Chapter 2: The Early Days, Part 2

…

The next few hours had me and Zhen try to steal some things from numerous pedestrians. It ended up being a BIG score because my sudden appearance sent the townsfolk into shock and confusion. With all of them distracted, my "companion" managed to find what she wanted…it was easy.

I was instructed to run in a certain direction by her previously, so we both managed to slip away unharmed.

Once we found a place to hide, she rubbed the top of my head (my brown hair) with her paw…making it messy a bit, "that was so good! I never HAD this much before!" She pocketed some coins and began eating, but soon she looked toward me. I was hungry…starving actually, and soon she pitied me. She couldn't ignore my muted pleas…besides, she knew she could use me for future heists. And so, the fox (that's what I heard one animal yell as we ran away) handed me a piece of bread and I took it. I wish I could thank her, but I think my relieved smile was all Zhen needed to know.

After we had our meals, we decided to rest on an empty balcony overlooking the city during sundown. It was vast…hundreds of big and small buildings dotted the landscape, so much so that you could barely see the green mountains in the distance. Near the entrance was a large custom lagoon, which obviously housed the city's only pier. All in all, Juniper City is a large, walled city that felt cut off from the rest of the world. Honestly one of the only "natural" points in the city was this large ancient chateau that was on top of a rocky hill/mountain within the city's walls.

I wondered what it was, and my expression gave the incentive needed for Zhen. She had examined my curious look and said, "that's the Chameleon's Fortress…"

I looked toward the child fox with a raised brow before she continued, "she rules the city with an iron fist…"

I looked away, wondering what she meant by that. I was a bit too young to understand, so she simplified it a bit, "she's a bad guy, basically" she said before I made an "oh, I see" expression. The fox chuckled a bit, looking back toward the cityscape, "we won't have to worry about her, she doesn't come out often…so I heard."

We both sat against the walls on the balcony, watching the last of the sun's rays touch the buildings as the light got steadily higher.

"So…I've decided a name for you…" Zhen mused, "if that's alright?"

I nodded, figuring I had no choice.

"How does Mei sound?"

I thought about it, I didn't think much about it. It wasn't too far from my old name, so I nodded back and she smiled back at this, "neat."

We went back to staring into the darkening blue-purple skies until it finally became completely dark. The city lit up like amber, flicking in the distance like the stars above. I had fallen asleep but unknowingly had been shivering in my sleep due to the cold. Young Zhen, who was barely awake, had caught sight of my shaking form. She put two and two together, no fur…and she's barely wearing anything…

Without much thought, she moved a bit closer to me…just a wee bit, but it was enough. Her fur was insulated. Subconsciously, I turned toward her, and I got a bit closer. This kind of shocked the fox a little bit, she wasn't used to something like this. She kind of felt trapped at that point, so she just let it be for now. Zhen would lie if she said she didn't feel a hint of satisfaction from my unconscious gesture, and so she turned to face the lights and the city again and made a contented sigh.

…

Days passed; we continued our schemes…living on the streets…taking what we could to survive and whatnot. It became second nature after the first month, to say the least. Ultimately, we started getting the attention of everyone in the city.

Rumors of a small hairless beast terrorizing the townsfolk became widespread…nobody knew what to expect from it. Guards and soldiers alike eventually began receiving instructions to apprehend us if the opportunity arose. Our thievery eventually caught the attention of someone else entirely, however…

One day, as Zhen tried taking a bag of loot from an unsuspecting ram, I was trying to distract the latter. Unfortunately, in the middle of our heist, I felt something take hold of me: grabbing my dirt-ridden long-sleeve shirt and pulling me into a corner. It was a group of animals…they were adults, but one had stepped forward to look me in the eye, "so this is the so-called, hairless beast, that's got the whole city shaking their heels." It was some sort of armadillo or something similar, they were wearing a straw hat.

"Because of this little brat, the city widened their search parties…twice the guard!"

"I say we ice them!"

"-h-hey! Stop!" We heard in the distance as we turned to see the eight-year-old Zhen running up to us with the bag of coins.

"Who's this?" A half-starved wolf murmured.

"An accomplice?" The leader growled.

"Please, leave her alone…" I heard the grey fox shout out. Even though she was surrounded like I was by men much bigger and older than her, Zhen had a brave face. She refused to move from her spot, even when the men circled her (with one of them still holding me.)

"And why should we do that?" The Anthro Pangolin hissed back.

Zhen was a quick thinker. She relaxed her body and simply paced back and forth across them, "you three are obviously the big league when it comes to thievery."

"Yeah, so?"

"We're just some low-level competition, 'ya know…it's not like we could HELP you guys get what you need or anything." She spun around them as they narrowed their eyes at the vixen, "you…help us?" One of the henchmen exclaimed.

"I'll admit, you two kids got the whole town talking…w-what is she anyway?" The Pangolin asked before a moment of silence. Zhen simply shrugged in comedic fashion before the antics continued in earnest.

"H-hey, Han…where's my bangle!?"

"And my ring!"

The leader of the crew, Han, found their straw hat had somehow landed on my head and he swiftly took it with frustration. I realized then what had happened, as Zhen was distracting them…walking around them, she must have taken all that stuff…

One of the men, a bull, walked up and picked up Zhen before she could make an escape and the man started shaking her repeatedly until the items fell from her bushy tail. I just couldn't help but laugh at the craziness of it all.

"That was pretty good, boss…" the wolf said as "Han" thought to himself…looking back between her and me. He set me aside the fox as he laughed, "so you two want to join the roughest, toughest band of crooks this world's ever seen, ye?" They said as he circled us like vultures.

Zhen and I awkwardly looked at one another before looking back.

"Okay" Han simply said, walking deeper into the alleyway as his men followed (after grabbing their possessions from the fox first, of course.)

"I hope you kids can keep up" suddenly, the man curled up into a ball and traveled further away as his minions followed up close.

She and I looked at each other…wondering what to make of all this. Zhen, ultimately, took the initiative and led me down to follow. I noticed something missing from her side…it was the bag of coins she had stolen earlier…Han must have taken it somehow. I pointed to where it was supposed to be and Zhen grumbled but then smiled, "welp, I guess we're moving up in the world, Mei…come on!"

…

And so, the next few months would have Zhen and me living in an underground village full of the meanest and most skilled thieves in the city. They called it: the Den of Thieves (appropriately named, I know.) We ingratiated ourselves in their culture, but never really trusted anyone. The only person you could say Zhen leaned towards was Han himself…he was the de facto leader of the group. She tried learning everything she could from him…and he soon became somewhat of a mentor/father figure to her (if by name only.) Yet, the Pangolin would be the closest thing to a father figure we would ever have in our lives. I tried my best to learn from everyone, but I was still very young, and it would take time for my skills to truly flourish…if they ever will.

It's strange because Zhen could have abandoned me any time she wanted, have no use for me anymore (maybe) but she never did. I may never find out why, but maybe it doesn't matter. This place was probably the closest to a family she and I would have.

The weeks that followed had us following her usual methods, as well as methods employed by the Den of Thieves: scams, foraging, and outright theft of the likes we'd never seen before.

It proved to be quite the time. As time passed, I could see it in Zhen's eyes: she felt alive more than ever up until this point. She'd always look forward to the day ahead, jumping out of her tattered bed sheets to make our way to the surface and begin our daily adventure. She'd always grabbed me, even when I was in the process of waking up. Before I knew it, we were side by side with Han and his crew in the streets running our gigs.

Even though this may sound like a good time for us, it WAS mostly for the others, Zhen included. I, meanwhile, found myself in the forefront of manipulation and ridicule. I was the follower, there was nothing more I could be. I could never voice my opinion (since I was MUTE and a mere child.) I was further alienated by some for my appearance as well.

I can remember some words that sometimes ring in my thoughts to this day:

Skin!

Ape-Thing!

Freak!

My best friend, Zhen, would, of course, try to dispel these insults and assure me that I wasn't these things…even though she (like the rest of the animals in this world) had NO IDEA where I was from or what my species were capable of. Which, by all counts, would HAUNT me to this day. What WAS my kind capable of…were we a peaceful race, or were we conquerors? How many of us were there? Were we wiped out or was I actually sent here by somebody…to a world where no one else from my kind came from? No matter what anyone said…throughout my life, I knew I was one of two things:

I was a follower.

And…

I was different.

I didn't think I'd have anyone other than Zhen who could truly feel how I feel…

…

About a year and a half after I ended up in this world, it was sunset over Juniper City. Zhen, me, and some of the underground villagers were in the city milling about.

Zhen and I managed to find something interesting: it was a store with some jewelry inside. By this point, I managed to get a hold of a cloth to hide my face and mask my appearance (something that would help me blend myself in alongside the animals.) Not only that, but the original clothes I had on when I first got here no longer fit, so I had to wear clothes that the locals had. That also meant my shoes were no good either, and there wasn't any cobbler in town either. So yeah…that's an update!

I was on the lookout, making sure we had a way out in case things got awry…and they often did. Zhen gave me the signal as I waited outside…making sure the coast was clear. She slipped inside unnoticed and soon came out with some expensive items made of Jade and other commodities. She had holstered some within her tail and bag but gave the rest to me, which I put into a small brown bag I had slung around my torso. The heist was over in about a minute without any trouble (surprising, I know) and we made our way up a scaffolding toward the roof.

I briefly removed my face cover as Zhen offered me a high five, "easy breezy!' She exclaimed as our hands (in her case, paws) made contact.

Our attention is soon drawn elsewhere toward clamoring below us on the main street not too far from where we are. A large crowd had gathered, and no one was touching the road at all…it's as if they're expecting something (or someone) BIG to pass through the street. Zhen was certainly curious, and she soon dragged me along for the ride, "let's check this out, Mei!"

We descended the rooftop opposite from where we climbed and soon ended up on the street again (putting on my mask again as we did so.) Once we arrived, we found Han and some other members of the Den thieves scattered throughout. I diverted my eyes away from him to see something slowly approaching down the street.

"What's going on, why is everyone lined up?" Zhen the fox asked in her nine-year-old voice before her "mentor" swiftly silenced her. He hastily guided us into the line. As if all at once, the animals around us fell to their knees and bowed.

"She's coming…" Han hid his face with his straw hat, soon bowing down himself.

I wasn't sure what to do, but it was probably best to copy what everyone else was doing for our own good. Whoever this person was, even I knew they must have had a great influence. I followed Han's advice, I too bowed…lowering my head as if not to be seen. After all, it was a natural thing for me to do…stay out of sight…make sure not to draw attention to yourself (make sure people don't know you're the hairless beast they've been looking for.)

Unbeknownst to me at that precise moment, this was a parade of sorts…with a reptilian entourage leading the path. At the center of everything was a golden throne, where a particular creature was elegantly seated.

Even as they passed slowly, everyone on the sidelines was still bowed…not daring to move an inch from their places, but Han sensed one person who wasn't bowing: Zhen.

Maybe it was because she was overtly intrigued, or she simply didn't care for the formalities. Either way, (to spare the fox from a terrible fate) he forced her down. Still, that fiery spark ignited inside her when she looked up momentarily and saw with her own eyes the brightest treasure she had ever seen in her life. It rested on top of the throne and had to have been made with the highest quality…extremely valuable…maybe valuable enough to set her straight for life (and at her age that would be an opportunity she wouldn't dare pass up on!) The grey vixen couldn't resist the temptation!

By the time Han and I sensed her disappearance, we looked up to see she had scaled a building across from us.

W-what is she doing!?

Without much thought from myself, I sprang into action…leaving the Pangolin and the others behind. I wasn't too far away; I found a crate on the side I could hop on and use to land on the platform.

Meanwhile, Zhen jumped off and landed on the golden throne, quickly unscrewing and grabbing her prize. By the time both our paths converged, the person seated had caught sight of the vixen's thievery and quickly unfurled a long tongue at her! The membrane entangled her, and Zhen was forced towards the culprit…who promptly took back what was stolen…just as they set her down across from them. I jumped on the platform just behind Zhen to see what was happening…

I let out a gasp just as the fox looked behind with surprise. Sure enough, the snarl that came from the reptilian got our attention. I was shocked to see what we were up against…it was the Chameleon (the one Zhen had told me about) …the undisputed ruler of Juniper City. They were an imposing figure, despite being relatively smaller compared to most animals. They had yellow piercing eyes with red iris cutting deep into my soul…and a sinister smile to go with it.

Zhen, on the other hand, proved unyielding in the face of punishment. From what anyone would have seen, she stood tall like a strong mountain face…as if nothing on Earth or heaven could possibly move her at that moment. It turned out to be the decision that would spare us.

We both expected the worst, as if our stories would end before they have barely begun, but then…the most miraculous thing happened. The reptile stood up, stepped down toward us a bit, and offered the item to Zhen…

We both were surprised, I pulled myself away a bit. Unlike me, the fox took the "gift" with both paws. Sure enough, we examined it with bright eyes. She and I looked up to see the look on the Chameleon's face: she was certainly interested in us.

Zhen gave one last look to our mentor, Han. It would be the last time we would see them in a very long time. We were taken up a path towards the chateau above the city…and through the front gate. As soon as the doors closed behind us, our lives changed forever.

…

That's it for this chapter! I hope you enjoyed this part, have a good day!