Chapter Four: Getting to Know You

A/N: I originally wrote this chapter in 16 pages, but that's way too long, so I'll be breaking it in half. This chapter is mostly Duke and Dawn with a bit of Nick, where chapter five is half Nick-half Duke and Dawn, leading to Chapter Six "Awkward" which is the comical sex chapter some of you may have been waiting for.

Some have been asking "Why not make it 'M'"? Well, has been very generous on the content in M-related stories, but they do have a limit that I don't want to break, and chapter six will be more "M+" due to some gross humor. Let's just say Duke does not understand what "Marking" means.

Man. Nick got a bigger part than I originally planned. It works out well though.

Dawn Bellwether Walked to the entrance of the Herdsville Mega-Grocers. As she was about to go inside, she noticed two homeless men sitting on the sidewalk. An old gopher and porcupine. She remembered Harriet mentioning them. She decided to approach the two. "E-Excuse me. Do you know Mr. Duke Weaselton?"

"I ain't snitching on Duke!" said the gopher. "He's an okay guy!"

"Yeah!" shouted the porcupine. "We watch our own around here!"

Dawn made an offer. "I'll give you ten bucks each."

"Hot damn! Snitchin' time! What do ya want to know?"

"Is Duke a good guy?"

"He's the best!" Said the gopher. "He gets us the day-old before they're thrown out! Keeps us from having to dig through garbage."

"Yeah!" said the porcupine. "And sometimes, he'll get us a hot coffee in the morning! He's very generous considering he's barely making anything here."

"How often does he work?"

"Just part-time. Four hours a day, five days a week. They only give him fifty bucks a week though. Barely pays for the groceries he buys for himself."

"Wait a minute! Twenty hours a week should be a lot more than fifty bucks!"

"The boss pays him under the table. It was the only way he could hire him because of that 'Prey-incentive' law that gave bonuses for businesses that hired prey over predators. That damn Bellwether!"

"I wrote that law!" thought Dawn. "Uhhh… yeah. What a horrible person! I hate that I look so much like her."

"Come 'ta think of it, you do! Ya might want to dye your wool, lady!"

"Yeah. Well, thank you so much! I better get going."

"Hold it! Why did you want to learn about Duke?"

"Well… He's a newer friend of mine and I don't know too much about him yet."

"Well, that makes one! The poor guy just goes here and back home every day. He ain't got no one. 'Cept maybe us. But any friend of Duke's is a friend of ours!"

"Thanks, guys. It was nice meeting you both."

Dawn went into the store and got a basket to shop with. She looked around the racks, picking up some pasta and sauce, spiced grass, and a small bale of hay for herself. As she was walking around, she could hear the stockmen talking in the back.

"Hey! Hey Duke!"

"SIGH! What is it Marvin?"

"How many weasels does it take to change a lightbulb?"

"You've said this one before."

"None! The weasels stole them! HA-HAAA! Ain't that a kicker!"

Curious, Dawn peeked in the back and saw a pig harassing Duke.

"I've worked here fer four years Marvin. I don't steal." Duke explained.

"Maybe not, but a lot of your kind do. Besides, I've seen you steal outta the garbage."

"'Dat's stuff bein' thrown away! And 'da boss usually lets me have it before it gets thrown away!"

"Do yer little hobo friends know they're eating garbage?"

" 'Dey were fishin' outta 'da trash before I came along. I sort 'da day-old stuff out. Everything 'dey eat is still good food, if a bit stale."

"You eat trash just like they do! The only difference between you and them is this job."

Duke picked up a crate of jelly jars and started to head into the main store to unload them. Dawn ran around the corner as not to be seen.

"Yeah, well I'd rather be one-a 'dem 'dan you."

With that, Marvin the pig stuck his hoof out to trip Duke. Duke fell to the ground and the jars shattered.

Duke's Gerbil boss, Frank Holefiller stepped out of his office and ran over to see what was going on. "Alright! I heard merchandise drop! Who did it?!"

The pig pointed at Duke. "It was two-left feet here, Sir!"

Duke shouted back. " 'Dat's a lie! He tripped me!"

Dawn finally came from around the corner. "It's true! I saw it with my own eyes! I also heard the pig making fun of him. If this is the kind of establishment that allows this kind of harassment to happen, I might take my business elsewhere!"

The gerbil took a good look at Dawn. "Aren't you that Bellwether lady?"

"How dare you! Are you saying all of us sheep look alike!"

"What?! Oh, no! No ma'am! I apologize! Marvin! Help Duke up off the floor and come see me in my office! Ma'am. Thank you for bringing this to my attention and I'll see you get a 20% discount at the register."

The gerbil and Pig left. As Dawn was heading to the register, she looked over at Duke, smiled, and gave him a wink.

Dawn went back home and decided to cook Duke a pasta dinner. After a while, Duke's fourth hour was up and she waited for him to come home. To her surprise, she got a little excited when he opened the door. "Duke! So how was work today?"

To her other surprise, Duke did not look happy. "Why do you hate me so much?"

"Wh-What?!"

"It's bad enough you make my life hell in this house, you gotta go to my work and make it hell there too?!"

"What are you talking about?! I stood up for you! I bet that Marvin guy got fired, hunh?"

"He didn't get fired, I did!"

"W-Wait a minute! That's not right! He tripped you! The boss yelled at him! I saw it all!"

"Yeah, well he favors Marvin. He decided to put him working strictly in the back where you can't see him and fired me instead! All because you interfered!"

"I-I am so sorry! I thought I was helping!"

"I don't need a white-wool savior! Now, what am I gonna do?!"

"Well, you're better off anyway. He was paying you almost nothing under the table. Duke, the minimum wage is $15 an hour. You were working 20 hours for $50!"

"Some money is better 'dan nothin'!" He brushed past Dawn. "I'm goin' to my room."

"W-Wait! I made spaghetti."

"Thanks, but I ain't hungry. Why were you talkin' to 'dose hobos about me?! Why are you spyin' on me?!"

"I'm not! I'm trying to get to know you better! Today I found out how hard you work for such little pay, how you've been harassed by those horrible neighbors! Duke, you're a good person."

"I already know 'dat! Don't act like you like me now."

"I DO like you!"

"No, you pity me! You feel guilty about how you've been treatin' me and other preds! 'Dat's all!"

"Duke, this is all new to me. I'm trying! I really am! I want to be better than I was."

Duke kept walking to his room. As he opened the door, Dawn made an offer to try and get on his good side. "Y'know, I could use a full-time housekeeper. I'll pay you… $200 a week."

Duke was shocked. He turned around. "...What?"

"I'll pay you $200 a week to clean up the house, keep the outside neat, and keep me company. I'll even get you on O'Lama care! I bet that gerbil didn't even have you on any health care."

"He didn't." Duke smiled. "Okay. I'll do it!"

"Thank you! Now, c'mon, before the spaghetti gets…" She peeked into his room. "Are those tap shoes?"

Duke was embarrassed. He slammed the door to his room quickly. " 'Dose aren't mine! 'Dere…. 'Dere a friend's! I swear!"

"I LOVE tap dancing! Especially in those old musicals."

"Really?!... Me too! It's really a lost art. No one does it anymore. I wanted to be a tap dancer when I was a kid, but my ma hated it. She hated everything I did."

"Did your father approve?"

"I have no clue who my dad is. My mom… she slept around when she was younger."

"I'm so sorry to hear that."

"I think she was looking fer love wherever she could find it. 'Den she had me. Instead of lovin' me back, she seemed to just want love but not give any in return. She was a horrible woman."

"I…" Dawn decided to change the subject. "Y'know, my hooves are natural tap shoes. Can you dance?"

"Oh, sure! 'Dat'll be fun! Dawn… are you my friend?"

Dawn held his paw. "I'd like to think so. Yeah."

"Thanks! It'd be nice 'ta have one fer a change."

They smiled at one another and then to sit at the kitchen table, and eat. Dawn had some more questions. "Duke, I know this is hard, but I want you to tell me what ways that I've wronged you in the past."

"Why?" the weasel said with his mouth full of pasta.

"Because I want to help redeem myself and that starts with knowing how I wronged people. What did I do that affected your life?"

He thought about it. "Well, I was really pissed when Doug hired me 'ta steal 'dose plants."

"But that was Doug."

"No. I was workin' fer Doug. Doug was workin' fer you. Ipso-fatso, I wuz workin' fer you. When I found out later 'dat 'dose plants were turned into a drug, it ticked me off somethin' fierce. Duke Weaselton doesn't deal with drugs! 'Den 'dere was 'dose two damn cops! Yer buddy, Nick included."

"Mr. Wilde?"

"Yeah! When I wouldn't squeal, him and 'dat bunny nabbed me and took me 'ta Mr. Big where he hung me over a pit of ice where if he dropped me in, I'd freeze 'ta death. 'Dey threatened my life!"

"Wow! Judy worked with the mafia?! Is that why Frufru Big's daughter is named Judy?! I'm gonna pocket that bit of information. Duke, if it wasn't for my actions, they would have never taken you in the first place."

"Hey, yeah! And me squealin' to 'da cops got me in big trouble with 'da rest of 'da criminals around town! 'Dat's why I got chased out! 'Tanks a lot!"

"I'm sorry Duke. That's why I needed to know how I wronged you. So I can make reparations!"

"Why do you suddenly care about how you wronged me?"

"Let's just say, I'm trying to turn vegetarian."

"What?! By yer very nature, you ARE vegetarian. Yer an herbivore!"

"I know. It's a metaphor."

"Met who fer what?"

"... Eat your spaghetti."

Meanwhile…

Nick was in a happy mood. He got Skye a big bouquet of flowers and put on his best musk cologne. He was cheerful and singing a song. "I am… gonna see my woo-man…. Gonna get her preg-nant… Making her my wife!"

Unfortunately, he got a call from Chief Bogo. "Wilde! We need you back at HQ and on duty STAT!"

"Not now chief! I'm about to marry-mate Skye!"

"What the hell is marry-mating?"

"It's fox culture. We mate for life. We can date, but if we mate without protection, it counts as marriage since we are attempting to impregnate."

"Getting her pregnant is the same as getting married?"

"Yes."

"That would lower a lot of shotgun weddings. What if you attempt it and it doesn't take?"

"Well, if you're dead serious on marrying the vixen then and there, you can have a third party view the mating attempt and sign the paperwork at the courthouse as an eyewitness."

"That sounds… awkward."

"It is. Which is why it's rarely done."

"Regardless, we need you back on the force tonight! There's panic in the streets! Mass chaos at the front of the Palm hotel in Sahara Square! There's a giant demon running loose and eating people! Nick… another one of THOSE disasters has occurred."

"My God… You don't mean?!"

"Yes! A gender-reveal party!"

"We outlawed those!"

"People don't care! Everyone on duty is there and we need backup!"

"Right, chief! I'm on my way!"

Nick turned his car around and headed towards the police station. "Sorry, Skye. Maybe later tonight."

Meanwhile…

The two had finished their meal. Duke got his tap-dancing shoes on and Dawn cleared the table out of the kitchen so they could tap dance on the hard, tile floor. "Okay, I got a classic song queued on the iPawed. Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll evah be," Duke replied.

"Okay! Ah-five, six, seven, eight!"

The music started playing and they tap-danced together to the music.

"When you came along, there wasn't any song in my heaaart."

"You were ugly with no class. A real pompous ass from the staaaart!"

"But slowly you wormed your way into me. I can't believe I said that, but it's true."

"You may be low class and kinda smelly. But somehow you seem to take away the blues."

"You're a slob and kinda dense, but I lost my common sense."

"You may be kinda crass, and just a bit low-class, but I like yooou!"

"Your clothes are such a mess, I wanna scream 'S.O.S.', but I like yooou!"

"No one would ever call you fancy. That's just not for them to decide."

"Cause I love the way you're kinda randy."

"I'm so sick of it, but it's you I just can't quit."

"You never do me harm, you got your own kinda charm and I like yooou!"

"So hold me close, dear. I have nothing to fear cuz I like yooou!"

"I like you. I like you."

"No one else is like you. I like yooooooou!"

The song was over and the two were panting from dancing. "Wow! You're good!" said Dawn.

Duke was surprised. "Really?!"

"Yeah! It's a shame you never went pro."

"Nobody wants 'ta see a tap-dancin' weasel."

Dawn walked over and hugged him close. "I do."

As they were hugging, Duke started to cry. "What's wrong?" Dawn asked.

"Nuttin. SNIFF! I-I just ain't been hugged in twenty years! My own mudder never even hugged me! It f-f-feels so nice! You're so soft! Can we stay like this for a bit?"

"Sure. I'll even hug you closer."

As they were hugging, the head camel from HERPES, Harriet Humpston was peeking in on them from across the street with a pair of strong binoculars. "You should see this disgusting site, Clara! Bellwether and that gross weasel are practically making out!"

The cow ran up to Harriet. "Ooh! Let me see!" Harriet gave her the binoculars." I can't see past the curtains."

"Go a bit to the left and at a low angle. There's a slit there you can see through."

"Oh, I see it!... Hot."

"WHAT?!"

"I mean, horrible!"

"Damn right it is. Bellwether lied to us! She really is having relations with that disgusting vermin! Well, I'll show them. When the opportunity arrives tomorrow, that weasel will be in jail and there's nothing Dawn can do about it because she's under house arrest! HA-HA-HA! BWA-HA-HA-HAA!"

"Oooh, Harriet! You laughed like a super-villain just now! It was amazing!"

"I am NOT a villain! I'm in the right!"

Across the street, Dawn and Duke finally broke off the hug. "I'm glad I've been wrong about you Duke. You're one of a kind! Not like those other weasels."

Duke's heart sank a bit. "Excuse me?!"

"I'm just saying! You're not like them. You're special!"

Duke was getting mad. "Oh, 'dere's a 'them' now! How am I so different from any other weasel?!"

"W-Well, you're generous, kind, hard-working…"

"And other weasels ain't?!"

"Well… I mean… when you think about it..."

Duke's body just slumped in depression. "I thought you'd changed. Guess I was wrong. I'm goin' in my room. Wouldn't want ya 'ta think I was gonna steal somethin' from ya. I am just a weasel after all."

Duke slammed the door to his room behind him and locked it. Dawn pounded on the door. "Duke?! Duke, what did I say wrong?! Duke, I'm sorry! I really like you! Duke! Talk to me!"

Next Chapter: Deja-Vu