Chapter 8:
(Okay, I plan on releasing these two chapters at once. So, I'm trying to decide on a voice for how the character sounds. Like a voice actor, I guess. If you've seen headcanon voice videos online, you'll know what I mean. Let me know what you think of the cat's name, too!)
"Trespassing, burglary, mayhem," Diane swung the newspaper around in anger, "Assault with a deadly reptile?! As if those poor rodents haven't been through enough already!"
"Diane, please…" Marmalade was about defend himself, with Diane taking a breath, "Okay. I'm sorry, Professor, but I'm calling the chief. And the child is coming with me." Diane grabbed Zeke's arm, and walked off. "H-Hey!" The boy said, before looking at his dad. Zeke teared up a little. Wanting to go to his dad, but he couldn't. His dad couldn't go good, and sadly, he was accepting that. Wolf shot back at Snake, "You couldn't help yourself?!" He said, "So I had a moment of weakness. Sue me." Snake said, not caring.
"That's gonna be difficult to do from prison!" Wolf said, worried about his son.
"Guys! What do we do now?" Webs said, trying to figure out what to do next.
"We won't lose Zeke, right? He's just a kid." Piranha said, worried, Wolf took a deep breath.
"Humph. Time to launch a charm offensive." He said with charisma returned to him, he ran ahead to catch up with Diane.
"Oh yeah. The full Clooney." Shark said, teasing him.
Wolf walked up to Diane and tried to be smooth as he spoke. "Do not Clooney me, Wolf." She said, understanding what he was trying to do. "Oh, I see what's going on. You think I'm still a bad guy, trying to bamboozle my way to freedom." Wolf signaled a promise, "But we've changed. That flower of goodness is blossoming all over the place." Zeke pouted, "Don't you ever get tired of lying, Dad?" Wolf shook his head and said "No" plainly, but then realized it was Zeke who asked the question. "I mean…Fudge. That was…That was a trick question, right?" He asked, confused. "Dad, you're not a bad person! The fact that you continue to want to be the bad guy is ridiculous." Wolf furrowed his brow, "Buddy, you know why I—" Zeke shook his head, "No. I don't." He said, looking away. Diane patted the boy's head to calm him. "I gave you an opportunity. A chance to show the world you're more than just a scary stereotype, but…" she hit Wolf's chest, "You're too proud or too gutless to take advantage of it." Wolf grew angry at the governor. "Gutless? I'M gutless? Oh-ho-ho! I'm sorry, have we met?" He asked, sarcastically, "I'm the villain of every story. Guilty until proven innocent. Even if by some miracle we did change, who's gonna believe us, huh?" Zeke glared at him, "Of course you wouldn't know anything about that, with your Little-Miss-Perfect power suits." Diane only had a sly look on her face.
"Is that so?" She pulled her ring out of thin air, it was the same one Wolf stole from her at the Good Samaritan Awards. This left Wolf and Zeke speechless. "Okay…" Wolf could only question how.
"A wolf and a fox are not so different." She played with the ring and handed it back to him. "Why'd you give it back? It's yours." Zeke asked, to which she only winked at him. "Maybe they will believe you, maybe they won't. But it doesn't matter," She said, "Don't do it for them. Do it for you. This a chance to write your OWN story, to find a better life for you and your friends, a better life for your son, especially!" Wolf looked at her in shock, "Come on, what have you got to lose?" Wolf simply shrugged, "I dunno. My dignity?" Diane looked at him in the sheep onesie, "Yeah, well, THAT ship has already sailed." She said, walking down further, looking at the young rabbit, "How'd Zeke get to be in your care, anyway?"
She asked. Wolf looked to his side. "I used to live in a homeless shelter. My mom was in the hospital, the note said, so she left me there. I used to run off sometimes, but on one of those times. I ran into Dad for the first time. He read the note and well…he knew I wasn't afraid of him, and…he took care of me from that point on." Zeke explained, tearing up. He never really knew his mom. "Dad took care of me for 7 years. He's not a bad person, he's kind and loving. He loves me, even though I'm not his actual son." He said, Wolf looked down, sadly. He patted his son's head. Diane smiled at the two of them.
"Okay. I understand, sweetheart." She said, brushing his head gently. Diane let go of Zeke's hand and got into her car. "Believe it or not, I'm rooting for you, Wolf." The two of them looked at her, "You're not taking me?" Zeke asked, wondering what it would've been;juvie or foster-care. "So, you're not gonna call the chief?" Diane looked at Zeke, still thinking she should get him away from the others. "I'll keep him safe." Wolf said, quickly. Diane smiled, as it seemed she believed him.
"I'll see you at the gala." She said, before the car drove off.
That night, Wolf and Zeke sat on the edge of the balcony outside. "Never seen you so angry like that, Zekey." Wolf said, still surprised when his son got angry about this. It hit differently than the other times Zeke was angry with him. "How could I not be? Dad, ever since I learned you were a thief, let alone a leader of a gang…" Zeke said, "I wondered if you were even the same person you were to me as you were out there. But here's the thing…The real you is so kind and loving, and for you to be a "Bad Guy" is so confusing." Zeke folded his arms, rubbing his eyes. "Like…I prayed almost every day for you to realize that you're living on the wrong side, you know?" Wolf looked at his son, shocked by his answer. "Kiddo, I…I…" He didn't know what to say, "Like…Despite that I grew up with a bunch of thieves, I'm not a bad person. There are times when I thought you'd hate me if I said, 'You should go good.'" Zeke started crying, "No, no. Zekey, I'd never stop loving you! You're my son. I…I really made you feel this way?" Wolf asked, upset. Zeke dried his tears, and then jumped when his dad hugged him super tight.
"I'm so sorry, buddy." Wolf said, "I DO love you, because you're a good kid. I…I don't know what life would be like if you weren't there." Zeke hugged his dad back, tight. "Thank you, Lord…" he whispered, at least for getting this talk.
Then, they heard meowing in the distance. It seems the cat that left earlier came back and climbed up the tree. Zeke wiped whatever tears came back and looked over. Wolf took off the hood of the onesie and walked off to the tree. Wolf looked at his son and then looked back at the tree, the kitten staring back at him. "I think we got off to a bad start. The name's Wolf." He said, trying to climb the tree. The kitten shrunk back in fear, "Yep." He sighed, "I get that a lot. First impressions and all." The kitty became agitated and looked for a way to escape, until the branch broke and the cat fell out of the tree. Wolf thankfully caught the cat in time and put it back on the palm tree. "It's okay, it's okay. I know you're scared. I would be, too, if I were you." Wolf said, and smiled gently at the kitten, "Just give me a chance. Truth is we actually have a lot in common." Wolf winked at his son, "Wanna know a secret? Don't tell anyone, but I love a little scratch on the spot behind my ears. The best." Wolf raised his hands gently, with the kitty reluctantly walking into them. Zeke smiled as the kitten brushed up against. Wolf's fur bristled in joy, being comforted by the cat warming up to him. He got out of the tree quickly. "Yeah, who's a good kitty?" Wolf said, with the cat meowing. Zeke hugged his dad, "You did it!" he said, glad his dad saved the kitty. "So, is this my new cat-brother?" He asked, Wolf only chuckled. "Uh, Wolf?" Webs and the others came out, confused. "You saved it?" Before he could answer, "YES!" A voice shouted from behind them. Professor Marmalade had his phone out, recording. "Yes! It's working!" He said.
"You…You filmed that?" Wolf asked, "Yes. And they're starting to like you." He showed them the video footage and the posts. Zeke squinted his eyes in confusion. Was he right there the whole time? He thought, nevertheless, he celebrated with his family. "This might be enough to win over the guests at the gala!" Marmalade said, cheerfully. The others were happy they were so well-received online, everyone except Wolf walked back inside. Zeke wanted to pet the cat, but then realized his dad wasn't behind him. He looked at his dad, talking to Professor Marmalade.
"Uh, Wolf? I must say, you've really turned a corner. You're really getting it." He admonished Wolf for him putting in the work. "Really? Oh, thanks." He said.
"No, I mean it. I can see it from tip to tail." He said, gesturing toward the wagging. Marmalade waned at that moment, "It's just a shame that you have to carry all that baggage." Zeke looked at him, wondering what guinea pig meant. "What are you talk—You mean the guys? What do you mean?" Wolf asked, Snake notice Zeke and looked at what the conversation as well. "You have great potential, Wolf. But at some point, you're going to have to choose between your friends or the good life." Zeke widened his eyes at this. "Not just for you, as well. I've seen Ezekiel first hand and he's incredibly good, despite being raised among thieves. If you want to to stay with him, you need to choose the good life." Zeke frowned at that, who said they can't ALL have the good life?
"Zeke, go to sleep." Snake said, "A-Ah! Don't scare me like that, Uncle Hubert." Snake just rolled his eyes, "My bad, whatever. It's past your bedtime, go to sleep." Snake said, forcefully. "Uh…Okay." Zeke said, looking at the professor. "Something's weird here." He said.
That night Zeke settled into his bed. But he couldn't sleep. So, he decided to draw or something. He had overheard the conversation between his Dad and Uncle Hubert. "I wonder what the others would think about going good." He quietly said, before realizing something jumped by his leg. He looked over and saw the kitten huddling close. "Oh, it's you." He said, petting the kitten. "So, we should come up with a name for you, right?" What should we call you?" The cat rubbed against the rabbit's chest. "Mr. Kitty seems too on the nose. Hmm…Noctis? No, too edgy…Claude? N-Nah, to sketchy…" He said, thinking of characters from video games and tv shows. "Uh…oh! How about Shermy?" He asked, the cat was already asleep. Zeke yawned and tried to get some rest. "Thanks for my new cat brother, Lord. But…more importantly, thanks for helping my dad do the right thing. Just…hope that kindness spreads to the rest of my family." Zeke said a prayer before going to bed, the cat moving to sleep right next to him. "Night, Shermy."
(I hope you guys enjoyed reading these. And I tried to make Zeke a part of Wolf's conversations with Diane and Marmalade, and tried my best to make them feel like they weren't shoe-horned in there. Remember to stay strong and awesome! And remember He's out there, looking after you every day, because He chose you!)
