ENTER THE WOLF.
The whole mess started last year, on September, when the vacations were over, and the classes started. Of course, I still was the witch (no offense for your friend Morgana, Gos) most of you knew.
Rhubella walked out from the Perfecto Prep's parking lot, alongside her friend, Margot, both wearing the Perfecto's uniform (a black sweater with white skirt). They spotted a little turtle guy wearing the Perfecto's boy uniform (a black sweater covering a blue shirt, with white tie), and, in a dashing action, but pretending to be an accident, made him to trip, falling over his shell.
"Watch where you are walking, loser!" Rhubella laughed at the reptile and his efforts to stand up. Margot chuckled as well. The turtle started insulting them, but the girls ignored him, and kept walking.
Oh, and before you start feeling sorry for the turtle, let me tell you he liked to insult poor kids he found at the street, and even threw them tomatoes at times. Remember, he was like me, a Perfecto, and we aren't famous for our good disposition.
Rhubella and Margot met their boyfriends, Roderick and Drake, who were discussing business with some other students.
"Hey, Roddy, what's up?" Ruby said to her boyfriend while placing a paw on his shoulder. Margot did the same with Drake.
"Oh, Ruby, hi! Just discussing a little bet with the boys, as usual. Why don't you ladies go to the classroom, and we'll catch you there later?" Roderick replied, giving Ruby a fast kiss, and then turning to keep with his conversation without waiting for an answer. Drake had a similar reaction with Margot. Both girls sighed, and rolled their eyes.
As you can see, Roddy and Drake still had some attentions towards us, but everyday they were more distant, giving more attention to their stuff than to Margot and yours truly. I mean, I hardly saw the guy during the summer, and was eager to see him again, and he hardly gave me a nice welcome.
"Hey, guys, look there. What is Mister Wolfson doing here?" Margot pointed at the distance. Everyone turned to see a big gray wolf on business suit, followed by an old black wolf wearing a little hat and an old cartoon-style blue outfit, and a young one wearing the school's uniform, and carrying some books. They seemed to be heading to the Principal's office.
"No idea, Margot. Any of you fools had been involved in another legal problem?" Roderick asked his classmates, and all shook their heads.
Mister Wolfson is one of many lawyers that work for Perfecto Prep. I later knew he was also one of Walter Wolf's grandsons, and, therefore, Wally's uncle. Of course, this was the first time I saw Wally, and, I must admit, he didn't impressed me at all.
"Well, maybe the school is going to sue someone. But that old dog seemed familiar." Drake said, rubbing his beak.
"I think I saw him once in a magazine, or something... yes, he is one of those wolf villains from the cartoons... Walter Wolf, I think." Ruby pointed.
Actually, I recognized Walter in no time, but one thing you must know about Perfectos is that, despite the fact we're toons, we usually don't recognize to watch cartoons as well. That, according to the school's unwritten rules, is just for common people. A Perfecto is allowed to quote a cartoon's villain once in a while, if said villain is evil enough, but that's the most he or she can do. So, I always had to hide the fact I watched cartoons once in a while.
The Perfectos decided to forgot about the topic, and they headed to their classrooms. On their way to theirs, Ruby and Roderick found Mister Wolfson. He and Roddy knew each other very well, since they were both a pair of cheaters, gamblers, and other things we can't mention here to avoid having rating's problems.
"Ah, Roderick Rat. How lucky I am for finding you. Can I have a few words with you and your girlfriend?" The wolf said to the rodents, in a polite tone.
"Sure, Mister Wolfson. What can I do for you?" Roderick said, with a greedy look on his eyes. Rhubella nodded at the wolf.
"Well, you see, my nephew, Wallace Wolf, is going to attend school here. He isn't a rich guy, but my grandfather and I think he can be a very productive element with the right incentives, so I asked your principal to accept him. However, I sadly have to recognize he is a little... to much on the honest side." Wolfson commented.
"Sorry about that. Every family has its black sheep... or, in this case, white wolf." Roderick said, faking concern.
"Yes. So, you see, we want to change that. So, I want you guys to give him a special treatment." Wolfson said to both rodents.
"Oh, don't worry Mister Wolfson. If you want, we'll talk to the other students to ask them about not hurting your nephew." Ruby said to the wolf. The canine chuckled.
"Nice detail, Miss Rat... but I want the opposite. The only way he is going to stop being such a... nice guy, is mistreating him a little, so he can show some backbone, and maybe become a cheater as well to improve his situation." The wolf cleared. Roderick chuckled, while Rhubella got a puzzled expression.
"Oh, I get it now. Don't worry, my dear sir. We'll make that little wimpy wolf a perfect... well, Perfecto in no time, if you CASH my words." Roderick replied, giving the wolf a knowing smile.
"You can count with it, my dear boy. Here. Buy your girl some flower... shops." Mister Wolfson said, handling Roderick a little envelope. Then, both males shook paws, and the wolf left.
That was a major surprise, I can tell you. In the past, sometimes the parents of especially weak students approached me and Roddy to pay us for protection for their kids, at least until they learned how to defend themselves. Asking us to do the contrary was the craziest thing any relative of a student had ever asked to us... but Roderick didn't care as long as he was getting some money for that.
Anyway, we went to our classroom faster than usual. Normally, we arrived with a "fancy delay", but this time we needed to explain the situation to our other classmates, or "minions" as Roddy and I used to call them.
The rats arrived at the classroom. Unlike the regular ones from a normal school, this classroom's seats were actually luxury desks with massage chairs behind them. Roderick and Rhubella approached to his desk, and motioned their classmates to approach, so they could explain Mister Wolfson's request. Everyone chuckled.
"Oh, what a delightful idea, Roderick! We'll get paid for annoying someone in our own school." Danforth said, rubbing his hands/wings.
"So, what's the plan, Roddy?" Ruby asked while sitting on her boyfriend's desk.
"Is very simple. We just have to be extra mean with this guy all the time, plus one of us will make him a "secretary", you know, like a personal slave, to make his or her homework, do the laundry, wash the car, and so, and, if he refuses, we increase the punishment. If he doesn't learn a little about cruelty with this, well, his bad. At least we're getting paid. Oh, and Danforth, call your men at the dorms; I want the number of this wolf's room ASAP." Roderick instructed his partners; since Wally's great-grandpa and uncle wanted him to not have a minute to rest from the "treatment", they made arrangements so he could stay in one of the most simple dorms at the school.
The teacher, a snobby old bird called Mister Peacock, entered a few moments later, followed by Wally. Everyone glared at him; the wolf had his ears and tail down, to show humbleness and respect, a normal gesture of the wolves when they enter another pack's territory, but, for the Perfectos, this was only a sign of weakness they could explode. Rhubella made her glaring as well, but it wasn't as long as the other guys' one.
I had the chance to give him a good look, unlike the brief one I had when he and his relatives appeared the first time. And actually, I noted he wasn't really bad looking. His fur was black, but bright; his muzzle had the perfect length, and had a good body's complexion, not very muscular, but not thin either, more like a marathon's runner... well, you had seen him. However, what impressed me the most were his smile and his eyes. Even if he was nervous, he showed a nice little smile to us, obviously trying to be friendly, and his eyes were so deep and, at the same time, so warm... Margot expressed all this with a little message she sent me to my cell phone at that moment.
"The guy is kind of hot to be a do-gooder, don't you think?" Rhubella read at her cell phone. The rat chuckled, and replied.
"Only if you like the loser-type." Rhubella wrote on her phone. Margot chuckled a little when reading it.
Unlike most schools, the teacher introduced the student, instead of allowing him to talk.
"Students, he is your new classmate. His name is Wallace Wolf. Well, you can socialize later. Wallace, please sit next to Miss Rat." The peacock said to the wolf, motioning him to take the desk located right next to Ruby's.
Wally took his seat, and gave the rat a fast look. He blushed a little, and offered her a friendly smile. Ruby gulped a little, and then scowled at him. The wolf got the message, and turned to see the teacher.
When the class ended (by the way, only Wally and Rhubella took any notes; the others just turned on a tape recorder and pretended to hear the teacher), everyone surrounded the wolf. He got a little nervous, but decided it was a good chance to start making some friends.
"Uh... hi, guys... well, you heard the teacher. My name is Wallace Wolf, but my friends call me Wally." Wally said, waving hello to the Perfectos. They looked at each other, chuckling. Roderick cleared his throat, and directed to the canine.
"Well... Wallace, no offense, but you're a nobody in this school, so, if we want, we'll call you the name we want, even if that is "Dumb", "Fool", "Nobody", or "Loser." The point is, you are the new guy here, so you have to know certain rules." Roderick said in a half-friendly, half-menacing tone. A red fox-like creature, with a black patch-like spot around his left eye, and wearing an imported over coat (the only student who wasn't using the uniform) and a golden ring on his tail, talked next.
"The main rule is that... everything we tell you, is a rule. If we say you have to do our homework, that's a rule. If we ask you to wash our car, you do it at that moment. And, if we tell you to make us lunch, you are only allowed to ask about what kind of spices we want. We made ourselves clear?" The canine animal said while looking at Wally right at the eyes. The wolf felt a little intimidated, but nodded.
That guy name was... or is, since he still attends at Perfecto, Gunbo LeChien. Despite his last name, he's not French like you, Fifi; he was born in Lousiana, and is one of Perfecto most feared guys among the other students. His parents' identities and occupations are a mystery; some guys say his dad was a fox, and his mother was a wolf/racoon hybrid, so you can say he is like Roland's equivalent on Perfecto Prep. But the likeness ends there; it seems his dad was a major thief, while his mom was an assassin for hire; anyway, he is an excellent fighter, and a very wild one as well, so it's very possible all those rumors are truth, especially since no teacher ever told him anything about his habit of not using the uniform even in formal occasions. Oh, and another detail about a Perfecto is that you don't care about someone species as long as he has a good bank account; otherwise, the whole school could had given a bad time to him for being an hybrid.
"But don't think we are that bad. Oh, no. We want to give you a nice welcome. Let's see... Rhubella, you have your camera?" Roderick asked his girlfriend while placing a paw on Wally's shoulder. She immediately took a fancy digital camera out from her desk.
"I have it right here, Roddy. Okay, guys, everybody go to the front of the room for a picture." The Perfectos dashed to the front of the classroom and posed, with Roderick, Drake, and Margot in the front line, while Ruby took the picture, aware of leaving Wally out of the frame.
This was part of a little plan Roddy thought during the class, and told us about it with his cell phone. Luckily, we all had what we needed on our desks; since we, the Perfectos, usually don't use the body's pocket (for the same reason we aren't supposed to watch cartoons), we always keep lots of stuff on our desks, just in case.
"Oh, look! I didn't get all of you in the picture. No problem. Some of you, please, come here with me, while the ones at the right of Roderick stay. I can edit this picture with the other, and then have a complete one." Rhubella instructed. The way she told the students to move, only a fistful of them was behind the rat, while Wally stayed on his place, next to most of the group. Ruby took the picture, and then...
"NOW!" Danforth shouted. Then, all the students next to Wally took a little gun out from under their sweaters, and shot at the wolf. These guns were like the ones used to play the paintball wars, so Wally wasn't really damaged, but his outfit and fur became multicolored, and he got a few minor bruises. Everybody laughed at him, and Rhubella took another picture. Oddly enough, the wolf, instead of getting angry, or sad, just shrugged and smiled back at the rat, and then at the other students.
"Nice joke, guys, really. Now, seriously, can you tell me where I can change back my outfit?" Wally said in a polite tone, but with a slightly upset face. A pretty swan girl, Giselle, walked next to him, and poked his nose.
"In your room, Loser. Oh, and hurry up. Your next class starts in two minutes." The swan said in a mean tone before laughing in his face. The rest of the students chuckled, and walked out from the classroom.
Rhubella and Margot had the next class together. They sat next to each other, in desks similar to the previous ones, chatting about the new guy.
"I swear, Ruby, that poor wolf has no idea about his situation. We are going to have a lot of fun, really!" Margot chuckled.
"Yes. At least, now Roddy and Drake will have someone to relief some stress the next time that blue rabbit kicks their butts on a competition." Ruby said while adopting a relaxing posture on her chair.
A moment later, everyone but Ruby and Margot looked at the front of the classroom, and made a double take. The rat and mallard noticed this, and directed their attention to the front as well, gasping. Wally was entering the room, spotless.
"How he made that? Was he carrying an extra outfit when he entered the other classroom?" Margot asked the rat.
"Nope, and I gave him a good look when he entered. He only was carrying his books, like now. Maybe he is a very fast runner, like that orange road-runner or the gray coyote that always chases him. You don't need to be, well, toony, to have some extra speed if needed." Rhubella deducted.
"In that case, maybe we should recommend Roddy and Drake to accept this guy on the football team. He'll learn to be a cheater, and we can use another player... and, if he refuses, well, nothing is more intimidating than a whole football team menacing you." Margot said with an evil smirk.
"You have a point, Margot. And maybe this way Roddy and Drake will finally give us some attention, for helping them on their game and all." Rhubella said with a smile. Wally walked next to her, heading to a desk located two spaces behind the females. He stopped next to the girls, and, respectfully, leaned in Ruby's direction.
"Excuse me... Miss Rat, right? Can I have one copy of those pictures?" Wally asked politely. The rat and the avian gave him a weird look.
"We just humiliated you, and want a picture of that? Are you some kind of wacko, or what?" Margot asked.
"Nope. He is Wakko." Wally pointed to the front of the classroom. There, at the door, was Wakko Warner, waving hello. A moment later, his brother and sister, Yakko and Dot, ran next to him. Wakko waved good-bye, and ran away as well, with Ralph, the guard, chasing the little toons. Rhubella rolled her eyes.
"We need to improve the security around here. Seriously, why do you want the pictures?" Rhubella asked the wolf. Wally shrugged.
"Well, I can accept a prank... even if I didn't like a lot that swan's attitude. Anyway, the new guy always gets a few pranks over him, so I'm not taking that seriously what you guys said and did to me. And I want a little souvenir to remind me about my first day here." Wally explained. Rhubella and Margot gave each other a fast look.
"I'll give you a copy later... maybe. But trust me, you'll never forget about this day, and your time in the Prep. We aren't going to be soft with you, Fool. Actually, we'll do even meaner things to you." Rhubella pointed at the wolf, using a mocking tone. The wolf gave her a sad look, and decided to go to his seat.
"Oh... well. I guess I'll see you girls around here. Sorry for interrupting your talking." The wolf said, and then retired. Rhubella changed her look to a little concerned one. Margot noticed this.
"Eh... Ruby, you aren't feeling guilty for this, right?" Margot asked, puzzled. The rat shook her head, and directed to her friend.
"Of course not! I have no conscience, remember? Maybe it feels weird to perform our tricks on one of our classmates instead of using a guy from Acme, but, well, I'll get used." The rat said, returning to her usual snobbish tone. Then, the teacher entered, and the class started.
Now that I remember it, I really want to kick myself. He just wanted to be friendly with us, despite the way we greeted him, and yet we were mocking and menacing the guy. I still conserve those pictures, and actually gave Wally the one I took of him and most of the group, because it serves to remind me about how mean I was with him, and never do that again with anyone. And, sadly, I was right. His punishment was just starting.