OFFER FOR APPRENTICESHIP
Noah Sly
Predator: Fox
Age: Five
$20
Secure Condition: Muzzled, Disciplined and at Mercy
Contact Mr. Harold Mudway by the number below or report to him in person
A huge, dark-blue gorilla wearing a grey tight-vest read through the sign carefully while he practised crushing glasses into a pulp outside his common bar.
"Twenty dollars!" he scoffed.
"Something you owe for me for all those glasses you wasted," said the bar monkey.
The ape glowered at the monkey and grabbed him by the tail.
"Do you know who I am?" he growled. "Ronnie Kongo! 25-time champion of the Silver Ring! I can make a thing or two out of young saves, even a puny fox cub!"
The monkey gulped and grinned apologetically.
"Would you rather be the example, Tree Twit?"
Kongo glared and slammed the twenty dollar note onto the counter.
"Wrestling is not very accurate to a young savage," retorted Mr. Tusk.
"Precisely the whole point, gentlemen," argued Mr. Kongo with a smile. "Of course, these predators are incorrigible and don't know what's best for themselves when not earning apprenticeship form a big name like Ronnie Kongo himself!"
The elephant all considered this.
"Fox cubs are the most difficult, gentlemen. It only takes something like this," he grabbed a wine glass and smashes it to a pulp with no cut on his hand. "Something like that to make an ape out of him should ever want be benefited to this world."
The board murmured and - as though it was planned out a long time ago - consented.
Noah was brought out of the bin yard, scrubbed, unmuzzled and pulled into some clothes all grey. He was about to ask if he was being forgiven when Mr. Mudway told him that he was to be taken into town, taken to the courts and to be apprenticed by a lovely, gentle gorilla named Ronnie Kongo who is willing to teach children self-defence.
Noah was taken through the streets and felt some strange optimism within himself as there was openness around him but he was pulled to a posh looking building. He was brought in where he was met by Mr. Tusk and a blue, very nasty-looking gorilla with a tight vest with a dark blue undone shirt and grey trousers. He looked down a Noah and smiled nastily.
"Beef you up once I get you in my wrestling wring," he chuckled flexing his arm muscle.
Noah was beginning to worry at this. He knew there was nothing lovely and gentle about this man after all.
The magistrate was a plump, giraffe who wore kind, looking glasses He looked down at the fox and the huge gorilla, then back to the fox.
"The child is fond of wrestling I trust," said the magistrate.
"Moons over it every day," announced Mr. Mudway.
"I trust they will work brilliantly together," responded the magistrate.
Kongo looked down at Noah and smiled very nastily at him with a wink, Noah making fear visible upon his face.
"So Ronald Kongo-"
"RONNIE - Kongo," clarified the gorilla.
"Ronnie Kongo," repeated the magistrate patiently. "I trust that you will take care of him, thick and thin?"
"Why am I here to be contrary?" Kongo chuckled. "Me and him will have a smashing time together. Every monkey needs a companion."
"Very well," smiled the magistrate. "And I trust you boy will -"
He read the tearful, shaking face on Noah and his eyes wide with fright.
"Why, boy!" said the magistrate. "You look anxious and petrified. Do tell what's wrong."
"P-Please, sir!" whimpered Noah pathetically. "Please, sir!"
"You behave yourself, you little -" began Mr. Mudway.
"Let him talk," said clerk, a female deer. "Go on, dear. What's the matter?"
Desperate and grateful for this kindness, Noah pleaded, "Please don't send me away with the wicked man, sir!"
"Spoiled rotten, I say!" chuckled Mr. Mudway.
The giraffe and deer whispered in discussion and nodded in what looked like an agreement. They resumed to their places and the deer announced, "We refuse to allow matters to push forward within the differences of opinion."
Kongo glared.
"Have you any idea who I am?" he growled angrily.
"Rona - Ronnie Kongo, that's all I know," remarked the magistrate.
"Not just Ronnie Kongo, but -"
"Hold you tongue, Mr. Kongo!" ordered the deer.
The giraffe looked to the elephant and hippo and sympathetically at the fox cub.
"Take the fox back to the orphanage and treat him kindly. He looks very traumatised."
Noah was lead out of the courtroom where he heard Kongo bellowing and yelling at the magistrate and his clerk about his reputation and title. Noah was happy to be redeemed from that huge, bulking bully who would have possibly squeezed his soul out. Whatever was to come for him next he hoped it would not be as bad that gorilla.
Noah spent two weeks in his cell, served his food through the doors and nothing else but at least he could keep warm underneath his blanket - but he was still muzzled up. Outside the orphanage however, was to come his second chance; a tall zebra in a fish, black coat was emerging from the doors of the orphanage where he was met by Mr. Mudway.
"I've just measured out the fox that died last night, Mr. Mudway."
"Always dependable, Mr. Blite," remarked Mr. Mudway. "Enough to think that they create plagues themslkevs by their own breed."
"I don not wish to say much," replied Mr. Blite. "I long to redeem predators any way I can."
"Then maybe I can answer your call for help," said Mr. Mudway seeing his chance. "Would you be interested in taking one of our infants for apprenticeship?"
He presented Mr. Blite with the notice on the wall of the building.
OFFER FOR APPRENTICESHIP
Noah Sly
Predator: Fox
Age: Five
$50
Secure Condition: Muzzled, Disciplined and at Mercy
Contact Mr. Harold Mudway by the number below or report to him in person
It was then and there, Noah was re-released, form his cell, removed from the muzzle, back into his clothes and back into the streets with Mr. Mudway. It was evening when they began this journey. All the shops were closed, or some were locking up. Noah felt some sort of relief to be away for the orphanage once again but after the incident with that nasty gorilla, he wondered what would happen next. To his relief, they were walking passed the building where it all occurred. Noah made out the shop they were headed for, a middle-aged looking place, all in brown and a notice outside read Blite's Funeral Parlour.
Mr. Mudway did not knock but opened the door and stepped in, Noah and and all.
"Here we are, Mr. Blite."
A tall, zebra in a black suit was at his desk and he stared down at the fox cub.
"So, the orphan I presume?" he smiled weakly.
Noah nodded.
"Answer the gentleman," urged Mr. Mudway.
"Yes, sir," Noah said.
"Very strapping for such a trade I must say," Mr. Blite commented.
"So," said another voice. Noah looked to see a female, bitter-looking zebra in a dark green cardigan and a grey dress. "What have we here then? Departed family member, child?"
"This is the orphan, my dear," Mr. Blite clarified timidly.
"How do you do, Miss?" Noah greeted with a bow.
"Rather small aren't you?" Mrs. Blite clarified.
"Oh, he'll grow," smiled Mr. Mudway assured.
"Indeed he will," remarked the female zebra. "Simply needs to eat us out of house and home. Trust husbands to waste money behind a wife's back," she added with an angry glare at her husband.
She lets Noah into the kitchen where a chubby young, silver rabbit in a red dress was cooking a roast joint. Noah had quite forgotten how hungry he was and was grateful to have something new as opposed to mushroom soup.
"Rachel," said Mrs. Blite. "Where are spare strips of bacon?"
"Fridge, Ma-am," replied the rabbit.
"Give them to this fox. Don't bother cooking them, it'll ruin the joint."
The rabbit went to fridge and bluntly handed the plate of three strips of bacon to Noah. He ate it then and there not really caring about the coldness.
When he was finished, Mrs. Blite took him to a room with a thin blanket and pillow for him. She dumped them on the floor.
Noah looked and saw three or four animals in smart clothings lying on-top of some tables with flowers and labels.
"Would they be disturbed if we stay here?"
"They are dead, little idiot!" snapped Mrs. Blite loudly. "I don't suppose you mind sleeping with the dead? It don't really matter whether you do or not, for this is the only place you can sleep."
She left him alone in the dark, bolting the door.
"And I've got your muzzle," she said form behind. "So if there is one body tampered with by the morning, it's going on until your apprenticeship is over."
Noah hid under the blanket pretending that it was only a bad dream. He had heard stories about people waking up from the dead if a person was to be in the same room with them. He only hoped it was a nightmare that stretched far.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Noah gasped in horror as he rose from the blanket shaking. It was morning and the bodies were still in their places. Noah felt some sort of relief, but what was that banging?
"Hard of hearing?" came a young male voice form behind the door. "Time to get up!"
"The door is locked, Barney," came Rachel's voice.
The keys rattled, the door threw open and in walked a young, golden hare in a dark red T shirt. He looked at Noah with aggression.
"Are you a customer, sir?" asked Noah.
"An apprentice," he remarked. "Just like you?"
"Are you an orphan too, sir?"
"You don't know who I am, I suppose?"
Noah shook his head.
"I am Barney Pounders - and you're under me. Now get out there and get the shop ready for opening."
Noah slowly got up and walked out of the room, Barney smacking him across the head, chuckling.
Noah's first days of apprenticeship consisted of sweeping, dusting and washing. Then there was helping Rachel with the cooking. It proved to be a weakness from one day when he was helping cook the breakfast, he inadvertently over-fried Barney's bacon and he rubbed the sizzling bacon onto the cub's nose making him jump around in pain.
"Who knew you could dance so well, Preddy?" he sneered.
Rachel was in hysterics with laughter.
"Oh, stop, Barney!" she squealed. "You're making me lose concentration! Leave him alone for a bit."
"Leave him alone?" remarked Barney getting up from his seat and going up to his girlfriend. "Everyone's left him alone; his mom, his dad, even his grandparents are rotting six feet under!"
He nuzzled Rachel's noise flirtatiously with inappropriate noises. "A fine meals for the maggots, they are!" he added.
Noah wanted to let his spark out, but his conscience told him to keep it in.
This incident left Noah sad for an entire day, even with his duties. Something Mr. Blite noticed himself as he watched him from sitting by his desk, locking up the shop for the evening.
"About time you locked up!" snapped Mrs Blite to the fox. She was holding a verity of bouquets. "A few days too much old and you're still incapable of pulling your own weight! The departed need their followers. Move it!"
She shoved the flowers into his face and the fox hurried off.
"What you saw in that little brat I do not know," Mrs. Blite snapped at her husband.
"Neither did I until know, my dear," de defended timidly.
"And what might that be?" she remarked sourly. "Costing more than what we have and placing us in our own coffins?"
"There's accurate expression in his face, love," defined Mr. Blite. "A look of sadness and melancholy in his face. He'd be be quite fitting to direct our visitors to the their departed. Children bring an unexplainable effect."
"Well," considered his wife. She then brought her face to his on the desk. "Just see it makes money what you've squandered!"
The next morning, Noah was presented with a smart suit by Mr. Blite, bearing a striking resemblance to his master's daily attire.
"A new job for you, lad," smiled Mr. Blite. "I see great potential in you."
Noah tried the suit on in the bathroom and it fitted well, making him feel like a new person. As he left the bathroom, Barney was waiting for him and glaring at him more angrily than he ever did.
"You're dead, pred boy," he growled.
Noah was about to ask why when the hare walloped him hard in the stomach.
"That job was supposed to be mine! This is only the beginning my little friend."
Noah escaped down the stairs, still straining from the punch.
Soon, he was instructed and what to do when the people arrived and he did it faithfully, but rather shakily. It upset him to be around mourners as he made them follow him to the room where he slept, shedding some tears himself.
Barney on the other hand wearing his own, casual smart clothes looked on bitterly as Noah consoled the visitors.
"I'll hang his tail above my bed when I'm finished with that swindler," he growled. Finally, Noah showed the visitors out the door, but his eyes fell on someone he was sure did not come to the parlour; a fox in a black suit, black tie and black glasses. He seemed to starting at Noah suspiciously before leaving.
"Earth to Noah," said Mr. Blite bringing Noah back to Earth.
"There was a fox," Noah pointed out. "There's something about him - a strange thought like I know him."
"Maybe because he is a fox," responded Mr. Blite. "But you never know, someone might be out there. There's always the city of Zootopia."
"Zootopia, sir?"
"The city where anyone can be anything, Noah. Never been there myself but some fantastic stories come all the way here."
"No wonder it's bowling a draft in here!" snapped his wife shutting the door roughly and looking down at Noah. "I've never known a fox as idle as you, Mister Noah Sly! Supper! Get in the kitchen!"
Noah fled to avoid anymore of her bad temper.
"The undertaker needs to speak to me about the program for the funeral, dear," said Mr. Blite weakly picking up a copy from the drawer of desk. "I'll just get to it."
And he made himself scarce.
Noah walked into the kitchen, when he felt a sudden burst of pain from his tail making him yell. Barney was standing there casually, on foot on the tail.
"Oh my," he said nastily. "How clumsy of me!"
With those words, he released the tail making the fox cub fall to the floor.
"Why are you doing this to me?" he questioned. "I didn't do anything to you."
"What about the job Mr. Blite promised me? You call stealing my job nothing?"
He walked up top Noah and pinched his ear tight around his paw.
"Stop! Ow! Ow! Stop it!"
"I told you this was just the beginning, preddy," remarked Barney happily.
Noah got up and sat by the table.
"Why are you sitting there?" said Barney.
"Mr. Blite got me these clothes," answered Noah. "So I thought that meant I might be allowed to be treated like a prey."
"Clothes don't hide a savage, preddy! In the corner, there's a good puppy! I'll give a nice doggy treat later - and some toilet water in case you're thirsty."
Rachel walked into the kitchen with Noah's ragged attire and threw them at him, saying he will not eat until he returns to the real predator he is.
Noah changed and was served his supper of small potatoes and mushrooms, Barney with a plate of turnips chopped celery. He watched Noah eat quietly as Rachel left the room to serve Mrs. Blite and place her husbands share at his desk.
Noah looked up to see Barney sitting at the table with another nasty smile.
"Maybe we should get to know each other," he smirked. "What does your mommy do for a living?"
"She's dead," replied Noah quietly.
"What did she die from? Predatitis?"
He chuckled at his own choke.
"They say she died giving birth to me," Noah replied. But added in a serous tone, "but you'd better stop talking about her."
"Or what?" said Barney neglecting his dinner and walking over to the cub. "You gonna get your Daddy to talk to me? Where is your daddy, preddy? Oh, yes there is no Daddy. I heard it all, preddy. You're mommy was a first-class slut."
"What did you say?!" growled Noah, his glowing red which Barney was oblivious to.
"A first-class slut, Ear Plugs! Someone who takes her clothes off and kisses men! She sinned giving you birth unmarried, preddy! She is right bellow us burning - and it's just as well, she died, or she might have climbed into bed with a prey and start an evolution of preys becoming predators. Very likely innit?"
Noah lunged and inflicted a deep scratch onto Barney right cheek and walloped his eye on the same side. Then he threw himself onto the hare, clawing scratching and biting.
"HELP! HELP!" screamed Barney. "RACHEL! MR. BLITE! SAVE ME! NOAH'S GONE SAVAGE! AAAAGGGGH! HELP! MURDER! NIGHT HOWLERS!"
Rachel ran into the kitchen to invesitage the Third World War and screamed at the sight of the young fox cub thrashing and yanking the hare's long ears.
"AHHH, HE'LL TEAR MY EARS OUT! HELP! HELP!"
"LET HIM GO YOU LITTLE ROGUE! I'LL FIX YOU!"
She tried pulling Noah off allowing Barney to escape but he jumped back onto him and took back to to ground and strangling him.
"You're making enough to wake the de-"
Mrs. Blite screamed charged at Noah.
"YOU DEMONIC LITTLE BRAT! COME HERE!"
She grabbed him only for him to tackle his way out and making he romanic when he inadvertently scratched her face, causing a chase from her and Rachel as Barney kept to the corner in fear.
Noah ducked under the table to avoid his foes and as he emerged for the other side, Rachel grabbed him, arm locked him and Mrs. Blite repaired with the muzzled and trapped it on as they dragged him into the basement.
Seeing the cub secure, Barney reagin his so-called courage kicking and walloping him.
"YOU BEAST! YOU CREEP! YOU INBRED! YOU'LL BE SORRY WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU!"
His enjoyment was short-lived when Noah was thrown into basement and locked up.
"The Lord has spared us!" shrieked Mrs. Blite collapsing to the ground. "Barney! Run toes orphanage! Summon Mr. Mudway! Say it's an emergency! QUICK!"
Barney soon returned with an out-of-breath hippo sweating from the suit he was wearing.
"Where is he?" he demanded.
"The basement!" panted Barney. "Locked!"
There was rattling and banging behind the door. Mr. Mudway walked up to it and punched it.
"I'M BACK, SLY!" he boomed. "DO YOU KNOW WHO THIS IS SPEAKING!"
"Mudway!" said Noah confidently.
"AREN'T YOU AFRAID, MY LAD?"
"TRY ME!" Noah screamed back.
"Night Howlers," said Mrs. Blite sitting at the table and Rachel fanning her. "He must have been taking Night Howlers in our sleep! Youngsters these days!"
"What have you been feeding him?" Mr. Mudway inquired.
Rachel answered: "For breakfast, bacon strip and -"
"That settles it!" he announced. "It's not Night Howlers, but meat! This is what comes form feeding predators meat. If you kept him on mushroom soup this would have never occurred."
At that moment, Mr. Blite had arrived to the scene.
"What's all the commotion?" he said in surprise.
"Noah Sly has gone savage, Mr. Blite," explained Mr. Mudway looking very remorseful.
"What he did to me, sir!" said Barney, present the gashes and black eye, Rachel petting him like a baby.
"And me and all!" shrieked his wife pointing at her own gashes, her husband repsosnidng with an incredulous look. "This is what comes form taking compassion towards predators! Secure and disciplined indeed," she added angrily at Mr. Mudway who backed away chuckling.
"Rest assured, dear lady, other than this little accident, he truly is."
Mr. Blite unlocked the basement door, held Noah and knew down to his level.
"What's this about?" he said disappointedly. "You're a nice little fox are you not?"
"He was saying mean stuff about my mother!" Noah whipped glaring at Barney who backed away, Rachel cuddling him for protection.
"Whatever he said," said Mrs. Blite, "he must have spoken the truth considering your reaction!"
"YOU'RE A LIAR!" screamed the cub.
Mrs. Blite looked strangled in the face, then she breathed angrily through her nose.
"Are you going to let him talk to me like that!?" she hissed.
Mr. Blite seemed at a loss at what to do.
He just simply placed Noah back into the basement and bored it.
"I expected a thrashing!" his wife demanded. "You call that discipline?!"
Mr. Blite left forlornly.
As evening grew darker, Noah lamented on how miserable his life had gotten just as he thought it could only be so-so. Now Mr. Blite had betrayed him. He felt remorse for attacking Barney but his inner devil assured him that he asked for it. Maybe he was a savage after all. But wait, what was it about that Zootopia place Mr. Blite spoke of? He said anyone could be anything.
Noah's heart lightened as he forced the muzzle off his face. He saw a latch on the window above him. He climbed upon a box and lifted the latch open. The window swung open like any other door. However, he got not take the journey without food. He found a bag of plastic shopping bags, took one and filled it as high as he could from the container in the corner; bread, ham, biscuits, water and he climbed back to the window to show shove the hefty bag through. It was difficult work but it finally slid through. Noah was the right size for the window and squeezed through, easy-peasy.
Noah looked round and found a path that led far from the town and into the countryside. Seeing the offer of freedom, Noah ran on and on until the country was no longer in sight. It was then and there, that Noah Sly set out for the city of Zootopia, that great place where no one, not even Mr. Mudway, would ever find him there.
The next morning, Mr. Blite was nagged again and again by his wife who threatened to set the Devil on him of he did not thrash the fox cub.
With a heavy heart, Mr. Blite walked down the the kitchen, belt in hand and his wife following. She was depurate not to miss any of it.
She watched her husband unbolt the basement and they walked downstairs for the sun to flow inside the dark room.
"What?!" she cried.
They looked around but there was no sign of young Noah Sly, just some absent pieces of food, water and rummaged shopping bags.
"We've been robbed in the middle of the night!" admonished Mrs. Blite. "What did I do to deserve such a husband as you! Fifty dollars gone and no money from the cub to escort the visitors!"
She snatched the belt and attacked her husband with it.
Mr. Blite, eager to avoid the impact, fled the basement, his wife in pursuit.