"O brave new world that has such people in it."

Episode 10: Erdan & Cheska's awesome weekend. (part 1)

Beep! Beep! Beep! Rang the alarm clock, and a teenage boy was suddenly brought out of his short nap. He groaned in annoyance, hearing the ever alarming sound of his bedside clock. As he rubbed his forehead, he wondered why alarm clocks always sounded so grating on the ears? That was probably the point, but something nicer sounding would be better. The boy mustered his arm to slap the clock's button and stop the infernal noise. He got up from on his bed and stretched his limbs. As he scratched his chest he walked to his window to peek out at the afternoon sun. The sky was clear with bright blue and warm rays, the perfect weather for a jog.

The fifteen year old boy dressed in jean shorts and a sleeveless top. He opened a dresser and pulled out a sky blue bandana, and wrapped it around his forehead like a sweatband. The kid looked at his desk and saw his phone had a near full battery left. After grabbing and putting his mobile device in his pocket, he opened his bedroom door and walked through his apartment. He went into the kitchen to get a water bottle for his run, and he saw his father sitting at the breakfast table, eating a snack.

The grown wolf saw his son and said "Out for a jog?"

"Yeah." His son replied.

"Well, just don't go too far." The father advised.

"I know dad. Love you." The boy answered and his father said the same.

After five minutes the kid came outside and prepared for his run, while his father got dressed in his uniform, got in his car and drove to work. Meanwhile his son stood on the sidewalk and pulled out some ear buds from his pocket. He plugged them in his phone, opened the music app on the touch screen and scrolled though the music he had.

There were bands and artists like:

Selema Goatmez

Vampire Bat Weekend

Owl city

And others. He finally chose a song and begun his jog.

As he listened to the rock music in his ears, he passed by many houses and stores. Cars and trucks drove on the road, mostly people on their jobs. The kid ran though town, and then decided to continue his jog on the beach. When he set foot on the sand, he felt the warmness on his hind paws. As he ran he noticed something. Something shiny reflected light in his view. He saw something in the sand, near the water. He walked over to it, and found some kind of pocket watch. It was silver on the outside, but when he opened it he saw the inside seemed weird. It had screens and dials. Curious, the fifteen year old boy fiddled with the device.

Suddenly a flash beamed from the device and the kid disappeared, leaving nothing but his footprints in the sand. Then, a leopard man wearing a tuxedo walked over. He opened his pocket watch and looked at it for a second.

"Hmm, right on time." The man said.

((()-()))

On top of the thousand stone stairs, Erdan looked out at the Valley of Peace. The whole area was cover in a white blanket of beauty. Winter may be one of the toughest of the seasons, but it wasn't without any natural splendor. The wolf boy rubbed his shoulder, stoking his paw over a few sores he gained from today's training.

Zhong walked over and noticed his son and what he was doing. The one eyed wolf asked "Hey, you ok son?"

His son stopped what he was doing and answered "Yeah, I'm just sore from today's lesson. And from sparring with Viper."

Zhong placed his paw on Erdan's other shoulder and said "I know, it's rough, but it will help make you stronger."

"No gain without pain." Erdan commented.

But after a minute, Erdan saw his father bare a sad face. "What wrong?" Erdan asked.

After a moment of silence, Zhong replied with "Oh it's alright. I… just miss my wife and kids."

Erdan did some thinking and asked "Didn't you have a painting of them… in your house in Gongmen?"

"Yeah, but when I… wait, how do you know that?" Zhong questioned.

"Uhh, I kinda went into your room. Right after reading your death letter." Erdan nervously answered.

"Well, I did. But, when I returned to look for you at the house it was gone. A thief probably took it for easy money." Zhong sadly said. And Erdan could sense the sorrow in his father's face.

After the father-son moment, Zhong said "I won't be walking down the stairs with you today. It's my turn to clean the hall of heroes, and I want to get done before Po tries to eat my dinner."

Erdan chuckled a bit and replied "Ok, I'll tell Mom you say hi."

The two lupines hugged and waved goodbye before going their separate ways. A half-and-hour later Erdan reached the bottom of the massive stairs. It wasn't enough his arms were sore, but how his feet were tired. Deciding it was wise to rest for a few minutes, so Erdan sat at a nearby stone bench. While sitting, Erdan could hear noises coming from a close alleyway. Well after resting, the boy got up and went to investigate, letting his curious mind get the best of him.

When he arrived in the small space between buildings, he saw a dog boy lying on the ground, so he went over to check if he's alright.

While this was happening, a shady fox was running along the rooftops. A few months ago he'd gained a necklace that could send people into a slave like trance. Since acquiring it, he's been gaining his strength back and figuring out how to use the mystic device. He stopped on a roof to take a breather before trying to target a shop keeper.

((()-()))

The boy woke up, he heard some kind of sounds as he regained consciousness. As his eyes opened, he saw a pair of feet. And after he got up, he saw a wolf boy was in front of him. He wore simple pants and a longs sleeve shirt, as well as a red bandana around his neck.

Not knowing what was going on, the dog boy asked the wolf kid "Hey, where am I?"

" " The wolf boy… said?

"What?" The dog boy asked.

" " The boy… answered?

The dog kid was getting nowhere. He just ignored the kid next to him and pulled the pocket out of his jeans and fiddled with it. The wolf boy looked at what he was doing, and suddenly the device beeped and a bubble of light came from it, and engulfed the two boys. Meanwhile the fox on the roof saw something bright and got sucked in as well. And in just seconds all three animals disappeared without a trace.

((()-()))

A big bubble of light appeared, and two boys arrived when it dissolved. The two took a moment to realize that they were now in some sort of jungle, a very humid loud jungle. Before the two boys knew it, loud thumps could be heard in their ears, and felt in the ground. After a few seconds they both turned around and saw a massive lizard monster, one with large teeth and tiny arms. The beast saw them and roared. Erdan and the other boy ran while screaming, trying to get away from the monster. As they ran through the jungle the monster gained on them, and then the boys stopped at a cliff. They were trapped between a fall too far to survive and monster who plans to have them for his next snack. Driven by fear the dog boy opened the pocket watch, and pressed the buttons before a light bubble appeared and teleported the boys away, leaving the monster snack-less.

((()-()))

Another bubble appeared and the boys landed on a wood floor. But it the floor felt weird. It was then that they realized what they were on.

"Hey, what are you two doing?!" Shouted a pirate captain.

The dog and wolf boy saw pirates approach them. Quickly the dog kid fiddled with the watch and another bubble appeared, getting the kids away from danger.

All the pirates looked baffled. Thinking if they really saw what happened?, or if it was just from them being at sea for weeks?

The captain muttered "What the devil?" Before yelling to his crew "Get back to work!"

((()-()))

In a dark alleyway, sitting in a car was a snow leopard who was smoking a cigar. He put the tobacco to his mouth, inhaled and released. Sure that stuff wasn't healthy, but he's been told that a gangster's life was short, so why not? But suddenly a bubble of light appeared and the man saw two boys, one a wolf and the other a wolf cross german shepherd. The wolf kid was on the ground, breathing heavily and the other kid was messing with some pocket watch. Then the dog kid made a smile after fiddling with the device for a second, then pulled the wolf boy back to him. After pressing on the watch, a bubble of light appeared and dissolved, the two boys were nowhere.

The leopard looked at his cigar as a jaguar entered the driver seat. "Alright, let's get going. Capone wants to meet us at the hideout now."

The leopard tossed the cigar into a sewer drain by the car and his buddy asked "Why'd you do that?"

The leopard looked at him and simply said "I think I'll quit." And the two drove off in the night.

((()-()))

Back on the beach, the leopard in the tux waited a few seconds after the boy vanished. Then afterwards a bubble of light appeared and two boys come out of it. One of them was happy to be back home, the other though… not so much.

"Yes, yes I'm back!" The boy yelled. But he saw the other kid and said "Hey you ok?"

After helping the wolf boy up, he said? " "

"What? I can't understand you." The kid said loudly.

For a whole minute the two couldn't understand each other. And Erdan wasn't doing so well either. Then the leopard in the tux walked over to them.

"Wait who are-" The boy was interrupted when the man put his hand out and said "I believe this will help you understand."

He held out a kind-of chewable ball. It looked like a pill but silver in color. The man handed it to Erdan and made a swallowing motion. Erdan wasn't sure of what to do. But he took the risk and swallowed the pill.

" ok? Are you gonna be alright?" The boy said.

"W-wait. I- I can understand you now!" Erdan said.

"You-you can! How?" The other boy asked.

"I- I'm not sure, it must have been the thing that man gave me… Hey, where'd he go?!" Erdan said before realizing the man vanished.

After searching the area the boy said "He-he was right here."

But then Erdan fell on the sand while holding his head with his paws.

"Hey you ok dude?" The boy asked.

"Wha-what just happened?" Erdan said while trying to get his grip.

The kid next to him looked at the watch and said "I think we just time traveled."

"Time travel?" Erdan said.

"Yeah, this thing took us to other periods of history. Cool!" The other boy said. But he looked down and helped the wolf boy up and said "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Cheska." He said before handing his paw out.

Erdan shook Cheska's paw and said "I'm Erdan."

"That's a odd name." Cheska commented.

"More odd then Cheska?" Erdan protested.

"Hey, it mean great warrior. I think." The other boy said in protest.

After introductions were complete, the two debated on what just happened.

"So this is a time machine?" Erdan puzzled out loud.

"Looks like it. It took us all over history." Cheska said.

"Well can you use it to get me back home?" Erdan asked.

"Ok sure." Cheska answered.

But the device wouldn't work. The boys tried again and again but nothing until the watches lights went out.

"What happened?" Erdan asked.

"I think it's out of power." Cheska said.

"What? Out of… power?" Erdan questioned.

"Yeah it's not working now." The half dog boy answered.

Erdan then made a grim thought and said "So, am I stuck here?"

"Could be." Cheska stated.

"Oh great. I've really out done myself now." Erdan said with frustration.

After a minute of thinking, Cheska said "Hmm, I think I know someone who could help."

"Really?" Erdan said.

"Yeah, she's a friend of mine. She's good with gadgets and stuff like this." Cheska explained.

"Ok let's go see her." Erdan said before being stopped by Cheska.

"First we need to get you a change of clothes." He said.

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Erdan asked.

"There too… uhh… old fashioned. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves. If people figured we have a time machine, they might try to take it. Plus that style is just bad." Cheska explained.

Even though he was a bit offended by the comment, Erdan could see the other boy's point.

"Besides, nobody dresses like that in 2018" Cheska said.

"Wait… that's what year I'm in now?!" Eran asked.

"Yeah. Now come on." Cheska answered while Erdan was mind-blown.

((()-()))

The two left the beach and came to a road. Then Erdan walked in it and Cheska shouted while pulling him out of the way. A large machine on wheels came rushing through and the man inside yelled "Hey stay off the road stupid kid!"

"What was that?" Eradn asked.

"A truck. You gotta stay off the road!" Cheska said.

While the two boys walked over to Cheska's apartment, Erdan couldn't help but be baffled by how the future turned out. Houses were large with multiple stories. And they even had porches for upper levels. And strangely shaped and shiny objects with wheels moved along roads, and were left on the side of the roads. Cheska did his best to explain what everything is, but Erdan had to take a moment to prossess everything, although he greatly enjoyed seeing new things that wouldn't be made for centuries.

It was also very hot, it was the middle of summer. So Erdan took his long sleeve shirt off as Cheska guided him to his home for a change of clothes. Along the way the two boys began to develop a liking for each other, sharing stories about funny moments about their families and friends.

((()-()))

Meanwhile, a bubble of light appeared ten block away from the two boys. And when it dissolved, a fox fell into a garbage bin. After climbing out, he looked around, then went out of the alley and saw he wasn't in the valley anymore.

((()-()))

Erdan and Cheska walked through a few blocks before being able to see their destination, an apartment on a second floor. The two boys walked up the stairs and Cheska pulled out his house keys from his pocket.

"So this is your home town?" Erdna curiously asked.

"Yep, living in a beach town does have its pros and cons." Cheaska answered as he fiddled with the front door lock.

But out of nowhere a voice suddenly said "It is rather nice, isn't it?"

Both boys jumped upon hearing a nearby voice, and they looked to their right to see the leopard man sitting on a chair on Cheska's porch. He still wore a tux, which must have been a poor choice since it was the summer.

Cheska yelled "Dude, what's your deal?"

"Oh I'm just here to watch." The mystery man replied.

Erdan, still puzzled about him, asked the tux man "Hey, what was that weird thing you gave me? After swallowing it I can now understand Cheska."

The man answered "Oh that. Well… I can't say much, but it's something that will help you. Thanks to that pill, you can now hear, speak, and read English."

"How does that work?" Erdan asked. But Cheska was feeling uneasy and said "Dude leave us alone. My dad is captain of a swat squad, and if you try anything I'll call him!"

The man looked at the kids for a moment and figured he should do as told and back off. "Very well, oh and don't forget your mail." The man said.

Cheska looked at the mail box by his door and opened it. There were some magazines and letters that arrived earlier that morning. He asked Erdan to hold the mail and handed it to him. But when they turned around the man was gone.

"Whoa, that's kinda creepy." Erdan commented.

"Yeah, Creepy is right." Cheska replied. Then he unlocked and opened the door before saying "Well, here we are."

Cheska let Erdan in his home and his took the mail and set them down I a bin on a nearby table. Erdan was surprised by what Cheska's home was like. The walls were bright and pictures with boarders were hung on the walls. Beyond the living room was a kitchen, and it was very strange in Erdan's eyes. The most notable thing was a large white box in the corner. The two boys went done a hall and in a semi messy bedroom.

"And this is my room, oh sorry for the messiness." Cheska said in apology. "I'll just get a shirt and shorts for you."

Erdan however was busy looking over his new friend's room. There were posters of characters on the wall, kind of like Po's old room in Mr. Pings. There was one with a gorilla soldier who was shirtless and muscular, fighting in what looked like a jungle setting. Another poster was of a white tiger who was on a stage with some kind of instrument. And there was a flat black box on top of a desk, with a smaller, thinner black box next to it. Also on the desk was an assortment of cases, each of them had written titles on them like:

'Minotuar of war'

'Purrsona 4'

'Mesal Gear Solid 2: sons of freedom'

'GTA: Viper city.'

And 'Sly Racoon'

Overall the entire room was very colorful and vastly different from how houses looked in Erdan's time. After a minute, Cheska gave Erdan some clothes to wear. A sleeveless gray shirt, a pair of underwear and a pair of gray camo pants.

"What about my clothes?" Erdan asked.

"We can keep them here until you can go back." Cheska answered.

He then guided Erdan to the bathroom where he could change clothes. The bath room was very white and clean. Everything in it had a very fresh feel to it. Erdan changed into the clothes, which were pretty comfy. He exited and tied his red bandana around his neck again.

Cheska noticed the cloth around his new friend's neck and said "Ah, a bandana fan?"

Erdan then replied "Well, it's very special to me."

"How so?" Cheska asked.

Erdan paused a moment before answering "Well, it's… it's the last thing I have of my mother b-before she." Erdan stopped upon thinking of the memories that came rushing back.

"Oh, sorry I asked." Cheska said feeling a bit sorry for Erdan.

"It's ok, let's go see your friend now." Erdan replied, trying to brush off those painful memories.

"Ok, let's go." Cheska said.

The two boys went outside and Cheska closed and locked the front door behind them. Then they walked through the town, talking and bonding. Many things seemed weird to Erdan, like how everybody looked at some small tablet that lit up, or like how some signs lit up with pictures that moved. Even though Erdan couldn't understand what he was seeing, he was still excited to see how the people of the future live.

((()-()))

The fox walked along the town, he was still wrapping head on what had happened? He at least figured out that he's been taken in the future somehow. But it was still a lot to take in. As he walked down the sidewalk in town, he came across a small museum of sorts. He decided to go in and look around. A few people were in as well, but after a few minutes he found something on display that left him in shock. In a glass case, was the Silver fan of Yin!

But how could that be? He looked it over and saw other artifacts from the Jade Palace. From what he could tell there was five of them. A tour guide came to ask if he was enjoying the exibit. She could see he spoke Chinese so she fetched a fellow guide who could translate. From what the other guide said the Fox learned that these artifacts were found and toured around the globe, as part of a Kung Fu history exiibit. After some more talking, the fox also learned that the museum paid a lot of money to display them, these artifacts were practically priceless.

The fox decided to linger around a bit. And if he got hungry he ould just use the necklace to hypnotize one of those food vendor men again. So he looked around the museum for a good long while.

((()-()))

Erdan and Cheska walked through the housing district and arrived at their destination, a large building that had a sign in the front call 'Ocean paw high school'. The two boys walked up the stairs and entered the huge building. Erdan saw it had big and long halls, with some kind of metal closets on the walls. Not many people were inside, which was perfect for Cheska.

"So there's someone there that can help?" Erdan asked.

"Maybe, she's the best person I know for gadgets and stuff, plus she kinda owes me a favor." Cheska explained.

They navigated through the school and found the library. A room filled with knowledge and wisdom for young minds. Erdan saw that the people who were here were staring at objects with pages of paper inside hard covers. After a minute of visual searching, Cheska found her.

"There she is." He said, pointing to a teenage deer reading at a table.

The boys walked over to her and Cheska greeted with "Hey Kinzie, what up?"

She looked up from her book for a second before moving her eyes back to her study.

"Uh so, I kinda need a favor form you." Cheska said, trying to keep his cool.

"I'm busy." Kinzie answered.

Cheska knew that to get her attention he had to take drastic measures. "Well, that's some way to treat the person who helped your mom get to the hospital so she could have your baby brother."

Kinzie then sported an annoyed face, sighed and said "I was wondering when you were gonna play that card. What do you want?"

"Let's talk in the tech lab, ok?" Cheska asked.

"Yeah, that should be better since your here." Kinzie said as she put her things in her bag. The three teens then made their way through the school halls and into the tech lab. Erdan looked around and noticed that metal machines of various shapes and sizes were all over the room. Some of them were the small tablets that he saw everyone stare at.

Kinzie set her bag down and asked "So, who's your friend?"

Erdan then held his right paw out and introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Erdan."

"Erdan? That's a an odd name." Kinzie commented.

"I know right?" Cheska added.

Erdan sighned annoyingly, then Kinzie asked what they wanted.

Cheska then pulled out the time piece and said "I think this thing is broken, can you take a look at it?"

Kinzie held the watch and looked it over. "Hmm… I've never seen a model like this, what's it's brand?" The female deer asked.

"Uhh… I… found it in the trash." Cheska answered.

"In the trash?" Kinzie questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, it looked like it was in good condition. One man's trash another man's treasure, right?" Cheska explained.

Kinzie rolled her eyes and continued to inspect the device. It looked like it had no damage, just ran out of power. She took it to a table and then looked back at the two boys. "Well, all that's wrong with this thing is that it ran out of power. Didn't you check for power cord slots?"

Silence filled the next minute and Cheska just lightly slapped his foredead.

"Well, I checked and this thing's USB compatable, so I can charge it hear in the lab." Kinzie said while pulling out a black cord and plugged the watch in.

"It it gonna be safe hear?" Erdan asked.

"Oh sure, since I'm the president of the computer club, I have access to the keys to this room. Once I'm done here I'll lock up." Kinzie explained.

"Now why don't I get any of those perks?" Cheska asked.

"Because I'm not the one who caused chaos last spring." Kinzie answered.

"What did you do?" Erdan curiously asked.

"That's not important, and it wasn't my fault… mostly." Cheska nervously commented.

"Well, because of your little 'project'-." Kinzie said while making air quotes with her hooves. "It caused near anarchy for the whole school!" Cheska rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment while Kinzie continued. "And before you asked, No, the nurse isn't out of rehab yet!"

"Wow, I don't know what that means, but it sounds bad. What did you do Cheska?" Erdan asked.

"Well… I… uh, oh will you look at the time." Cheska said as he grabbed Erdan's paw and quickly walked out the room while loudly saying "Thanks Kinzie, keep the watch safe ok thanks!"

The two boys ran out, leaving Kinzie alone. "Hmph, boys." And she took her things, locked up the room and went back to the library.

((()-()))

Cheska took Erdan out the front door and to the sidewalk, Erdan figured whatever he did he didn't want to discuss it. After a minute Erdan asked "So, what now?"

"Well, kinzie will let us know when it's ready for use, so we got some time to kill." Cheska answered.

"Ok, so what is there to do around here?" Erdan asked.

"Well, I say let's have some fun." Cheska replied.

The two boys then walked through town towards the boardwalk. One the way, Cheska asked Erdan "So what's regular life for you, since you're from the past and all?"

After a moment of thinking Erdan answered "Well, I work at a part time job at a noodle shop. And I also train in martial arts."

"Woah really?!" Cheska asked.

"Yeah, I want to be a Kung fu master someday." Erdan explained.

"Heh, you sound like a protagonist in some kind of anime series." Cheska thought out loud.

"Is-is that good?" Erdan asked.

Cheska realized his choice of words and replied "Uh, forget about it."

Erdan then shrugged his shoulders, there were so many things he didn't understand in this future word, so he figured it was for the best. As the two walked Erdan looked at various buildings where people could stay and rest, they were much, much bigger than the inns he's stayed at during his travels. That is, the inns that would let him in. Apparently Cheska's home town was a big beach city, one that many people travel too on vacation.

Erdan decided to break the silence by asking his new friend a question of his own. "So what's life like for you Cheska?"

"Well, not much really. I'm still in high school, although it's a miracle I'm not kicked out from last spring. I live with my dad, he's the captain of a SWAT force in town."

"SWAT force?" Erdan asked.

"They like an advance police team, a type of law enforcement, my dad leads them whenever the're needed." The teenage boy explained.

Erdan asked another thing that was currently on his mind. "I've never heard of a name like Cheska. Do you know what's it from?"

"It's a native name. I'm desended from a tribe of wolf warriors who first lived in this land." Cheska explained.

After some more talking, the two boys made it to the boardwalk. When they climbed up the wooden stairs and walked to the boarded floors, Erdan was baffled by this place. People of all kinds walked by, and shops of diffenen't types were along this wooden road y the beach.

"So, you hungry?" Cheska asked.

Erdan then heard his stomach grumble and answered "Yeah, I can eat."

"Ok, I know just the place." Cheska replied before leading Erdan to a resurant packed with people. There were lights and large spinning fans that hung from the ceiling. The seat were custioned and colored, there were stools to sit on right by the desk and waiters walked back and forth bringing food that Erdan had never seen before. Regardless the place also had an undeniably welcoming vibe, and the smells were seemed unique and otherworldly, well to Erdan at least.

Cheska walked over to where a few teens were sitting and waiting for their friend. Two boys, a leapord and a fennick fox, and two girls, one a panther and the other a golden retriever.

"Hey what up?" Cheska greeted.

The panther girl said "About time, we were about to order without you."

"I know, I know I'm sorry. I got a little side tracked. But I brought a new friend." Cheska said as Erdan approached. "Guys, meet Erdan."

Erdan said hello and waved before Cheska introduced his friends. The leopard boy was Lloyd, the fennec fox was Zack, and the two girls were Ashley and Jessica.

"It's nice to meet you all." Erdan greeted.

"Hey guys, do you mind if Erdan has dinner with us?" Cheska asked.

"No, it's cool." Zack answered which was everyone else's answer.

Erdan then sat down with the other teens. And then a waitress came to take their order. "And what would you like?" The zebra waitress asked.

"We'll have a large pizza, with cheese and green peppers. And colas for all of us." Jessica the retriever replied.

The waitress then took their orders and walked to the kitchen to tell the chefs. Meanwhile the group got to talking.

"So, Erdan, you live around here?" Ashley asked.

After a moment of thinking Erdan replied "I'm… just visiting."

"Ah, another tourist." Lloyd commented.

"You could say that." Cheska said, trying to cover up the secret he and Erdan shared.

"Well, what are you into Erdan?" Zack asked.

"Um, martial arts." Erdan answered.

"Really? You take classes?" Jessica asked curiously.

"Uh, yeah." Erdan answered plainly.

"You know, I took a few classes a few years ago, but it seemed like too much. So I changed my hobbies." Lloyd explained.

"You mean you quit." Ashley said.

"I didn't quit, I just didn't like it so I stopped." Lloyd protested.

"In other words, you quit." Cheska added.

"No, that's… ok yeah I quit." Lloyd admitted.

"What about you Erdan? How long have you been learning to kick people's asses?" Zack asked.

Erdan felt a little socialy awkward, but he mustered his feelings and answered. "Since I was ten, but that was self teaching. But I've now been learning from a teacher."

"Can you like, run up walls and leap from rooftops." Zack asked.

"Oh come on, that kind of stuff is only in movies." Ashley commented.

"Accualy I've really done those things." Erdan said.

The group just looked at him and Jessica said "Hey, there's no need to lie. You seem like a cool guy."

But before Erdan could protest Cheska said "Hey did you see the sign for the Italy garden coming to town?"

"Yeah, I'm excited." Ashley commented.

"It's what everyone's been talking about. That, and the head cheerleader getting pregnant." Lloyd said before everyone just stared at him.

"Where did you hear that?" Zack asked.

Nervous, Lloyd just muttered "N-nowhere."

Then their order arrived. A large pizza and six colas. Erdan had never seen food like this, the pizza was large and round. It had toppings on it and had a diffenet' yet delishious aroma. Everyone took a piece and held it in their paws, then they took a bite at the pointy end of their slice. Erdan picked up a piece of his own, and smelled it. He'd admite it smelled flavorful. Then the wolf boy opened his mouth and took a bite, then chewed. But as the mashed pieces of pizza broke down in his mouth, he felt like his taste buds were overrun with an unbelievable flavor joy. Then he continued to eat more of the pizza, enjoying every second of it.

"Hmm, this tastes amazing!" Erdan praised.

"Yep, best pizza in town." Cheska commented.

The next hour was spent eating and mingling. Erdan learned a bit about each of Cheska's friends. Ashley dreams of being an athlete someday, following her heritage of great female players. Zack wasn't sure what he wanted yet, but he said he'd always wanted to write hip hop and rap songs (Whatever those were, which was Erdan's thoughts). Jessica talked about taking over her family's hotel, and was also interested in playing exotic intruments. Her friends said she has a gift for the piano. After the meal was finished and paid for, the group decided to head out and have fun at a special event tonight.

As the group walked out of the restaurant, Erdan saw a sight that left him in awe. He walked to the edge of the boardwalk and gazed at the sunset over the ocean. Cheska and Lloyd joined in as the others headed to the event early.

"Wow, it's so-" Erdan said before being interrupted.

"Beautiful, isn't it." Cheska commented.

"Yeah" Erdan replied

"One of the benefits of living by the sea." Lloyd commented.

The three boys watched out at the natural beauty for a few more minutes. Then, Erdan looked back and saw another amazing sight. The signs and buildings on the boardwalk lit up. The shop signs and rides lit up with all kinds of colors.

"You ready for some fun?" Cheska asked Erdan.

"H-how do those lights come up?" Erdan asked.

"Huh?" Lloyd said confusingly.

"Uh, well, take my advice: Sometimes you should leave out the details and saw what the hay?" Cheska said.

"What the hay? Did you just make that up?" Lloyd commented with a raised eyebrow.

"Y-yeah i… I did." Cheska admitted.

But Erdan walked along the boardwalk, seeing so many diffent' people in one place. And the sights were like nothing he'd ever imagine. After five minutes of walking the three rejoined their friends and a music event. There, a large teenage brown bear, who was wearing black shorts and a brown jacket was getting ready to perform. But he saw his friends and went over to say hi.

"Hey you guys made it!" The brown bear greeted with a low voice.

"How ya doing Mike?" Cheska greeted back.

"I'm good." Mike answered. The rest of Cheska's group greeted their friend, and then he noticed a newcomer in was with them. "And who's this?"

Erdan held out and shook paws with the bear while greeting with "H-hi, I'm Erdan."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Erdan. I'm Mike." The lovable bear said.

"Nice to meet you too." Erdan replied with just as much joy.

After the introductions were finished, Jessica asked their friend "So, you excited for the event?"

"Yeah, and I'll be singing in ten." Mike answered.

Puzzled, Lloyd asked "Your singing? I thought you were just sitting with us?"

"Well, one of the singers caught a cold, so he couldn't perform. So I stepped in. Plus I love singing and I need the cash."

"You're getting paid for this?" Zack thought out loud.

"Y-yeah, yesterday at the park, I kinda accidenatly broke a little girl's toy while working at the snack stand." All the teens listened as Mike continued. "I felt bad so I offered to pay the kid's parents a new toy. That is, until I saw the price."

"How much was it?" Erdan asked.

" Seventy-five dollars." Mike answered.

"What!?" everyone said at once.

"It was one of those American Cub dolls, they don't come cheap." Mike explained.

"Oh yeah, those things are a total scam with how ecspensive they are." Ashley commented.

"Yeah well, the guy who's hosting this music event said that if I do this job, he'll give me the cash to pay my dept off." Mike said.

"He's paying you that much?" Cheska asked, with a surprised tone.

"I've known him since first grade, plus he owes me a favor." Mike explained.

"Well, it's good to have friends." Erdan replied and Mike smiled upon hearing that.

"I gotta get ready." Mike said as he begun to walk back to the stage.

"Ok." Cheska said.

After a few minutes the group started talking again.

"Man, Mike's pretty good at keeping his cool. If I was there I'd probably just ignore that girl." Jessica said. Since she has a little sister, she knew very well how annoying little kids can be.

"One the outside he's all chill, but I bet inside he was like DAMN YOU, ALICE ALABAMA!" Zack teased and everyone laughed, including Erdan who was enjoying hanging out with other teenagers.

Suddnely, a lion stood on stage, grabbed a microphone and said "Attention! Everybody attention! We are ready to kick off this year's summer pop fest!" Then everyone in the crouds cheered before the announcer spoke again. "And I just wana say thank you to everyone here, and thank you to the bands and singers who are here tonight. Events like this bring our community together, and couldn't be possible with all your help. So let's make some music!"

All the people in the crowds cheered and Mike made his way to the stage and begun to sing.

"Happier" by Marshmello plays.

"So only for a minute, I want to change my mind cause, this don't feel right to me.

I want to raise your spirits, I want to see your smile, know that means I'll have to leave."

Mike sang as music roared from the speakers and everybody danced to the beat. Erdan never heard music like this before, and even though it was pretty loud, he was still having a good time.

"Lately, I've been thinking, I want to make your happier, I want you to be happier."

Then Cheska and his friends started dancing, showing their moves in tune to the music. Then Cheska urged Erdan to join. At first, Erdan was nervous, but he remembered something. Besides his kung fu training, he was also trained for this sort of scenario. So he braced himself and started dancing. And after a minute he begun break-dancing, spinning and turning with style. Luckily he had a great teacher show him how to dance, and those lessons were paying off.

As Mike sang and music blasted into the air, everyone was starting to see Erdan's dancing skills, and made a dance circle around the wolf boy. Erdan then felt risky and combined some of his kung fu with his dance moves. Creating his own style of dance. He then spun on his head and stopped, then stood on his paws and jumped back on his hind legs. Everyone clapped, praising Erdan's skills, including Cheska and his friends.

"Lately, I've been thinking, I've been thinking, I want you to be happier, I want you to be happier.

So I'll go, so I'll go."

The first song ended, and Mike had done his job. This was just the start to an evening filled with fun for Erdan. Mike joined his friends in dancing and singing. During the party, Erdan's dancing caught the attention of some girls, giving Erdan some butterflies in his stomach. For the next hour the group of teens partied, then went on some rides on the pier. Erdan decided to join on a ride, one that had swings that swung I the air. When he was in the ride it felt like he was flying, something the kid always dreamed of, but kept forgetting he's not very fond of heights. He also joined Cheska and Lloyd on something called a roller coaster. But half way through the ride he was filled with both joy and terror, which was kinda of the point. After off the three boys felt sick and all hurled into a trashcan. Although Erdan aplologized, Cheska said that was part of the amusment park expiriance.

The evening was an amazing and fun time for the wolf boy. But it was getting late, so the group bid each other farewell and separated for their homes. Erdan and Cheska walked back to his apartment. Upon reentering Cheska's dad was in the living room reading a book.

"Ah, Cheska your home, did you have a good time?" The father wolf asked.

"Yeah, uh, dad this is my friend Erdan. Is it ok if he sleeps over?" Cheska asked his dad.

Erdan decided to greet the man next to him. "H-hello, I'm Erdan."

"Hey Erdan, I'm Cheveyo, but you can just call me Chev." Chev said while shaking the boy's paw.

"Hm, that's a unique name." Erdan pondered out loud.

"It's a traditional name from the tribe we're descended from." Chev explained.

After some talking, Chev could tell Erdan could be trusted. He just gave off a welcoming vibe, one that agreed with the father's gut feeling. The two boys were tired out, so they got ready for bed. Cheska pulled out a sleeping back and a spare pillow for Erdan. The boy found out that Cheska too likes to sleep topless, the two boys were finding more common ground even now. Cheska explained that the next day they can go see Kinzie and check on the time device. Then they both called it a night and almost slept instantly.

Meanwhile, outside in the night, the leopard in the tux saw that Erdan and Cheska made it home safely. And after sighing he said to himself "Well, that's step one. Let's hope this plan works." And then walked off in the night.