Shame
Zootopia
One-shot [possible short chaptered story]
Gideon Grey
Rating: K+/ T
Language: English
Summary: A strange feeling settles over Gideon Grey's heart one day, and he's forced to come face-to-face with why he is the way he is. Mostly. [Young Gideon Grey]
Disclaimer: I do not own Gideon Grey or Travis his Weasel friend, but I do own the other characters [Rebecca and Richard Gosling, the Shepard girl, and the Oinkington Twins, as well as Gideon's Mama and Pa']. I do not own Zootopia, or any other recognizable character[s] used later in the story!
Shame
Gideon Grey, for as long as anyone has known him, has been a bully. He picked on the prey simply because he could; he found it fun when they cowered in his presence, he found it exciting when they shook with fear and ran away.
That's right, for as long as he's always known- Gideon Grey has been a no-good, low life, bully.
And as the words rang in his ears one afternoon when he was in his teen years, the Goslings kids running away with the Shepard's young girl and the Oinkington twin's following close behind in tears as well, he sat at the local pond as strange feelings settled over him.
It was one he was unfamiliar with, it wasn't the twisted joy or pride he felt in himself when he usually sent a group of kids running in tears. No, it felt misplaced, and it truly made him feel uncomfortable.
"Oh you got 'em good today, Gideon." Travis, his Weasel friend (and one of his only friends), said with a laugh as he slid down the muddy side and right into the pond. It was a very warm, sunny day, and school was let out for crops to be gathered for the next few months.
"Yeah," Gideon said slowly, his ears pinning back to his head as the feeling only grew stronger the more he thought on it.
"Ha! Did you see Rebecca's puffy face? Her beak looked swallowed by it!" Travis howled in laughter and kicked back farther into the pond, swimming around as it was cool from the hot summer sun.
Gideon swallowed thickly, and frowned.
Rebecca Gosling had always been rather nice to him; she was a decent girl- very smart, too. But it was her brother, Richard, which got on Gideon's nerves a lot.
He called Gideon a low-life predator, scum of the earth and that's all he would ever be.
Gideon was just showing him how right he was.
And… it just got out of hand. Gideon had came with Travis to the local swimmin' hole to cool off, it was particularly hot that day so it was goin' to be real nice to soak his fur for a while, but as he was gettin' ready to jump in, the other kids from school came by and started to mock him.
Well, in reality Travis started it first, the other kids just went to the other side of the pond. It was plenty big enough for them all to enjoy themselves without causing too much trouble.
But Travis started calling them rather mean names, some of which Gideon would rather not repeat less his Mama come up from the bushes and smack him, and Richard took the bait and started firing back his own names.
Gideon was happy to just stay out of it, feeling rather drained today since his Pa' had been rather awful to him and Mama last night after working long shifts at the factory.
But what Richard had said, that all Predators were low life's and better off dead to the world, he mocked Gideon's mother and how she took his Pa's hand rather well to the face- well, Gideon right snapped. And showed him how a real predator is supposed to treat prey.
He felt ashamed, and guilty.
That's what it was.
Gideon watched his friend kick around the pond on his back, enjoying the coolness that the water had, and shame filled his soul. He hadn't much practice with the feeling, but he knew it well enough by now that all he could think about was the times that he had felt it.
He sniffed, rubbed at his cheeks roughly and stood up.
"Hey! Where ya'll goin?" Travis called out from the water, Gideon had re-buttoned his overalls, picked up his Ma's powder blue towel and swung it over his shoulder, and got up heavily.
"I'm goin' home, I just remembered that my Ma' needed help with baking some pies today for the bake-sale tomorrow at the ol' grange."
And with that he lumbered off, his ears still pinned to his head as he left his friend alone at the swimmin' hole.
For as long as Gideon remembered…
He had always just been a bully, because that's what was easiest.
A/N: I have an idea for where this can go, but I don't actually plan on continuing it. Review please!