Chapter 37: Of Birds & Bigots

Part 1 of A Rumble on River Street

"Home! I'll go home and I'll think of some way to get him back! After all, tomorrow is another day!" with those words the movie ended, showing the rabbit called Scarlett O'Hare standing with the ruins of her beloved mansion behind her. Judy and Marie both sighed and Jake rolled his eyes as Nick tried to discreetly wipe his own eyes with a paw.

"That was both sweet and sappy bro," the raccoon complained.

"What?" the fox challenged his friend's opinion. "That movie was a classic. It had war and jealousy, heck the actress who played the mammy even got the first major award that a predator ever won for her role in the movie."

"Oh come on, it even put the boys to sleep," Jake continued. Then he paused and with a thoughtful voice added, "Not that I'm complaining about that."

At six months, Jake's sons had tripled their birth weight and were crawling all over the place. Their markings had darkened and they were much more vocal. Marie was still breastfeeding them, but they had also begun to eat pureed foods. Judy made the mistake while feeding the boys of tasting the food and when she realized it was ground up fresh worms, she bolted towards the sink. They loved their Uncle Nick, when he would show up they would quickly crawl towards him and then all over the grinning fox. Jake asked the doctor why they were attracted to his friend and the doctor said it was his fur color, of course the devious raccoon told his best friend it was because they thought he just another big kit.

Marie had left the nursing bed and returned to their regular bed with him, it had been so long since they made love. He was grateful that they had the only occupied suite on the hotel's top floor because both their moans had been quite loud.

Later he mentioned to Nick that he found himself hunting Marie like she was prey. Nick just scoffed and reminded him they were still both predators deep down. Then he confessed that he hunted Judy all the time and that it was one of the sexist things they did, but he had to be very careful with his fangs when he caught her.

A few weeks later Nick looked at his friend with amusement and asked again, "You can't be serious! You really want me to apologize to a bird for licking my chops at it?"

"That's not just any bird my toothsome bro, that is my friend Bob," Jake replied. "His name is Bob the Bluebird and you scared him. If you want to keep your fur clean, then apologize. I warned Marie not to eat eggs out here in his presence, but she didn't listen and he pooped on her good."

The little bird chattered angrily from the railing, before taking flight to land on the wall behind the fox.

"Better hurry because he's losing his patience with you," the raccoon warned.

"How do you apologize to a bird?" Nick asked nervously. "I don't speak bird talk. Hey, with all those changes after the howlers don't tell me you can communicate with the birds?"

"Just say you're sorry and that'll do," Jake answered. "And no I can't talk to birds…only fish… slugs…foxes…those creatures of lesser intelligence.

"Real funny coon…," Nick started to say, but the bird took flight again and soared over his head. "I'm sorry Bob!"

The bird landed on the table near Jake. The raccoon reached out and placed a mealworm on the table in front of the bird, which grabbed it in its beak and took off flying. Jake grinned at the fox, who rolled his eyes before he asked, "You got mealworms?" The fox started licking his chops again, before stopping as he looked at the bird. He could swear it was watching him with those beady black eyes.

Jake laughed, "In the fridge, next to the red wigglers. The skillet is under the cabinet and there's coco butter if you want to pan fry some up for us for lunch, just don't wake the kits. Oh and bring Bob another couple raw ones." He watched as his friend walked back into the suite with his tail swishing happily behind him.

Jake yawned and stretched, he was enjoying the warm sunshine on his fur. Marie and Judy had gone to the groomers and were meeting Fru Fru for lunch afterwards, leaving him and Nick with the boys. Yawning again, Nick smiled as he watched the fox in the kitchen. Turning to the bird he sighed, "I swear Bob that Nick is better with my sons then I am. I wish he and Judy could have their own kits, he'd make a great father." The bird just looked at him, cocked it's head, and flew off to another part of the railing.

His cell phone rang and looking down he scowled as he saw that it was an unknown number, it was probably a burner phone. Sighing he answered the call, "Runnel Security, this is Jake…slow down Jerry…what…Trudy and Candy...where…I'm on my way."

Looking up, he saw Nick coming out with a plate of fried mealworms and a bowl of salad. The fox stopped when he saw the raccoon's face and asked, "Is everything okay?"

"No Nick, two old friends are in the hospital and one is in bad shape," Jake answered as he looked out towards the park below. "I need to call Marie to come home, so I can go to the hospital."

The fox walked over and put a paw on his friend's shoulder and said, "I'll stay with the kits, so you go and call me later."

Jack didn't even give it a second thought as he ran for the door.

Forty minutes later, Detective Johnson stared down at the raccoon, his amber eyes were locked onto Jake's odd pale yellow eyes. Damn, thought Walt Garfield with vice, the coons trying to stare down the lion.

"No Runnel," the detective said again. "Only family, until Bogo says so."

"She doesn't have any family that cares about her detective," growled Jake. "I'm a friend, a very close friend, and I'm going in to see her even if I got to take you out."

The lion blinked in surprise, but didn't back down. Garfield quickly spoke up, "Jake let's talk, follow me." The mountain lion turned and walked down the hallway. The raccoon watched him then followed.

As they walked away, Johnson pulled out his phone and made a call, "Nick get you butt down to Eastside Hospital before I have to arrest your friend Runnel for creating a disturbance."

Garfield looked down at Jake and sighed, "She's been hurt bad, but Candy's in there with her. She too was knocked around, but is going to be okay. I've talked with Jerry and there was nothing anyone could. They were just supposed to dance at the party and it got out of hand. We've picked up the frat boys and they're downtown in lockup."

"Shit Garfield, I thought you were on the take to keep the girls safe!" Jake snapped. "Who did this to Trudy?"

"Come on coon, I'm only paid to look the other way and you know that," the mountain lion replied. "We can't touch the alpaca punk who kicked her out the window. He's a Patagonian diplomat's kit, hell he's probably out of the city by now."

Jake growled in agitation as his phone rang again, he looked at it and answered, "Better be telling me something I want to hear Adrian, I'd hate to hurt your lion…sorry..thanks…any word on the diplomat brat…again thanks." Hanging up, the raccoon began running down the hallway.

Garfield shook his head as he watched Jake leave and thought, I pity that punk if or when Runnel hunts him down.

Detective Johnson watched as the raccoon passed him and halted at the doorway. He eyed Garfield as he was walking towards him and the smaller lion shrugged.

Silently Jake slipped into the darkened room and stared at the bandage body of Trudy in the bed. Candy looked up, she too had been battered and tears began to form in her swollen eyes. She softly spoke, "We were supposed to just dance, those frat boys were drinking and smoking nip. Then the alpaca lama grabbed me and starting calling us names. They wanted sex and we told them it would cost more, but they argued. When we tried to leave, they started yelling and pushing us around. Trudy snapped at the alpaca and he kicked her out the window, he called her a pelt. Someone had called the cops and they got us out to an ambulance. Why do they treat us like that Jake?"

Jake walked over and held her to his chest as she cried. His eyes were smoldering in the dim light as he said, "Garfield said they got them all but the alpaca, he walked because he's a diplomat's kit. He can walk from the law, but not me."

Candy could feel a tremor run through the raccoon's lean muscular body and pulled back almost in fear from the scent he began giving off, but Jake leaned over and kissed her forehead. Holding her hand he sat on the bed and softly growled towards the darkness. Candy slowly asked, "Jake what are you going to do?"

He looked at her, his face looked almost primal in the dim light, and replied, "The four fates once wrote, an eye for an eye."

Nick got to the hospital as soon as he could, after Marie and Judy got home, and Johnson waved him past. The lion was watching a huge polar bear waiting in the lobby, it was Raymond and he looked up at the fox, but didn't say a word. As he entered the room, a weak voice said, "Candy did you order delivery? They sent us a cute fox for dinner."

Jake grinned, "He's happily married ladies and I think he's here to keep me from doing something stupid. He's my best friend."

Trudy softly laughed, "Oh well, I'm not up to a good lay or even a bad one."

Nick grinned at them, "These are your two friends Jake, does Marie know about these two?"

"Of course, they threw us a Mating Shower on River Street," laughed the raccoon.

Candy looked Nick over again and said, "I know you, didn't you run scams with Finnick? You're a cop now and married to the rabbit, talk about kinky."

"Now Candy, did you miss the part about him being my best friend?" Jake sighed. Then he asked, "Trudy, are you up to answering questions now? I'll send Detective Johnson in, but play nice because I think he's still a virgin."

He kissed both vixens before they left.

Jake slept roughly that night and awoke before sunrise as usual. Marie had fled their bed and was sleeping in the kit's room, because her husband had growled as he tossed, and turned in his sleep. He sat up and spit goose feathers from the shredded pillow out of his mouth. Giving up on any further sleep he dressed and went for a jog in the dark park across the street from the hotel.

About a mile into his run, he was intercepted by a white figure in a tight black spandex suit. She looked him in the eyes as his swept over her body. Quickly he reached over and pulled her to him, devouring her mouth in a passionate kiss as her body melted into his. Then just as fast, he shoved her from him and panted out the words, "NO, NO! NO!"

The artic fox stumbled away, but she could both smell and sense his primal lust for her. Her legs trembled as she fought her own passionate urges.

"Why Skye…why are you here…damn you! I love my wife," Jake moaned as he slowly gathered his wits. "Did HE send you to seduce me?"

The fox stepped forward, but the raccoon stumbled back. Finally she said, "No I was sent you warn you to keep away from the alpaca, the company doesn't want an international crisis at this time."

"Tell your company to be damned," Jake growled, his yellow eyes flashing in the low lights. Then almost casually his paw reached behind his back and then he quickly flicked a throwing knife towards a stand of trees. Turning away from her, he ran home.

Jack Savage stared at the knife that had hit the tree trunk just inches from his face and frowned.

In the end, Jake didn't need to hunt down the alpaca. He hadn't left town, but was strutting around campus with two guard lamas, bragging about the incident and how macho he was. The authorities mildly protested, after all the victims were only prostitutes. Although he escaped the law, even he could not escape street justice. A few nights later, he ditched his guards because he wanted to attend an underground rave party he had heard about. He never made it to the party, but was found a few hours later naked in Sahara Square. He had been beaten and both his legs were broken.

"Where the in the hell are you Runnel!" Bogo's voice was loud enough for everyone to hear, even though the phone was not on speaker. "You better not have been involved with that damn alpaca being beaten up! I want you in here tonight, understand!"

Jake spoke calmly into the phone, "give me a couple minutes to pay my tab Chief and I'll be right over. Do you want me to bring my witnesses with me, if so you're really going to mess up the monthly after work gathering here at the Green Dragon Pub? Hey, why don't you join us and I'll buy you a beer to celebrate the good news you just gave me!"

The cops present in the bar that night joked at the precinct for weeks about how they didn't even need the phone to hear the cape buffalo's bellow.

A few days later, Jake stood outside of Little Rodentia and said, "Okay, here are the prepaid credit cards Jerry. It was amazing that the rave party turned out just a rumor, who knew?" Jake chuckled, "That SOB was so arrogant that he just had to go. Once away from his kitsitters…well, I guess a certain snow leopard taught him some respect. Still I'm surprised he didn't get iced?"

The mouse smiled as he pocketed the cards and replied, "I have no idea what you're talking about boss?"

Chapter Notes:

I'm from the South, so I had to work Gone with the Wind somehow into my writing.