A part of me wants to write a chapter in which nothing bad happens, no pain, no sadness. But it's not finished yet, unfortunately. When the good comes... oh, how sweet, how precious it will be, I hope. First, let's get the worst out of the way so they can be all the stronger.
Zootopia belongs to Disney. Spider-Man belongs to Sony.
"Be careful."
Nick looked around at the mess? disaster? tragedy? that was their house. Ben and Fangmeyer were long gone now, with all the data they'd need. Though there were no scratches anywhere, owing to Athena's lack of claws, there were divots in the walls where she must have run into them in her frenzy. It looked as if this had been a higher dose than usual. The kind that was given to Ben. Except Athena was a lightweight panther, not an obese cheetah. The effect on her would have been tenfold, dangerously high. No telling what would happen to her now, what would be left behind and whether it would be permanent.
There was little they could do to avoid the broken glass except lay down objects to help them cross. And there was little either of them could say about it. What could they say? The glass was from their memories, the ones they were most proud of. Now, they were all gone. Even...
Nick heard his wife breathe deeply and saw her turn away from the wall where their pictures had been, the ones that told their story. Her favorites. Nick made his way carefully over to her, though it was slow going, and picked her up. Oh, he did his absolute best not to shake - not out of fear or grief, but anger that threatened to boil over at this very moment. The last thing he wanted was to take it out on her. He'd save it for the perpetrator.
He whispered in her ear, just barely loud enough to hear himself even in the silence: "Judy... we're going to get through this. You and me." He carried her like a baby while she sobbed hard onto his shoulder. "We'll get this cleaned up, get new pictures - we have extra copies; it's not-"
"I'm so scared, Nick!" she sobbed hard while putting her arms around his neck.
"I know, I am too. This is our home and-"
"How can we protect Arya, if we don't even know who did this? Or can't find them? I'm so scared someone's going to get her, Nick! I don't know what to do..." she gripped him harder, her voice straining.
Nick was taken aback. He looked around the room where the, the memories that had been broken had once been, which were scattered all around the floor. All the effort that she'd put in to create meaningful reminders, and all she could think about was the lamb sitting out there in their car. It wasn't their house's destruction that grieved her; it was the thought that she wouldn't be able to keep her safe.
After a moment's thought, he caressed the back of her head. "Judy. Look at me." She continued breathing erratically as she cried. "Judy..." he lifted her face to meet his. She grew quiet enough to listen and look into his eyes to hear what he had to say. Whether she could see how angry he really was, he didn't know, but he could tell that he was deadly serious. "You and I will find them. I don't know how but we will. Because anyone..." his eyes and lips tightened "...anyone who threatens my family... I'm going after them."
Judy kept her eyes on him.
"Listen. Take Arya somewhere to stay - Angel, too - and stay with them. I'm going to do some digging."
"Nick-"
"Please, Judy. I know you're a better fighter than me, but that's why you need to stay with them. You're the best one to protect them. I'll be fine."
Judy's eyes fell and she appeared to weigh her options with considerable effort. Both knew this wasn't ideal. But the stakes were higher than ever. Someone had to do something drastic. But... nothing was scarier than going it alone, when he'd had the best by his side this whole time. He could tell that she felt that, too.
Finally, she sighed. "Ok."
The fox carefully carried his wife to the door and set her down. He knelt down to her and just gazed into her face silently, analyzing each part, every color, every curve. The bunny's round, soft face, her little pink nose that twitched when she was nervous or angry, her gray fur that made her violet irises pop, her buck teeth that she occasionally bared when deep in thought, her tall, proud ears that made her so easy to read that a three-year-old could read her like a book...
...the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. For six years they were partners on the force, with the only hiatus being the few months after which Judy became a detective, waiting for her husband to catch up.
"Let's see if I can still pull off a hustle or two," said Nick. He finished by stroking the top of her little tail, causing her to giggle briefly before wiping her eye.
"Just don't outdo me."
Nick stroked her cheek. "I might be a little rusty, all thanks to a cute little bunny who made me a better man than I ever thought I could be. Even though I'm still a fully grown toddler, really." He expected for her to say something like, "Don't call me cute." Instead, she pulled him in for a bone-crushing hug.
"I love you, Nicholas Wilde. Oh please, stay safe for me."
"I love you too, Judith Hopps Wilde."
She pulled back kissed him hard, making sure to make up for any lost time they would have to spend apart. Now that the world was more dangerous than it was an hour ago, there was no telling what was going to happen.
"I'll be careful. I promise. Love you, Honey-Bun." Unlike this morning, he meant it. This was no roller coaster ride. This was serious.
They parted, their hands gliding down each other's arms until they reached their hands. Judy grasped his and let go, leaving an object in his. He opened his hand and saw that it was a flash drive.
"You'll figure it out," she said. He nodded watched her jog off toward the car, where Arya and Angel sat still. The fog beginning to accumulate on the windows obscured their faces, but he knew that what had happened tonight had impacted them tremendously, if for different reasons. Arya - beginning to accept that she would never find a safe place to grow up and call her home, to call her family, even if that wasn't true. He knew Judy was not giving her up. Angel - hoping that she hadn't made a grave mistake by befriending the one who was being stalked. The one he was after.
Nick watched them leave and then sat down on the door's threshold just below the sweet message that had been left for them. It would be superfluous to look for evidence inside the house at the moment; Ben had already covered that much for him. Nathan was gone but Nick had every intention of tracking that little (blank) down and nicely asking him a couple questions.
Nick was surprised by a low growl coming from deep in his throat. The line was crossed. And now, he was saying, Enough!
And he knew just where to start: the first person he needed to speak to, according to the tracking program on the military-grade GPS that he held in his hand, was at Zootopia General. And her name was Sarah Kityarn. He was glad he'd managed to get that tracker on her tail when she'd kicked his butt during his and Judy's visit to the hospital. It was so light that it was virtually imperceptible, and could be located even deep underground.
Perhaps that underground place was where he was headed.
His eyes opened to near pitch-black. It was quiet. Too quiet for comfort. A cool breeze caused him to shiver and pull his legs up in a meager attempt to warm himself.
How long had he slept?
That bunny... was she ok? He'd managed to grab her ankle and throw her onto that scaffold thing just in time. Hopefully she was ok. He didn't want to be responsible for killing someone so sweet just because he was startled at the wrong moment.
Rolling from his side onto his back, he looked up at nothing in particular. There were no stars... it was probably cloudy. He realized his arm was going numb and soon started to tingle. He'd slept on it too long.
Strangely, despite the circumstances, he somehow felt... almost at home here on the hard roof of the building he was on. It felt familiar, as if he and chilly concrete were old friends.
After a few more minutes of lying there, wondering whether he should get up or not, he decided to get moving, try to find somewhere to rest. He was halfway down the building when he heard his stomach growl. Loudly. And a wave of hunger-induced nausea overtook him. It had been... since he last saw Sarah... that he'd had anything to eat. Or had a bath. Or worn boy clothes! How he wanted so badly for Sarah to show up suddenly with some... some...
Just under 7 years ago
This was a much harder language than Spanish had been or even English. It had so many funny sounds and words. And... extra letters.
They had always sat here, right here, in the small kitchen within the warehouse that made for a makeshift home where John raised the kitten. He sat on John's lap at the dinner table as he always did, repeating phrases over and over again as usual after John got home from work.
He pointed at the fifth sentence in the notebook. "Try this one. 'I don't know.' Je na sais pas," John enunciated slowly.
"J..." he stammered. "Juh-"
"Je," he corrected. "Look at me... Pucker your lips," he said while puckering to demonstrate, "longer 'J'."
Daniel tried again, but struggled not to laugh at how John looked when he puckered like that.
"Je... Je..." he strained.
"Stay focused," he said. "Je ne..."
"Je nuh..."
"Je- Daniel, listen." He enunciated carefully: "Je ne sais..."
"Je nuh say..."
"Je ne sais pas."
"Je nuh saypuh..."
John slumped for a moment and sat back up. "No, try again." He repeated the line and the little boy tried again, once again failing. "Daniel!" he said, slapping the table and causing the small kitten to cover his eyes with a brief tremble.
"'Daniel,' yourself!" came a familiar voice. Danny looked toward the source to see...
"Sarah!" he said happily, climbing down off of John's lap (with a bit of trouble; his tiny feet kicked a little as he slid off) and running up to hug the ocelot's shin. He was always so excited when she visited every few days. She always came to play with him and teach him and put him to bed and she was his best friend ever and ever.
"Hey, bud!" She set down the bag she was holding and knelt down to greet him and scratch his neck. He purred happily, meowing every few seconds. "How was your day? Huh? Having fun?" He didn't answer, but kept meowing and nudged her hand with his face. He walked back and forth on all fours to allow her to pet him. "Hold on..." she pulled up on his little blue and green shirt, prompting him to raise his arms so she could get it all the way off and pet him down his back, which made him arch as she did so. Meanwhile, she glanced up at the lion to see that he was quite a bit annoyed. She decided that she really didn't care. "Uh-oh, you know what today is, right?"
"What?!"
She pulled out a large platter from the bag with a gasp. On the platter was a cake, something that Daniel had no memory of ever eating in his life. "Happy birthday!"
Daniel meowed excitedly with his little baby voice and jumped onto her pant leg, climbing up until he reached her shoulders. He wrapped himself around the back of her neck with his body and suddenly became distracted by his own tail - like a normal little kitten. He proceeded to tumble down the front of her body onto the floor and swat at his erratic tail as if he didn't know it was part of him. Sarah laughed happily the whole time.
"Sarah," said John, clearly not happy. "I'm right in the middle of teaching him French. You couldn't do this later?"
"You serious?" she said with a spiteful smirk. "He wakes up, spends twelve hours alone here, then you come back and spend the rest of your time awake trying to get him ready to be an enforcer. Well, what if he doesn't want to be an enforcer, John, or what if-"
"I don't think Boss would want to waste a good prospect, do you?"
"Boss thinks a wee kitten is a prospect? Well I think, 'Screw what Boss says.'"
He pointed at her. "Careful what you say. It was Boss who had me bail you out, you know that."
Sarah recoiled slightly. She looked down at the kitten, who hadn't listened to the conversation. She'd prefer he didn't. "What does that have to do with Daniel? He's turned five today and already speaks English and Spanish fluently. And I've been taking him and giving him lessons every visit. So please," she said in a demanding voice rather than an entreating one, "let him have a little fun, would you?"
He looked at her but said nothing. Finally, he stood up. "Mne nuzhna sigareta."
"What? Don't forget, no one else here speaks Italian."
"I said I'm getting a cigarette," he said while walking toward the door. "And it's Russian, not Italian."
"Stop showing off!" she said as the door shut.
She looked down to see that little Daniel had caught his tail and was gnawing on it. He turned his eyes toward her, his big blue eyes happy to see her.
"Well, now that he's gone, what say we chow down on this thing for a bit, what do you say?"
"Yeah!" he raised his arms and yelled in as "deep" a voice as he could. It was so cute! They ended up eating the whole thing, much to Sarah's surprise. Daniel was a little thing; she didn't think he'd be able to eat so much. But he ended up eating nearly half. Hungry baby!
"You all done?" she asked, despite the fact that the cake was now gone.
"No! Is-is there any more?"
"No, I'm sorry, bud. It's gone. But hey, it'll be back in a couple days or so. I'm just not sure if you'll want it then."
"Aw!" he whined in disappointment.
"Hey," she knelt down to meet him where he sat on his little high chair. She tapped him on his triangle of a nose. "How about I show you something that I know you'll love?"
He bounced excitedly. "Yeah!"
Sarah didn't tell him where they were going. He was so excited! What was she going to show him? Was it another present? Something really cool?
He found out. And when he did, Danny gripped Sarah's black sweater with all his might. Wide eyes stared up at Sarah, silently begging her to get back to the ground where it was safe.
"Danny, trust me, this is so much fun. I haven't been able to show this to anyone in a long time."
He shook his head rapidly. "No! Sarah!"
"Just hold on, ok?"
"Sarah, wait! Sarah!" The ocelot backed up with the kitten still latched on to her chest. He looked in the direction of the building's ledge and whimpered. "SARAH!" he screamed.
"Just wait, you'll see..." She took off running, a big smile across her muzzle.
If John was going to insist on his training, might as well have as much fun doing it as possible.
Daniel closed his eyes and clenched harder. He moaned as she prepared to launch herself off of the ledge toward the adjacent roof just over three meters away. She leapt across the gap. Daniel screamed as she did so, squeezing her sweater so hard that his fingers tore through the fabric. Then, she landed safely. "See? Look. Daniel, open your eyes."
"Mm-mm! Sarah, please stop!"
"Daniel, come on. This is really amazing if you just... here, I'll go again." She jumped once more and kept running. But he still didn't open his eyes. She kept on going across the buildings. He shouted in fear every time, holding on to her sweater more and more tightly. Slowly, he began to realize... he was ok. He peeked as Sarah began her next jump, beginning to feel excitement and adrenaline. But neither of them noticed that her sweater was tearing further.
This was fun!
"Woo!" he yelled as she soared from top to top, coming to a skyscraper at the end of the line of rooftops.
"Told ya! Now watch this. I haven't done this in ages. Hold on!" She sprinted for the skyscraper and jumped onto the wall. Using the abundant corbeling to hold onto, just like a rock wall. "Don't look down," she said, when he tried to do so. "Hey. Eyes on me." He looked up at her smiling face. "Hi!"
"Hi..." he said with a slightly tremulous voice.
"All right. Going up!" She pulled herself upward, going as fast as she could. Yet her hand never missed a brick. Daniel had to just trust her, and he'd be fine. After climbing onto the roof, she made for the next building. The boy's grasp on Sarah's sweater tightened as she approached the edge. What if she misses? Or trips? Or... No... trust her. Trust Sarah. She made it to the edge of the building and hurdled for her jump. She won't let you...
Just a millisecond before she jumped, the fabric of her shirt ripped down the front.
The sound of his scream turned her eyes downward to see that the little boy was now falling away from her, his mouth wide open, his eyes clenched shut. His hands reached upward, trying desperately to reach out for her like a baby reaching for its mother. Time slowed down for the ocelot. His expression was seared into her mind from that moment. A look of shock, of horror, even an inkling of betrayal. It was an image she knew from that moment she'd never forget.
His small form hit the opposite wall of the building and fell into the darkness between the buildings ten stories below just as she landed atop the next roof. Her legs collapsed from under her and she fell onto her side, frozen, unable to breathe as what had just happened sunk in. There was silence around her, a silence so loud, so accusing, she thought her eardrums might burst. Her mouth slowly opened, sucking in a breath to shriek at the top of her voice, when she barely heard it. A faint wail. The breath came out in a huff as if she'd been punched in the gut.
Leaping up onto her feet, she followed the sound to the ledge and looked into the dark alley. She couldn't see anything, but she could hear...
"Daniel?"
The voice cried faintly but it didn't answer. It was distant, but there all the same.
"Daniel, are you hurt?" her voice cracked. "Are you ok?"
The voice from the darkness only answered with the same wailing.
"Hold on, Baby, I'm coming!" She turned and ran for the entrance so she could descend the building as fast as possible, saying aloud, "Oh, Daniel, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Please, please forgive me! Please don't hate me! Don't hate me!" A pair of animals had to squish against the wall lest she run them over on the stairs.
Finally, she reached the alley, where the kitten's sobs echoed around the walls of the alley. She ran this way and that but couldn't find him. "Where are you?! Daniel!"
He didn't answer.
"Daniel, please, tell me where you are!" Still no answer. "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" She fell to her knees, shame squeezing her own cries from her lungs. She hadn't wanted to train him in the first place! She just wanted to let him have some fun! She just wanted to play with him, but instead...
"Sarah," the tiny voice squeaked. With a frantic gasp, Sarah looked toward a metal trash can against the wall. She searched around it but didn't see him. "Sarah," he repeated, his voice strained before continuing to cry aloud.
She turned her phone's flashlight on and looked more closely around the can, and then into it. "Oh!" her voice cracked when she saw that he was in the can, buried under a layer of trash and broken glass. "Oh!" she said again, this time more quietly, as she carefully moved the glass aside and picked up the small kitten, who bawled as the ocelot looked him over tenderly. If he was hurt, she would never forgive herself. Actually, she would probably never forgive herself after what had just happened regardless. Yet to both her amazement and relief, she found nothing wrong with him, except for a bit of wet, sticky fur. She held him close. She was terrified of the thought of letting him go again.
"Shhhhh," she shushed as he continued crying. "It's ok, Sweetie. I'm here."
"Did I do something wrong?" he bawled.
"No! You didn't do-!"
"I didn't-I can't do it!"
"No. No, I shouldn't have-"
"I just can't do it! Please, don't-don't be mad!"
"Danny!" she said loudly, lifting him to her face. His big, dark blue eyes met hers. The cute little thing. The tiny little thing - what was she THINKING!
She stroked his little cheek with her thumb pad to dry a tear streak. How could she ever be angry at him? Never... not in a million years.
"Danny, you didn't do anything wrong. It was all my fault. I shouldn't have done that. I almost killed you. I promise, I won't do it again. Ok?" She held him close, petting the back of his head. Finally, he stopped crying and only sniffled every few seconds. "Are you hurt?" she asked after a few seconds.
He sniffled loudly. "Mm-mm."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah..." he whimpered.
"Oh..." she exhaled, finding herself choking up again. She had lost him for the briefest moment. And the feeling was one that she never wanted again.
He was ok... He was ok...
There was a high sound all of a sudden right next to her ear, like a miniature horn. What was that?
She suddenly realized that he had blown his nose right on the collar of her sweater. Immediately, she burst into a fit of uncontrollable giggles and snuggled him against her face tightly. How she adored this kitten!
Oh, he was ok!
Later that night, before leaving with a heart much heavier than she arrived with, she'd heard a thumping sound coming from inside the kitten's room, thumping every few seconds. Finally, Daniel's small form hopped into sight, jumping up six feet and thumping back down like a tiny kangaroo.
"Hey," she chuckled. "Whatcha doin' bud?"
"Estoy practicando para cuando volvamos a saltar edificios."
She sighed. "Danny, I don't speak Spanish, you remember that, right?"
"I said I'm practicing for when we go and do that building jumping thing again next year."
Sarah's smile fell. "What. I thought you didn't want to do that again."
"It was scary but kinda fun. And it's not as scary when I'm with you." He hunkered down and jumped high, only for his head to bounce off the ceiling. He landed back down with an "Oof!" A few small, spindly strings shot out of nowhere. The ends of them fluttered to the floor. Sarah almost choked on her food at the sight, one she was still getting used to. After shaking his head and getting up, he hopped but the webs pulled him back down instantly. He bent to lick them and they seemed to fall out of existence suddenly. He then hopped past her out of the apartment and down the hall, leaving her very, very surprised, but with a wide smile forming on her face. "But can you make sure I don't fall next time?" he added from the hallway.
Sarah's heart suddenly felt much lighter, lighter than it had been in a long, long time.
Present
He smiled at the memory, even as he shivered from the cold of the concrete against his fingertips, and the wind flowing across his baby fuzz. The cake, the experience, all of it. Parkour, as she called it, was where they clicked. Jumping roofs at night became a regular thing for them. Yesterday was the first time they had ever done it during the daytime. He looked down, wondering why she had never tried to show him other tricks, like the flips she always talked about, stuff like they did in movies.
He thought about his web, how he had used it last night at the hospital. That would be a much faster way to get down...
The adrenaline tried to stop him, reminding him that he'd better be careful! There were no moldings on this building. Just straight, generic wall. Nothing to catch himself on. Taking a deep breath, he let go of the building and looked down as he hurdled toward the ground. The acceleration when he fell never ceased to amaze him. All those years ago, he had fallen from this distance and had survived. Maybe... maybe he could... no! After a few seconds of freefall, he extended his hand and shot a web above himself to slow his fall. He pendulated toward the wall and then slowly lowered himself to the ground by slowly expelling his webbing.
No. He wasn't ready for that yet.
He looked up at the building toward the roof where he had just come from. It was a lot higher than he'd thought. The top of the building stood in stark contrast to the black sky above. It made him realize just how quiet it was. There was no one out here. In fact, the breeze was gone. It was total stillness, except for a single flickering street light down the road on the opposite side. Danny stood still, wondering what to do.
He was hungry.
He needed another dress... shirt!
He needed a better place to sleep.
Which should he do first?
His stomach growled again, as if on cue. Food it was.
He pulled on the door to the building that had bold letters saying "Laker's Shakes" across the top but it wouldn't open.
"Hello!" he shouted at the door. Maybe they were inside and he had to get their attention? He knocked on the door nicely and waited patiently for five seconds. He beat on the door. "Hello! I'm hungry! Is anyone there?"
"Hey, kid," came a scratchy voice.
"Meeeooow!" he yowled while jumping up in the air, his fur standing on end. He turned toward the voice and recoiled. It was the same cat-like creature that had woken him up from his tumultuous sleep to kick him off the bench two nights ago. Was it two nights ago?
He gestured toward the door. "Can't you read?! They're closed!"
Danny glanced back at the door. Glanced. Like he was letting this guy out of his sight for more than a millisecond. But he did indeed see that a sign hanging on the inside of the door said, "Sorry, we're CLOSED."
"Why?!"
"Uh-uh-uhn," he mumbled noncommittally. "'Lectric bill, maybe? 'R sleep? Go home n' bang 'eir 'wahves'?"
"Bang their wives?" he repeated in confusion. "Why would someone beat up their wife?"
He rang out a hideous chuckle before stumbling toward him. "You tell me!" Danny took a step back, making ready to run any second. The man's face suddenly became deathly serious. His one good eye glared at the little boy with a demented twinkle. "Now what's a kid like you doing out here, anyhow?"
"I... I, uh..."
"Well?! Spit it out, boy!"
"I'm-I'm hungry!"
"That ain't no answer. Now tell me..." he leaned down toward him. Too close for comfort. The empty socket was thankfully covered by the bandana, unlike the first time he saw him. "What are you doing on my turf?"
"Turf?" he asked.
"Yeah! My turf! As in," he enunciated while bobbing his head back and forth in aggravation, "you are on my turf. Now get outta here, kid! This is my spot!"
His spot... he wasn't in the same place as last time, was he? He wasn't anywhere near there! How'd this guy end up in the same place as him? Again?! Had that happened by chance... or was he following him?
Slowly, he backed away from the old cat. He wanted to get as far away from this guy as possible.
"Raagh!" the man growled while lurching down toward him, causing the kitten's heart to jump into his skull. In the instant he turned to ran, he could swear that he somehow saw a pair of demonic, yellow eyes, sharp teeth, and thin, pointy ears. Danny didn't dare look back to see if what he'd seen was real. That sky blue aura shimmered in his field of view. He stopped once he made it to the end of the street and chanced a peek back to see if he was being followed. But there was no one there.
His hands fidgeted. Taking a couple of slow breaths like that bunny officer had told him, he looked around for any sign of anyone. But he was totally alone. That old man could not have moved to an alleyway in that time! He'd run for maybe five seconds! The only reason he didn't wonder about it further was the growling in his stomach. Where could he get some food? He didn't know what to do. The last time he had been out here, he-
What? Where'd that come from?
When was he ever out here? He was never out here! He'd never been homeless! He'd always been with John and Sarah.
He had! Otherwise...
As he thought about this, he came out from behind a building to notice a massive blue building with a white logo... a Walrus-Mart! And it was open. Yes! Danny punched the air in triumph. Finally, things were looking up. And he was eager to get away from here and from that scary guy.
The closer he got to the large, brightly-lit building, the more he noticed how many mammals were inside and outside the place. He passed a few mammals standing and staring at him. He waved at them timidly and picked up the pace. A couple walked out of a pair of sliding doors as he scurried up to the sidewalk leading to the doors - two of them, one saying, "Enter here," the other saying, "Exit only."
He could see through the glass of the doors that the place was bustling with activity. There were signs everywhere that said, "SALE!" and "50% OFF!" or "60% OFF!" or "ONE-TIME DEAL!"
What's a sale anyway? he thought. Does that mean it costs more? Oh no... money. He needed money to get things. Where would he get that?
"Just step onto the thing and it'll open," said a female voice to the side. He looked that direction to see a... he'd... he'd seen her before. She was that ocelot whom he'd passed by right after that old guy woke him up a couple nights ago. Maybe he really was in the same area as he was then? Or it was just a small district? She stood there, her back to the wall, her arms crossed. She was shivering in the cold. Her clothing consisted of a sleeveless pink top with a dark blue short skirt, a pair of white satin arm-hand gloves, and... panty hose? She had a bored, tired look on her face, as if she were waiting for someone. Just like the last time he'd seen her.
"Is..." he stammered. She looked at him. "Is there food in there?"
"Mm-hmm," she answered apathetically. "Just ask someone in there, they'll tell you where to find it."
"...Ok." He looked through the glass again, suddenly having second thoughts. And not just because he had no money or... anything, really. The number of animals in there... the place suddenly felt like it was a million miles wide, as if he could get lost in it. Someone stepped beside him and the door opened.
"There you go." He looked up to see the woman beside him, with a slight smile on her face. "Are you here by yourself?" she asked. He nodded. "I figured. Given your dirty hospital gown, I figured maybe you were in trouble or something.
"Gown...? I knew it!" he said loudly, causing her to flinch.
"What?!"
"I knew it was for girls!"
The woman stared at him for several seconds, unmoving, with this look of surprise on her face. Until, "Phbbbbbt! Ha ha ha!" she laughed out loud. "That-that's not for girls, it's what the hospital gives patients; it just happens to be called a gown!" she finished while giggling.
"Oh..." he said, glad that his fur was black to hide the fact that he was blushing. He looked through the window again. The woman calmed down and cleared her throat.
She tilted her head. "I think I still have a little time; you want me to go with you?" she asked. He looked up at her with his big eyes and nodded vigorously. "Come on." She nudged him forward and the door slid open. "It's ok," she encouraged him. He walked through it timidly and looked around the busy store, which smelled of bleach and polyester. "Follow me." Danny followed her through the crowd, making sure not to lose her. He suddenly felt safer. They soon arrived at a series of aisles. She leaned against the metal support at the end. "Here's all the food that you could want," she said while waving her hand as if presenting something.
He looked around at all the food items. He didn't know which to pick! There were so many... in seven years, he had only ever eaten like three things. Now, there were almost too many options! He wanted to try them all! He noticed that one aisle had a sign that said, Candy. Oh! Sarah always brought candy to him, but never this much! He bolted down this aisle, which was thankfully empty. The woman noticed and turned back to keep him in her sight. Deciding to pick up whatever was right in front of him, he grabbed a package of Reeze's Cups and tore it open and devoured what was inside.
Instantly, he knew heaven.
Meanwhile, the woman's eyes widened in surprise as the boy began to gobble up the aisle of candy. The pile of empty wrappers and bags began to grow. The sheer pace at which he gobbled it up was mesmerizing. She began to wonder if she should perhaps just leave but... uuurgh, she couldn't just leave him there; he was just a kitten! A thieving kitten! Granted, she hadn't even considered the fact that he obviously didn't have any money. Yet despite the delinquency of his actions, he somehow seemed totally innocent, as if he truly did not understand that what he was doing was breaking the law. The irony made her smile slightly, both at the humor and the incredulity of the situation.
"Hey! Kid, you have to pay for those!" The woman turned around to see a white wolf who wore a Walrus-Mart's garb. "Ma'am, is he yours?" The kitten saw him and stood still.
She shook her head rapidly. The kitten tilted his head in confusion while licking a candy bar. Sugary dust and chocolate coated his muzzle. The woman covered her mouth and held in her giggles at the sight. Those big, blue, innocent eyes, the baby fuzz, the slightly fat cheeks that actually made him actually look like a big baby...
"Son, I'll need you to come with me." The kitten then suddenly took off, leaving the unfinished candy bar spinning as it fell to the floor amongst the other candy wrappers. "Hey!" He ran to the end of the aisle and grabbed his radio. "Keep on the lookout for a little black kitten wearing a dirty hospital gown. He's only around eight years old, so-"
"I'm eleven!" a kid's voice echoed over the ambient sounds.
"...be... careful..." he trailed off. The woman sighed with a roll of her eyes and turned to leave. She had a client later tonight so best not to be late.
Arya sat still as she listened to her... to Judy speak to her commanding officer about what had happened tonight. There was muted shock, of course, the usual that Arya was used to. But for the most part, what she heard was, "Trouble follows Arya wherever Arya goes; Arya destroyed the Wildes' livelihood; Arya was Bellwether's daughter.
She turned to look at Angel, who had fallen asleep. How she could sleep right now, she had no idea. But she was all the more glad for it. If only she could, and escape this... this...
Finally, she'd had a family, she thought. Finally. The Wildes? The most famous officers on the east coast? She was safe, she'd thought. She could finally grow up and be a normal girl - go to school, make lots of friends, get a job, get married, grow old, die. But now...
She knew that wouldn't happen. Who wanted someone like her?
Don't. Don't you dare cry, she commanded herself. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Judy even further. To hurt Angel. That was all she was good for, right.
Bad. A single tear fell down her cheek at the thought. Her eyelids clenched shut. Bad sheep. Bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad sheep.
Don't... cry...
The cruiser pulled into the parking lot of a large hotel for smaller animals. All three mammals in the cruiser were tired. Judy's ears drooped; bags had formed under them. And her posture was slumped. She was a mess.
Angel was quiet. Her face remained blank.
Arya looked just on the verge of tears but held strong. But no one said anything out of sheer fatigue and grief.
All three of them mindlessly went to the front desk, where the bunny rented a random room with two beds. Once they reached it, having no belongings with them as of yet, they each fell onto one bed and fell asleep right there. No one said a word.
But from the moment Arya had exited the car to now, there had been only one thought in her mind. And now, her decision was made, moments before exhaustion took her:
She had to go.
Where does the hope begin?
I believe the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ is a God of hope. He helps the one who cries out to Him and He roars in His power to send help to the needy and downcast when they call on Him for help in their desperation. I'm not God, but hopefully I can convey that in this story.
O Lord, save!
