CHAPTER 17: Departure


Slappy opened the front door of the mansion to see Andy standing outside. The fox looked completely drained and tired, but with a cheery and oddly tranquil expression on his face.
"Fox!" Slappy gasped. "You look a wreck. What's the deal? Where've ya been?"
"Don't ask," Andy said, stumbling in.
"You're home earlier than expected," Slappy commented gruffly. "Fluffy said you'd be late. What's the deal?"
"Trans-universe time differentials," Andy said, waving a paw as he walked in past her.
"Ain't you forgettin' something, fox boy?" Slappy accused, scowling hard at Andy as he passed her. The fox felt her eyes on him and turned back. He smiled as he gazed at her ever-attractive squirrel body, and remembered Arthur's concern for her. He quickly scooped Slappy up on his arms and gave her a kiss. "God, I've missed you," he whispered into her fur.
Pulling back, Slappy smiled. "Well, that was nice, but it ain't what I meant."
Andy grumbled and dug out a small plastic shopping bag from his fur. The words, "Dynamite Emporium", were printed on it. He handed the bag to Slappy. She gave a squeal of pleasure and embraced the fox, giving him a kiss twice as passionate as the one he had given her.
"Never saw anyone get so excited about explosives," Andy mused.
"You haven't been around enough then, heh ha."

A cloud-filled sky hung over Burbank as Andy stared blankly out across the yard into the darkening woods beyond. He thought about his meeting with Arthur. He remembered how at ease the human had been, while he had been a nervous wreck. He had walked in the land of the creators of his world. Since mankind first began to dream and wonder, the toon world has existed, both feeding off and replenishing the dreams and aspirations of mankind.
He thought back to when he first visited Earth nearly 70 years before. Back then, it was just a simple planet, full of interesting people and ideas. Now after the passage of decades and becoming a toon himself, he finally saw that it had somehow become a much more special and sacred place. Since he had been split, he had been trying to hide from his human half in that place, hiding inside himself and pretending there was not a part of him in that grander world. Now that he had finally confronted his fear, an odd, giddy warmth had replaced the cold, chilling darkness in him. The channels between Arthur and Andy had been opened at last.
"You're doin' that thing again, Fox," Slappy said, nudging Andy from his thoughts.
"Hm?" Andy looked up with a bit of a start. "What thing?"
Slappy selected a macadamia nut from a small crystal bowl of salted nuts on the table. She popped it into her mouth. "That 'sittin' quiet and contemplating somethin' thing," she remarked as she munched. "It's startin' to get annoying."
The fox's voice was somber and tired. "I took the Nel-Shada test with the toons yesterday," be began, producing a folded piece of paper from his fur. "I ah...."
"Eeeahhh," Slappy grumbled, going after an almond. "You're makin' a mountain outta a mole hill, aren't ya? You didn't do so good and now you're all bent outta shape about it."
"Slappy," he started, his voice trembling slightly, "there's something I need..."
Before he could finish, Slappy produced the gold medallion she had found on the bedroom dresser and placed it on the table in front of Andy. With a mix of confusion and bewilderment, Andy turned to look at Slappy, giving her a meek smile.
"You, ah, need someone of animal lineage to perform the rite for you," she commented, attempting to sound dispassionate.
Andy looked back at Slappy, completely awe-struck. "Slappy, I..."
"Shut up, Fox," she said, taking his paw. "This has been eating at you for over a year, and it's time you did something about it before you drive everyone crazy with your brooding."
"Are you sure, Slappy?" Andy asked, earnestly.
Slappy shrugged innocently. "I told ya before, my family's got a strong natural animal vein runnin' through it, and it's not unheard of that new toons to our family end up taking the ritual when they join. Though, with you I'm afraid I can't take the credit for your action."
"Then who?"
Slappy cocked her thumb at the house. "Sorry to say, but it was that rabbit friend of yours." Slappy smiled and took Andy's paw. "He's connected with you on that very special, deep level of animal bonding doohickey stuff that those rare toons have--the ones who are natural, wild animal toons, but maybe just forgot, or never knew they were." She patted Andy's paw and dropped it casually. She stood facing him and chuckled slightly. "Fluffy's really stirred something in you, Fox."
"So... what do we do now?" he asked, actually sounding a bit lost in the squirrel's presence.
Slappy casually downed a small handful of cashews before wiping her paws. "C'm here," she ordered with her finger. She stood up on her deck chair to be eye-to-eye with Andy, the fox stepping up to face her. Then she took the small gold medallion and tied it around his neck by it's thin red ribbon. The medallion rested squarely against Andy's chest.
Slappy smiled briefly at Andy and gave him a quick, nut-scented kiss. Her voice and expression then turned quite somber. "It'll take your mind, you know. You'll lose everything you know that ain't fox until it's over."
"How long does it take?"
"Hard to say," Slappy answered. "Could be days, could be weeks, as long as it needs to for the toon to find the answers he seeks."
"What about Skippy?" Andy asked, a bit alarmed. The young squirrel in question was away that evening at a friend's house. "I wish he was here for this. I don't want to just leave..."
Slappy cut him off. "ehhh, don't worry about him. He knows about the ritual. He'll understand, Fox, and he'll wait for you, just like I will. For as long as it takes, we'll wait here for you."
Andy looked at the mansion, then back to Slappy. "Take... care of Fluffy, won't you?" he said, his voice quivering with anticipated loss. "Tell him... tell him it wasn't his fault."
Slappy nodded. "Sure, Fox." Then she hopped down from the chair and held her hands aloft. She paused, looking up at Andy. "This is the dramatic part," she commented. The fox gave a solemn nod and stood quietly. The squirrel gazed skyward and began speaking in the ancient, lost tongue of toons from centuries past:

Nin-fai con tunun ker, et lo Frith.
Sinom oto lo men oto, e fonochtia cone nisha.
Net a, so a, le a, un nesh oto, oco et Nel-shada.
kali no a, en fraer costra'c ser Frith, e semplar oto.*

As she completed the ancient chant, the medallion suddenly vanished, seeming to melt into Andy's fur, ribbon and all. Then a dazzling glow filled the sky above the two toons. Andy shivered slightly as he watched, beads of cold sweat forming down his back. For all of known science and physics, what he was now witnessing could not be explained, could not be quantified, could not be understood. It was beyond science--beyond the world around him, and he suddenly felt very old, very lost, and a strong, very ancient presence begin to fill his mind as his eyes gazed into the light.
Slappy watched silently as the fox before her slowly grew smaller, stooping forward as his legs changed, his arms growing shorter. His fingers shrunk and dissolved into short, blunt stubs of paws. He dropped to all fours, his body continuing to shrink and change shape and color, moving and shifting until there was only a natural, non-anthropomorphic fox standing on the deck, illuminated by the odd glowing light from above. Before the last shreds of his civilized mind were stripped away, the fox turned and gave one last, loving look at Slappy, a tear trickling down one cheek. Then his eyes glazed over and became thin, yellow ovals with tiny black slits.
Slappy watched rigidly as the fox that was once her husband turned and bounded off the patio deck, away from the house and into the woods. At the edge of the tree line, the fox suddenly stopped and turned to look back. Slappy perked up slightly, meeting the fox's glance, hoping the fox she knew was not completely gone, but her heart quickly sank as she saw that the fox had only turned at the sound of a chipmunk scurrying up a nearby tree. The fox's face was expressionless and wild, and Slappy saw the feral viciousness and freedom surging through its eyes. She sank back into her chair as the fox disappeared into the woods. "Good luck, kid," she muttered.
Then, the elderly gray squirrel glanced around silently before letting her cool and calm expression finally crumble. Folding her arms on the table she buried her head in them and sobbed gently.
Thus began Andy's Rite of Passage.


To Be Continued...

* Footnote: Translated, the rite reads as follows:
O master of our world, this one is alone and has lost his way.
Shroud him in the past of his future, and help him to see his world.
Take him into your forest, sea, or sky, and bring him the kinship he seeks.
Take him into your heart, O master of animals, and make him whole.