June sat up when she heard a knock at the door.
The night had slipped away. Sometimes she napped, and other times she paced back and forth thinking.
"Yeah?" she replied to the knock at the door.
"Can I come in?" a female voice asked.
"Sure."
The door fell open, and a red fox stood in the doorway. "How are you doing?" she asked, stepping in and closing the door.
"Fine." June sat on the edge of the mattress and watched as the fox approached. "What's going on?" She asked.
The fox's trench coat flared out as she suddenly lowered herself beside June. "We're the team that's been working on your case since you went missing."
June raised her eyebrows slightly. She'd already figured out that much. "And?"
"And we'll have to ask you some questions and you'll stay here until further notice."
"Yippee," the human said sarcastically. A second later, her stomach growled. "Is there any chance you're going to feed me?"
A smile snuck onto the fox's face. "You're in luck, it's breakfast time. Come with me."
They both rose and exited the room. "By the way, my name is Roxanne," the fox said as they stopped at another door in the hallway. She opened it, and June peered inside.
In the middle sat a table, along one wall a couch, and on another wall was a counter. June zeroed in on an open box of donuts sitting on the counter. However, Roxanne broke her from her trance.
"This is the rest of the crew." She made a gesture to encompass the other animals in the room.
A tiger and bear sat at the table, while a dog lay splayed across the couch.
"This is the rest of the team. Well, minus Hunter. He was the one who brought you here. Anyway, that's Scuff," she said, pointing at the dog. He instantly sat up and nodded to June. "Hi, it's nice to finally meet you."
June just smiled and returned the nod. There was nothing she could see.
Roxanne continued. "That's Gruu," the white tiger raised a paw in greeting. "And that's Claw. He's pretty much the guy who keeps us in line."
The bear offered a small smile and commented, "not that I'm doing a very job of that lately."
"Hunter's a wild card. It's not your fault," Roxanne replied, striding towards the box of donuts. June followed, her mouth watering at the sight of a crispy glazed one.
"That's what we call breakfast," Roxanne commented as she watched June grab a donut and take a bite.
For a moment, nothing else mattered except for the sweet vanilla icing melting in June's mouth. Mm. She loved donuts.
His stomach growled. What he wouldn't give for a donut and coffee. Oh well.
Hunter hadn't left the bench since he sat down sometime during the middle of the night. The sun peeking over the tops of the buildings caused him to jolt awake. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone strolling about the plaza yet.
Hunter stretched and rose to his feet. He didn't want to go back to the headquarters yet. Instead, he decided to go to a nearby coffee shop. Maybe there he could get his mind back together.
With a clear route in mind, Hunter started through the still-closed stores and down the narrow alleys that were still untouched by morning light.
When he was almost there, a voice called out behind him. A voice he knew quite well.
"Hunter!"
The wolf didn't stop. Anger began flooding his mind. He didn't want to talk to her.
"Hunter! Stop, please!" She called out.
Anger told him to keep going, but his brain knew otherwise. He slowly came to a stop but didn't turn around.
The pitter-patter of her shoes grew louder behind him, and then she came into sight and stood before him.
She looked up at him and began speaking, her voice as hard as steel. "Look, we're glad you found June. But please, just quit running off. Our group needs you; you're the most experienced field agent. Now it's even more important that you stay because we have June. We need your help."
Hunter's anger subsided for a moment as he listened to what the fox was saying.
This was his job. He needed to push aside his feelings of hate and get to work. Except he knew exactly how that would go. The second he walked in the door, all peace of mind would fade.
"Are you coming?" Roxanne asked impatiently.
Hunter closed his eyes and sighed. He wanted to work on June's case. It was so similar to his. But the only way to do that would be to clear the air between him and Roxanne. At last, he said, "we need to talk. Come on, I'm going to get coffee." He continued walking to his destination. Roxanne's shoes pitttered and pattered on the concrete behind him.
Interesting? Boring? Is there anything you would like to see happen? I appreciate feedback so I can improve as a writer. Anyway, thank your for reading!