Brady Household
"Sis!" Amos yelled out as he looked around the back yard of the house, it was currently night out as the fireflies lazily illuminated the outside. "Sis!? Where in the hell did ya go?!"
"Up here!" A voice sounded off. The alligator turned his head upwards to the source, the younger alligator sitting on a branch of a willow oak as she held a book and a flashlight.
"Why aren't you inside? It's bed time."
His sister merely crossed her arms, "I ain't going to bed this early. I'm in third grade now."
Amos rolled his eyes, yet a smile grew on his maw as he leaned against the trunk of the tree, looking up at his sister.
"How's your banjo practice going?"
She shrugged, "It's okay. But right now, I'm trying to read."
"In the dark?" Amos asked. "You can hurt your eyes like that."
"That's why I have a flashlight." His sister said cheekily as she held up the tool, "And it's a picture book. I can't hurt my eyes like that."
"Fair enough..." Amos said before he looked up again, "Whattya reading anyways?"
"Mountain climbing." She said proudly.
"Mountain climbing? Why?" Amos asked.
"'Cause my teacher said that she went climbing on Everest, which is 8848 metres tall! And she even bought photos to the class to show us. It was great!" His sister said as she flipped through a page, "That's I wanna do when I grow up. Climb mountains."
"Welp, the world's your oyster Sis." Amos said as he looked at the tall grass and foggy marsh that surrounded the house.
He had remembered a story his father had told him, about how the swamps were somehow just as alive as the life that presided in them.
Amos had considered his father to be pretty superstitious at times. Even Amos's Aunt often joked about his father, being fearful of Bigfoot and even the Loch Ness monster when they were young.
He hadn't seen his Aunt in years. For a glaringly obvious reason...
"Sis, come on. It's getting late now." Amos said as he pushed himself off the tree trunk.
She sighed, closing the book. "Fiiiine." She then jumped off the branch, lightly landing on her two feet before catching up to her brother. Their house was a very short distance away.
Getting there wasn't going to be a problem. Arriving on the other hand, was going to be a challenge.
Their mother was sitting on the balcony.
"Sis... Stay next to me." Amos spoke softly. His sister nodded, staying close to his left as they both walked up the steps of the balcony. However their mother gave not even a slightest hint of their presence. The alligator merely stared forward, facing the woods with a blank look.
Amos made sure his sister got inside first before slowly turning his head back to his mother.
"Uh... There's a lot of mosquitoes out tonight-"
"Sean? Is that you?" The alligator asked as she turned her head to Amos, her eyes dull from the lack of sleep.
Amos cringed, mainly because Sean was his father's name.
"No Mom... I-It's your son."
"Oh..." She simply said before turning her head back, resting it on the outside chair.
Amos paused, before he sighed, going back into the house and closing the door behind him.
It had been this way for 4 years now.
Hill-Way House, Amos's Room
Amos slowly awoke, his eyes opening softly as the morning sunlight draped itself on his bed. His blinked before arising, stretching his arms out before caressing his face to rub the sleepiness out.
Another dream, another memory.
He decided not to dwell on it, getting up from his bed before looking out at the window. It was another calm autumn day as the red leaves piled onto the backyard of the house.
All there was now was the day ahead of him. As it should be.
Possum Springs Hospital
Beatrice sat down on the bench, giddily tapping her fingers against the orange chair as a few doctors and nurses passed by. She had been let out of school because the hospital called.
It felt like forever until a doctor came up, the deer seemed sympathetic as he looked down at her.
"Beatrice Santello?"
She looked up, "T-That's me."
"You're mother wishes to see you young miss. I'll take you to her."
The crocodile nodded, rising up from her seat as she hung her bag from her shoulder. They walked down to the end of the hall, passing a few rooms. Another crocodile stood outside the last room, a scaly hand covering his eyes as he gently sobbed.
It was her father.
She didn't say anything, instead staring wide eyed as the doctor opened the door, gesturing her to enter first. Beatrice walked inside, a long curtain obscuring her view of the bed as a heart rate monitor could be seen beside it.
"I will give you some time alone..." The deer said as he closed the door behind her.
The crocodile moved forward, slowly reaching the right side of the bed and peering past the open curtains.
"Beatrice...?" A weak voice spoke out before coughing.
"H-Hey Mom..."
The sickly crocodile laid on the bed, her scales dull and lifeless, her form unnaturally thin. Yet despite her condition, her mother smiled weakly.
"It's so... Good to see you... How was school...?"
Beatrice felt her maw quiver out of control, "I-It's going great Mom... They w-want me to be the valedictorian for graduation."
Mrs Santello smiled, holding her hand out and gently grasping her daughters hand. Beatrice could no longer hold the tears back, now gently sobbing as she looked down at her mother.
"There, there... It's okay... It's okay..." Her mother gently repeated as she used her other hand to wipe away the tears from her daughters face. "I'm so proud of you Beatrice... I couldn't have asked for anything better ..."
Beatrice shut her eyes as she shook her head. "B-But I-I just don't w-want you to go."
Her mother chuckled softly, "I will always be with you Beatrice..." Her mother then placed rested her hand on the side of Beatrice's face. "Just... promise me something..."
"A-Anything." Beatrice said as she held onto her mothers wrist.
"Be happy... There is so much in this world for you to experience and see... And when you do so, think of the good times and smile..."
Beatrice paused before holding her hand. "I-I promise Mom."
"That's my daughter..." Her mother said before coughing again, her breaths now labored as she slowly lied back down. Her dull eyes looking at the ceiling as if she was in a trance. "... I love you..." Her mother whispered, her words soft as her eyes slowly closed.
The world ceased to exist for Beatrice, she didn't hear the heart monitor flat line, or when the doctors rushed in to see what was going on.
Her mother was gone and so was her life from beyond that point.
Santello Residence, Beatrice's Room
Beatrice woke up with a gasp, her eyes feeling watery as she felt tiny droplets of tears at the edge of her vision. That was absolutely awful.
She blinked them away, steadily pushing herself into a sitting position on her bed. It was morning now, and the sun was up. She must've woken up before the alarm activated which meant-
Loud beeping was heard.
"Eff..." Beatrice muttered as she stood up from bed, only in her underpants and shirt as she shut it off, silence taking reign again as the shutters of the outside window cut the morning sun into lines.
All there was now was the day ahead of her. As it should be.
Hill-Way House
Dreams always troubled Amos, mainly because they were merely memories just waiting to be uncorked. So most of the time, he resorted his methods to get his mind off of it.
In this case, it was making pancakes. Already onto his 10th one.
The batter crackled on the pan as Amos flipped it, turning it over. Rustling was heard at the doorway as Hoshi walked in the kitchen, her feathers in frazzles as she yawned, Vladyslav beside her.
"Are those pancakes?"
"Damn right they are." Amos said, "Thought I'd cook ya'll breakfast."
The alligator did another flip, this time the pancake going a few inches off the pan before falling back down. Vladyslav looked fascinated as he held his hands in front of him, marveling at the cooking expertise.
Hoshi looked at Amos, "Well, thanks... But you don't have to flip them that high."
Amos showed off a toothy grin. "Just watch me."
He then turned away from the stove, lowering the pan before springing it up.
*Ping*
The pan broke off the handle, dropping to the floor as a loud crash was heard. Amos stared at it, the pancake batter now spreading itself on the kitchen as Hoshi looked back up.
Amos showed off an embarrassed smile, "Uh... Guess we're getting a new pan..."
Hoshi face palmed as Valdyslav laughed.
The Ol'Pickaxe
"She's not gonna like that." Bill said as the light brown cat held his hands by the side.
Beatrice rolled her eyes, "I don't care if she doesn't like it. It was her fault. Plain and simple. That is time extra. We charge for that."
"Alright then!" Bill begrudgingly said before he walked out of the store.
The crocodile paused before sighing, the recent dilemma of Mrs. Miranda locking a co-worker in the basement was automatically a cause of stress. Just another problem Beatrice had to deal with on her lonesome. It didn't help that the dream of her mothers death was still fresh in her mind.
"And also... Him..."
She immediately ceased any thinking she had and went no further beyond that point. She didn't want to think about the alligator in the slightest, one because she found him annoying to figure out, and two... Because of something else she couldn't quite place her claws on.
The doors opened as Beatrice froze, almost expecting to see the southern alligator.
Instead it was Mae.
Beatrice almost breathed a sigh of relief before a strange guilt overcame her conscious, her thoughts resonating from that time that she had ditched her out of anger. Yet she had quickly gotten a hold of herself, showing off her neutral expression and bored mindset as the cat waved at her.
"Hey, Bea!"
Beatrice paused, "Hi."
"How's work?"
"Effing awful."
"Stressful." She chose to ignore the opinions of her thoughts, "End of the month coming up. And I have to start ordering in winter stuff. Which means I have to bribe one or hopefully two of the guys to unload the trucks. Because I am not carrying a truck full of rock salt by myself."
"Huh." Margaret mused.
Beatrice sighed, "What do you want?"
"Well, Gregg asked me to ask you if you would drive us to the party tonight? You know, the one up in the state park?"
The crocodile stared for a second before speaking, her uninterested tone mirroring sarcasm. "Thanks for clarifying. Otherwise I might have been confused as to which of the dozens of parties going down on any given night in possum springs you were referring to."
Margaret narrowed her eyes, "... Are you being sarcastic."
Beatrice walked away from the cashier, "I'll drive."
"Great! Thanks!"
"We'll be by your house at 8:30." Beatrice then crossed her arms, "Be ready or we'll go without you."
The cat nodded, "OK!"
"Don't get lost on your way home."
"I know where I live." Margaret said as she rolled her eyes.
Beatrice merely shook her head, "No seriously. Go home and get ready."
"Alright, alright! Geez." The cat bemoaned before turning to leave the store. However not before turning her head, "And uh, thanks Bea!"
"Whatever."
Margaret then left, leaving Beatrice to herself as she looked back at the cashier. She stared for a second, hearing the words of her mother again as the world around her felt blurred.
"Be happy..."
She blinked before sighing.
"Just go to the party, meet up with Jackie and... Have fun I guess." She then looked away from the counter, "Hopefully nothing shitty will happen."
Hill-Way House Backyard
"So... What are we calling the first song again?" Hoshi asked as she bit into a pancake. The band had decided to sit outside, enjoying the autumn morning as Amos looked down at his acoustic guitar.
"I really don't know honestly. I had a few ideas... But..."
"не поспішай... Take your time." Vladyslav said as devoured a whole one in one fell bite. Amos and Hoshi staring wide eyed as the Ukrainian looked back, his mouth full as the lynx shrugged, reaching for another one.
"Well, regardless." Hoshi said as she pushed her plate away, clearly finished with her meal. "We gotta at least come up with something."
Amos paused, "How about... Diamond?"
"Diamond? Are you serious?" Hoshi asked with an unamused expression.
"Or y'know, something to do with a Diamond. I know I was goin' somewhere with-"
"Hey Noodle!" A voice yelled from beyond the fence. Vladyslav and Amos turned their heads as Hoshi groaned. Sure enough, a green feathered bird stood behind the fence, his beak smiling. "Thought I'd say good morning!"
"Oh great." Hoshi said before she looked up, "What are you doing here Jeremy?"
"Aw, you're calling me by my real name? Now that's just mean right there."
The stork merely rolled her eyes as Amos spoke up, "Who's this? You know this bird Hoshi?"
"You can call me Germ! ... Or Germ Warfare! Oh, and FYI, I'm your neighbor."
"Who, may I remind you, lives two miles away. That does not make you our neighbor in any way, shape, or form." Hoshi said as she looked back at her phone.
Amos paused, analyzing Jeremy's character before deducing that the birds playfulness seemed pretty genuine. So he responded in kind.
"Well, neighbor or not. It's good to meet ya Jeremy, name's Amos. And this Lynx right here Vlad." The alligator said as he gestured to the Ukrainian, the European waving in politeness. "I would introduce you to Hoshi but... I guess you're already acquainted."
"Oh cool. Are you guys in a band or something?"
Vladyslav gave a thumbs up as Amos nodded. "Ya got that right."
"Wow. I thought about being in a band once. I know Gregg and Angus are in a band-"
Amos immediately spoke up, "Wait? You know Gregg and Angus?"
"Hell yeah I do! I watch them practice at the party barn occasionally." Amos nodded in understanding before Jeremy spoke up again. "And uh... This is kinda unrelated but... You guys think you can spare a pancake? I didn't eat breakfast this morning."
There was a long pause before Hoshi sighed, pushing her plate outwards as two pancakes nestled on top.
The alligator blinked at her before he shrugged, "Um, yeah sure. Come on in."
"Awesome! You guys are the be-" Jeremy was cut off as he tripped over the wood whilst climbing the fence, squawking in surprise before falling into a twiggy bush. Amos's eyes widened as Vladyslav spat out his pancake.
However the most surprising was that Hoshi was the first to act. The stork getting out of her seat as she ran up to the small hedge.
"Are you okay?!"
Jeremy struggled for a second as the bush stirred. Hoshi reached down to help him out, grabbing him by the arm before helping the bird to his knees.
He brushed himself off before his beak showed a embarrassed smile. "Thanks Noodle..."
She looked relieved for a moment before sporting an annoyed expression, quickly letting go of his arm.
"ばか. Seriously, what were you thinking? We have a front door y'know."
"But it would've taken me about 30 more seconds to get a pancake. So jumping over the fence seemed like a pretty good option."
Amos stood up from his chair, chuckling as he bought the plate of pancakes over to the bird. "Seems logical to me. Where do ya live anyways Germ?"
"Oh at that hill over at the end of the road."
The alligator paused, "Wow that is actually 2 miles away from here. Ya walked that distance?"
"Yep!"
Beatrice's Car
"Go, go, go, go, STOP! Oh wait that's the wrong house. Keep going."
Beatrice rolled her eyes, "Gregg... I know that's the wrong house. And I didn't even stop the car to begin with."
"I wonder how Mae's parents are doing?" Angus asked as the bear sat next to Greggory, the two of them sitting in the backseat.
The crocodile merely shrugged, "You can ask that to-"
"MAEEEEEEEEEEE! Stop the car!"
Sure enough, the cat was standing on the side of the road. The car light making her eyes squint as she held a paw in front of her face. Gregg flapped his arms as Angus waved, Beatrice merely watched as the cat ran to the side of the car, opening the door and getting into the right seat.
Margaret turned her head to the side, "So, uh, grown up parties amiright?"
"Yeah! Grown up parties! Wooh! We're gonna have beer-" Greggory then traced a paw on Angus's snout, "and I'm going to have bear tonight."
Angus blushed as he looked away.
"Aww, stop it Bug... You're making me blush."
Beatrice felt nostalgia ebb into her mind. All of them together almost reminded her of high school all over again. When they would sit down in the cafeteria and hang out. She quickly dismissed it, focusing on the road ahead.
There was another pause before Greggory turned his head to Margaret.
"Hey Mae, I think Cole might be there tonight!"
Margaret immediately sported an irritated expression. "Yeah I know."
"Geez! Sorry." Greggory said, already realizing a touchy topic.
Margaret crossed her arms, "I don't care if he's there."
"He might not be." Angus offered hopefully.
Beatrice loosened her shoulders as she rolled her eyes again, "Well let's hope so or not. I don't even know what we're talking about."
"Mae and Cole went out in Junior year." Gregg explained.
The cat stiffened, "Yeah and it didn't work out. So let's stop talking about it."
Beatrice looked at her child hood friend before looking back at the road. It seemed as if this whole ordeal with Cole wasn't something Margaret had gotten over, so she decided not to push it.
"Let's."
Van
"I gotta say, that Jeremy fella sure is something."
The atmosphere outside the vehicle was dark as the Autumn night made everything feel alien. Despite that, Amos casually drove on, they were going to a party after all.
"Yeah, by something I think you mean super annoying." Hoshi said as she looked at her phone.
Amos chuckled, "Hey, he's got a lot of energy. And he's got spirit. I respect that."
Hoshi merely shook her head before Vladyslav reached from the back window, activating the radio.
"Oh look out! Walter Brady is taking the lead on the field, and he passes the opposition and TOUCHDOWN! The Smelters score another-" The Ukrainian changed it, "Hello folks! Garbo and Malloy he-" And then he changed it before a song came on.
Amos's eyes widened, as did Hoshi's and Vladyslav's.
"No way! This song-" Amos said as he turned up the volume, "Damn I forgot the name of it."
"Ocean of dreams? Or something like that... it feels like that was so long ago when we played it as our first cover." Hoshi then turned her head to him, "I remember you could do that whistling part perfec-"
Amos grinned before he whistled, carrying in tunes of the piano as the songs intro began.
Hoshi merely rolled her eyes, "Show off."
"Чекай на це... Wait for it." Vladyslav said before the singing started on the radio.
"I'll take, you're word... Like a good friend should... If the earth should dry... May your dreams never, die..."
Amos smiled as he nodded his head to the beat, as did his two other band mates.
"You'll, find, me... In a sea of dreams... Where no one cares about my words!"
The song continued on, finally finishing as the road they were driving on reached a dirt path leading to the forest. A few cars were parked on the dark grass nearby, their doors locked.
"Guess this is it." Amos said as he turned the Van to the left, turning off the engine as he put the keys in his pocket. He then turned his head, "Let's get going shall we?"
The Party
Beatrice stood next to a log, watching the party from the sidelines as the bonfire lit up the dark woods. The crocodile wasted no time, lighting a cigarette as she took a puff.
"Bea." She heard a voice.
The crocodile turned her head, recognizing the goat walking up to her. Jackie adjusted her glasses as she stared at the campfire and the people around it.
"This party blows."
"No disagreeing here." Beatrice said as she nodded in agreement.
The goat smirked, "How have you been Bea? It's been a while y'know."
Beatrice took a puff out of her cigarette, "Honestly, pretty shitty. What about you?"
"I got into a bar fight with some shithead a few days ago. But other then that it's been pretty fine."
The crocodile nodded as they walked behind the drinking table, away from the fire light. Jackie watched the party go on, the sound of a guitar strumming being heard throughout the party.
"Who the hell is playing music?"
Beatrice turned her head, spotting another crocodile playing guitar on one of the rocks. "Ugh, remember Johnny Quintell?"
"Oh my god. That guy was a complete asshole."
"Totally."
Jackie scanned around for another second before noticing another detail. "Hey, who are those three? I don't think they were at our school."
"Wha-" Beatrice immediately froze.
Amos and his band were next to the fire, seemingly just arrived as they inspected the place. The alligator looked the same as she last saw him, bomber jacket and trademark scar as his bright green eyes looked around.
She casually turning her head away. "Some band. I know them vaguely."
Jackie nodded in understanding, before she looked back at the group. "... Damn, look at the size of that scar though. Wonder how that happened."
"Dunno..." Beatrice simply said.
However in reality, Beatrice's conscience was in a state of panic. A blur of questions whirling in her head before she steadied her mind.
"Effing hell! Get a hold of yourself Beatrice!"
Bonfire
"Damn, reception here sucks." Hoshi said as she shook the screen of her phone before putting it away. So far the party seemed to have a decent amount of animals there, all of them conversing or drinking.
Amos rolled his eyes as he grinned, "Well, know ya have an excuse to actually socialize."
Hoshi curled her beak, "Beatch! I'm pretty social! I've got like, 200 friends on Face-"
The sound of someone retching could be heard next to them as Hoshi and Amos turned their heads, noticing Vladyslav spitting out droplets of beer.
"What is this!? Voda?!" Vladyslav said in both anger and shock.
Hoshi merely shook her head, inspecting the can. "They probably bought this beer in bulk."
Amos shrugged, "Yeah... Sure as hell doesn't look like craft beer, that's for sure."
The Lynx paused before his face brightened up, almost as if he had came up with an idea. He then reached into his coat pocket and produced a flask, pouring the beer out and pouring the flask liquid in. A few party goers gave the Ukrainian strange looks, as did Hoshi and Amos.
Vladyslav then stopped, taking a sip from the can before nodding, licking his chops.
"... Is that vodka?" Amos asked, the Ukrainian looking up before smiling.
Hoshi then face palmed, walking forward. "Oh my god Vlad! I swear to god, you might as well be a walking meme AND stereotype at this point."
He merely shrugged, taking another sip before squatting next to one of the logs as Hoshi stared down at him. Amos had to admit, the whims of the Eastern European definitely made his life more interesting by the second.
"Hey you guys made it!"
Amos turned his head to see Greggory and Angus coming down the mound. The alligator smiled, "Gregg, Angus, good to see you two."
"Likewise." Angus responded. "How do you guys like the party?"
"Well..." Amos turned his head to his two companions, Hoshi now sitting next to Vladyslav with her arms crossed as the Ukrainian took another sip of Vodka. "Other then Vlad not liking the beer, it's going pretty well. By the way, where's Mae and..." Amos paused, "-Beatrice? Did they come to the party"
"Well Mae's over their drinking and Bea is-" The sound of a guitar playing was heard. "Oh great, Douchebag Guitar Player is at it again." Greggory bemoaned.
"Douchebag?" Amos asked as he turned to look at the lone crocodile playing a guitar on one of the rocks, a dark red beanie on top of his head. Although he didn't harbor any ill will towards the player, Amos found it partially odd for guitar at this time.
"Yeah, y'know. Playing all the Douchebag hits."
"Tell me about it."
Amos was briefly surprised to see Hoshi next to him again, her arms crossed. "I remember this party in Tokya, some Douchebag playing until an old angry Yakuza came up and smashed the shit out of his guitar."
"Holy Eff! I would pay to see that!" Greggory said with excitement.
Hoshi smirked, "That's why I got it on video."
The fox's face immediately lit up like a child on Christmas. "Oh! Lemme see, lemme see!"
Angus and Gregg watched with Hoshi holding the phone. Amos couldn't see the screen, but judging by the look of Greggory's face and the loud foreign yells emanating from the phone, it must've been quite the sight.
Amos swiveled his attention away before spotting Margaret, a cup of beer in her hand as her eyes seemed to scan around. He walked up to her casually, a smile on his maw.
"Hi Mae."
The cat immediately snapped her head toward his direction, her body language showing a large amount of tenseness. "H-Hi!"
Amos paused, "... You okay?"
"Huh? Okay? Yeah of course I am! I'm like super chill and, and..." Margaret paused before raising her cup, finishing the beer in one go. "I- uh, need to get another drink. That'll loosen me up further right?"
The alligator nodded hesitantly, "Um. Yeah, if ya want to. But maybe you should-"
"Okay great! I'll be right back!"
She immediately zoomed off, Amos blinking as he watched the cat go to fill her cup of beer again. He didn't need to be a psychiatrist to tell that the cat was incredibly stressed out.
He would have pitied her more before he spotted three dark oblong scales ahead of him.
It was Beatrice.
The crocodile was currently talking to a goat at the lower ground, a trademark cigarette in her maw. He didn't even know how she did it, being able to speak and smoke at the same time. However, even so her blue eyes were discernible in the night as the shadows added texture to her scales.
"I should go talk to her."
He paused at the thought, his mind naturally reacting with skepticism.
"Don't bother. She has a grudge on you. Remember?"
Amos looked at the fire, before looking back at her. A decision crossing his mind as he walked forward.
He chose to ignore his inner voice.
"Hey Beatrice."
Forest
"Hey Beatrice."
The crocodile immediately froze, Jackie peering past her shoulder.
"Wait, this guy knows you?" The goat asked.
"Uh, Yeah. Hold on." Beatrice turned her head, watching the green alligator step down the slope, his smile particularly infectious.
"Tell him to Eff off!"
"What's up?" She simply said, mentally cursing herself.
Amos chuckled, "Nothing much, I just thought I'd say hello." He then turned his head to Jackie, "You must be a friend of Beatrice, name's Amos."
The goat looked at the alligator, shaking his hand. "I'm Jackie."
"Nice to meet you." He then took a step back, "Pardon for the interruption, just thought I'd say hello."
Jackie nodded as Beatrice finally found her wits to question him.
"Amos... How did you get to this party?"
"Hmm? Oh, Gregg invited me and the band over."
"Of course he would." Beatrice muttered.
The alligator was taken back by her tone. "Is there something wrong?"
"Huh? N-No, of course not. Just that I thought this party would only have people from my-." The crocodile paused mid sentence, staring at Amos as he sported a concerned face, his eyes particularly vibrant.
"Focus!" Her mind yelled.
"-highschool..."
"Ah, I understand..." Amos said as he scratched the scales on the back of his head, "I uh, can get me and my friends to clear out if you-"
"No!" Beatrice said a little too quickly then she liked, Jackie and Amos almost surprised from her tone. "I mean, it's cool. You're here now."
Amos smiled lightly, his maw curving up. "I guess so..."
Beatrice stared at his eyes, a warmness creeping up behind her scales despite the autumn weather.
"Amos!? You better come and see this!"
"Just a sec!" He yelled before turning his head to Beatrice, "I gotta go. It was nice meeting ya Jackie... And good to see you again Beatrice."
"Uh, sure... You too."
The crocodile paused, watching Amos walk away. For a second there, she had realized that she was fidgeting with her fingers, a habit she had dropped back in middle school as a weird sense of warmth spread through her again.
She almost wanted him to stay.
Jackie came up next to Beatrice, "Huh, wonder what that was about... Anyways, I wanted to tell you that I'm gonna have another party soon, and I want you to come over."
Beatrice turned her head, "C-Cool. When is it?"
"I dunno. Next week? I'm still planning it out. But the best part is that there's gonna be a few college boys to talk to."
"Ha, college boys. I still remember that joke from Highschool." Beatrice said.
"Yeah, but this time I got two guys from school that you should meet."
"... Sure." Beatrice said, however her gaze drifted again, peering at Amos as the alligator was busy conversing with the stork that she forgot the name for. She immediately reverted her eyes, shaking her head.
Bonfire
"-Okay, I don't mean to surprise you... But Vlad may do something really stupid right now."
Amos tilted his head, "What makes ya say th-?"
"Attention for all you beautiful people." The crocodile playing the guitar yelled out as he sat on the rock. "Does anyone have any requests for another song?"
Greggory yelled from the back. "Yeah! Stop playing!"
"Haha very funny..." The guitarist grumbled before putting on a deep and spiritual look. "I suppose the Riddle Song will have to do."
Amos felt Hoshi tugged on his shoulder and pointed, the alligator raising a scaly brow before he saw it. Vladyslav coming up behind the alligator, the Lynx clearly drunk as the crocodile began to play.
"I gave my love a cherry... That had no stone."
The crocodile sung, the more agitated Vladyslav seemed to be.
"I gaaave my love a chicken, that haaad no bo-"
The crocodile was cut off as Vladyslav grabbed the neck of the instrument and wrestled it away from the surprised crocodile. The Lynx then smashed the guitar against a tree with one swift swing, utterly decimating the instrument before handing the remains to the singer.
"вибачте..." The Ukrainian simply said before walking off.
Amos and Hoshi simply stared, completely slack jawed before Greggory practically butted into them. An exhilarated look on the foxes face, "HOLY EFF! Please tell me someone got that on video!"
Angus showed up next to Greggory, the bear looking at the destroyed guitar. "Wow, some party."
The band members couldn't agree more as they watched the guitarist mourn over his now destroyed instrument.
Later
After the whole ordeal, Amos and Hoshi had sat down Vladyslav, the Lynx now sleeping on the lawn chair as he snored loudly. The stork merely sighed, "Jeez, Vlad is just too much sometimes."
Amos gave a chuckle, "Well, he wouldn't be Vlad if he wasn't."
"True..." Hoshi admitted.
They sat down for a bit until a partygoer came up to them, a raccoon wearing a blue cap. "Is he going to be okay?"
Hoshi and Amos looked up at the raccoon, "He's just drunk. Nothing to see here." The stork said.
"Oh, I understand." He turned his head to Johnny, the crocodile packing up his destroyed guitar. "It's just that... Damn, he did a number on Johnny's guitar..."
Amos sighed, "Yeah. Sorry 'bout that. I gave him some reparations on Vlad's behalf. So it's all well and good."
"That's good to hear... Are you three from around here?"
Hoshi shook her head, as did Amos as the alligator replied. "Nah. We just moved in recently. It's just that Gregg invited us to this highschool party you people had goin'." Amos then tilted his head, "Say, what's your name?"
"Cole. I'm just visiting from my school, thought I'd see my hometown."
"That's nice." Hoshi admitted, "I'm gonna assume that you went to highschool here too?"
"Yep." Cole smiled, "Brings back memori-."
Cole was cut off as loud laughter could be heard, Margaret standing up on the hill with Greggory and Angus as the cat laughed her head off. Amos and Hoshi watched her before hearing Cole speak again.
"And talking about memories. Mae Browski. It feels so surreal..."
Amos felt the question arise, "You know Mae too?"
"Know her? Me and her used to date in highschool."
"Really?" Hoshi asked, "How did that go?"
Cole paused before sighing, "It... Didn't work out. But I moved on, I can only hope that she has too."
"Huh..." Amos mused before spotting Beatrice, the crocodile sitting on a bench, lighting a cigarette in the process. He looked back at the stork, "Hoshi, can you watch Vlad? I'll be right back."
Hoshi shrugged, "Yeah sure. It's not like he's going anywhere."
"Thanks." Amos said before rising from his seat, walking over to where the crocodile sat.
"Hey."
Beatrice immediately raised her head, her cigarette in her hand as she looked at him with her smooth eyes.
"Hey." She simply responded back, Amos slowly pointed at the bench.
"Mind if I sit?"
She paused, a look of confusion on her face before she nodded. The alligator stepped over the bench before sitting down, looking at the campfire before looking back at Beatrice.
"Where's Jackie by the way?"
"She needed to go. She's got a few lessons tomorrow."
Amos nodded in understanding before giving a light smile, "And what about you?"
Beatrice looked at him before looking away, shrugging. "I don't know. It'll be kinda an off day for me since I'm closing the shop earlier than usual."
"Well, if that's the case, I was wondering if..." He paused, "You'd like to hang out tomorrow. Get to know each other a bit better."
As soon as he finished that sentence, Beatrice turned her head to him. Her blue eyes wide with what appeared to be confusion as her cigarette laid slumped in her maw.
Even Amos was surprised by her reaction, he expected her to meet his request with annoyance, even anger, not surprise and confusion.
She seemed to get a hold of herself, her face attempting to shift into indifference. "You're not... Really being serious are you?"
Amos paused, although most in his shoes would have felt rejected, he wasn't like most people. Instead he showed a smile on his maw, "Completely serious. I gotta buy a new pan tomorrow and Fort Lucenne had just the shop."
Beatrice seemed to drink in his words, her face seemingly deep in scowling thoughts as she entertained the idea. She then made up her mind.
"Y'know what? Fine, I'll tag along... But don't expect me to stay. I got better things to do too."
Amos chuckled, "Sure thing."
She stared at him, narrowing her eyes before relenting, seemingly satisfied now that she had gotten her point across.
"Good. And while your at it-"
"But I hate cute people! Cute is the worst!"
The two reptiles flinched before turning their heads to the bonfire, Margaret sitting on a log as she ranted loudly. Cole stood in front as the raccoon held an astonished and embarrassed look.
Beatrice grunted, "Oh perfect." She dryly said before standing up from the bench and walking to the fire. Amos tilted his head, before deciding to see what the fuss was about. As soon as he got closer, he could hear Cole talking.
"Okay, well I'm gonna go..." Cole said, attempting to defuse the situation.
Margaret jumped up, now standing on the log. "And iz not my fault I'm a total trashfire!" The cat yelled in a slur.
Amos walked up next Hoshi, the stork holding up a tired Vladyslav as Greggory and Angus stood next to her. "What's goin' on?"
"Mae's super drunk right now." Hoshi said before turning her head to the fox and bear. "And you two are possibly the worst chaperones. Didn't you say that you were going to watch her like hawks?"
Greggory scratched the back of his head, "Yeah... We kinda failed at being chaperone hawks..."
Amos looked at Margaret before peering past her, noticing that Beatrice was now standing close to the log, an annoyed look on her face.
"I got nightmare eyes! And the lazt thing you see iz my eyes oudside the window..." She then raised her hands, "And then I ztab you with my knife!" She then began to yell repeatedly. "Stab! Stab! Staaaab!"
The alligator froze for a second, events replaying within his mind.
The gleam of a knife in the bedroom.
He shook his head, just in time for Margaret to continue.
"Boom! Dead!" She put her arms back down, "When the police get there you're all-" She paused, "NIGHTMAREEYES."
Greggory yelled out, "New nickname!"
"So don't Eff with me, kid!" Margaret said angrily, giving the evil eye to the animals around her.
"Okay Mae, you're threatening people now." Amos heard Beatrice say in her deadpan voice.
"No Bea, this is me being body positive. Read the internet!"
"Mae,-" Beatrice spoke, this time her tone more firm, "-I think you need to-"
"Eff college!" The cat yelled out.
"Yeah!" Greggory agreed.
"All those rich kids and hot people, all writing sex and having papers with each other!"
Hoshi tilted her head back and narrowed her eyes in confusion, as did a few other party goers. Angus on the other hand merely shrugged. "Close enough."
"And that damn statue... Pointing at me everyday, supposed to be the founder but just shapes..." Margaret balled her paws, "I'm a total trash mammal! And nothing is ever going to work out!" She paused, "We never had a chance here but I can't go anywhere else... I'm home again and I can do something besides sleep and cry alone." The cat burped, "Because things aren't just things here, you know?"
Even Vladyslav was awake again, his tired eyes attempting to make sense of the fellow feline.
Margaret clutched her stomach, "Oh god... I'm so... Sick to death." She turned her head back to the raccoon, "Does that make sense? Cole-io?
Cole paused before sighing, taking his cap off and holding it in his hands, "Mae, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I think you're really great-"
"HOME AGAIN!" Margaret interrupted, throwing her arms out in a cheer.
Greggory cheered to, "Wooo!"
"WAAAAUGH!" Margaret cheered louder before clutching her stomach and barfing, Hoshi and Cole immediately backing away. There was a long pause before Margaret looked back up.
"Tacos."
Beatrice sighed, slowly walking up to the log. "Mae. Let's get you back home."
The cat weakly nodded, allowing the crocodile to help her down. Amos watched the crocodile go, taking her friend to the car lot.
Hoshi turned her head, an awkward look on her face.
"Okay. Can someone tell me what the Eff just happened?"
Car Lot
Beatrice kept her indifferent look, helping Margaret on her way. She attempted to reach into her pocket, struggling to bring out the keys.
"Beatrice?"
She flinched, dropping the keys to the ground as they fell to the grass. Practically unseeable now. The crocodile mentally cursed before turning her head, a scowl on her maw as she looked at the alligator that had followed her. The moonlight and the distant fire showing an outline of his scales as his green eyes showed concern.
Margaret looked up before giggling, "Ah, hey Amoz... Y'know, I always thought you alwayz looked like a mooovie villain with that scaar."
Amos looked at her, awkwardly scratching the back of his scales, "Uh thanks..." He then turned his gaze to Beatrice. "You need any help?"
Beatrice narrowed her eyes, "No, I don't." Her eyes scanned around for the keys, "Why don't you go mind your own business for once?"
He gave a weak smile, "That's not something good at."
"Yeah, I can tell." Beatrice grumbled, she attempted to prop Margaret somewhere so she could find the keys before Amos knelt down and picked up something from the grass.
Her keys.
"Here. I saw you drop them because of me."
"Thanks..." She simply mumbled before opening the door, propping the drunk feline into the passenger seat.
She went to the other side before Amos spoke up again.
"I hope we'll... See eachother tomorrow?"
Beatrice turned her head, "Yeah... 'Hopefully'." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm before opening the driver seat door and sitting down, starting the car up. Amos watched as she drove away, a sad melancholy filling his heart as he sighed.
1 hour later
He had kept that same face, focusing his gaze on the road. Hoshi was back on her phone, browsing an assortment of social media sights as she sat on the passenger seat. After the party had ended due to the odd bit of drama, they had quickly left.
However not before offering to take Greggory and Angus back to their apartment.
"By the way dudes, I really appreciate it for taking me and Angus back." The fox said, his head poking through the back window of the van. Angus squished his head in too, the two mammals sharing the space.
"Yeah, thanks a lot."
Amos gave a small smile, keeping his eyes on the road. "Ya both are welcome. You're our friends after all."
Greggory nodded before the fox turned his head to the side, "Oh, oh! I think this is our apartment."
The alligator nodded, parking the van next to the sidewalk. Greggory and Angus opened the back door, making sure to avoid the sleeping form of Vladyslav as the Ukrainian snored loudly in the back.
They then went up to the window, tapping on the glass before waving a goodbye.
Hoshi and Amos responded in kind, giving a friendly wave as the two mammals walked into the apartment, now pitch black as the street lights radiated the sidewalk.
"Gotta say. That party was absolutely mad." Hoshi commented as she went back to looking at her phone.
Amos chuckled before his attitude drooped, the last encounter with Beatrice saddening his mood. "Yeah... Sure was..."
Beatrice's Room
The crocodile entered before plopping face first into her makeshift bed, muffling a grunt as she slowly looked up from the pillow.
That party absolutely sucked... But she genuinely felt better now.
She at first hated the fact that Margaret dropped from college, something which she admitted, would kick her childhood friend out of a car for. Yet after seeing Margaret cry, it had convinced the crocodile to look at it from a different angle and reason that maybe college really didn't work out for Margaret, The Incident being the first thing coming to mind.
Calling her Mayday bought bittersweet memories back, just long enough to have her reconsider her behaviour.
Beatrice sighed before her eyes widened.
Amos. She just remembered.
She groaned, placing her hands over her eyes, recounting the harsh sarcasm she dished out to him. He didn't even deserve it, he had just wanted to help her. Looking back on it now, it was... Nice of him to do so.
Beatrice felt conflicted before she reached into her pocket, producing her phone as the dim lighting radiated her dark room. She opened the new chattrbox app, going to one of the tabs before spotting it.
A friend request by swampgator20, a fleur de lis as the profile picture. She automatically knew it was Amos, yet she had not accepted due to spite and suspicion from their meeting.
But now...
The crocodile looked to the side, for the first time in a long time, she was unsure of what to do. Beatrice looked at her mother's record player, almost envisioning what her mother would tell her to do in this situation.
She finally relented before accepting it, opening a chat bar and texted the first of many sentences.
Hey. You awake?
Amos's Room
The alligator had just gotten out of the shower, using a towel to dry his upper body as he slid on his boxers. He proceeded to rub the cloth over his scaly snout before he heard his phone receive a message.
He reached out, picking it up before sitting on the bed.
His eyes widened.
It was a message from Beatrice, asking if he was awake.
Amos blinked before he texted a message back.
Yeah, something wrong?
Beatrice's Room
Beatrice felt her heart skip a beat. He was awake, but she didn't know what to say.
She paused, her thoughts in a whir before she sighed.
The crocodile knew what to do, it was the only right thing to do.
I should apologize about before. I was being
She hadn't sent it yet, unsure of what to add in the end before finally coming to a decision.
a sarcastic asshole.
Amos's Room
He was admittedly surprised at the crocodile's apology. He hadn't expected Beatrice of all people to actually spend time to admit something like that.
But it also showed that in someway, she was aware of what happened and actually felt bad from the situation.
That was an apology that was definitely worth it's salt.
It's okay. You were stressed out, everyone loses their temper.
Beatrice's Room
The crocodile was surprised to say the least. She didn't expect him to be that understanding, nor respond that quickly.
She paused, tapping on the side of her phone as she thought of what to say next.
And then it hit her.
You still doing that thing tomorrow?
Amos's Room
Amos froze before a small smile crept up on his snout.
He already knew the answer, but he just wanted to make sure.
Of course! But like I said, it's all up to you. I'm just buying a pan after all. :)
Beatrice's Room
Now Beatrice was truly conflicted. She had actually wanted to go, but why? What made going to a dying mall to buy a frying pan with Amos so appealing to her?
And then it hit her.
That maybe she actually, deep down inside, enjoyed his presence.
A small blush came onto her face at that claim before she rebuked it.
"I just have nothing else to do. That's it."
So she made her choice.
Sure. I'll come along. I'll meet you at the public car park in Possum Springs.
She then typed another message.
I gotta go to bed now. Night.
There was a pause before Amos sent a message back.
Goodnight. Beatrice.
She paused before placing her phone at the side of the bed, her eyes drowsy as she lied down in her clothes. However this time, a particularly warm feeling prevaded within her scales as she looked up at the ceiling, holding her phone closely as she went to sleep.
Amos's Room
Amos smiled as he put the phone down, putting on his shirt in the process before opening the covers of his bed and lying down. His scales feeling warm as he rested his head on the pillow, smiling.
He yawned, his eyes slowly closing.
Dreamless sleep fortunately pervaded.
