Chapter 26: Endless Summer

Time moves on for the small fox and his family. Today is Labor Day here in the USA and it marks the 'unofficial' end of summer. So my dear readers, as summer comes to a close, so does our story.

Stone gave a sad sigh as he read the story on the screen before him. "What's up brah?" Sandfly called out from across their surfing supply store. Stone had partnered with Sandfly, after the wolf's father had died, and together the two surfers had opened a chain of surf shops along the city's coast. The tan-furred small fox was still as wiry as he had been in his youth, but his muzzle was much grayer.

"Rip Rock has died," the small fox softly answered as he looked over at the thin wolf. "I once thought that big bull was almost as invulnerable as the characters he played in his movies. He and I talked online just a few weeks ago and he seemed to be his same old self."

"Didn't you and Karen have your honeymoon on his yacht?"

"Yep, we sailed with him back to Saint Sylvester Island for the opening of the museum exhibit about Captain Jack Sparrow. It is hard to believe that that was over thirty years ago?"

"He was also the producer of that movie you made about surfing too. Endless Summer is a classic, three months of traveling the world to all the hottest surf spots. Dude, you got to go surf the Frigates, J-Bay, Hanalei, and so many other rad spots, you must have been stoked!"

"It was mostly bitchin', except for when Reggie and Bonaparte would start to bicker or get over competitive. Thank the gods I took Anton with me, I think that his being there saved those idiots from actually killing each other. I remember that one day those two had a grand blow-up, yelling and cursing at each other and it caused Anton to start bawling. The two of them spent not only the remainder of the day being nice to each other in front of him, but for the following two weeks those to boneheads were almost stumbling over each other trying to be nice so as not to upset him again."

"What happened to your dad's old van that you guys were driving?" Sandfly asked as he dusted off one of the displays. "It went by cargo plane to everywhere that you guys went and was almost as famous as you surfers."

"The old Lobos Z1 finally gave up the ghost towards the end of our filming the movie," Stone laughed as he shook his head. "Dad and Wilde still tinker with it some, but it has seen better days. Mom wants him to donate it to the new surf museum that they are planning to open next summer. I've already given them a couple of my old boards, Reggie and Bonaparte have too."

"Too bad Cooper and Billy didn't go," the thin wolf replied as he opened another box of board wax.

"You know Cooper went all domestic on us after they got married," Stone laughed and then grinned over at the wolf. "Don't you dare tell him that I said that, Brah."

"My muzzle is totally sealed partner!"

"It better stay that way too," the fox laughed as he picked up an oversized roll of packaging tape and raised his left eyebrow at the wolf. "If not, I will tape it shut."

"You and what army, runt!" the skinny wolf teased back.

Before Stone could answer, the shop's door opened as two white-furred fox kits charged into the room. "Grandpa! Grandpa!" they joyfully barked out as they charged into the fennec fox's arms, almost knocking him over.

"I didn't think I would ever catch them," Anton huffed out as he entered the store. "They ran all the way from the condo and down the Boardwalk to get here. All Little Finn has been talking about this week is your promise to teach them how to surf when their summer break begins."

"Are we are going surfing?" One of the little foxes asked in a pleading tone. "You promised."

"Yes, I did!" Stone laughed. "Now come on Finn, you too Chucky, and go try on the swim shorts and rash shirts I bought you. Then we will get your surfboards from the back."

"And then we will go surfing!" Little Finn squealed out in excitement.

"Yes, and then we all will go surfing," Stone agreed as he watched them run into the backroom.

"Hey dad," Anton said as the taller white-furred fox hugged Stone. "I left the bags at the condo, mom said not to wear the boys down too much."

"Is Sherry joining us tonight?"

"You know that my wife never misses a chance to come down to The Strand for the weekend."

Stepping back, Stone looked up at this adopted son and grinned. "I got you a new pair of boardies and a rash shirt too. They are in the back room with your board."

The small fox let out a laugh as Anton ran towards the back with his tail wagging behind him. "He is almost as much a child of the surf as you are," Sandfly chuckled as he picked up his now empty box. "Now go and get dressed, I can handle the store."

Stone nodded as he too disappeared into the back.

Half an hour later, the two boys watched as Stone waded out into the ocean. The small fennec fox had closed his eyes and was touching the sea with both of his paws. "What is Grandpa doing?" little Finn asked his father as he watched.

"Your Grandpa is greeting the sea," Anton answered with a smile. "Some of the surfers say that he has a special relationship with the sea, they are friends."

"Grandpa is friends with the water?" Chucky asked in confusion.

"Howzit, brah?" a surfer said from nearby and the boys looked up to see Reggie standing there. The meerkat was watching the fox in the water. "They are pumping today!"

"Things are totally tubular, dude!" Anton replied with a playful grin and the wagging of his tail. "Dad said he'd teach these grommets of mine how to ride."

"He taught you," the meerkat chuckled. "Although, you are still a bit of a kook."

"Bite me!" the white-furred fox snickered. "All that coming from an old geezer like you brah?"

"Just who won the Z-town Open this year?" Reggie laughed. "Oh wait...it was me!"

"So you are talking like my dad now?" Anton added as he gave the meerkat a very foxy smirk.

"That's what the fans and the sponsors want," the meerkat answered with a shrug. "Everyone wants me to be another Stoney."

Stone had grabbed his board and paddled out past the surf, where he stopped and just floated as if waiting. "Just watch," Anton said as he knelt in the sand next to his sons. Suddenly the fennec fox began to furiously paddle back towards the shore just as a wave began to raise. Within moments Stone was standing on his board as he shot down towards the forming tube of the wave. Many of the other surfers had stopped to watch and cheer.

"He's making the drop!" Anton yelled in excitement. "He's slotted."

"He's shooting the curl," Reggie added as he pointed towards where the small fox had almost disappeared into a wall of water. Then Stone was seemingly spat out of the breaking tube and into the foaming water. "A perfect ride on a perfect wave and that is why your grandfather is a surfing legend."

This concludes the story of Stone Kole, Zootopia's greatest surfer.