"I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me, Mrs Fields." Matt, his ears red from embarrassment, was at the front door talking with an older goat who was carrying her groceries. "I was just watching a horror movie and didn't realize how loud my reactions were. I will try to keep it down in the future. I'm sorry I made you worry."
"That's ok. The most important thing is that you are fine." The older goat smiled. "I will let you go back to your movie."
"Thank you again for checking up on me."
"Oh, it is not a problem. Have a good day."
"You too, Mrs Fields" Matt smiled and closed the door.
He went back to the living room. On the tv there was a still frame of a lion roaring, his teeth were visible and covered in blood. Matt assumed it was because he bit someone in a previous scene, but seeing as it was a jumpscare compilation on ZooTube, he couldn't be sure. Matt sat on the couch and groaned, annoyed. He flopped his head on the back of the sofa and rubbed his eyes.
"Why is it so difficult?" He asked the empty room.
It was a Wednesday afternoon and he was trying to get over his fear. It started simple. He looked for clips of predators smiling. He found plenty of clips from popular movies but every single time a predator smiled, their mouths were closed, not even showing a hint of teeth. It made sense. Prey outnumbered predators so, of course, the big studios would make movies that appealed to them. With the movies being a bust, the bunny had turned to the internet and, after a little bit of searching had finally arrived upon the jumpscare compilations.
He knew that those mammals couldn't hurt him. They were actors but his heart was racing each time that he saw those teeth told him otherwise. He squeaked a few times but didn't realize how loud he was being until he heard the frantic knocking on his front door. At least he knew that his neighbor cared about him.
He looked back at the still image and pondered for a moment. Perhaps he was going about it the wrong way. He had to normalize it. Jumpscares were designed to be intense so, logically, he should take the fear factor out of it. Reaching for the remote, hemuted the TV and walked away to make dinner. When he was far away enough, he started the clip again so it would flash in the background where he could see it from the kitchen. Without the music and sound effects, it was already less scary, but there was still a familiar knot of discomfort in his stomach.
He was taking ingredients out of the fridge when the phone rang. Picking it up, he saw his mother's name flash on the screen. He accepted a request for a muzzletime, smiling as he saw the older brown bunny with green eyes.
"Hi, Mom."
"Hello sweetie. It is so good to see you. I still can't get used to seeing you without the glasses but I know that it's a big city fashion choice."
"Mom…" The younger bunny groaned, embarrassed but smiling.
"Well, I thought you looked cute in your glasses. Very grown up. And you should call me more! Most of the time I am the one calling you." She wittered on, speaking quickly, with her eyes bright and eager.
"I'll try mom, I promise. I'm just busy with the work and lately I have a lot on my mind."
"That's fine. I know that my older kits don't need me anymore." She pressed her paw to her chest, feigning hurt. "Luckily for me, I have brand new grandkits to take care of."
"Oh my gosh! That's great! Did everything go well?" Matt replied excitedly.
"Wonderfully! Claire did so well. Mark fainted, of course, but your father was there to help him. Your brother was always lightheaded. They have five kits. Three girls and two boys." Her entire being radiated with pride, the matriarch practically shining with joy at the addition of more bunnies to the clan.
"That's fantastic. I'll have to visit you guys soon so I can meet my new nieces and nephews."
"Yes. It has been far too long since your last visit. Also, with Mark having kits, you are now the only one from your litter that hasn't given me grandkits yet."
"I know, Mom. I am working on it. I already got the licence. I just have to wait. I can't really speed it up." Matt lowered his ears, feeling self-conscious.
"I know sweetie. I'm just teasing you. I'm sure that you will get your kits in no time." She smiled warmly. " So are the things at the orphanage going. Are you still helping them?"
"Yeah. It's going great." Matt paused for a few seconds. "I am helping a disabled kit."
"Oh, wow! That's interesting. Can you tell me more about them?"
"He's feral. As in his legs aren't fully developed so he walks on all fours. They don't have money for therapy for him and no one seemed to care so I decided to help him."
"So what is he like?" She asked, his mother clearly digging for information. It was the first time he'd talked about a specific kit from the orphanage so he wasn't too surprised.
"I don't know, I've only met him three times. We just watched cartoons together when I visited."
"I'm sure that you can give me more than that."
"His name is Kyle. He's seven years old. He's a bit of a loner because of his disability. He has his own room as well and he stays in it most of the time.. The first time that I visited him he hid under the bed. He doesn't talk a lot. To be honest, he's only said one thing to me so far and that was only because I tricked him. I'm trying to get him to play with me so he can move more and build up his strength. " Matt's face lit up as he was talking about the fox kit.
"Hmm… Stairs at our house have a rather gentle incline so he should be fine moving around it." She teased.
"Mom!"
"What? I know that you wanted younger kits but it seems that you care about that boy. He's already at the age when you can separate him from his littermates, and in any case, it sounds like he doesn't have a strong bond with them anyway. He's already doing well with his own room. It is a good solution for you both."
"I can't…" Matt stalled, unable to say that the kit they were talking about was a fox. Thinking quickly, his mind brought up another issue to talk about.
"I am scared of him. I know that he's just a kit and he didn't choose how he looks but everytime I see him my heart starts beating like a jackhammer. It's so stupid. I don't know why I am reacting so badly. I only decided to help him because I felt guilty about how I reacted the first time we met. I don't know if I should do it anymore." He looked away from the phone, embarrassed.
His mother frowned into her phone's camera. "So your solution to avoid hurting him is abandoning him."
"No. I just don't think that I am the right person for the job if I can't get over his unusual body shape. It's better to decide before he gets too attached." He bit the lower lip and images of the wolf pups playing flashed in his mind.
"But you are trying to help him despite that. You said it yourself: 'No-one has tried before.' I know it may sound harsh but he is probably used to that. Kits can pick up on things like that. Which also means that he can tell that you care about him. Does it really matter that much how it started? I am sure that you will get used to him, love him for who he is, and adopt him all the same."
He sighed with a smile. "Are you really this desperate to have grandkits from me?"
"Obviously!" She laughed. Matt felt that some kind of weight was taken off his shoulders.
"You will have to wait. I'm just planning to make it easier for him to get adopted." He said with determination.
"Your plan doesn't exclude my plan. Keep me updated about him." She teased, before a sudden crash emanated from the background.
"Is there everything alright?"
"Kits are doing something. I need to check on them. I do have one question before I leave, though." She lowered her ears,looking uncomfortable. "I saw on Emma's Muzzlebook that you have a hyena coworker. Does…does he laugh normally?"
"Yes." Matt blinked, unsure what she was getting at.
"Great! I was worried about that." She smiled, seeming relieved.. "I need to go check on kits. I love you."
"I love you too." He replied before his mum ended the call.
He stared at the black screen for a few seconds. He put the phone in his pocket. With a new determination he put the ingredients back in the fridge. The bunny grabbed his car keys and headed out of his apartment.
"""
"This is just crazy." He thought as he stood in front of the massive wall filled with tennis balls.
It was his first time in the canine section of a sports store. In the prey sections there were only 2 types of tennis balls: cheap and expensive. Pretty simple, really. In contrast, Matt wasn't even sure how these balls were organized. For sure it wasn't based on price. The only thing that he noticed was a small symbol of a wolf head on each ball that probably let mammals know that they were safe for canines. However that symbol had different colors and sometimes there were additional symbols around it which only left the bunny even more puzzled..
"Hello, sir. You are in the canine section. Prey section is that way." Matt looked to the side and saw a female antelope in a shop uniform smiling at him. She seemed to be around his age. "You will find balls for you there."
"Oh, no… I… I am buying them for my canine friend." He said shyly, his ears turning pink.
The antelope seemed a touch surprised, her eyes widening a smidge, before her trained polite smile returned to her face. "Then you are in the right section. Has your friend told you what symbol and color they wanted?"
"No. It is supposed to be a gift. I didn't know how big the selection was."
The antelope slightly shifted her weight. "In that case I will get one of our canine employees to help you."
She went to the different area of the shop where a young coyote was stacking shelves. He listened to what she was saying and was nodding a lot. The boy got visibly nervous as he followed her back to the bunny. She stopped a few feets away and let him approach the customer. The coyote looked to be around 17 years old. It was easy to tell that he hadn't been working there for a long time.
"H…Hello sir. How can I help you?" He said with a shaky voice.
"I want to buy tennis balls for my friend as a gift and I don't know which one to pick." Matt answered.
They stood in awkward silence. The coyote opened his mouth to say something a few times but seemed to change his mind every time. Finally he figured out a polite question to ask. "Do you know the game that they are going to use it for?"
"Was it really so impolite to talk with a prey about biting?" Matt thought, seeing the coyote's visible discomfort and mental gymnastics he was performing. "How many more things do predators do to accommodate prey?"
The bunny looked around to see if anyone was nearby. It was a slow day at the store and no one was shopping in that area. Despite that he motioned for the coyote to lean forward so he could tell him something private.
"We are going to play catch. You know the kind of catch that you play at the predator park. I am looking for something that he can safely bite." Despite the confidence in his words,Matt's ears had turned a bright red.
The coyote leaned back, surprised. "Really?"
Matt nodded, doing his best to seem confident and comfortable. With that boy's behaviour changed. He relaxed, smiled, and started gently wagging his tail.
"Could you tell me about your friend?"
"He is a seven year old fox. I'm helping to take care of him at the orphanage. I'm trying to get him to exercise more to build up his strength." Matt said, hoping that it was enough for the clerk to work with. The coyote seemed impressed and nodded. He went to the far right section of the wall.
"For young kits, it is recommended to buy things with the highest safety certification." He pointed at the green wolf head symbol. Then he leaned towards the bunny "As a gift I would suggest something with a neutral scent and taste. For him it is even better because he would get his scent on them even quicker. Other kits would know whose balls they are. You can pick something specific when you will know what he likes."
The ball that the coyote suggested just had a green one symbol on it. Other balls in that area also had other smaller symbols next to the wolf head. There were candy, a tree, a bug, wings and fish symbols. Matt listened to the boy and picked the three-pack of different colored balls that he suggested.
"Thank you for your help."
"It is not a problem. Have a good day, sir." He smiled and went back to his previous job. The antelope smiled at him as he passed by, pleased with his performance. Matt, paying at the counter and taking the plastic bag with his purchase, headed back home.
"""
Liam was fighting really hard to not just bust up laughing. He was holding his mouth closed with his paws and had trouble breathing. Matt groaned annoyed.
"I just didn't expect my reactions to be so loud. I guess predatory sounds coming from my apartment also had something to do with it. It's still nice that she checked on me." Matt was tapping his foot in frustration as Liam composed himself.
"Well. It was a jumpSCARE compilation. So it did what it was supposed to do." The hyena pointed out.
"What else could I do? I hadn't noticed that predators don't show teeth in regular movies until I started looking for it."
"You could try porn. They are not afraid to show their teeth there." Liam smirked as Matt's ears went red.
"Oh no. That is a step too far."
"Come on, it is really the easiest way to see predator's teeth in a movie. Also you have to be at least curious about it." Liam wiggled his eyebrows. "Emma would be so proud of you."
"I prefer sticking to bunnies, thank you." Matt furrowed his brow. "Wait, does it mean that you have watched prey porn?"
Liam's smirk diminished as he laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head as he looked away. "Yeah, I was curious."
"I-I am not." Matt denied, his own ears burning.
Liam looked around the office space to make sure that they were still alone at the office. It was still early in the morning.
"There is another way for you to see predator's teeth." Liam gave Matt a big smile with his teeth showing. The bunny squeaked and his nose started twitching. It took him a second to compose himself.
"I need to at least get rid of me squeaking everytime I see teeth. I can't be squeaking in front of the kit. I don't need to stop being scared. I just don't want to show it as much."
"You can play with him without biting the ball." Liam suggested. "That's how cubs play at school."
"I know. I just… I want him to feel comfortable and have fun, you know? And the version with biting seems more fun. Kyle deserves to have some fun."
Liam was taken aback a little, impressed by Matt's determination. The hyena wanted to help him to succeed so there was only one option that came to mind.
"Would you like to come to a board game night at my apartment?"
A little confused by the sudden change of topic, the bunny's looked at the hyena curiously.
"Sure, that could be fun. But, why are you asking about it now?"
"My group has three wolfs and a tigress. I can tell them what you are trying to do so they would behave normally around you. Of course, I will have to see if they are cool with it first."
"I'm not sure if I am ready for that many big predators in one room." Matt's heart started racing just thinking about it.
"I'm sure that you will be fine. I'll be there and you like me already." Liam gave him another toothy smile which made Matt squeak before turning into a groan of frustration. "If that makes you feel any better, two of them are police officers. You will be super safe."
It really was a generous offer. He wouldn't get a chance to interact with this many predators everyday. Plus, Matt couldn't deny that he had missed playing board games so it was a win-win situation. Liam's honest smile was really disarming and, despite his reservations, he couldn't help but push aside his fears.
"Ok. I will be happy to play some games with your group."
"Great! Give me your number. I will talk with them today and let you know." Liam pulled out his phone and started adding a new contact.
"Oh, was this just an elaborate way for you to get my number?"
"You wish." Liam laughed as they exchanged numbers. Liam's laugh reminded Matt about the conversation that he had last night. "I could just ask Emma. She would give it to me, no questions asked."
"Yeah Emma is like a contact hub. I'm not sure how she's doing. She has visited Bunnyburrow just once. She ended up as a Muzzlebook friend with most of my family in just one day!"
"We just have to hope that she won't use that power for evil."
"I don't think that we should worry about it. My mom on the other hand is using Emma's Muzzlebook page to spy on me." Matt sighed.
"She wouldn't have to spy on you if you would call her often enough."
"That's almost exactly what she said to me!" The bunny exclaimed, before squinting his eyes. "Hey! You're supposed to be on my side."
"I don't remember agreeing to anything like that." The hyena said with a grin.
"She has asked about you before I was able to tell her that I have a hyena coworker. That's just weird."
"It's a regular parent thing so don't feel too special." Liam paused and scratched his paw. "Was she worried that you work with a hyena?"
"I don't think so. She did ask me a weird question, though. She wanted to know how you laugh. I'm not sure why..." Looking up at the hyena, Matt saw Liam's jovial face morph into sourness and sadness in an instant. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that it was a sensitive topic. Just forget that I said anything"
"No. It's fine." He sighed. "It is also kind of stupid."
"Liam. You really don't hav…"
"Do you know the BC character Jester?" Liam interrupted, catching the rabbit offguard.
"Err, yeah. She's that white hyena with green mohawk, right? She's a pretty cool villain.."
"Yes. The problem is that her 'hysterical' laugh is just a natural hyena laugh. So hyenas that laugh casually started to be associated with a psychotic killer that abuses her boyfriend. It has been going on since her first appearance".
Matt sat in stunned silence. He hadn't even considered these facts, let alone realised how hyenas were so negatively affected by them. With a melancholic look in his eyes, Liam continued.
"We have a rather unique laugh so hyenas who didn't want to be judged stopped laughing like that in public. What's even worse is that hyenas that joined gangs started to use that laugh like a warcry to intimidate people. Sadly, a lot of hyenas are in gangs so mammals think that our natural laugh means we're in a gang. "
Matt looked at Liam, shocked. He couldn't believe that something as simple as laughter could be stolen from him. Society was all about the perception but he hadn't realized how extreme it was.
"I alway have to hold back. Sometimes, I even laugh randomly, more - normally - so mammals would relax around me."
"That was the reason why you said that joke at the beginning of our job interview. I noticed that Mr. Parker relaxed after that." Matt said, realisation washing over him.
"It's hyena's job interview tactic 101. Mammals don't want to deal with gangs at their workplace. I had to show I wasn't dangerous or some ex-gang member or whatever. It's a part of being a hyena. You get used to it."
"That is just stupid." Matt couldn't help but blurt out, feeling indignant for Liam.
"It's how the world are a c-word bunny and I am a gang member when I laugh. Sadly, in the case of hyenas, we did it to , in a weird way, it also got more precious because we only get to share it with our family."
As Liam smiled weakly and returned to his work, Matt stared off into the middle distance, the realisation of how little he knew about other species troubles, how much mammals needed to compromise to live in a society, started to dawn on him.
