The move by Pent Ghelsburg
Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. This work contains underaged content. You have been warned.
"If your brave enough to say goodbye,
then life will reward you with a new hello."
-Paula Coelho
Change is often a hard time in a child's life. No parent ever wants to put their kid through the drama that comes with drastic changes. One of the direst changes one can put a youngster through is moving. No matter the reason, the younger the children, the less likely they are to understand the necessity of the move. The Chao family had recently learned that not one but both parents were expected to relocate.
Both the mother and the father worked at the same location. The government had hired both right after they graduated from college. They had both met at the workplace and ignored the often taboo rule of no workplace romance. Fortunately for them, the administration of the business didn't mind and allowed their love to flourish. Eventually, the two married and even had a son together, a boy who went by the name of Kentaro.
The family was your typical cat clowder of three. His mother a tabby with a mixture of white and orange fur to boot. His father of the Siamese breed, but anyone who knew them considered them to be a pea and a pod. Their son taking mostly after the father with a lighter coat of fur but a dark spot of hair around his face, much like his mother. Kentaro was very much your typical kitten who enjoyed climbing trees and hanging out with his friends. But his most favorite hobby was skateboarding.
It had been 10 years since that family moved into their happy home and their boss had decided that their expertise would be better suited in a new and upcoming location. The government had decided to open a new embassy in a far off place called Furrydelphia. It was a complete shift in location, almost on the entire opposite side of the world. But neither had much choice, especially when their superior sweetened the deal by offering both of them a signing deal.
The contract was a rather lucrative offer giving them an additional $10,000 plus a relocation stipend to cover whatever moving costs the family might encounter. But it meant that the Chao family had to uproot everything and move Regardless the deal was too enticing to offer and after both the mother and father discussed it, they decided it was in the best interest of the family to accept the offer. After announcing their decision, their boss gave them 3 weeks to prepare for the move.
Now all that was left to pack and to inform Kentaro of their decision. All they could hope for was that he would take it well. The husband and wife waited for Friday to pop the idea on their son. The boy didn't have any plans for the weekends so the convince of his free time fell directly into place. The cub was always the first one home so he would expect nothing as they didn't change their normal routine. They agreed the big reveal would be at dinner time.
Kentaro was still being assigned homework but decided that it would wait until later. Instead, he decided to busy himself by skateboarding outside. It was a hobby he took rather seriously and it wasn't too late in the year, so the weather was still temperate at this point. Once outside he focused himself by trying to perfect several tricks. While he wasn't perfect, he was always thrilled when he was able to land a trick several times in a row.
By the time his parents finally drove up to the spot in front of the garage, the kitten felt like he had finally mastered the heel flip. Each time he did so, his tail flailed wildly behind him.
"Hey Dad, watch!" Kentaro proudly chirped to his father as the older cat stepped out of the vehicle.
The boy got on his board and kicked out towards the street as he bent over to push his weight into the wooden platform beneath him. Then he jumped as he made a twisting motion, with the boat following in tow.
Kentaro smiled as the board landed with a plop, the cub's shoes following shortly after.
"Nice job, sport." The father always tried to support his son's hobby even if he found it a bit silly.
"Come on, honey. We're gonna make dinner and you can help." The mother gathered both parent's bags and exited the car door.
The cat clowder made it's way into the home, with Kentaro following closely behind storing his prized board near the door. Each of them taking their shoes off by the door before heading into the kitchen. It was already nearing 6 o'clock and the parents had already planned their course of action on the way home. The woman stored both parent's things also by the door and then together they all entered the kitchen. She spent a moment straightening out her fur a bit to make herself look more presentable. The light automatically turned on as they made their way inside.
The parents began to prepare a nice meal, a meatloaf with steamed vegetables. It was one of the boy's favorites and they figured such a gesture would ease the blow. Meanwhile, they had their son set the table and chop the vegetables.
"How was work?" The cub asked his parents collectively, his ears perking earnest to listen.
The woman turned around and smiled. "It was fine. How was school?"
"It was okay, only a little bit of homework," Kentaro answered back to his mother with a smile across his snout.
She returned his smile and ruffled his head fur "You can take a break from homework tonight since your helping makes dinner."
"Cool, thanks, mom!" He stepped over to hug his mother tightly, his tail wagging slowly behind him softly.
The mother folded her arms casually. "Just make sure you don't skate too late tonight, alright?"
"Sure, mom." Kentaro finished setting the table and sat back down on the side of the table opposite of his parents.
It took a while before the dinner was ready but once it was, the entire family was famished and prepared for the meal. The Chao finally sat down for dinner after it was dished out along with drinks.
The father leaned his weight into the table but not enough to cause it to shift. "So, sport. There is something we'd like to talk to you about."
"Oh yeah? What's that dad?" Their son was rather content with stuffing his face, shoveling the food into his maw.
The father twiddled his fingers and wove the best white lie he could come up with. "We are going to be moving soon. Work is making is us move."
"Why is work making you move?" Kentaro looked up, stunned, after a slight hesitation in eating his meal.
The man scratched his head still trying to come up with something on the spot. "Well, the government is opening a new embassy in Furrydelphia and we've been selected to help start it up. "
"But what about my friends at school?" The kitten's shoulders dropped and a frown extended across his face.
The mother scooted over to hug her son who was disheveled in a bout with grief."You will have 3 weeks to say your goodbyes. You could always give them your email. There will be plenty of new kids at the new school."
"It'll be alright. We promise. Think of it as a new chance to make new and different friends while having a chance to reinvent yourself." The mother said in a whisper but still reassuring voice.
The kitten curled up his tail between his legs but tried to appear strong. "I guess..."
"Good boy. Don't worry we'll help you whenever we can. We know moving is never easy especially on kids your age." The older male was as calm and collected
Eventually, Kentaro began picking at his food again and the family resumed eating. The rest of the meal was spent in awkward silence. Neither parent broke it and decided to leave it be. But they did treat the boy to ice cream. However, he didn't accept it and instead retired to his room. He wasn't in the mood for sweets and didn't even bother to go out and work on more skateboard tricks. His parents decided he was best left alone.
It took a few days but eventually, Kentaro got over it. Once his life returned to a somewhat normal state and he almost forgot all about moving. He wasn't again reminded until the midpoint of their move was set to happen. This was when his parents began packing all the stuff they intended to bring with them in boxes. It was also the point where Kentaro himself was instructed to begin packing. At this point, he couldn't sulk anymore.
His parents had been rather lenient with him until the actual move occurred. The boy was rather slow in packing but did manage to empty his room a mere 2 days before the move. All that was left was a mattress on the floor. His house was a maze of cardboard and plastic boxes. It wasn't long before the actual day finally rolled around. Kentaro felt like he had done all he could to stay in touch with whatever friends he had at school.
The father drove a moving truck while the mother drove the family car behind. Both vehicles were filled to the brim. Whatever was left behind, they decided they could live without. Kentaro decided to drive with his mother since the vehicle was more comfortable than the U-haul driven by his father. The drive was longer than it needed to be. Since they were motorcading to Furrydelphia, they had to make more stops. Especially since the moving truck needed fuel more often than the sedan.
It took almost 12 hours in total with the family only taking one-stop for a quick rest at a motel. They were in and out of the make-shift hotel by breakfast as the parents were anxious to be done with the move. Neither liked the idea of a long drawn outdrive and had agreed to stick it out and maximize the drive over 2 days. They finally arrived within the city limits of Furrydelphia by mid-day Saturday afternoon. Once they were in the eye-sight of the place, Kentaro
couldn't help but look out the windows.
The city was much bigger than what he was used to. Large buildings littered the sky-line. What could be seen of the surroundings was clear and without a cloud in the sky. Traffic here was much heavier seemed much heavier than what he was used to back at his old home. Even outside the center of the city, there was traffic. It was surprising especially since it was still the middle of the weekend. The family already had a place established as The government had promised to re-locate them.
Neither the father nor the mother expected much but they were happy to learn their new house was in the suburbs rather than in the thick of the city. It meant they would have to commute still but thought it might benefit their son in the long term. They were assigned to 41st avenue a street in the smaller suburb of Devon. The community was closed in one and even getting into the gate was quite the task.
Once they were in the complex, they followed the GPS to their new home. After arriving, the family was pleasantly happy to find that their new home was nicer than they anticipated. Not only was it larger than their older home but it was also fairly new. There was also the added benefit of a gated community which added to their security. After parking, they decided to check out the inside. Inside, they found a nice fruit basket welcoming them courtesy of their boss.
Kentaro in the meanwhile looked around the place. Neither parent bothered him since both were pleased he was exploring rather than moping anymore. It was a nice change in his recent demeanor. He took out his skateboard and began to explore around the streets surrounding his residence. For the most part, no one seemed out and about. That is until the boy arrived at a home near the end of his street. Outside was the home was a kid who looked to be his age. But after giving the kid a good look over, Kentaro discovered something different about him.
The boy in front of him looked normal enough for the most part. Like himself, he appeared to be a fur, except that he had predominately dark fur. He had a long tail and a predominate snout. To the kitten, it seemed he was of the canine sort. He was busy washing a vehicle that Kentaro assumed to be one of his parents. The puppy seemed to be pretty small too so he assumed he had to be younger than himself. Taking a deep breath, Kentaro decided now was a good time as any to try and make a friend.
"Hiya, what's your name?" The larger cub stepped into a puddle closer to the smaller one.
The dog dropped the hose which was still spouting water and made his way over to the spectator. Had he not been soaking wet the cub might have been soaked in sweat from being outside for as long as he had been. Kentaro kept his eyes fixed on the other cub, uncertain of his intention.
The smaller dog's tail wagged gently behind him. "Max, what's yours?"
Once they were in close enough distance to each other, Kentaro could almost smell the other boy. The other cub had worked up a sweaty odor while washing his parent's car.
"Kentaro. We just moved in down the street" The other cub walked around the boy in a circle as if looking him over.
The puppy smiled seeming keen on friendship. "Cool! Maybe we can hang out some time?"
"So where are you from?" The smaller cub asked looking around before seeing the moving van right down the street.
Now that Max had stopped moving, Kentaro could see the other boy was quite a bit smaller than he was.
"Uh...far away..." The bigger cat wasn't sure he should mention where he was from just yet.
The smaller boy extended out a hand that had just shaken the cat's paw and began shaking it. Max saw some movement from the other boy but suspected nothing, Kentaro was just looking over his shoulder.
The bigger swayed back and forth pivoting on his heel." So...what're you doing?"
"Washing my mom's car. What does it look like?" Max scratched his head, feeling a bit confused.
Kentaro reached forward to touch the smaller boy's shoulder."So would you like to be friends?"
"Sure, why not?" The dog took his paw and ruffled the other boy's hair playfully before withdrawing his touch.
The kitten leaned down to take a hold of the nearby hose body."Cool, thanks. Do you need help?"
"Sure! I could use the help." Max chirped as he smirked with a more fun idea.
Max quickly grabbed the spout of the hose which was gobbled up in a puddle of mud and water. Picking it up he quickly turned it on the other cub. Kentaro was caught completely off-guard by this, causing him to drop his part of the hose. The Siamese kitten was far being inappropriate clothing for a car wash. But it didn't seem like the smaller cub cared and pointed the spout at his friend who tried to run off in a playful show of fear. Max followed him as he ran around the yard and by the time their playful bout was over, Kentaro was just as wet as the Max was.
"No fair! I'm not in my swim trunks like you are." The bigger boy stomped his feet and scowled angrily at his new friend.
Max placed the hose back in the same spot it was before. "Well you said you wanted to help so don't be such a spoiled sport."
"Whatever...I guess your right." The kitten shook himself to rid himself of some of the water.
The dog rolled his eyes and grabbed the other boy's paw. "Come on we'll go get dried up and I can show you my room if you want."
"Sure, that sounds neat." Kentaro smiled at his new friend.
Max began to walk forward in the direction of his house. The kitten looked it over, it seemed of a similar design to his own. He was not yet aware of the cookie-cutter nature of houses in the neighborhood so it came off as a coincidence to him. The puppy held the door open for a bigger friend. Max was still dripping from washing the car but wasn't exactly soaking wet. Still, there was a towel near the entrance that he grabbed and he quickly dabbed himself dry and then threw the cloth to the cat.
Once they were both a little drier, Max began to walk forward again with the other boy in tow. Eventually, they found their way to the puppy's room. When they arrived inside of it, Kentaro looked around and admired the decorations. It seemed he was a bit of a sports enthusiast. He had a few posters of various baseball players, all of which were on the local professional team. It wasn't a team that Kentaro was familiar with especially since he wasn't much of a sports fan.
The puppy went over to his dresser drawer. "You want a change of clothes? I'm gonna go get out of this swimsuit."
"Nah, I'm already starting to dry off and your stuff is probably pretty small for me." Kentaro was still rubbing himself with the towel to dry himself.
The dog disappeared for a moment with a handful of his clothing. When he appeared he was in a striped t-shirts and nylon shorts. He was still holding the swimsuit in his left paw and he threw it at the other boy playfully.
The kitten peeled it off his face. "No fair...I wasn't watching."
Max smirked and crept over to where the other boy was standing. He reached out and took him by the paw once again. The cat was surprised at how assertive the other cub was but he wasn't exactly putting up a fight.
Eventually, Kentaro was brought into the father's room. It was bland in comparison to the kid's room and only had a single bed along with some furniture.
"Want to see something cool?" The dog's tail was wagging excitedly while awaiting an answer.
The kitten shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
Max let go of the other boy's paw and went over to the wall which had a painting on it. He reached out and touched the painting and shifted it a bit. Suddenly an alarm sounded and the cat began to panic. Kentaro in the meanwhile stood there idly as if nothing was happening.
A few seconds later and the wall collapsed into the floor and the bureau in front of it rotated under a metal panel. Kentaro watched as the side of the room shifted from normal living quarters to one dominated by computers and metallic storage areas. The dog moved into it and pressed a bright yellow button which caused one of the walls to protrude from its idle position. Hidden from within was a steel rack with several devices lining it. Soon the dog reached into it and took out what appeared to be a small toy gun.
Max began approaching his friend slowly with the small gun in his hand. The thing was so tiny it was barely visible, even in a cub's paw. A few seconds later he pointed it as his new friend and rotated his position so he looked like an idle version of James Bond.
"Cool right? Well just wait until you see what it does!" The puppy spun the gun in his hand and it landed back in its upright position.
Soon he turned and faced Kentaro again, the tip of the gun targeting the cat.
The kitten held out his hands playfully. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot."
The dog pulled the trigger and a small flash of light blinded the room. Max knew to shield his eyes but for the moment being Kentaro had blurry vision. It was an unexpected effect of the toy gun but his eyesight recovered before long.
Once it did he was feeling a little dizzy. Kentaro even collapsed on the floor as an intense sensation of weakness came over him. A chill soon covered his form and he balled up on the floor to comfort himself. It was no use, little by little his form was diminishing. Max watched with glee as his victim shrunk before his eyes. He knew it would be mere moments before the cat would be his little toy and there wasn't anything he could do about it.
"That's what you get for calling me little." Max stomped his paw angrily.
Over the next few moments, Kentaro gradually shifted out of his clothing. At first, it began to sag off him and then slide off him once his form could no longer accommodate its openings. Before long he was completely naked, even know he was essentially
covered by the tent that was his clothing now. When the kitten came around, he could see very little light and discovered he was in his birthday suit. He began to move, finding it to be rather difficult as his strength was being suppressed by the weight of his clothing.
Max put the gun to the side and pushed the button that caused the room to return to its original state. Then he walked over to where his victim was slinking around inside the clothing. He leaned over and picked up the small bulge inside of the fabric. The dog began to lightly shake it out and eventually the now shrunken cat was in his paws. Kentaro rolled out into the open and finally realized what happened. A look of terror took over his face as he looked up at the now seemingly giant cub before his eyes.
Max smirked and said nothing. He placed the clothing over his shoulder so that it wouldn't be left behind. The puppy left the tiny cat in his paw. Every movement he made was felt quite intensively by Kentaro. Each step he took, the kitten rolled around. It took every ounce of his strength to not hurl out his breakfast. Finally, when Max came to a stop, the smaller one could recover. The puppy wasn't exactly sure what to do with him.
He didn't think his father's gun would work. He knew the man was smart but often exaggerated his skills. That wasn't the case in this instance. Kentaro looked up, a complete loss for words. He was dizzy and dazed from rolling around so much. He was completely helpless and at the control of the other cub. Fear began to stir up in his heart. What did this mean for him and how would he get back to normal. He could only hope his so-called friend would be kind to him...
