Chapter 11: Fixing What is Broken

Stone meets one of Anton's guardian angels and Storm is must face a lesser devil.

The ambulance belonged to a company named Tundratown Limousines and Stone could not help but wonder why a limo company would own a medical transport vehicle? He also had no idea of where the ambulance going and the pretty arctic vixen in the back with them was somewhat evasive in her answers. Since there were no side windows to look out of and the two small window panels in the back doors were painted over, he couldn't see any landmarks as the truck rumbled along the roadway. He sat in a jump seat next to Anton and listened as the puppy had an animated conversation with the vixen in a language the fennec fox did not understand.

Finally they came to a halt and Stone's ears shot up as he tried to listen to the conversation outside of the ambulance between the familiar voice of the bear he had met earlier and an equally deep voice. Anton gigged as the two bears laughed and Stone looked back over at the young fox, "What's so funny?"

"They said something funny about your ears Uncle Stone," the white fox laughed.

The vixen quickly added something in her language to the puppy and then looked over at the sand colored tod and winked. "I said your ears are cute," she translated and gave him a smile. "It's too bad for me you are into cats, da? I saw the video of you two this past summer, running around naked before you punched that reporter."

"Has everyone seen that video?" Stone grumbled as he ears flopped down, causing the vixen to giggle.

"What video?" Anton suddenly asked. "Mommy didn't let me watch the news."

Stone was saved from having to answer when the doors were pulled open and two hulking polar bears in black suits with scowls on their muzzles peered in at them. It took a moment before he realized one of the bears was gently holding a small fashionably dressed female shrew in his open paw.

"Gawd, Judy's right and you are a cutie!' the shrew in the cream colored knit sweater and black slacks exclaimed, her black fur was piled upon her head in a fashionable hairdo. She shifted into that foreign language as she spoke to the vixen before switching back. "I'm sorry Mister Kole, but Natasha is new to the city and doesn't quite speak the Common Language as well as others. My name is Francine, but everyone calls me Fru Fru, and let me welcome you to our home."

Stone stood up and not knowing how to greet the much small shrew he offered his paw, but the bear's frowned deepened and he quickly lowered it. "Thank you," he replied. "I thought they were taking Anton to a clinic?"

"They have dearie!" the shrew laughed. "Come on let's get out of the way so the girls can take this sweetheart inside."

Stone hopped out of the vehicle and immediately slipped on the icy ground, sending him sprawling into the snow with an, "Oof!"

"Are you okay fox?" the bear who stood above him asked as he reached down and gripped him in a huge paw.

"I'm more used to sand and the sea than to ice and snow," the fox sighed as he brushed off his clothes.

"Come inside Mister Kole and we'll get you by the fire where it is warmer," the shrew called out before the bear carrying her ambled his way towards the building's interior.

The fox stopped and craned his neck upwards at the snow and ice encrusted grey stone mansion before he followed the bear and shrew inside. Once inside, he slipped off his jacket and handed it to a portly warthog in a black tuxedo who spoke to the shrew again in that foreign language. The hallway they were standing in was paneled in rich brown mahogany wood and there were luxurious oriental rugs lining the polished marble floors. Stepping aside, he watched as the two vixen wheeled the gurney with Anton past him and towards another hallway. "Where are they taking him?" Stone asked.

"We have a small clinic for our associates in the back of the building," the shrew answered as the bear carried her into another room.

Stone looked at the three other foxes as they disappeared down the hallway before he followed the bear and shrew into what appeared to be a den. The walls were painted a light green and there were several paintings of sunny flower gardens. Stone squinted at one of the paintings, which was of sunflowers that looked very familiar and he shook his head because there was no way it could be an original Vincent van Goat. A bear sized teak wood desk was along a wall and there was a set of smaller grouping of mid-century tan cloth covered spade chairs and small cherry wood table on the desk. Stone watched as the shrew hopped off of the bear's paw and took a seat before he sat down of a much larger version of the chair. Everything in the room was of a modern Northern style. "Thank you for taking Anton in at the clinic," the fox said as he tried to settle comfortably in the chair at the same time keeping an eye on the huge bear who sat down in a chair near the doorway. "I'm sorry if we are making an imposition."

"Don't worry about it Mister Kole," she replied. "Daddie always tries to help out the less fortunate of our community."

"Please call me Stone," he replied. The fox's ears flicked as the bear gave a deep chuckle and he turned to look at the bear and saw that he was looking at something on his large phone. "As I was saying, thank you."

It was almost morning by the time Storm wheeled the car back into the parking lot in front of the dormitory and frowned to see that the parking spot had another vehicle in it, so instead he picked another spot and left the car. He was long gone by the time its owner finally left the building to attend classes, the chunky muskrat looked around in confusion before turning to his friend he asked, "Dude, where's my car?"

"It's over there dork!" the small thin skunk replied as he pointed over towards the car. "You need to lay off the Lucky Chomps for breakfast because you know what all that sugar does to you."

Across town the small fox sat down upon his bed and rubbed his eyes, it had been a long night. He had just pulled off his shirt and pants and was heading towards the shower when he heard a knock on the door. He carefully opened it to see who was outside and grimaced when he first looked up at the jackal and then across at the grinning cat who was standing behind him. "We come at a bad time Kole? the cat laughed at the fox in his undershorts. "Abel want see youz mangy tail and he wants youz there now!"

The fox quickly dressed and knowing he still smelled of Jasmine and their mating, he hoped that the camel's sense of smell wasn't as good as the jackal's who was grinning and snickering as he trailed behind him while they all three approached a large office. The sun hadn't come up and so the room was mostly dark, except for a desk light on the large thin camel's desk. When he saw the fox, Abel frowned as he looked up from his laptop and took off his reading glasses. "So you didn't do as I told you Mister Kole!" the camel sighed as he reached over and poured a small cup of hot mint tea, which he set on the other side of the desk before motioning the small fox to sit in an oversized chair. Looking over at the cat and jackal, he flicked his hoof to let them know it was time for them to leave and the cat frowned as he closed the door behind them.

Storm scrambled up into the chair and tentatively accepted the slightly oversized cup of hot tea, he knew that the camel was not seeking an answer to his question and sat waiting in anticipation for Abel to continue. After a long pause, the mobster continued, "Did I not specifically tell you to stay out of the Rainforest District?"

"You did," Storm admitted. "I went to check on Jasmine to make sure she was okay and not to buy her contract back."

"Even I can smell that you found her," the camel chuckled as he looked down at the computer screen again. "Did you try to negotiate for her contract?"

The fox sat his cup down and put his paws in his lap as he looked down at his feet. "No, I did not," he answered as his ears drooped. "She didn't want me to."

"Ah, so the truth comes out," Abel grunted as he clicked away on the keyboard. "So you disobeyed me for nothing, what should I do to punish you?"

Again the fox knew it was a rhetorical question and sat silently looking at the large camel without trying to show any emotion.

"Perhaps finding out you love someone who does not love you back is punishment enough?" Abel mused. "Affairs of the heart are complicated, but you are young and reckless when it comes to the other sex. Now go and clean yourself up, we are finished here this morning and I have more pressing concerns then having to deal with a lovesick puppy."

Across town, Jasmine slept curled up on her bed clutching the pillow that still smelled of Storm's musky male scent. She had lied to the tod about her not being in love with him, believing that she had done it for his own good because she knew that he couldn't keep coming over into another mob's territory to see her. Content in her sleep, she dreamt of a small house in the suburbs, of a dashing young tod with a deep voice by her side as they blissfully raised a family together.