Chapter 13: Dancing in the Rain
A rare summer storm hits Zootopia's Sahara Coast and Stone Kole is bored.
This chapter was inspired by the song Dancing In The Rain by Through The Roots, the lyrics speak for themselves.
Fennec foxes are naturally impatient creatures. On this rainy morning, Stone Kole sat inside his tent, staring out at the pouring rain. "Will it ever stop storming? I'm so bored! There's nothing to do!" he complained incessantly, while his tail flicked back and forth in annoyance. The fox's big ears laid flat on his forehead as he picked at a loose thread on the hem of his worn teal green sleeveless t-shirt. The tent was his and his best friend Cooper's summer home during the surfing season, located near a tall water oak in the city campground. The fox frowned as the rain started to pick up again.
Cooper, was sitting on his cot, and he rolled his eyes at the lean, tan-furred fox before the small wallaby returned to shuffling the deck of cards in his paws. "Blimey, Stoney, stop being so narky! Your constant whining is not gonna change the bloomin' weather. We can always play another hand of cards. Considering how much it is now raining, maybe a hand of Go Fish?"
"We've played at least a dozen games already!"
"Then watch a video on my phone or something."
"I want to surf!" Stone pouted.
"Don't be such a drongo, mate, there's a thunderstorm out there!" Cooper scoffed.
KAAABOOOM!
As if on cue, the loud crack of thunder caused the small fox to jump. His ears were now fully erect and his tail was protectively tucked between his legs before he scurried toward the perceived safety of the wicker basket he used as a bed.
"A little water never hurt anyone," a familiar voice called from outside and both Stone and Cooper looked out of the tent's flaps to see another wallaby standing there, he was giving them a thin smile. His red and white striped uniform shirt was sodden and he looked disheveled.
"Billy, what are you doing here?" Stone barked out in surprise.
"Honey, come in and dry yourself off!" Cooper said. "I thought you were working at the Carnival today?"
The second wallaby remained motionless but gazed sadly at the ground. "Due to heavy rainfall, they had to close down most of the rides, so they let some of us go early," he explained. Cooper and Stone could sense that something else was troubling him. Billy, who was unaware of his actions, fidgeted with the woven rainbow-colored bracelet on his left wrist. "Additionally, a group of tourists made some...well, they...they made some nasty remarks about me. You know what I mean, right?" He hesitantly added.
Cooper had moved to the edge of the tent and gave his boyfriend a look of concern. He reached his paw out, but Billy remained standing in the pouring rain. Stone could see that the other wallaby was on the verge of crying. "The [censored] bastards were gay-bashing you," the fox softly cursed in anger.
Billy remained silent while he stared down at the puddle around his footpaws. Cooper didn't utter a word either, but stepped into the rain and tenderly pulled Billy into his arms. They held each other tightly as they stood there together amidst the storm.
Stone felt inspired and quickly located Cooper's cellphone, which was a much newer model than the fox's old flip phone. He swiftly searched through its contents until he found the desired item: the favorite song of the two lovers. Upon finding it, he pressed the icon and the music started playing. To make it audible over the noise of the raging storm, he turned up the volume.
Billy glanced over at the fennec fox in the tent and smiled briefly, before taking Cooper's paw in his. He then wrapped his left arm around his boyfriend's waist and laid his head upon the other wallaby's shoulder. Together, they waltzed slowly in the pouring rain. Dancing was just one of the many things they loved to do together.
Fumbling through his belongings, Stone found his umbrella and popped it open while he slipped out of the tent. "Where are you going, mate?" Cooper asked when he saw his best friend leaving.
The fennec fox laughed and quoted an old saying, "Two is company but three is a crowd", before he disappeared down the wet sandy trail towards the beach leaving the two lovers dancing alone. Billy had given him a grateful look, which made the inconvenience of being wet on a rainy day more than worth it.
In the movie, Zootopia prides itself on being the place where "anyone can be anything" but in reality, many of the city's residents do not believe that slogan. Both Nick and Judy faced not only prejudice but also were bullied because of who they were. Judy for daring to follow her dream of becoming a cop and Nick for his species. In my Stone Kole series of stories, Cooper and Billy face such prejudice because they love each other.