Age 0
Nestled in a blue bundle is an orange baby fox with white belly and mouth fluff, as well as on its paws. It sucks a blue pacifier with its eyes closed as it’s transferred into the arms of a taller figure. The little fox moves slightly, but remains asleep in the new owner’s clutches.
“Don’t worry,” says the figure silently, cradling the young fox in their arms. “He’ll be taken care of.” The figure looks toward another fox, tall with long, brown hair.
“I just can’t take care of him,” says the girl. “I’m still in school and I’m not ready for this yet. I just can’t drop what I’m doing to raise him…”
“It’s okay. I understand. Does this little boy have a name?”
“Zach… His name is Zach.”
“Don’t worry about little Zach. He’ll find a nice family and be happy.”
“I’m not worried… It was a mistake to be with that imp I once thought was my love.”
“David the Fox?”
The girl turns her head. “Please don’t say that! It cringes me when I even think of him or hear his name! It’s bad enough everyone knows about it.”
“Relax, Delilah. Mistakes happen. They usually go away pretty quickly.”
“I’m not sure about this one…”
“Zach’s in safe paws. He’ll be fine with us.”
“I hope so… Goodbye…”
“Wait. Don’t you want to say goodbye to your baby?” The figure raises the fox slightly. The baby wakes and opens his eyes, revealing a brown shade.
The girl shakes her head. “That’s not my baby… He’s more like David, and I don’t want anything to do with him in the future. I know he’ll be like him… Goodbye…” She turns and leaves quickly.
The figure turns down to the fox. “Don’t worry, Little one. We’ll make sure you’re taken care of here.”
Age 4
Zach, grown slightly bigger, roams around to each group of kids, “Hey, will you guys be my friends?” Every time he asks the question, the other animals turn away and ignore him before Zach moves on. Upon the last group to turn him down, he frowns. “W-why won’t anybody be my friend…?”
“Everything all right, Zach?” A tall figure stands beside him in a long, brown robe and covered by a hood.
Zach turns up to the adult. “Nobody around here wants to talk to me or be my friend. Could you please help me?”
The figure looks around. “I’ll see what I can do about it.” Zach smiles and utters a “thank you” before the figure disappears behind a set of doors and approaches the desk in front of it. “We need to talk.”
A chair rotates and reveals another robed figure. “It’s about Zach the Fox again, isn’t it?”
“He’s finding it difficult to make friends. You don’t suppose the children are ignoring him because of his relation to David the Fox, do you?”
“It’s a possibility. I mean, he did take advantage of the girl he went to school with, and in a sexual manner. His behaviors were reckless as well from what I’ve learned. He deserves to rot for all he’s done.”
“But Zach doesn’t deserve to rot because of him! He isn’t him!”
“Settle down... Maybe the kids aren’t turning him away because of that.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s a “special” child. Remember the doctor giving us his medical diagnosis the day he was tested?”
The standing figure shakes its head. “No, I don’t recall. What do you mean?”
“He has a learning disorder. That’s why I advised him to be in the special classes after we got his results.”
“The others must think he’s different… Oh no…”
“It will all pass. I assure you. Just go back to him, and tell him the news. Next time the class meets, we’ll hold a group session on differentiation.”
“Very well…” The figure turns and leaves, entering the play area again. The figure notices Zach staring at a pictures of animals with capes and masks. The figure walks up to him. “Hello, Zach.” The figure stands next to him. “What are you looking at?”
Zach faces the figure. “Who are they? Why do they wear such strange outfits?”
“They’re heroes. They save others and fight evil.”
“There are no heroes in real life, are there?”
“Of course there are, and they’re special, like you.”
“R-really? I’m special?” The figure nods. Zach turns back to the poster. “I want to be just like them!”
“You can be.” The figure pulls out a blue bandana. “This was mine once before, but I want you to have it.” The figure places the bandana around the fox’s neck and ties it at the back. “There. You look just like a hero.”
Zach smiles. “Thank you so much!” He hugs the figure below the waist before receiving a pat on the head.
Age 8
“Super Fox to the rescue!” The little fox runs through the halls. His blue cap flies as he speeds down while his eyes are covered with a blue mask. He pauses and stops, holding his paw to his ear and gasping. “Do I hear the sound of crime afoot? No fear! Super Fox is near!” Zach dashes over to the opened door and quickly presses his back against the wall with his cape sandwiched between. “Better play it stealthy. Surprise is my best bet!” He peeks the corner and takes notice of a group of kids circled around a hooded figure. The fox’s smile disappears. “Huh…? What’s going on?” He remains silent, staying hidden to hear the conversation.
“I’ve had it with that fox kid!” shouts a leopard. “He’s nothing but trouble!”
“Yeah!” says a small elephant. “Ever since he put on that stupid cape and dumb mask, he’s been running around and causing all sorts of trouble!”
“Settle down,” the figure assures. “What sort of trouble? What has Zach done?”
“Well,” begins a lion cub, angrily. “First off, he’s super annoying! He won’t shut up about this hero stuff!”
A penguin chick nods in agreement. “What about when he squirted ketchup in the cafeteria?!”
“He disrupted our sleep with his stupid running around!” utters a deer. The other animals bicker and shout more complaints, adding to the fire. “He’s too influenced by that superhero, Captain Red Mask!” Everyone agrees.
The figure raises their arms. “Settle down! Settle down!” The children come to a quiet. “All right, I will talk to Zach! Everything will be fixed and you won’t have to worry about Super Fox anymore.”
“Super Fox?!” cries a wolf pup. “More like Stupid Fox!” The others agree.
“He’s nothing!” adds a kitten. “He was always nothing, even before Stupid Fox!” The kids agree and laugh.
Zach brings his head back and stays propped against the wall, frozen with his eyelids peeled back and a frown. “They… all… hate… me…?” Tears begin to form as he’s about to cry, but he tilts his head down and closes his eyes. His tears roll down his face. He turns and starts back the way he came from, keeping his head down toward the floor. “I just wanted to be a hero…”
“Hey,” calls another kid. Zach stops and turns to where the source of the voice came from; a rat slightly taller than him with sunglasses covering his eyes. “You’re the “Super Fox”, right?”
“I… What do you need?”
“My friends and I were just looking for you.”
Zach’s frown changes to an ‘o’ shape as his tears dry quickly. “Y-you are?”
“Oh yeah. You’re a wanted fox. Follow me.” The rodent travels down the hallway, leading the masked fox into an opened classroom. Zach walks up to group of other kids; a tiger cub, an aardvark, a skunk, and a hippo.
“So, what do I do?” Zach asks.
“Just tell us, Fox,” the rat begins. “Tell us why you’re interested in being a hero.”
“Captain Red Mask is my inspiration,” Zach tells him. “I want to grow up to be just like him and save people. I’d love to save and help others to show how grateful I can be.”
The rat smiles with his eyebrows dipping in his eyes. “Even though you’re a flawed fox?”
Zach pauses as his ears slowly lower to point to the ground. “What?” The door to the classroom closes behind him and the lights shut off. The other animals charge and push him to the ground. “Hey! What’s going on here?!” Punches are thrown and kicks hit him from every angle. “Stop! Please!” Two of the kids pin him to the ground. He struggles to break free, but is unable to. “What are you guys doing?!”
“You’re getting what you deserved, Flawed Fox!” shouts the tiger. The striped animal takes its claws and swipes them at the fox, tearing open wounds on his fur and tearing his mask. “Much more fitting for you.” The carnivore and the other kids laugh at him. He inches closer to Zach. “You really think we’d accept a flawed fox?! No one likes you!”
“Let’s teach him a lesson, Guys!” the aardvark spurts.
“K-keep away from me!” shouts Zach. “H-help! Someone!” His screams become distant as the group closes in on him, making everything dark.
***
Zach is curled up on his bed in a ball. He is different; no cape or mask, but his bandana around his neck. Tears roll down his face as he remains still. Entering the room is one of the hooded figures. They walk up to the fox and sit beside him. “Are you okay, Zach?”
“No… I’m not…” Zach doesn’t contain himself. “Everybody hates me… and a group of kids beat me… They hurt me and put their… things… inside me… Why doesn’t anyone like me…?”
The figure puts their paw on top of the fox’s side. “People just don’t understand you… You are different.”
Zach remains fixed in his position. “Maybe I’m not meant to be a hero…”
Age 10
Zach, half the size he once was, sits against the wooden park bench. His head tilts toward the stone path and his ears droop down. He takes in a deep breath and exhales. He continues to mope until the sounds of explosions draw his attention. Zach brings his head up quickly. “Huh?!” He notices four animals in the park; a sheep in a green vest, a monkey in a yellow mask, a wolf with a red armband, and a cat with a red top and blue jeans. They battle off a couple of goons from another kid, pushing them out of the park. Zach’s eyes become enlarged and he smiles with amazement. “Whoa…” Getting off the bench, he walks up to the four animals, who are slightly taller than the fox. “You guys were amazing!” The four turn to look at Zach. “You guys just battled those other people like Captain Red Mask would do!”
The wolf smiles. “You are quite fascinated by heroes, aren’t you Kid?” Zach nods. “Well, you’ll be glad to know he inspires us.”
“You’re influenced by Captain Red Mask?” Zach asks. They nod. “Oh my gosh! I’m a huge fan!” He smiles. “My name is Zach!” The other animals introduce themselves as Jay the Wolf, Cindy the Sheep, Kenji the Monkey, and Miffy the Cat, together making a group known as Team Rescuers. “Oh! That’s so cool!”
Miffy laughs. “Yep, it sure is. Uh, are your parents around?”
Zach’s smile disappears. His ears droop again. “I… don’t have any parents… I’m an orphan…”
“Oh, that’s just sad,” says Kenji. “I’m sure you have someone to comfort you, right? Friends maybe?”
“I don’t… No one wants to be my friend…”
“Well, that’s serious,” Cindy adds. “No family and no friends… Hey, why don’t you come hang with us? We can be good friends.”
Zach’s eyes widen again. “R-really?” The team looks at each other and nod. “Oh, thank you!” He runs over to hug them. They accept his hug and smile. He releases and faces them. “Hey, you guys are good at being heroes, right?” They nod again. “Maybe I could learn to be one of you.”
Kenji chuckles. “We shall see, Kid. We shall see.”
Age 12
Zach, along with Team Rescuers, sit at a large, round table. The fox laughs as he finishes his story. The others give a chuckle. “Anyway, that was how I saved that kid from the bully.”
“Hey, Zach,” Miffy begins. “We could use another round of ice cream. Mind hitting us up?”
“Sure!” Zach gets up and walks to the counter.
Miffy grunts. “Man, he’s absolutely annoying. No wonder he has no friends.”
“Well, what do you expect?” asks Kenji. “He’s never had anyone to talk to and we became his friends.”
“I’m getting sick of him,” Cindy says. “I caught him several times trying to flirt with me. I don’t love him at all! He’s developed a crush on me and I don’t like it!”
“Gee, I figured,” utters Jay.
“Besides, I love someone else.”
Jay turns to her. “Really? Who?” Cindy turns away with a blush, telling him nothing.
“Let’s not forget he’s also a very clumsy fox,” Miffy adds. “Every time he’s with us, he’s always getting in trouble and we’re there to save him from it.”
“Like every battle against Capital Corp we’re in, he needs help?” asks Kenji. Jay nods. “He’s struggling to fit in with us when really he’s not fit to be a hero. That fox has to go…”
“That would ruin his dream of being a hero,” Cindy tells him. “That would also mean he would have no friends.”
“Cindy, he ruins everything…” Jay states. “I know it’ll make him depressed and leave him with no friends or family, but think about it. We’re better off without him.”
Zach remains at the counter, pretending he hadn’t heard them as he orders the ice cream. He sighs as his ears droop. “Clumsy…? Annoying…? I’ll make it work… I’ve got to… I’ll improve… I’ll show them…”
Age 13
The fox walks up to the four animals with a cup in his paw. “Hey, you guys having fun at my party? I hope you like it. I know you’re the only ones, but it’s better than nothing, right?” He notices them turn to each other as a frown sets on his face. “W-what’s wrong? Aren’t you having a good time?”
“Zach,” Kenji starts. “I think it’s time we told you something…” Zach remains silent to listen. “We’ve talked a lot about it and I think it’s time we said this. We’re kicking you from the group.”
“W-what…?” Zach opens his paw, releasing the cup which falls to the floor and spills. “W-why?”
Jay crosses his arms. “Because you’re annoying and you’ve done nothing but mess up! The bad guys keep getting away because of you! And, Cindy doesn’t appreciate you trying to flirt with her. She doesn’t want to be with you and that’s that!”
Miffy crinkles her mouth. “I have to agree with them. Look, I know you want to be like us, but you’re better off not. You aren’t fit to be a hero, nor to be our friends.”
Zach keeps his frown. “Please… It’s my birthday… You’re my friends, and you’ve been the ones to help relive my dream of being a hero… I tried to improve, too…”
“Sorry, Zach. Our decision is final.”
“Don’t worry, though,” says Cindy. She walks closer to him. “I have a gift for you.”
Zach’s eyes open wider as his frown disappears. “R-really?”
“Yes. Close your eyes.” Zach does so with a smile, expecting a small peck on his lips. The sheep puts her hoof behind his head and grasps it, pushing his head fast right into the cake beside him. The fox struggles, but the sheep keeps his face buried in the icing for five seconds before pulling him out. Zach’s face is painted with white frosting and has bits of cake stuck to his face. “You think I would ever fall for you?” She laughs. “Yeah, right!” She and her friends walk away and leave. Zach watches as they close the door. Tears fill his eyes as he slumps to the floor and hides his head in between his legs.
Age 16
Zach, now tall as an average adult, enters a tall building with glass windows on all sides. He approaches a black desk where a ram in a suit and glasses sits. “Excuse me?” The ram looks at him. “I’m looking for David the Fox.” The ram points to the door on the left, telling him that the fox he’s looking for is in there. “Thanks, Ma’am.” The fox heads for the door and enters. He walks in to see several suited animals, some with glasses, all sitting. One is standing by a whiteboard, however.
The standing animal appears to be a tall fox in a black suit and tie. He stares at the littler fox with curiosity. “Um, can I help you, Kid?”
“Are you David the Fox?” Zach asks. The other fox responds with a “yes”. “Dad!”
“Um, what?”
“Dad, it’s me! I’m your son!”
One of the animals turns to the older fox. “You never told us you had a son, David.”
“I don’t!” David claims. “He is not my kid! I don’t know what he’s talking about.”
“What?” Zach asks. “But I am your kid! Please, Dad…”
“Stop calling me ‘Dad’ and get out of here,” cries the other fox. “You’re not my son and you never will be!” As Zach’s eyes clench with sadness, David calls out of the room. “Security!” Within a few seconds, a guard appears. “Please remove this fox from the premises.” The guard nods, grabs Zach, and drags him out as he pleads.
Zach is tossed out of the building, landing on his knees before the glass doors slam on him from behind. He stands up and dusts himself up. “Why didn’t he recognize me? Why didn’t he want me back?” He sighs. “I bet my mother will take me back…”
***
Zach then approaches a small, red house. He steps up to the door and knocks. The door opens to a smaller fox, slightly shorter than he is. Her long, brown hair flows down the back of her head as her blue eyes stare at him. “Hello, I’m looking for Delilah the Fox.” He holds up a piece of paper. “This document I found in the orphanage says this is her address.”
“Who are you?” asks the girl.
“I’m Zach. I’m her son.”
“Really?” The girl scans him. “I haven’t seen you before.”
“I haven’t seen you, either. Who are you?”
“Mabel. I’m her daughter.”
“What? I have a sister?”
The girl steps aside. “Come in.” Zach follows her inside and to the kitchen table to another fox, as tall as he is but with a ponytail at the back of her brown hair. “Mom, this boy says he’s your son. Is that true?”
The other fox looks at Zach. Her eyes widen. “No… Not you!”
“Mom…” Zach holds his arms out. “It is me… I’m your son…”
“No! No, you’re not! You’re David’s son!”
Zach shakes his head. “That’s not true… David turned me away… He doesn’t want anything to do with me…”
“Neither do I!” She pulls Mabel closer to her. “Stay away from my family, you demon!”
“Demon?”
Another fox enters. His short, black hair and officer uniform suggest he’s a police officer. “What’s going on, Honey? Who’s this fox?”
“Get him out, please! He’s not welcomed here!” He goes over and pushes the little fox away.
“Hey! Please! Mom! Mom!” He struggles to get through the large fox, but is pushed further away and eventually out the door.
“She’s not coming for you,” says the father. “I don’t know who you are, but you should keep your distance.” He shuts the door.
Zach’s ears droop as he turns and frowns, walking slowly away. “I thought both my parents would be happy I returned… Why don’t they want me?” He stops after stepping on an envelope beside the mail box. Taking his foot off, he picks up the envelope and opens it. Reading the contents, the fox learns of a dinner party arranged by his biological father and his girlfriend with a letter of response, accepting the invite. His ears shoot up as an idea pings in his head. “What if I could just talk to them and try to work things out? I should show up to the party. That might work!” Zach runs off and heads straight back to the orphanage.
***
Zach enters the restaurant with his hair combed toward the left. After asking the hostess about where his biological family is, he looks to where the animal points. His eyes dart toward the back, spotting the foxes congregate at a large table. He hears them laugh and talk about putting pasts behind them as the blue-bandanaed fox takes a deep breath and heads for the table. “Hello there.” They turn and notice him. “I didn’t mean to startle you, I just wanted to-”
“It’s you!” Delilah motions to her daughter and puts her arms around her, protecting her in a motherly instinct as her husband stands beside them. “You better get away from us!”
“Relax,” Zach assures her. “I’m not here to cause trouble. I just want to talk.”
“Wait, I know who you are,” says a feminine fennec fox with curly blonde hair and a black dress. “You’re that flawed fox who was with Team Rescuers! What are you doing here and why?”
“Let me start from the beginning… I’ve gone through orphanage documents and have discovered that David and Delilah are my biological parents. I had learned I was given up for adoption because they were minors. I’m basically the product of an inappropriate relationship. I just wanted to talk about everything.”
“There’s nothing to talk about!” Delilah’s husband barks, causing attention to draw to the foxes. “Now get out of here before I throw you out!”
“Look, just give me a chance. I want to show you I’m not a harmful demon, but a lonely fox with no friends or family. All I ask is for acceptance.”
David stands from his chair. “Listen here, Kid. We do not want you around. Yeah, Delilah and I have had a big relationship back then, but we’re putting that behind us, and we don’t need you coming in and bringing all the hell to us.”
“But… I’m part of all this… I am your son.”
“Stop saying that!” David shouts. “You know, just because you say you’re our son doesn’t mean you’re actually part of the family!” Zach freezes. His mouth forming in a small ‘o’.
“David, please,” Delilah utters. “Don’t put more fuel into the fire. You’re making it worse!”
“I’m not part of the family?” Zach asks calmly.
“No, you’re not,” David confirms. “We are doing better without you, and it’s clear we don’t want you. You’ll never be part of this family.” Delilah, her husband, and David’s girlfriend agree with him and order the fox to leave. David turns to one of the restaurant staff. “Please, get this fox out of here!” The staff member bolts toward Zach, grabs him, and drags him out.
“Wait!” Zach lets out. “Let’s talk about this! Please!” He is thrown out the back and into a trash pile before the restaurant worker closes the door on him. He gets up and dusts himself off. Zach leaves the premises, his ears droop as he makes his way back to the orphanage, dragging his feet as he travels away from the restaurant. “Now I understand why everyone doesn’t want me… No friends… No family… I am nothing… I am a flawed fox…”
Age 18
Zach runs through a crowd of people up to Team Rescuers, stopping them. “Guys, wait! I need your help!”
“What do you possibly want, Zach?” asks Kenji. “We told you you’re not coming with us. You aren’t fit to be a hero. Besides, whatever little tricks and plans you have to try and get back with us aren’t going to work.”
“It’s not that! The orphanage is going to kick me out tomorrow. Usually they give us a week, but they reduced it for me. Please, you have to help me…”
“Zach,” Jay starts. “We already told you we want nothing to do with you anymore. You’re nothing but bad luck. We’re sick of you and we’re better off without you.”
Miffy agrees. “Yeah, we’re not happy with everything you’ve done. Now, let us leave. We have to leave.” Kenji joins them in their opinion.
Zach turns to Cindy. “Cindy, please… I know you rejected me, but please… I don’t mind it at all… You guys are all I’ve got…”
Cindy keeps a flat mouth fixed on her face. “Gee, I don’t know.”
“Cindy… I know you… You are the friendliest sheep in the entire world.” The fox puts his paws together and pleads. “I’ll make it up to you if I need to… I swear…. Please…?”
Cindy turns to her teammates, then back to Zach. “You know, I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life as we’ve become a team, but the biggest one has to be letting you hang with us. We should’ve never met you in the park.”
Zach puts his arms down. His jaw open as his eyes widen and ears droop. “But… but…”
“That’s enough! I’ve made myself clear. We’ve made ourselves clear. We don’t ever want to see you again. Got it?” Zach remains still as a statue. She turns away. “Come on, Team! Let’s go.” The three animals cheer as they leave with her. The four of them vanish from his view.
Zach tilts his head as he leaves the area with the crowd cheering at them. He leaves the area and the crowd behind, crossing the road. “They were all I had… I tried so many times to be with them and repair things… How could they-” Bright lights interrupt him as he turns and notices a car headed his way, speeding down the road. Zach moves out of the way quickly. As he crosses to the other side, he stubs his foot on the sidewalk and stumbles. On the way down, his head hits against the metal pole of the lamppost and collapses to the ground. The fox’s eyelids become heavy. He struggles to keep awake, but the blackness wins over him.
When he opens his eyes, he finds himself in a bed, staring at a tiled ceiling. Pain pulses through his body from his head, which he discovers is covered with freshly-wrapped bandages. Zach remains still in bed, feeling heavy and unable to sit up. He notices a heart monitor attached to his chest.
“Well, I see you’re awake, Kid.” A figure with a long, white lab coat stands by his bed with a clipboard in his paws. His head is covered with a turquoise cap. Through the lab coat are scrubs with the red plus on his heart. A stethoscope rests around his neck with a mask covering his nose. All of these features suggest he’s a doctor. “You feeling okay?”
Zach stares at him. “W-what happened…? Where am I?”
The doctor rests his paw on his shoulder. “You’re in the hospital. You were found lying on the sidewalk, unconscious. A hooded figure brought you to us, and we’ve diagnosed you with a concussion. But, don’t worry; a little rest should help you back on your feet. You should be lucky you weren’t killed.” He turns around at a nurse calling him over. “Hold on. I’ll be back.” He follows the nurse out of the room.
Another figure enters the room; the robed figure. “Hello, Zach. I see you’re all right. Forgive me for coming on short notice. However, I’m not here to visit, but to deliver this to you.” The figure pulls out an envelope from one of the pockets of the robe.
“Let me guess,” Zach begins. “My notice of eviction from the orphanage?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so… I’ll leave it here for you.” The figure places it on the table in the front of the room. “I struggled to have them extend your time to the usual period you had left, but you know how the headmaster feels about you.”
“Yeah… I know…”
“There’s nothing more I can do for you now, but wish you the best of luck. Are you going to be okay?”
“Hard to tell...”
“Well, I wish you the best of luck with everything, Zach. Farewell.” The figure leaves the room.
Zach keeps his frown from before. “Since when has luck ever been on my side…?” He lays back, turns his body to the window on his right, and pulls the covers up to his shoulders. He stares out at the night.
