazy under the hot sun.
"Just a reminder to sign the patrol sheet," the coach said. "It's mandatory, and tomorrow you will be assigned to two officers. Some of you will get lucky, and get to patrol with the day or night officers. Others won't get so lucky - you'll have to patrol around sunset, when crime is the worst. If you don't like it, too bad! Go home, get some sleep, and I'll see you Puppies at the ceremony tomorrow!"
All the Probationary Officers winced at the nickname 'Puppy', and then headed towards their change rooms. Beka stumbled into the girls change room along with the other girl officers and threw off her clothes. She took a quick cold shower to cool herself off and then changed.
"So who do you think you'll get?" one girl, Verene, asked Beka.
"I don't care which officers I get, but I'm hoping to get the center of the Big Apple." Beka said, stuffing her clothes into her locker.
Verene nodded. "That's where the most crime is. I'm hoping I get there, too."
"See you," Beka muttered, and then ran out the door.
That night, all the former apprentices made there way to the headquarters, dressed in their uniforms. They walked into the room and sat down in the front row of seats, facing a tiny stage. The 'Puppies' family and friends surrounded them, talking in quiet voices. But the Puppies didn't talk; they were nervous. Beka sat silently along with her fellows, staring at the floor. Eventually her training officer, Kebibi Ahuda, climbed onto a stage and with grace and held a microphone to her mouth.
"Welcome, and thank you for coming to our celebration," she said. "Today we are celebrating our new graduates into the New York Police Department. They have come a long way; two years they have spent training for this job. So it is with great honor that I give my students a certificate, and I welcome them to our Police Department. When I call your name, please come and receive your Apprenticeship certificate. Cooper, Rebakah."
Beka stood with a sigh, and still staring at the floor, made her way onto the stage. Ahuda passed her the certificate.
"Beka, you will be patrolling with Officer Matthias Tunstall and Clara Goodwin during evening watch," Ahuda said into the microphone, applause and several whistles followed this, and some shocked gasps. Goodwin and Tunstall had never taken a Puppy before; they were one of the best undercover patrol teams, and it was unheard of for them to take a Puppy. Beka was so shocked that she actually stood there, on the stage, for several minutes, just digesting this thought. Finally Ahuda cleared her throat.
"You may sit down, Beka. Henry, Hilyard. Come and get your certificate." she said, smiling slightly. Beka blushed and walked off the stage, passing Hilyard on the way. He winked and continued up onto the stage. Beka blushed once more and settled into her seat.
Beka's friends were each called up and given their certificates: First Hilyard, then Ersken, and then Verene.
When the ceremony was over, the Puppies mingled with the 'Dogs' (non-probationary officers) and their family and friends. Beka's adoptive father, (Mr. Gershom, as Beka called him) gave her a kiss on the cheek, but no one else congratulated her, least of all her new partners, who both looked like they hated the idea of a Puppy tagging along during their patrols. Beka stood by her father, listening to his conversation with another officer, successfully avoiding Goodwin and Tunstall's eye.
"Any news of who murdered Crookshank's great grandson?" the man asked her father. Beka started when she heard Crookshank's name; he was the biggest thief in the city, though the police could never get solid evidence against him. He was a major landowner and lent out rooms to those who needed them. Recently his great grandson had been found dead, in the gutter.
"Unfortunately, no. My bet is that Crookshank ticked someone off, and that someone decided to get revenge," Mr. Gershom, Beka's father, said.
"He was only a poor kid! You'd have to be completely heartless to kill him."
"We're trying our best to find out who did it, but there is very little evidence, and very little funding to put towards this case, although we do have some Dogs on the case."
"Which ones?"
"Nyler and Yoav."
Beka started again. Everyone knew that Yoav's sister had been one of the many victims of Crookshanks wrath. Yoav would probably not even try to solve this case.
Just as the two men were getting into details about the case, someone tapped Beka on the shoulder.
"Rebakah Cooper," the tall man, Matthias Tunstall, said. "Just wanted to say we've got some rules we need to clarify with you."
Beka looked up and up until she met his eyes. He looked like a tall lanky owl, as apposed to his partner, Goodwin, who was short and stout. Beka blushed and looked back down at the floor as soon as soon as she met his gaze.
"Look at me, Beka," Clara Goodwin said forcefully, making Beka look up. "The rules are this; speak when spoken to, and look me in the eye when I'm talking."
"Clary isn't too happy about you joining our team," Tunstall said, grinning good-naturedly. "Anyways our patrol starts tomorrow at five. We are veteran officers so we patrol generally where we want, unless Ahuda instructs us otherwise. We patrol until twelve at night. Don't wear a uniform; we are undercover officers. But make sure you wear something functional that you can run in. See you then."
Tunstall ambled off, with Goodwin stomping behind him. Beka sighed and rubbed her head. Yes, Tunstall and Goodwin were the best, but they were also clearly opposed to having a tag-along Puppy.
"Let's go, Puppy," Goodwin said. She and Tunstall walked ahead of Beka onto the streets. The sun was already setting, and all the restaurants, bars, clubs and stores were still open. Once the sun went down, the crime would start. Beka was on full alert. This was her first day as a Puppy, and she intended to prove herself.
"Puppy," Tunstall said. "Look around. What do you see?"
Beka looked around and spotted the trouble right away. A lad of sixteen was loitering near a jewelry booth. He was eyeing the purse of a woman who was trying on necklaces. Before Beka could react, Tunstall had sidled up to the boy and flashed his badge. The boy ran.
"Why didn't you arrest him?" Beka asked incredulously.
"We arrest when it's worth our time," Tunstall said. "He was unarmed and he was a first time offender, which means he would have been let go with a warning and a black mark on his record."
"We have bigger things to worry about," Goodwin said. The group continued walking along until around six o'clock.
"I'm hungry," Tunstall said suddenly. Goodwin frowned and pushed him playfully.
"All you think about is your stomach," she growled. But she didn't object when they stopped at a nearby bakery for a snack.
The baker, Miss Noll, was well known to Beka. When Beka had been living with her mother two years past, she had often helped out at the bakery for a few pies to eat.
"Hello Miss Noll!" Tunstall called out. "Do you have any pies to spare?"
"Hello, officer Tunstall," Miss Noll said. "I do indeed have some pies left over."
It was common knowledge that Tunstall and Goodwin were cops. Everyone in the Lower city knew it. They had caught so many thieves and flashed their badges so many times that almost everyone knew they were cops. Tunstall often wondered why they bothered calling themselves 'undercover' when everyone seemed to know them.
"Have you heard about Crookshank's great grandson?" Goodwin asked casually.
"Almost everyone has," Miss Noll said. Finally she spotted Beka, who was standing behind Tunstall and Goodwin. "Beka! How are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you," Beka said. Miss Noll passed her an apple turnover, winking.
"You know Beka?" Goodwin asked.
"We go way back. She used to help out at the shop sometimes."
"I hate to interrupt, but could you tell us what you heard about Crookshank's great grandson?" Tunstall asked. Miss Noll sighed.
"It's just so horrible! What is the world coming to? Everyone knows that when you have a fight with someone, you only fight against their gang, not the family members of the people in the gang!"
"So the death of the boy has to do with gangs then?" Goodwin asked casually.
"I can see no other reason for it," Miss Noll said.
"Is there a gang war going on?" Tunstall asked. "Last I checked all the gangs had settled in an uneasy peace."
"Well, Crookshank's men are walking about town as if they own the place, and anyone wearing red in any of their quarters who is not recognized as a friend is warned harshly or even attacked! It's not that difficult to imagine another gang fighting back."
New York City had gangs aplenty. The main gang was the Knights, who had a King, also known as the King of Thieves. The Knights ruled over every gang in the city, including Crookshank's men, and they had made several rules. One of them was that no one not directly connected to the gang was to be involved in fights.
"But they killed his great grandson! It's against the laws of the Knights!" Miss Noll shook her head. "We city slickers stick to the rules of the Knights. The Knights help us out. And now someone has broken the rules! What is the world coming to?"
Tunstall, Goodwin and Beka left Miss Noll to her rants and continued down the street. Nothing of consequence happened, though Tunstall and Goodwin stopped two or three bar fights while Beka watched.
Finally it was twelve o'clock, and the cops settled down at a tavern called 'Mantel and Pullet'. Everyone in the tavern knew that they were cops. There was even a table reserved for them.
Goodwin collapsed onto her chair and sighed. "Buy us each a beer and a slice of pizza, and whatever you want," she handed Beka some money. Beka walked slowly to the counter, feeling as if the floor was hitting up at her aching legs.
The barkeeper had two beers ready before Beka reached the counter.
"Three slices of pizza and a water please," Beka said, staring at the floor. The barkeeper passed her the pizza and beer, along with a glass of wine. Beka looked at the wine, confused, and then she raised her eyes to the barkeeper's eyes.
"Excuse me, but I asked for water, not wine," Beka said. The barkeeper winked.
"A girl as pretty as you deserves some wine," he said. Beka blushed fervently.
"No thank you," she said. The barkeeper frowned, about to argue, when a young man who was sitting at the bar interfered.
"Excuse me! But instead of badgering a poor young girl who clearly isn't interested, you could pour some wine for me and my ladies over here!"
Beka stepped back from him. He was dangerous looking: pale skin, dark eyes, hair that was so light it was almost white, with a Y-shaped scar in his eyebrow. He was around twenty years old. He smiled at her and winked.
"Thanks," Beka mumbled when the barkeeper turned away to look for some water.
"My name's Rosto," he said. Beka found that she could not look the strange man in the eye, and her blush deepened when she felt his eyes on her. "What's yours?"
"Beka," she said. "I have to go."
Back at the table, both Tunstall and Goodwin were eyeing the strange man.
"That one's definitely a thief," Tunstall said, watching as Rosto walked back to his table and presented the wine to two ladies. Goodwin nodded, and then bit into her pizza. "We'll have to keep an eye on him."
He's the handsomest thief I've ever met, Beka thought, blushing.
Authors note: the Police Cadet Corps is a two-year modern apprenticeship for the New York Police Department. Generally the people undertaking this course have to be enrolled in a college while taking the apprenticeship, so Rebaka is a little older in this story then in the original book, Terrier. She is probably around twenty years old. I have not changed the other character's ages.