Chapter 21: The Collar

Fink and I were awakened by the light from the morning sun breaking through the blinds. Not long after, a call rang outside the room, requesting we come out.

We both finally got out of bed, and once we got to the door, Mom and Dad were waiting for us down the hall.

"Morning sleepy head" said Mom with a smile.

"Guess what we got for your new buddy, Terry?" Dad added, his hands behind his back as he was leaning forward.

I looked up at them, rolling my head to the side as Fink copied my expression. Sure enough, Father brandished a black collar…one tailor-made for the wild fox beside me…

Fink raised an eyebrow…soon walking forward to smell the strange item. Soon enough, I was given the collar, "I think you should do the honors, son."

I nodded, crouching down to be eye to eye with the vulpine who seemed quite confused (and a bit scared from not knowing what was going on.) "It's okay, trust me" I whispered before he yielded. I wrapped the black collar around his fluffy neck and locked it in place. As soon as I pulled away the fox had an adverse reaction…pawing at the collar.

"Looks great on them!" Dad said, giving a hearty laugh.

"Black DOES go with everything" Mom added with a smug grin.

I had to agree, it does look quite adorable on Fink.

Shortly afterward, however, the latter spotted a mirror across from him…and ultimately: his reflection. We all stood across from him as Fink made his way to stand across from the mirror to examine himself. I soon joined his side, crouching behind him as he stared into space.

"D-do I really have to wear this?" Fink asked, "it's a bit too tight…"

I quickly readjusted it, and he smiled a bit at that, "thanks" he said in animal speak. For the fox, it was going to be weird wearing the blasted thing around, but I explained in private that it needed to be done to help identify Fink and let everyone know he wasn't a stray.

We both returned to the bedroom, Mom and Dad left for their jobs…leaving the utility robots to do the chores around the house. Fink examined further…noticing the gray medallion suspended from the front of the collar…it read the name in bold letters: F I N K

He raised an eyebrow, "what are those symbols?"

"That's your name!" I happily explained as I sat beside my computer desk. He looked toward me with a surprised face, "that's in your human language?"

"Sure is! Maybe I can teach you to read sometime."

"Me…read human writing…what for, kid?"

"Could be useful for knowing your way around town" I explained.

"Touche" Fink soon agreed.

I soon got to work…getting on my browser to search for any information on Rozzum units in town. Fink wanted to see, so I had to get a separate chair for him to sit on. After a few minutes I turn toward the wild fox with a nod, "there seem to be two farms in the area…" I investigated further…zooming in on the map, "what did Brightbill say it was called?" I turn toward him, but the animal lightly shrugs, "I…I don't remember…"

I cringed, neither did I…I actually don't remember if the goose ever told us which farm Roz was held up in…or did he?

"This one is the farthest…Hilltop Farm…"

Fink's ears suddenly rose as his yellow eyes widened, "that's it! That's the one!"

"Okay" I smiled to him. I focused on that one in particular and began a search on any Rozzum unit with the serial number "7134."

Sure enough, I found her.

We both almost fell out of our seats upon finding her registry.

"Roz!" Fink yelled.

"It's her" I smiled, soon pulling away…

Silence filled the air for several moments before the fox turned toward me with one bent ear, "what now" asked Fink.

"I don't know if I'm being honest…" I crossed my arms, "it's not like the owner will just give Roz to us…and by the looks of things it appears well guarded."

Even if we somehow break it, the farm is not exactly within walking distance…we could get there by hovercar or airship…but they'll know we're coming.

"We'll have to plan this carefully…" I said softly.

Fink jumped down from his seat and walked toward the bed, "at least we know she's close by."

Once the vulpine is on top of the covers, I thought of him, "how are you holding up?"

"I…already miss the smell of trees…the cool breeze…the touch of grass…and I miss the others…"

"Even Paddler?" I lightly joked as he scoffed, rolling his eyes. I scratched his chin and that seemed to calm him a bit, "we're on the right track at least, Fink."

"Yeah, it could be worse" he yipped.

After a few minutes, the fox decided to rest on the bed as I went online again to check up on everything I missed. There were dozens of messages from friends (both online and real-life friends from school) that went unread until now. Most were asking how I was doing; some were ignorant of where I've been (and I can understand that.) I decided to catch up and let them all know I'm okay…maybe I can get into a call with them later. For now, my mind was squarely on Fink and the others. No matter what I did on my holocomputer, I couldn't stay on for long. I eventually sat next to Fink to comfort him; he was definitely struggling to adapt to this new environment.

I thought about how to help ease his mind, and I smiled…simulations!

I quickly got his attention, "I think you'll like this, buddy!"

I went to my console on the wall and brought down the lights in the room, and I accessed the instrument panel to project a simulated environment. Fink was, above all, confused as heck, and sure enough: once the room in front of us changed into a translucent forest…he gasped loudly.

The red fox stood up from the bed and barked at what was happening, "T-Terry, what is going on!?"

"It's a simulation…it's supposed to look like the real thing" I motioned him to step closer to the edge of the bed. With some hesitation he did…feeling drawn to the echoes of birds and cicadas. Even the deciduous trees rustled against the fake wind. Of course, this was a recording made for a 3D view, but to Fink, it was the closest he got to being back in the wild…and he was DRAWN to it!

His mouth gaped as he jumped down from the bed and walked closer as I smiled at his reaction. Soon, however, Fink passed the barrier and saw my desk and chair…and became confused again, "w-what the!?"

"Move back" I said, but from his vantage point my voice was slightly muted. The vulpine did as instructed and found himself back in the projection.

As we both enjoyed the fake forest ambiance, it suddenly changed to a field…and we heard stomping that was getting closer. I automatically knew what it was…

Fink was not prepared; he yelled and fell on his back once we saw the gigantic creature in the projection: a dinosaur!

I quickly went away to change the settings; it must have been set to scroll unbeknownst to me, "sorry…that was not supposed to happen."

"W-what was that thing!?" Fink barked angrily at me.

"A Tyrannosaurus Rex, a dinosaur…"

"A…what!? Is that thing real?" He asked, ears folding back.

"It is…was. They lived on Earth a long time ago, they're all extinct."

He gave deep breaths soon enough, holding a paw to his chest, "you almost gave me a heart attack, kid!"

"Will this calm you?" I looked toward him after tinkering with the settings. Shortly afterward: the projection gave us a theatrical setting…from our vantage point we were surrounded by a crowd in a ballet theater. Looking down from the balcony you could see the performers dancing on stage to "Dance of the Reed Pipes" from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. We were pretty high up, but the setting proved more comforting for Fink, who soon became invested in his surroundings. The fox was certainly amazed by the synchronized dance…probably reminded him of flocks or other animals when they traverse the landscape.

By the end of the "video" the fox was certainly impressed and feeling a lot better.

"What do you think?" I asked, sitting down beside him on the wooden floor.

"So…you can create worlds around you?" He rolled his head to the side as I giggled.

"It's more of an immersive experience" I explained.

"Well…that was quite the experience, kiddo" he admitted.

Suddenly, we heard knocking on the door and we both jumped in surprise.

"Terry?" I heard Father's voice, "we're home." Wow, is it already past two o'clock!? How time flies!

We both stood up and met up with Mom and Dad in the living room. There, we saw them waiting for us.

"What do you guys say we head out? It's still nice outside."

Fink and I looked at each other and shrugged. For Fink, he wasn't opposed to it: he's been inside for long enough!