Loud music echoes from the screen as a canary in an orange suit appears. “Good afternoon, Anitropolis,” he starts. “Thank you for staying with us! We have a lot of interesting stories for you this hour. We begin with more details of our developing story in the case of ‘Wool & Wiles’ actor, Willy Wool, against head technician of the studio, Zach the Fox. After careful analysis of the evidence and witness testimony following a whole day of tense debate, Mr. Fox has been found ‘not guilty’ by the jury for the incident in Anitropolis Park, ruling the event as an act of self-defense.
“To refresh you with the story; the technician had been relaxing with his friends in the park when Mr. Wool approached him and started trouble with the young fox. Wool had argued that the vulpine had targeted him first and lunged at him without warning. Both the judge and jury have dismissed Willy’s claims as ‘attention-seeking’ and ‘slander’ in the final verdict after being presented with evidence contradicting his statement, further adding that Wool had slashed at the fox with a dagger during a convention not too long ago.
“Despite the trial’s end, not everyone agrees with the court’s decision: The group, ‘The Sanctity of Prey,’ consisting mainly of prey animals, have taken Willy’s side in defense, claiming the fox, as well as many predators, are ‘dangerous and could turn on us at any moment,’ as per their post on Anigram. However, the opposing group, named ‘Predator’s League,’ argue that the vulpine’s actions were ‘justifiable, and that Willy was the main danger, and that the prey animals are being dramatic about the whole thing,’ according to their post on the social media platform.
“Both groups have been butting heads over issues regarding the current administration and their views, previously; which have contributed to ongoing unrest within the city and forcing police to quell violent protests from both sides before they could get out of paw. No doubt the conclusion of this trial will only add to the growing controversy and instability. Law enforcement is ready to do what is necessary to keep order. More on that story when we return.”
Ralph presses a button on the remote and changes the channel to a sports game. He turns to the group occupying the bar counter. “The news always has depressing stories, anyway. Better to watch sports or a good show.” He then looks specifically at Zach, who has his head tilted toward the surface of the counter with a pint of beer in his paw. “You good, Zachy? What’s wrong?”
“Why are you upset?” Winnie asks the fox. “You won the case! The jury took your side! Willy finally got his comeuppance! If anything, you should be happy!”
“I’m uncomfortable,” replies Zach. “I feel like I’ve caused more problems than good… ‘The Sanctity of Prey’ and ‘Predator’s League’ have been have been really harassing us, and I’ve been getting dirty looks from some people; mostly prey… I think they blame me for ruining Willy’s life…”
“That isn’t your fault, Zach,” Emma tells him. “Willy was the one who crossed the line, not you! Just because a few people think what you did in the park was wrong doesn’t mean Willy was right, either. Those animals just don’t realize the big picture, and do not know the true extent of things. And don’t mind those two groups… They’re just extremists with no desire for love.”
“I feel like the worst is yet to come,” Zach says.
“What…? What do you mean?”
“Hey, fellas!” Josh comes up from behind the gang and takes a spot at the counter. “How’s everyone doing?” Ralph gives a wave with a small smile. Everyone else gives him a low “Hi” back. The bear then faces the fox. “Hey, Zach... How are you doing?”
“Not too well, to be honest,” Zach responds. “With what’s been happening lately, I don’t feel too good, or secure…”
“I understand… Listen, I heard what happened at work earlier… I’m sorry…”
“Don’t be sorry, Josh… It isn’t your fault…”
“W-What happened at the studio?” asks Winnie.
“I’d rather not say,” Josh tells her. “I don’t want to-”
“It’s okay, Josh,” Zach implies. “Everyone’s going to find out sooner or later…”
“Find out what?” Emma asks. “What happened?”
“The studio let me go…” The friends stand out of their chairs in shock upon hearing him. The group inquires with him to find out more. “I was brought into the supervisor’s the office to discuss my actions in the park…”
“Doesn’t he know it was Willy’s fault?!” Winnie cries.
“He does… Even though Willy was the one who started, they were not happy with how I reacted. They said it was ‘unprofessional’ and I should know better…”
“Did you tell them you had no control over what happened…?” queries Ralph. Zach nods.
“Willy got fired, as well,” Josh adds. “They wanted to keep him on to finish the season, initially, but because of what happened, they decided to boot him and cancel ‘Wool and Wiles,’ entirely. That’s all I’ve heard so far. They gave me the head tech position after they cut Zach.”
Zach turns around to face Josh. “Sorry I pushed that burden onto you…”
“Don’t be sorry, Zach. Listen, if you want, Rachael and I can talk to the supervisor about giving you another chance. We’ll-”
Zach holds up his paw to him, stopping him. “That’s not necessary.”
Josh stares at him, along with the others. “What…?”
“Perhaps it’s time for me to pursue something else… It was a shitty job, even before Willy caused trouble. The managers were no better in treating me well, either, and I wasn’t paid enough for all the work I’ve done.”
“True,” Josh concurs. “Aren’t you still going to miss me and Rachael? What about your girlfriend, Melissa?”
“First of all, she’s not my girlfriend, technically. Also, if I can, I’ll come and visit if they will allow it… I see you all the time, however. You’re with Ralph most of the time.”
“Rachael and I can help you find another job… We’ll ask around to see what’s open.”
“I appreciate that, thanks… I’ve had my eye on some other things, however. I thought about doing that before looking for a new job. I’ve got some ideas…”
“Sorry to interrupt,” starts Winnie. “But what’s Rachael Ringtail going to do, now that ‘Wool and Wiles’ is cancelled?”
“Oh, she’s pursuing a role in a detective drama series coming up. She’s told me she loves the books and wants to be the main character. Tryouts are coming up, and she’s excited to go for them. She’s also with Melissa in the superhero show as the sidekick. Those two have been getting closer as friends.”
“Well, good for her,” Emma comments. “Hope she does well.”
“Yeah,” Zach adds. He grabs his beer bottle and raises it. “Here’s to them, and for the future.” The others smile and raise their drinks to join him before downing the shots.
***
After some time at the bar, the four friends amble down the hall to Zach and Ralph’s apartment. Once they make it to their door, the group halts in place. Standing before the apartment is a buck. His red polo shirt and grey pants stand out from his reddish fur and dark brown antlers.
“Oh, Mr. Norris!” utters Ralph, making his way to the front. “How’s it going?”
“Buck Norris?” repeats Winnie. “The manager for this building? What are you doing here?”
“How can we help you?” asks Emma.
“Hey, Buck,” Zach says, stepping forward. “How’s it going?” He pauses when the buck takes a step back. “W-What’s wrong?”
“I’ve been looking for you,” the deer begins. “I’m here to give you an eviction notice.”
Winnie’s eyes open wide. “W-What?! Eviction notice?! For what?! What did we do this time?!”
“Did someone file a noise complaint because of us?” Emma asks. “We’re sorry if that’s the case… We’ll try to be quieter. Or are we too disruptive?”
“That’s not what the notice is about.”
“Are we behind on a payment?” queries Zach. “Give us a bit of time, Sir… I just got let go from my job and I’m currently searching for a new one. We can give you what we have now, but we’ll-”
“The eviction is just for you, mostly,” interrupts Buck, looking directly at Zach. “You need to leave, Fox.” Zach freezes in place and stares at him. “I’ve received complaints after what happened. What you did at the park has raised concerns for ‘certain tenants.’”
Zach can feel his heart pounding against his chest. “Mr. Norris… Please… I…”
“It wasn’t Zach’s fault!” Winnie cries. “That lamb caused it! Didn’t you see what happened with the case?!”
“Zach’s a good fox, Buck,” Emma says. “He’s compliant, and doesn’t cause any trouble.”
“Just because of what happened, doesn’t mean Zach would do it again,” Ralph adds. “We’ve been friends for a long time, and we know Zach well. You have our word, as well as Zach’s.”
“I’m sorry,” Buck finally says. “This needs to be done.” He looks directly to the fox. “If you are not off the premise within twenty-four hours, I shall call the police and have you removed.” The three friends begin to argue with him. “Enough! My decision is final! Twenty-four hours for the fox! Don’t forget to give in your key on the way out. Leave it at my door on your way out.” The deer leaves and disappears around the corner.
Ralph turns to the fox, as does the others. “Zach… We-”
“Don’t, Ralph,” Zach interrupts. “You heard what he said… I need to comply…”
“No, you don’t!” Winnie spurts. “You don’t NEED to comply with it! We can fight this!”
“You don’t understand! I don’t want to cause any more trouble than I have… I NEED to do this…”
“No, you don’t,” implies Emma. “We’re in this together! You can stay at my place while we work this out! I know Igor can be a handful, but I don’t mind having you. If not me, then perhaps Winnie.”
“Uh,” Winnie begins. “Hold on, what makes you think I’ll-” Emma and Ralph shoot her a mean look. Winnie lets out a sigh. “I have enough space for you if you want…”
“No!” Zach utters. “It’s bad enough the park incident happened, along with everything else following… I don’t need to make this any worse than it already is…”
Emma looks at him. “Zach…”
“I don’t want you guys to end up in the crossfire for what I’ve done…! You are my friends, and you’ve been there for me… I don’t want anyone to think I’ll harm you, or worse!”
“You would never harm us, Zach… We know you…”
“All of those other animals don’t, though… They think I’m dangerous… The prey and predator groups aren’t making things any better, either… That’s why I need to do this!” Zach takes out his copy of the apartment key and hands it to Ralph. “Here…”
Ralph’s ears droop down. “Zachy…”
“Just take it, Ralph…” Ralph remains frozen in place, staring at the key. “God damnit, Ralph! Take the fucking key!” Ralph slowly reaches for it and obtains the key. Zach lets out a sigh. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to snap at you…”
“We will fight this, Zach,” Emma assures him. “We will get a lawyer and turn this around… We’re going to help you, no matter what it takes…” Zach turns away without a word.
“Is there anything in the apartment you want me to get?” asks Ralph.
“No,” Zach responds. “There’s nothing else I own in there… I have everything I need with me…”
“Are you going to be all right?” Winnie queries.
“Not really…”
Emma takes a step toward him. “Where are you going to go, Zach? I hope you don’t plan to sleep on the street…”
“Don’t worry about me… I’m going to be fine…” The warthog jolts forward toward him and wraps her arms around him. Ralph and Winnie join him on the hug as well. Zach accepts the warm bodies for comfort before stepping back from them and leaving. The three others stand and watch as he distances himself from them.
Close by, a pair of eyes had been peeking through a crack in an open door. They back away in darkness before disappearing behind the closed door.
“That was very stupid of you, Danny,” spurts Kyle from behind the black rabbit. Danny quickly turns around and faces him. “How could you do that? Zach’s our neighbor and friend!”
“Kyle,” Danny begins. “I didn’t want to… I…”
“But you did! You shouldn’t have complained to the building manager about Zach!”
“You saw what happened, Kyle… He was out of control! I got very scared when I approached him! You even had trouble trying to restrain him… I just… I had to let Mr. Norris know… I…”
Kyle crosses his arms. “Let me ask you something… If I was the one beating the shit out of the sheep, would you have me reported?”
“What…? No… I wouldn’t, Kyle… I… You’re my best friend…”
“So, you wouldn’t report me, but it’s okay to strike Zach off?”
“Kyle… I was terrified… I wasn’t thinking…”
“Clearly…” The tan fox turns and walks away.
“Kyle… Kyle…” Danny’s ears droop as he stands there, watching.
***
Zach ambles down the street. He grips the straps of his backpack tight and keeps his cap positioned over his eyes, pressing on and ignoring the glares of many onlookers. The orange fox enters the park and sits on his bench. Just as he settles, he flinches and jumps at the sight of the red fox landing in front of him. “Damnit, Amina, not again!”
“You’re here late at night,” Amina claims. “It’s unusual for you to be in the park at this hour. Care to tell me?”
“Bad things have happened…”
“I already knew that, Zach… I saw what you did in the park… I also heard about the trial…”
“No, it’s not that…”
“Then, what is it?” Zach turns his head away. His ears drooped downward. “Zach, tell me… Please…”
Zach lets out a sigh and faces back to her. “I was fired from my job…”
Amina’s eyes widen. “What?!”
“My supervisor thought I was too violent… He had to let me go…”
“It wasn’t your fault, Zach! Willy was the one!”
“It gets worse… I just got kicked out of the apartment… Our building manager thought I was too dangerous… He said I made everyone in the building uncomfortable…”
“Shit… Does Ralph, Emma, and Winnie know about it?”
“They do… They were with me when it happened…”
“Where are you going to live, now…?”
“Right here...” Zach sits back down on the bench. “I just hope it won’t be too uncomfortable.”
“What? No, no, no.” Amina grabs him by the arm and pulls him out of the chair. “You are not sleeping here…”
“I have nowhere else to go, Amina…”
“What about Emma or Winnie? They’re your friends, too.”
“They offered me, but I declined… I don’t want all my friends to get involved with everything I’m going through. It’s too dangerous right now, especially with ‘The Sanctity of Prey’ and ‘Predator’s League…’”
“Those two extremophile groups? You encountered them already?”
Zach nods. “We encountered them when exiting the courthouse after the trial, as well as around Ralph’s bar and on the way to the apartment… They were trying to split me from my friends… I don’t want that to happen…”
“What about the bear from work? The green raccoon girl? Melissa?”
“No, I can’t… It would be awkward if I asked any of my old coworkers if I could move in with them… And I don’t want Melissa to know… Then again, she’ll probably find out sooner or later…”
“Well, you are not sleeping on a park bench, out in the open, that’s for sure.”
“Where do you expect me to go, Amina? I don’t have enough money for a hotel room…”
“Come with me,” she tells him. Zach does as he’s ordered and follows her out of the park, along with a dark figure.
The red vixen leads her companion down the alleyway, through a lot of twists and turns. When they come to a wide area, she stops, as does Zach. Before them is a structure made together out of metal sheets and pallet boards. “Here we are,” Amina says.
“What is this place?” Zach asks.
“My home.”
“You live here?” Amina nods. “You built this yourself?”
“I did. It wasn’t easy, but I managed. Come.” She walks over to the curtain and pulls it away, revealing the inside of the “house.” Zach enters the makeshift shack with the vixen behind him. Inside the shelter, Zach looks around to see only one room makes up the entire structure. He eyes up a cloth hammock in the corner, while opposite of it is a fireplace with a large spool and stools acting as a dining set. “It’s not luxurious, but it will do.”
“Amina… If I had known you were living like this, I would’ve-”
“Zach, it’s okay. I don’t mind at all; I’m comfortable with what I have.”
“Amina…”
“No more talking about the way I live. I’ve made my choice already. Just don’t worry about it.”
Zach lets out a sigh. “All right…”
“I should have some spare materials to make you a cot. Give me a moment.” She goes over to the space next to the hammock and gets to work on building furniture for Zach to sleep on.
While she works, Zach sets his things down and takes a seat over at the “spool table.” “How long have you lived here?”
“Long enough,” Amina replies. “It took me a while to get this place up, but it was worth it.”
“Does anyone else know about this?”
“Nope; no one comes down this way. It’s nice, quiet, and well-hidden with some green space next door. Made use of it with a nice, little garden for food. And, there!” She stops and faces him. “Here’s your new bed.”
“Thanks, Amina. You know, I’m amazed how self-sufficient you are… But don’t you think you could do better? You know, live better? I don’t mean to come back to that and offend you… I just-”
“I know what you are asking, and it’s okay. I get it; I’m not as lavish as you guys. I’ve seen how you and your friends live, and though it would be nice to live the same way and do what you guys do, I feel I can’t. To be honest, I’m not too accustomed to your way of life. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve adapted to the city, but not as much as you think.”
“I can help with that… I’ve got plenty of time now.”
“You wouldn’t mind?” Zach shakes his head. “I appreciate that, Zach. But you shouldn’t spend all your time with that.”
“I won’t be spending all of it on just that. I’m going to focus on finding another job to help bring in funds. That will help get us whatever we need; more food, better shelter, etc.”
“Do you know where to look?”
“Not exactly, but I know a place that may help me find work; as well as teach you more about the city and way of life. We can go there tomorrow, first thing in the morning.”
“That would be nice.”
“Right now, I’m hungry and I could use something to eat. Sorry, I just-”
“No need. And yes, you are right; I should start with some dinner.” Amina walks over to the fireplace and wastes no time with cooking. “Maybe you could teach me how to cook the way you guys do. You know, with those fancy gadgets you use every day and those lovely recipes?”
“That requires a proper kitchen and electricity. We’d need a better place for that. I will look into a new apartment while we’re there.”
“Will it even be easy to obtain a new home?”
Zach lets out a sarcastic chuckle. “No… It’ll require a lot of research. I’d need to fill out tons of paperwork for it, too… But I’m hopeful it’ll be worth it in the end.”
“When you get the new place, maybe you will impress Melissa with it.”
Zach smiles. “That would be something.” The two friends continue talking. Outside of the shack, the dark figure that had tailed them remains at a distance around a corner, watching the two through an opening before receding and disappearing into the night.
