The ride on the bus to the Calatonia State Penitentiary was bumpy for Porsha and Buster—literally and figuratively. Neither of them said anything. Porsha's stomach twisted and turned, her anxieties swarming around her mind like flies; Buster just kept holding her hand and offered her a warm, fatherly smile. Everything he did told his apprentice: "I'm here, Porsha. I'm right here. And I won't leave you." And, even though the female wolf was as frazzled as a cat in water, it made her feel a little bit better.
Finally, they got to the jail and into the visitors' room. There was just a table with a chair on one side and two chairs on the other. Jimmy was cuffed to a lone chair, eyeing Buster, a snarl rumbling in his throat, claws digging into the table. The rhino officer that stood behind smacked Jimmy's hand with his baton, causing him to wince.
"No snarling, Crystal!" the officer barked. The white wolf harrumphed and glared coldly at his daughter and the koala. The three didn't say anything to each other for a few moments. Jimmy stared daggers into Porsha; Buster grimaced at Jimmy; Porsha turned away and looked at the floor.
"You brought the koala that ruined my life?" Jimmy asked his daughter, voice dripping with contemptuous venom. Porsha knew that tone all too well. She started trembling, a forming lump in her throat. Her heart pounded like a drum in his ears—a rapid ba-bum, ba-bum, ba-bum that grew quicker as tensions mounted.
"I…I wanted…Mr. Moon to come with me," Porsha muttered fearfully, ears dropping.
"Don't mutter when you talk to me, you little traitor!" the white wolf snapped, standing up.
"Hey! Don't talk to her like that!" Buster yelled. He was rarely ever angry and, in the case, he looked about ready to kick the crass wolf's teeth in.
"You're not her father!"
"Oh, really? I'm not the one who exploited her and used her image for my own gain!"
The argument kept going. The rhino cop had to intervene when each of them got ready to fight. Porsha was lost in thought. This red rage that her father exuded. All the insults, all the manipulation, all the people her own father destroyed—including her—boiled over. A guttural, furious growl rumbled from within her.
Then, she snapped.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Porsha yelled, eyes blazing with anger. Buster froze, stunned. Jimmy swore he saw her eyes turn red.
"All I ever wanted was for you to care about me, to love me! Don't you realize that?!"
Jimmy's eyes bulged with anger. He opened his mouth to speak, but Porsha's formidable gaze made him shut up. For the first time in his life, the wolf was afraid. The facade of perfection and power wasn't there to shield the entertainment mogul anymore.
"…You got me everything I ever wanted. Everything I asked for, it was all for you! Because I wanted your approval and love more than anything! And you took your daughter's love and used it for your own gain. Well, I have a family now. A real family. And you are NOT a part of it. You're a liar and a bully and a cheat! And I don't need you. Not anymore."
Jimmy sat there, slumped in his chair, tail between his legs. She and Buster left without another word. The two then exited the prison and sat on a bus bench, waiting. Buster took Porsha's hand and looked at her with the proudest of smiles.
"You're an incredible young lady, Porsha. I'm so proud of you," the koala said. The female wolf smiled and hugged him. She was finally free of her father. A rush of joy swelled within her, and tears of joy ran down her face and onto her mentor's shoulder.
"Thank you, Mr. Moon," Porsha muttered happily.
Buster returned the embrace and replied, "You can call me Buster."