Matt checked his phone again to make sure he was at the right address. He was standing in front of a nice apartment building in Savannah Central. It was in a good location, close to the metro and shopping centers. It also had a good connection to their office building. The building had a modern design that fit with Savannah Central's aesthetic. Matt took the elevator to the second floor and it didn't take long for him to find the right apartment.
He stood in front of the door, not ready to knock. He could still just turn back and leave. Liam's idea was great. Spending a few hours should get him used to being around them. However when Saturday finally arrived Matt got really nervous. He wasn't sure if he was able to do it. He had the best intentions but five big predators was too much for him. His legs felt weak and his heart was racing.
"I'm going to play catch with Kyle this Monday without squeaking." He told himself firmly to boost his resolve. It really was the fastest way to get where he wanted to be. With a shaky hand he knocked on the door.
The door opened and Matt was greeted by Liam with a toothy smile. "Hello. It's nice to see you. I hope it was easy to find this place."
Matt squeaked loudly and his ears dropped. His nose was twitching. Giggling was coming from inside of the apartment. It was just Liam who made him squeak and Matt was going to meet another four predators. He immediately imagined the panic that it would induce. He needed to leave. For a second he could say a word and stood there with a mouth opened. Liam closed his mouth seeing how badly the bunny reacted.
"I am sorry. I can't do it. It is just too much for me. I am sorry for bothering you." Matt started to turn around but Liam put his paw on the bunny's shoulder
"Relax. It'll be fine. You have nothing to worry about. You have already come this far so you may as well at least try." The hyena gave a reassuring smile this time without teeth. Liam stepped aside and with a slight push, gently encouraged the bunny to come inside.
The hyena was doing his best to help him but in the end it was Matt's decision. Matt's gaze rested on Liam's friendly muzzle and the bunny's heart slowed down. He had rarely made eye contact with predators before meeting Liam. He had never imagined that predator's muzzle would bring him feelings of comfort and safety. It was the best environment to get over his fears. He owed it to Kyle to at least try. He took a deep breath and walked in.
The apartment was made for mammals bigger than Matt. Everything was upscaled. Next to the entrance was a kitchen that opened into a living room. A big table was set up with snacks and a game on top of it. Next to the table sat two giggling timber wolves. They were both different shades of brown and around the same age as the hyena.
"Liam had said you would make that noise but I wasn't expecting it to be so cute." The lighter wolf said as he stood up to greet the bunny.
"Hey. You can't call bunnies cute!" The darker wolf punched the lighter one in the shoulder and gave him a dirty look. He also stood up to greet Matt.
"Right! I completely forgot. Sorry for that." He gave the nervous bunny an apologetic smile and extended his paw. "My name is James."
"My name is William." The second wolf also extended his paw. "Sorry for my airheaded brother. Sometimes I wonder how he passed all his exams."
They were both about head taller than Liam and slightly more chubby. Matt didn't feel comfortable having big clawed paws so close to him but felt a gentle reassuring squeeze on his shoulder. He looked to his side and to his embarrassment, Liam was still holding his shoulder. He ignored it for now and extended his paw for a paw shake. Wolves had to lean down and the bunny reached way above his head.
"It's fine. I don't mind. My name is Matt. It's nice to meet you." Matt smiled weakly.
There was a loud knock and Liam finally let go of Matts' shoulder and he went to open the door. Matt looked back to see who it was and froze. Liam was greeting a grey timberwolf and a massive tigress. The bunny knew that a tigress was going to play with them but he had never been so close to one. She was towering over all the mammals in the room.
"Hi! Come in, come in." Liam stepped to the side as he took bags of snacks from them.
It was a warm day so all of them were wearing some type of shorts and t-shirt combo. However on the tigress and the new wolf it showed how well they were built. Matt half expected them to be a stereotypical chubby doughnut loving police officers. They exchanged hugs with guys from the apartment before they noticed the shocked bunny.
"You must be Matt. Liam has told us a lot about you. My name is Nadine." She said sweetly. She rested one of her paws on her knee to support herself as crouched and extended her paw to him.
When Matt saw a massive paw coming towards him, he quickly moved back until he hit a drawer behind him with a loud thud. Everyone in the room froze and had their eyes on the bunny. The hit snapped Matt out of his panicked state of mind and the bunny realized what he had done. He looked from the clawed paw to Nadine's face and saw a sadness behind her eyes. She pulled her paw back and made it into a fist to hide her claws. Behind her the angry wolf was trying his best to keep his expression neutral. Liam looked very worried as he tried to judge everyone's reaction. Matt hung his head low in shame. The bunny knew that he was safe but reacted as if his life was in danger.
"I'm sorry." Matt finally said and looked Nadine in the eyes. His ears hung behind his back and he smiled softly "Normally when something so big is moving so close to me it means an upcoming car or a danger of being stepped on. I reacted before I could think. I didn't mean anything by that."
Everyone in the room looked at Nadine as if they tried to figure out how to react to the whole situation. In Matt's head the worst case scenario played out where she was angry at him. The new wolf would undoubtedly follow the tigress' decision. James and Willam would side with the wolf and he would get kicked out of the apartment. However she slowly flicked her tail and smiled.
"Sorry. I haven't thought about that. I'll remember next time." Nadine was satisfied with Matt's reason. She extended her paw again but this time moved much slower.
The bunny made a sigh of relief and felt weak in his knees as if he just defused a bomb. Matt shook her massive paw by grabbing her finger. During thet whole exchange the new wolf was watching the tigress to make sure that she was ok. When her mood improved, his tail wagged gently.
"My name is Ralph." He shook Matt's paw.
"I think that we should get to the table. We've a long game ahead of us." Liam suggested.
They all nodded and took their seats around the table. There was one chair with a smaller chair on top of it. It could only be meant for the bunny. Matt was really touched that they were so accommodating for him. He hopped on it and finally saw what game they picked. Game components were so much bigger than he was used to. He was also hit with the unusual scent of the snacks that were prepared. Those had to be some predator snacks.
"Battlesun Galactica. I love this game." Matt got excited. "However I'm not sure if you can make a good first impression with a game that has a traitor mechanic."
"Chill out. We're all adults here. No one will get mad about it." Willam said as he was shuffling cards.
"You can walk on the table when you need to pick something up. We don't mind." James said, pulling plastic ships from the box.
"Just avoid standing next to snacks. Or you'll end up as one." Liam teased and at the same time, with a swift turn of a head, everyone looked at Matt to see his reaction. Matt had to admit that a few weeks ago he would probably call cops on a predator who talked like that. However it was Liam and it was just a stupid joke.
"I was so nervous about meeting you that I've forgotten to bring any snacks. So it's only fair to offer myself as one." Matt's voice was shaky but he tried to act casually. Predators chuckled and relaxed.
"Bunny size snacks wouldn't last that long. We have potato chips for you to enjoy" Ralph said and reached for crickets. Matt squeaked when Ralph's teeth flashed. It was quickly followed by a groan of frustration from the same bunny.
"I'm so sorry. I'll try to get that under control." Matt looked away annoyed and embarrassed.
"It's fine. Liam has told us about your problem. It's great that you're trying to get used to predators to help a kit." Nadine smiled softly. "It's also a good exercise for us because there's a chance we'll get a bunny police officer. So we can learn something from each other."
"Really? I have never heard about a bunny police officer." Matt looked very interested.
"Because there aren't any currently working. There is a bunny currently at Zootopia Police Academy. We don't know how well she's doing." Ralph shrugged. "Who knows maybe she'll end up at our precinct."
"That would be interesting to see. She could be a great asset." Matt was thinking. "She could get through smaller spaces but she'll get hurt more easily."
"That was the main reason why smaller mammals weren't allowed to be police officers." Nadine admitted. "Bad guys use the same caliber of bullets, no matter the size of their opponent."
"She probably understands the risk." Liam took a sip of his soda. "It happens with all mammals that work in fields that aren't suited to their body size. It isn't like anyone is forcing her to do it"
"It was probably the opposite. Mammals tried to discourage her. Most bunnies prefer safer jobs so she would be an odd one for sure." Matt blinked. "Wait. There was a girl in Bunnyburrow that wanted to be a police officer. She's a few years younger than me. Maybe it's her."
"We don't know who she is. We only know that there is a bunny at ZPA. If she graduates I am sure that it will be all over the news so you will learn who she is." Ralph said.
"""
"I am not a traitor." Matt said as his nose was twitching. "I don't have enough cards of that color to make us lose the crisis."
Atmosphere around the table got really tense after Nadine revealed herself to be a traitor and did a lot of damage to the ship on her way out. Matt was sitting in his chair and was nervously grabbing his knees. Ralph was squinting as he looked at the bunny. The wolf suddenly opened his mouth to show his teeth. After a few hours of playing Matt's paw almost instinctively went to cover his mouth to stop himself from squeaking. It worked and no sound came out. Ralph tossed his arms in the air annoyed.
"I can't tell if you are nervous because you are lying or because you are in the room with big predators or both." The wolf looked at Liam. "Do you have any hints?"
"Would you believe anything that I say?" The hyena asked with a smirk on his face. No one knew who to trust so mammals didn't want to share too much information.
"Probably not." The police officer admitted.
"How are you able to interrogate prey mammals when you can't tell the difference?" James was casually resolving the damage that the last crisis did to them. Ralph's gaze shifted to the light brown wolf.
"We just don't do it. Prey mammals are interrogated by prey police officers. That way it is also easier to account for the cultural differences. Prey mammals are knowledgeable about other prey cultures. " Nadine explained as her tail flicked happily. The last crisis put her in a very good spot.
"Aren't you too eager to change the topic?" Ralph said with an accusatory tone.
"""
Most of the snacks were already gone. Everyone was intently watching the board game in front of them. Matt heart was racing. He had abandoned his seat an hour ago and was pacing on the table. They could win it if they play it right. He just needed to get them to listen to him.
"Mister President." Matt turned to Liam. "We need your executive order."
"No! We can't trust him." James was shouting from the other side of the table.
"Stop talking, you traitor." Ralph shouted back.
"I tell you one again. I am not the traitor. Those red cards had to come from the random draw." James was visibly annoyed.
"Yes but that happened way too many times." William added.
"Nadine's turn is next and we already know that she's a traitor." Matt tried to use the logic. Nadine waved and gave them an evil smile. "And after that it's James' turn. We can't allow that to happen. We're surrounded by enemy's ships. We won't survive until my turn. We need to jump right now and if we are lucky we can win with that."
Everyone waited for Liam's decision that could end the game. Liam looked from mammal to mammal to see any hint that they wanted to betray him. Risk was too great to allow traitor and potential traitor to have their turns. Enemy ships were around them and Galactica was heavily damaged. The hyena needed to do something.
"Ok admiral. You have my executive order." Liam pulled out the card and slammed it on the table.
Matt looked at Nadine and smiled. At first she was confused but soon her smile widened. "I would like to send a nuke to sector seven."
"Wait, you were supposed to jump. That is the sector with civilian ships." The hyena stared blankly at the bunny. "You are the traitor!"
"I have been telling you that from the beginning!" James shouted while pointing his finger at Liam.
Matt went to sector seven and flipped all ships to see what they lost. "You lost all your fuel. You can't jump. You lost."
"Yes!" Nadine pumped her fist up in victory. Then she gave Matt a toothy smile and held her hand close to the table.
Matt ran across the table and slammed his small paws against her massive one in their weird version of the high five. After a moment of shock everyone started laughing.
"Next time don't act like a traitor so we could win." Ralph said to James.
"I already told you. We were just unlucky with red cards. You just didn't want to listen."
"I have to admit that I wasn't suspecting you." William admitted. "You were giving use good advice."
"Yes. But I was also burning useful cards when I didn't need to. You just couldn't tell because you didn't know which card belonged to who." The bunny explained
"It was nice. I revealed myself early so I can attack you from the outside and he could damage you from the inside." Nadine said as she was helping to clean the game.
"You did great!" Liam held his paw close to the table to get a high five.
"Thanks!" Matt slammed his paw against Liam's. The bunny was still high on the adrenaline.
"Sorry for betraying you. You really could have won with the next jump so I had to do something about it."
"I totally understand. However it isn't what I am talking about." Liam gave him a toothy smile. "You stopped squeaking about a hour ago. You even ran towards a grinning Nadine."
Matt blinked a few times and looked at Liam. Matt still felt uncomfortable seeing teeth but he didn't flinch or squeak. The adrenaline was slowly getting weaker and the bunny was getting more nervous with each second. It got to a manageable level "I didn't even notice. I was so into the game. To be honest I am still scared but it's a nice start. Also I don't think I would be able to stay quiet around strangers."
"You just need to be calm around one fox. I think that you should be able to do that now." The hyena patted Matt's back.
"Thank you again for inviting me. It was a lot of fun even if I was a squeaking mess for most of it."
"It isn't a problem. We should do it again sometime."
"For sure."
Ralph and Nadine were cleaning the table. Few times their paws brushed against each other as they were putting components back into the box. Each time that happened they smiled shyly and looked away. Liam and two other wolves watched them intently. They seemed very curious about police partners' interaction.
"Did something happen?" Matt quietly asked Liam.
"No. They're just curious about their older brother."
"""
Matt felt the familiar pounding in his chest as he stood in front of Kyle's door. He hoped that it would disappear after playing board games with predators. Sadly some things aren't that easy. He was still proud of all the progress he achieved during that day. He still had a long way to go but it was a good start. He took a deep breath to calm himself and adjusted the bag on his shoulder. He knocked.
"Hello, Kyle. It's Matt. Can I come in?" The bunny asked through the closed door.
Matt waited for the answer. Another thing that they still needed to work on was communication. During his last two visits the kit had barely spoken to him. It was fine to be shy but good communication made it a lot easier for a kit to be adopted. It would also help him in school. Teachers and kits were watching what he was doing. It was an interesting contrast to see genuine curiosity from kits and confusion from adults.
"Kyle? Can I come in?" The bunny bit his lower lip. Maybe he was pushing it too much. He shouldn't ask so much from the boy. Kyle was starting to get comfortable around him and he shouldn't stress him out with something that he wasn't comfortable with. Matt put his paw on the door handle to just open the door.
"Yes." The quiet voice said from inside of the bunny smiled and walked in.
Kyle was sitting on the bed with his back resting on the pillow. His fur was messy as always and curious icy blue eyes followed Matt as he walked in. The chair that normally stood next to the desk was next to the bed. It was the same configuration as the last time that they had watched cartoons together.
"It's nice to see you again," Matt said. He needed to start a conversation if he wanted Kyle to talk to him normally. At least that was the plan. He was pleasantly surprised when Kyle slowly flicked his tail. The motion wasn't big enough to call it wagging but it was still a win in Matt's book
"Did you prepare a seat for me so we could watch cartoons together?" The boy nodded eagerly. Matt was lucky that he picked a cartoon that the kit actually liked. It seemed to be a great motivation for Kyle.
"I thought that we could start with playing catch again." Kyle folded his ears against his head. Matt sighed.
"Yeah. I'm sorry for the last time. I was unprepared. I should have figured out that with your claws would pop the ball and we both would be in trouble." Matt looked at the claws that still needed fox kit lowered his head and looked away from Matt.
"I'm still learning about foxes so I'm really sorry about my mistake. You should tell me about things like that. That way we will be able to do more fun stuff together." Kyle wasn't looking at Matt and was visibly uncomfortable.
"As an apology I have brought you something." The fox kit looked at Matt surprised and tilted his head to the side looking confused.
"At the orphanage they don't have balls that are safe for you to play with so I got them for you." Matt pulled out from his bag a clear tube with three tennis balls in it. Kyle's eyes went wide in shock. His eyes were moving from balls to Matt's face and back. He didn't know where to focus his attention.
"Which color do you like the best? Yellow, blue or pink?" Matt led his question to remove any assumption that they wouldn't play. He didn't want to give the kit a chance to have doubt in his mind. He set his bag down next to the door and shaked the tube to focus the fox's attention on it.
"Yellow." The boy finally said with a weak voice.
"Ah, classic. Get out of the bed so we can play." Matt pulled the ball out of the tube and bounced it against the floor.
Kyle's eyes followed the ball. Slowly nervousness was turning into an excitement. The fox slid off the bed. He stood next to it with both paws on it for support. Matt was tossing the ball from one paw to another and anticipation was building in the young fox. He was mesmerised by the ball. It made Matt wonder how long it was since the boy was able to play ball. The bunny gently tossed the ball so it would land a few feets away from Kyle. It bounced several times before it stopped.
The ball sat there, with both the rabbit and fox looking at it. For a moment, Matt thought he would have to get the ball himself before he heard a thud on the wooden floor. The bunny saw Kyle shift forward, his paw still holding onto the frame of the bed tight. Moving a few steps more, Kyle reached out again but the ball was just out of reach of his claws.
The fox looked at the ball, then Matt, and then his quivering paw. Slowly relinquishing the bed frame, Kyle windmilled his arms as he tried to find balance on the balls of his feet. Steadying himself, the fox tentatively walked towards the ball.
Kyle's posture was unusual. He was leaning forward and used his arms for balance. As Matt stood straight his bones supported most of his weight and muscles were there just for stabilization. Kyle didn't have that luxury. Not having a heel to rest his body weight on meant that he couldn't lock his joints to make it easier on his muscles. He also wasn't able to stand straight. His knees had to be bent to support a gait that was unusual for his body and the boy's muscles were doing all the work to stay in that position. Kyle looked like a kit that pretended to be a two-legged dinosaur but didn't have the strength and balance to do it.
He clumsily got to the ball but everything went wrong when he reached for it. He lost his balance and he fell with a loud thud. The young fox looked back at Matt with fear in his eyes and started to panic. He tried to get up quickly by pushing with his arms but couldn't regain the balance.
"I'm sorry!" Kyle said with teary eyes and shaky voice as he kept trying to get up.
At first the bunny was confused but when realization hit, Matt's heart sank and his ears dropped. Several emotions went through his mind but the main one was anger. He took a breath to compose himself. The most important thing was to help the kit that was in front of him. The bunny rubbed his forearm where the boy scratched him. His expression softened as he looked at Kyle. He sat down on the floor away from the fox's reach.
"Kyle, relax. It's ok. You aren't in trouble." Matt said with a reassuring smile. The bunny lifted his ears to show that he meant it.
Kyle stopped trying to get up. He was breathing fast as he was watching Matt. The boy's ears laid flat on his head and his tail was between his legs. He tried to make himself as small as he could without moving away from his spot.
"You can walk on all fours around me. It'll be much more fun to play if you're able to run around."
The fox wasn't moving and was just watching. The kit was expecting it to be some kind of trick. Matt's words weren't enough to convince the scared boy. The bunny bit his lower lip and did the first thing that came to his mind. He got on all fours. He hadn't done that since he was a kit. He hopped around to show Kyle that it was really ok.
"See it is fine. I can do it so you can do it too." Kyle's eyes went wide in shock and ears shot up.
"Have you ever seen a bunny hopping around? I know that we look silly but not every mammal can be as graceful as a fox on all fours." Matt tried to defuse the situation with a joke but Kyle wasn't reacting.
"Can I come closer?" Matt asked, not wanting to spook the kit.
The boy tried to comprehend what was happening. He didn't move from his spot, only his ears were moving trying to find out any danger. Finally he just nodded. Matt deliberately was hopping very slowly so the kit could analyze every move and judge if it was fine. Kyle needed much more than just words. When he got closer he slowly spread his arms to hug the kit. Kyle's head was turning to be vigilant about both arms, trying to figure out what was going on. Matt gently wrapped his arms around the boy and slowly rubbed his back. Kyle didn't return the hug and was very tense.
"It's fine. You're safe with me."
Like a melting ice tension was slowly leaving the kit's body. Matt pulled away and Kyle tilted his head to the side and looked at the bunny with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. Matt smiled and reached for the ball and held it in front of the kit.
"We should try it again but this time you can run on all fours. You can also bite the ball. I made sure that it is safe for you." Matt held the ball in front of the kit's mouth. "You should try it."
Kyle sniffed the ball. The boy knew that he shouldn't do it in front of the prey but childish curiosity won and he opened his mouth exposing his teeth. Matt squeezed the ball nervously and his nose started twitching. The fox quickly closed his mouth and took several steps back, away from the bunny. Matt mentally cursed at himself but at least he didn't squeak. That for sure would spook the kit and things could get much worse.
"I am sorry. It is an instinctive reaction. I really want to play with you so please ignore that." Matt smiled apologetically
Kyle looked really confused. His icy blue eyes looked deeply into the bunny's brown eyes. Matt felt as if the kit was looking at his soul, searching for a lie. Matt got worried that he pushed it too far. It was so outside of the regular interaction that the fox had with prey and it was really confusing him. The fox had issues that Matt wasn't prepared for. The boy's nostrils were moving as he was sniffing. Kyle blinked and took a step forward.
"You're scared." Kyle said softly with a surprised tone.
"Yes. It's a prey thing. I am working on it so we could play together. Don't show your teeth around other prey mammals. They could get scared." Honesty was the only way to go for Matt. He needed Kyle to trust him.
"Noone wants to play with me." Kyle said it as if it was a fact and Matt saying nonsense. He furrowed his brow.
"That is not true. I want to play with you. I like you." Kyle's eyes shifted from Matt's face to his right forearm where the fox scratched him.
"Oh don't worry about that. I know that you didn't mean it. It was just an accident. I'm fine." Matt rolled up his shirt to expose his forearm. Fur already was growing in the shaved area so from a far no one would notice the difference. Up close it was obvious that fur in that area was shorter but scars were thin enough that they didn't disturb the composition of his fur. He could feel them under his fur but they weren't noticeable.
"See as good as new."
For a few seconds Kyle was watching the arm. He was shifting his weight from paw to paw nervously and with a weak voice said. "I-I'm sorry."
"It is all right, buddy. I've already forgotten about it." Matt waved the hand that was holding the ball. "How about we try it one more time? This time time with running on all fours and biting."
Kyle looked at the ball and then at Matt. He smiled weakly and nodded. Matt sat on the ground and tossed the ball away from them. Kyle took a first step on all fours and looked back at Matt to make sure that it was all right. Matt smiled and nodded to encourage the boy to move. Kyle moved slowly and every few steps he looked back to make sure that he was still fine. He sniffed the ball and slowly opened his mouth. Matt's heart bit faster but kept smiling. The fox slowly came back to the bunny with a ball in his mouth and ears folded against his head. Matt extended his paw. Kyle looked to it as if he was expecting something more to happen. Finally Kyle moved his muzzle over the paw and dropped the ball into it. Up close Matt could see that Kyle was missing two teeth, right lower fang and upper incisor.
"Great job! Next try to do it faster so you'll get the ball while it is still moving. That way it'll be more of a game rather than just cleaning the room." Matt laughed softly and Kyle nodded. Matt saw excitement slowly building in the kit's eyes.
He tossed the ball and that time Kyle ran after it right away. To Matt's surprise, Kyle was also clumsy when he was moving on all fours. Slow walking was fine but when he added speed to it, the boy wasn't sure in what order his arms and legs should move. Sometimes he was kicking his arm or was placing his arms and legs in weird positions. But that didn't discourage him and got to the ball before it stopped. Matt's heart swelled seeing how proud Kyle was that he was able to get the ball while it was moving.
"That was amazing!" Matt rubbed kit's head when he came back with the ball.
Over time they both were getting used to the situation. Matt was getting more comfortable with seeing teeth and Kyle was getting more comfortable playing with prey. After a few tries Kyle figured out the rhythm of his movement. He was getting faster and more graceful. From time to time he would stumble and fall to the ground but he quickly picked himself up. He was chasing after the ball with a big smile on his face. It was heartwarming. Matt pulled out his phone and took a few pictures.
After 20 minutes of play, Kyle was panting and his tongue was hanging out. His tail was wagging as he was coming back with the ball in his mouth. Matt noticed that the fox's legs and arm were shaking slightly. Kyle wasn't used to that amount of movement so it would be best not to overdo it.
"You did amazing!" He took the ball from Kyle and hugged him. The boy was surprised at first but relaxed when he realized what was going on. The fox just stood there and let it happen. "I think that it's enough running for one day. We can watch one episode of a cartoon before I'll need to go."
Kyle nodded eagerly and pulled away from the hug. He quickly got to his spot on the bed. Matt put the ball away with the rest of them. He got his laptop and set it on the bed. After a few clicks the cartoon started playing and Matt sat on the chair next to the bed. This time he set the screen at the right angle. Kyle had done a lot of work that day so Matt didn't feel the need to make him talk.
Kyle was smiling as he was enjoying the cartoon. Matt pulled out the phone one more. He wanted to have at least one picture with Kyle. He put the phone in a selfie mode. He made sure that they were both in frame.
"Kyle could you look at my phone?"
As soon as Kyle's head turned, Matt snapped a photo of the smiling fox kit and the smiling bunny enjoying their time together.
