Life definitely wasn't kind to Nick in his first years of life with his father, but life was just plain out cruel to McCabe with the parents it gave him.

In his first years of life, it wasn't all that bad. His mom and dad, Emily and Colton, did at least try to keep him alive, though it was through the bare necessities. Him being an accident didn't help him either. His parents had gotten drunk one night at a high school party. They were already boyfriend and girlfriend so when things got hot they got down and dirty, and had sex without protection resulting in him. The two families forced the two to get married, and so they got unhappily married. A classic shotgun wedding.

It wasn't until he got older that things started getting a whole lot worse for the pup, and it wasn't older by much.

McCabe was barley five when he got his first taste of abuse. He'd already been neglected for nearly his whole life to that point, but he just thought that to be normal considering he didn't have much of an example to go off of; his parents never let him leave the house.

McCabe was just sitting in the corner, out of sight from his father, watching TV from a distance. His dad was sitting in his recliner with a beer in paw. There is only one way to really explain his appearance, and that's that he looked like standard trailer park trash. Everything was going fine, well as fine as things could be, until the wife got home.

You could hear her yelling obscurities before she even opened up the door to their home. The pup was definitely familiar with how this went. The two would basically have a screaming competition until one of them just had enough and left. While they did this, McCabe always covered his ears and looked at the ground, waiting for them to stop.

When the two finally got done, McCabe looked up to see his dad looking a lot more angry than usual. He took long deep breaths of anger, gritted his teeth, and had his paws clenched tightly. McCabe didn't know what they fought about, but whatever it was he knew it was bad. McCabe always tried to make himself as small as possible when his parents were angry, hoping to avoid their rage. Today was the first day that it didn't work.

In his rage, Colton happened to turn towards McCabe, and their eyes met. McCabe gulped as he saw Colton bare his teeth and heard him start to growl.

"This is all your fault," he shouted, storming over to his completely innocent pup. McCabe didn't do anything to retaliate, as he was petrified with fear by his enraged father. Colton yanked up McCabe roughly by the scruff, causing him to yelp in pain. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be stuck with this bitch," he spat. McCabe could only dangle, whimpering in pain, being completely confused by what was happening. Colton raised his paw, ready to strike the cub, but he restrained himself and realized what he was doing. With what little morality he had left, he restrained himself from harming his child. He gave a throaty growl before ultimately just dropping him. He glared down at McCabe for a few moments before just walking back over to his chair and dropping into it.

McCabe whimpered and crawled into the corner, cowering in fear. He curled into a tight ball as he cried silently to himself. He'd never felt that scared. He dared not to move in case his enraged father came back. That night he cried himself to sleep in that corner.

That definitely wasn't the worse thing that could have happened for McCabe, but that was only the beginning. It was sure to get a lot worse, and was only a matter of time before that little bit of morality left from Colton.

It was only a couple months later when things went from bad to worse. McCabe had been left alone one day, his parents off doing whatever it was they did during the day. McCabe honestly had no idea, and he didn't care. He may be young, but he already prefers to be alone, or at least anywhere that's not near his mom or dad.

McCabe was running around hollering with joy as he swung a stick from side to side. Not long ago he had seen a pirate movie on TV and he took a great interest into it. He ran around from room to room pretending to kill pirate skeletons who were trying to steal his treasure.

He was having the time of his life with this simple little thing, and it was the most fun he'd ever had; which, in all honesty, isn't saying much. Fun wasn't a thing McCabe had much of. Most of the time he sat secluded in his tiny home. Today, however, he decided to do something rather than sit around all day.

Unfortunately for him, he'd been having such a great time that he didn't hear the front door open. Colton was home early and he was at his breaking point. When he walked in and heard his child screaming and running around the house he became increasingly annoyed. He marched into the kitchen where his pup was at and looked at him with annoyance.

"What the hell is going on?" Colton shouted with growing anger.

McCabe gasped in shock and quickly spun around to see his angry father. That was his fatal mistake. As he turned around, his stick, that was just long enough, caught a couple beer bottles that were on the edge of the counter. They went falling to the ground and shattered on impact.

Colton's rage peaked to an all time high. His whole day had already been complete shit. First off, he was awoken by his devil wife screaming at him for who knows why. He sure as hell didn't have a clue. She just added to his migraine he had from his hangover. Then, he got fired from his job as a farm worker. His boss finally had enough of him showing up to work late, and hungover, drunk, or drugged up. He'd given him enough chances before just letting him go. Colton was sure to give his ex-boss a piece of his mind by cussing him out until a few of the other farm helpers had to throw him out. Lastly, he returned to his truck just to have it not start up on him. He couldn't get any help from the farm, he knew there was no way they'd lend him a paw after his out lash. He also knew his wife wouldn't help him with anything, so he was stuck with walking home five miles, which took him nearly two hours.

He was tired, felt like shit, and out of work. Then he comes home, hoping to just drown his stress in his last couple drinks in peace, only to find his pest pup running around screaming and waste his last beers. He was beyond pissed.

McCabe took a step back when he saw his dad's whole body tense up. Memories of a few months ago came back to him and he again become stiff with fear. There was nothing he could really do but wait for whatever Colton was going to do.

With one swift motion, Colton let out a snarl and swatted McCabe across the head, knocking him to the ground and sent him sliding across the tile floor. McCabe hollered in pain and started crying his eyes out. He clutched tightly to his face trying to ease the pain as much as possible. Terror consumed the poor pup as all he could do was lay there and wait for Colton to come up behind him and finish up.

Colton yanked McCabe off the floor and held him high in the air. He knew this was wrong, to be hitting a defenseless pup, but at the moment he didn't care. He felt a sense of power and authority. He didn't have that with his job, his family, or his wife. This made him feel strong and superior, so he didn't stop. He held a claw up to McCabe's throat and applied just a little pressure.

McCabe seethed and yelped at the pain. His breathing became more rapid and uneven as his fear level peaked. The young wolf pried at his dads paws and arm, trying to get them away from him, but it was no use. Colton was much to strong for a pup to try and overpower him. He thought before was scary, but this was just plain out terrifying. He was actually fearing for his life, wondering if his own father was going to put an end to it. He felt like he was held there forever before Colton's grip loosened on him and eventually dropped him to the ground. McCabe looked up at his dad and saw with his head in his paws, a small growl emitting from his throat.

"I need to get out of here," he grumbled. He quickly spun himself around and picked up the dirt bike keys, then stormed out of the house. He may have liked doing it, but he still knew how bad it was. A wave of guilt washed over him and now he felt like shit. He needed to get a drink in him fast.

McCabe had no idea where his father was going, and he didn't care. He ran into his small, closet sized room and closed his door behind him. He didn't have his own bed due to the size of his room. All he had were a few blankets in the corner which he crawled into and began to cry. He buried his face into his blankets to muffle sobs.

"What did I do to deserve having a family like this," he cried out. He knew that this wasn't right, he just knew. Nothing about it felt right or natural. He wished that he'd never see his father or mother again. But he didn't get his wish.

As he grew older the abuse got worse. Over time, Colton became less resistant to harming McCabe. At first it was rare for Colton to majorly harm McCabe, and he had to be extremely angry; he also always felt bad about it after, having to have a drink after it. But as the years went by, Colton became less and less of a wolf. There was hardly a time when he wasn't drunk or high. He could never find another job, so he was home all the time, giving him a chance to hate everything about his pup. Even though McCabe hardly did anything just so he couldn't upset his dad, Colton became very intolerant with everything. It was like he was looking for a reason to beat his kid.

Emily definitely wasn't innocent in any of this. She may have never physically harmed him in any way, but she did a number on his emotions. Naturally, McCabe felt drawn towards his her since she was his mother, but she made it very obvious she wanted nothing to do with him. She'd always tell him how worthless he was, or how she wished he'd never existed. Also, to top it all off, she knew that Colton was beating their pup, and she did nothing about it. In all honesty, she secretly wished that Colton would one day kill him. Then she'd be rid of both of the things she hated most in the world; McCabe would be dead and Colton would be in prison.

Eventually, it came the time for McCabe to start school. He was really over excited about it, but not to learn. He wanted to meet other animals. He'd been forced to stay on his family's property and wasn't ever able to socialize. He would see others every now and then; either he'd see them drive by, or he'd see some of his dads friends pick him up. He's never been up close with another animal, and has definitely never talked to another one. He was hoping to change that on his first day of school.

He had been waiting eagerly on the side of the road in front of his house for the bus to come and pick him up. He constantly looked left and right, trying to spot the large yellow vehicle. He thought that he'd finally be able to make some friends, and he was so excited about it. Sadly, his little heart would be broken.

He smiled widely when he spotted the bus driving down towards him. It stopped right in front of him and the doors swung open, revealing a large boar at the seat. The boar glared down at the wolf pup and told him to get in. McCabe suddenly felt really nervous about this. But he knew nothing could be worse than staying home. He took a deep breath and climbed his way onto the bus.

What he came into was a vehicle full of very loud children laughing, screaming, whooping and hollering. He slowly walked down the bus isle trying to find a seat. Yet, every time he attempted to sit down, one of the kids would reject him. All the kids stared at him like he was some sort of outcast, but he didn't notice that part. This happened all the way to the back of the bus, causing his head to droop more and more, until he found an empty seat. He could feel the stares as we walked until he took his seat alone, and when he looked forward everyone looked away. He sighed and was already feeling defeated in only his first few seconds. He shook his head and it was then he decided that he was just destined for nobody to like him; not his parents or anyone else. The words of his mother were seared into his mind, of how he was a mistake that brings nothing but misery. He just wished he knew why these animals didn't like him.

The explanation is was simple: everyone on the bus was a prey, and none of them wanted a predator sitting next to them. There was that, and then there was what he was wearing. By now, it's obvious that McCabe's parents didn't care at all for him. So it only makes sense that he didn't have any good cloths. McCabe was wearing an old pair of jeans that he'd been wearing for the past couple years. They were torn, dirty, and starting to get really tight on him. His shirt wasn't much better, considering it was just a plain white t-shirt that was also torn, and covered in dirt and food stains. He only had two other shirts, and the same with his pants; none of them were in any better condition.

McCabe rested his head on the seat in front of him and closed his eyes as they drove along. The bus stopped a couple more times until they reached the school. Everyone filed off and ran towards the playground to get some playtime in before the bell rang. McCabe slowly followed behind, but instead of following the others he found his own little secluded spot.

He sat under a large tree and silently pouted to himself. He just wished that he could have one animal to talk to, just one animal who would be his friend.

Actual school wasn't much better. He didn't know how to do any simple things that an animal his age should know. He didn't know how to spell, do simple math, and he could barley read. He was way behind with his education. Luckily, his teacher was nice and patient. Still, he became very frustrated that he couldn't do anything the others could. It made him feel like even less of an animal.

His whole year of Kindergarten, and all the way through second grade were pretty much the same. Go to school and struggle through it all day, then go back to his hellish home. It definitely wasn't The easiest of schedules to live by. But things did seem to start looking up for the pup. When third grade year started, he wasn't getting left behind in the lessons. He was actually becoming quite intelligent for a mammal of his age. After years of struggling through classes, and barley passing each year, he was starting to pull ahead of the others.

'Now maybe they won't pick on me' was the thought that ran through his head. It was a couple months into the third grade, and McCabe was definitely one of the smarter mammals in his class. He remembers how much he was made fun of for how stupid he was. Everyday it was constant teasing of either his intelligence. It used to hurt a lot. He went to school to get away from the torment of home, but he just found himself in the same situation, only this time in a different place. Eventually, though, he got used to it. He would shrug off the hurtful words and walk away. They all tried their hardest to hurt him with words using anything they could, but McCabe didn't think anything of it anymore. So the bullies decided to step up their game.

McCabe was sitting under the same tree that he went under on his first day of school. He found it to be a nice relaxing place where he could be alone. He would soon find that it wasn't going to be as peaceful. He was reading a book when he noticed a few animals coming his way. He looked up and sighed when he saw his usual bullies coming over towards him. There was a bull named Josh, who was their leader, a buck deer named Phil, and a ram named Hunter.

"How's it going wolfy?" Josh mocked. McCabe rolled his eyes and closed his book. He usually found it better to get it over with, or else it'd just be a lot worse.

"What do you want now, Josh?" McCabe asked, wondering what brilliant insults the bull would come up with today.

"Just wondering what the nerd is doing today," he said, taking a step towards the smaller wolf. It wasn't by much, due to their age, but Josh was definitely bulkier.

McCabe raised and brow at his insult. 'So now I'm a nerd,' he noticed. After years of being called an idiot, now he's being made fun of for being smart? He started to think his intelligence wasn't the actual reason for being bullied.

"What you reading anyway?" Josh attempted to grab McCabe's book, but he jumped back and away from him. Josh glared down the wolf, annoyed that he wasn't getting what he wanted.

"Just get away from me," McCabe mumbled, starting to walk away. Josh's friends looked at him, wondering what he was going to do. Josh wasn't one to not get what he wants.

"Don't walk away from me," Josh nearly shouted, grabbing him by the shoulder. McCabe already wasn't in the best of moods. He got woken up early to his parents fighting, then got yelled at when he got out of his room. Now he was dealing with this bully. He was becoming increasingly annoyed.

McCabe tugged away from him. "Leave me alone," he warned, trying to walk away again.

"Are you going to make me," Josh laughed, shoving him from behind. McCabe stumbled forward a few steps, lost his balance, and fell to the ground. It didn't hurt at all, but he was still getting angry. Then hearing Josh and his friends laugh made him even angrier. He started growling quietly, warning Josh. That just made him laugh harder. "Is the small wolf getting angry," he mocked, walking over to him and standing right above him. "Don't something about it you pred," he tempted, prodding him in the back.

That was the moment McCabe lost it. All those pent up emotions he had been building up for the past few years were finally going to be released. He let out a vicious sounding snarl as he turned around and lunged at Josh. The bull looked shocked as McCabe tackled him to the ground. He started pounding on his face, hitting him as hard as a third grader could hit. Phil and Hunter stood bewildered for a moment, before running to their friends rescue.

They started pulling him off, but with much effort. It took all their strength to pull the frenzied wolf. McCabe was struggling trying to keep hitting his bully but he eventually was pulled off, but not without getting one last hit. He got one of his arms free and slashed down at Josh's chest. It wasn't to deep, but it was enough to make Josh scream in pain.

McCabe was thrown off of Josh. He hit the ground and was still breathing hard, his rage not being doused. Luckily, they were all far away from any teacher, so no one heard anything. Phil and Hunter picked up Josh and took of running. They didn't want things to go from bad to worse.

McCabe watched them run away, and he couldn't help but smile, satisfied with the outcome. It made him feel good to be on the other end of a beating. 'Hopefully that keeps him away,' McCabe thought to himself.

He was about to pick himself up when he saw a paw extend down towards him. McCabe looked up to see a pudgy red fox with a malicious smile. "That was pretty darn vicious," the fox chuckled. McCabe was definitely suspicious of this fox, but he was seemingly friendly; McCabe took his paw and was helped up.

"Thanks," McCabe mumbled out. He still wasn't used to conversation, so he was shy to talk to him.

"No problem, pal. Ya know, I ain't never seen no one stand up to Josh like that. It was kinda cool," The fox complimented. McCabe's mood suddenly lightened up. No one ever really said anything nice to him before, unless it was a teacher but he doesn't count that, so that made his day.

"You really think so?" McCabe asked.

"Sure. That definitely put him in his place," he commented. Something didn't really feel right to McCabe, but he immediately ignored those feelings. He had a chance to have a legitimate friend, and he wasn't going to pass up that opportunity.

"Wow, thanks," McCabe cheered. "I'm McCabe. What's your name."

"I'm Gideon. Gideon Grey."


"Wait, so your first friend was that asshole fox?" Nick asked, a bit shocked.

McCabe shrugged, "I was lonely, and emotionally unstable," he defended.

Nick has to admit that McCabe's past was probably a little worse than his own. At least he had one parent who loved and took care of him. McCabe had no one.

"Holy hell, we've been here awhile," Nick looked over to see McCabe gazing down at his phone. "It's nearly nine already,"

"Looks like reliving childhood atrocities makes the time fly," Nick chuckled. McCabe couldn't help but laugh along.

"I did get a little carried away. I didn't mean to go on for that long. It's just that I got going and couldn't stop myself," McCabe apologized. "I should probably stop now. I can finish later, if you even want to hear it."

"Maybe at a later time. Also, I didn't want to say anything, but you did start to drag on. You seemed like you needed it though."

"Yah, coming back has brought up some bad memories. I'm still glad to be here, it can just get difficult. Nick admitted to him that he had noticed, but McCabe wasn't surprised.

"So, you okay now?" McCabe asked.

Nick took a deep breath and wiped his eyes. He had to admit that this calmed his nerves immensely. "Yah, this has actually helped a lot more than I thought it would." McCabe smiled and said he told him so. Nick had a small smile; he was glad that he met McCabe. He's been a really good friend to him and he hadn't expected to meet anyone like him in Bunnyburrow.

"Well, I should get going; this has been emotionally exhausting. I need to get some sleep." McCabe said standing up followed by a yawn. He walked over to the door and was about to leave, when Nick called out his name.

"Thank you, McCabe. No one's ever taken the time to do this for me."

McCabe grinned, "No problem. If you ever need to talk again, I'll be around." With that, McCabe left.

Nick leaned back in his bed with a very happy smile. His day went from complete shit, to not as much. He was very great full to McCabe, more than he think McCabe knew.

McCabe walked downstairs, content with what just happened. He was glad he was able to lighten up Nick's day. Due other troubles in his past, he always made it his mission to make others happy.

Before he could get outside to walk to his guest house, Debra and Tim caught him at the door. They needed to make sure that Nick was going to be okay.

"He'll be just fine."


I don't have much to say about this chapter, other than I had a difficult time with writing it. Also, I've decided to change it to 3rd person pov. Sorry if you don't like it, but I feel like I write better that way.

Thanks for everyone who reads my story, and to everyone who reviews. I enjoy all the comments I get, and I'd appreciate more. So please favorite, follow, and comment.

Peace Out