Chapter 4: A Little Help

-One Hour Later-

"Now Arriving In Zootopia"

The train let out a metallic screech that could be heard throughout the train as it halted to a stop. The automatic doors opened with a hiss and I stepped out, now vulnerable and in the open. Mammals of all different kinds had going about their daily routines, I was swarmed. Though my worries were set aside when I realized nobody was paying attention to me. With this information in mind, I allowed myself to relax and chose not to wait around for too long. Following the other pedestrians out of the station and into the open city which brought me out into some sort of open park.

Upon leaving almost immediately stopped in my tracks, mouth agape and eyes widened in amazement. Zootopia is so much more vibrant and lively when you're actually here. A large digital bilboard on the side of a skyscraper showed the pop singer Gazelle. I loved her music just like everyone else in this city, although her name was a little too on the nose if you ask me.

"Welcome to Zootopia, where anybody can be anything." She said with a warm smile.

Suddenly a loud gurgle erupted from my stomach, bringing me back down to earth, hunger pains…

I quickly remembered that I wasn't here to take in the scenery. I was in a dire situation at the moment and needed to come up with a plan and fast. First I'd need to find something to eat. Then find somewhere private to settle down and learn the layout of this massive city.

A trio of mammals, a zebra, a painted dog smoking a cigarette, and a horse standing over the water fountain chatting amongst each other had piqued my interest. They seemed pretty chill for the most part, maybe I could ask them for instructions? So I decided to approach them and waved once they had become aware of my presence.

"Uh…hey. Can we help you?" The horse questioned, seeming bothered by my intrusion.

"I hope I'm not bothering you fellas. I actually just arrived here and I'm currently in need of some instructions. You guys know the nearest restaurant by chance?" I attempted to communicate hoping at least one of them was familiar with sign language. Even though the chances were slim to none, there was no harm in trying.

"What are you doing? You can't talk or something buddy?" The zebra asked in a condescending manner.

"He's using sign language dumbass." The painted dog grunted in annoyance. He brought the cigarette to his mouth, taking a drag and ejecting a cloud of smoke through his lips. "Obviously…and he's asking for directions to a food joint."

"Um..Y-yeah of course I knew that. Wait, how did you know that?" The zebra scoffed.

"My cousin Marty is deaf." The spotted canine dryly replied. He took one final puff and plucked his cigarette on the ground, grinding on it with his bare foot. He brought an arm over my shoulder, bringing my face uncomfortably close to his. It wasn't a very pleasant experience with the breath he had. "But we'll help ya since we're so generous. In fact, we were actually about to grab a bite ourselves, right guys?"

Both equines exchanged confused glances and within a split second, both shared a mischievous grin. Like they were both in on some hidden secret. Something was off, these guys were walking red flags clearly, but I can't judge too soon. Maybe they're just a group of oddballs whose dynamic I don't understand. I was too desperate to get something in my stomach to over analyze it.

"Yeah, sure pal. We don't mind you tagging along." The Horse said with a smile, his demeanor shifting in a matter of seconds.

"Great! You guys don't understand how grateful I am."

"Don't mention bud. Do right by others and they'll do right by you and all that other shit. The name's Ashton, but my buddies here call me Asher. These two good-for-nothings are Caden and Clyde." The painted dog introduced himself before pointing at the horse and then the Zebra in that order.

"Nice to meet you guys, I'm Seven."

"Pleasure's all ours Sev." Asher smirked, patting me on the back. "We should get goin, I know a good takeout joint right around the corner. I think you'd like it. Have you ever had wontons before?"

If I wasn't entirely sure something was up before, I was definitely suspicious now. The walk to this and I quote "takeout joint" was taking forever. We had to at least be walking for thirty minutes now and there were no signs of us stopping anytime soon. On top of that the whole walk has been very quiet, not once did my guides acknowledge me or each other.

"Not that I don't appreciate the help and all, but are we almost there?"

"We actually here now, just take the left through that alley there." Asher pointed. "Don't worry pal, we're right behind you."

Taking the left as requested I realized I was in an empty dark alley, with the exception of an old rusted red van that was parked on the walking path in front of me. In other words, there wasn't a damn thing here. As I should've expected, this was a setup from the beginning.

THWACK!

I had no time to react as fist collided with the back of my head, sending me crashing on the ground. Groaning in pain and holding my scalp, now dealing with one of the most head splitting headaches I've ever had the displeasure of experiencing. Maniacal cackling coming from the trio echoed in my mind as they cornered me. Caden and Clyde grabbed both my arms before hoisting my weakened body up and forcing me to face their leader. The bloodthirsty canine threw a nasty punch into my gut, knocking all the wind out of my lungs.

"Holy shit, you're dumber than I thought you were. You actually believed me? Man, if there's one thing we can agree on you're not definitely not from around these parts." Asher chuckled before reeling back his fist, aiming for my face this time. "So I do sincerely apologize beforehand for what I'm about to do, but take it as a learning experience."

PANG!

Before the blow could strike my face, a trash can lid came spinning through the air like a frisbee. Crashing into the canine's head. Asher stumbled back in a temporary daze before shaking his head. He turned in the direction of where the lid had come from, his eyes expanding to the size of dinner plates.

"Aw shit, not this guy again." Caden whimpered in fear.

"I don't what you assholes are up to this time, but you're in my fucking way. Now beat it! Before I really get pissed off." a deep booming voice interjected.

"You got it man, we're out of here." Clyde said.

Their grips on my arms loosened and I collapsed to the ground. I panted heavily, lifting myself off the ground as I watched the cowards scamper like cockroaches down the street. I patted my close down, ridding my clothes of any dust or debris they may have picked up off the ground.

"Yo, you good? Must be new in town if you let those pricks of all mammals get the jump on you." The heavy voiced stranger commented. Yet I looked around in every direction but could find the source of the voice. "Down here!"

My face morphed into one of pure bewilderment, which thankfully he couldn't see me making inside the mask. A male fennec fox casually stared back up at me. That's where that voice came from? There was no way this was the guy those thugs were deathly afraid of. He barely even made it up to my knee, he was too adorable to be threatening.

He was a lithe little thing with tan fur and the large ears that sprouted feathery like hairs. There was no doubt in my mind they were taller than he was. He wore a black shirt with a vertical red stripe and olive green shorts. He sported brown eyes with dark gray rings around them with bags that sagged his eyelids, suggesting old age or stress. Maybe even a combination of both. I gave him a thumbs up to symbolize my satisfaction.

"Aight cool, you should be going now if you know what's good for ya. Lotta crooks and criminals that hang around here so I wouldn't recommend staying if I were you. " The fennec remarked as he pushed me aside, walking towards the broken down van which I assumed belonged to him. He leapt up, his small body hanging from the door handle, using his upper body strength to forcefully yank it down. Letting go just in time he landed on his feet with no issue at all, stepping back as he allowed the door to swing open.

Despite being so small, the little guy surely knew how to take advantage of his size. He leapt onto the bumper and climbed inside, turning around to glance at me one more time. As he stared I could see the tensed up muscles in his face relax as his eyes softened. Without uttering a single word, he shut the door. Now I was all alone again, a little banged up but in decent shape nonetheless. I was grateful things didn't escalate. The situation could be worse.

A loud rumble erupted from the sky, the cerulean sky shifted into a depressing shade of gray as a plethora of clouds rolled in. A dark shadow hovering beneath them and covering the city. I held out my hand, wet droplets landing on my open palm.

"Oh come on, you've gotta be kidding me." I scoffed in my head.

I just had to accept the harsh reality. I'm lost, I have absolutely no clue where I am or where I'm going. Kelly's gone and probably in jail by now for being an accomplice to my escape. I almost got the shit kicked out of me, and now I'm trapped outside in the pouring rain. All of the hope I had remaining had been drained from my very being. I was screwed beyond comprehension and I doubt my luck could change anytime soon.

I settled on taking cover by a dumpster at least until the storm has passed. I couldn't be anymore frustrated by the circumstances. Why did this have to happen to me of all people? I folded my legs against my chest and buried my face in my knees shamefully. What other option did I have? Starve to death and rot in the rain, that's what.

"You're still here?" I heard the fennec call. I lifted my head back up to see the small fox peeking out through the half open door. I nodded and he sighed before taking a look around. "Aight, bring your ass in here before I change my mind."

My eyes widened in disbelief at his offer. A hopeful smile was now curling my lips. I got back up on my feet within seconds and sprinted over to the van. The vulpine stepped back, giving me enough space to enter his vehicle. It was very roomy inside, I was beyond amazed by his set up.

"Just don't touch anything, or else." He threatened.

As soon as I entered, a cozy and welcoming warm gust of air enveloped my body. The smell of new car freshener lingering in the air. On the far left corner there was a mattress the size of a large couch cushion that laid flat, a blue mini cooler placed at the foot of the bed. Across from it was a table, with an ashtray and lamp on top along with a neat stack of magazines. This gave me the impression he was either homeless or a drifter even.

Two bean bags were placed on opposite sides of each other, so I chose to seat myself in one. The friendly fennec would seat himself on the opposite side of me, eyes intensely glaring into the depths of my soul.

He dug into his pocket and pulled out a lighter and a box of cigarettes, flipping the lid over and fishing one out. He set the box down and sparked a flame using the lighter, dousing the end of the cigarette in the tiny flame before taking a puff.

"So, since I'm letting you chill in my crib for the meantime I think it's only fair you give me something in return." He suddenly spoke, plucking some of the ash into the tray meant to hold it. "I just want some answers. That's all, nothing big, ya get me?"

I nodded, but then the idea of how I would give said answers came to mind. It was at this moment I realized how much of a crutch being mute is. Especially now I'm no longer in a setting where I'm accommodated with tools to help me communicate.

"What's your name? Where are you from?" He asked. I tried to respond but no words would come out. At first the small fennec seemed aggravated by my silence before he asked me another question. "What are you mute or somethin?"

I immediately nodded my head, thankful he caught on right away.

"Wait here." He said. The fox left his chair and proceeded to climb into the passenger seat. I carefully watched him rummage through the glove compartment. He retrieved an empty notepad and a black pen and returned to me, setting the items down in front of me and seated himself. "Proceed."

I firmly gripped the pen between my fingers, pulling the notepad closer. I scribbled down a response and held up the paper, turning it around to face my host.

"I go by Seven. I just arrived from Bunnyburrow not too long ago. Thanks for letting me stay by the way, I owe you one."

"Seven huh? Doesn't ring a bell to me so I guess that checks out, you're a long way from home. What brings a country bumpkin like you to this shithole of a city? Don't tell me you're another one of those crackpot tourists?"

Country Bumpkin? I was offended at his particular choice of wording and I wasn't even from the countryside. Although he wasn't wrong about me being a tourist of sorts. My situation was just far more complex in a way he probably wouldn't be able to digest. But that part that struck me most was how he addressed Zootopia, was it really that bad here? I've always pictured this place as Heaven on Earth.

"I guess you could say that. Since we're playing twenty questions here, May I ask what I'm supposed to call you?"

He hesitated before answering, "Name's Finnick, if anybody asks you don't know me."

Finnick? Looking at him now the name actually suits him. I then also noticed his name was a play on words for his species. I wondered if that was intentional.

"Pleased to meet you, Finnick. Do you live here?"

"In fact I do, you have a problem with that?" Finnick questioned defensively. I quickly waved my hands and shook my head.

"Not at all! I actually don't have a home myself. There's no shame in that, I won't judge. It's not my place to judge others for their problems."

"Hmph, very modest of you." Finnick said. I then noticed him squinting his eyes, scanning my body and not saying a word. Gaining eye contact with me again he leaned forward. Seeing him stare so intensely through my mask like he could see me, the real me. "So what kind of mammal are you supposed to be anyways? Cuz you ain't no wolf that's for certain."

A lump got caught in my throat, my heart beating, beginning to pick up speed.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me, you're wearing a mask and an ugly one at that." Finnick retorted, rolling his eyes seemingly unimpressed. With one final puff of smoke he pressed the bud of the cigarette onto the tray, putting it out completely. "You may fool the idiots out there but you can't fool me. What are you really?"

I wasn't exactly sure what to say. At the same time I didn't wanna piss this guy off either. The way he had my attackers shaking in their pants earlier made me fear the possibility of what would happen if I hadn't responded right away or given an answer that didn't satisfy him. He wrote down my reply. It was risky, but everything I've done leading up to this so far was nothing but that.

"I can't really say, but if I were to show you, think you can keep a secret?"

"Depends." The fennec fox vaguely responded before leaning back in the chair, propping his feet up on the table. "Now enough with the gatekeeping, show me already you're taking too long."

I inhaled a gust of oxygen into my lungs and exhaled in hopes of slowing calming myself down. I couldn't believe I was about to do this. Bringing my hands up to my head, clutching onto the mask tightly. I begrudgingly wiggled my neck out the hole at the bottom, and set the prop down on the table.

Finnick's eyes grew, almost about to pop out of his head at the revelation of my secret.