BEGINNINGS
8 – A Little Shit of a Punk
Far off on the horizon was the sun starting to rise and shine over the Kenya landscape. Pet drug her bare feet to the olive-drab game warden Jeep parked out front of the trailer she and Muldoon called home and crawled into the front seat. She tossed her boots with her socks stuffed inside into the floorboard and stretched out.
Muldoon started the Jeep. "Put your shoes on."
Pet snorted. "Why? I'm just going to be left at the shack to do some piddly work while you're gone, so what does it matter?"
"Shoes…on…now." The hybrid wasn't going to test the stern gray-eyed gaze set solely on her and did as told. Muldoon put the Jeep in gear and drove off towards the zoo's game warden office. "When we get to the shack, I want you to put the doors and top on the Jeep. Got it?" Pet nodded and gave a mock salute.
The Jeep was pulled up to the tan building's front door and parked. Muldoon unlocked the door and disappeared inside, leaving Pet to do as told. She retrieved the tools for the job out of the Jeep's toolbox in the back end and stuffed them into her short's pockets.
By the time Muldoon was done doing whatever it was inside the warden shack, Pet had the front and back doors on the Jeep mounted on their hinges and was finishing securing the thick canvas top in place. He helped her with the canopy and got back inside the driver's seat. He watched the hybrid dragging her feet in her striding to the shack's door and honked the Jeep's horn.
Pet turned to look at him in question. "What?"
Muldoon answered. "Get back in the Jeep! The last thing I need is you pissing off Hammond, again, while my back is turned. My hands are already going to be full of having to deal with Derek's problems. I don't need you making things worse." Suddenly, Pet's stride picked up in pace and she was bounding back to the front passenger seat. "I advise you keep your mouth shut and be on your best behavior until I get a chance to talk to my nephew privately about you."
Pet cocked a brow. "You're going to tell him about all of me?"
"It's best he knows up front then finds out for himself, later. At least if I have my talking to him, first, I can put the fear of God in him to keep his mouth closed."
The two headed down the road that would lead them out of the zoo's main entrance and to the highway. Pet smiled viciously. "I can always put the fear of God in him if the worst comes to worst."
"Just do what I tell you."
Just as Muldoon anticipated, the morning work traffic became thicker the more into Nairobi he got. By the time he got to the airport, he was about ready to rear end someone off the damn road. His temper was beyond flared and his driving was a bit more reckless. Luckily for him, there was a parking spot very near to the front of the airport. He checked the time on his wrist watch to see there was still twenty minutes to spare until the flight arrived.
Pet watched the people go to and from the airport's main complex and admired some of the colorful clothing she saw. One African woman wore one of the most beautiful dresses she had seen in the local area. The vibrant reds, yellows and black patterns on the loose flowing material complimented her dark skin tone and gave the woman an almost mystical look. The gold bracelets adorning her left wrist matched her hoop earrings that also complimented the gold accessories sparkling in her bun up styled braids.
It wasn't often Pet got to come to the big cities. Muldoon was pretty protective of her and she could understand why. Just as she thought it, her guardian spoke. "Whatever you do, don't get out of the car and don't talk to anyone."
"I know the deal," Pet stated.
Muldoon gave the hybrid a last warning glare and got out of the Jeep. Pet couldn't say she was surprised he took the keys with him. Amongst the rest of the people he joined and into one of the airport's many series of glass double doors across the street. Pet sighed. Now to sit and wait.
Muldoon went to a large television screen that displayed arrival and departure times. Still showing as on time for arrival was Derek's flight number.
Slightly off its landing time was the anticipated flight. Fifteen minutes later, the newly arrived passengers were leaving the terminal and making their way to the baggage claim. There amongst them was a seventeen-year-old kid wearing baggy blue jeans and a faded blue, rock band t-shirt. His long dark brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail and slung over a shoulder was a red and black backpack.
The kid's chocolate brown eyes locked onto exasperated gray ones in his approaching the game warden. Derek gave a head to toe look over of his uncle and scoffed arrogantly. "Nice shorts, Uncle Rob. Not even the girls in my school wear skirts that short."
He pushed past the older man who was doing his best to refrain from making a public spectacle in verbal scolding. Muldoon would have to wait till back at the trailer for that.
Muldoon clenched his jaw and followed his punk rock looking brat of a nephew. Staring back at him were a slew of profane slogans and words drawn in colored markers on his backpack. "Do you have anything else with you besides that?"
Derek rolled his eyes and groaned. "No point. I'm only going to be here for a few days."
"Wrong," chided Muldoon. "Try a few weeks."
"Yeah, we'll see about that," remarked the teen.
The two emerged into the sun filled morning of Kenya. It didn't take Derek long to figure out which car or whatever was his uncle's. Parked almost at the very front of the lot was a busted up looking olive drab Jeep.
Derek approached the rather piece of shit looking zoo vehicle and glared at the girl of a front seat passenger wearing sunshades. "Okay, Princess, this is the part where you move your ass to the backseat." Pet didn't blink in her deadpan expression aimed at the punkish guy. "As in, now. Move it, kid." The hybrid still didn't move. "Open the door and move your ass. I'm older than you, little girl, and have the seniority of the front seat." Pet snorted and got an idea. "Are you deaf or just fucking stu-" Wham! His words were cut off by Pet forcefully opening and slamming the front door right into him. The force of it sent him to the ground, groaning and holding his nose. "What the fuck was that for!?"
Pet stepped out of the Jeep and mashed down the door's pop lock before she closed it. She then 'accidently' kicked the snotty teen in the leg on her way to the backseat. "Oops," she sweetly stated and got comfortable in the backseat.
Derek got back up and retrieved his backpack off the ground, cursing under his breath and glaring hatefully at the sneering girl. When he tried to open the door, he found the door wouldn't open. That's when he noticed it was locked and gave the backseat passenger an acidic scowl.
Muldoon was already in the driver's seat and doing his damnedest to not laugh at the situation. Instead, he bellowed, "Will you stop screwing around and get in the damn Jeep?"
Derek aimed a hand at the locked door. "I would but that pain in the ass kid locked me out!" He shook his head at the innocently waving Pet and mouthed something she knew was vulgar and threatening.
Muldoon unlocked the Jeep so that Derek could get in and drove off once his nephew was inside. The whole drive back almost drove Muldoon crazy. Pet kept antagonizing Derek by pushing against the back of the front seat with her knees, which only angered Derek even more.
By the time they arrived back at the trailer, Derek wasted no time getting out of the front seat and damn near yanking the back-passenger side door off its hinges to get to Pet. But he found the backseat empty and her smiling from the other side of the driver's side backseat window.
Before Derek could run around to the other side of the vehicle to get the girl, Muldoon had him by the collar of his shirt and dragging him towards the trailer. "Pet, go do something useful while I talk to my little shit of a nephew in private."
The hybrid gave another wave to the teenage boy and jogged off towards the game warden shack.
Muldoon eyed his nephew disapprovingly. "Let's get something straight. I will not deal with your cocky bullshit in the least while you're here. The more you show your ass, the worse your punishment will be. Right now, you're already in deep shit with me." Muldoon neared the angrily glaring teen. "I dare you to test me. Your mother might let you walk all over her, but I won't. If you think you're big enough to take me on, then try it. I promise you it'll be the worst mistake of your life. Your disrespectful attitude and foul mouth ends right here, right now!"
Derek scoffed. "Yeah, whatever."
Wrong answer.
Muldoon had his nephew by the back of his neck and shoved against a wall. "I won't tell you again, you little shit of a punk." The strong grip on the back of the teen's neck was released. "Now put on something that looks more presentable than that street trash you're wearing, now."
Derek was so pissed, he could have punched a hole in the thin trailer wall. "Coming from a grown man wearing shorty shorts?"
Muldoon smacked his nephew upside the head. "Who's the one with hair longer than some women's?" Derek rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Now do what I told you to. I'm taking you to meet Mr. Hammond. He owns this zoo and was kind enough to say yes to letting you come here for the summer. First impressions matter so don't screw it up thinking you can get your way around here with your arrogance."
Fifteen minutes later Muldoon was escorting his nephew to Hammond's office. Much to his displeasure Derek was still wearing his baggy jeans, but had at least changed his shirt from a rock band logo to a solid black one. Unfortunately, nothing could be done about his long hair at the moment shy of taking a pair of scissors to it and cutting it short, which Muldoon contemplated on. Although, if nephew didn't stop with his attitude then uncle planned to have it shaved completely off.
Muldoon knocked on the office door and poked his head inside. Seated behind his expensive cherry wood desk was Hammond. "Robert! Come in, come in!"
The senior game warden led the way for the teenager, who took one look at the jovial old man and quipped, "What's up, Santa Clause?" Hammond's welcoming smile instantly dropped into a scowl.
Muldoon gave another smack to Derek's head. "What did I tell you?" Derek just smirked.
Hammond forced his disliking frown to something more professional and gestured to a padded chair in front of his desk. "Have a seat, lad. Before you start your first day there's some things that must be discussed." Derek sat down as Muldoon stood behind him in an authoritative way, arms crossed over his chest. "First, this." Hammond reached over to a manila folder occupying the right corner of his desk and nudged it forward for the young man to take.
Chocolate brown eyes darted down to the folder stuffed with what looked like a small novel's worth of papers, and back to the zoo's owner. "What's this? A life contract? I wasn't aware I was signing up for the Army."
"That," Hammond began, "is a non-disclosure agreement."
Muldoon added to the statement. "Meaning if you try and open your mouth to anyone, you're going to land yourself in more legal trouble than you can dig yourself out of in any lifetime."
Derek was concerned. "I'm just going to be working around animals, right? Maybe pick up some trash. What are you people doing here that's so damn secretive?"
