### Chapter 1
“Hey, Mommy?” Alyce whined, tugging at her mother’s dress. “Mommy…?”
Alyce’s mother turned away from the dishes she was washing, turning her round face down to look the energetic seven-year-old in the eye. “Yes, Alyce?” she cooed. “Why aren’t you in bed like you’re supposed to be?”
Alyce laid her hands on the sides of her head. “Mommy, I can’t sleep…my ears hurt!”
Alyce’s complaints prompted her mother to brush the child’s hands away, in order to investigate the complaint herself. Alyce stood patiently while her brown hair was parted away from her ears, not wanting to get them accidentally touched. “Hm…they’re very red. What did you do to them?”
“Nothing! Promise!” Alyce let out a small yelp, and in an instant, one of her hands rested on her lower back. “And my bottom hurts, too!”
Alyce’s mother sighed. “I swear…if your ears weren’t so red, I’d think you were making all of this up so you didn’t have to go to bed. You didn’t do this to yourself, did you?”
“Mommy, that’s just silly!” Alyce remarked, giggling all the while. “Why would I get hurt on purpose? That would hurt…!”
“Not as much as it’s going to hurt if you don’t get to bed soon!” a familiar male voice cautioned from the doorway. Alyce turned to see a mountain of a man filling the frame of the back door, his muscular arms bulging even underneath a loose-fitting sweater. “Don’t you know what happens to little girls that don’t get enough sleep?”
“Uncle Ray!” Alyce leapt at the man’s enormous leg and wrapped herself around it. “Hi Uncle Ray!”
Ray chuckled as he peeled the girl from his leg and hoisted her onto his shoulder. “Were you expecting someone else?”
“Um…no…it’s just so late! Why are you here now? Isn’t it your bedtime too?”
“Your grandmother asked him the same thing a lot when he was your age,” Alyce’s mother noted. “He was always staying up late when he was a kid.”
Alyce nodded. “See? Uncle Ray is a good man, and he didn’t go to bed early!”
“Even so...” Alyce's mother shooed her off to bed physically, pain shooting through her tailbone as one of her mother's hands rested on it.
Alyce hustled a little to get away from the touch, and scrambled into her bedroom on her own. She closed the door behind her, but still kept awake for a little while longer, listening with her ear against the door. When the grownups proceeded to talk about adult things that bored her, she resigned herself to try to settle in.
[[Next|"Pay attention!"]]
“You back there!” the teacher snapped. “Fourteen-nine-six-three! Pay attention!”
Alyce's brief reverie was shattered by the command. Oh, she thought, I must have zoned out. Her mind had traveled back to a moment over ten years ago, before her features had grown in. *If only I knew my mother would leave me here after that…maybe I would have hidden them from her.*
“Fourteen-nine-six-three!” The teacher slapped his ruler against his desk. “I'll be filing this transgression with the Doctor.”
“No, you can't do that!” Alyce protested, knowing full well what the Doctor's involvement meant for her. “I'll pay attention, I promise!”
“I hear that from you a lot.” The teacher reached under his desk and pressed a button, summoning a burly security guard in a black suit in short order. “Take her to her room.”
One of the other students in the room, a shaggy-haired boy, stood up and moved toward Alyce and the guard. “Hey, that's not fair!” he protested. The guard's reply was to punch the young man in the stomach, and shove him off his feet when he doubled over.
Alyce looked on horrified as the boy took a nasty spill into an empty desk in the back row. *Please…no one else…* “I'm coming,” she said, trying her best to dissuade anyone else from rescuing her.
The guard grabbed Alyce by the back of her shirt, ushering her out of the classroom and through the halls of the Cross Town Asylum. *Oh, I don't like this…now I'm probably never going to be seen again, just like everyone else the Doctor sees. I heard he chops everyone up into pieces! He thinks he'll discover why we grow these features by cutting us up...I wish there was another way.*
Alyce sighed and shook her head, focusing on the facilities she walked past to keep her mind off the impending dissection. It seemed to be about noon, and there was a large crowd, children and adults both, crowding into the cafeteria. Everyone else was already at their assigned stations, or shut away in their personal rooms. Soon, she herself was at the door to her own room, which the guard opened so he could toss her in.
“The Doctor is a busy man,” the guard scoffed. “Someone else will be back for you. You've got a couple hours to pray if you're gonna.” With that, the door slammed shut, locking Alyce in.
Alyce reached for the light switch, illuminating her windowless room. There was just enough space in her room for her bed and a small table, so she sat down on the bed, staring at the door. *I don't want to see the Doctor…I want to live…but I can't get out of this room. I can't do anything right now.* A tear rolled down her cheek as she leaned sideways, laying herself down on the bed. *But there's so much I want to do…I want to leave the Cross Town Asylum and see the town. I want to meet new people, people that haven't been here too long to be happy. I want…oh, what good is it?* Alyce's sobbing intensified. *I won't be able to do any of that stuff, will I?* Before she realized it, her body had had enough, and she ended up crying herself to sleep.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Only one shot…!"]]
Alyce’s nap was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. “Wake up in there!” a stern voice from outside ordered.
Alyce was on her feet in an instant, massaging her sore ears. She was somewhat sensitive to loud noises, and the way she was usually treated didn’t help this any. “What’s going on?” she asked the door burst open, still rubbing the blurriness out of her eyes.
The light from the hallway was nearly completely obscured by the large, broad frame of a six-foot-six man dressed entirely in black clothing—shoes, suit, sunglasses, and so on. “Come with me.”
“I…I don’t want to…” Alyce slowly backed away from the man in black that was steadily advancing upon her, startling herself when she bumped into the corner.
“I’m sure you don’t.” The man took Alyce by the wrist and began dragging her from her room. “But the Doctor wants you to, and what the Doctor says, goes.”
“Leave me alone!” Alyce shouted, struggling to break free from the man’s grip on her wrist. She felt like her bones were ready to break under his malicious grasp, but much more was at stake if she didn’t free herself.
“No can do, little girl,” the man replied condescendingly. “We have our orders, after all. We really don’t want to hurt you—”
“Then let me go!” Alyce shot back indignantly. “You’re hurting me right now!”
“Well, that’s not quite what I meant; if you’re going to make things difficult, we can’t help but hurt you…a litt—“ The man in black found himself interrupted by the sharp pain forcing its way into his wrist. “Ow! You bit me, you little brat!”
“I’m sorry, I just…please, let go of me…” Alyce couldn’t hold back her despair at this point. Tears began raining down from her eyes. “You can’t do this…”
“I’m not the one to cry to about that. I just do the work I’m given.”
“You monster!” Alyce shrieked. “I’m no different from you! Why would you help this happen?”
“I, uh, ain’t the same as you. You got those…uh…”
The man in black began to literally point out the differences, but with the wrong hand. Alyce realized his mistake first, and managed to break free. It felt like all the energy and moving around she hadn't done in all her years at the Asylum had been bottled up, saved for this moment. “That wasn’t the point!” she shouted back at her captor, before bolting off in a dead sprint.
She looked back to see him whip a small communication device out from inside his suit, and presumably call for assistance. *I can’t let them find me…got to make a break for it!* Alyce bolted down the halls of the compound, desperately searching for an escape route. Tons of confused people, orderlies and patients alike, were shoved aside or otherwise treated to the blur of her agile frame darting down hallways and past the people in them with fox-like agility.
Just as Alyce spotted what appeared to be an exit, a loud noise painfully pierced her ears. *An alarm!* She could hear the sound of metal moving within the walls, and a glimpse at a nearby window proved her suspicions correct; all openings to the outside were being blocked off as part of the alarm system. *Then I only have one chance…* Alyce braced herself before breaking out in the fastest run she’d ever committed herself to in her life, straight for the glass doors ahead of her. *Wait, there has to be another way…* Alyce looked all around, but everything she wasn’t wearing seemed to be bolted down, to prevent exactly what she was planning. *Wait, that’s it…!* Thankfully, the compound had given her a pair of shoes to wear after she complained of sensitive feet. It was a ruse, of course, given her natural athleticism, but it had given her hope at one point concerning the kindness of the compound staff.
Now, though, her only concern was that the glass before her wasn’t too strong for her shoes and throwing arm. *Only one shot…!* Alyce struggled to get the shoes off her feet while running for the door. Oddly, the door was the last thing being barred by the alarm system. *That should have been first, shouldn’t it? No…no distractions!* Alyce had a shoe in each hand at this point, and took aim with the one in her right hand. *Here goes…* Alyce wound up, and pitched the shoe into the door with all her might. She was extremely relieved to see it shatter. “Yes!” she couldn’t help but shout. *I wouldn’t want to get all full of glass; it would mess up my escape just as much as those bars!* Alyce took her other shoe and proceeded to knock out even more of the glass with her second throw. However, upon jumping through the broken door, she still felt a few odd pieces in the door frame cut her up, as well as some of the grounded shards.
Alyce bolted out of the compound, and instinctively turned around for one last look. *I’ve been in there for as long as I can remember…what’s going to happen to me out here?* There was no time for philosophy, however, as a large black van pulled up to the compound, and more men in black filed out.
“Stop!” one of them shouted. “We can help you!”
“No, you’re lying!” Alyce retorted. *The roads aren’t safe, then…ah!* Alyce doubled around the side of the compound, where the grounds gave way to a forested area. She had spent much of her free time in the compound staring intently into the forest, wondering what was on the other side. With no other escape route in sight, today was her day to find out.
Alyce tore through the forest, feeling blood from the door beginning to mat in her hair. There was no time to worry about that. *I have to get away at all costs…* The sun was beginning to set, threatening to plunge the forest into darkness, a blessing and a curse to Alyce’s efforts. She would be harder to find in the dark, but the forest would also be much harder to navigate. She wasn’t really “navigating” the forest so much as “tearing wildly through the brush like a tornado”, but the problem definitely still existed.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Stay back!"]]
Alyce felt like she had been running for hours, when she finally burst free from the trees. Unfortunately, this also meant bursting directly into somebody. Alyce fell to the ground, rubbing her head. She allowed herself to examine the person she had run into. A young man wearing rags lay on the sidewalk before her, his frame apparently underfed but not unhealthy.
“Hey!” he muttered as he rose to a sitting position, clutching his head. “The hell is your problem?”
Alyce jumped to her feet, wary of the ragged youth wobbling to his feet before her. “Stay back!” she warned, hoping he wouldn’t catch on to her bluff.
“…what?” he replied, visibly confused. “Calm down, lady, I’m not going to hurt you.”
Alyce winced, briefly hearing voices back at the compound in her head telling her the same. “N-no! That’s what they always say, and then—“
“The hell you talkin’ ‘bout? Chill.”
Alyce composed herself and sized up the person she’d ran into once more. *He still hasn’t moved…is he sincere?*
“Seriously, cool off. Here, see?” He pulled a knife out of his rags.
Alyce whimpered. “You’re going to hurt me with that, aren’t you?”
He simply shook his head and dropped the knife on the ground in front of him, then kicked it to her. “Stab me if I get outta hand,” he dared. “Ya got plenty of blood on you…your…”
“My what?”
The boy in rags pointed. “You know…um, your ears and, err, that tail. Is it Halloween already, lady?”
Alyce patted herself in the areas he pointed out, and felt the blood caked on. *He’s right, I am covered in—wait, he must be shocked about the fox ears and tail. They’re drawing too much attention, aren’t they?*
“What, you didn’t know you left your tail on?” he mocked. “Come on, pick my knife up an’ walk with me to my place. You might be able to clean up a little there.”
Alyce nodded silently and picked up the knife. It was much heavier than it appeared to be at first glance, and she struggled to firmly grasp it properly. “Why are you doing this?”
“Just killin’ time,” the ragamuffin replied. “What’s your name, dame?”
*I don’t know…should I tell him? What if he reports me to the compound? Wait, he’s already seen my fox parts…he could report me based on those alone.* “I’m…I’m Alyce.”
“Well, isn’t that peachy.” He stretched out his hand, offering a shake. “Call me Grizz.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Grizz?"]]
Alyce shook Grizz’s hand hesitantly, her other hand still gripping the knife. “’Grizz’?”
“It’s not my real name, sweet-cheeks,” Grizz shot back angrily. “But I don’t have any use for my real name anymore, so why bother? Come on, down this alleyway.”
Alyce followed his gaze. “In here?” *That’s actually a good idea. I don’t want to stay on the streets.* “Alright…”
“Ha, you’re pretty gullible, Alyce,” Grizz said cruelly. “You’re lucky I ain’t robbin’ ya. Naw, we’re going down the alley across the street.” Upon noting Alyce’s unamused glare, he hastily added, “For real.”
Alyce looked down the alley across the street, but saw no doors leading into the buildings. As they crossed the street together, Alyce asked, “So…how much further until we reach your place?”
“Damn, you're serious,” Grizz replied once they reached the alley, “this is my place! You don’t know a homeless kid when you see him?”
“Is…is that why you don’t need a real name?” Alyce pondered.
“Ah, so you’re not all dumb. I was going to use these to wash up a little, but…” Grizz rummaged through a nearby trash can, and pulled a bottle of water and a bar of soap from within, wrapped up in cloth. “…if you don’t wash that blood out, it’ll stain.” Grizz handed her the cleaning supplies. “You know, you never did tell me why you’re wearing that fox tail…or those ears.”
*Hm…he actually is sincerely trying to help me. How…nice.* Alyce exchanged Grizz’s goods for his knife. “I’m not wearing anything,” she explained, scrubbing a spot of blood from her tail. “It’s real, see?” She gave it a few good tugs for emphasis, then held her hair up to showcase the authenticity of her ears.
“Son of a…” Grizz muttered in shock. “You’re a real foxy lady, aren’t you?” Grizz examined Alyce more closely. “…your clothes! They’ve got the Cross Town Asylum logo on ‘em! Damn, it’s a wonder you’re alive! I’ve heard the stories…all sorts of people gettin’ checked into CTA to get experimented on!”
Alyce nodded. “I heard them talking a few days ago…” She began to weep, clutching her tail to her chest as if it were a child’s security blanket. “Today, they were going to cut it all off, and cut the rest of me up if they had to, just to see why it grew in the first place…”
“Hey,” Grizz said sternly. “What’d I tell ya a few minutes ago? Ya need to chill.”
Grizz removed the cloak that comprised the majority of his rags, leaving him with only a torn T-shirt and shorts to wear, presumably both blue before mistreatment turned them as brown as the dirt that caked the rest of his body. “If you’re worried, wear this," he continued. "It’s got a hood to go over your ears, see? And it could cover your tail if you play your cards right. But you better cover up your wounds first, yeah? Especially your feet.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Why…are you helping me?"]]
Alyce looked down at her feet. True to Grizz’s admonishment, her feet were in terrible shape. The glass of the compound doors and the rugged landscape of the forest had done her no favors. “I had to…to save myself…”
“Yeah, well…” Grizz snatched the soapy cloth from her hands and nursed her feet, carefully cleaning the wounds of dirt, twigs, and shards of glass. “You gotta take care of your feet, or you end up like me.” Grizz wiggled his bare toes for emphasis, drawing Alyce’s attention to the fact that three of them were missing, one on his right foot and two on his left. “Had to stop some infections from spreading,” he explained casually as he cut the cloth into strips with his knife. “Makeshift bandages for the lady?” Grizz set out to wrap them around any cuts he found.
“Why…are you helping me?” Alyce asked her homeless companion.
“I’m not an asshole,” Grizz answered without missing a beat. “Just ‘cause nobody helps me don’t mean I have to pay that crap forward. Come on, lift your arms.” Grizz slipped his cloak over Alyce’s lithe frame, taking care to tuck her ears into the hood and coax her tail upwards. “There! Now you look like me! Bah.” Grizz spat at the ground. “Lucky you.”
“But I’m…my fox features don’t…bother you…?”
“You held my knife, dame, I saw you freak at how heavy it was. You know I could’ve hacked your precious foxy bits off if I wanted to by now.”
*Grizz…you’re so callous, but still…you seem different than the men at the compound.* “Is that your idea of a compliment?”
“No, this is: I think your tail’s pretty.” Grizz batted his eyelashes sarcastically. “What would I know about pretty? Cross Town’s an ugly place, and Alyce, you just had to flee to downtown of all places.”
*He sounds like he’s joking, but…there is truth to what he said.* Alyce felt tears well up in her eyes. *He…actually complimented my fox tail…* “Wait…what’s wrong with downtown?”
“If you’re hoping to find people that ain't bastards, you’re in the wrong place.”
“But…I found you, didn’t I?”
Grizz laughed. “I’d say you got me there, but don't bastard also mean your parents ain't married?”
Alyce smiled. “But in the newer sense of the word…that’s not you at all. Thanks for your help, Grizz.”
“…Greg Lee.”
“What?”
“My real name’s Greg Lee, in case you were wondering.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"You don't look like a bear."]]
Alyce giggled. “Wait, so you call yourself ‘Grizz Lee’? Like ‘grizzly’? You don’t look like a bear.”
Grizz pouted. “Your name ain’t Foxanne, is it? Names don’t mean nothin'.”
“But you still had to have had that pun in m—“
“Shh.” Grizz’s mirthful exterior had melted in an instant, as he looked around with the panicked mania of a frightened squirrel. Suddenly, he reached out and pushed Alyce into a large pile of garbage.
“Hey!" she said as garbage bags fell all around her. "What are you—“
“I said, shh,” Grizz repeated in a whisper.
*What is going on? I thought Grizz was trying to help me! Why is he being so mean and violent? I’ve got to get out of—*
“Don’t move.” Grizz stood closer to Alyce and began washing himself with the leftover soapy cloth and water, whistling to himself all the while.
Suddenly, Alyce heard footsteps enter the alley, and from her buried location, she could only see parts of the newcomers’ clothes. The black suit pants in her view stopped her heart cold. “Wha’sup?” Grizz asked them nonchalantly.
“Have you seen a girl with a fox’s tail?” one of the men asked in a monotone.
“I’m a blind beggar,” Grizz replied. “I ain’t seen jack.”
The man in black grunted, then threw Grizz to the wall, thankfully the one opposite Alyce’s hiding place. “Stay out of our way.”
Grizz watched them leave, making sure they were out of the alley and likely at the next block before digging Alyce out of the garbage pile. “Son of a…” he muttered, grasping his right arm. “Sorry I couldn’t explain things better, but I heard 'em coming and guessed they’d hear me too.”
*Oh…so he actually was helping me this whole time…Grizz…* “That’s twice you’ve helped me,” Alyce remarked with a smile.
“If I stopped now, I’d be even more of an asshole, with all the false hope an' all that. Say, you’ve got big fox ears, why didn’t you hear ‘em comin’?”
“It must be the hood,” Alyce guessed. “I’m not used to wearing things over my ears.”
“If this world weren’t such a pile, you wouldn’t have to, ever.”
“Grizz, are you really blind?”
Grizz laughed again. Alyce was beginning to understand Grizz better as a person through his laugh; it sounded genuinely amused, yet downtrodden all the same. “You’re still gullible as all hell. I lied to those suits to get ‘em outta here.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"That makes two of us."]]
Alyce gasped. “But lying is—“
“What, wrong? You know I stole the soap, water, and cloth that cleaned your cuts up, right?”
“Goodness!” *A thief!* “But I was told by the compound’s education staff that stealing is wrong…!”
“Bah! You’re going to take the word of those guys over me?” Grizz turned his back on his naïve ward. “I get my ass kicked by those suits for your sake, and you still trust them more?”
“I’m…I’m sorry,” Alyce sighed meekly. “I’ve been in the compound since I was a little girl…since my mommy first noticed my fox tail…”
“…your own mom sold your ass out, huh?” Grizz sighed, his shoulders drooping visibly. “That makes two of us. My parents were here on duty for some big corporation. Mom was already married when Dad knocked her up…naturally, they bolted once their business here was done, and left me behind.”
“Wow, Grizz…” Alyce muttered in shock.
“Yeah. Wow.” Grizz smirked and held up a wallet. “See this? I stole it from one of the suits. It’s got enough cash in it to get you an’ me some nicer clothes, to help us blend in better. You know, a bow or a hairband for your ears an’ all that. But the thievery itself…you can’t blame me for that, now, can ya? It’s my upbringin'…!”
“Stealing is…” Alyce started to repeat. *But he was stealing from someone trying to hurt me, and the money he stole is going to help us. I…it’s wrong, but I guess…it’s alright?*
Grizz sighed. “You keep tellin’ yourself that, broad, but what you gotta tell me is this: you want some new clothes or not?” Grizz eyed the forms of ID that were in the wallet. “Your precious compound says they wanna help ya, yeah? Then let their money help ya blend in with the crowd, so they can’t find you and try ‘helping’ ya some more.”
*OK, I guess it’s fine…but I do have one more question…* “Grizz…what if they find me anyway?”
Grizz spun his knife around on the top of his hand, then flipped his wrist, grabbing the hilt in one swift motion. “Then I give ‘em a taste of their own medicine.”
Alyce gasped. “You mean you’ll kill them!”
“Yeah. Lesson one of the Cross Town streets: it’s kill or be killed.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Is…is that a compliment?"]]
*Grizz sure is right…I really don’t think I’ll like it here. Theft, murder, poverty…* “It must be better than the compound, though.”
Grizz looked up from sharpening his knife. “Whuzzat?”
“Hm? Oh…” *I must’ve said that out loud.* “It’s just…this is such a terrible place, from the way you describe it…but at least I’m out of the compound, right?”
Grizz chuckled. Something seemed…lighter about this chuckle, though. “Optimism, huh?" A long pause, and then, "The only thing between you an’ certain death is a homeless thief, and you’re jus’ gonna grin an’ bear it? Fan-friggin'-tastic.”
Alyce cocked her head to the side, confused. “Is…that a compliment?”
Grizz shrugged. “Hell if I know,” he said, “but I meant it to be.”
“Well then…” Alyce bowed slightly to her belligerent benefactor. “Thank you.”
“G’aww, shucks,” Grizz replied in an exaggerated tone, before breaking character with a hearty spit. “Damn,” Grizz muttered, his grip returning to his right arm.
“Is your arm OK?” Alyce wondered aloud. “You’ve been swearing a lot about it.”
“What, you got a problem with swearin’ too? Well…sorry.” Grizz massaged his right forearm a bit for emphasis. “That damn suit threw me into a wall, an’ done screwed up my arm.”
“Goodness!” *I suppose I should have a problem with his swears, but despite them, he still sounds…nice…* “Is your arm broken?”
“Gah, might be. Let’s just go shopping. Come on, there’s a mall nearby, an’ Prowl Shoes just turned into Prowl Clothing. Now they got ‘all your clothing needs’ or somethin'. Know your shoe size?” Grizz fanned through the stack of bills that must have been in the man in black’s wallet. “We goin’ get you all pimped out.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"You'd do that for me?]]
“Is…is that good?”
Grizz nodded. “The hell it matter to ya? Ya got me to translate an’ all that.”
“So…Grizz, does that mean…?”
“It means I’m’a help ya as long as ya need me.”
“Wow…” Alyce began tearing up. “Grizz, you’d do that for me?”
Grizz shrugged and beckoned for Alyce to walk with him to the mall. “If I don’t, you’re as good as dead. An’ despite what I said earlier…I don’t like killin’.”
“So…you’ve never killed anyone?” *Please say no, please say no…*
“I didn’t say that. I will say this: imagine that someone wants to kill ya. Well…” Grizz rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. “Not that you have to imagine it. Anyway…they wanna kill you, and imagine they’re about to do it. Imagine the only way to stop ‘em is to kill ‘em first. You can take the moral high road, but it kills ya.”
“…you only kill in self-defense, then?” *That’s…alright…I suppose…*
“Self-defense, that's it, exactly.” Grizz stopped and spread his arms out in front of him. “Behold, Cross Town Mall!”
It was in much worse shape than Alyce expected. Some of the storefronts had windows boarded up, and others just plain looked dirty. It was about as dirty as the surrounding city, sure, but compared to the sterile order of the compound, Cross Town was a mess. Grizz noted Alyce’s disgust and laughed. “Yeah, this is Cross Town for ya," he said. "There’s another city right nearby, but it’s too busy for ya. River City’s a mess right now…some kinda fighting tournament went all tits-up on 'em.”
“Goodness, how barbaric!” Alyce interjected.
“No kidding. Someone died in the second fight, an' some kinda explosion went down, an' it's all sorts of screwed up that way. But enough about that.” Grizz suddenly imitated a girly, ditzy voice. “Like, let’s go shopping!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I can’t be your knight in shinin’ armor without no shine."]]
Alyce laughed; she couldn’t tell what Grizz’s joke meant, but at least knew it was some sort of joke. “Alright…! How much money do we have?”
“Well…” Grizz took the time to examine the stolen funds more closely. “We should really think about food or something, but hell with that. A lady’s gotta look nice, yeah? An’ I can’t be your knight in shinin’ armor without no shine.”
Alyce tugged on the cloak Grizz had given her. There was plenty to tug at, since Grizz’s frame was much larger than hers. “Wait, we already have clothes, right?”
Grizz nodded. “But they ain’t enough, see? One, you gotta ditch those CTA threads. Two, a homeless fella like me needs two sets of threads; gotta have a ratty, crappy set for beggin’ on the curb an’ all that, an’ a snazzy, ritzy set to help con your way around rich folks.” Grizz sighed. “The richer a broad is, the less money she puts out, ya know?”
“That’s terrible!” Alyce remarked. “Shouldn’t they give more, since they have more to spare?”
“An’ they would, if humans weren’t bastards. Hell with it, let’s just go to Prowl Clothing and get this over with.”
Alyce was surprised when they entered the store. It was much cleaner than outward appearances suggested. “I’ve never been in a store before…” she whispered, “…especially not one this big!” Racks of clothing extended as far as the eye could see, countless towers of shirts and pants and shoes and anything else one could possibly want to wear. Even from afar, Alyce could tell the clothes had a far different style than her prim and plain compound uniform.
“Me neither,” Grizz whispered back, “but you don’t see me gawkin’. Shh, here comes someone. Lemme handle the talkin’, a’ight?”
*You, Grizz? But you’re…* “…um, are you sure about this?”
Grizz flashed a quick grin. “Trust me, I got a way with store cultists.”
The associate was soon upon them, impatiently tapping her foot and chewing something—bubble gum, most likely. Alyce had heard of the stuff, but it wasn’t allowed in the compound. “Welcome to Prowl Clothing,” she recited stiffly. Even in her sheltered state, Alyce could tell someone had put this lady up to saying that. The grimace that spread across her face, however, probably wasn’t in the script. “Can I help you…eww.”
“Excuse me, ma’am?” Grizz asked with surprising cordiality and restraint. “Did you just say ‘eww’? Is it our clothes? I suggest you allow us to shop for new ones, without any further rude remarks, lest I summon your manager.”
“Tch, fine,” the associate mumbled, her back already turned to walk away.
Grizz heaved a sigh of relief. “Son of a…” he said, his voice diving a few octaves to return to normal. “That’ll keep ‘em off our backs.”
Alyce blinked rapidly, still amazed at Grizz’s behavior. “So…you do know how to be polite.”
Grizz winked. “Yep. But I hate it.”
“Still, why do we want them away from us?”
“’cause…if you’re lookin’ through the hats an’ hairbands an’ crap, they’d wanna pull the hood off your head to see which one would match your head best.”
Alyce nodded in understanding. “And then they’d see…”
“Yep.” Grizz chuckled to himself. “They also just plain piss me off. Come on, let’s find you some clothes.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Less sappiness, more shoppiness."]]
### Chapter 2
Grizz led the way through the forest of clothing on the women’s side of the store. “Well, see anything ya like?”
Alyce shrugged. “I’m not sure…the compound always makes us wear the same uniforms all the time…I’ve never had so much choice before…!”
Grizz let out a grunt in agreement. “Well, damn, I ain’t not much better. Ya don’t exactly get your pick of outfits out on the streets.”
“So you must see lots of people out there…what should I wear to…blend in?”
Grizz shook his head. “Oh lawd. Fashion's changed since I was a kid, I think. Here, see?” Grizz grabbed something off of a nearby rack and held it up to Alyce’s body. The shirt didn’t cover much beyond the middle third of her torso. “An’ no offense, but this here’s made for someone with a bigger rack.”
“…’rack’? Me?” *But…aren’t the things holding the clothes called racks? Street lingo is so weird…*
“Friggin'…I’ll tell ya later.” Grizz inspected the so-called shirt, alternating between holding it in his hands and wrapping it around Alyce’s frame. “Hm, K, you want something smaller than this…” Grizz made a rectangle with his thumbs and index fingers, dropping the shirt in the process. He mumbled a few things to himself while he rotated his finger-rectangle back and forth, his eyes narrowed in deep focus.
“K, over here,” he said while pointing to another rack of clothes. “These should be your size. See, they got somethin' for just about any shape a person can come in.” Alyce patted her ears under the hood self-consciously. “Damn,” Grizz corrected himself, “look, I didn’t mean it like that. I told you before, yeah? They’re pretty.”
“Do you mean that?” Alyce asked. *I have to know…is he just trying to make me feel better? Or…are my fox features beautiful to someone after all?*
Grizz nodded. “I’m homeless, I’m rude, I’m a thief, I’ve even killed a few people. But dammit, I ain’t no liar.”
It was a very clumsy and callous way to confirm himself as genuine, but it felt very authentic coming from someone as clumsy and callous as Grizz. “Thanks…” Alyce whispered.
“Stop it. Less sappiness, more shoppiness.”
“That isn’t a word…”
Grizz seemed to be holding back a desire to spit, and resigned himself to swallowing the offending saliva instead. “Gah…uh, well, the hell do you care? Let’s go shopping.”
Alyce nodded, rifling through the shirts on the rack. Her findings seemed engineered to attack her optimism directly. *Do these even have enough fabric to hide my foxtail…?* There were a few that did seem to cover up a decent amount of skin, but Alyce’s limited life experiences prevented her from judging how fashionable they were in other respects.
Alyce held one of the modest shirts against her, turning to Grizz for his approval. “What do you think?” she asked
“Huh…that’s actually fine,” Grizz answered. Whatever it was about the shirt that appealed to him, be it the modesty or just the lack of graphics, there was something he liked about the tee he wasn't expecting.
It was a plain blue shirt, which had a vague sense of comforting familiarity to it despite the plain white shirt being part of the compound uniform. Still, Alyce wasn’t feeling street-smart enough to judge the fashion of the other shirts she had seen, with their varied logos and color schemes. “You think so…?”
Grizz nodded. “Blue is your color,” he remarked.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"That's gonna crap on our budget."]]
“What do you mean?” Alycce asked.
“I mean…you’re short-ish," Grizz said, "you’re skinny, you got brown hair comin’ down to your rack, and orange…well, I think blue goes well with all that. Doesn’t it?” Grizz shrugged. “K, so I’m not so hot when it comes to this crap. But I think it’d work well for ya. Here, I’ll hold on to it for now, an’ you can try it on later. I’ve been lookin’ around at this place…they got changing rooms against the far walls. You gotta go through the pants and the shoes to reach ‘em, so we might as well pick some of those out along the way too.”
Alyce nodded. “Alright. Wait…how much money did you say we had?”
“Damn, we really didn’t check that.” Grizz counted the money once again. “K, right, we got two hundred big ones. Hm, guess that suit was prepared for a lot of travel.” Grizz smirked. “Well, he ain’t gettin’ too far now.”
*Right…this is stolen money…still, Grizz is right. This is money from the compound, and…it’s helping me, like they always claimed they were.* “So…how much can we get?”
“Hm, well.” Grizz tapped his chin with his index finger, going over the numbers in his head. “Well, you got that shirt, and it’s two for five bucks. Plain ol’ jeans are gonna run you…‘bout twenty bucks. Shoes…start out at around twenty here and go way up from there. So…” Grizz started counting on his fingers. “…two shirts, one pair of pants, an’ one pair of shoes are gonna be, what, fifty bucks?”
Alyce nodded. “Are the prices about the same for men’s clothes?”
“Friggin' probably. So we do that, an’ we got a hundred bucks gone toward clothes, and the other hundred to go toward food an’ crap. Either way, we gonna have to get more money soon, so if you want more clothes…”
“Hmm…should we really get more clothes?”
“Do we really need them, you mean. Damn, Alyce, now you’re thinkin’ like a street kid.”
*I’m…not sure I want to…* “But we have lots of extra money just in case…”
Grizz nodded. “If you find really nice shoes for fifty bucks, go for it. What the hell.”
“Alright…so, we’re at the pants. How should I buy pants?”
“Well…” Grizz leaned in close to whisper to his foxy friend. “Something with loose-fitting legs to hide your tail in, I’d say.” Grizz leaned back away. “That’s right, you need a headband or somethin', too. Those are on a few odd shelves near the shoes. Hm, they must be…what, five bucks tops? Nothin’ to worry about.”
“Right.” Alyce put a finger to her lips. “Grizz…what size pants should I get?”
“Damn, well…” Grizz’s eyes fell down to Alyce’s hips. “…you’re wearin’ pants under that cloak…do you know what size they are? I mean…” Alyce saw Grizz’s cheeks turn beet red. “…it’s not like I can just look.”
“You mean my…” Alyce patted the back of the cloak. *…my tail?*
“Yeah, let’s go with that,” Grizz said quickly. “But…” Grizz’s eyes darted back and forth between Alyce’s lower body and the myriad racks of clothing. Grizz ran off to a rack a short distance away, and returned with a pair of blue jeans. “Somethin' like this…? Yeah, that should work.” Alyce followed Grizz’s gaze when it briefly darted to a nearby rack of skirts. “Oh crap, speaking of…I forgot about underwear too. You're gonna need that, an' probably a bra for your rack.”
*…oh!* Alyce’s hands instinctively flew to her breasts. *That’s what he means when he says…wait, so earlier…he was trying to tell me I have small breasts! Is…that bad? I don’t understand…* “Yeah…a change of underwear would be nice.”
“Well, damn,” Grizz muttered, eyeing the lingerie. “That’s gonna crap on our budget. So…you need a shirt, pair of pants, bra, panties, headband, shoes…hm…” Grizz muttered several swears under his breath. “…seventy-five, eighty dollars.”
“Huh?”
“…clothes shopping is expensive. It’s gonna be at least eighty dollars for your stuff, an' that's on the small side. Hell with it…at this point I just wanna say we might as well spend all two hundred big ones on clothes.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Nobody knows why..."]]
“Grizz,” Alyce said, “what will we do for food?”
“Food?” Grizz parroted. “Hell, I got food. Enough for the two of us for a few days.”
“In that alleyway? Yuck!”
Grizz laughed. “Yeah, if I told you I keep it all in a trash can, that ain’t gonna help, is it? Well, how ‘bout this: it’s the only stuff in the can, an’ it’s kept wrapped up an’ shit to keep it from getting’ gross. Plus most of it’s in cans.”
Alyce’s mouth formed into a strange half-frown. “I guess…that’s okay…” *…but still, why does everything have to be in a trash can?*
“Anyway, walk with me. We gotta get ya underwear, yeah?”
Alyce nodded. “That should be easier, right? I mean…I don’t have to worry about fashion, do I?”
Grizz laughed. “Never thought of it that way,” he remarked. “Well, all you need is somethin' that fits. K, your size bra is here.” Grizz pointed to a bin full of bras. “Awesome…they’re on discount.”
Alyce took a look at the sign sticking out of the bin. “Hm…50% off…that’s nice. More money for us, right?” she asked with a grin.
Grizz nodded. “Hell yeah. See, it’s ‘cause all these are plain-lookin’. See, like, they ain’t got frilly crap or underwire or whatever, but you don’t need none of that.”
Alyce grabbed one such bra from the bin. It was just a simple white one, with all the necessary parts and nothing more. “Like this?”
“Yeah,” Grizz affirmed. “So…while we find panties to match, I’m curious. How did you get…” Grizz held his hands up against his head.
*What is he…his ears? Oh! My ears…and my tail, I assume…* “…I’ve been told people sometimes get born with animal features. Nobody knows why…that's what the compound always said they'd find out. You really do wake up one morning having cat claws or patches of lizard scales or…”
Grizz nodded. “Uh, yeah, sure. Anyway...” Grizz held up the bra Alyce had picked out, and revealed that a pair of panties were attached to it. “Good, it matches an’ everything. Come on, let’s get shoes. And…go on…you know, if you wanna.”
“If I…want to?” Alyce had never been given a choice like that back at the compound.
“Yeah…I mean, if you don’t wanna talk about it, don’t. I ain’t forcin’ ya.”
Alyce shook her head. “I don’t mind…” *…but I still appreciate the choice.*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"You're not a freak."]]
“I don’t think there’s an official word for it," Alyce said. "Some people back at the…” *No, I better not mention the compound out loud. Not here.* “…I’ve heard them called ‘manimals’ or ‘beastpeople’. Things like that.” Alyce began to tear up a little. “Or ‘abnormal’…or ‘freak’…”
“You’re not a freak,” Grizz whispered. “But I can’t say much more here, someone might catch on.”
Alyce shook her head. *Come to think of it, there isn’t even a section in this clothing store to accommodate people with animal features…like me…* “Grizz…”
“So, here we are at the shoes,” Grizz announced. “I was takin’ care of your feet earlier…I’d say your size is over here.” The shoes appeared to be arranged in vertical shelves built into the wall, by order of size. Grizz was standing before a nearby set of shelves, his arms held out wide to signal which set of shelves he meant. “So…you say nobody knows why people are born like that?”
Alyce shook her head, perusing the shoes on display. Each shoe had one set out on the shelf for showcase purposes, and a shoebox containing a pair of the shoes to their left. “That’s why people like the ones at Cross Town Asylum take people with animal features in so often. Right in there alongside…anyone else that…”
“…that society doesn’t want to deal with,” Grizz finished. “With all due respect.”
*He must mean “no offense”. Or he can't say that because someone might hear and know that I…he's sharp.* “Of course,” Alyce finally replied. “I like those shoes.” She pointed out a sky-blue sneaker that rested in the middle of a shelf level with Grizz’s nose. “But they’re expensive…”
Grizz glanced at the price tag and balked. “Naw, only ten bucks more than I thought. If you like ‘em, get—dammit, I just realized. Socks.”
“Socks? Oh, right, socks! We forgot about those, too!”
“We don’t know nothin',” Grizz said with a laugh. “Hell, a bag of simple socks is a few bucks each. Here, see, here’s some in this bin, three bucks.” Grizz fished out a bag of socks, claiming to have six pairs plus an extra pair for free. “Why they don’t just say ‘seven pairs’ beats me.”
“OK, so this is everything, huh?” Alyce examined the clothes draped upon her arms and Grizz’s. “Hm…it looks like we have one of everything.”
“Wait…you still need something for your head,” Grizz observed.
“Oh, right! What should we buy?”
“Hell if I know. A ribbon, hairband, scarf, hat…as long as you can hide your ears in it, it’ll work.”
“Grizz, could you make a hairband for me?” Alyce tapped her foot on the floor. “You did make such comfy bandages, after all.”
“Ya think? ‘cause I keep plenty of cloth handy. You know, for times like that. I doubt any of it’s going to look pretty on ya. And…won’t it hurt ya?”
“You mean…press them down too tightly? It…it’s uncomfortable, but it doesn’t hurt…”
“Yeah, but still.” Grizz was obviously struggling to find the right words to convey his thoughts. “You…your…it…it’s gotta be comfy, ya know?”
Alyce nodded. “I suppose so. Alright, we can find a hat or a scarf here.”
“Alright, we’ll go for it. There’s a nice blue-and-orange scarf I saw awhile back, that sound nice?”
“It sounds lovely, Grizz.”
“Well, lemme go get it.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Dame, you're homeless too."]]
Alyce watched Grizz dart through the aisles and clothes to locate the scarf he had described. *If it wasn’t for me, Grizz would have all two hundred dollars for himself…but it seems like he’s more than willing to split it with me. It’s nice, but…it’s one hundred dollars. I guess I hadn’t thought of this before now. I was so fixated on Grizz having stolen this money that…I didn’t realize that I’m effectively stealing it from him. And…he’s homeless! He needs all the money he can get.* Alyce’s introspective was interrupted by Grizz’s hasty return. “Oh! Grizz…you’re back…”
“Ch’yeah!” Grizz said. “Here’s the scarf. Ain’t it dope?”
“I…” *What is he even saying?* “It’s great! But Grizz…is this OK? This is…your money, I guess…I mean, I was thinking, you’re homeless, and…”
Grizz shook the scarf in his hand a little. “Dame, you’re homeless too."
“I…what? No, I live…” *…with my mother? No, she abandoned me. The compound? No way, I can never go back there. I…* “…you’re right.” Alyce sank to her knees, under the weight of her realization. “I’ve…I’ve got nowhere to go.”
“Sure ya do.” Grizz put a hand on her shoulder. “You’re comin’ with me.”
“But Grizz…you haven’t even found a home for yourself. How can you support me, too?”
“Hell, same way I support myself. You ain’t gonna like this, but it involves stealin’.” Grizz shrugged. “You gotta keep a low profile, yeah? Nobody keeps a lower profile than thieves stuck in the streets, ya know?”
*It’s true…I don’t want to steal. I still don’t like the idea much. But…I already told Grizz, I have nowhere to go…I guess he’s my only hope at this point.* “…alright, Grizz. I’ll stay with you.”
“Hell yeah you will!” Grizz confirmed with a childlike enthusiasm. Alyce noted how unlike him it was, but still wasn’t in the mood to mention it. “So come on, get up,” Grizz continued. “No matter what you do after this, you’re still gonna need new threads.”
Alyce nodded, leftover tears still glistening in her eyes. “I suppose you know best, Grizz. Let me go try these on.”
“A’ight, should I wait for you or go looking for clothes for myself?”
“I…don’t know…” *I think I’d feel better if you stayed nearby, Grizz.*
“Then I’ll stick around. Why not, ya know?”
Alyce let out an elated sigh. “Thanks, Grizz.” *For everything.*
“You’ve been thankin’ me all day. It’s gettin’ reak old.”
“But…you’ve been nice to me all day. You thank someone who’s been kind to you. It’s…oh, right, manners.”
Grizz laughed. “Ex-friggin'-actly. Now go try on all those clothes.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"That's good, right?"]]
Alyce nodded and excused herself into the nearby changing booth. It was small and somewhat difficult to move around in, but the small and flexible Alyce had no trouble finding enough room to change her clothes. It took her awhile to even notice the mirror on one of the walls. *A mirror…they really didn’t have any of those back at the compound.*
Alyce had only gotten as far as putting on the underwear she had picked out before deciding to take advantage of this mirror to examine herself better. She had fairly large green eyes situated behind her bangs, and above her tiny nose and mouth. In fact, "tiny" was the word that came to her mind a lot; her arms were skinny, her hands small and delicate, her feet shapely despite their recent injuries.
The only things about Alyce that weren’t small in the least were her orange fox ears, the long brown hair around them, and the orange foxtail that protruded from her lower back about where her hair ended. Her ears easily jutted out about as wide as her shoulders; her tail was almost as long as her legs and as wide as both of them put together.
*Grizz is right…my tail really is pretty. How could someone bring themselves to want to cut it off of me, for any reason? I know you’d hate me saying it, Grizz, but…thank you.*
With that out of the way, Alyce resumed putting on the clothes she and Grizz had picked out for her, and really admired the new look. *So many different kinds of blue…Grizz was right again, I really like how blue looks on me. He should see this!*
Alyce wrapped the scarf around her head, tying it under her chin, and made sure her tail was well-hidden before exiting the booth. “Well, Grizz…what do you think?”
Alyce watched Grizz scan up and down her body with his eyes. “You wanna know what I think?” Grizz gave her a thumbs-up. “I think you look fine as hell.”
“…that’s good, right?”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Sounds like you're finally having fun."]]
Grizz nodded. “If ya hide your old clothes, you can keep wearing these new ones around the store. Someone just did it.” Grizz smiled knowingly. “We still need to trash it or burn it, but you never have to wear that crap uniform ever again.”
“…you’re right. I’m…looking forward to that.”
“Yeah. I bet. Now, you help me find some sweet threads, a’ight?”
Alyce nodded. “I don’t know how much I can help, but I’ll try!”
“Son of a…there’s that optimism again. A’ight, let’s do it up!” Grizz ran over to the men’s shoe section. “So, dame, what shoes should I buy? I got kinda big feet…size twelve, so we’re looking at these shoes right here.”
“No, no,” Alyce protested. “We can’t start with shoes! We have to start with the shirt, like I did!”
“Hah, sounds like you’re finally having fun.” Grizz smiled warmly, a wide and pleasurable grin as opposed to the sly sideways smiles he usually had. “Fine, we’ll start with the shirts.”
*He’s right! I…I am starting to have fun! Life at the compound was never fun, but this…we’re only shopping, and I already feel so much lighter.* Alyce felt herself shaking slightly, out of sheer bliss. “Come on, Grizz, we need to get you looking nice. Like me!”
“Lucky me!” Both displaced youths had themselves a hearty laugh at this echo of Grizz's comment from earlier. “Sure, here are the shirts that are my size. The hell should I wear?”
Alyce stopped to examine Grizz, to appraise the style he should adopt. Grizz was an unruly fellow, in both personality and appearance. His black hair was long and messy, and Alyce marveled at how hard his body seemed to be trying to grow a beard. Grizz’s shaving job was somewhat uneven, though. *He probably doesn’t have a mirror out there on the streets, huh?* His hands and feet were covered in scars, details that had escaped Alyce’s sharp eyesight only because he had been covered in tons of grime when they met. His shoulders were broad; his arms and legs were long and lean, but still looked strong. Grizz’s face still had a few patches of dirt on it, though Alyce could still plainly see his dim blue eyes and rather unremarkable nose. Grizz’s lips were cracked and chafed, though Alyce could still spot hints of moisture on them here and there.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Harder to see the dirt on 'em."]]
“Hm…” Alyce finally pondered. “You…your color is…how about green?” Alyce grabbed a green shirt from a nearby rack. “Is this your size?” As Grizz took the shirt from her, Alyce noticed writing on it. “And, uh, do you mind that it says ‘Officer Cyber’ on it?”
Grizz grimaced. “Eh, I dunno. Who the hell is Officer Cyber?”
Alyce shrugged. “I’m completely the wrong person to ask!” she answered in a whimsical tone.
“Damn, that’s right. Well, what else we got? Here’s one in a darker green with nothin’ on it. Is a darker green fine on me, dame?”
Alyce nodded. “It should look nice. Now, pants…”
“Eh, hell with it, I’ll just wear jeans. Wearing ‘em out and makin’ ‘em look like crap is a big style these days.”
“Hm, really? Odd, why would people intentionally mistreat their clothes?”
“Hell if I know.” Grizz casually swiped a pair of jeans from a rack. “These’ll do. Plus, they’re black. Harder to see the dirt on ‘em. Although…that style I mentioned…that’s more for blue jeans…”
“No, no, if they hide the dirt on you, you should get the black ones,” Alyce suggested.
“Hm, a’ight, I’ll keep these.” Grizz rummaged about and found himself a package of socks and another pack of boxers. “Now, can we finally move on to shoes?”
“Yup!” Alyce ran over to the shelves of shoes Grizz was appraising earlier. “Alright, let’s find you something in green or black.”
“There probably ain’t much in green,” Grizz observed, “but there’s a nice black pair right in front of ya.”
Alyce picked up a black shoe she saw on display, and held it up over her shoulder. “This one?”
“Hell yeah, what’cha think?”
“It looks nice enough. Go try all this on!” Alyce shouted, shoving Grizz toward the changing booths.
“A'ight, I will, I will!” Grizz shouted back through a chuckle.
“OK, but don’t take as long as I did!” Alyce watched Grizz shut the door to the booth behind him. *Was that a chuckle? I think Grizz is having more fun too! A few hours ago, he was complaining about the state of the world. Now, we’re shopping! Maybe...he's got some other reason to help? Poor guy. I have to try and stay optimistic…it looks like it really helps his mood, no matter how much he swears about it. Okay! I may not have anywhere I can go…but I don’t need to be anywhere in particular. I’ll be fine with Grizz around…and vice versa!*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Can I see that scarf for a second?"]]
The door to the booth swung open, revealing Grizz standing with a hand on his hip. Even in these nice new clothes, Alyce noted his bad posture, and suddenly wondered where his knife was. “So, am I lookin’ pimp?” Grizz asked.
Alyce scratched her head. “Maybe? You look nice! Almost presentable, even,” she added with a giggle.
“Ha! Me, presentable. You gotta be kidding. Come on, let’s pay for everything.” Grizz led Alyce to the checkout lane he had noticed earlier, checking to ensure that the tags on all his clothes were visible for the cashier to scan, reminding Alyce to do the same. “Hello, ma’am,” Grizz greeted the cashier with his surprise manners.
“Hi!” the cashier cheerfully replied as she fetched her barcode scanner. “Did you two find everything OK?”
“We sure did, thanks,” Alyce answered. Grizz nodded his agreement.
“Fantastic. Why are these bags of socks open?”
“We need something to wear with the shoes!” Grizz noted with a laugh.
“I suppose so,” the cashier agreed, joining in Grizz’s laugh. “Alright, ma’am, can I see that scarf for a second?”
*My scarf! If I take it off, everyone will see my ears…* “Um, n-no…” Alyce stammered.
Grizz, ever the quick thinker, ripped the price tag off the scarf in the blink of an eye. “I know we’re not supposed to do that yet, but I will pay, I promise.”
“Yeah, we really don’t like it when people tear the tags off things they won’t buy,” the cashier agreed. “Everything comes out to…” Alyce's head spun a little at the price the woman cited.
She didn't even catch it, only that Grizz was handing her a hundred and fifty. “Keep the change,” Grizz offered as spare change tumbled out of his fingers. Alyce didn't see any paper money left in his hand, either. Alyce stuck to thinking about that, trying her hardest to keep herself from thinking about the scarf scare.
“Thanks, have a nice day!”
“You too!”
Alyce waved goodbye as they left the store, their old clothes in a plastic bag. “Wow…I feel so much better already! Not that I hated your cloak, but…these clothes are much comfier. The scarf might be a little rougher on my ears, though.”
“Yeah, let’s get back to my place before we get into too much detail,” Grizz warned.
“Right!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"That…was a bad promise."]]
Alyce took in her surroundings on her way out of the Happy Feet and Clothing store. For some reason, things looked a little brighter and cleaner to her than they did on the way in. Many storefronts in the Cross Town Mall were still boarded up, but that detail seemed to be the only thing that remained constant. Tall buildings blocked most of the view of the sky, but their array of lit windows and the occasional neon sign were as bright as any constellation of stars. The sky above Cross Town glowed with an almost otherworldly light, triaging the holes the stars poked in the pitch-black sky “Grizz…” she finally started after she had taken in her fill of the surroundings.
“…Alyce, if you’re gonna thank me again…hell, forget about it,” Grizz admonished. “Here we are, home sweet…garbage.”
“Yeah, that’s actually related to what I was actually going to say. It’s just…I’m not used to this life at all…sleeping in an alley, stealing the money we need…I still don’t think I’ll like that part much.”
“Son of a…if you’re gonna go on about stealin’ an’ morals again, then—“
“No, no,” Alyce interrupted. “My real point is…the only real upside to this lifestyle is going to be…you, Grizz. You’ll stay with me, right?”
“I already told ya, Alyce. Ya got me as long as ya need me.”
“Please, Grizz…I’d feel better if you promised. Promise to never leave my side, keep me safe out here, help me learn about the outside world.”
“Damn, you’re goin’ soft on me already? Yeah yeah, I promise to do all that crap.”
Alyce shook her head. “That…was a bad promise.”
Grizz sighed. “Ugh, fine.” He straightened his back and raised his right hand, as if he were swearing an oath in court. “I, Gregory ‘Grizz’ Lee, do hereby solemnly swear to protect and teach you, and always stay by your side…uh, Alyce." His shoulders sagged as the oath ended, the need for formality gone "There, happy now?”
“Very.” Alyce threw her arms around Grizz. “Thank you so much.”
“A-ha! You were thankin’ me again!”
“Oh…sorry, Grizz! I’m just so happy…nobody’s ever bothered to try and help me before!”
“Ha, well…” Grizz’s eyes suddenly darted to a woman walking by the alleyway. “I’ll just be a sec,” he whispered as he drew his knife and crept after her.
*Grizz…what are you doing? Stealing from that woman? I…as long as you don’t kill her, I suppose. I know I can’t stop you from being a thief, but…I wish you didn’t have to be a thief in the first place. Or are you just trying to get out of a hug?*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Hey, you cold?"]]
Grizz returned with a purse in his hand, the shoulder strap sagging down past his hand. “You stole that, didn’t you?” Alyce whispered.
Grizz nodded. “An’ she didn’t even notice," he said. "But hey, the purse matches your style, yeah? Probably has some makeup and a little more money to it, too.”
“Grizz, I’m not sure I can accept this! You stole it…”
“Son of a…this again? I told ya, Alyce…you ain't in CTA anymore. You’re on the streets. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do to survive, and where ya happened to run to, this means ya gotta do things ya don’t like. Hey, you cold?”
“A little,” Alyce admitted. She hadn’t noticed until Grizz said something, but she was shivering like the bland-flavored gelatin she was given for so many meals at the compound. “And tired.”
“Here, I got a sweet idea. Gimme your old uniform.” Grizz dug a lighter from one of his myriad trash cans. “You can watch it burn while I get some beds ready.”
Alyce rummaged through the bag of their old clothes, eventually finding the old Cross Town Asylum uniform. “Here…” She threw it to the ground between her and Grizz. “I…I don’t need this anymore.”
“Ha, that’s the spirit!” Grizz gathered some other flammable objects from the actual trash in a nearby dumpster. “Now, let’s light this up!” Using the last of a can of hairspray he found rummaging through the trash, Grizz lit the pile of trash on fire by way of makeshift flamethrower.
“This fire…it’s warm…but it stinks!” *But…* Alyce’s eyes caught sight of her old uniform. The fire seemed to crawl over it slowly, digesting it and excreting ash as they moved. She felt an odd pang of pain in her chest as the Asylum logo, a shield with the acornum letters across it diagonally, finally fell prey to the flames. *I hope that’s the last we’ll ever see of that outfit…I know it’s not the last we’ll see of the compound…*
“Yeah, it’s bound to stink,” Grizz explained. “See, some plastic got in there…that crap reeks.” Grizz walked over to a large mattress leaning up against the wall near the dumpster. “This here’s our bed. I’d get a separate one for ya, but…the streets, yeah? Don’t worry, I don’t sleep much anyway. I’ll keep watch over ya so nothin’ happens in your sleep.”
“We’re going to sleep in the same bed?” *But…isn’t that bad? Sometimes…*
“If it bothers ya, I’ll just sleep on the ground…”
Alyce shook her head. “No, Grizz, you can have the bed.”
“Son of a…see, this is the problem I saw comin’. We both respect each other an’ crap, so we’re just gonna sit around and go back and forth about who gets to sleep on the mattress. So hell with it, we might as well get over it an’ both have the mattress, yeah? Hell, ya sleep on the ground and you’re gonna be all sore. If we need to be on the run, we can’t have that.” Grizz wrapped his cloak around Alyce’s small frame. “Keep wrapped up in this, like a sleepin’ bag. It’ll make ya feel better.”
*I suppose.* “But…you won’t do anything funny to me while I sleep, right?”
Grizz groaned. “I ain’t gotta promise again, do I? I ain’t no pervert. An’ I ain’t gonna let anyone else try it either, a’ight?”
Alyce nodded. “Well…alright. I trust you, Grizz. I won't put you through another promise, because you’ve kept your word so far.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"See you in the morning!"]]
Grizz winked. “Atta girl!" he said. "Now, get yourself some sleep. I’ll make sure the coast is clear an’ that this fire don’t spread none.” Grizz threw the bag of old clothes at one end of the mattress. “That there’s your pillow, the cloak’s your blanket…now get comfy.”
“What about you, Grizz? Won’t you need a pillow and blanket?”
Grizz shook his head. “You’ll need it more. Now get some shut-eye. Do I gotta tuck you in an’ crap too?”
Alyce giggled. “No, I’ll be fine.” She wandered over to the makeshift bed and laid down, resting her head on the clothes folded inside the bag. The mattress was rough and lumpy beneath her back, but it was still much better than nothing. The cloak wrapped tightly to her sides, Alyce turned onto her side to face Grizz. He was fussing with some trash, but in the dim light of the fire, it was impossible to tell what he was doing. “Grizz, what are you doing over there?” she finally asked.
“Damn,” Grizz replied, “you’re still awake? I ain’t makin’ too much noise, am I?” When Alyce shook her head, Grizz held up his handiwork. “It ain’t much, but…I’m takin’ some random bits of trash, and tryin’ to build some kinda roof out of ‘em. Ya know, so the rain don’t fall on us or our fires.”
Grizz had already made a large rectangular patchwork of garbage, though it wasn’t much bigger than the mattress. He obviously had much work to do if this lean-to was going to cover a fire as well. “It looks like crap," he admitted, "but you’ll feel like crap if you’re caught in the rain one too many times.”
“Good idea, Grizz,” Alyce muttered through a yawn. “I must be more tired than I thought…goodnight, Grizz. See you in the morning?”
“That’s the plan,” Grizz confirmed. “G’night, Alyce.”
“And th…” Alyce restrained herself from thanking Grizz once again. *But I want to thank him! Here I am, on a mattress someone else threw out, with the smell of burnt plastic in the air and a dirty old cloak as my only blanket. And yet…I have new clothes, and a friend…and I feel happier and safer than I have in a long time. And it’s because of Grizz…he may be a thief, and I wonder about his morals, but he seems sincerely worried about me.*
*The people at the compound always said they worried about me…but Grizz never says that and he still worries about me. From what I know of people’s reactions to my fox ears and tail, Grizz is probably one of the only people that wouldn’t give me back to the compound. It may be just because he’s the first person I ran into, here on the outside…but we’ve given each other so much hope in a single evening! We can’t part ways now…maybe even ever.*
Alyce yawned again, feeling her eyelids grow heavier by the second. *Grizz needs a friend…and so do I…*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Rise and shine."]]
Alyce felt a hand gently shaking her shoulder. “…rise and shine,” a gruff voice greeted her.
“Grizz…?” Alyce murmured sleepily.
“Oh, you mean him?” the voice replied.
Alyce was shocked into full wakefulness. “Who are…” Alyce’s vision finally came into focus, revealing not Grizz, but a man in doctor’s clothes flanked by two men in black. “You’re from the compound!” she shouted in alarm, jumping to her feet. “What have you done with Grizz?”
“We tried to show you,” the doctor said, “but you were too sleepy. Now, as I said before…you meant him, right?” The doctor raised a blood-soaked scalpel, pointing it at Grizz's unmoving body.
“Oh…Grizz! You…you killed him!” Alyce stammered through sobs of despair. “Why would you do such a thing?”
The doctor smirked. “He was in our way, that’s all. Don’t tell me…that vagrant was a friend of yours?”
“No!” Alyce screamed. “He’s not just a vagrant! He’s Grizz, and he was a perfectly nice person! Why couldn’t you leave him alone?”
“I already told you. He was in our way. He wouldn’t leave us alone, so we didn’t leave him alone. It’s as simple as that.”
“No, it isn’t…he…he didn’t leave you alone because you wouldn’t leave me alone!”
“I’m sure he had his reasons,” the doctor agreed in a tone that sent chills down Alyce’s spine. “But…so do we. Boys?” One of the men in black nodded and drew a large syringe from his suit, while the other grabbed Alyce by the arms and twisted them behind her back. “Come now,” the doctor continued, “don’t you want to help us find a cure for your disease?”
“It’s…” Alyce was completely broken down at this point, the words becoming harder and harder to force from her throat. Her despair was so deep that she wasn’t even struggling to break free of the man’s grip on her arms. “…it’s not a disease. It’s just…I was…”
“I’ve heard enough,” the doctor ordered. “Please, as if I’m going to value your life over the lives of everyone that needs to be cured of their beast features. One can’t make an omelet without breaking a few hearts, I suppose.” The doctor chuckled to himself, a dark and evil chuckle laced with sadism. “I know what you’re thinking: that’s not right. Well, you were likely thinking that of everything I’ve told you anyway.”
Alyce suddenly felt the syringe plunge into her neck. “I…stop…” The world began spinning around Alyce, growing fainter with each revolution. “You…mon…ster…”
“Me, a monster?” Alyce heard the doctor say, feigning a hint of hurt and sadness in his voice. It was getting harder and harder to understand the words being spoken around her. “I’m…normal human…unlike…” Alyce’s consciousness finally gave in to the drug injected into her, and the world fell into darkness.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Is it true?"]]
“No!” Alyce shouted, bolting upright. It felt like her heart and lungs were fighting to take up all the space in her chest.
“…guh?” a voice grumbled from nearby. It was far too dark to see anything even a foot ahead.
“Grizz…?”
“Yeah, I'm still Grizz,” the voice answered. “We…already introduced ourselves…Alyce.”
“Thank goodness!” Alyce managed before breaking out in tears. “I…I had a horrible dream. They…they found us…killed you…caught me…I…”
“Killed me?” Grizz sounded indignant. “Hell no.” Through the darkness, Grizz’s hand appeared to help calm Alyce down. “I told ya, you’re safe. I gotcha now." The hand ran through Alyce's hair and lingered on her shoulder. Something about the gentle squeeze he gave it put her more at ease, enough so to try to control her own breathing "Ain’t no one gonna hurt’cha.”
“…you promise?” Alyce’s lungs still felt a bit cramped and painful, but at least they felt like they fit inside her chest. She focused on the rough texture of Griss's hand as his skin met hers, and focused on their warmth.
“…yeah.” Grizz’s arms burst through the dark to embrace Alyce. “I promise.”
“Grizz…thank you.”
“Fu…” Grizz’s swear trailed off into the inky blackness of the night. “…you…you’re welcome."
Alyce gave a small giggle. *Was that so hard? It's so much nicer to hear him just accept these things.* After a short silence, she tried falling back asleep, but with that nightmare fresh in her mind, she didn't dare. Finally, she had an idea. *I know the Asylum told me a lot of things, but who knows what was true and what wasn't?* "Grizz…?"
"Ugh…what now?"
Alyce let out a sigh, trying to remember her history lessons, searching for a tidbit Grizz would know. "Is it true? You know…that this world was destroyed once?"
It took Grizz a few tries to reply with an actual word. "Yeah…you're talkin' that Ace chick from the past, yeah?" The name matched a historical figure she'd learned about, for sure. "That was forever ago…"
"I was just checking." *But if Ace is real…well, the strength and courage she had is too. I sure hope I can inherit some of that…*
"…hell of a question to ask now. Just try to get back to sleep, will ya?”
“Yes, sir,” Alyce responded with a weak laugh. *I’m so scared…but…Grizz is right. He’s here for me. He’ll make sure I’m OK. He promised.*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Two eggs, comin' up!"]]
### Chapter 3
Alyce’s slumber was interrupted by a faint sizzling noise from somewhere nearby. “Grizz…?” she asked, probing the situation with her voice until her vision focused.
“Dammit,” Grizz muttered through the murky daylight. “Ya gonna say my name every time ya wake up? Not even a ‘good mornin’, Grizz’ or somethin'?”
Alyce giggled and rubbed her eyes as her vision finally focused. Grizz was somehow frying eggs in a trash can lid, though Alyce was still a bit too groggy to observe the details. “Good morning, Grizz.”
“Mornin’, Alyce. Ya sleep well? Ya know, after the nightmare an’ all.”
Alyce nodded. “I thought sleeping with just one old mattress keeping me off the ground would hurt my back more,” she said, “but I feel fine.” Of course, the beds at the compounds weren’t very comfortable either. Now that she could see better, Alyce made out the details of Grizz’s cooking setup a little more clearly. Some sort of metal bar was jammed into the handle of the trash can lid, upon which eggs sizzled from the heat of the fire below them. “You’re cooking eggs?”
“Sure am,” Grizz confirmed. “Got ‘em before you woke up, ‘cause it’s probably more like the kinda food you’re used to. Gotcha some paper plates an’ plastic forks. Ya don't wanna throw back a cold can o'beans day one, see?”
“I do see. The eggs look fine…though…I feel as if I should complain that you’re frying them on a trash can lid.”
“Ha, figured ya would. I washed it first, ya know. Can’t have ya gettin’ sick. So, Alyce, how many eggs ya havin’?”
*It’s so strange…Grizz gives me such simple choices, and yet it’s so hard to pick. I never did get many choices back at the compound…even our food was cooked and rationed without asking any of us.* “Um…one?” Alyce finally answered.
Grizz shook his head. “Really, dame, try to eat more’n one. I’m’a give ya two, a’ight? Ya ain’t gotta eat ‘em both if ya really can’t, but I got five eggs here and I ain’t eatin’ four.”
Alyce laughed. “Fine, I’ll have two eggs, please.”
“Right then! Two eggs, comin’ up!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I never got to sleep that long back at the compound!"]]
With a flick of the wrist, Grizz sent the eggs flying off the trash can lid, and moved in a paper plate to intercept them. Two eggs landed on the plate, two fell back into the lid, and the fifth fell right on Grizz’s head. “The sunny side is over there!” Grizz informed the egg, pointing square at Alyce.
“Well, two for me, two for you, and one for your hair, then!” Alyce said with a grin as she took her breakfast from Grizz.
“Yeah,” Grizz muttered unenthusiastically as the liquid yolk of the egg slid down his face. “Well, let’s eat!”
Alyce took a bite of the eggs Grizz had prepared for her. They tasted much different than the eggs served at the compound sometimes. *I think I prefer Grizz’s eggs. They’ve got an extra something to them!* “Mm…Grizz, you make good eggs!”
“Hell yeah I do,” Grizz confirmed through a mouthful of his own breakfast. “Bet’cha didn’t expect a nice hot breakfast to wake up to out here on the streets, eh?”
Alyce shook her head. “You said you got all of this together for my sake, before I even woke up? How long did you sleep?”
“Not long. See, look,” Grizz said, pointing to a nearby bank and its electronic sign. It shifted back and forth between the time and temperature. “I was up ‘till 3 AM, an’ woke up at 7:30.”
“Goodness! That’s not…aren’t people supposed to get more sleep than that?”
Grizz dismissed Alyce’s concerns with a wave of his hand. “I would’ve, but I got you to watch over, see?”
“When did I fall asleep?”
Grizz shrugged. “Midnight…? Ya woke up about an hour after I fell asleep, an’ after I calmed ya down, ya slept ‘till 9.”
“Nine hours…? Wow, I never got to sleep that long back at the compound!”
“Ya never got to do half the crap ya should’ve been able to back at the compound.”
“Like what, Grizz? Now that I’m on the outside, I can do anything.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"It's nice to be nice!"]]
Grizz tapped his forehead in thought, but his finger landed squarely in the egg mess he had neglected. “Well, Alyce,” he conjectured aloud while cleaning the egg from his head, “there’s not a lot you can do in Cross Town if ya ain’t got no money.”
Alyce shook her head. “No, Grizz, there must be something that’s free!”
“Well, there’s the city park, that’s free. And, uh…damn, I think that’s it.”
“The park sounds lovely. I never was allowed outside back at the compound…they never let me play in the grass or enjoy the sunshine.”
“Yeah?” Grizz flipped his hair, flinging the last of the egg free. “You’re all full of sunshine an’ crap. I never would’ve guessed.”
“So…the park it is? Can we go to the park, Grizz? Please?” Alyce batted her eyelashes at her guardian. “Pretty please?”
“Son of a…you finished with breakfast?” Grizz muttered. Alyce presented an empty plate to Grizz as proof that she was. “A’ight, we can go to the park.”
“Yay!” Alyce lept to her feet and clapped her hands in excitement.
“Whoa, the hell you doin’?”
“Sorry if I startled you, Grizz! I’m just so excited!”
“Excitement, huh?” Grizz scoffed, but not in a dismissive manner. “Been awhile since I seen anyone get excited ‘bout anything ‘round here. Come on, let’s go.”
Grizz led the way to the city park, laying down a few ground rules as the pair walked. “Now, I gotta tell ya…keep ya scarf on tight an’ don't let it go," he advised. "Sometimes I snatch a newspaper or a magazine off the stands...it’s always crap like ‘blah blah blah, these animal people are gettin' snatched’ or 'they's punishment from up above' or somethin', so ya gotta be careful.”
“Goodness!” *Do people really hate us that much? And…just because we happen to look different? Can people really be so mean? I was abandoned when I was a little girl, but I didn’t think most people would do the same…I…Grizz…no wonder he says so many mean things about the world.*
“Yeah. ‘Goodness.’” Grizz shook his head. “I might be talkin’ out my ass here, but I know how that is. I’m second-class myself, or worse. I tried beggin’, ya know? So the people, they tells me to get a job! But I can’t get a job ‘cause I ain’t got no home, no money, no nothin’. Ya think someone would care, but ain’t no one that gives a damn. Anything they gotta tell themselves so that they ain’t gotta help me none, see?”
Alyce nodded. “But…there are nice people in the world, right? Like you and I!”
“An’ look where it got us. We’re homeless, we got no real family, we’re lucky we even got each other.”
*I think I know what you’re trying to say, Grizz…I feel lucky to have you around, too.* “Are you saying we should be…mean?”
Grizz shook his head. “I told ya before, Alyce…we ain’t gotta pay that crap forward. Just ‘cause people are asses to us, don’t mean we get to be asses to other people, ya know?”
“I agree, Grizz. It’s nice to be nice!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"After you."]]
Alyce looked up from her conversation with Grizz, and the sight dropped her jaw to the ground. A beautiful oasis of green stretched out before them, an island of plant life in an otherwise dirty and bleak city. Sunlight danced through the leaves of the trees, which in turn swayed with the wind, which in turn completely hypnotized Alyce. Even the trees here looked nicer than at the compound. She felt like she was stepping directly into a painting.
“Wow…Grizz, is this the park?”
“You betcha,” Grizz confirmed. “So, ya like it?”
“It’s…it’s so beautiful! I’ve never seen such a pretty sight in my life! Can…can people just walk in here whenever they want?”
“…yeah. It’s a park. That’s kinda their th—oh, right, I gotta teach you everything. A’ight then, let’s do it up!” Grizz stopped and motioned in front of him.
“What are you doing, Grizz?” Alyce wondered.
“Son of a…after you." When Alyce stood motionless, Grizz let out a short sigh. "Alyce, I’m lettin’ ya take the lead!”
“Me…lead you? You’d let me do that?”
“Damn,” Grizz muttered. “They screwed ya up at CTA worse than I thought. Yes, dame, you first. Lead the way an’ all that. Real excitin’.”
“But it is, Grizz!” Alyce replied. “I get to be in charge of leading us through the first time I’ve ever been in a park! It’s all new to me, ya see,” she added, imitating Grizz for emphasis.
Grizz laughed. “Ya got me there. Well, then, take us into the park before ya hyperventilate or somethin'.”
“Then let’s go!” Alyce ran down the path leading into the park. *What should we even do? I could walk through the grass all day, and spend another day in the trees! It’s just all so beautiful.* “Grizz!” she shouted as she came to a sudden stop. “What…where are we going?”
Grizz shrugged. “The hell? I told ya, it’s up to you what we do, though I need to piss soon.”
“Come to think of it, I need to use the bathroom too. Alright, Grizz, where are the bathrooms?”
“Right there.” Grizz pointed to a lone building a few yards down the path. It was the only thing in the entire park that wasn’t green, though despite its Cross Town trademark layer of grime, it didn’t look so bad. “I don’t have to tell you how to use the bathroom, do I?”
Alyce laughed. “No, that part is pretty easy.”
“Good.” Grizz bolted into the men’s room faster than Alyce had ever seen him run before.
“Guess he really had to go,” Alyce said to herself on her way to the ladies’ restroom. It was mercifully empty, and the entrance itself was filled with a creaky wooden door. *Good,* Alyce thought as she entered a stall at the far end of the bathroom, *I really need to let my tail and ears out for a minute. They’ve been cooped up all night!*
Alyce untied the scarf from her head and removed her pants, grateful for the ensuing freedom and privacy she had in regards to her tail and ears. *Ah, it feels so nice to let my tail hang out!* Alyce conducted her bathroom business while fussing with her ears. *Someday…I won’t have to hide anymore…I think Grizz is really mad at the world because I have to hide in the first place. Grizz…he’s always mad at the world, but I think my story is souring his view even more. He seems so angry deep inside, because people like him and I are abused so much by society. He’s homeless…I’ve got animal features…and somehow, he and I aren’t so different. But…maybe I only see things that way because Grizz is one of the first people to ever treat me like an equal? Either way… *
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"A flower garden?"]]
Alyce stood up and put the finishing touches on her toilet trip, getting her scarf off the floor with one hand and flushing the toilet with the other.
*…I appreciate it. I think Grizz appreciates having an equal too. I think it’s a shame that such a nice person is stuck in such a bad life, but I’m sure Grizz is thinking the same of me right now.* Alyce hugged her tail close to her chest and sighed.
*I don’t know how…but I’m going to help fix this. Grizz and I need to get off the street…somehow. But…* Alyce pulled her pants back up and tucked her tail into one of the pantlegs, and gave her ears one last wiggle before obscuring them with her scarf.
*…I really wouldn’t know how, and Grizz was telling me on the way here that he’s already tried to escape the street life and failed. What good can I do?* Alyce exited the stall, mouthing silent thanks for the fact that nobody so much as entered the bathroom this whole time, not even while she washed her hands and left the bathroom.
Grizz was leaning on the wall right outside. “Hi Grizz,” Alyce greeted him.
“Hot damn,” Grizz complained, “I forgot how long it takes for a broad to piss.”
“Sorry! I was thinking in there, too.”
“I bet ya did more in there than that.”
She couldn't discern Grizz's eyebrow wiggle, but she could still guess. *Why, yes, Grizz, I was giving my “foxy bits” a break from being hidden and held down all the time. Amazing how he understands that…Grizz is such a good friend!* “Yes…well, now on to the park itself!”
Alyce ran across the path from the bathroom, into a large field, and enjoyed the green grass and high trees filling her view. “The breeze feels nice, too,” Alyce said, pulling up the back of her scarf enough to let her hair blow in the breeze. She was instantly in love with the feeling of the wind teasing and twisting her hair. “Do all breezes feel this nice, Grizz?”
Grizz nodded. “Damn straight.” Grizz shook his head a little, to help his hair catch the breeze like Alyce’s. “But this,” Grizz added, pointing to his hair rolling in waves in the wind, “this always feels so friggin’ good. I’m glad you took us to the park, Alyce. Air here’s all fresh.”
Alyce took a deep breath, to test the validity of Grizz’s claim, and was pleased with the result. “It is…it’s so clean and rich with fragrance!”
“Naw, I think we’re downwind of the flower garden.”
Alyce’s eyes went as wide as they could go. “A flower garden?”
“Yeah.” Grizz pointed at a heavily forested area. “Past these trees…they got a crap-ton of flowers an’ all that. I bet ya wanna check ‘em out.”
Alyce nodded enthusiastically. “Can we? Please, Grizz?”
Grizz shrugged. “You’re in the lead, remember? Do whatever the hell.”
“Then let’s go!” Alyce announced, sprinting through the trees. *This…is exactly how I got out of the compound. But look at me now…I’m wearing shoes, there are flowers on the other side, and I have a friend behind me.*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"It's a sunflower."]]
Alyce cleared the woods to find herself at the edge of a stunning field of flowers. Small as it was, it was still a welcome sight, since neither the compound nor the rest of Cross Town seemed to have any flowers.
“…the hell, woman,” Alyce heard Grizz mutter to her right. She turned to look at him as he struggled up the path, short of breath. “You…the hell did ya get so fast?”
Alyce shrugged. “I’m a foxy lady, remember?” she guessed with a chuckle. “But Grizz…these flowers are so beautiful!” Alyce wandered through the flower patch, taking in the vibrant colors and hypnotizing scents. “Which one do you think is the prettiest?” There are just so many of them…I can’t decide!
Grizz leaned down silently and picked a large flower from the patch, and tucked its stem into Alyce’s shirt. “That one,” he replied with a smile. “It’s a sunflower. Ya know, ‘cause you’re all full of sunshine an’ all that.”
“Aww, Grizz…!” Alyce couldn’t help but give Grizz a big hug. Grizz, as was his wont, seemed vaguely baffled by the gesture, but eventually wrapped his arms around Alyce in return. “You’re such a sweetheart!”
Grizz laughed and fired a large glob of spit into the flower patch. “I didn’t think I had a heart left. Ain’t no use for a heart on the streets, ya know?”
“Nonsense, Grizz. You’re the nicest person I know.”
“I’m the only person ya know,” Grizz corrected.
Alyce let out a short sigh, resting a finger on Grizz's lips. "Please don't…can't we just enjoy the time we're spending together without that kind of talk? Just this once, maybe?"
"…a'ight. You're in the lead."
Alyce felt the muscles in Grizz's shoulder subtly roll against her, pushing his body into a shrug. *I didn't get any of this at the Asylum…not the embrace, not the flowers…and certainly not the nickname. Sunshine…wow…* She squeezed Grizz tightly in that moment, trying to thank him wordlessly this time.
Before she could gauge his reply, though, a dull shout rang through the trees. “Grizz, wait…” Alyce released Grizz from her embrace, and twitched her ears under the scarf. “I hear someone…over here.” Alyce took Grizz by the hand and led him straight ahead. *It sounds like a person talking…I wonder what they’re saying?*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"What have I done wrong?"]]
A crowd of people scrolled up from the horizon into view, surrounding a bearded man yelling out to the crowd from his vantage point atop a park bench, the sleeves of his robe adding a motion trail to his extravagant hand gestures. The crowd seemed to be reading from pamphlets while listening to the word of the bearded man, occasionally nodding and murmuring in agreement.
Alyce could finally distinguish words from the man’s speech. “…because of a sin! These ‘beastmen’ are a mark of wickedness branded upon our people! God has given us a message, and written it in the bodies of the sinners!”
Grizz’s hearing wasn’t as sharp as Alyce’s, but now the bearded man was within his earshot as well. “Oh hell no, Alyce,” he said. “You…ya don’t wanna listen to this asshole.”
“Who is he, Grizz?” Alyce whispered.
“I dunno. Some kinda priest. I seen him around, comes around sayin' one thing or another's the devil. Know how ya said nobody knows why people got themselves animal parts an’ shit? He’s sayin’ it’s their fault. Somethin’ about an angry god usin’ it like some kinda sign that we’re doin’ somethin’ wrong.”
*Wrong?* “What have I done wrong?”
“Nothin’, Alyce. Don’t listen to him none. He don’t know why ya got the parts ya do any better than either of us.”
“Why, then? Why would he say mean things like that if he didn’t know for sure?” Alyce started maneuvering through the crowd, toward the priest.
“Alyce, wait!” Grizz shouted. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to ask him a few questions,” Alyce shouted back as she continued through the crowd.
“…purge the wicked from our midst!” the priest continued. “For we have been cursed with not a flood, as in the story of—“
“Excuse me,” Alyce meekly interrupted, tugging gently on the priest’s robes.
“Who are—ah, hello, my child. Tell me, why do you interrupt my sermon?”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Grizz is many things, but he's not a liar!"]]
“…crap crap crap,” Alyce heard Grizz mumbling repeatedly as he shoved his way to Alyce’s side. “Goddamn, woman…what are you doin’?”
“You there!” the priest bellowed, pointing a disapproving finger at Grizz. “Do not take the Lord’s name in vain!”
“I’m sorry about my friend,” Alyce said, hands clasped together in front of her heart. “But…I’m curious and I wanted to ask you. How do you know these things?”
“Ah…a fair question, my child. My words were spoken to me from the mouth of God, and in return I speak them to my people.”
“When did God tell you these things? Because…I’ve heard things about God.”
“Hm, so you are a believer. You must agree with my words, then…God’s words, that is.”
Alyce shook her head. “Not exactly, sir. The God I was taught about was just and loving.”
“So, you are a heathen, then?” the priest asked, drowning out Grizz’s objections.
Alyce took a step back from the priest. “I’m sorry, Grizz…I was just curious. I wanted to know if he was talking about a different god or…”
“There is only one God! And may he have mercy on your soul, despite the transgressions of you and your foul companion.”
“Grizz is not foul! He’s my friend and he’s a nice person! He’s…he’s not mean like you!”
“Damn,” Grizz muttered, “the hell’s gotten into you?”
“I don’t know,” Alyce mused. “But I can’t let this guy stand here and call people names, right?”
“Son of a…weird place to suddenly find courage in.”
“It pains me to see a young lady like you,” the priest continued, “so young and yet so corrupted. You looked so bright, too, but alas, your love for the wicked beastmen holds you back from a life in the light of God.”
“That’s rude!” Alyce retorted. “All I did was ask you questions. Grizz was right…Grizz, what did you call this man?”
Grizz gulped in obvious discomfort. “Ah…asshole.” Alyce watched Grizz’s left hand tighten into a fist; his right hand was hidden from Alyce’s view, and she hoped it wasn’t going for his knife. “Yeah! I called ya an asshole, and I’m doin’ it again right now! I got good friends who happen to have animal bits, an’ if God did it to ‘em ‘cause He hated ‘em, why doesn’t he tell ‘em? Why only tell a lowlife like you?!”
“Grizz…” *Thank you…but no knives, please, that's all…*
The priest scoffed. “And you, insolent whelp," he said. "What do you know of God?”
Grizz shook his head. “The way I see it," he answered, "if God ain’t just made up, he bailed outta here a long time ago…’cause of scum like you!”
“Ah, you’re just a nonbeliever. What good is your word? Especially against the word of God?”
“Grizz is a…” Alyce struggled to remember what Grizz told her back in the mall last night. *A thief…homeless…killed people…but…* “…Grizz is many things, but he’s not a liar!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Hold on tight!"]]
“Enough of this heresy!” The priest said, arms thrown skyward. “My people, it is heathens such as these two that cause the foul beastmen to walk the earth!” The crowd shouted their agreement and began closing in on Grizz and Alyce.
“Grizz…” Alyce’s tail felt increasingly uncomfortable in the presence of such pressure. “…I’m really sorry.”
Grizz shook his head. “I don’t blame ya. But now…” Grizz flicked his wrist, his knife somehow appearing in his hand. “Stand back!” Grizz shouted to the crowd as he dropped into a battle stance.
“Such violence!” the priest noted indignantly. “With every action, you only further prove your barbarianism.”
“Ya know what, old man, I don't wanna hear it! I only pulled my knife ‘cause your damn audience was gonna hurt us!”
“Grizz only attacks in self-defense!” Alyce clarified.
“Look.” Grizz stood up straight and took a deep breath. “We don’t want no trouble. Let us outta here without startin’ somethin’…and it won’t be nothin’, ya know? My friend here…she just wanted to ask ya some questions, an’ we didn’t wanna get violent, so don’t make us get violent.”
“Your seeking of penance is too little, too late,” the priest replied with a stern expression of disapproval.
Grizz shrugged, then suddenly lifted Alyce up into his arms. “Hold on tight! We’re gettin’ outta here!” Grizz leapt onto the park bench and over the back, knocking the priest to the ground in the process. “I’d say I’m sorry, but I ain't!”
“Grizz…” Alyce began as he carried her away from the crowd that was now giving chase. “I’m really sorry about this…”
“Fuckin’ A, Alyce…it ain’t your fault.” Grizz assured her.
“But…this wouldn’t be happening if I didn’t say anything to that man.”
“Naw…you did the right thing. This ain't the first time I've heard his crap, an' trust me, he had this comin'.”
Alyce caressed the sunflower that had somehow managed to stay nestled in her shirt. “I didn’t…I just…I only wanted to ask him questions…”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Your only friend?"]]
Grizz hid behind a tree and lowered Alyce to let her stand on the ground.
*Oh, right…he said he has other friends who are beast people too.* “Grizz…who else do you know like me?" Alyce asked, stopping to take in a deep breath of park air. "You…you told that man that you have good friends that…I…who else do you know?”
“Nope, it’s just you. But I can’t just sell ya out like that!” Grizz shook his head. “Who knows what those loonies would've done?”
*But…does that mean…* “…you think I’m a good friend?” Alyce asked with a happy sniffle.
“My best friend,” Grizz corrected.
“…your only friend?”
Grizz laughed. “Yeah, there’s that. We’ll find ya some better friends sometime.”
Alyce shook her head. “No, Grizz…how could I find a better friend than you?” *I don’t think anyone else could ever try as hard to make me feel good as you do.*
“All you would need to do is meet more people.” Grizz turned his back to Alyce. “I can’t live up to the hype ya got for me.”
Alyce put a hand on Grizz’s shoulder. “Is that what you mean? Grizz…you just keep being yourself, OK? I’ll decide for myself how to feel about you. That’s…how these things are supposed to work, right?”
Alyce felt Grizz’s shoulder shrug beneath her hand. “Tch, whatev—“
Grizz’s dismissal was interrupted by the sharp cry of the priest from the bench filling the air. “There they are!” he announced. The crowd he had gathered for his sermon was swarming toward Grizz and Alyce once more.
“Son of a…don’t they ever give up?”
“Shall we run?” Alyce asked, stretching her legs in preparation. “You didn’t have to carry me before.” *But I thought it was really nice anyway.*
“I kinda forgot about that. Had to do somethin' right then an' there, ya know.”
“But Grizz, before we run…why won’t they give up? Why do they still want to hurt us, even after I explained myself and you pulled out your knife?”
“Hell if I know, Alyce.” Grizz put a hand to some random part of his arm, which Alyce guessed was where he was keeping his knife. “They do what they think’s right, same as us…’cept they’re assholes.”
“How is coming after us like this supposed to help anything?” Alyce asked, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.
“Aw hell, Alyce…it ain’t you, it’s them, a’ight?” Grizz glanced back at the crowd, which had closed a lot of the distance between them and Alyce. “We gotta go, now,” he said, starting his escape.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Think about it."]]
Alyce easily kept pace with Grizz as the two of them outran the crowd. “But why are they even doing this to us?” she asked.
“Think about it,” Grizz replied between breaths. “They been tellin’ themselves for a long time that people like you are wreckin’ the world.”
“Goodness!”
“Yeah, 'goodness'. They keep tryin’ so hard to convince themselves of all that crap, but what evidence do they got, huh?”
Alyce noticed they were running through the flower garden when she saw Grizz lean down and snatch another sunflower. Surprisingly, Grizz was doing his best not to trample or damage the flowers otherwise, and Alyce’s tread underwent similar caution.
“Then ya walked up like it ain’t nothin'," he continued, "an’ called ‘em out on it. Then they got a choice: they could’ve let ya go, an’ thought long an’ hard ‘bout what ya said.” Grizz was in the wooded area by now, nimbly dodging between trees and leaping over rocks as if he were a fox himself. “Or they could blame you for everything an’ not have to think ‘bout nothin'.”
Alyce looked over her shoulder at the crowd. She and Grizz had just cleared the wooded area, while the crowd was upon the flower garden. *They’re…they’re trampling those poor flowers! Grizz and I were careful not to hurt anything…and they just don’t care…* Alyce felt her hands ball into fists. *…no.* She shook her head and grabbed hold of Grizz’s hand to calm herself down. *I can’t be angry at them. Their anger is the reason we’re stuck running away like this. Someone here has to calm themselves and—*
“…the hell you doin’?” Grizz muttered, looking down at the hand Alyce had wrapped around his own.
“It makes me feel better, OK?” Alyce answered.
“Yeah, yeah.” Grizz also seemed more comfortable after the gesture, as well as more willing to try to do more to lose the pursuing crowd than simply run fast. Now that the homeless duo had left the park, Grizz was back in his element, leading Alyce through alleyways and out of places that looked like dead ends at first.
It felt like they had been weaving through the city for hours. *I…can’t…I’m tired…* Alyce fell to her knees, and was nearly pulled off balance when Grizz kept running with her hand still firmly in his grip. “Sorry, Grizz…I need to take a break.”
“Then take a break, Alyce,” Grizz replied. “We’re back at my place. I think we lost ‘em.”
“Huh?” Alyce finally took the time to view her surroundings, and indeed, even the purse Grizz had stolen last night was right nearby. *I guess…it’s hard to tell Grizz’s alleyway from all the others. Especially on the run.* With that detail out of the way, Alyce’s focus was free to come back to her emotions. *Why…? Why do I always have to run? Why does everyone have to chase me away from them?*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Am I that predictable?"]]
“…hey, why ya cryin’?” Grizz asked. In his hand, he held up the sunflower he had saved from the feet of the priest’s crowd of fanatics. “Where’d all your sunshine go?”
Alyce sniffled. *Well…not everybody chases me away…thank you, Grizz.* “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“Well, I know what’s comin’ over me: my appetite!”
Alyce’s hands went to her stomach. *Grizz is right.* “Now that you mention it, I’m hungry too!”
Grizz laughed. “Well, yeah, we spent all day in the park an’ all afternoon runnin’ from a bunch of crazies, with nothin’ to eat but eggs!”
“That’s true.” *Wow, was it really all day?* Alyce rubbed a petal of the sunflower Grizz had placed in her shirt. “Other than that priest and his followers, I had a really good time.”
“Ha, yeah, it weren’t so bad, was it?” Grizz had a can of beans in each hand. “We can heat ‘em up if ya want.” When Alyce nodded her approval, Grizz had a flame going in a matter of minutes, both cans braced over the flame. “Actually…I wanted to ask ya about those guys.”
“The priest and his people?”
Grizz nodded. “The hell came over ya back there, Alyce? It ain’t like ya to be all confrontational.”
*He’s right…I don’t know why I even did that…I just…* “…I just wanted to know why, Grizz. How he could say those mean things. And when he insulted you…I…”
“…yeah. He pissed me off too. But I would’ve figured, it’d be like ya to leave him be, ya know?”
“I think you’re right, Grizz. I usually would have done that…but the things he said about me…and about you…”
“Anger’s one of those emotions…it makes ya crazy.”
*Me…acting of anger? But I…* “I…”
“Alyce? You’re shaking.” Grizz took the beans away from the flame, then moved to hold Alyce. “It ain’t somethin’ I said, is it?”
“I’m sorry, Grizz…it is…acting on reflex caused by anger…I’m not so different…”
“Oh, that. Look…you ain’t the same. Ya just asked ‘em questions when anger took over. They were gonna tear us a new one. It’s…it ain’t the emotions that make a person, it’s what they do with ‘em, ya know?”
“I…g-g-guess…” Alyce stammered. “There…isn’t any other emotion that makes me do crazy things, is there?”
Grizz shook his head. “Anger’s gotta be the strongest. Some people might tell ya love is—“
“But you don’t think so,” Alyce noted with a laugh.
“Son of a…am I that predictable?”
“Is that bad?” *I found it…comforting.*
“I…ah, fuck…like, it’s hard to explain, see?”
“Then don’t.” Alyce reached into her scarf to scratch her ears. “We have plenty of time to figure it out, don’t we?”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I ain't a metaphor kinda guy."]]
Grizz held his can of beans like a cup, and Alyce watched with wide eyes as he gulped down everything in the can without stopping to breathe. “Ah,” he gasped, wiping his mouth with his sleeve, “that’s good stuff. You gonna eat yours or what?”
Alyce attempted the same trick Grizz did, but her gag reflex got in the way, leading her to cough and sputter beans all over the place. “Ah…I…how did you do it?” she asked.
Grizz had a hearty laugh. “Damn, Alyce, you don’t look like the kinda girl to chug a whole can of beans! But, what ya gotta do is, start slow, see?” Grizz tipped the can up to Alyce’s lips, and she felt the beans sliding slowly into her mouth, giving her plenty of time to chew and taste the food. “See, it ain’t so hard, is it?”
Alyce pushed the can down to give herself a breather. “It’s…a little easier…”
“Yeah, see, ya can’t just go straight to chuggin’ the whole can like I did. Ya gotta take all this slowly, see? Now that we got ya out in the outside world, it ain’t smart to try an’ take it all in at once.”
“So…this can of beans is a metaphor?”
“Metaphor? Hell.” Grizz hit his empty can of beans with a glob of spit so hard that the can fell over. “I ain’t a metaphor kinda guy.”
*I don’t know if I believe that, Grizz.* “Sometimes, I wonder if you act tougher than you really are,” Alyce informed him between mouthfuls of beans.
“Man, the hell does that mean?” Grizz said indignantly.
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because you act really distant and tough…but you were such a sweetheart back in the flower garden today?”
Grizz blushed. “Wha…that? Damn, I thought ya wanted to keep the prettiest flower for yourself.”
“You mean this one?” Alyce asked, pointing to the sunflower still tucked safely in her shirt. “The way you said it, I thought you meant it was pretty because it was with me.”
“N-no!” Grizz shook the other sunflower in Alyce’s face. “See, this one’s all pretty too! I’m’a fill a can of beans with water an’ keep this one around the alley! What's your theory say 'bout that, huh?”
“…that’s tough?”
“Naw, but I’m doin’ it for you!” Grizz’s cheeks were so red that they practically lit up the alleyway.
“That’s tough?” Alyce repeated.
Grizz sighed. “Well, damn, when ya put it that way, ya sound right. But…” Grizz took a knee next to Alyce. “It’s like, this, see? I gotta be tough for ya, but not tough to ya…ya know?”
“I…think I get it.” *But Grizz, you don’t have to prove anything to me. I trust you.*
“Ha, see, there’s a good girl.” Grizz rubbed Alyce’s head affectionately. “Now, we better go to bed early. We had a tough day with those crazies back at the park, yeah?”
“We did,” Alyce agreed, resting her hand on the spot Grizz had rubbed. “But I still had fun! If those mean people aren’t in the park every day, we should go back sometime!”
“I guess we can, yeah.” Grizz prepared the bed, the same way as he did last night. “Well, Alyce, you know the drill. I’ll be up for awhile longer, a’ight?”
“OK. Goodnight, Grizz.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Ya know how much I hate the world."]]
Alyce yawned and made herself comfortable on the mattress Grizz had laid out.
*I really do hope we can go back to the park sometime…it was so pretty! Poor Grizz probably spends most of his time in the city itself, and that’s why he finds everything so ugly. That…and what happened in the flower garden was just…Grizz really is a softy at heart, but being a softy doesn’t seem to help much out on the streets, does it? But…he has a chance to let his soft side out…thanks to me.*
Alyce turned over to her side and scratched her tail while watching Grizz resume construction of his lean-to of garbage. *And he needs the companionship…from what I’ve heard about his life, I’m amazed at how strong he is…to continue on in the face of everything. But…hasn’t he told me that my optimism is even more admirable? What does he mean?* “…Grizz?”
“…huh?” Grizz was visibly surprised to see Alyce still awake. “’sup, Alyce?”
“I want to ask you something…I can’t sleep because I’m thinking too much, so…”
Grizz set down his makeshift shelter. “Sure, ‘sup?”
“Well…it’s about how we think about the world.”
“Ya mean the sunshine y'all are burstin' with while I'm bleak as the moon?”
Alyce laughed. “You’re a very blunt person, Grizz.” *And the moon…* Alyce looked up past the city lights, to see a full moon giving off just as much light. “Grizz, you’ve been out here making your living for a long time…and this is my first full day outside of the compound…so why do think I’m…didn’t you say I was ‘stronger’ than you? Why?”
“Well, dame, it’s like this, see? I been out here on the streets for ages, beggin’ and stealin’ an’ all that, an’ nobody ever bothers to help me get outta this kinda life…an’ ya know how much I hate the world."
Grizz put down his work and faced Alyce, a smile across his face. "An’ then there’s you," he continued, "on the run from a bunch of crazy scientists that wanna cut ya to pieces ‘cause you’re different. An’ still, you appreciate all the beauty an’ crap ya see in this world.”
Grizz laughed dryly, a hollow sort of laugh that seemed more like obligation in the face of his observation. “Hell," he added, "just the fact that ya see any beauty in the world at all…I’m just sayin’, out here on the streets, faith’s the first thing to go.”
“And manners are second, right?” Alyce noted with a giggle.
Grizz joined in her laughter, and Alyce noted the genuine quality of the laugh in comparison to his last laugh. “Somethin' like that.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Sometimes I can't stand it."]]
Grizz walked over and untied the scarf from under Alyce’s chin.
“Grizz!" she gasped. "What are you doing?”
“Sometimes I can’t stand it,” he said as he freed Alyce’s tail and ears from their clothing. “How the hell do you do it, Alyce?”
He sat down to pet her tail and continued. “Dammit, ya got these beautiful foxy bits on ya, an’ everyone hates you just because of ‘em. An’…an’ you can just sit here and be all sunny an’ crap?” Even in the darkness, Alyce could swear she saw a single tear slide down Grizz’s cheek, reflecting light from the fire. “The hell do you do it?”
Alyce sat up and wrapped her tail around Grizz’s hips. “Grizz…is that why you’re trying so hard to help me? To understand my optimism?”
“Kinda…but I still wanna help ya for the sake of it, an’ ‘cause I like ya, an’ ‘cause ya ain’t got no one else to help ya, an’—“
“Alright, Grizz, I understand.” Alyce reached out and wiped the single tear from Grizz’s cheek. “You have plenty of reasons to help me. You don’t have to explain them all to me, don’t worry. I trust you.”
“Yeah, I just lost my cool there for a bit,” Grizz explained, still petting Alyce’s tail. “It ain’t that I’m gonna ditch ya when I figure out how the hell you keep smilin’.”
“But you’re not wrong, either, Grizz. I smile a lot because I try my hardest to. I could believe this outside world that’s so new to me…I could believe it’s just as bad as the compound, but…I really don’t want to…”
*And I really don’t have to worry about that, knowing about people like you, Grizz. But I can’t just tell you that. If…if you think that I’m secretly unhappy, it will make your own unhappiness easier to bear. And…lying is wrong, but so is stealing, and if Grizz believes anything, it’s that doing wrong things is OK if it has to be done. I’m sure he’ll understand.*
"…and I really never have seen these flowers before,” Alyce added, tapping the sunflower in her shirt with her index finger. “They really are just so beautiful…!”
“See…told ya they’re the prettiest flowers.” Grizz picked up Alyce’s scarf. “Ya want me to hide your foxy bits again for ya?” Grizz’s grip on the scarf tightened until his knuckles turned white. “Ya know, just in case some lowlife spots ya…”
*Grizz…you’re really not taking my life’s story very well.* “Yes, please,” Alyce replied after a moment’s hesitation. *Believe me, I wish I could let them be free, too.*
Grizz gave Alyce’s ears one last pet before tying them back down as his face went red again. “I’ll let ya handle your own tail.”
*Hm, but he was perfectly willing to pet my tail a lot while he was sad. I liked the feeling…but if he insists…* Alyce struggled with the task, mostly due to the fact that it was all behind her back and a task she wasn’t yet used to, but eventually succeeded. “There…all ready for bed!” she announced.
“Good. Then sleep,” Grizz ordered with a warm smile.
“…oh, and that thing about the moon?” Alyce looked back up at the moon as she settled herself into a comfortable sleeping position. “The moon can shine every bit as bright as the sun, right? Goodnight Grizz!” she hastily added. *If you say you can't do metaphors, then you're stuck, right? You just have to take whatever I say!*
Alyce heard Grizz grumbling his dissent regardless of her bowing out of the conversation. “…grr. ‘night, Alyce,” he finally ceded.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"What's different about a Merv Burger?"]]
### Chapter 4
Alyce slowly sat up, stretching her arms to greet the new day. “Good morning, Grizz,” she said with a yawn.
“Mornin’?” Grizz repeated. “The hell you talkin' 'bout? It’s almost noon!”
“What?” Alyce jumped to her feet. “Really?” I’ve never slept that long before! “Oh my gosh, Grizz! I’m sorry!”
“Chill, Alyce. It’s fine. I been keepin’ busy,” Grizz added with a smirk.
“…busy stealing?”
Grizz simply nodded and raised his fist, which was clenched around a stack of bills. “So, hungry for lunch or what? How ‘bout a burger?”
Alyce adjusted the scarf around her head. “But Grizz, can we really use up the money like that? I know you won’t give it back, but since you already have it…”
“Well, some things are more important than money, see? I gotta get everything ya need to experience the outside world.” Grizz rose to his feet and concealed his knife in the blink of an eye. “Ya gonna have a burger with me or not?”
*Grizz…once you’ve got an idea in your head, there’s just no getting it out, is there?* “Alright, Grizz…where are we getting burgers?”
“’Atta girl, Alyce! It’s about time I take ya out for fast food." Grizz clapped his hands in front of him, staring at them for a second. "A’ight, so there’s this pretty big chain of stores, called Merv’s Burger Joint. I’ve always wanted to go to one myself, ya know.” Grizz motioned for Alyce to follow him as he walked out of the alley. “An’ now I get to bring a friend to have their first Merv Burger too!”
*So this isn’t just for me.* “When you put it that way, I can’t say no!” Alyce ran up to Grizz’s side. “You’ve never had a burger before, Grizz?”
Grizz shook his head. “Well…not a Merv Burger.”
“What’s different about a Merv Burger?”
“That’s what we’re gonna find out, right?”
*Hm, I did occasionally get burgers at the compound…but they were gross. Now that I’m on the outside, I get to eat something tasty!* “Right, Grizz!” Alyce confirmed.
“A’ight, then, sunshine, the nearest Merv’s is in the Cross Town Mall. Same place we got our clothes, remember?”
Alyce giggled. “Grizz, my problem is naïveté, not amnesia.” *“Sunshine”?* It was a little hard to walk when Alyce processed what just happened. *Grizz has a real nickname for me now instead of “dame” or any of his street talk?* A pleased sigh escaped Alyce’s lips. *This is really mixing my head up…this makes me so happy, but I don't know why. "Sunshine"...*
Grizz seemed to miss all of that, and continued talking about Merv’s Burger Joint. “Sometimes I can smell ‘em…the smell of the burgers gets on the wind and is all over the streets.”
“So, you can find something about Cross Town to appreciate after all.” *Even if it is something as weird as the smell of a fast food restaurant…it’s a start, Grizz. I’m proud of you!*
Grizz laughed. “Aw hell, I guess it is nice. It’s a nice beefy smell, see…an’ somehow it’s hopeful, like that beefy crap is gonna be the kind of thing waitin’ for me once I get off these streets.”
“Then we’ll get you off these streets, Grizz,” Alyce daydreamed as they walked through the door into Merv’s Burger Joint, “and we’ll get the biggest burger you’ve ever seen into your tummy!”
“Sounds real sweet,” Grizz admitted, licking his lips. “But for now, we’re at Merv’s!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I want The Combination!]]
Alyce’s stride shrank to mere inches, and she walked slowly into the fast food restaurant, her head darting back and forth as if she were watching a tennis match.
*I’ve never been in a fast food restaurant before!* It was nothing compared to the park, or even the Prowl Clothing store. Sure, it was clean enough for a place where food was being served, but a thin layer of grime seemed to persist, as was the norm in Cross Town. It wasn’t quite as pervasive here, though the odd speck of…something did cover parts of the menu on display behind the counter.
“Grizz…what should I get?” Alyce mused, eyes scanning the menu several times over.
“Well, sunshine, I’m’a leave that up to you. I’ll help ya if ya can’t decide…but try an’ decide, will ya? I’ll be in the bathroom.” With that, Grizz excused himself.
“Up to me…?” *But there’s so many different things here! Merv Burger, Fish Merv, Mondo Merv, Merv Chickwich…what’s that? “The Combination”? Huh, I’m curious.* Alyce skipped up to the friendliest-looking of the cashiers, pausing to adjust the sunflower tucked in her shirt. “Hi there!”
“Hello, welcome to Merv’s Burger Joint! May I help you?” the cashier asked with a smile.
“My friend will be out to order in a second, but…what’s the ‘Combination’ item up there?” Alyce pointed to the part of the sign where she saw it listed. “Number eleven.”
“Oh my, The Combination? Well…it’s got all the ingredients of the Merv Burger—beef patty, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and the secret Merv Sauce—but on top of that, it also has a Chickwich—a white meat chicken breast patty with mayonnaise and some of the same ingredients of the Merv Burger. It’s the best of both sandwiches—The Combination!”
“Wow,” Alyce involuntarily mouthed as Grizz returned from the restroom.
“Yo, Alyce,” he said with a nod. “‘sup? Find something ya like?”
“Yes, Grizz! I want The Combination!
“…son of a…didn't realize you were that hungry, sunshine.”
“Why…? Is The Combination a big burger?”
“Bet your ass it is! But…what the hell.” Grizz turned to the cashier, a hand rifling through his pockets for the cash ahead of time. “OK, so the lady will have a number-eleven, and I’ll have the number-six. Both medium.” Grizz handed Alyce a tall paper cup. “K, Alyce, you go an’ get yourself some soda, an’ pick a place for us to sit, a’ight?”
“Sure, Grizz!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Thank you, Mister Moon."]]
Alyce wandered over to the large machine to Grizz’s left. *So…this is where I get soda, right? We never had soda back at the compound. Hm…wonder what kind I should get.* Alyce’s lack of life experience left her totally clueless as to which sodas tasted like what, or even how the machine worked. *I…I think I should wait for Grizz.*
As if on cue, Grizz was soon by her side, picking out a variety of soda for himself. “…the hell you doin’, Alyce?” he asked quietly.
“Grizz, I don’t know what any of these sodas are. I don’t even know how this machine works,” Alyce admitted, an embarrassed blush on her face.
“Aw, it’s easy, see?” Grizz gently took Alyce by the wrist. “See, ya—“
Alyce instinctively jerked her arm out of Grizz’s grip. When met with his confused facial expression, she bowed slightly to him. “I’m sorry. Just…try not to grab my wrist, please. Now…” Alyce took Grizz’s hand and laid it around hers. Grizz held Alyce’s hand, and her hand in turn held the cup. “…you were saying?”
“Oh…uh…well, ya do this,” Grizz instructed with his own cup. The cup pushed a lever on the machine backwards, which caused soda to pour from the machine into his cup. “They got ice over here, too. Keeps the soda colder longer if ya think ya can’t drink it all before it gets warm. Ya want ice?” When Alyce nodded, she felt Grizz gently guide her hand to help demonstrate the soda machine once again. “See, just like that. I got this soda right here…third from the left. If ya can’t decide, get that. It’s good stuff,” Grizz added, taking a sip of his own soda for emphasis.
*OK, so…I just push the cup and…yes!* Alyce’s lesson was complete, for she now had a cup full of something the machine identified as "Crystal Drops". Alyce stared at the machine for a moment, then asked Grizz, "Hey, why does this have such a weird name?"
Grizz shrugged. “It’s just lemon-lime sugar water, ya know? They cook up these weird names an' everyone just rolls with it." Grizz fumbled with something hidden from Alyce’s view by the soda machine itself. “A straw an’ lid for the sunshine’s soda?”
Alyce accepted Grizz’s gifts. “Thank you, Mister Moon,” she said with a giggle.
“The hell, Alyce?” Grizz muttered, a disgusted look on his face. “Do ya not like 'sunshine'? That why you're tryin' to saddle me with somethin' weak like 'Mister Moon'?”
*Oh, right, Grizz needs to act tough. I forgot!* Alyce laughed. “So, what do we call you, then?”
Grizz shrugged. “Well, if ya wanna keep the moon thing, that’s cool with me, just make it into somethin’ cool like ‘Moonblade’ or ‘Night Terror’ or somethin'.”
“But…I don’t think you’re terrifying…and I haven’t seen you use that knife.” *Thank goodness.*
“But that’s the point of a nickname, ya see. It gives ya an idea of what ya should think I’m like, without this gettin’-to-know-ya crap. An’ then nobody screws with us ‘cause they hear a scary name an' start to think twice.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Ya had to get The Combination, huh?"]]
Grizz chuckled. “But enough about that," he said, "our food’s up! Ya wanna get the food or find us a seat?”
“I’ll look for a seat!” Alyce replied, already running through the restaurant in search of a good place to sit and eat. She eventually settled on a booth next to a window. *Grizz sure does care a lot about looking tough…though I guess he’s right. If they see him with me and they’re scared of him, they won’t try to hurt me. But…how can he make friends like that? He sure has a complicated situation about him!*
When Alyce spotted Grizz carefully walking around with a tray full of food, she waved enthusiastically to him. “Over here!” she announced, as if her waving weren’t enough to catch Grizz’s attention.
“A’ight, I’m comin’,” Grizz grumbled as he slid into place in the seat opposite Alyce.
Alyce shook her head and patted the seat next to her. “No, Grizz, sit here, next to me!”
Grizz looked up from appraising the food with a confused expression. “…why?”
“I don’t know! Just do it, OK?”
Grizz sighed and obeyed Alyce’s request. “There. Ya happy now, Alyce?”
“Lots, thanks!” Alyce replied, with a pat on Grizz’s shoulder for emphasis. “So which one of these is The Combination?”
Grizz grinned and held up an enormous burger, clad in a wrapper covered in warnings. “Ya had to get The Combination, huh?”
*I’m beginning to second-guess my decision, Grizz. But…* “Well, if we’re going to take me to get a real burger at a real fast food restaurant, I might as well start big, right?”
“Naw, what’d I tell ya before with that can of beans bein’ all metaphorical an’ crap?” Grizz had two burgers as part of his order, though they would have been smaller than The Combination if put together. “Ya gotta take it slow, ya know?”
*I thought you didn't do metaphors, Grizz.* Alyce nodded and unwrapped The Combination, and noticed a key detail the cashier had left out: The Combination seemed to be two Merv Burgers and two Chickwiches combined into a single entity. *I can see why Grizz is so worried.* “But I can’t give up now! Especially since I haven’t even tried yet!” Alyce picked up the burger and lifted it to her face, upon which she realized that it was taller than her mouth.
Grizz also noted this and laughed through a mouthful of fries. “Even when ya can’t even wrap ya mouth around it?”
“Now, now, Grizz,” Alyce admonished as she nibbled away at the top half of the burger and then the bottom half, effectively reaching the same end as one bite down on the whole burger would have. “Just because something is impossible,” she lectured through the beef and chicken in her mouth, “doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try anyway!”
Grizz grunted as he took a bite of one of his own burgers. “I’ll try to remember that, sunshine.”
Grizz sat and ate in complete silence, so Alyce took it as a cue to do the same. *Of course, as Grizz has made clear, life has more or less dissuaded him from any sense of optimism. Poor guy. But if he insists on calling me “sunshine” and thinking of himself as the opposite…well, that makes him the moon, like he said before. If those are the metaphors he wants, then fine! I think I can cheer him up with them just fine.*
“…hey Grizz,” Alyce eventually muttered, finally breaking the silence which had let her devour most of The Combination, and allowed Grizz to finish his meal entirely. “What else are we doing today?”
Grizz shrugged. “Hell if I know. I’m from the streets, sunshine. I ain’t exactly got a travel guide to Cross Town, nothin' like that. I just sorta stick around on the streets an’ survive.”
“No, Grizz!” Alyce protested with a playful push on Grizz’s shoulder. “I don’t want to survive, I want to live!” *I know what you mean, though…back at the compound, I simply survived…but now I get to do so much more! I’m sure you feel the same.*
“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure ya do. So do I,” Grizz added, confirming Alyce’s suspicions. “So tell ya what. Let’s go an’ make some plans right now.”
Alyce held up the remaining portion of The Combination. “But I’m not done eating! And I still have fries to eat, too.”
“Bring ‘em with ya. I got somethin’ to tell ya anyway.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I'd hate pretty much anywhere."]]
*Grizz…?* Alyce knew enough to listen to Grizz at this point, so she silently packed up her fast food meal, and followed Grizz as he calmly exited the building through a back door Alyce hadn’t noticed.
Once the door closed behind them, Alyce finally managed to ask, “Why did we leave, Grizz? And through the back door?”
“Suits were comin’ in through the front,” Grizz casually noted.
Alyce was in the middle of eating a fry when Grizz answered her, and the surprise sent her coughing and sputtering. “What? How did you know?”
“Heard ‘em push a fella into a wall.” Grizz gripped his arm to help jog Alyce’s memory.
*Oh, right!* “So you turned, looked, saw the men in black coming into the restaurant, and beckoned me out through the back door, all with nobody noticing everything that was going on?”
“What can I say?” Grizz replied, in a strange form of modesty. “Out on the streets, ya gotta keep your eyes open all the time.”
*Even if you’re not going to take responsibility, Grizz, I still think what you did was awesome.* “All the same…thank you, Grizz.”
“Ha…well, crap.” Grizz rubbed the back of his head in a gesture of embarrassment. “Ya know how I feel about thanks.”
Alyce rolled her eyes. “Right. So Grizz, did you really have something to tell me?”
“Eh, maybe.” Grizz glanced around nervously before continuing. “Ya know, I hear Cross Town is where animal-folks like you first started poppin’ up, an’ that’s why the Asylum here’s the biggest compound dedicated to cuttin’ ‘em up.”
Alyce nodded. “That sounds possible. They do have a lot of men to dedicate to searching for escapees like me.”
“Yeah, an’ seein’ as how much money they got each suit carryin’…I start wonderin’ how safe it is to stay in Cross Town.”
“You want to…leave Cross Town?”
Grizz shook his head. “Not really…I been in Cross Town for as long as I can remember, see?”
“But…you hate this place, don’t you?”
“I’d hate pretty much anywhere.”
Alyce giggled. “You’re not very positive, no. But wait, Grizz. You said the men in black carried a lot of money?”
Grizz nodded. “They got enough cash in their pockets to bribe the cops, an’ then go out to Chez Walle’s for a big ol’ steak dinner.” Upon noting Alyce’s confused face, Grizz stopped to clarify. “Chez Walle’s. It’s the fanciest restaurant we got.”
“But wouldn’t that money also be enough to chase me down wherever I go? It sounds like they’re already prepared to chase us.”
“…huh. Damn. I ain’t thought of it like that. Although…” A wicked grin slowly spread across Grizz’s lips. “…if I steal from ‘em here instead of across the country, I get craploads more money outta their pockets, am I right?”
Alyce shook her head. “Grizz, you can’t joke around with them! They’re trained to fetch people and bring them back to the compound, and…not everyone with animal parts gets a cute tail and ears like me.”
“Yeah, some fellas must get scorpion tails or rhino horns or somethin'. But Alyce,” Grizz reassured her, “ya know how careful I am.”
“I know, but…” Alyce threw her arms around Grizz’s neck and began to cling to him. “…you know you’re the only person I have right now. I can’t let the men in black hurt you, too.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"If ya need me, yell for me."]]
“…hey,” Grizz said as he made a half-hearted attempt to undo Alyce’s sudden cling. “I ain’t stupid. I know plenty ‘bout danger, see? An’ I’m not gonna leave ya alone on these streets.” Grizz groaned. “You ain’t gonna make me promise this again, are ya?”
Alyce shook her head. “And notice how I didn’t chide you about stealing, either,” she replied. *Though I still don’t want you to kill anybody.*
“Ha, yeah, I gotta tell ya, ya learn fast.” Grizz petted Alyce’s head, and she felt her ears twitch a little under the scarf. “But I keep havin’ to tell ya to chill,” he continued. “An’ havin’ to tell ya that I got ya back, once a day…crap gets old, sunshine.”
Alyce laughed. “I guess…” She released her cling on Grizz, and moved into a more natural hug. “It’s just nice to hear it once a day.” *After all…I’ve been out of the compound for two days. Sometimes I need confirmation…to make sure that I get to stay in this great new world I’ve found…with Grizz…*
“Yeah, I bet. But I do have somethin’ to show ya. Can ya let me go for a few minutes so I can take ya there?”
“Oh…um, OK,” Alyce stammered, releasing Grizz from her embrace.
“Yeah, trust me, we’re gonna need this.” Suddenly, Grizz took Alyce by the hand and led her quickly through an unfamiliar part of town.
“Grizz, where are we going?” Alyce asked as Grizz led her out of town and through a forest. “And can we slow down?”
“Why? We’re already there!” Grizz threw up his arms to gesture to a small brook running through a tiny field. It was all very plain, with the field being little more than flowing waves of green grass, and the brook being clear and quiet, but it was still the kind of sight that Alyce had never seen before. “Yeah, ya like that, sunshine?”
“Like it? Grizz, it’s wonderful!” Alyce replied. “But…why are we here?”
“I was thinkin’…I should bring ya to Chez Walle’s.”
“You mean the fancy restaurant?”
Grizz nodded. “But first, we gotta wash up proper, ya know?” Grizz took a bottle of shampoo out of his pocket. “Can’t go into Chez Walle’s with crap hair.”
*But…Chez Walle’s is expensive, isn’t it? I…Grizz, I wish you didn’t have to spend so much money on me…but you spent about a hundred dollars on me the first day we met, so I don’t think I can really stop you…* “I suppose that’s true, Grizz. Is it safe to wash anything in this brook, though?” *…wait a minute.* “How long have you had that shampoo, Grizz?”
“All day,” Grizz replied with a smirk. “Ya slept ‘till noon, remember?”
“Oh, right,” Alyce confirmed through a laugh.
“An’ your other question…they run this brook through a bunch of filters an’ crap way further down before the rest of Cross Town even touches it. There ain’t nothin’ to filter outta the water, though…I been usin’ this brook to fix up an’ look sharp an’ no harm ever comes outta it.”
“And does anyone know you’re here?”
“Nope!” Grizz produced a bar of soap wrapped in cloth from his pockets, quite possibly the same soap and cloth that washed the blood from Alyce’s tail when the two of them first met. “This here’s a nice, small part of the brook, got woods on all sides an’ crap. Real private-like.”
“Oh, good,” Alyce sighed, removing her scarf and swishing her tail up from her jeans. As she scratched and fussed with her ears, she noticed Grizz staring slack-jawed at her. “…is something the matter, Grizz?”
“Wha…no, I don’t see anything wrong,” Grizz replied, jaw still slack.
*Huh. Alright then…* “So how are we going to do this, Grizz?”
“I dunno, sunshine…see, what I was thinkin’ was, you go first an’ I try to make sure no one sees ya, an’ then I go next an’…well, I’ll let ya decide if ya wanna stand guard or frolic in the woods or some shit. Just don’t go too far, ya know?”
“Oh…that sounds fine.” Alyce jabbed a finger into Grizz’s chest. “But no peeking!”
“Come on,” Grizz whined, “ya know me better than that.”
“Yeah, I do,” Alyce admitted. “OK, Grizz, where are you going to be, so I can tell you when I’m done?”
“If ya need me, yell for me,” Grizz answered as he ran into the woods. “An’ I’ll be there.”
“You promise?” Alyce yelled after him.
“Dammit,” she heard him grumble. “Yeah. Promise.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Nice and warm!"]]
Alyce released a sigh of relief and listened to the noise of Grizz making his way into the woods. Once she thought he was a safe distance away, she began removing her shirt and jeans.
“Mmm, much better,” she moaned as she swished her tail through the air. *My tail is just so big and bushy…it's a lot to stuff away into clothing! It just cramps up so much, but when I get to let it out…phew!* Alyce let out a short, happy chirp as she stepped out of her underwear. *Grizz is right, letting my tail and ears out of their hiding places feels so nice…! Especially after having to hide them for so long…* Alyce took the cleaning supplies and brought them to the edge of the brook while she dipped a toe into the water.
“Nice and warm!” she said to herself as she jumped in. *I think Grizz takes my situation even harder than I do, though. There was last night, after all…* Alyce stopped washing herself to hold her tail in her hands.
*But…Grizz honestly does think my tail is beautiful…maybe, it’s just that he’s finally finding something beautiful in the world, and people are actively forcing that beauty away. Me…beautiful…*
Alyce resumed cleaning herself, scrubbing shampoo into her hair. *I suppose Grizz needs something that he finds beautiful, before he starts hating this world too much. If it happens to be me, and it happens to boost my own self-esteem, that’s a nice bonus, right?*
Her hygienic business finally complete, Alyce hauled herself out of the brook and shook herself out, once again spinning her tail through the air to dry it off. “Grizz!” she shouted, as per the promise. “I’m all done!”
The soft flowing of the brook was the only sound she heard in reply. After she had finished putting her clothes on, complete with tucking Grizz’s sunflower into its usual place, she tried again. “…Grizz?”
“Over here!” she heard someone shout. Before Alyce could get her scarf back on her head, she found herself staring down two men in black suits. “We finally found you, you elusive specimen, you,” one of them said with a crack of his knuckles.
“Now, now,” another voice behind them chided, “let’s not get violent.” The two men in black stepped aside to let a man dressed like a doctor take center stage. “You must be the foxgirl that escaped us recently,” the doctor guessed, tossing a bloody scalpel back and forth in his hands. “You naughty girl…”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Where is Grizz?"]]
“You...” Alyce managed to mutter despite trembling in fear. *This is too much like my dream…* “…where is Grizz?”
“…my dear, I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Now, will you come with us peacefully…or will we have to resort to violence after all?” The doctor held his scalpel like a knife. “After all…I’m a doctor. I’m used to the sight of blood.”
“…no,” Alyce weakly protested.
“You’ll have to speak up, dear.”
Alyce felt courage welling up inside her. *Grizz…wherever you are…I need to be strong…I need to be brave…like Ace, and like you.* “Lucky me,” she whispered to herself, tying her scarf around her forehead, the tightness focusing her thoughts.
“Now, see, this is why we can’t have beasts like you wander the outside world. You’ve gone demented, can’t y—”
“No!” Alyce suddenly shouted in the doctor’s face, interrupting him mid-sentence. “You’re the one that’s demented! I’m not the beast here…and you’re not even a doctor! You’re just a monster!”
“So much sass,” the doctor calmly retorted. “You’ve been out of the compound for two days and you’ve already forgotten your place? Shame on you.”
“Shame on her?” yet another voice hollered, as Alyce heard the odd snapping of branches emanate from the forest. Suddenly, a human-shaped blur fell from the trees, its feet planted squarely in the doctor’s shoulder blades. “Yeah, screw you, buddy,” the voice asserted as its owner rose to his feet.
“You’re…!” Alyce gasped in shock. *Grizz!* A grateful tear found its way out of her eye.
“Like I told ya,” Grizz replied, “I ain’t a liar. I made ya a promise, an’ here I am.” In a flash, Grizz’s knife shot into his grip, its blade briefly shining in the sun. “An’ as for you, ya damn suits, ya better leave this here girl alone, see?” Grizz crouched low to the ground and spun his knife in his hand, his feet still firmly planted on the doctor’s back. “’cause this here ends in two ways: no one gets hurt, or y’all get cut.”
“Try it, punk,” one of the men in black responded as they both pulled guns out of their suits.
“Aw, the hell, you suits got guns an’ I got a knife? This ain’t fair!” Grizz smirked and slowly put his knife on the ground. “An’ see, now ya got guns an’ I ain’t got nothin’…”
Even Alyce’s sharp eyesight failed to track Grizz’s movements as he suddenly grabbed one of the men’s arms and wrenched it at an unnatural angle. The man in black shouted in pain and dropped his gun. Alyce couldn't help but wince at the maneuver.
Grizz, maintaining his impressive agility, snatched the gun before it hit the ground, then whirled behind the man’s back, holding the man in black at gunpoint. “…an’ you suits still ain’t got a chance!” he shouted, finishing his one-liner from before. “It just ain’t fair.” When the other man raised his gun against Alyce, Grizz nonchalantly opened fire, one bullet grazing the man's wrist and disarming him.
“Maybe they don’t have a chance,” the doctor muttered, slowly rising to his feet, “but I do!” He slowly stumbled toward Alyce, Grizz’s dropkick clearly having affected his well-being.
Alyce saw her chance when the doctor clumsily kicked Grizz’s knife, and snatched it from the ground as it came skidding towards her. “I can’t lose,” she asserted. “Not with my friend here!” The breeze managed to kick up at this point, lifting Alyce’s makeshift hairband and the doctor’s lab coat skyward and causing them to shuffle silently through the air.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Give me a gun."]]Grizz put his shoulder into his hostage’s back and used him as a human bulldozer to knock over the other man in black. He snatched the other gun on the ground and took his place at Alyce’s side. “Well?” he demanded. “Ya gonna get ya asses outta here, or am I gonna have to shoot y’all dead?”
Grizz gazed skyward to think for a minute, and then added, “Ya know what? Ya better leave all the money ya got behind, too.” Grizz trained one gun on the man in black to his left, the one he had taken hostage. “Let’s start with you. Put your wallet on the ground, nice an’ slow, see?”
Grizz repeated the process for the doctor and his other assistant, leaving lots of money on the ground. It took Alyce a minute to figure out why Grizz was doing this to them. *He’s going to steal their money, isn’t he?*
When the last wallet was on the ground, Alyce flicked her tail about menacingly and hoisted Grizz’s knife into a position she hoped was intimidating. *Wow, I keep forgetting how heavy this knife is…but at the same time, I feel like I can lift it just fine anyway!*
“Now, leave!” she ordered, with the most serious tone of voice she could muster.
Grizz glanced at Alyce, visibly shocked, before he shouted his agreement. “Yeah! Or this is where y'all die!” he added.
“Hmph,” the doctor pouted, scalpel still in his hand. Suddenly, he flipped it around in his grip and stabbed it right into the back of one of the men in black, the one with the bullet hole in his wrist.
Alyce began to grow nauseous at the sight of the blood the man in black was losing, but did her best to maintain her resolve until the doctor and his remaining assistant left.
Grizz, however, lacked such tact, and threw questions at the doctor. “The hell ya do that for?” The doctor simply grinned sadistically as he walked away, leaving Grizz’s accusations to fall on deaf ears. “You’re nuts! Seriously…the hell!”
“Ugh…quick…” the remaining man in black groaned, struggling to rise to his feet. “Give me…a gun…that bastard…”
“What?” Alyce gasped, shocked. “But you’re…”
“He is,” Grizz whispered, handing him a gun, “or, he was. Now he’s pissed.”
“What are you doing?” Alyce demanded. “What if he…”
“I’m not going to hurt you two,” the man in black assured her. “I can’t…you two are too much. But that son of a…” With that, the man in black chased down the doctor, the scalpel still protruding from his back. “Sorry for the trouble,” he added before disappearing into the cover of the forest entirely.
Alyce watched him go, and then winced as a pair of gunshots rang through the forest minutes later.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Maybe he just had a change of heart?]]
[[Who was that guy?|The Ballad of Uncle Ray Part 1]]
### Side Story:
## The Ballad of Uncle Ray
NOTE: this side story is a little more violent and dark than the main story. If that concerns you, you can absolutely skip out of this and [[Return to Alyce and Grizz|"Maybe he just had a change of heart?]].
Ray strode into the chief of staff’s office, his footsteps conveying just as much of his anger as the scowl on his face. *That asshole…he never told me…* The chief’s secretary attempted to block his path, but Ray wasn’t going to take any sort of resistance from a little old lady in horn-rimmed glasses. “Step aside,” Ray ordered, cracking his knuckles.
“Do you have an appointment?” the secretary demanded to know.
“Just get out of my way.”
“If you want to see the chief, you’ll need an appointment…!”
Suddenly, the door behind her opened, revealing the chief of staff. Behind his thin frame and unkempt blond hair, Ray could see his infamous bonesaw on the desk. The chief had modified it to make a more effective tool for cutting a man down where he stood, a fitting weapon for the man who ran the Cross Town Asylum.
“No no, Shirley…let him pass," he said, completely flat. "If anything, I was expecting him to come by much sooner.”
As Shirley stood down, the chief began to examine Ray. There wasn’t much to see; Ray had been placed in the same imposing black suit and sunglasses that all other CTA employees, and he had the same wide, powerful frame as all the other men. The chief surely wasn’t looking for anything in Ray’s physical appearance; Ray couldn’t figure out anything else he might be looking for.
As the chief led Ray into his office, he continued to speak in his slow drawl. “So…you must be Ray.”
“How did you know?” Ray wondered. "I look the same as everyone else. It’s policy."
“You’re the only one with a reason to be mad.” The chief motioned to a chair for Ray to sit in. “I already know why you’re here.”
Ray’s knuckles became a pale white as his hands tightened around the armrests. “You never told me my niece was here.”
“Why, of course not. If you knew, you’d want to visit her. If we let you visit her, we’d have to give all the inmates visitation rights. We can’t have that.”
“But…she’s…I haven’t even seen her ever since she came here.”
The chief nodded. “And that’s the way it will remain.”
“You can’t—“
“Dismissed,” the chief interrupted.
“But—“
The chief’s hand shot out and wrapped itself around the customized bonesaw. “Dismissed,” the chief repeated through gritted teeth.
*Damn…! He’ll use it, too…and enjoy it.* Ray didn’t want to admit defeat, but the chief’s bonesaw was the one thing he couldn’t dispute.
Ray showed himself out of the office, his face twisting to accommodate the unparalleled levels of anger inside of him. *How dare he…! This is the twelve-year…it’s been twelve years to the day since my sister sent my niece here…and he’s done everything he can to keep me from even spotting her!* “Bastard,” Ray muttered to himself as he returned to his post in the guard office.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|The Ballad of Uncle Ray Part 2]]
After a very long silence, Alyce finally asked, “What…just happened, Grizz?”
“Here’s what I think happened,” Grizz said, though his face told Alyce that he was equally confused. “That doc fella, he went an’ tried to kill his own suit guy, maybe ‘cause he was pissed, maybe ‘cause he was gonna frame us for it, maybe ‘cause he at usin' a scalpel…an’ the whole idea of usin’ a scalpel like a weapon is kinda f—”
“Grizz…focus…”
“Damn, right. Anyway, so the doc goes an’ nearly kills his suit friend. Then the suit ain’t dead, an’ he’s so pissed that he goes an’ asks his enemies—that’s us—for a gun to help kill the fellas that betrayed him.”
“Or maybe…he just had a change of heart?” Alyce wondered, untying the scarf around her head.
Grizz shook his head. “Nah, I think what he did was outta anger, see? I shot him, an’ he was in a lot of pain over that…but then his own employer went an’ stabbed him in the back. Guy got so pissed at the doc that he asked for my help, even after I shot him, an’ now…who knows what happened next?”
“We might never know, huh, Grizz?” Alyce wiggled her ears a little. “Say, you still need to wash up, don’t you?”
Grizz laughed. “Damn, that I do, sunshine.” Grizz laid the remaining gun on the ground and reclaimed his knife from Alyce. “An’ I gotta say…ya looked as ready to fight as I was. Didn’t know ya had it in ya.” Grizz rubbed his hand in Alyce’s hair between her ears, as he seemed fond of doing lately. “Ya even had a headband goin’ for ya an’ everything.”
“Well, Grizz,” Alyce replied through a blush and a swish of her tail, “it wasn’t all me.”
“…the hell you talkin’ ‘bout?”
“Didn’t you hear me, Grizz? I told them…” Alyce gave Grizz a big hug. “…I can’t lose with you here.”
”Ya sure? Ya looked ready to put up a hell of a fight, even before I showed up.”
“That’s what I mean, Grizz,” Alyce clarified, gripping Grizz tighter. “I’m brave because you’re brave. I’m becoming more like you every day.”
“…lucky you,” Grizz muttered.
Alyce released Grizz and burst into laughter. “Alright, alright. Grizz, you go wash up. I’m going to go exploring!”
“Yeah, sure, just…two things.” Grizz held up his index finger. “One: don’t go too far.” Grizz’s index was quickly joined by his middle finger. “Two: don’t get too dirty.” Grizz’s fingers dropped as his hand transitioned to a thumbs-up. “I’ll call ya when I’m done, OK?”
“Sure thing, Grizz! Just call and I’ll be back, promise!” With that, Alyce trotted into the woods, ears and tail still free to catch the breeze.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"There's someone you gotta meet."]]
As Ray watched the monitors, an announcement came up over the intercom. “Patient Number…one…four-nine…six-three. Patient Number One-Four-Nine-Six-Three to the surgery wing.”
Ray’s eyes moved across the monitors, eventually finding the proper monitor to watch as one of his co-workers went to collect the poor patient. His fingers subconsciously brought him the audio feed of the situation, just as they always did, so he could bear silent witness to the last moments of Patient 14963. *I swear…if that’s my niece…that would be just like you, wouldn’t it, Chief?* When the lithe young lady came into view of the security camera, her fox ears drooping in sadness, Ray’s jaw dropped. *She’s just a kid…*
“Leave me alone!” Ray heard the patient shout.
“No can do, little girl,” the man in black replied, trying his best to herd her toward the surgery wing. “We have our orders, after all. We really don’t want to hurt you—”
“Then let me go! You’re hurting me right now!”
*That voice…somehow…hearing it just makes me so sad…* Ray couldn’t bring himself to keep an eye on the monitors anymore. For some strange reason, witnessing this young girl’s end was too much for Ray. He closed his eyes and listened to the audio feed come in through his headphones.
“Well, that’s not quite what I meant; if you’re going to make things difficult, we can’t help but hurt you…a litt—ow! You bit me, you little brat!”
“I’m sorry, I just…please, let go of me…you can’t do this…”
“I’m not the one to cry to about that. I just do the work I’m given.”
“You monster! I’m no different from you! Why would you help this happen?”
“I, uh, ain’t the same as you. You got those…uh…”
“That wasn’t the point!”
In the relative silence that followed, Ray heard an alarm begin to blare right through his noise-canceling headphones. His eyes shot open and began scanning the monitors. *She’s not at her room…not at the surgery room…wait, there she is! Trying to run away, is she?*
Ray’s hand hovered over the lockdown controls. *These buttons will drop the emergency bars over all the ways she could possibly escape. She looks like she’s headed straight for the front door…all I have to do is press this button.* Ray raised his hand in preparation to strike, but his hand stopped just above the button.
*No. The Chief deserves to have one get away…that’s what he gets for messing with Ray Brangwyn! Still…I should make it look like I tried.* Ray’s hand pressed down all the other lockdown controls first. *Windows, back doors…and now the front door. That should give her enough time.*
Ray watched, fascinated, as the fox-eared girl bolted down the hallways, looking around frantically for a way out. Finally, her eyes focused on the front door, and in a move Ray didn’t expect, she began to tear off her shoes and throw them through the glass panes of the door. *That was rash of you, girl.* Ray couldn’t help but chuckle at the foxgirl’s actions. *Insane…yet effective.* The foxgirl charged through the shards of glass still hanging in the frame of the door, causing Ray to wince slightly at the thought of the glass cutting through the poor girl’s skin. *Still, that was…impressive. I didn’t expect such a burst of adrenaline and self-preservation from anyone that’s been here.*
[[Next|The Ballad of Uncle Ray Part 3]]
“Ray!” a voice shouted from the walkie-talkie on the man’s hip. “Open the lockdown bars! She slipped through!”
“Opening lockdown grates,” Ray confirmed as he pressed the appropriate button on the dashboard in front of him. *As fast as that girl was running, though…you won’t catch her.* Ray kept an eye on the monitor overseeing the front door as the lockdown bars slowly grinded open.
“Ray,” the chief of staff’s voice barked over the intercom. “Don’t just sit there. You get to be on the team that chases her down.”
Ray groaned and joined the man in black that had previously radioed him about the lockdown gate. “So…when do we start?” Ray asked the man.
“Now,” he replied as the bars finally finished moving out of his way. “According to our boys outside, she suddenly veered into the forest. That’s where they lost her.”
“She won’t last long in that forest.” *Or will she? She did seem quite resourceful.*
“What if she leaves the forest?”
“Think! What’s on the other side of that forest? A place even more dangerous for a little lady like her…”
“…downtown!”
Ray nodded. “Exactly. Let’s roll.” As the two of them made their way downtown, Ray’s thoughts began to wander. *I don’t think I’ve ever seen this girl before. She’s probably new here…that’s the only way her willpower can be explained. It’s as if she has no idea men like us are tracking her. Still…even so…I’m getting a sense of déjà vu from her. Maybe she just reminds me of the last person that tried escaping. He was young, surprising, and yet…he was predictable. He moved in a straight line toward the same place we’d caught him before.*
“Hey, you,” Ray said to his partner, “you know where this girl’s from?”
The other man in black shrugged. “This girl isn’t from around here,” he replied, “this one’s a delivery from River City, and even then, she’s probably not from there in the first place.”
“Of course. People come from all over to bring us their beastpeople. So…if she doesn’t have any family around here…I imagine she’s just trying to put as much distance between us and her as possible right now.”
*And doing just as poor a job as the one before her. Shame; I thought this might be more interesting than that.*
[[Next|The Ballad of Uncle Ray Part 4]]
Ray shrugged as the two men walked across the border; now they were officially in the downtown Cross Town area. “She’d be around here somewhere," he said. "If we just ask around…she’s probably still trailing blood. And if she’s dumb, she’ll have her ears out there and everyone’s going to notice. It shouldn’t be hard to notice a little thing like her with those big ears and that blood trail.”
The other man chuckled. “Don’t get so attached,” he warned Ray.
“You worry too much. Let’s go.” It was a relatively busy evening downtown, with a lot of people moving around. *Perfect. One of these people is bound to have seen her. *
“Excuse me,” Ray asked a random passerby in his blankest monotone, “have you seen a young girl run by? Fox ears…?” *I hate doing that voice. Still, we have to look, act, and speak alike…that’s just policy.*
“No,” the passerby replied flatly.
Ray shrugged and moved on to the next person. This continued for several minutes without any success. *Damn, this is getting nowhere. Are these people trying to hide something from me? Or maybe…they’re just too busy.* “We need to ask someone else.”
Ray led his partner away from the neon lights and well-maintained shopping area of downtown Cross Town, and toward the scummy, run-down residential area. The lights of this part of the city were dim and weak, much like its residents. *She could have come through here.*
Ray didn’t bother to knock on anyone’s door, instead seeking out the homeless people of the area. *They’ve got nothing better to hold their attention…and for the right price, they’ll tell you anything.* An abnormally low amount of transients were out and about.
After a few minutes, though, Ray and his partner came across a young man whistling to himself in an alleyway. Everything about him was long and messy: his hair, his cloak, his arms and legs…he was in the process of remedying one of those issues with a washcloth, though his skin was far too dirty for a simple scrubbing to work.
The homeless young man stopped whistling as the men in black approached him. “Wha’sup?” he asked.
“Have you seen a girl with a fox’s tail?” Ray’s partner grilled him.
“I’m a blind beggar. I ain’t seen jack.”
Ray’s partner grunted and tossed the bum against a wall. “Stay out of our way.”
Ray rolled his eyes as they left the beggar on the ground, nursing his arm. “That was unnecessary,” Ray chided.
“It doesn’t matter…the kid was trash anyway. He didn’t even know anything.”
Ray shook his head. “I don’t care about him. It’s just policy…we’re not supposed to beat up just anybody.”
“I never cared much for policy and you know it.”
Ray shook his head. “I’m not even sure who you are.”
[[Next|The Ballad of Uncle Ray Part 5]]
“It’s been two days and you still haven’t caught her?” the chief of staff asked.
“She’s smarter than I thought,” Ray replied.
“Is she? Or are you just dumber?” The chief shook his head. “It’s not too often people even make it out of the Asylum with you on duty…and it’s supposed to be almost impossible to escape your tracking skills.”
*I have to stay calm. I can’t have the chief cut my head off over this.* “’Almost’ being the key word here.”
The chief shook his head and snapped his fingers, summoning another man in black and a field doctor into the room. “You’re searching for her again today. Bring these two with you…if you find her, they’ll do everything we needed to do in the surgery room two days ago. I can’t have her escaping from you on the way back, after all.”
*He’s underestimating me, isn’t he? Playing me like a fool…! Oh well.* “As long as these two don’t slow me down, I guess it won’t be a big deal.”
“Now, now,” the field doctor protested, “I’ll have you know I’m ex-military! You ever heard of the PMC, Har—”
“I don't care,” Ray growled. “You think that makes you special?”
“Quit bickering and find the girl!” the chief shouted, pointing the way out of his office.
“So, the great Ray Brangwyn has lost his edge?” the other man in black joked as the three of them exited the building.
“Nonsense,” Ray replied as he tried to focus on his partner. *Is this the same guy from last time? It might be; he’s just as callous, and it’s not like they look any different. Eh, it doesn’t matter…this guy’s going to be a pain in the ass to work with either way.* Ray sighed and climbed into the car that the others were piling into. “Do we have any leads?”
“As a matter of fact, we do,” the field doctor said. “Yesterday, there was a disturbance in the park…a preacher was up on his soapbox, decrying the beastpeople as scum, when a young lady interrupted him, and caused a bit of a riot in the process. She matches the description of the escaped patient, except for the tail and ears…although this lady was wearing a scarf around her head.”
“It’s August. It’s not very cold out there.”
“Exactly.” The field doctor nodded, impressed with his own detective work. “She’s still around here somewhere.”
“You don’t think—“
“Hey, stop the car!” Ray’s fellow man in black interrupted. The field doctor slammed on the brakes, sending everyone’s head flopping forward. “Hey, not so quickly! I just wanted to stop for a Mondo Merv.”
Ray rolled his eyes. “You nearly snapped my neck because you want to stop at Merv’s Burger Joint? Idiot…!”
“Hey, the girl could be in there, for all we know.”
The man in black shrugged and darted into the restaurant, but Ray was hot on his heels, shoving an innocent man out of his way in the process. “Wait, you can’t just stop the job to feed your fat face…!” he protested.
“Looks like I just did.” Ray watched in disgust as his partner ordered one of the biggest sandwiches on the menu. “Not much you can do about it now, is there?”
Ray briefly contemplated punching the guy’s lights out, but quickly decided it wouldn’t be worth the ensuing trouble. “You’re lucky,” Ray observed.
“Hm?” his partner mumbled through a mouthful of fries. “You say something?”
*This guy…* “I didn’t stutter…and I didn’t say it halfway through stuffing my fat face…but I’ll repeat myself: you’re lucky.”
“You son of a—“
“Hurry up!” the field doctor’s voice hollered from the car. “We have things to do, remember?”
Ray nodded. “That’s right, we totally have something better to do than super-sizing ourselves,” he said.
“Alright, fine, I’ll get it to go!” the other man in black compromised.
[[Next|The Ballad of Uncle Ray Part 6]]
“…wait,” the field doctor demanded as the trio patrolled the outskirts of town. “I hear a voice coming from the brook.”
“Grizz!” a delicate and upbeat voice shouted through the trees. “I’m done here!”
Ray’s head suddenly snapped in place, fixing his gaze into the woods. “That’s her,” he confirmed. “We’ve got her now.”
As the three of them ventured toward the brook, they heard the foxgirl’s voice again. “Grizz…?”
“Over here!” Ray’s partner suddenly called out, prompting an elbow to the gut from Ray.
“Idiot!” Ray scolded him. “Why in the world would she—“
Before Ray could finish his lecture, the foxgirl was standing before them, clutching a blue-and-orange scarf in her hands. Her green eyes went wide in fear as Ray and his partner advanced on her, and her thin frame began to shake. Behind his sunglasses, Ray’s eyes squinted at the sight before him. *Hm…is that…*
“We finally found you, you elusive specimen, you,” Ray’s partner sneered, cracking his knuckles.
“Now, now,” the field doctor chided him, shoving his way to the forefront, “let’s not get violent.” The doctor brandished a scalpel, accidentally scraping himself in the process. Ray watched in amusement as he tried to hide his self-inflicted wound from the girl. “You must be the foxgirl that escaped us recently. You naughty girl…”
“You… the foxgirl muttered, “…where is Grizz?”
“…my dear, I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Now, will you come with us peacefully…or will we have to resort to violence after all?” The doctor held his scalpel like a knife. “After all…I’m a doctor. I’m used to the sight of blood.”
“…no.”
“You’ll have to speak up, dear.”
Suddenly, something in the girl seemed to snap, as evidenced by the fact that she was tying her scarf around her head like it was a headband. “Lucky me,” she mumbled for no discernable reason.
“Now, see, this is why we can’t have beasts like you wander the outside world. You’ve gone demented, can’t y—”
“No!” the foxgirl suddenly shouted. “You’re the one that’s demented! I’m not the beast here…and you’re not even a doctor! You’re just a monster!”
“So much sass,” the doctor calmly retorted. “You’ve been out of the compound for two days and you’ve already forgotten your place? Shame on you.”
“Shame on her?” a familiar voice parroted, moments before a blur fell from the trees, crushing the field doctor into the ground. “Yeah, screw you, buddy,” the voice asserted as Ray began to recognize its owner.
“You’re…!” the foxgirl gasped.
Ray was similarly shocked, because there was no mistaking it; that was the same boy they had met two days ago. *That…he’s the blind beggar! The whole time…he was harboring this girl, wasn’t he?*
“Like I told ya,” the beggar began to speak, “I ain’t a liar. I made ya a promise, an’ here I am. An’ as for you, ya damn suits, ya better leave this here girl alone, see?” The beggar struck a fighting pose, his feet firmly planted in the doctor’s spine. “’cause this here ends in two ways: no one gets hurt, or y’all get cut.”
“Try it, punk,” Ray’s partner dared the beggar as he pulled out his gun. Ray took that as his cue to do the same.
“Aw, the hell, ya damn suits got guns an’ I got a knife?”
Ray’s resolve faltered slightly. *He has a knife? When did he…?*
“This ain’t fair!” the beggar continued as he laid his knife on the ground at his feet. “An’ see, now ya got guns an’ I ain’t got nothin’…an’ ya damn suits still ain’t got a chance! It just ain’t fair.”
The beggar’s speed impressed Ray once again; by the time he caught on to the fact that the beggar had incapacitated his partner, the beggar’s one-liner had already run its course.
*Hm…that kid is good. Maybe he’ll kill the man for me. It’ll save me the trouble of having him around some other time. In the meantime…I have a mission to complete.*
Ray had missed a very important detail, however: the beggar had stolen his victim’s handgun. Ray didn’t find out about this until he felt the unmistakable piercing pain of a gunshot wound in his wrist. *Damn! When did he…ugh, that hurts!*
“Maybe they don’t have a chance,” the field doctor retorted as he slowly rose to his feet, “but I do!”
Ray could only stand and watch as the field doctor slowly hobbled his way toward the foxgirl, and as she picked up the beggar’s knife to defend herself. “I can’t lose,” she asserted. “Not with my friend here!”
Ray felt a breeze stirring the woods around him, and as it lifted the foxgirl’s hair and makeshift headband away from her face, he finally saw the truth in her face.
[[Next|The Ballad of Uncle Ray Part 7]]
“Mommy!” Alyce shouted, running down the stairs into the living room. “Look! My ears changed!”
Ray turned to face his niece, and true to her word, some strange change had overcome her ears since he had last seen her. “Wow…how did this happen?” Ray asked her, taking a knee to look over her. *These ears…they’re like…a fox’s! *
“I dunno, I—“
Alyce’s mother ran into the living room and began to shriek at the top of her lungs. “Oh, my baby! What happened to you…? What is this?”
“Oh…I have a tail, too! Neat…!”
“No, this isn’t neat! Oh, what do we do, what do we do?”
Alyce looked up at her mother with nothing but confusion adorning her young face. “But…isn’t it pretty?”
“No…this is terrible! What happened to you, Alyce? Why is this happening?” Mrs. Brangwyn stopped to catch her breath. “Wait. I saw something about this in the newspaper! There was an article…”
Ray fetched the newspaper from a nearby chair and handed it to the concerned parent before him. “You know,” he began, “you’re probably scaring Alyce by acting so hysteric—“
“Don’t tell me how to raise my own child!” Mrs. Brangwyn interrupted, snatching the paper from Ray’s hands. “Here it is…in a small place called Cross Town…yes, they have some sort of Asylum that’s been trying to figure out why this is happening…I need to bring Alyce there!”
*I’ve never seen Sheila so worked up over anything before…hm, Cross Town Asylum, she says?* “When you get around to taking her there, bring me, too,” Ray requested. “If they’re figuring out why this sort of thing is happening…I should help them somehow. I can’t stand to see my kid sister so worked—“
Ray’s flashback ended abruptly when his partner’s body fell onto him, sending both of them to the ground.
[[Next|The Ballad of Uncle Ray Part 8]]“Well?” he heard the beggar bark. “Ya gonna get ya asses outta here, or am I gonna have to shoot y’all dead? Ya know what? Ya better leave all the money ya got behind, too.”
Ray looked up to see the beggar aiming his partner’s gun at its owner. “Let’s start with you. Put your wallet on the ground, nice an’ slow, see?”
Ray watched as his partner and the field doctor obeyed the beggar’s orders, and contemplated fighting back when it came to be his turn. When his turn truly did come around, however, having a gun aimed at him changed his mind. *Fine…this was all Asylum money anyway. And…I don’t have much respect for them anymore. Not after I’ve figured out that I was sent out to hunt my own niece. I bet the chief knew…! I bet both of these guys knew! I bet my partner from two days ago knew, too!* Ray threw his money to the ground in a fit of rage. *Everyone knew except for me, didn’t they?*
“Now, leave!” Alyce shouted, in a commanding tone that shocked both Ray and the beggar.
“Yeah!” the beggar added, having regained his composure first. “Or this is where y’all die!”
Ray continued to stare at his niece, the scarf still tied around her forehead. *She’s grown so much…! If only I could have seen her sooner…now I realize…this is the feeling I’ve given to everyone, isn’t it? All the people I’ve let die at the Asylum…I’ve robbed many a person of their own personal Alyce. I was so focused on finding out why Alyce had become a foxgirl…I didn’t notice the lives of the other boys and girls that I was throwing away in the process…you were right about what you said earlier, niece.*
*We’re the monsters. I should tell her it’s me…no! I can’t! It would break her heart to see someone from her old life, actively pursuing her like this…besides…she’s got that beggar on her sid—*
Ray’s train of thought was wrecked when he felt the field doctor’s scalpel stabbing into his back. The doctor grunted his disapproval at Ray, then began to laugh as he walked off with Ray’s partner.
“The hell ya do that for?” the beggar demanded to know. “You’re nuts! Seriously…the hell!”
*I’m with you, kid. That guy…is seriously unhinged. And now he’s just leaving? His target is right here…unless…he wants me to die without knowing what happens to Alyce. He’s just playing around. Just messing around…with my niece…*
“Ugh…quick…give me…a gun…” Ray begged to Alyce’s friend. “…that bastard…” Ray rose to his feet, clutching his wounds.
“What?” Alyce gasped. “But you’re…”
“He is…or, he was,” the beggar corrected himself, though Ray was confused about exactly what he was correcting himself on. “Now he’s pissed.”
“What are you doing? What if he…”
“I’m not going to hurt you two,” Ray promised the young couple. “I can’t…you two are too much. But that son of a…” *He can’t do that to me…to Alyce.* “Sorry for the trouble,” he added as he left Alyce behind. *Should I have told her who I am? It’s too late for that now.*
Ray ran through the forest to catch up with his former allies.
“Took you long enough,” the field doctor scolded Ray as the three of them reunited a few minutes later. “I saw the way you looked at the girl, you know…I assumed you’d figured it out and had a change of heart.”
“I did,” Ray informed him as he took aim with the pistol he had received from the beggar.
*Alyce…I can’t face you again. Not after all the people just like you that I let die…not after I hunted some of those people down. All I can do for you now…is try and make your life a tiny bit easier.*
Ray fired a quick burst of bullets into the field doctor, and put a single shot into the head of his former partner.
*Alright, pig, I’ll need all the ammo I can get for this gun. Let’s see what you were packing.* In the dead man’s pockets, Ray managed to find a couple clips for the handgun issued to all members of the Asylum’s security forces. *This’ll do.*
Ray gave the doctor’s corpse one last kick to the ribs before departing. *That’s for coming after my niece like that. And as for everyone else…for trying to kill my niece…*
[[Next|The Ballad of Uncle Ray Part 9]]
“Ray!” the woman at the front desk greeted him as he returned to the Cross Town Asylum. “What happened out there? You—“
Her concern was interrupted by a bullet to the forehead. “Sorry,” Ray said as he stepped over his first victim. He didn't know who knew what, who was complicit in what crimes of the place. At this point, he simply didn't care; they were all targets to him now.
Ray heard a stampede of footsteps approaching the lobby where he stood. *They must have seen me on the monitors. Well…* Ray lifted the body off of the floor and turned to face the incoming waves of his former comrades. *…let’s just hope this human shield holds out long enough.*
“Ray, what’re you doin’?” one of the men in black asked as he led a group of identical-looking soldiers around a corner and into the lobby. “What happened out—“
Once again, Ray found himself shooting someone to death mid-sentence. *There's plenty of time for talk at the funeral.* The other soldiers seemed to catch on, and drew their guns before the talkative one had even hit the floor.
Ray exchanged gunfire with the soldiers, with most of his important parts hidden behind the dead person in his grip. As his enemies fell, Ray felt their bullets tearing into the parts of him that he'd left unguarded. He felt each bullet as it shoved the flesh in his arms and legs aside, and the intense pain would have caused a normal man to crumple up and collapse on the floor.
*I can’t give up,* Ray encouraged himself in his mind as his teeth began to grit, *not while these guys are still hunting Alyce. If I can just shoot enough of them down…the heavy losses should keep them off her back long enough for her to skip town.*
Ray focused on a hypothetical future for Alyce to keep his mind off the searing agony filling his gunshot wounds. *She could run off with that beggar…*
Reinforcements began to swarm in, albeit from the same angles that the first wave of soldiers had.
*…yeah, those two could get far away from here…Metro City, maybe. The streets are a lot more forgiving there. They could go make some friends, get jobs, get a nice little house together…from the way he fought, I think he’d make sure my little Alyce got along just fine.*
Suddenly, Ray felt a bullet tear its way through his spine, and the sheer shock of the surprise attack was enough to finally bring him to the floor.
[[Next|The Ballad of Uncle Ray Part 10]]
As the last few days of Ray’s life finished flashing before his eyes, he returned to the present to find his former allies standing in a circle around his powerless body. “I told you not to get attached,” a vaguely familiar voice scolded him. One of the soldiers in the circle stepped forward.
Ray couldn’t tell by looking at him, but he had to assume that it was indeed the same man that had accompanied him on the search for Alyce two days ago.
“You,” Ray coughed. *He must have been the one that got that shot in on me.* “You’re lucky you’re such a spineless piece of crap.” A glob of blood forced its way out of Ray’s throat. “Shooting a man in the back…”
“Ooh…you big man…! You racked up quite the body count, you know…thirteen soldiers, one field doctor, one secretary…and my feelings!” The spineless bastard let out a hollow laugh in reaction to his own joke. “You always were good at destroying things, Ray. You know, like your niece’s life.”
*Oh…so this is why he didn’t just shoot me in the back of the head…he wants to rub it in.* “Hey…what’s your name?”
“What…? My name? Why the hell do you need to know that?”
Ray summoned all of his remaining strength to fire off one last salvo of bullets into the jerk. “I wanted to tell Hell who sent m—“
In a moment that seemed to take forever, the remaining soldiers opened fire on the prostrate Ray in a violent reaction to his kill.
*Well, Alyce…this is it. I tried doing everything I could for you, kid…now it’s up to you. Go…live the life…I tried to…make…for…*
Ray felt himself slip out of consciousness, as death came to take him before he could finish his thought.
[[Return to Alyce and Grizz|"Maybe he just had a change of heart?]]
With that, Alyce trotted into the woods, ears and tail still free to catch the breeze. Sunlight filtered through the trees and onto the surface of the brook as it continued through the forest.
*It sure is pretty out here! Maybe someday, Grizz and I can live out in the woods somewhere!*
Alyce spotted a squirrel as it ran down a tree and stopped in its tracks at her feet. “Hi there!” she greeted it as she wrapped her tail around herself. “See, you and I aren’t so different!” Regardless of her encouragement, however, the squirrel darted away, up a different tree and out of sight.
*Oh well. See you later, cute little squirrel! Um, what was I thinking about again? It…um, it was something to do with Grizz. I sure think about him a lot, don’t I? Well…I suppose that’s only normal! After all, he’s the only person I know in this outside world.*
*But…* Alyce hugged her tail to her chest. *…maybe that’s not all there is to it. I’d ask Grizz about it, but…just thinking about asking Grizz about it makes me so nervous. I’ll just wait and see; I never was allowed to make any friends in all my time at the compound, so maybe this is just how friendship works. Besides…whatever’s going on, it sure makes me feel better!*
“Yo Alyce!” Grizz’s shout rang out. “All finished!”
“Coming, Grizz!” Alyce hollered back. She ran through the forest to find Grizz in the clearing, shaking his head to help dry his hair. “Wow, Grizz, that was quick.”
“Yeah, well, it’s gettin’ late,” Grizz explained. “If we don’t hurry, Chez Walle’s gonna be all full an’ we won’t be able to have a go at it. Ya gotta get in an’ reserve your crap right quick, see.”
“OK, let’s go!” Alyce shouted, tugging Grizz’s arm toward the woods. Oddly enough, Grizz resisted her pull. “Is…something the matter?”
Grizz nodded. “You're goin’ the wrong way, sunshine.”
Alyce giggled and blushed. “Right, maybe you should lead the way, Grizz.”
“Will do.”
Alyce watched the sunlight dance and play in Grizz’s hair as she followed him out of the woods. “Grizz…how do you know so much? You live on the streets, right? But…you know about all sorts of places, and you can do so many things…and where did you learn to fight so well? I…I don’t even like fighting, and I still have to say, you’re so good at it…!”
“Ah, well…ya learn a lot on the streets. An’…” Grizz stopped walking for a moment, having lost himself in thought. “…there’s someone ya gotta meet.”
“Oh, a friend?”
The displaced youths cleared the forest, and Grizz took a hard right to a corner of Cross Town he had never brought Alyce to before. “I guess ya could call him that. Come on, close your eyes,” Grizz added.
“Alright…” *I’ll do it, but…why?* Alyce shut her eyes tightly and let Grizz lead her around by her hand.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Guy was built like a bear."]]
After a few twists and turns, Alyce heard a soft sniffle and sigh from Grizz. “We’re here,” he announced quietly. “Open your eyes.”
Alyce complied, only to see Grizz kneeling before a tombstone, wiping his eyes. Alyce looked around and realized they were near the back end of a cemetery. She took a knee close to Grizz and read the tombstone out loud. “Geoff ‘Grizzly Bear’ Burton…?”
“Yeah.” Grizz let out a deep, depressed sigh. “Guy was built like a bear, so people called him ‘the Grizzly Bear’. Man taught me everything I know.”
“Is he why you call yourself…” *…”Grizz” Lee?* As Alyce’s question vocally trailed off, Grizz nodded silently. “What happened?” she continued.
“I dunno,” Grizz answered after a long silence. “Fella took me in when my parents left me in Cross Town, I got out an’ ran a simple shoppin’ errand for him, an’ I come back to find him face-down in a pool of his own blood, an’ most of his stuff’s been stolen.” Grizz curled up into a ball on the ground. “Somethin’ like a violent robbery, I’d guess.”
“So…that must be why you’re homeless…” Alyce gently pried Grizz’s arms away from his face and laid him into her lap, so she could stroke the back of his head and otherwise soothe his troubled soul. “…but, certainly, someone noticed he…left a child behind?”
“Nope,” Grizz answered, turning over to face up into Alyce’s eyes. “Fella didn’t have any proof I lived with him. People knew, but…but they didn’t do a damn thing. Left me to fend for myself, just the same as my parents. Officially, I ain’t never even existed.”
“This…explains a lot, Grizz. Your nickname…why you’re OK with stealing but try never to kill…” *And I think I understand, now. Grizz, you’re trying to prove things to yourself…and the memory of this Geoff…just as much as you are to me.* “…why didn’t you tell me before?”
“Hell if I know, sunshine. It just ain’t easy for me to talk about, ya know?”
Alyce nodded and held Grizz close to her. “But you have to talk about it…it helps. Back at the compound…this is going to sound so silly…but I would talk to anything about my problems. The only people I saw were the staff, and they were the ones causing the problems…but if a bird landed on my windowsill or anything like that, I would tell it everything.” Alyce laughed at her old self. “Sometimes I’d even talk to my pillow if I needed to. I bet looked crazy.”
“Exactly,” Grizz agreed. “An’ ya can’t afford to look crazy on the streets, see…nobody messes with crazy. but nobody helps crazy either.”
“But…you just said nobody was helping you anyway.”
“Yeah, see, believe it or not, I had hope once.” Grizz finally let all his tears and grief out, as Alyce held him ever closer. “An’ then…after so many years…I ain’t got no hope left.”
“But now, Grizz…you have me. This man…he was the only person you had in your life, and now…now you have me.” Alyce eased Grizz to his feet, moving his head from her lap to her shoulder as he continued to sob. “I’m your sunshine, right? So let me light your life up, OK?”
“Well…here I was, thinkin’ I was helpin’ you,” Grizz said, attempting to reassert his nonchalant tough-guy image.
“You are,” Alyce confirmed, “but I’m helping you, too. But you have to let me…” *…oh, what did he say he wanted his nickname to be? Um…* “…moon…thingy…guy…”
Grizz laughed. “Moonblade.”
*Oh, right, Moonblade! Because he’s trying to be tough. Now that his mood seems to be improving, this is the perfect chance for me to break through to him…*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"You're the moon, right?"]]
“Grizz," Alyce continued, holding Grizz as the two stood before Uncle Geoff's grave, "I know how you feel about metaphors, but…you’re the moon, right? And I’m the sun?”
Grizz nodded, although the look on his face seemed to convey the fact that he didn’t know where Alyce was going with this, so she continued. “Well…the moon is bright because it reflects the light of the sun. And…that’s OK, because it’s still the brightest thing in the night sky.”
“Hell, Alyce,” Grizz replied callously. “Ya wanna be there for me like I am for you. Sunshine…I get it. I got it the first time.”
Alyce laughed. “There you go, Grizz.” *I wasn’t really expecting you to get it so easily. Good for you!* She glanced back to the tombstone, a finger on her sunflower. “You have another sunflower back at your place, right?”
Grizz nodded. “Why…?”
Alyce held a finger to his lips to shush him as she took the sunflower out of her shirt and laid it atop the resting place of Geoff “Grizzly Bear” Burton. “I never knew you, sir…but thank you for raising Grizz to be such a good boy. You rest in peace, OK?” Alyce turned her attention back to Grizz. “See, Grizz, that’s how you mourn…um, I think. Can’t hurt to try, right?”
Grizz shrugged as he took a knee and held Alyce’s sunflower to his chest. “Uncle…I appreciate what ya did for me. An’ now I’m payin’ that crap forward with Alyce here…ya showed me some real kindness, man, an’ now it’s my turn. See, this Alyce that was talkin’ to ya a minute ago…she ain’t got no place to go, neither. So…I think I finally got a way to make ya proud, an’ earn the nickname I took from ya.”
Grizz silently laid the sunflower back on Geoff’s grave and returned to his feet.
Alyce placed a comforting hand on Grizz’s shoulder. “That was good, Grizz. Just…one little problem I had with it…I think this man would already be proud of who you are.”
“…we might never know,” Grizz replied after a long silence. “Now, Chez Walle’s…my place is on the way there, if ya wanna replace that sunflower.”
Alyce nodded. “That would be nice.”
“Then…let’s do it up,” Grizz asserted. Alyce swore she heard a new resolve in Grizz’s voice. As the two of them left the graveyard, Grizz turned around at the gate. “Later, man,” Grizz whispered, his farewell carried off into the sunset by a gentle breeze.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Why do I need the purse?"]]
### Chapter 5
Alyce picked up the spare sunflower Grizz had been keeping propped up in a can of beans. “OK,” she announced as she tucked it into her shirt, “I’m all ready!”
Grizz shook his head. “I think ya better take the purse, too.”
*Oh…the purse you stole…it’s still here?* Alyce looked around and eventually spotted the purse, which hadn’t exactly been kept in hiding. As she picked it up, she asked Grizz, “Why do I need the purse?”
“I think I heard of this brand,” Grizz replied. “An’ if it’s famous enough that I know what it is, it must be a real big name brand of purse, right? Earn us some cred with the rich folks ya usually see in Chez Walle’s.”
“Hm…I think I get it. But…won’t we be pretending something we’re not?”
Grizz laughed. “Hell, we will be, but it’s either that or we get all kinds of stares an’ glares an’ crap.”
“So we use the purse to help us blend in better? Well…” Alyce patted her head. “I guess that’s what the scarf is for, so…”
Grizz scoffed. “I ain’t a fan of the whole thing any more than you are.”
“I didn’t think so.” Alyce slid her arm into the purse’s shoulder strap. “This is how I wear it, right?”
Grizz nodded. “Yep, that’s the whole point of that strap there. Makes it hard for someone to steal it from ya, too,” he added, laughing at the irony.
“Well, then, I guess we’re all ready for Chez Walle’s, huh?”
“We sure are, sunshine. Ready as we’re gonna be. Now, lemme show ya somethin’.” Grizz held his arm out, though it was curled downward, as if he were halfway to putting his hand on his hip. “When I see rich people walkin’ by with a lady, they always got their arms wrapped around each other.”
Alyce stuck her arm through the almost-loop Grizz’s arm formed with his body. “…like this?”
“Yeah, just like that. So ya gotta do that, see? Make us look even better.” Grizz blushed a little. “An’ besides…feels good, don’t it?”
*Now that you mention it…* “It does. All this nice physical contact we have going between each other…I like it. Now, shall we go?”
“Hell yeah,” Grizz confirmed as he led Alyce out of the alleyway, “let’s do it up!”
“Alright!” Alyce cheered as she followed Grizz, her arm still wrapped around his.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Thanks for the history lesson."]]
Alyce marveled at the way the city lit up at night, something she’d seen before but never actually observed. Neon signs buzzed, flashed, and animated in a bid to grab her attention, and beyond them, nearly every window she could see had a light shining out of it.
Beyond all of this, the sun had mostly set, but the skyline it dropped into still had traces of a brilliant red radiating out from the horizon. *I suppose that even Cross Town itself can be pretty sometimes, too. But wait…* “Grizz, is Chez Walle’s really in this part of town? This doesn’t look like the kind of place a fancy restaurant should be, does it?”
Grizz shook his head. “Naw, but it weren't always fancy. Some guy went all celebrity, an' it was his favorite place to eat. Since he's a celebrity, everyone wanted to do what he did, so they started goin’ to Chez Walle’s. They ain’t bothered to pack up an’ take their crap somewhere better. Sometimes we get rich fellas showin’ up just to try a hit of Chez Walle’s, like it weren’t nothin'. Which, hey, maybe it ain't…but who needs quality when ya got endorsement, ya know?”
Alyce nodded, attempting to absorb all that information. “Thanks for the history lesson, Grizz.” Suddenly, Grizz stopped at one particular neon sign, which read “Chez Walle” and had a short, looping animation in which a chef handed out an endless supply of roast duck. “So…this is the place?”
“Yep.” Grizz stepped up to the front door of the restaurant, a simple glass door likely left over from Chez Walle’s early days, and held it open. “Rich fellas always let the lady go first, see?”
“Um…thank you?” Alyce said, grateful yet confused, as she stepped into the restaurant.
Now she could hear some live music being played in some section of the restaurant, as well as a low murmur of sophisticated conversation, but due to the way the restaurant was laid out, she couldn’t see where any of it was coming from. The only way in was through a section of red rope, guarded by a tall and skinny individual in a tuxedo. “Hi!” Alyce greeted him casually.
“Good day, madam,” he responded cordially. “Table for one?”
“Um, no,” Alyce corrected him, wrapping her arm around Grizz’s. Um, this is how we do it, right? “There’s two of us.”
“…I see.” The doorman unclipped the red rope from one of its posts, allowing Grizz and Alyce through. “Another party has made a reservation, but I can seat you away from them at table number seventeen.” he added, “A waiter should be by shortly to serve you.”
“OK, thanks!” Alyce replied as she walked out into the open area of the restaurant proper. Now that she could clearly see a giant crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, as well as a large stage on which countless musicians played a variety of string instruments, she found herself wondering how this building looked so much bigger from the inside. “Wow, Grizz…”
“Here’s our table,” Grizz noted nonchalantly, as if he didn’t notice the extravagant atmosphere around him. He pulled out a chair and motioned for Alyce to sit in it, and waited until she was seated before he did the same. “So, what’cha think?”
“What do I think? Grizz, this place is stunning! Why aren’t you amazed?”
Grizz laughed. “I am. But I’m tryin’ to act like it ain’t nothin', remember? Don’t want people thinkin’ I’m some kinda homeless scrub.”
“I might just be misunderstanding your lingo,” Alyce warned Grizz, “but…aren’t you?”
This elicited an even louder laugh from Grizz. “Look, ya have a point, an’ I agree with ya, but we still gotta blend in, see?” Alyce swore she saw Grizz briefly curl his fingers into a fist. “I know ya don’t like the idea, but I just wanna treat ya to a nice dinner without anyone up in our grill, see?”
“I…think I get it.” *I should have Grizz take me to the brook more often, or some other place that’s nice and isolated. That way, neither of us have to do any pretending. I think he’d like it as much as I would, if not more.* “Oh, is that our waiter?”
“Sure is, sunshine,” Grizz confirmed. “Lemme do the talkin’, a’ight?”
Considering how well this worked the first time… “OK, Grizz, go for it!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"But they charge a lot for everything!"]]{(link:"Save Bookmark")[
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---
<sub>(link: "Jump to Chapter")[Jump to Chapter
[[1|"My ears hurt!"]] | [[2|"Less sappiness, more shoppiness."]] | [[3|"Two eggs, comin' up!"]] | [[4|"What's different about a Merv Burger?"]] | [[5|"Why do I need the purse?"]] | [[6|"Are you awake?"]] | [[7|"They call it a Good Mornin'."]] | [[8|"It isn't like you to give up!"]] | [[9|"Then he had himself the Junkyard Moth."]] | [[10|"I don't feel safe, Mister Grizz."]] | [[11|"From who?"]] | [[12|"I'll watch your back."]] |</sub>
<sub> | [[Epilogue|"And that's how we all met."]] | (if:(current-date:) contains "Dec")[ [[Holiday Bonus|Holiday Special 1]]]
](else: )[
]</sub>
<sub>The Fox and the Thief </sub>
<sub>© 2012-(current-date:) Jon "the Red"</sub>
“Good evening, sir,” the waiter said, bowing slightly to Grizz. “Madam,” he added with a bow to Alyce.
“Hi!” Alyce replied instinctively, before covering her mouth with her hands. *Right, I’m supposed to let Grizz handle the talking! Oops!*
“…hi,” the waiter repeated with a chuckle.
“Good evening to you too,” Grizz continued as the waiter handed him a menu. “My lady and I will need a little while to decide on our order.”
“Of course. With the other party that's reserved so much of the restaurant, it may take me some time to serve you adequately. I apologize in advance for any problems.”
“Worry not,” Grizz assured the waiter.
“Yeah, we’re gonna be fine!” Alyce blurted. *There I go again!*
The waiter put a hand to his mouth, and Alyce swore she saw the corners of his mouth curl up into a smile on either side of his hand. “Thank you for your patience,” he said as he left two glasses of water on the table before taking his leave.
“The hell, Alyce?” Grizz whispered when the waiter was out of earshot. “I thought you were gonna let me do the talkin’.”
“I don’t know what came over me,” Alyce explained. “I’m really sorry!”
“Naw, it ain’t a big deal’, don’t worry about it. I ain’t mad, just curious.”
“You’re a really patient guy, you know that, Grizz?”
Grizz blushed. “Man, there's so many people more patient than me,” he claimed through a sip of water.
Alyce picked up the menu, and was too shocked at the prices to focus on what they corresponded to, or what to order. “Grizz, why is everything here so expensive? Even the smallest prices are the same as the highest prices back at Merv’s Burger Joint!”
“It’s all part of what they got goin’ here,” Grizz answered. “Like, ya get this ritzy-ass vibe goin’ on, get famous names cookin’ famous meals for other famous names, an’ suddenly people will pay anything to get themselves a hit of this, ya know?”
“So…they pay lots of money for this because it’s expensive?”
Grizz shrugged. “Sunshine, I ain’t got a clue. Now, the hell we havin’ for dinner?”
“…oh yeah, I was so busy with the prices that I had no idea what I wanted to eat!” Alyce noted with a laugh. “Grizz, what are you thinking about getting?”
“Man, I dunno,” Grizz grunted. “They always charge a crapload for steaks in this kinda place, but we got a lot of money from those goons at the brook earlier.”
“But they charge a lot for everything!”
“Damn, ya got me there, sunshine.”
“So…can I get a steak, then, Grizz? Please?”
Grizz nodded. “Go for it.”
“Yay!” Alyce cheered quietly, though the way she shoved her fist into the air in celebration didn’t exactly lend itself to inconspicuousness.
Grizz smiled at Alyce’s antics. “Alright, how’s this. You get a steak, I’ll get…um, this here chicken cordon bleu, whatever it is. Chicken's good. An’ then we’ll see if we can’t share a little.”
Alyce swore she saw a tiny bit of drool at the corner of Grizz’s mouth, glistening slightly as a crude mirror of the crystal chandelier overhead. “I ain’t never had a good steak neither, see?” he added.
Alyce giggled at Grizz’s craving. “OK, Grizz, I don’t mind. Your food sounds nice too.”
“Ha, awesome. I’m lookin’ forward to this.”
“Excitement?” Alyce wondered aloud. “In my Grizz?”
“It’s more likely than ya think. Shh, here comes that waiter again.
“Hello again, esteemed guests,” the waiter greeted them. “I apologize for the wait. Have you decided on an order?”
“Yep!” Alyce replied.
“The lady will be having the…twelve-ounce steak,” Grizz elaborated, “and I will have the gourmet chicken cordon bleu.”
“Hm, fantastic choices,” the waiter complimented as he placed a large pitcher in the center of the table. “Here’s some more water for you; do you require anything else to drink?”
“Crystal Dr—“ Alyce began, before Grizz cut her off with a wave of his hand.
“We’re all set,” Grizz lied.
“Then I’ll be out with your food as soon as it’s ready,” the waiter confirmed, making his exit.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I really like Crystal Drops."]]
“But Grizz,” Alyce complained once the waiter was out of earshot, “I really like Crystal Drops.”
Grizz shrugged, fussing with a napkin set in front of him. “Sorry," he said, "they don’t got that here. I want some too, but it ain’t a drink rich people drink, ya know?”
“Oh…another image thing, huh?” Alyce pouted and rested her elbows on the table, her cheek coming to rest on her knuckles in turn. “Man, being rich sounds boring.”
“An’ look what happens when you get to lead an excitin’ life…ya get jumped by suits an’ I gotta come jump on ‘em to save ya.”
“Yeah…but before you showed up, I was really scared…”
“Ya didn’t look scared.”
“I was…but I had to be brave.” *That’s what you would have done.*
“Yeah, I gotta say, that’s what I’d do.”
*I knew it!* Alyce giggled. “Grizz, you’re very predictable. I know that’s come up before, but…I never got a chance to explain my side of it. You see…it makes it easier to ask myself, ‘What would Grizz do?’”
Grizz scoffed. “What, so ya wonder what kind of money-thievin’, foul-mouth, screwin’-up kinda things ya wanna do?”
Alyce shook her head. “I wonder what I would do if I was brave…and loyal…and—“
“Son of a…” Grizz interrupted through blushed cheeks. “You’re embarrassing me.”
“Sorry, Grizz! Say…where is the bathroom?” *I don’t think I’ve gone all day, not even when those scary men from the compound were after me!*
“Oh…damn…” Grizz glanced around in all directions. “…I dunno…”
“Well, I’ll just look around!” Alyce asserted as she jumped to her feet.
“I…a’ight, ya got plenty of time. Just try not to get into any trouble, see?”
Alyce pressed a finger to Grizz’s lips to silence him. “I’ll be fine. Trust me!”
With that, Alyce’s bathroom concerns fought with her desire to wander around and enjoy the wonderful atmosphere of Chez Walle’s. *That chandelier is gorgeous…! The way the light makes all the crystals shine and sparkle, and the kind of light it shines on everything else!*
Alyce’s ears also tuned in to the live music being performed. *I wouldn’t know what it is they’re playing, but…at least it sounds nice! Oh, the bathroom’s over there! How did I miss that?* Alyce rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment as she stood still, staring at the large sign reading “BATHROOMS”, complete with a helpful arrow for further assistance.
While Alyce stood there, a fancy-looking lady walked directly into her, knocking her to the ground. “Watch where you’re going,” the lady growled as she walked away.
“But you…” Alyce began as she rose to her feet. *No, Grizz told me not to get into trouble. I…don’t think I should correct her.* Alyce dusted herself off and continued to the bathroom.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I didn't notice you were there!]]
Alyce silently entered the bathroom, and was disappointed to find it a fair bit busier than the one in the park. *But…if I’m careful, I can still let my ears wiggle a little and swish my tail a bit!*
As usual, Alyce took up the stall on the far end of the room, in the hopes that she would have one neighbor to worry about at most. *I’m excited! Grizz had a good idea in coming here…it’s a good contrast to the other places we’ve been.* Alyce removed her scarf and wiggled her ears. *First we go to the park, then we visit a fast food restaurant, then a beautiful brook in the woods, and now we’re in a sophisticated restaurant under a beautiful chandelier and everything! Grizz sure is doing a good job of showing me the outside world, and it sounds like he’s experiencing a lot of new things himself.*
Alyce stood up and lifted her tail straight into the air for a minute before putting her fox features back under wraps and returning to Grizz at their table.
“Yo,” Grizz greeted her nonchalantly, as he spun a butter knife on top of his right hand and propped his head up with his left.
“Hi Grizz!” Alyce cheerfully replied, taking her seat once more. “Still no food, huh?”
Grizz shook his head. “Ya ordered a steak. An’ since they didn’t ask how ya wanted it cooked, it sure as hell ain’t gonna be rare.”
“…rare?”
“Damn, ya never heard nobody say that?" The butter knife nearly went careening to the floor, but Grizz quickly got his hand under it to catch it. "Well, it’s like this…some people like it when ya only cook their steak a little. That’s rare, a’ight?”
Alyce nodded as Grizz continued. “But I dunno if a whole lot of people are into that. Then some people like it well done, an’ I hope ya can guess what that means.”
“Just the opposite of rare, of course.” Alyce giggled. “Grizz, I may be new to this outside world, but I’m not stupid.”
Grizz shook his head. “Naw, ya actually got a real good brain in ya. Hell, I just look like dumb muscle compared to you.”
“Now, Grizz…thank you for the compliment, but that bit about yourself? That’s not true at all! I thought that drop from the trees you used earlier today was neat! And the way you merely scared off the three of them without killing anyone? I’m proud of you for that!”
“Aww, there ya go embarrassin’ me again,” Grizz complained.
“You’re not very good at accepting praise,” Alyce observed. “It would do your self-esteem good if—“
Alyce’s suggestions were interrupted by a plate being placed in front of her. “Steak for the lady,” the waiter said, frightening Alyce so much that she nearly felt her tail slip out of its hiding place.
“I didn’t notice you there!”
“I apologize.” The waiter placed another plate of food down in front of Grizz. “Chicken cordon bleu for the master.”
“Thank you,” Grizz responded politely.
“Yeah,” Alyce agreed, “thank you!”
“If there is anything else you require, simply let me know,” the waiter offered before he was gone again.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Marriage?"]]
“Wow,” Alyce marveled once the waiter was gone. “I didn’t even hear him coming, even though he was carrying two plates of food!”
“Yeah,” Grizz said before carving his meal into pieces.
*Wow, so he’s just that good with all knives, huh?* Alyce speared through her steak with her fork and lifted it up in front of her. “How do I do this?”
“Put it down,” Grizz instructed, getting up from his seat to stand behind Alyce. “An’ then the idea is to cut it up, kinda like this.”
Even though it was happening right before her eyes, Alyce still couldn’t quite track Grizz’s movements as he used her steak knife to reduce her steak into a pile of bite-sized pieces. “An’ then ya just eat one piece at a time, see?”
Grizz returned to his seat and snatched a piece of Alyce’s steak with his fork, downing it in a flash. “Damn, it's good," he cooed through a full mouth.
“Hm…” Alyce followed suit and placed a piece of her steak into her mouth. Even before she started chewing, she was practically in love. *Wow! It’s so warm and juicy and…this is the best thing I’ve ever tasted! I’ve never had steak back at the compound…* “Grizz,” she asked as she swallowed the bit of steak, “is steak always this good?”
Grizz shrugged and swallowed the food he had in his own mouth. “Uncle made me steak sometimes…I remember havin' trouble eatin' it. I dunno if steak's a food for little kids, ya know? But it was so long ago…I dunno. That steak is damn good, though.” Grizz pushed his plate toward the center of the table. “Try this. It’s chicken, with ham an’ cheese in it. It’s way different than the steak, but—“
“Sure!” Alyce interrupted, loudly jabbing her fork into Grizz’s chicken cordon bleu. “Here goes!” She put the gourmet food into her mouth. *Hm…the cheese is all melty and goopy, but I think I like it! It goes well with both the ham and the chicken, too. Wow…* “Grizz, this food here is really good!”
Grizz laughed. “It better be, for this price.” Just as he did back at Merv’s Burger Joint, Grizz ate most of the meal in silence after that; just as she did before, Alyce took that as her cue to do the same.
Several minutes passed before Grizz sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Damn,” he muttered, “they give ya lots of food here, don’t they?”
Alyce nodded, swinging her feet back and forth under the table slightly. “But it’s a lot of really good food! In a really nice place! Grizz, I’m glad you took me here.”
“I’m glad we came here, too,” Grizz admitted.
“You? Glad?” *Wow…that visit to his Uncle’s grave must have done him more good than I thought. Sure, I was hoping something I’d say would get to him…but…this is a bit quick, isn’t it?*
Grizz shrugged. “Yeah, I dunno where it’s comin’ from either. This ain’t like me, is it?”
Alyce shook her head. “Nope! But I think this is better for you!”
“Well, then I gotta tell ya how good ya are for me.”
Alyce blushed. “Grizz…me?” *Granted, this is the kind of thing I’ve been trying to do this whole time, but…the fact that you’d admit it is…surprising, to say the least!*
Grizz nodded. Alyce had had more to say, but the sentiment had left her flustered, and he took up the silencce. “Well, I know ya know it’s goin’ on. Ya always said I was easy to read, right? An’ so you of all people would know how I been actin’, versus how I acted when we first met.” Grizz wiggled his eyebrows. “Hell, I swear less, don’t I?”
“A little less!” Alyce noted with a giggle. “But I’m different too…that doesn’t bother me as much. Grizz, I know you now…and you’ve got reasons for what you do. I might not be OK with some of it, but I trust you fully now.”
“Damn,” Grizz muttered, “I dunno if that’s a good idea, but…it’s up to you, ain’t it?”
Alyce’s reply was cut off before she even made a sound, by the sharp noise of someone tapping a fork against a glass. “Excuse me!” the man doing the tapping announced. “There’s something I wanted to say…” The man got down on one knee in front of a woman at his table and produced a tiny box from his tuxedo. “…Janet, will you marry me?”
“…y-y-yes!” the woman in front of him stammered amid thunderous applause. “I will!”
Alyce joined in the applause until it died down, at which point she turned her attention back to Grizz. “Grizz, why were we clapping?”
Grizz let out a brief chuckle. “Son of a…Alyce, that damn asylum ain’t taught you nothin’ ‘bout marriage?”
“Marriage…?” Alyce echoed. “Whatever it is, it just made that man and that woman very happy…!”
Grizz nodded. “See, it’s like this. Sometimes, ya got two people that love each other a bunch, an’ then they promise to each other that they gonna stay together forever, usually live together…hell, maybe even have kids. It’s up to them. The point is, they like bein’ together so much that they make a big promise in front of everyone they know, a promise to stay together.”
“Wow…that sounds really nice! But if they’re already together for awhile, why even make a promise to keep doing it?”
“Well, ya made me promise to protect ya after I’d already been thrown into a wall for the sake of hidin’ ya from those suits,” Grizz reminded her.
“Oh yeah. Silly me, I forgot!”
“Your bill, sir,” the waiter suddenly announced, nearly jumping Alyce out of her seat.
“Hold it,” Grizz commanded the waiter as he tried to walk away, fetching the necessary money. “Here, this’ll cover it, keep the change, have a nice day.” Grizz placed the money and the bill back in the waiter’s hand, and led Alyce out of the restaurant.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Why'd we leave so quickly?"]]
“Grizz,” Alyce wondered aloud, “why’d we leave so quickly? There…were there more men in black looking for us in there?”
“Naw…it’s gonna get noisy in there now that that fella is gettin’ married," Grizz answered. "An’ I just hate that kind of atmosphere, see?”
“But Grizz, if you hated it, why did you take me there?” Alyce asked as the two of them arrived back in Grizz’s alleyway.
“’cause…I gotta teach ya about the outside world here, don’t I?” Grizz answered.
“Well, yes, but…”
“An’ see, I promised ya I would…an’ when ya make a promise, ya keep it, right?”
“I…yes…that’s the point of a promise, I suppose…”
Grizz nodded and petted Alyce between her fox ears. “Great, then that’s the end of that crap.” Grizz laughed. “Come to think of it…”
Alyce looked up into Grizz’s eyes, and noted an odd shine to them. “What is it, Grizz?”
“Just thinkin’ how awesome it would’ve been if we had fought off some suits back at Chez Walle’s.” Grizz looked down at Alyce and took a step back, shaking his hands in front of him. “Now, this ain’t no joke, that I get…but think about it. I’d be friggin' flingin’ ‘em into tables and smashin’ the band’s instruments on their heads an’ all that. A regular bar-room brawl from the movies Uncle watched…‘cept it’s the rich version.”
Alyce laughed. “Grizz, you’re enjoying the job of protecting me, aren’t you?”
Grizz straightened the sunflower tucked into Alyce’s shirt. “The job pays damn well. What can I say?”
*Is…is he talking about…no, what IS he talking about? Grizz, you’re predictable, but even so…sometimes I have no idea what you’re saying.* “I must say, I’m glad you’re the one on the job, Grizz.”
Grizz scoffed. “The hell does that mean? I ain’t especially good at protectin’ ya…it took me awhile to get back to ya at the brook, remember?”
“But you still showed up in time to stop them from doing anything bad! And besides, you’re the nicest bodyguard anyone could ever have.”
“Huh.” Grizz shrugged slowly. “Me, bodyguard? Damn.”
Alyce nodded. “One of the best!”
“The only one ya got,” Grizz corrected her.
“Oh, Grizz, don’t even say that,” Alyce admonished him. “You and I are in this together, there’s no changing that, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s a good thing.”
*Come on, Grizz, the only thing I’ve really seen you take credit for is the way you handled the bad men back at the brook…and even then, you beat yourself up for not being there immediately. Maybe Grizz’s self-esteem will just…improve naturally? If I stick with him long enough, and he keeps me protected that whole time…he’ll brighten up, won’t he?*
“…yeah, it’s a good thing,” Grizz finally admitted after a long silence. “You an’ me, we’re not a bad team, are we?”
“One of the best!” Alyce repeated.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I think it's gonna rain."]]
“So," Grizz said, swinging his hands together, "what’re we doin’ tomorrow?”
Alyce shrugged. “I dunno, Grizz! Got any ideas? Maybe something away from the city, so I can stop wearing this scarf?”
“Son of a…that would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Grizz kicked a can on the ground, staying silent as he watched it ricochet down the alley. “…well, I’d bring ya fishin’ if I knew how to fish…” Grizz looked up at the night sky and grumbled unintelligible curses to himself.
“Is something the matter, Grizz?”
“…Alyce, I think it’s gonna rain.”
“Rain?” Alyce gasped. “Have you finished building that…roof thing for us?”
Grizz shook his head. “It might cover most of our mattress, but it’s gonna get cold on us.”
“It hasn’t exactly been toasty out here…does it really get that bad in the rain?”
“Yeah…an’ we just got that one ratty cloak between the two of us, huh?”
Alyce’s lips drooped into a frown, and she felt her ears droop under the scarf as well. “I see the problem.”
“An’ it’s a big problem, too…if I got ya this far an’ then let ya freeze to death, that’d be really friggin' stup—”
“But Grizz,” Alyce cheerfully interrupted, “we can worry about that after we figure out what to do tomorrow!”
“Son of a…there just ain’t no stoppin’ you, sunshine.”
“That’s why you gave me that nickname!”
Grizz laughed. “Yeah, got me there. Well…what’d ya say before? Somethin’ far from the city, to let all them foxy bits hang out?”
Alyce nodded. “And you were saying we could go fishing, if only you knew how?”
“Yeah…but Alyce, I ain’t got a clue.”
“We could try fishing anyway! Are there fish in that brook we were at before?”
Grizz laughed. “Hell, even if we can’t do no fishin’, we still get to have a day outta the city, I guess.”
“Yay!” Alyce cheered. “A camping trip!”
“Assumin’ it ain’t rainin’ that day.” Grizz laid out the mattress as usual. “Well, sunshine, if we’re gonna go strike out an’ spend all day away from Cross Town, we better go to sleep real early-like, get a nice breakfast in us tomorrow, an’ then strike out into some of the woods ‘round the city as soon as we’re done.”
“But why?” Alyce asked.
“Hell if I know,” Grizz replied as he struggled to figure out how to set up his incomplete lean-to. “Gets us more time out there before we gotta come back here an’ go to bed, right? We don’t have to get stuck in the woods at night that way.”
“Ah, I see. You’re so smart, Grizz!” Grizz looked up to dispute that claim, but in the process accidentally let the lean-to he was holding drop onto his head. “Well…it didn’t fall apart!” Alyce added through a giggle.
“Yeah, yeah. Dammit.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"So if I love you, this is OK?"]]
Grizz struggled for another few minutes before he managed to get the lean-to propped up on a variety of things lying around the alleyway. Unfortunately, this plan of action seemed to only lift the incomplete structure a couple feet off the ground. “…well, this sucks. Cold, rainy, an’ we ain’t got no room to sit up or any of that crap. An’ I ain’t got nothin’ to do to keep myself busy.”
*Oh, right, he usually works on this roof thing for us while I’m settling in for bed.* Alyce shrugged and slid herself onto the mattress, being careful not to bump into the lean-to, since it was only slightly larger than the mattress itself.
“Wait, Grizz,” Alyce piped up once she was lying down, “isn’t the bottom of the mattress still going to get wet?”
Grizz silently slapped his forehead. “…dammit,” he finally muttered as he slid into bed alongside Alyce. “An’ there ya were, callin’ me smart.”
“No, Grizz! It’s impressive enough that you even built this…this thing over our heads!”
“Naw, this thing ain’t nothin' yet.” As if to test Grizz’s handiwork, rain started falling, its speed quickly accelerating to a downpour. “Well, here we go.”
“Don’t worry, Grizz,” Alyce assured him, “your handiwork is holding up just fine!” *But…you’re right, it is really cold.*
Wind howled through the alleyway and the rain somehow came driving down even harder, chilling Alyce to the bone. *This…reminds me of winter at the compound…once they turned off all the heaters in our rooms…* “Grizz…I’m cold…” Alyce whined.
“…I know,” Grizz said back. “I’m cold too, but…the hell can I do about either of us? Ya got the cloak, we ain’t gettin’ rained on, how else can we—“
Grizz stopped his sentence short when Alyce dragged herself across the mattress and pressed herself against him, in an effort to share body warmth. As she shared space under the cloak with him, she asked, “Is that any better?”
“I…um…crap…” Grizz blundered, never really reaching an actual answer.
Alyce gave him a few minutes to blunder before she answered her own question. “It’s a little warmer, isn’t it?”
“Well…I guess…but…Alyce…”
“What…what is it, Grizz?”
Grizz shuffled uncomfortably against Alyce. “It’s…ya can’t just…”
Alyce scratched her ears in confusion. “Can’t what, Grizz? I’m just trying to stay warm.”
“Dammit, sunshine,” Grizz replied a little too loudly, his composure finally returned, “ya don’t just lay down with people like this unless…ya know…”
“I…nope, I don’t know.” *Is he…angry at me? What did I do?*
“Well…remember those two people back at Chez Walle’s? Gettin’ all married an’ crap? I bet they’ve been in love for a long time. An’ that’s the kind of thing ya gotta have goin’ before ya sleep together like this.”
“So…we have to get married first?”
Alyce had her head pressed against Grizz’s, and felt him shake his. “Naw, ya just…gotta be in love…’cause usually when people are wrapped up together like this, it kinda means…”
*Love…? I guess I never gave love too much thought.* “So if I love you, this is OK?”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I thought you didn't believe in love."]]
“Wait,” Grizz said. “Ya can’t just declare somethin' like that! Ya really have to mean it!”
“I thought you didn’t believe in love,” Alyce reminded him.
“Naw, I never said that! Look, I just ain’t a touchy-feely kinda guy, a’ight? I don’t usually do no hugs an’ crap unless I really gotta.”
“But Grizz, we’re both really cold and this will help us both keep from getting too cold. And getting too cold is dangerous, right? So…you really have to.” *And besides…it feels nice.*
“…son of a…you sure?”
“Yep!”
“…fine,” Grizz finally mumbled. “An’ I didn’t mean to flip on ya. It don’t feel bad or nothin’ like that, I just ain’t used to this kinda thing.”
“Me neither,” Alyce informed him. “So…relax.” *Me, telling Grizz to relax? Imagine that!* “We need to get lots of sleep, don’t we?”
Alyce shivered, a sudden chill shooting down her spine. In response, she curled herself even tighter around Grizz, her tail involuntarily whipping out of its hiding place to wrap around him.
Surprisingly, Grizz simply cradled Alyce’s tail against his chest with cautious grace. “Yeah, yeah…” Alyce felt Grizz’s muscles relax underneath her as he petted her tail lightly. “But how ya gonna get any sleep if ya don’t shut up?” he added with a chuckle.
Alyce responded with a giggle of her own. “You’re right. Sorry…goodnight, Grizz!”
“Yeah…g’night, Alyce.”
“See you tomorrow,” Alyce whispered as she laid a hand on the side of Grizz’s head.
*It’s so cold out here tonight! Between Grizz and his cloak, though, I guess I’ll be alright…and Grizz has the cloak, me, and my tail! My tail seems to calm Grizz down a lot whenever he sees or touches it…*
Alyce sighed happily, briefly giving Grizz a big squeeze. *I’m glad someone appreciates me and my fox features! Even if you have trouble admitting it, Grizz…your opinion on my tail means a lot to me. I should thank him!*
“…Grizz?” Alyce whispered into his ear. Surprisingly, there was no response except for a soft snore.
*Wow…Grizz fell asleep before me? And…he was just saying goodnight to me a few minutes ago. Why would he fall asleep so quickly? Maybe he doesn’t anything better to do since he can’t work on this…roof thing…or maybe he’s so comfortable that he can’t help but fall asleep…or maybe he’s just really tired? We did have a long day today…Merv’s, the brook, the men in black at the brook, the grave of Grizz’s friend, Chez Walle’s…although, yesterday, we did spend a lot of the day running away from that mean priest and his people!*
*Grizz did all the fighting back at the brook, so I guess it makes sense that he’d be more tired than I am…* Alyce yawned and twitched her ears under her scarf a little. *I am pretty tired, though! Not very cold, though…see, Grizz, I told you this was a good idea…goodnight…Grizz…*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Are you awake?"]]
### Chapter 6
Alyce’s eyes slowly creaked open, though she couldn’t see much since her face had somehow buried itself into the hair on the back of Grizz’s head.
*…oh, right, Grizz and I had to sleep really close together last night because it was so cold.* “…oh yeah, I forgot,” Alyce muttered to herself.
*Why was it…wait, that’s right, it was cold because it was raining…and…* Alyce rolled over onto her back, and felt her tail slip through Grizz’s fingers. From her back, she could see the lean-to survived the night, without so much as having been knocked aside. *And we managed to stay dry the whole time…not even the bottom of the mattress getting wet seems to have been a problem.*
Alyce rolled back over next to Grizz and whispered, “Good morning, moonblade.” *I…really don’t like that nickname of his. He gave me the nickname “sunshine”, and it sounds so nice! But…wait…he’s still sleeping? Well…*
Alyce wrapped her tail around Grizz, returning it to where it was when she first woke up. *…if he’s still sleeping, I’m going to enjoy this feeling I get…for a little while longer.* Alyce let out a happy sigh and gently spun Grizz’s hair around her finger. *I feel so warm and happy and safe like this, for some reason. Grizz seemed like he didn’t want to curl up together like this, but at the same time…didn’t seem to really mind, either. Even after sleeping on it, I don’t kno—*
“…murr…” Grizz mumbled softly, putting a hand to the back of his head. “…the hell…”
“Grizz?”
“…hmm…what're you doin’…”
“Are you awake?” Alyce asked, once again getting no response.
*Grizz sure is tired today! I’d wake up and do a bunch of things without him, like he did yesterday…but what would I do? I don’t want to steal…I don’t know how to cook…Grizz should really buy us some books! Knowing him, though…he’d probably steal them instead of buy them, and then burn them once he’s done.*
Alyce petted the top of Grizz’s head, the same way he commonly did to her. *Grizz, one of these days we’ll find someplace to settle down, OK? Then you won’t have so much to worry about…and then you won’t have to fry eggs in a trash can lid or burn trash to stay warm or—*
Suddenly, Grizz rolled over, his eyes slowly grinding open to look directly into Alyce’s eyes. “…hey.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Eggs, please!]]
“Good morning, Grizz!” Alyce replied cheerfully.
Grizz laughed and rolled out from under the lean-to, disposing of it properly so Alyce could sit up herself. “I can’t believe it…I ain’t supposed to be the one sleepin’ in. Why didn’t ya try an’ wake me up?”
“But I did!” Alyce protested through a giggle. “Twice!”
“Damn, I must’ve been tired. So…ya hungry?”
Alyce nodded enthusiastically. “What’s for breakfast, Grizz?”
“Ya got a hell of an appetite, huh, sunshine?”
“Wow, is it really that bad?”
“Well, ya did mow through The Combination for lunch yesterday, an’ then polish off a whole steak for supper.”
Alyce’s eyes went wide with shock. “Wow, I guess I did, didn’t I?” *Then again, I never did get to eat much back at the compound…maybe I’ve had this appetite the whole time? Or maybe my tummy’s making up for lost time!* Alyce put her hands on her stomach. “So what’d you say was for breakfast, Grizz?”
“Well, when ya gotta eat, ya gotta eat, huh?” Grizz laughed. “I still got some eggs, so unless ya got a better—“
“Eggs, please!” Alyce interrupted with excitement.
“Son of a…alright, sunshine, I’ll make some eggs, then.”
“Well…as long as you teach me how to cook eggs while you do it!”
Grizz nodded and handed the eggs to Alyce. “It ain’t hard,” he explained as he started a fire and fetched his frying lid, “ya just gotta have the right touch to keep ‘em from gettin’ burnt or some shit.” Grizz stuck the trash can lid over the roaring fire and motioned to it with his free hand. “A’ight, take an egg outta that carton ya got there, an’ then…ya know, just give it here.”
Alyce complied, and Grizz tapped the egg against the edge of the lid a couple times, until cracks raced outward along the surface of the shell. Then, with a flick of the wrist, the innards of the egg fell into the trash can lid with a plop and a loud sizzling noise.
Grizz held up the remaining shell in his hands. “See what I did there?" he asked. "Ya gotta break the shell a bit, then dump the insides out onto ya pan. An’ ya can’t get any bits of shell in there, neither. They don’t cook right, an’ they taste like crap. I think ya better try an’ do it with both hands first, see?”
“OK…” Alyce said, trying her best to absorb all the instructions. “Here goes…” Alyce took an egg and held it in both hands, tapping it very gently against the edge of the lid.
Grizz shook his head. “Aww, hell, sunshine, ya gotta break the damn thing open! It ain’t gonna happen when ya cherry-tap it like that.”
“Oh, right!” Alyce wound up and smashed the egg against the edge of the lid, which would have caused the egg to outright explode had she not been gripping both ends.
“…too hard,” Grizz observed flatly as he cracked another egg into the trash can lid. “But at least now, all ya gotta do is pour that one in an’ it’s good to go.”
Alyce nodded and separated the egg halves in her hand, sending the goop within hurtling downward into the lid. “I did it!” she cheered!
“Yeah, not bad for a first-timer,” Grizz admitted, now with a whopping six eggs frying in his trash can lid.
“But Grizz, you can do it with one hand, in one tap, perfectly! Where did you learn to cook eggs so well?”
Grizz grinned. “Sunshine…thought I told ya, Uncle taught me everything I know.”
“And now you get to teach me everything you know!” Alyce observed. *I knew it! Grizz adds a pinch of love to his eggs! But that can’t be the only thing that makes them taste better…can it?*
“Well, that’s the idea.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"A camping trip!"]]Grizz did a much better job of flipping the eggs into the air this time, using quick rotations of the wrist to only flick some of the eggs into the air at a time. “Three for you, three for me…and none for my hair,” he noted with a laugh.
“Yeah, go Grizz!” Alyce cheered. “You’re the best at this egg-cooking stuff!”
“Me…?” Grizz handed Alyce her paper plate of eggs, a fork jabbed through all three eggs. “I dunno.”
“Come on, Grizz!” Alyce cooed through a mouthful of egg. “You’re cooking eggs over an open flame, in an alleyway, on a trash can lid, and they’re delicious!”
“Well…when ya put it that way, I sound like a damn wizard.”
“Grizz the Egg Wizard!” Alyce cheered.
“Damn,” Grizz grumbled, “why ya always gotta make me these crap nicknames? An’ how’d ya finish all those eggs already?”
“I told you I was hungry!”
“Guess so, Alyce.” Grizz shrugged and looked up at the sky. “Nice day today.” Alyce followed his gaze and nodded her agreement. “So,” he added, “ready to go frolic in the fields or whatever?”
“Alright! A camping trip!”
Grizz shook his head. “Well, unless ya wanna stay the night out there…it ain’t technically a campin’ trip, see? But…we’ll see if we can’t stay the night.”
“OK!” Alyce started tugging on Grizz’s arm. “Come on, let’s go!”
“Ya don’t know where we’re going,” Grizz pointed out, “an’ ya ain’t even got food!” Grizz fetched a variety of canned food from one of his trash can stashes.
*How much stuff does he keep in those cans?* “Oh, right…silly me!” Alyce said as Grizz handed her some of the canned food. “Are we ready now?”
Grizz nodded. “Yeah, see, here’s the plan: I’m thinkin’ we start out by headin’ to that brook we washed up in yesterday. After that, we go an’ follow the brook a bit ‘till we find a nice place to set up camp.”
“Wow, a forest hike along a brook that leads to a camping trip! Grizz, you’re good at planning things for us to do.”
“Eh, I ain’t nothin’ special,” Grizz said as he struck out on the trip, with Alyce following close behind.
The two of them made their way to the brook in excellent time, at which point Grizz asked for a quick break.
Alyce took the opportunity to dip her hand into the brook. “It’s really warm…Grizz, we should go swimming!”
Grizz shook his head. “In what clothes? Maybe sometime we’ll get us some swimmin’ crap to wear…but in the meantime, ya can’t get the only outfit ya got wet, especially with how cold it gets at night.”
Alyce nodded. “Oh yeah…that would get our clothes all cold and wet…” *The only way it would work is if we were in our underwear…and Grizz would definitely stutter and stammer and refuse to do that.* “…so what are we gonna do on our camping trip?” Alyce asked as she freed her ears and tail.
Alyce looked over at Grizz and saw him staring at Alyce’s tail as it wagged, and the fur covering it bended subtly under a pleasant breeze. When Grizz’s eyes slid into line with Alyce’s, he shook his head vigorously and wandered to the edge of the clearing. “Oh…hell if I know. See, we ain’t got nothin' to play catch with, or—“
Suddenly, a large scorpion’s tail ripped through the bushes behind Grizz, barely missing him.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Leave, human!"]]
“Leave, human!” a deep voice called out from the bushes. Its owner, a large man with a scorpion’s tail and claw, lept from the bushes and knocked Grizz to the ground. “Leave that beastwoman alone!” the scorpion man ordered, readying his tail for a final strike into Grizz’s heart.
“Stop!” Alyce ordered, throwing herself on top of Grizz’s body, instinctively raising her tail to shield herself. “Whoever you are, you can’t hurt Grizz! He’s my friend!”
“Hmph! I know his kind…humans are always trying to kidnap and torture our kind! That’s why—“
“Ain't this grand,” Grizz interrupted him, still buried under Alyce despite his efforts to push her off. “I been by Alyce’s side an’ keepin’ her safe from screwed-up doctors for…”
“…well,” Alyce admitted, “it’s only been a few days, but without Grizz, I’d probably be dead!”
“You think he's any better? He'll kill you eventually!” the scorpion-man retorted. “But…there’s no way I could bring myself to murder a beastperson in cold blood like this.” The scorpion-man lowered his tail. “Wait…were you the ones making the ruckus in this clearing yesterday?”
Alyce nodded. “Some bad scientists came to try and cut me to pieces! But then Grizz…he, um…jumped out of a tree, like this!” Alyce stomped the ground for emphasis. “And then he fought them off so well that one of them betrayed the others, out of nowhere!”
Grizz grinned. “Well, it was kinda cool,” he agreed.
“We heard gunshots and decided against getting involved,” the scorpion-man admitted.
“Wait…’we’?” Alyce finally removed herself from Grizz, and both of them were back on their feet. “There’s more psycho scorpion dudes out here in this forest?” Grizz groaned.
“Oh…I’ve really slipped up now…it’s…a beastperson settlement is just through the woods here.”
“I don’t remember no settlement out here in these woods.”
The scorpion man shook his head. “We’re a nomadic people on the run from…humans like you,” he asserted, jabbing his claw into Grizz’s chest.
“Hey, I ain’t the one that attacked a couple strangers while they was just—“
“Boys, please!” Alyce shouted. “Let’s not fight, OK?” Alyce put her hands behind her back and smiled up at the scorpion man. “Can we see your settlement? Pretty please?”
“You can come,” the scorpion-man confirmed. “But the human cannot!”
The trees above them rustled, and out from the branches fell a boy hanging from the branches on a monkey tail. “What’s going on, Rand?” the monkey-boy asked.
“Will, stay out of this!” the scorpion-man scolded him.
“You know I won’t,” the monkey-boy retorted.
“Hi!” Alyce blurted cheerfully. Will, the monkey-boy, looked like he was fifteen years old, at most; he provided a stark contrast to Rand, the scorpion-man, who must have been three times that age. “I’m Alyce. This here’s my friend Grizz! Your friend Rand told us you guys have a whole camp of beastpeople nearby, and we were wondering if we could visit!”
“Son of a…” Grizz whispered. “Ain’t nothin’ that can keep ya from bein’ friendly to damn near everyone an’ everything, huh?”
“I say we let them both in,” Will suggested. “And if the human tries something…well, we can deal with him, can’t we, Rand?”
“I’m not coming if Grizz can’t come!” Alyce asserted. “And he won’t try anything…promise!”
“…ugh, fine,” Rand acquiesced, visibly unhappy. “Follow me, everyone.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Earthrunners?"]]
Rand took everyone through a winding path through the forest in a line, with Alyce following Rand, Grizz behind Alyce, and Will harassing Grizz in the back of the line. *That Will…he’s not very nice, is he? He should leave Grizz alone!*
Alyce decided against calling Will out on his actions, instead content to marvel at the possibility of her and Grizz settling down with the beastpeople. *We’d be all set…no more living on the streets, no more hiding my fox features…why, it’s perfect!*
“Ain’t we supposed to be blindfolded or somethin’?” Grizz grumbled, his voice rising sharply at the end due to Will poking him in the back.
“Why bother?” Will retorted. “Our settlement is always moving, idiot. Even if you knew where it was today, you wouldn’t be able to find it tomorrow!”
“…ugh, kids,” Grizz muttered under his breath. Alyce briefly contemplated how lucky he was that she was the only member of the group with ears sensitive enough to pick up on it.
When the line of people broke out into a different clearing of the forest, Alyce gasped when she suddenly realized that there were several tents in the clearing. They were built out of supplies from the forest, and from within the forest, they had looked a lot like piles of brush. “Is…is this the place?”
“Yes, Alyce,” Rand confirmed. “This is the nomadic village of the Earthrunners.”
“Earthrunners?” Grizz parroted, in a tone that Alyce guessed meant he wasn’t impressed with the name.
“We roam the Earth, escaping…” Rand once again jabbed his scorpion claw into Grizz’s chest. “…humans that don’t understand us. The two of you should be brought before the one we call Julius. He and his wife serve as leaders to the Earthrunners, as they have for decades.”
“They must be in the big tent with the feathers.” Grizz rolled his eyes.
Before either Rand or Will could answer, Alyce was running toward the feathered tent, which, as Grizz had pointed out, was easily twice as big as the other tents. “Then let’s go!” she shouted cheerfully as she flung aside the flaps that served as the tent’s door.
Within, she was greeted to a somewhat grotesque birdman deep in discussion with several beastpeople carrying farming equipment. The birdman’s face was marred by deep scars, especially around his nose and lips, where his face seemed to protrude outward slightly. His arms seemed more akin to wings, being covered in bright blue feathers and ending in crude-looking hands, and his legs were very skinny.
As Alyce burst in, the birdman dismissed his comrades with a wave of his wing. “And who might you be?” he asked, his voice hoarse with age.
“I’m Alyce!” she announced, wiggling her fox ears. “My friend Grizz and I were just visiting, and we heard that you lead this entire village!” Alyce ran up to the birdman and stuck her arm out to offer a handshake. “Nice to meet you!”
“Me? I am not the leader; I am his elder brother, Gaul,” the birdman corrected her.
“All the same…nice to meet you, Gaul!” At that moment, Grizz came running into the tent. “Oh, and this is my friend Grizz! Grizz, say hi to Gaul!”
“Dammit, Alyce,” Grizz grumbled. “Fine, fine. Hey Gaul, name’s Grizz. I been helpin’ Alyce here ever since she got herself up an’ away from these scientist-types that wanna cut her up to see why she’s got foxy bits.”
“Yep! He’s a really nice—“
Alyce’s praise was quickly interrupted by Rand and Will crashing into the tent behind them.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Wow, you mean it?"]]“Sir!” Rand shouted, snapping off some kind of quick salute to Gall. “Pardon any interruption, but—“
“Can I fit a word in edgewise, please?” Gaul interjected. “First I get this…very excitable young woman interrupting my duties, then her…wait…” Gaul walked over to Grizz and sized him up. “…you are…a human!”
“A’ight, what’s with y’all?” Grizz asked. “I mean, y’all are human too, ain’t ya? I mean…ya got animal bits to ya, but…y’all ain’t too different from people like me, right?”
Rand laughed derisively. “We’re worlds apart, human! Have you ever been hunted and hated for something that isn’t your fault?”
“Ya know what? I had enough of your crap, dude! I ain’t even got a home…it ain’t like society cares about my life, neither!” Will walked up behind Grizz and poked him in the back. “An’ get this damn kid to stop bein’ such an annoyin’ little turd, will ya?”
“I’m just poking you to see what happens!” Will shouted. “It’s what my classmates did to me while I was in human schoo—“
“Enough!” Gaul croaked, his voice trying its hardest to drown out the rest. “My brother, our leader, is sick; Rand, Will, you two should know better!” Gall turned his pointed visage to Grizz. “And you, vagrant…show some manners!” Alyce’s turn for scolding was coming up next. “And whoever you might be, you should knock before entering another’s home!”
“But…this is a tent,” Alyce pointed out.
“That is unimportant! Now…young lady, I see you are a beastperson as well… you must wish to join our village, correct?”
“Wow, you mean it?”
“I will ask my brother about admitting you into our ranks. In the meantime, all of you should leave this abode, now. Visitors, feel free to observe our village…and know that Rand would be more than pleased to deal with you were you to step out of line.”
“OK!” Alyce confirmed. “Great meeting you! See you later!”
“…she always does crap like this,” Grizz warned the other beastpeople before rushing after her. “Alyce, wait up!”
“Oh?” Alyce stopped a few feet out of the feathered tent to turn to Grizz. “Grizz, let’s take a look around!”
“Alyce…the hell? I’m glad you’re getting’ outta your shell an’ showing your true face to the outside world an’ all that…but does that true face always gotta go runnin’ impulsively into everything?”
“Grizz, let’s discuss that later. Right now, I want to look around!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I like your ears."]]
Alyce took Grizz by the hand and led him around the village. “Think about it, Grizz!" she said. "This is a place where we don’t have to worry about homelessness or hiding my fox features or…anything!”
Alyce straightened the sunflower tucked into her shirt as she led Grizz around the small Earthrunner settlement. Soon, a young boy crossed Alyce’s path, his body having the ears, nose, and tail of a mouse.
“Hi!” Alyce greeted him, crouching down to his level. “I like your ears.” *They look very cute on you, little boy! Hm…it’s too bad Grizz doesn’t like kids.*
“...thank you!” the mouse-boy replied with a brief bow. “Who are you?”
“I’m Alyce!” Alyce wrapped her tail around Grizz. “This is my friend, Grizz!”
“Hello. What are you doing here, Miss Alyce?”
“Grizz and I are visiting your village. We might even move in!”
“Aaron!” A group of kids called out. “Did you find the ball?” one of the voices asked.
“Sorry, Miss Alyce!” the mouse-boy gushed. “But my friends are waiting for me to find our ball!”
Grizz looked around for a brief moment before plucking a big green ball from the tall grass next to him. “This one?”
“That’s it!” Aaron exclaimed as Grizz threw the ball to him. “Thank you, Mister Grizz!”
“He’s kinda rude sometimes, but he’s really nice!” Alyce assured Aaron.
“OK, I gotta get back to our game! Nice meeting you, Miss Alyce! Mister Grizz!” Aaron waved to the two of them before running off to rejoin his friends. “Look!” he shouted to the gang of little kids. “Those strangers found our ball!”
“Kids,” Alyce noted with a giggle. “They’re so cute!”
“Don’t tell me,” Grizz muttered, “ya want kids now too?”
“Don't be silly…where would they sleep?” Alyce asked. “Come on, let’s look around some more!” *Wow…this is just the kind of life Grizz wanted to find for me, isn’t it? It’s so peaceful and pretty here…and I bet even Grizz would be comfortable here. He wouldn’t be homeless, but it’s not like everyone lives in one big apartment, either. Just right for everybody!*
Once Alyce had been around the entire village, she and Grizz waited outside of the feathered tent for Gaul to relay his brother’s orders. Grizz, who had been mostly silent the whole time, finally decided to pipe up. “So…ya like it here, don’t ya?”
Alyce nodded. “Grizz, isn’t this everything we’ve been looking for? I’ll have a home with these people…maybe even a family!” *And you’ll finally be free…you’ll be able to stay with me, but not have to protect me. I’m sure that would be a lot of weight off of your shoulders!*
“…yeah. Real paradise, this.”
“Oh, and those kids were so cute! They’ll probably want us to play games with them and everything, won’t they? There weren’t many games in the compound…I bet you didn’t play many games on the streets, either.”
“Nope. Uncle would take me to the playground sometimes, an’ I think he tried buyin’ me games, too. After that, though…nothin’.”
“Well, Grizz, here’s a second chance for—“
Suddenly, Gaul pushed aside the flaps of the feathered tent. “You two!” he commanded. “My brother would like a word with you.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"You are free to stay."]]
Gaul led the two of them inside, and into the back of the tent, where a nearly-identical birdman lay in bed. “This is Julius, leader of the Earthrunners," he said, sweeping a wing toward his brother. "Show the proper respects.”
Julius’ feathers were a dark purple as opposed to Gaul’s bright blue tint, and even in bed he looked a fair bit broader and taller than his elder brother. “So…” he began with a cough, “you two must be our visitors. Forgive my sickly nature…it has been a long…long time since we’ve been able to stop our travels. It seems to have taken its toll on me.”
“Sorry to hear it…I hope you feel better soon,” Alyce encouraged. “Oh…I’m Alyce. My friend’s name is Grizz.”
“Hey,” Grizz said with a wave.
“Mister…um, Julius, sir, this village is fantastic!”
Stormy laughed weakly. “Thank you…a compliment to…my village…is a compliment…for me…wouldn’t you agree?”
“That makes sense!” Alyce admitted. “You’re doing a good job, then.”
“Hm…and here my brother was…telling me the two of you…had no sense of manners.”
“Nah,” Grizz commented, “Alyce here, she’s got all the manners an’ crap, an’ it musta been me Gaul told ya ‘bout.”
“I suppose so,” Stormy admitted. “You do…sound rather rude. But…you two are not…not here for a lecture.”
Alyce shook her head. “Grizz and I want to live here!” she announced.
“Hm…I see…I was told as much…the two of you…must really like what you have seen…tell me…where are you from?”
“…nowhere,” Grizz admitted. “Alyce and I, we’re homeless. She broke outta this shady science place that was gonna cut her up just to see why she has foxy bits. Her own mother put her in there.”
“Alyce…you have seen the hatred…the scorn humans have for us…this is why you want to join us…is it not?”
Alyce shook her head. “I just think it’s really nice here!” she admitted.
“Hm…amusing…even so…ours is not a picky society…Alyce, you are free to stay.”
“Wow…thank you! That was easier than I thought it…” Alyce glanced over her shoulder at Grizz, who looked like he was preparing to leave without a noise. “Wait, what about Grizz?”
“I apologize…but humans aren’t allowed…in the Earthrunners…”
“Ain’t that somethin',” Grizz mused. “Y’all are just as bad as…“
Alyce glanced down at her sunflower while Grizz and Stormy had a brief argument. She tuned most of it out before turning her attention back to the conversation at hand.
“Grizz, please,” Alyce said to cut him off. “Now…Stormy, sir, if Grizz can’t live here, I’m not going to live here either. Bye!” she added cheerfully, dragging Grizz out of the feathered tent with her.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Really, I do like this whole village!"]]
“…the hell was that, sunshine?!” Grizz exclaimed as Alyce led him away from the village itself. “Ya just blew off that guy like he weren’t nothin'! An’ here you were, talkin’ ‘bout how nice this place was, minutes before tellin’ that guy you ain’t stayin’—“
“What?” a small voice from below interrupted. Alyce looked down, and noticed Aaron and his friends swarming around Alyce and Grizz. “You’re not staying?” Aaron asked, his ears drooping visibly.
Alyce shook her head. “You’re a very nice boy, Aaron, and your friends seem really nice too. Really, I do like this whole village!”
“Then…why aren’t you staying?”
Alyce knelt down and gave Aaron a hug to help calm him down. “They won’t let Grizz stay here with me. Otherwise, I’d be happy to stay!”
“Alyce…ya really mean that?” Grizz muttered, completely stunned.
“Sure do! See…” Alyce turned to Aaron and the children. In return, they gave Alyce their undivided attention, not even moving apart from the occasional wag of the tail or wiggle of the ear. “…kids, this man here is Grizz. He’s my best friend in the whole world! I don’t have a home, but Grizz took me in under his…” Alyce glanced into the crowd to see a young girl scratching her wings. “…um…well, he’s been protecting me from bad men chasing me.”
“Bad men?” Aaron repeated. “After you? But you’re so nice! Oh, Mommy always says that humans are—”
“Just a minute,” Grizz interrupted, “ya know that guy with the scorpion tail? He ain’t exactly a saint!”
“Grizz is right, Aaron,” Alyce explained. “The men chasing me aren’t bad because they’re human, they’re bad because they’re bad. And…just look at Grizz! He’s human! Are you calling him bad, too?” Aaron shook his head humbly. “Now…where was I?”
“Singin’ my praises,” Grizz noted with a groan. “’bout how I took ya in an’ sh—“
Grizz stopped himself mid-sentence, looking down at all the kids. *That’s right, Grizz, it’s not polite to swear in front of children.* “Thank you, Grizz. Now, Grizz took me in when I had nowhere to go. You kids might know how it feels to have nowhere to go…so you have to feel bad for Grizz, OK? He doesn’t have anywhere to go either.”
Aaron walked up to Grizz. “Sorry, Mister Grizz…I didn’t know…Daddy tried to hurt Mommy when he saw I looked like a mouse, so we had to run away.”
Grizz knelt down and gave Aaron a hug out of pity. “I never knew my mommy or daddy…an’ I had one guy that was like an uncle to me, but…bad guys hurt him an’ stole all his stuff.”
*They’re explaining why they have nowhere to go…poor Aaron…poor Grizz…* Alyce started crying at this point, and joined in on the hug between Aaron and Grizz to calm her tears. “My mommy got rid of me when she found out I looked like a fox.”
“But…Miss Alyce…can I come with you?” Aaron asked.
Alyce shook her head. “What would your mommy say? You have to stick with her…just like I have to stick with Grizz. That’s why I can’t stay here, OK? If you leave, your mommy would be all alone; if I stay here, Grizz would be all alone.”
Before Alyce could break herself away from the group hug, all of the children slowly swarmed in and joined in the hug. “You can’t leave Mister Grizz, then,” Aaron noted. “And Mister Grizz, you can’t leave Miss Alyce, either.”
“I ain’t gonna, kid,” Grizz confirmed. “Promise.”
After what felt like an hour of silence, the kids finally relented in their group hug, allowing Grizz and Alyce to stand up. “Who knows…?” Alyce pointed out. “We could meet each other again someday!”
“I hope we do, Miss Alyce!” Aaron cheered.
“Yeah, yeah,” Grizz agreed in his own aloof manner.
Alyce took Grizz by the hand and started leading him out of the Earthrunner village, waving goodbye to the kids with the other. “Goodbye, everyone!” she added.
“Bye Miss Alyce!” the kids replied in a chorus. “Bye Mister Grizz!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Any choice that splits us apart..."]]
“Alyce…” Grizz muttered on their way back to the brook. “Ya…did ya really mean all that crap ya said?”
Alyce nodded. “Every single word! Why?”
“…ya gave up a new home an’ a whole bunch of people just like ya…just for me…did ya even give it a minute’s thought? Ya can’t be thinkin’ straight.”
“I was thinking about it the whole time, Grizz.” Alyce tapped her index finger on the sunflower tucked in her shirt. “Well…I was thinking about you the whole time. If you factor so heavily into my life, and vice versa, how could I possibly abandon you? You heard what Aaron told us.”
“The mouse kid? Yeah…but still. Ya gave up all of that just ‘cause…I…”
“You’re welcome, Grizz,” Alyce said with a giggle.
Grizz threw his arms around Alyce, but she noted something different about this instance. Usually, he did it when Alyce was crying or something similar, a gesture he did for her sake. This was all for him, out of pure compassion. “Thanks, Alyce,” he said after a minute’s silence.
*Grizz…actually thanked me…wow…he must really be in quite the mood right now…but wait…* “Grizz, aren’t you going to try and stop me? You’re not even going to try and tell me ‘oh, uh, ya can’t do this, ya know they ain’t gonna be there in a few days, uh, and stuff’ or anything like that?”
Grizz shook his head and held Alyce closer. “What, after all that? I know ya ain’t gonna reconsider.”
“There’s one other thing I’m thinking about, Grizz. You’ve…never hugged me like this before.”
Grizz ran his fingers through Alyce’s hair in the midst of a long silence before finally admitting, “I ain’t never been this happy before.”
Alyce permitted herself to cry again, but from happiness this time. “Then I made the right choice.”
“Choice?” Grizz laughed. “Ya didn’t even think about it…hell, it weren’t even like a choice to ya.”
Alyce nodded. “You could put it that way. Any choice that splits us apart…”
“…it ain’t no choice for you,” Grizz finished. “Son of a…sunshine…I ain’t never had nobody be so nice to me.”
“You deserve it, Grizz,” Alyce encouraged him, “because you’ve been so nice to me.”
*And I can tell…just by looking at you…my choice has done something to you…I practically see the wheels turning in your head! And then there’s this wonderful embrace you’ve got me in. I’m sure what I’ve done here is going to change you in other ways, too…but in the meantime, it’s had a lot of wonderful short-term effects, too. I could stay with the Earthrunners, and that would be a big help to me…or I could stay with you, and be a bigger help to the both of us.*
“Grizz…" Alyce continued. "I couldn’t possibly stay with the Earthrunners. Even though they have a really nice place, you’re my best friend, and I…”
“Yeah, well…I still dunno if this choice is best for ya, but I know ya made up your mind already.”
“Don’t you worry about it, Grizz!” *It might not be the best choice for me…but it’s the best choice for us.* “It might…I…” *Odd…why am I stumbling over the words? I just want to say more great things about Grizz. That’s…so weird. Well, I’ll just bring myself to say it another day. But…that means I need something else to say!* “I’m not in the compound anymore; I get to make my own choices, right?”
“Hell yeah!” Grizz gave Alyce a high-five. “I let ya make your own choices an’ support ya through ‘em as best I can. That’s what it means, bein’ a…well, anyway, ya want me? Ya got me.”
“And I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Alyce watched as the sun began to set behind Grizz, framing him in a brilliant portrait of light. “It’s getting late, isn’t it?”
“Didn’t even notice that. Come on, sunshine, let’s get back to my place before it’s too dark.”
“OK! Lead the way, Grizz!” *And I’ll be right here with you, every step of the way.*
Surprisingly, the two of them spent the rest of the night in complete silence; not one word was uttered on the way back to Grizz’s alleyway, their late dinner was as quiet as it can get in a downtown alleyway, and they prepared for bed with nary a word between them.
Normally, Alyce would fill in a long silence with her own thoughts, but tonight felt different to her. As she prepared for bed, watching Grizz work on his lean-to, she finally permitted her mind to wander. *Grizz…I know why you and I haven’t said a word since sunset. We…we simply don’t have to. We’ve said everything we need to say about today…the way Grizz held me back at the brook said it all. I didn’t expect him to realize that, too.*
Alyce finally broke the hours-long silence with a single yawn as her eyelids came falling down around her eyes. *Aaron was a very nice boy, and the Earthrunner village was very peaceful, but I have all that I need right here.*
“Goodnight, Grizz.” *It would have been nice to live with the Earthrunners…but it’s nicer living with you.*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"They call it a Good Mornin'."]]
### Chapter 7
A strange new smell filled Alyce’s nostrils, urgring her into wakefulness. Her eyes opened to reveal some sort of sandwich in front of her. “Grizz…?” she asked groggily.
“Mm? ‘sup, sunshine?” Grizz replied, sounding like he had a mouth full of something.
“What…what’s this?” Alyce sat up to see Grizz sitting on the ground nearby, holding a sandwich similar to the one near her.
“Breakfast sandwich, from Merv’s. Egg, sausage, bacon, cheese. The buns are pancakes.” Grizz tossed Alyce a small packet containing a dark-colored liquid. “That’s maple syrup for ya, if ya want it.”
“Oh…OK. Thank you, Grizz.” Alyce wiped her eyes and stretched herself out a little to help wake herself up before examining the breakfast sandwich. Grizz’s explanation left out the fact that she could barely grip the sandwich due to its size, but true to what he did say, it was piled high with egg, sausage, and bacon, nearly dripping with cheese, and contained between two pancakes. “Do they have a name for this sandwich?”
Grizz nodded. “They call it a Good Mornin’. So do I,” Grizz added with a laugh as he wiped an edge of his sandwich through a pool of maple syrup and bit it.
Alyce nodded silently and bit into her sandwich. She wasn’t expecting the various flavors therein to combine very well, but her expectations were blown away right from the first bite. “A Good Morning, huh?” Alyce mused, staring at the bitemark she just made in her sandwich. “I’ll say!”
Alyce began tearing into her sandwich with a hunger bordering on ferality, prompting Grizz to watch in wide-eyed shock as she completely destroyed the tall breakfast sandwich she hadn’t even known about just a few minutes ago.
“Damn, Alyce,” Grizz muttered over his slackened jaw. “Here I was, with a two-minute head start into my Good Mornin’, an’ then ya ate yours so fast we end up finishin’ at the same time? Son of a…”
“Oh…sorry Grizz! Did I eat too fast?”
“I…ya ate way faster than I ever would’ve guessed. Just look at ya…skinny as can be, an’ then ya go eatin’ things in the blink of an eye!”
“That surprises you every time, huh?” Alyce lept to her feet. “So, Grizz, how did you get these sandwiches, anyway? Don’t tell me you stole them…”
“Stealin’ sandwiches? Alyce…how dare ya accuse me of somethin’ like that outta the blue! I bought ‘em fair an’ square, with cash, like everyone else!”
Alyce shook a finger in Grizz’s face. “With money you stole, right?”
Grizz chuckled. “Hell, what’d ya expect?”
*Oh, Grizz, you’ll never stop with this thievery thing, will you? I guess it would be like getting me to stop being so…sunshine-y!* “So, Grizz, what are we doing today?”
“Same thing we do every day, Alyce,” Grizz replied. “Hell if I know!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Cheaty-face!"]]*Hm…then…what will we do today? Grizz took me to the park, then he took me out to some restaurants, then we went camping, except we couldn’t camp because that guy with the scorpion tail tried killing Grizz, and then I couldn’t go swimming because—*
“Hey, Grizz!” Alyce piped up. “I’ve got an idea! Remember how yesterday, I wanted to go swimming? But then you said that we couldn’t because it would get our only clothes wet?”
“Lemme guess,” Grizz conjectured, pacing back and forth, “ya wanna go back to Prowl Clothing, get you an’ me some swimsuits, an’ find ourselves a nice place to go swimmin’ for the day?”
Alyce gasped. “There are suits made just for swimming? That’s way better than my idea, then! Can we, Grizz, please? Can we?”
Grizz shrugged. “Aww, what the hell. Sounds like fun, don’t it?”
“Alright! We get to go swimming!”
“It’s kinda weird, since…ya know, it’s August an’ all. Ya usually do this swimmin’ crap in the hotter months, see?”
“Well…I guess…but the hotter months are already gone, and…do you have any better ideas?”
Grizz raised a finger and took a deep breath, as if he was going to protest, but his finger unceremoniously fell as quickly as it had been raised. “To Prowl ClothinG, then!”
Alyce double-checked the scarf on her head and the sunflower in her shirt. “OK! Let’s go!” Alyce sprinted out of the alleyway, toward Cross Town Mall.
“Hey!” Grizz shouted, trying his hardest to close the distance. “I didn’t say we were gonna race!”
“A race, huh?” Alyce shouted back. “Sounds fun!”
Alyce turned and sprinted her fastest, making a quick left turn around a corner and leaving Grizz out of her sight. She wanted to untie her scarf and let her fox ears feel the rush of the air as her thin frame cut through it, but running down a busy sidewalk at full speed was already catching the attention of enough people.
*No sense freaking them out anymore, huh? But where’s Grizz? Probably way behind me, the slowpoke!* Alyce weaved and dodged through the crowd, her agility making it surprisingly easy to slip past the occasional deliveryman without knocking over the stack of boxes in his arms, or darting in front of mothers pushing strollers so she could sneak a peek at the adorable babies sitting within.
These hijinks slowed Alyce’s pace a little, but Grizz was still nowhere to be seen, so Alyce shrugged and continued on her way to the Cross Town Mall.
Suddenly, a fair distance ahead of her, Grizz darted out of an alleyway to her left and sprinted down the sidewalk ahead of her. “Yo, sunshine!” he yelled over his shoulder.
“Hey!” Alyce protested. “That’s not…how did you…I don’t…what?”
Grizz shrugged. “Home turf advantage!” he explained as he disappeared down a different alleyway.
*Wow, it seems like every time Grizz leaves my sight, he moves twice as fast! But…no, when we were running away from the angry priest from the park, he took me through a lot of shortcuts in the alleyways! So…I’m stuck weaving through people on the sidewalk, and Grizz is darting through empty alleyways and secret shortcuts!*
“The nerve!” Alyce yelled to no one in particular as something in her mind flipped. *If he’s going to cheat, I’m going to beat him to the mall, fair and square! Wow…this is pretty fun!*
Alyce laughed loudly to herself as the mall rose up from the horizon into view, which had the unintended side-effect of convincing others on the sidewalk to make plenty of room for her. *Oh…I guess I’m creeping people out.* “Sorry!” Alyce said to the crowd as she sped through. *Yes! Cross Town Mall, here—*
“Cross Town Mall, here I come!” Grizz shouted as he jumped down a fire escape hanging overhead, using a strange rolling maneuver to soften his impact with the sidewalk
“Grizz, that’s not fair!” Alyce complained. “I was going to say that! And…how did you even get up there? And how—“
“You got time to run your mouth, then run your feet!” Grizz interrupted, tagging the door to Prowl Clothing with a quick slap. “An' maybe you'll win the next one!”
“Yeah, well, the only thing that made you win was…being a great…big…cheaty-face!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Showtime!"]]
Alyce and Grizz stared each other down for a few seconds before bursting out into laughter. “Aw, hell, sunshine,” Grizz said through his chuckles, “ya had to call me ‘cheaty-face’, didn’t ya? Aww…damn…too funny…”
“Oh man…and when you were up on the fire escape? I bet the look on my face was priceless!”
“I didn’t see it…’cause I left ya in the dust!”
*Wow, Grizz! You sure are having a lot of fun today! I think yesterday cheered you up even more than the day before it! You’re making really good progress, Grizz. I’m so proud of you!*
“Ah…OK,” Alyce said, trying to regain her composure and stop laughing. “We…we need to buy…”
“Phew…” Grizz held his chest with one hand, and held the door open with the other. “…yeah. Swimsuits. Let’s do it up.”
“Right.” *OK, we’re fine now. No more crazy laughing. We’re all set now.*
“A’ight, sunshine, I got a pretty simple choice, see. A fella’s swimsuit is just a pair of shorts most of the time, but…you…ya gotta pick, see?” Grizz led Alyce over to the women’s swimwear section. “’cause…hell, see here?” Grizz held up a sample of two different styles, one in each hand. “Ya got this bikini thing, an’ then ya got these here, that come in one piece an’—“
Alyce snatched the one-piece from Grizz’s hand, causing him to drop both the bikini and his sentence. “This looks nice! It’s a very pretty blue, just like a lot of my other clothes!”
Grizz chuckled. “Color-coded, huh? Well, ya just go try it on, an’ I’ll look for some shorts for myself, a’ight?”
Alyce nodded. “OK, Grizz! It’ll only take a minute!” Alyce took her swimsuit to the changing rooms in the back of the store. *I remember how to use these! So…it really should only take a minute!*
Alyce quickly stripped her clothes off and struggled her way into the swimsuit. *Ugh…it’s a little small on me…but how? I thought I was thin…!* A quick glance in the nearby mirror confirmed Alyce’s suspicions. *I am thin! Why would they even sell clothes too small for someone like me? That’s so weird!*
Alyce returned to her street clothes in a flash and stepped out of the changing booth. Grizz was standing outside, staring intently at a pair of shorts he had found. They were orange, and down the sides, Alyce spotted red stripes that contained the word “MAX” in white letters.
“Wait a second…Grizz, here I am trying out something in blue, and yet…shouldn’t you find something in green like your normal clothes? That’s what I’m doing!”
Grizz shrugged. “These shorts come in blue and yellow,” he mused, “so this can’t be right…but it kinda looks like someone cut ‘em off. Like, they shouldn’t even be shorts, ya know? An’ yet…”
Alyce nodded. “Well, maybe I can find a nice green swimsuit, and you can get the blue version of those shorts. Then we’ll have switched colors! Isn’t that funny?”
“…nope,” Grizz replied, completely deadpan. Alyce felt her brow furrow, which made Grizz crack up. “I'm kiddin'! But it ain’t a bad idea, see? Let’s do it.”
“Alright!” The pair went their separate ways to find themselves new swimwear, and Alyce mentally reminded herself to get something in a larger size. Alyce found just the thing—a dark green swimsuit that looked like it was just her size. “Perfect!” she cheered as she hauled it back to the changing booth with her.
Just like before, changing into the swimsuit was a quick and easy task. *There we go! This one fits perfectly!* Alyce glanced over at her frame in the mirror. *And it looks good, too! Um…at least I think it does. I still don’t know much about fashion, do I? Oh well, Grizz will let me know when he sees me wearing it!*
As Alyce took off the swimsuit and prepared to put her street clothes back on, her reflection caught her eye again. *Hm, I guess I can change a lot faster when I’m not watching myself in the mirror, like I was the first time!* Alyce giggled to herself as she left the changing booth, and once again, Grizz was close by. “All set, Grizz?”
Grizz nodded. “Showtime!” he cheered, holding up a blue version of the shorts he had picked out earlier. Other than being light blue with a dark blue stripe, they were identical to the red shorts from before, right down to “MAX” being written down the sides.
“Oh yeah!” Alyce shouted instinctively. “Let’s pay for these swimsuits so we can go swimming!”
“Yeah, yeah…that’s the plan.” Grizz handled the purchases while Alyce waited outside, looking up at the bright sky.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"They lie about the water?"]]
*It’s such a nice day out today! And soon, Grizz and I get to go swimming! It’ll be a nice way to cool off after that footrace we had. Hm, I wonder where Grizz is going to take us to go swimming! Maybe there’s a lake around, or an ocean, or—*
The door swung open behind Alyce, and Grizz stepped out with a plastic bag hanging from one hand. “Grizz, that took longer than I thought," she said. What were you doing in there?”
Grizz laughed. “Can’t believe…this whole time, I weren’t even thinkin’ straight!" he answered. "We needed towels.”
Alyce giggled. “Wow, we really have big lapses in judgment sometimes, huh? So…the towels you bought…are they pretty?”
“Yours, maybe. Mine better not be.” Grizz whipped a towel out of the bag and flew it right over Alyce’s shoulder before draping another towel over his own shoulder. Grizz’s towel was as black as his hair, except it had a picture of a shark and the word “AWESOME” printed on it in white. Grizz noted Alyce’s stare and shook his head. “Naw, definitely ain’t cute.”
“No, Grizz…it’s, uh, awesome!” Alyce confirmed. *Huh…first the “MAX” shorts and now an “AWESOME” towel? I didn’t think it was like you to buy things with words and pictures on them.*
Alyce took the chance to inspect her own towel. It looked like the upper bodies of a pair of female cartoon characters, each raising an arm so that together, they made the shape of a V. *Huh. I wonder who these two characters are. They don’t look like anyone Grizz would know. Oh well!* “So where are we going swimming, Grizz?”
“A’ight, sunshine, it’s like this, see?” Grizz began tracing an invisible map in the air with his fingers. “So, we’re here, the brook ya know so well—it’s right here.”
“I know where the brook is, Grizz! I probably couldn’t lead you there, but…”
“Yeah yeah…but we’re not goin’ to the brook, see?” Grizz took hold of Alyce’s hand and put her finger on the brook on Grizz’s invisible map. “Ya go this way, an’ ya run into this company that filters the water an’ then sells it as some ‘fresh and natural spring water’ crap.”
“They…they lie about the water?”
Grizz nodded. “Ya stick words like ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ on somethin', an’ people will buy it for twice the money, no questions asked. But anyway…ya go the other way, an’ there’s a lake, see?”
“Wow…a lake? Is it pretty there, Grizz?”
“Didn’t I tell ya before? What would I know ‘bout beauty? Come on, I’ll let ya see for yourself.”
Alyce followed close behind Grizz as he led her to the brook. She glanced around, looking for someone from the Earthrunner village. *Wait…no, they’re nomadic, aren’t they? They must have left by now. Sorry, Aaron…but we will see each other again. You and all your cute little friends!*
Grizz gently tugged on Alyce’s hand to get her moving again, as they went upstream through the woods. *That brook, though…it’s already kinda pretty as it is. I can’t imagine how much prettier the lake could possibly be! Speaking of which…* “Grizz, how much farther until we reach the lake?”
Grizz laughed. “Son of a…sunshine, why do ya always ask that kinda question as soon as we get where we’re goin’?”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Wow."]]
Sure enough, Alyce looked past Grizz to see a pristine blue lake sparkling in the sun behind him.
“Every time,” Grizz continued, even as Alyce moved past him to view the lake, “ya always gotta say somethin' like, ‘Oh Grizz, how much longer will we walk?’ An’ then I always gotta come back an’ tell ya, ‘Sunshine, we already here!’ An’ it’s gettin’ kind—“
“Grizz,” Alyce interrupted, “this lake is so beautiful! Look at it! Trees all around, the water is clear and blue, and…we’re all alone, aren’t we?”
Grizz nodded and untied Alyce’s scarf from around her head, letting her ears catch the breeze that seemed to kick up at just the right times. *Ah…the fresh air, the pleasant breeze, the beautiful visuals…and it’s just us out here. You and me, Grizz.*
Alyce flicked her tail out and massaged it a little, to ease the soreness that came with hiding it in her pants. *Times like this make me so happy that I turned down joining the Earthrun—wait. That was yesterday. Let’s not get too sentimental just yet!* “So…we can just go swimming in this lake? It’s not…against rules or anything?”
“Nah, it's fine, don’t ya worry! Besides, if it weren’t a’ight, ya would’ve seen someone stop ya by now…or while we used the brook as a damn bath.” Grizz tied up his towel so that it hung taut between two trees. “There, I’m’a go behind this an’ change, see?”
“Um…I shouldn’t see, though…right? Because…you’re changing.”
“Alyce, that was street talk!” Grizz stomped behind his makeshift changing station with exaggerated anger. Alyce watched as Grizz’s clothes went flying over the top of the towel, and Grizz reemerged shortly thereafter, as light reflected from the water and casually wandered around on Grizz’s stomach.
“These shorts ain’t got a place for my knife,” Grizz noted, his shoulders drooped in disappointment.
“You should have checked that before you bought the shorts! Well, I’m going to change now! Don’t peek!”
Alyce ran behind Grizz’s towel and quickly changed into her swimsuit. “Huh,” Alyce grumbled to herself. *My tail really doesn’t interact with this swimsuit very well. Maybe I should just…poke a big hole in it, for my tail to stick through? I really should have noticed this before I bought it. Well, now, I feel silly for saying something like that to Grizz now!*
Alyce slipped her tail out through the bottom of the swimsuit, and it suited her fine. “OK!” she called out to Grizz as she stepped out from behind the towel. “I’m ready!”
Grizz stared at Alyce for a moment, as she stood with a confused gaze in return. “Wow. Alyce…you're…a’ight then. Swimmin’ time!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Quit worryin' an' try it."]]“Alright!” Alyce cheered as she crashed into the water, waves erupting from every powerful stride of her lean legs. “The water’s so nice! Come on in, Grizz!” Alyce pushed the water around with her tail, enjoying the feeling of it with the sun on her back. She laughed as she started slapping the water with her tail, sending beads of water into the air which sparkled in the sun like diamonds.
Grizz stared at the scene Alyce was making for awhile before making his move. “Fuckin’ A, let’s do it up!” he shouted as he trudged through the water to be at Alyce’s side. Grizz threw himself under the surface of the water, only to resurface soon afterward. “Ah…gettin’ ya head under for the first time…shit feels great.”
“Huh…Grizz, why did you do that?”
“Oh yeah, I forgot, they don’t let ya go swimmin’ at the Cross Town Asylum, now, do they?” Alyce shook her head, casually trailing her hand through the water. “Right then,” Grizz continued, “underwater. It’s a hell of a place, see? Ya can’t breathe there, though.”
Alyce giggled. “Come on, Grizz, I know how water works.”
“Shit, that ya do. But…if ya wanna go under like I did, ya gotta hold your breath, ya know? Take a deep breath, an’ don’t let it out ‘till ya get your head back up. Maybe pinch your nose, too, if ya feel like that might help ya.”
Alyce nodded. “OK…so…do I just throw myself in?”
Grizz shrugged. “Shit, I guess. Just kinda duck down or fall back or somethin’.”
“But Grizz, what if I can’t get back up, and I start…”
“If ya need me…I’ll be there.” Grizz gave Alyce a thumbs-up. “Now, quit worryin’ an’ try it.”
“OK, Grizz.” I’ve trusted you for this long and it’s worked out great! Alyce took a deep breath, pinched her nose, and fell backwards into the lake. The water closed in around her eyes, and although the pressure stung a bit, the effect on her vision itself was mercifully low. Alyce’s hair trailed after her as she crashed into the drink, and reached back up toward the open air just past the surface. Grizz is right…this feels really nice…well, better come back up for air! Alyce stood straight, propelling her head back above the surface. She shook her head to dry her ears and get the wet hair away from her eyes, then looked up at Grizz with a smile. “I…I did it!”
“Ya sure did, sunshine,” Grizz agreed. “Looks nice down there, don’t it?”
Alyce nodded and blinked a few times, looking straight into Grizz’s eyes as hers regained focus. “So…was that swimming?”
Grizz laughed heartily. “Oh…hell no! Check this shit!” Grizz jumped forward as if he were throwing himself underwater, but through some miracle of flailing his limbs, he managed to keep his body afloat and even propel it forward. “Bam!” Grizz shouted as he brought his feet back down. “That’s swimming. Right there.”
Alyce responded with a round of applause. “Way to go, Grizz! How did you do that?”
“Sunshine, it’s like I told ya. Uncle taught me everything! An’ I bet ya wanna learn how to swim, too.”
“Do I ever!” Alyce confirmed with her trademark enthusiasm.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"We come back next year?"]]
“A’ight, see…” Grizz said, quickly freezing in place. “…damn. I dunno how to tell ya what’s goin’ on, see? Ya just kinda…kick a lot an’ move your arms.” Grizz lifted Alyce so that she laid on his arms, parallel to the water’s surface. “See, I gotcha. Now, kick those damn feet!”
Alyce nodded and moved her legs like she had seen Grizz doing; one foot went down while the other went up. “Like that?”
“Hell yeah!” Grizz caught sight of Alyce’s tail moving in rhythm with her legs, and the sun-dappled water she was displacing. “Um…next thing…ya gotta move the arms, see? Usually people have ya learn the doggie paddle first…it ain’t ‘cause you got foxy bits or anything like that.”
“Oh!” I’ve seen dogs swimming before! *I don’t remember where, but…* Alyce moved her arms back and forth underneath her, in a manner similar to how her legs were moving. “Like this, right?”
“…huh. That’s the doggie paddle, alright.” Grizz looked stunned. “I was worried, but that looks fine. No idea how ya pulled that off. A’ight then, is it cool if I let ya go?”
“But Grizz!” Alyce protested, still pretend-swimming in his arms. “What if I can’t actually swim? What if I go underwater? What—“
“Stop,” Grizz said. “What’d I tell ya before? If ya need me…I’ll be there.”
*Right. Sorry I doubted you, Grizz. Let’s…what do you always say?* “Let’s do it!”
“…the hell?”
*Oh…that wasn’t right, was it? Oops.* “You can let go of me, Grizz.”
“A'ight, let’s do it up! On your three count, yeah?”
*“Let’s do it UP!” I knew I forgot something.* “OK…one…two…three!” Alyce felt Grizz’s hands slide out from under her, leaving her free to try her hand at swimming all by herself. She synchronized all her limbs to help propel her through the water, and promptly began sinking like a fox-tailed rock.
Grizz rushed to Alyce’s aid and returned her to her feet. “Damn, I thought ya had it for a minute there.”
“Me too. Well…I can always try again, right? Even if I don’t get it right today, we can always come back to this lake later, right?” Alyce wiggled her fox ears a little. “We’ll go swimming again sometime, won’t we, Grizz?”
“Son of a…" Grizz replied. “That’s why I call ya sunshine. Well, it ain’t exactly gettin’ warmer, but we’ll be back sometime.”
“But what if we don’t find the time to come back before it gets too cold?”
“I dunno…we come back next year?”
*So…you do hope to have me around for at least a whole year. I’m glad…I really enjoy our time together, Grizz.* “I…”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"This really ain't like you."]]
“…yo, Alyce…you cryin’?” Grizz asked, moving in close to see if he needed to embrace Alyce. “’sup?”
“What…?" she gasped. "I cried? I’m sorry, Grizz…I think I’m just…”
“Ya ain’t missin’ the Earthrunner fellas already, are ya?”
Alyce shook her head. “It’s not that at all, Grizz. I’m just…really happy for some reason. Hearing you say that…you and I will be around next year…you know what that means, right?”
“Uh…that I’ll still be with ya by this time next year?” Grizz scratched his head. “Ya know I ain’t good at this, Alyce. The hell you talkin’ ‘bout?”
“It’s just that…if we’re together in a year, that means we’ll have gotten through a lot, won’t we? You’ll keep me safe from the compound and all the other bad people for…a year is a long time, you know…and I…”
“Ya what? I’m really dense. I bet it’s really annoyin’ ya at this point.”
*It kind of is, Grizz, especially since all I really want to say is…* “Thank you.”
*…no, there has to be something else on my mind. I can feel it. I’m so nervous! I don’t get nervous just from thanking people. So…what’s going on? Wait…hasn’t this happened before? What was I trying to say last time I couldn’t manage to make the words come out? Oh, if only I could remember things like this better…!*
“…what?” Grizz mumbled. “All that just so I could hear ya thank me again? Huh. I might not be smart, but I know this ain’t like ya, Alyce. Really…what’s your problem?”
“I…don’t…know.” Alyce sighed, her ears drooping along with her shoulders. “Sometimes I get really choked up when I talk to you, Grizz. It’s really weird…it’s as if I have something to say, but I can’t manage to say it…or even think it. Like I said…it’s really weird. Grizz…is something wrong with me?”
Grizz shook his head. “Nah…” He averted his gaze to the sky, and Alyce guessed he was contemplating how much time was left until sunset. “…I’m sure that whatever it is…if it’s important, it’ll come outta ya eventually.”
“You think so?” *That doesn’t really help…I wish I could figure out what it is I’m trying to say…and why…*
“Yeah, yeah, it’ll be fine. If it ain’t hurtin’ ya, it can’t be that important, can it?”
Alyce shook her head. “I guess not…” *But Grizz, this isn’t helping at all.*
Grizz leaned back and managed to get himself to float on the water’s surface. “Hell, how ‘bout this…if I dunk myself underwater, I won’t hear a word ya say while I’m down there. Then ya get to say whatever it is ya wanna say, an’ I don’t have to hear it. That’ll make ya feel a little better, an’ then maybe it’ll help ya tell me what’s up sooner.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Alyce noted. “Grizz, how’d you come up with it?”
“Well, if I’m the problem,” Grizz replied, “the solution’s in gettin’ rid of me, at least for a little bit, ain’t it?”
“Sounds OK to me! Can I get a countdown?”
Grizz nodded. “Three…two…one.”
Alyce watched Grizz sink into the water, as his hair began floating around in every direction. One of his hands came up to give Alyce a thumbs-up.
*OK…whatever it is I have to tell Grizz…he can’t hear me…so there’s no pressure. So what’s going on? Every time I think too much about Grizz, it gets harder and harder to force the words from my throat, and then I feel my heart trying to bust out of my chest! So there’s something…about Grizz…that gives me a really strong feeling…wait, Grizz and I did talk about strong emotions once…he said anger was the strongest. Well, I’m not angry…but then he said something after that, too. He said—*
Grizz burst out of the water, choking and sputtering. “Damn…can’t…hold breath…no more.” He put a hand on Alyce’s shoulder to brace himself while he caught his breath. “A’ight, sunshine, did ya say what ya needed to say?”
“I…still couldn’t even figure it out,” Alyce admitted.
“…son of a…sunshine, this really ain’t like you.”
“I know, Grizz! Please don’t rub it in.”
“…sorry.” Grizz’s hand was still on Alyce’s shoulder, and soon his other hand graced her other shoulder. “Just…don’t ya worry ‘bout it. When the time comes, I’m sure—“
Grizz’s advice was interrupted by a sudden eruption of water, bursting into the sky without warning.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"This guy ain't our problem."]]
Alyce stared in shock as the tower of water fell down, and revealed something that had been inside of it, though she couldn’t spot exactly what it was. “Grizz!” she shouted. “What’s going on?”
“I dunno!” Grizz hollered, his fist balled up and ready for a fight. “But whatever it is…this ain’t your average swimmin’ trip no more! I’m real glad we ate ourselves a Good Mornin’ today!”
*So this definitely isn’t normal…wait, that’s some kind of…I’m completely lost here. What’s going on?* Alyce squinted through the water and sunlight to see the cause of the disturbance, but couldn’t spot any defining details. “Grizz…whatever’s happening…I’m scared!”
“You should be!” a voice from the geyser confirmed. The source of the voice came down from its massive jump into the air with a large splash, revealing itself to be some sort of fishman. He had bronze scales covering his body, a fin running down his back, and his webbed hands gripped a large spear. He was one of the most animal-like cases of beastperson Alyce had ever seen, and she guessed by his spear and his entrance that he might be dissatisfied with such a fate. “Why did you come here?”
“…the hell?” Grizz muttered, with no hint of fear in his voice. “I’m tryin’ to bring the lady here on a swimmin’ trip. An’ then ya just had to jump outta the water like that an’—“
“Silence!” the fishman interrupted, punctuating his sentence with a swing of his spear. “It’s people like you that have forced me into this lake…into hiding! I couldn’t be lucky like your girlfriend over there, and be a normal beastman—no, I’m apparently too much of a freak for even the Earthrunners!”
“This…really doesn’t have anything to do with us, does it?” Alyce wondered aloud.
Grizz shook his head. “Don’t worry, sunshine, I got a plan.” Grizz took Alyce by the hand and slowly lead her out of the water.
“Wait…Grizz, this is your plan? We’re just going to leave?”
“Hell, why stay? This guy ain’t our problem.” Grizz looked over his shoulder, presumably to make angry faces at the fishman, only to suddenly throw Alyce into the water at his feet. Alyce opened her mouth to question Grizz’s behavior, but the fishman’s spear hit the ground where she had been standing. “A’ight…now he’s gettin’ to be my problem,” Grizz said.
*Grizz…* “…you’re going to stop and fight with this fishman, aren’t you?” Alyce rose to her feet and looked up into Grizz’s eyes. “That’s so brave…it makes me want to fight, too…”
Grizz laughed. “You? Ya don’t even know how to fight. An’ besides…I can’t go lettin’ you die like I did Uncle.”
“Grizz, that wasn’t—“
“Would you two lovebirds stop ignoring me?” the fishman interrupted. “That’s what always happens to me…when I’m not being persecuted, you people are trying to forget that I exist!” The fishman threw Grizz and Alyce deeper into the lake and reclaimed his thrown spear. “Well, it won’t be long before people know and fear the legend of Caulder Praxis, the Murderous Merman of Lake Armstrong!”
“Damn,” Grizz grumbled, spreading his arms out in front of Alyce in a stance of protection, “this filet’s gone insane!”
*I know you want to protect me…but…* “Grizz, your uncle’s death wasn’t your fault!”
“This ain’t the time, sunshine!” Caulder swam under the water only to leap skyward again, poised to land spear-first directly on top of Grizz. “We got more important things to worry ‘bout!” Grizz added as he jumped to his right to avoid the aerial attack. “Dammit…sure wish I had my knife.”
“Grizz, you’re not going to kill him, are you?” Alyce worried.
“I don’t wanna,” Grizz replied as he leaned and ducked to avoid Caulder’s spear thrusts, “but he’s really makin’ me think on it!”
“Oh, but it is I who will kill you!” Caulder asserted. “My legend begins here!”
“Like hell it does!”
“Grizz’s knife…?” Alyce wondered aloud. *Where does he keep his knife? Oh…maybe it’s hidden somewhere in his street clothes! We’d have to make a break for it…but this fishman is too fast, and he’s got himself between us and the shore! Oh, what are we going to do?*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"It isn't like you to give up!"]]
### Chapter 8
“A’ight, Alyce!” Grizz commanded. “Stand back! This fish is fried!” Grizz put up his fists and charged into battle. “Leave him to me, see?”
“What can you do?” Caulder Praxis wondered aloud. “You’re an unarmed human, fighting a fishman with a spear…in a lake!” As if to prove his point, Caulder plunged himself underwater and resurfaced behind Grizz in the blink of an eye. “I say again…what can you do?”
Grizz’s fists tightened until his knuckles lost all color. “Not much, just kick some ass! This is what ya get for tryin’ to chuck a spear at my sunshine!”
*Wow, Grizz…people trying to harm me…that really sets you off, doesn’t it?* “Go get him, Grizz!” Alyce cheered. *If he’s going to fight, I need to at least keep his spirits up!*
“Hm, you would sentence your own lover to death for…for what?” Caulder taunted.
“Hey, wait a sec,” Grizz noted, “we ain’t—“ His sentence was cut short by another spear jab, which he leaned backwards to avoid. “Dammit, fish dude, when will ya learn that ya ain’t hittin’ nothin' with that spear?”
“You can’t defend and dodge forever…and you certainly can’t get close enough to actually harm me!” Caulder thrust out his spear, and Grizz barely dodged the attack by jumping backwards. “You see? Your plight is hopeless!”
“Grizz never gives up!” Alyce whispered to herself as she slowly advanced toward the shoreline, hoping to recover Grizz’s knife from his usual outfit. *If I just move slowly and let those two fight, Caulder shouldn’t know what I’m up to until it’s too late!*
Meanwhile, Grizz was still moving too fast for Caulder to hit with a spear attack. “C'mon, dude, just give up!” Grizz demanded. “This crap’s gettin’ old!”
“Nonsense!” Caulder retorted. “The battle has just begun!” he added as he plunged himself underwater.
Alyce felt the water retreat from around her as she made her way closer to the shore. “OK…” *Just a little farther, and—*
Suddenly, Caulder resurfaced behind her and placed the shaft of his spear around her neck. “Where are you going, little girl?” he asked, turning the two of them around for Grizz to see. “See, human? With your damsel in distress, how could you possibly foresee any victory in your future?”
“Damn,” Grizz spat, as Alyce saw panic in his eyes for the first time since the fight began. “You son of a—“
“Not another step,” Caulder cautioned, halting Grizz’s sprint through the water, “or she dies!”
“Hell…Alyce, I tried…”
“What…?” The full weight of the situation hit Alyce so hard that she felt shocked. “Grizz, it isn’t like you to give up!”
“But sunshine, I can’t get any closer or else he kills ya! I wanna fight…but I can’t lose ya, either…” Grizz’s hands began shaking, but he held his fighting stance all the same.
*I get it…you can’t bring yourself to stop, but you can’t bring yourself to continue…Grizz, you don’t know how to save me, do you?*
Alyce looked around a little to get an idea of the situation. Grizz was a couple yards away from Caulder, who held his spear at both ends to press it against Alyce’s throat. Between the spear and Caulder’s scaly body, Alyce couldn’t wiggle free from his snare.
*I think I understand…Grizz can’t get Caulder off of me, and I can’t sneak away from Caulder…* Alyce took a deep breath and focused herself.
*…so I have to get Caulder off of me myself!*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"It's not the look of a killer."]]
Alyce closed her eyes and imagined what Grizz would do, if he were in a similar situation, and her mental simulation wielded the answer.
“Then don’t fight!” Alyce replied to Grizz’s sentiments. “And you won’t lose me, either!”
Alyce took hold of Caulder’s spear and forcibly bowed her torso toward the water, flipping Caulder clear over her head and onto his back, just under the surface of the lake. With a quick wrenching motion, Alyce was able to steal Caulder’s spear right from his grip before she lost the factor of surprise.
“Wow…!” she muttered before turning to face Grizz. “Did you see that?”
“…holy crap, Alyce,” Grizz replied, still in shock himself. “That…was awesome.”
“You impudent wench!” Caulder growled, leaping high into the air and landing between Alyce and Grizz. “How dare you—“
“Hey…stand back!” Alyce warned, brandishing Caulder’s own spear against him, slowly inching toward the shore the whole time. *If I have this spear, and Grizz has his knife…Caulder can’t win! But…I really don’t want to hurt anyone…I don’t think I could handle it…but I have to at least pretend! Or else Caulder will come after me.* “I’m warning you!”
Caulder scoffed. “The look in your eyes…it’s not the look of a killer. And I can clearly see you retreating. Come now, am I supposed to be afraid of you?” Caulder advanced on Alyce, as she continued to inch backwards. “Please, I am the one that will have legends told about me…all will whisper my name in fear! Mothers will tell their children that I will appear if they don’t go to bed! I—“
Grizz interrupted Caulder’s speech with a right hook. “Holy crap, you’re nuts,” he said, holding his wrist and working the kinks out of his hand. Alyce took the opportunity to sprint onto the shore and dig through Grizz’s clothes. “The hell you doin’, sunshine?”
“Where’s your…” Alyce pantomimed Grizz’s knife-fighting stance as Caulder turned on Grizz. *If I announce that he has a knife, Caulder will catch on! *
“Ah…oh…shirt sleeves!” Grizz replied, in the midst of a violent fistfight with Caulder. Without his spear, Caulder was still a formidable hand-to-hand fighter, and even managed to draw blood from Grizz. Grizz was landing some punches as well, but to a lesser effect.
*Caulder must be strong from all the swimming he does…he has to be strong if he can leap from the water like he does!* Alyce rummaged through the sleeves of Grizz’s shirt and found his knife tucked away, nice and safe.
*Oh, so this is how he flicks his wrist and instantly has a knife in his hand! But how does he keep it in his sleeve without hurting himself? He’s been shirtless for this whole swimming trip and yet there’s no sign that he keeps a knife pressed up against his arm. Wait, there’s no time to worry about this!*
“Grizz!” Alyce shouted, throwing the knife to Grizz.
“Right!” Grizz smashed Caulder in the side of the head with his right hand, and jumped to reclaim his knife. “Got it!” Grizz flourished the knife in a display of intimidation. “What now, fish sticks?”
Caulder scoffed and tackled Alyce to the ground, reclaiming his spear in the process. “Now we fight a battle of the ages!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Grizz…help…"]]Alyce fell to the ground, receiving a nasty scrape on her arm in the process. “Wow!” she exclaimed. She'd spotted the cause of the scrape a rock jutting out from the ground. *If I had fallen on that rock in any other way, I could have been hurt very badly! But…at least I don’t have to hurt anybody.*
Alyce looked up at the tree she had landed near, and decided to hoist herself up into the branches, to keep Caulder from coming after her again. *Sorry, Grizz…but he has his spear again! I can’t…no, that’s not right, there isn’t much I can do, but it’s better than nothing.*
“You’ve got him now, Grizz!” Alyce cheered. “Nobody can stop you and your knife…” Alyce considered calling Grizz by one of his nicknames, but it suddenly hit her. *Wait, “Grizz” is already a nickname! Why do I think of these things at such strange times, anyway? I guess I’m just not cut out for this fighting stuff. But…Grizz is here to protect me!* “…yeah, show him who’s boss!”
Grizz turned to Caulder, the water only coming up to his ankles. “Hear that?” he taunted. Grizz’s back was to Alyce, but she imagined he had that mischievous smirk on his face. “She knows how this fight ends, see?”
“Then tell me,” Caulder retorted, “why is she hiding in a tree?”
“To keep your ass-nasty fish hands offa her!” Grizz answered, charging in for an attack with his knife.
Caulder began using his spear for defensive purposes, defying Alyce’s expectation that Grizz would somehow cleave pieces right off of the spear. *Oh man, that would’ve been so easy…oh well, maybe if Grizz just hits harder, it’ll work better!* “Come on, Grizz!” Alyce cheered. “You can do it!”
“Damn straight I can!” Grizz pressed his attack harder, and although he still didn’t actually manage to hit Caulder himself with the knife, Caulder was still forced to backpedal until he wandered onto dry land. “Ha! Fish outta water! Now what?”
Caulder cackled a wicked laugh that gripped Alyce’s heart in fear. “Don’t you remember that I was already on land to knock your girlfriend over a few minutes ago? What, were you trying to get me to suffocate?”
Grizz shook his head and looked up at Alyce. She caught a wink in his eye, and from there it was clear what he wanted of her. “Suffocate? Nah.”
Grizz nodded, which Alyce took as a cue to leap out of the tree she was in and onto Caulder. “We just wanted you to get stomped on!” she exclaimed.
Grizz reached out and gave Alyce a quick high-five. “That…wasn’t what I was expectin’ at all. Damn, sunshine, ain’t ya just full of surprises.”
“What…? I thought you were winking and nodding at me to get me to jump on his head, like you did to the doctor at the brook.”
“…no? I had water in my eye, an’ I was tryin’ to get it out without givin’ this guy a chance to—“
Caulder shouted a strange, guttural battle cry as he bucked Alyce off of his ribcage, quickly moving in to exact his revenge. “You unscrupulous brat!” Caulder shrieked as he wrapped his clammy webbed hands around Alyce’s throat.
She felt his half-developed fingers cut off her air supply and began flailing wildly in order to release Caulder’s grip. “Grizz,” she sputtered. “Help…”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Is he dead?"]]
“Damn…” Grizz lept into the air, his knife catching a ray of sunlight as he held it high above his head. “…you!” he finished, slashing Caulder across his scaly back. Grizz threw a punch with his other hand that sent Caulder rolling along the ground and away from Alyce.
“Nobody lays a hand on her!” Grizz commanded as he plunged his knife into Caulder’s throat, pushing it from one side to the other amidst a violent spray of blood.
Alyce had to avert her eyes at the sight. *Did…did Grizz just kill Caulder? I… Alyce felt the hands over her eyes begin to tremble.* “G-G-Grizz,” she stammered nervously, “is he…d-dead?”
Grizz released his grip on his knife and fell off of Caulder. “I…dammit…I just killed a dude…” Grizz’s hands started shaking as well. “Why…Alyce…I had to…right?”
*I don’t know, Grizz…I know you must have meant well…but…* “I guess…he was trying to kill us both…but…” A large pool of blood was forming under Caulder’s unmoving body, nearly causing Alyce to throw up. Grizz attempted to embrace Alyce, but she couldn’t bear it since Grizz’s hands still had a bit of blood on them. “You…wouldn’t mind…washing that off…”
“Right.” Grizz silently cleansed his hands of the blood, though even after the blood was cleared away, he still started into his hands as if the blood had left a stain that couldn’t be washed out. “I tried…not to kill him…ya know I did…”
*Grizz is taking this just as hard as I am. So…he couldn’t have actually meant to do it, right?* “I know, Grizz…I’m just really shaken up…I just saw someone get killed right in front of me…”
Grizz nodded and embraced Alyce, both of them pressing against the other to keep from shaking so much. “An’ ya know…I might as well tell ya now…I ain’t killed nobody before…”
“What? I thought you said you only kill in self-defense.”
“I did. I didn’t say I ever killed nobody in self-defense, see? Just that I would. An’…” Grizz’s gaze fell back to his hands. “…an’ I just did.”
“Grizz…if you hadn’t…he would’ve killed me…”
“Yeah…an’ that’s when I snapped, ya know? Just…somethin’ in me turned off an’ I was like ‘no way, this fish is so damn dead’ an’ then…then I killed him…” Alyce looked up at Grizz’s eyes, and saw that he looked like he was about to cry. “…but…if I didn’t…I would’ve lost ya…right?”
Alyce nodded and cradled Grizz’s head close to her shoulder. “I know you wouldn’t dare let that happen.”
Grizz sighed. “Yeah…guess you’re right. I ain’t a stutterin’ fool over it now…though it still kinda freaks me out, ya know?”
“Yeah…as long as I don’t have to look at the aftermath…I think I can at least stop shaking. I’m sorry he got you so angry, Grizz.”
Grizz shook his head. “Yeah…but I dunno if it was just anger, ya know?”
Alyce stepped back, confused. “No, I don’t know. What do you mean, Grizz?”
“Wish I knew, sunshine. What I did, though…weren’t just ‘cause of anger, that much I do know.”
“But still, you had to do it because I was in trouble, right?”
Grizz nodded. “I sure as hell didn’t enjoy doin’ it. But I did it for…you, Alyce. Whatever that means.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I need a minute with Uncle."]]
*Maybe Grizz is struggling with something he can’t bear to say, either. Of course…he just killed someone! It’s going to be tough for him to say anything at this point.*
“But…we need to go to the police about this, don’t we?" Alyce asked, gesturing to Caulder's corpse. "We just killed a man!”
Grizz shook his head. “Alyce, the cops might be workin’ with the CTA to find ya," he replied. "It’s ‘cause a beastfella ain’t got no rights these days…which means they won’t really care what I did to that guy.”
“No rights…?” Alyce’s ears drooped. “No wonder the compound is allowed to do what it does. But Grizz…what do we do now?”
Grizz shrugged. “I…need a minute with Uncle.” Grizz began shoving branches out of his way as he shambled through the forest toward the cemetery where his adoptive parental figure was buried.
“Grizz!” Alyce called after him, but he didn’t even flinch.
*You forgot your clothes…and your towel…and…oh, he’s not coming back for them, is he?* Alyce gathered their towels and street clothes before running through the forest in pursuit of Grizz.
Apparently Grizz had started running too while she was gathering their belongings, because her only hint as to which way Grizz was going lied in the broken trees and trampled grass that formed a completely straight path through the forest. *He’s going directly to the graveyard, isn’t he?*
Sure enough, it took a few minutes, but Alyce finally caught up to Grizz as he fell to his knees near Geoff Burton’s tombstone. “There you are!” Alyce exclaimed as she dropped down on her knees next to him.
“Yo, Alyce,” Grizz muttered before turning his gaze skyward. “Yo, Uncle. I gotta tell ya…I screwed up real bad today, see? Some freak came an’ tried killin’ Alyce here—“
“Hi Geoff!” Alyce interjected.
“—an’ I had to slice his neck open just to keep Alyce safe. I feel like a damn monster…I killed him pretty brutal-like, ya know? I feel like I should’ve found a way to avoid killin’…but now I’m just a monster, see? I ain’t no different than the fellas that killed you.” Grizz bowed his head in shame. “I weren’t worth the trouble ya had raisin’ me, Uncle.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I'm done here."]]*I thought Grizz felt better than this. He might have been lying just to get me off of his case…but now…I can’t let him go on thinking those things!*
Alyce put a reassuring hand on Grizz’s shoulder. “Like you said, Grizz…you had to do it. Otherwise, Caulder could have killed us both! It freaked me out to see all that blood and violence, but…” *It still freaks me out just thinking about it.* “…but he was a madman, Grizz. If he didn’t hurt you or me, he would’ve hurt someone else, and you know all this, deep down.”
Grizz shook his head. “Ya know me well, Alyce…but damn…after seein’ how Uncle died, I hoped I’d never have to kill anyone, for any reason, see? I saw what it means to kill a fella, an’ I didn’t want any of that. What if he had family?”
“I know, but what else could have been done? You saved killing for the last resort, Grizz…that’s about as much as anyone could ask for. I’m not happy it happened either…”
“And what, what are ya gonna tell me? That life ain’t fair? Sometimes crap hits the fan an’ ya gotta do things ya don’t really wanna do? An’ if ya don’t, worse things are gonna happen?”
Alyce nodded. “That’s exactly it! Like…OK, when I first ran into you, remember how much I hated your thievery? You stole from people who want me dead, and I still freaked out about it a little. This is just like that…except more severe. I know that. But after being with you for the time I have…I think I understand."
Alyce moved in close, resting her forehead against Grizz's "The world is full of nice people forced to do terrible things, like you," she continued. "Don’t feel like you shamed Geoff, either…the way he died and the way Caulder died are very different and you know it. Geoff did nothing wrong; Caulder was trying to kill two people just to make himself famous.”
Grizz scoffed. “…I gotta disagree on one point: the world’s full of assholes who don’t do nothin' to make things better.” Grizz rose to his feet. “But…ya got me right in the heart with that speech, Alyce.”
“I’m glad. Now, can we finish our swimming trip, or at least change out of our swimsuits?” Alyce flicked her tail toward Grizz for emphasis.
Grizz laughed. “Son of a…I didn’t even notice! So that’s why I’m so cold. I really don’t wanna go anywhere near that guy’s corpse…”
“Neither do I!” Alyce insisted. “But it’s a big lake. And if you don’t want to…I have our towels and our clothes right here. I just really want to do something fun, to help myself feel better. If there’s something else we should do…”
Grizz shook his head. “Naw…it’s way too cold to go back in the water, see? So why don’t we just change outta these clothes an’ figure out what to do from there? Ya got our clothes an’ towels, ya said?”
Alyce nodded, and Grizz took that as a cue to string up both towels to create a much more private changing station than the one he had set up at the lake. “There," he said, hands on his hips as he admired his handiwork. "Gimme my stuff, an’ I’ll be quick.”
Alyce handed over Grizz’s clothes, and true to his word, he was soon back in his usual outfit. “Ah, that’s the stuff," he cooed. "Now, I’ll let ya go an’ change, an’ tell me when ya finish…I’ll be over here…” Grizz’s sentence trailed off as he moved back toward Geoff’s grave.
“OK.” Alyce ducked into the makeshift changing station and changed back into her usual clothes, right down to the scarf on her head and the sunflower in her shirt.
*It felt nice to have my fox ears and tail out in the water today…if we can bring ourselves to cope with what happened here today…I do want to learn to swim!*
Alyce lifted one of the towels so she could get a glimpse of Grizz. He was hugging Geoff Burton’s tombstone and staring forlornly at the sky, as if the answers would come raining down upon him.
*I’m done changing…but I’ll give Grizz a minute. He’s taking this so hard…and the talk I gave him at the lake might not have worked as well as he said. He did it once; who’s to say he’s not trying that trick again? I really need something to tell him, something that will cheer him up. I bet if I figured out what it is I’ve been trying to say all this time…no, I still can’t seem to figure it out myself. But…I do want to help Grizz, so much…*
“Grizz…” Alyce announced gently, a smile spreading across her face. “I’m done here.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"The hell you smilin' about?"]]
Grizz stood up and stared into Alyce’s eyes. “Rhe hell you smilin’ for?” he questioned.
“I have to," she answered almost instantly, "I’m your sunshine! And no matter what happened today, the important thing is that you saved my life!” Alyce placed her index finger on Grizz’s nose. “Despite the methods used, I’m grateful for what you did for me, and you better not forget that!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Grizz mused quietly as he collected the towels and swimwear. “I gotta tell ya…I think I’d feel better if I found Uncle’s ring.”
“A ring? But Grizz, how long ago did he die? That ring could be anywhere by now! The police might have taken it, or it might be buried with him, or the people that killed him could have stolen it!”
Grizz shook his head. “That’s the problem. I wanna do somethin’ for Uncle, an’ findin’ his treasured ring seems like it would’ve been the perfect thing to do.”
Alyce wrapped her hands around one of Grizz’s. *If I can’t think of something quick, Grizz might get really sad, and who knows what could happen from there. It isn’t safe to let that happen!*
“I know what you’re trying to do, Grizz," she said, "but there’s another way. Just…keep taking care of me. You’re the one that said it the first time we came here, didn’t you? That you’re taking care of me, just like Geoff took care of you. All things considered, you’re doing a good job…the best job anyone could ask for.” Alyce wrapped Grizz in a grateful embrace. “And I’m smiling because…no matter what happens, I have to smile! If I didn’t…no respect, but…I’d end up like you!”
“Lucky you,” Grizz muttered before breaking into laughter. “Man, that…keeps comin’ up, don’t it?”
“Yep!” *Grizz…you’re actually laughing! Maybe something I said got through to you!* Alyce looked up into the sky and noticed the sun was about to set. “Grizz, can we watch the sunset?”
“How? It’s settin’ right into the city, and there ain’t no hill high enough to get a good look at it.”
Alyce’s ears drooped inside her scarf. “Oh, man. That would have been pretty, too. So what else could we possibly do?”
“The hell, sunshine? Is that really what’s on your mind?”
Alyce nodded. “If you’re worried about Caulder, you have to let it go, or else it will be all you think about! Look at me…I had a nightmare on my first day outside of the compound, but after that…I learned to cope and smile through the hard times! That’s why you call me sunshine!” Alyce added, throwing her hands into the air.
“Yeah, yeah…” Grizz muttered. “Look, we’ll try it your way, but only because I’m gettin’ sick of all these lectures ya keep givin’ me. If I take your advice, will ya stop givin’ me advice?”
Alyce giggled. “Of course! That’s the point of advice!”
“Well, a'ight, then.” Grizz’s lips slowly curled upward into a smile. “Let’s do it up!” he shouted, pumping a fist into the air.
“Let’s do it up!” Alyce repeated in unison, replicating Grizz’s fist-pump. *I think I’ve got his catchphrase memorized now! Well, the one that isn’t vulgar, anyway.* “Wait…what are we doing?”
Grizz’s arm slowly fell limp at his side. “Oh…uh…well, damn…let’s see…it’s sunset, we started the day with a footrace an’ then…hm…the hell we doin’…”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"It's so lame."]]
Alyce’s ears wiggled under her scarf. “Grizz…I think I hear music…what is going on?” Alyce asked, wandering closer to the source. “I think I see lights over there, too…”
Grizz stood by her side and cupped his hands near his ear. “…yeah, that’s music, a’ight…it’s comin’ from the park.”
“Can we go, Grizz? Pretty please? Let’s go listen to the music!”
Grizz shrugged. “A concert, huh? Why the hell not?”
“Yay!” Alyce cheered, tugging Grizz toward the park. “A concert, a concert!”
“Wow, sunshine, I didn’t expect ya to get so excited!” Grizz noted, barely keeping Alyce from yanking his arm clean off in excitement. “It’s just a concert, ya know. An’ it probably ain’t even the kinda music ya like.”
“I don’t know what kind of music I like,” Alyce replied, still running full-bore toward the park. “But I’ve never been to a concert before, either!” Alyce took a flying leap over the low fence that surrounded the park, running Grizz smack into the wall. “Sorry!” she shouted as Grizz tumbled over the wall and onto his face.
“Yeah, yeah…” Grizz muttered, dusting himself off and returning to his feet. Grizz glanced around a bit and groaned. “Yikes, sunshine, this place is just full of old people.”
“Huh?” Alyce finally stopped to get a good look and found Grizz’s assertion to be correct; the audience of the concert seemed to primarily consist of senior citizens relaxing in portable lawn chairs. “I can see you’re right, but…is that a problem?”
Grizz nodded. “Listen, the music sucks an’ I doubt any o'these skeletons can even hear it.”
Alyce tried to listen through the scarf, and true to Grizz’s word, even her untrained ear heard someone fumbling clumsily over their guitar, among other things. “I guess you’re right, Grizz.” *And I was hoping to have a nice night of sitting back and listening to the music with you…or maybe even a dance…I’ve never danced with someone before!* “Grizz, is this music someone can dance to?” Alyce asked.
“…the hell? No, it ain’t. Why’d ya ask? Wait…” Grizz’s eyes went wide, and he began shaking his head and hands as if to ward off Alyce. “…no way. I can’t dance. Don’t even think about it.”
“Too late, Grizz. I’ve never danced either, you know. We can both learn, together! How hard can it be?”
Their argument was interrupted by an approaching teenage girl. Alyce wondered why she had so many chains on her clothing, to the point where not even her black hair with pink tips managed to keep Alyce’s attention for long. “…hey,” she said, her eyes locked squarely upon Grizz.
“Um, hey dame,” Grizz replied.
“My parents dragged me to this stupid concert. It’s so lame.”
“…uh, great. I ain’t got parents.”
The girl in the chains recoiled in shock. Alyce took the chance to observe her more closely. The chains mostly hung from her black jeans, though a few were hanging from her black shirt and even from some brightly-colored bracelets she was wearing. “…that’s dark,” the girl in chains finally said, nodding. “I’m Rain.”
*Rain? Huh, that’s a weird name! But then again, she’s trying so hard to be colorful and covered in black at the same time. This girl is really strange. Maybe it’s a style…oh, whatever!* “Hi!” Alyce greeted cheerfully. Rain shot an angry glare back at Alyce, stopping her from sharing her name.
“Right,” Grizz muttered. “Name’s Grizz. What…hell, what do ya even want?”
“I think you know, you adorable miasma, you,” Rain replied, leaning in close to Grizz.
“…that can’t be the right way to use that word.”
“Well, once you stop being so shy, call me.” Rain wrote some numbers on a small piece of paper and took her leave. She bumped herself against Grizz on the way out as a grin spread across his face.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"We ain't got no phone."]]
“…call her?” Alyce repeated, confused. “Grizz, what did she want?”
“The hell does it matter?” Grizz replied. “We ain’t got no phone. I’ll tell ya more later. For now, I wanna get outta here.”
“Is it something she said?” Alyce shrugged. “Oh well! Grizz, if we’re not staying here, what are we going to do?”
“Ya feel like eatin’?” Alyce nodded her approval as Grizz elaborated. “Well, how ‘bout we go buy some food?” Grizz threw a wallet up and down in his hand and laughed. “Rain’s treat!”
Alyce’s jaw dropped. *When did Grizz steal her wallet? Was it when she bumped into him on her way out?* “Grizz, there’s just no stopping you, is there?”
“What, ya thought that big ol’ crap-eatin’ grin was ‘cause I liked touchin’ that broad? Whatever, where are we eatin’?”
*Where…can we eat? Grizz has only taken me to Chez Walle’s and—* “Grizz! Can we go to Merv’s Burger Joint again? Please?”
Grizz shrugged. “Why the hell not? Let’s do it up!”
“Alright, burgers!” Alyce cheered. “Come on, let’s go!”
Grizz took one last glance toward the band playing in the park. “Right behind ya,” he replied.
“So Grizz,” Alyce wondered on the way to Merv’s, “I bet your uncle didn’t teach you how to steal." She watched his face contort under her line of questioning, causing subtle shadows to dance across his face. The neon lights of Cross Town set off an aurora in his hair. "Where did you learn how to do it?”
The question had Grizz into deep thought until they were almost at Merv’s. “I dunno,” he finally answered. “Yeah, all that silence an’ I ain’t got nothin’. I guess I just learned it as, like, some kinda natural part of bein’ homeless, ya know?”
Alyce nodded as Grizz held the door open for her. “Hm, that makes sense! How else are you going to get the things you need to survive?”
“Yeah, yeah…”
Alyce looked over the menu, wondering if she should get something different than the first time, giving Grizz a quick pep talk at the same time. “Yes, Grizz, you used to survive; now you live!”
Grizz shrugged. “Well, what do ya want? The Combination meal, same as last time?”
Alyce nodded and patted her stomach. “I’m really hungry, Grizz!”
“Yeah…guess I should eat a bunch too. A’ight, two Combinations, huh? Damn, sunshine, nothing stops your appetite, huh?” Grizz chuckled to himself. “A’ight, I want ya to go sit down wherever ya want, an’ I’ll bring everything to ya when it’s ready. What kind of soda are ya after?”
"Crystal Drops!" Alyce replied in a heartbeat. *Fruity and fizzy and delicious!*
Grizz laughed. “Yeah, you seem super into it. Now go sit your ass down somewhere, will ya?”
“You got it, Grizz!” Alyce gave Grizz a thumbs-up and left him to buy the food while she picked out a seat.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I know what it is you're doin' here."]]
*Now…that one is right next to the window, and it’s got a nice view of Cross Town at night. Mm, but this one’s where we sat last time…and it was really comfy! We could sit…no, never mind.*
Alyce shook her head when she spotted someone in the far corner of the restaurant, all their features hidden under a brown fedora and trenchcoat. *That person looks kind of like the Asylum workers…scary! I don’t want to sit near them. But wait! Last time, Grizz had to lead us out through the back door in a hurry!*
Alyce shrugged and settled into a window seat, near the back door of the restaurant. *There. Now, where’s Grizz with—* The moment Grizz entered her mind, he was there with a couple trays of fast food. *Grizz is right. Every time I have a thought like “where is he?” or “how much further?” or any such thing, it turns out the answer is “now”. Every time!*
Alyce giggled to herself as Grizz sat down in the seat across from her. “Hi Grizz!” she greeted, taking one of the trays away from Grizz. “This one’s mine, right?”
Grizz shrugged. “Whatever,” he replied. “The only difference is the drink; one of ‘em is that Crystal Drops ya wanted, an’ the other one’s Sting Cola.”
Alyce took a sip of the drink on her tray, and it was distinctly not the lemon-lime concoction she was expecting. Once she got over the initial shock, though, she found herself content with it. *This must be that cola…mm, it’s pretty good…not as good as Crystal Drops, though.* “I think this one’s the Sting Cola.”
Grizz took a sip from the same cup and nodded. “Sure is. So do ya wanna have that or the same stuff ya had last time?”
Alyce shrugged. “I can drink Sting Cola!” As she unwrapped her Combination and laid out her fries next to it, she asked Grizz, “Why do they call it Sting Cola, anyway?”
“Hell, I dunno,” Grizz answered. “They got this mascot, the Cola-meleon. He’s a chameleon…I think. Chameleons ain’t got no stingers, do they?”
Alyce shook her head as she nibbled away at her Combination. “I don’t…I don’t think they do.”
“Well then, I ain’t got a clue,” Grizz admitted through a mouthful of fries. “I’d guess it’s ‘cause of the same reason this one's Crystal Drops."
"And what reason would that be, Grizz?"
"For the hell of it." Grizz took another sip and then added, "Come to think of it, they are from the same company, ain’t they?”
“So maybe this company is just really weird?”
“Guess so. Tell ya what: if I ever get us on a tour of a Popcom facility, I’ll let ya ask the tour guide why shit’s so crazy.”
Alyce’s jaw dropped, to the point where a tiny glob of half-chewed burger silently slid out. “A tour of a soda company?” she finally muttered. “Wow, when can we do that?”
Grizz shrugged. “I dunno, it’s a ways away. I bet if we buy you a bottle of soda one of these days, it can tell ya where they bottled it, an’ then we can suss it out from there.”
“OK Grizz. Maybe in quieter times, you can bring me on these tours and I can learn where this soda comes from!” *Seriously…it’s really good. And I’d love to learn!*
“A'ight, sunshine, we’ll see. Some day, yeah?” Alyce glanced around and noticed that Grizz was actually keeping pace with her own eating speed for once; both of them were two-thirds of the way through their burgers and halfway done with their fries.
“…the hell ya want?” Grizz asked. “Why are ya lookin’ around like that?”
“Oh, wow,” Alyce replied, flustered. “I was just noticing…you and I are eating at about the same speed!”
Grizz laughed. “Yeah, guess that is a real accomplishment, huh? Damn, I must be real hungry.”
“I guess my stomach complained loudly enough for the both of us!”
“Guess so.” Grizz let out a deep sigh. “Yo…thanks.”
“Huh?” Alyce dropped her burger in surprise. “Grizz, you’re thanking me? This is the second time in a few days. You must really be—“
“Naw,” Grizz interrupted. “I know what it is you’re doin’ here. Ya wanna cheer me up so I don’t go crazy from what happened at the lake, ain’t ya? Well, don’t ya worry, it’s workin’.”
*Huh…well, I think I was trying to figure out a way to do that quite some time ago, but…I guess I better just go with it.* “I’m your sunshine, Grizz!” Alyce asserted, accidentally spewing fries from her mouth a little in the process. “This is what I do!”
“What, cover me in chewed-up food?” Grizz replied with a laugh.
“Among other things,” Alyce admitted. *Still, Grizz, I didn’t expect you to…wait, haven’t we fallen into this trap before? He could be faking it…but if I ask him if he’s faking it, he’ll get mad!* “I’m also good at eating really fast!”
Grizz nodded. “Yeah, though I think I just finished my Combination first.”
Alyce stared and blinked her eyes really fast just in case they were playing tricks on her. “Wow, Grizz! Though I’m not that far behind, either…” To prove her point, Alyce finished off what was left of her Combination in a single gulp. “See? Now I’m done too.”
“Bull, look at all them fries ya got left."
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Naw, didn't see him."]]
Alyce rose to her feet and glanced to the far corner of the restaurant, where the mysterious person in the trenchcoat was still sitting. *Whoever that is, they’re really making me nervous.* “I’ll take the fries with me," she said. "Come on Grizz, let’s go.”
“…the hell?” Grizz shrugged and stood up next to Alyce, clutching what was left of his soda. “Whatever. Your call, sunshine.”
“OK, good, come on.” Alyce led Grizz well away from Merv’s Burger Joint, hoping that the person in the trenchcoat wouldn’t even have a chance of walking past as she complained about him. On the way, she saw a large billboard portraying a chameleon with his tail wrapped around a can of soda. *Huh…so that’s the Sting Cola Chameleon. How in the world did I not spot that earlier?*
Alyce shrugged and reminded herself of why she had left the restaurant. “Grizz, did you see that person in the corner?”
Grizz shrugged. “It was a busy night, Alyce, an’ the place has got more than one corner. I’m gonna need ya to be more specific.”
“Oh, right…” Alyce’s shoulders slumped in embarrassment. “…well, it would have been to your left…um, forget it! This person was the only one in the whole place wearing a trenchcoat and a hat.”
Grizz shook his head. “Naw, didn’t see him. Why, what’d he do?”
“It’s just…everyone else was there with a friend or a parent or someone, and everyone was talking or generally rather friendly…except for that one person in the corner. And…they were dressed like they had something to hide, you know?”
“…like you?” Grizz muttered.
Alyce’s hands flew straight to the scarf on her head. *I never thought of it that way! What if that was a beastperson there? And they…* “Grizz, I think I want to go back and apologize…”
“What? Ya never said a damn thing to that guy. Besides, I think we need to relax an’ get ready for bed.”
“What? This early?” Alyce shrugged. “Well, Grizz, you are the boss, I suppose.”
“…yeah,” Grizz agreed after a moment’s hesitation. “Come on.” Grizz took Alyce’s hand and led her back to his alleyway. “It’s been a really rough day,” Grizz admitted, “an’ I really feel like gettin’ some sleep.”
“But…I’m not tired,” Alyce protested.
“Then do whatever…but really, are ya gonna wander around town without me?”
Alyce nodded. “Yeah…good point, Grizz.” Alyce fetched the ratty mattress the two always slept on and prepared it for herself and Grizz. “OK,” she confirmed as she pulled Grizz’s cloak over herself, “goodnight, Grizz. Uh, I guess.”
“Yeah yeah,” Grizz muttered, sitting with his back to Alyce. “G’night. I’ll be there in a minute.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Then he had himself the Junkyard Moth."]]
### Chapter 9
Alyce awoke to the sudden sound of an engine revving nearby. “Whoa!” she shouted as she jolted upright into a sitting position.
“Crap, sorry sunshine!” Grizz said. As Alyce’s vision focused, she could see Grizz straddling a motorcycle not far from her. A wicked grin spread across his face as the machine rumbled underneath him, ready to drive. Grizz’s grin faded as he silenced the engine and dismounted. “I just didn’t know if it still worked.”
“Still worked…?” Alyce rose groggily to her feet, her vision still moderately out of focus. “Grizz…where did this motorcycle come from? Is it yours?”
Grizz nodded. “Uncle made it out of crap from a junkyard somewhere around here. It always amazed him what people would throw away, see? So he went an’ welded a bunch of scrap onto some old bike parts an’ painted it up, an’ then he had himself the Junkyard Moth.”
“Is…is that the name of this bike?”
“Yeah, see, Uncle always had a way with namin’ things all weird-like. Guess that’s where I got it from.” Grizz sighed and patted the bike affectionately.
“So…you couldn’t find the ring you mentioned last night, so you tracked down his motorcycle instead?” Alyce squinted at the bike as the colors and shapes begin to form something vaguely moth-like. *Yeah, I guess I can see where the name came fro—hey, wait a minute!* “Grizz, is this why you made me fall asleep so early last night?”
Grizz shrugged. “Well, I guess ya know me too well.”
“Don’t tell me…you had to steal it…?”
“I stole the gas in it…but the bike itself? Naw, Uncle had it hidden in the junkyard, see? I didn’t think it was still gonna work after all these years, honestly, so I walked it all the way back here an’ didn’t even think of startin’ it up ‘till just now. Yep…this here’s all I got left of Uncle, an—“
“That’s not true!” Alyce interrupted, shaking her head. “It sounds like you have a lot of fond memories of him…those must count for something! I don’t remember very much about my parents, after all, and not much of it is all that good.” Alyce walked up to the motorcycle and ran her hand down the chassis. It was cold, heavy, and rife with rough edges, but there was definitely some top-notch craftsmanship under her fingers. “So Grizz, are we going riding?”
“Not in town,” Grizz cautioned. “I ain’t got a driver’s license, ya know. But…if ya really wanna go ridin’ somewhere, we can take this beast out to the junkyard an’ beyond, see? Past that, ya got a nice empty lot to do some laps around, an’ it’s pretty outta the way, so feel free to get the wind in your hair, a’ight?”
*Not to mention my ears and tail!* “Wow, Grizz, that sounds like a lot of fun!” Alyce exclaimed. “When can we go?”
“Not until after breakfast,” Grizz replied. “Alyce, I’m starvin’.”
*Hm, me too!* “What’s for breakfast, Grizz?”
Grizz shrugged. “As much as I wanna be able to take ya out for a stylin’ breakfast at Merv’s every mornin’…we might wanna save some money an’ have some beans or somethin’.”
“I can eat anything!”
Grizz laughed. “'course ya can, sunshine.” Grizz fetched a couple cans of beans from storage. “We ain’t got no fire goin’, so…ya mind if the beans are cold?”
Alyce shook her head. “Grizz, I’m just happy you’re feeding me.”
“Well, can’t have ya goin’ hungry, now, can I?”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Do you know how to drive it?"]]
Grizz opened the beans and handed a can to Alyce before downing his in one gulp as he’d done before.
*OK…* Alyce braced herself and gripped her can of beans tight in both hands. *…this time, I’m really going to do it!* Alyce threw her head back and tipped the can to her lips, feeling the beans sliding quickly down her throat, a series of small lumps parading through a thick sauce. It had taken her until now to realize that these beans were significantly smaller than the ones she'd been served at the CTA.
When the beans finally stopped coming, Alyce threw her hands toward the sky in celebration. “I did it!”
Grizz fumbled with his can in shock. “Son of a…ya learn fast, don’t ya? Well…in that case, I’m tempted to teach ya how to drive this motorcycle here…”
“Wait, Grizz! Do you know how to drive it?” Alyce asked.
Grizz laughed. “'course I do! Uncle taught me, an’ he was gonna let me have the Junkyard Moth as soon as I was ready for it.”
“Does this mean you’re ready for it?”
Grizz nodded. “Sunshine, there ain’t nothin’ I ain’t ready for.”
“Well then, shall we?” Alyce jumped aboard the Junkyard Moth and gave Grizz an expectant look.
Grizz shook his head and lifted Alyce off the motorcycle. “Didn’t I tell ya before? We can’t drive it through town, see? What if the cops see me an’ ask for a license?”
“Right. Sorry, Grizz! So how will we get to the junkyard so we can start our joyride?”
Grizz began walking out of the alleyway, pushing the Junkyard Moth beside him. “How else?” he replied with a sly grin. “We walk.”
“…oh yeah.” Alyce put her hands in her pockets as she followed behind Grizz, staring at the Junkyard Moth the whole time.
"I got to thinkin'," Grizz said as they walked, "'bout that time on the first day, ya asked me about that Ace lady from way back when. Lemme tell ya, when she was alive, the world was in rough shape…"
As much as Alyce wanted to hear him out, her thoughts wandered immediately. *Wow…so Grizz has a motorcycle! That’s so exciting! To think, I was lucky enough to run into a guy that’s cool and helpful…Grizz, I’m so lucky I smacked into you that day. We’ve been having so much fun, and I’m learning so much about this outside world! And soon, I’ll be able to ride a motorcycle for the first time…I’m kind of nervous, but Grizz will make sure nothing bad happens. He always does!
He’s doing a great job of helping me in the way his “uncle” helped him. But sometimes…he just needs to lighten up a little. These neat things we do together…they seem to help him lighten up easily enough. Hopefully this motorcycle helps keep his mind off of that Caulder guy from yesterday.*
“…an’ that’s what they say happened with Agent Ve—wait, the hell?” Grizz hollered. “Sunshine, ya ain’t been listenin’ to me none, have ya?”
“Nope!” Alyce replied. “Sorry!”
“Well, whatever. At any rate, we’re here!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Naw, now you're ready.]]
Grizz waved his arm to draw Alyce’s attention to the towering piles of garbage before them. “See there," he said, "this is where all the huge trash goes, ya know? Fridges, cars, TVs, they don’t give a damn. If it don’t go in a garbage truck, they’ll let ya dump it here. I bet ya can see how Uncle found the parts for the Junkyard Moth so easily…hell, I think that’s where the name came from, see? Like, he was drawn to this trash like a moth to flame, or however the hell that sayin’ goes.”
Alyce nodded. “I think that’s the saying," she confirmed. "So Grizz, don’t we need…helmets or something? Driving through the junkyard without any protection seems dangerous! What if I fall and cut my head on a rusty refrigerator?”
Grizz shook his head. “Son of a…Alyce, that ain’t gonna happen.” Grizz leapt aboard the Junkyard Moth and patted the seat behind him. “I’m a safe driver. Probably. Whatever. Get your ass on this bike and hold on tight, a’ight?”
*Well, if he insists…* “OK, Grizz! I trust you!” Alyce jumped onto the seat directly behind Grizz and wrapped her arms around his abdomen. “Ready!”
Grizz shook his head and untied the scarf from Alyce’s head, clutching it between his hand and the handlebar of the motorcycle. Alyce’s ears twitched in delight as she slipped her tail into the open air to match.
“Naw, now you’re ready.” Grizz gave Alyce a pat between the ears and started the engine of the Junkyard Moth. “Hell yeah!” he cheered. “Listen to this bitch! Feel it shakin’ under ya, just waitin’ for adventure an’ the open road!”
“Grizz, we haven’t even started moving yet!” Alyce pointed out. “And you’re still so excited!” Good for you!
“Well, of course I’m excited! We’re straddlin’ Uncle’s legacy here!” Grizz tightened his grip on the handlebars as the Junkyard Moth lurched into motion. “An’ it still works an’ everything!” Grizz traced a few small circles around a lonesome refrigerator to get himself acquainted with the controls.
“Alright!” he shouted as he pulled hard on the handlebars, bringing the front wheel into the air as the bike went rocketing straight ahead at surprising speeds. “Havin’ fun back there?”
“Sure am!” Alyce replied, attempting to get her voice heard above the rushing air and the roaring engine. Her tail caught the wind and was lifted skyward, the sensation tickling Alyce to her very core. “This is amazing!” Alyce’s arms wrapped tighter around Grizz as the Junkyard Moth gained speed, roaring in delight underneath them. “Do that thing again! With the front in the air and—“
“Oh,” Grizz interrupted, “a wheelie?” Grizz gunned the engine and yanked the front wheel into the air again as the motorcycle went shooting out of the junkyard and into the surrounding land. “Yeah, ya like that?”
“I love it!” Alyce replied, nestling her neck against Grizz’s back. She turned her head and watched the scenery fly by in a blur.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Fire it up!"]]
*This feels so great! Just me, Grizz, and a roaring road machine forged from scraps. Grizz sounds like he’s having a blast, too! He may not have been able to find that ring he mentioned, but I think this is even better!*
Alyce turned to look past Grizz’s armpit at the speedometer. *Wow, his uncle even managed to get all the knobs and indicators workin—whoa, we’re going so fast! Fifty…sixty…this bike sure gains speed fast! And Grizz’s uncle must have built it a long time ago! It’s unbelievable…there’s just no way a bunch of stuff from the junkyard could come together to make a bike like this, especially since it must have been at least a decade ago when this was built! Grizz was right to be surprised; it is amazing it still works. I guess that’s just the quality of the craftsmanship speaking there!*
Alyce wrapped her tail around Grizz in response to the Junkyard Moth’s rapid acceleration. Grizz wasn’t expecting this gesture, however, and in his surprise he accidentally brought the motorcycle into a frenzied spin. Ever the quick thinker, he managed to turn the spin into a stylish braking maneuver, finishing things off with a slick sideways drift. As the bike lost speed, Grizz jammed his left foot into the dirt, his right leg still draped over the leaning bike.
Finally, the two of them skidded to a stop, and Alyce finally noticed her entire body was shaking from the adrenaline. “Whoa,” Grizz muttered, standing the Junkyard Moth upright. “That…was…holy crap…” Grizz shook his head back and forth violently, his hair whipping through the air in response. “…so cool.”
When the shock finally subsided, Alyce nodded her agreement. “So cool!” she repeated. Alyce put a hand to her chest to calm herself, and gasped when she realized that her sunflower had fallen out. Fortunately, it had come to rest atop her shoe, though Grizz’s spin-brake had left her dizzy enough to make fetching the flower a difficult task.
Grizz took note of the situation and returned the sunflower to her shirt for her. “Well, I gotta admit…that wasn’t what I was expectin’ to happen…but…we gotta try that again sometime.”
Alyce gave a few quick blinks in an attempt to stave off the dizziness. “Not right away…any more of those, and I’ll be so dizzy! Not to mention sick to my stomach…we did eat not too long ago, after all!”
“Yeah, well, tell that stomach ya got there to shut its face an’ enjoy the ride!” Grizz revved the engine and gave Alyce a nod, and she took that as her cue to hold on tight. “Right then, ready to roll out?”
“Alright!” Alyce’s arms were tightly wrapped around Grizz, leaving only her tail to pump skyward in excitement. “Bring it on!”
Grizz turned his attention back to the front of the Junkyard Moth, but not before Alyce spied a grin slowly spreading across his face. “Fire it up!” he bellowed as the motorcycle lurched into action underneath him.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Did you see that?"]]
Alyce watched Grizz’s hair catch the breeze, dancing about as if it enjoyed the ride as much as she did. *Grizz actually has pretty nice hair…it’s just usually too dirty to really notice. Grizz himself was a lot like that before we bought these clothes, come to think of it. I suppose he cleans up really well, though his mood certainly helps him look a lot better! Now that he’s grinning and laughing and enjoying his uncle’s motorcycle, he seems much better off!*
Grizz turned the motorcycle back toward the junkyard, leaning into the turn so much that he could have reached down and touched the ground with his hand. *Wow, I think I would have fallen off if I wasn’t holding on to Grizz! I can’t imagine how I could possibly learn to ride this motorcycle all by myself, especially the wild and stylish way Grizz drives it!*
“So Grizz!” Alyce yelled over the engine as it propelled the bike across the dirt at insane speeds. “Your uncle really taught you how to drive like this?”
Grizz nodded. “He sure did!” he replied.
“But…you must have been really young at the time!” *Really, how could a little boy learn how to drive a motorcycle like this?*
“I was! Part of my lesson was just hangin’ on an’ gettin’ a feel for the speed an’ all that, same as you’re doin’ now! An’ the other half…were these wing-lookin’ things that Uncle would snap onto the bike, see? They were like giant shields to make sure I didn’t go skiddin’ across the pavement, ya know? Trainin’ wheels, without the wheels!”
Alyce giggled. “I see! Do you know where those wings are?”
“What, ya wanna learn how to drive the Junkyard Moth?”
“Someday, yeah!”
“Well then, we’ll find those wings for ya sometime.” Alyce instinctively started to clap her hands, but freaked out when she realized her hands were the only thing keeping her securely aboard the Junkyard Moth. Alyce lunged and wrapped her arms quickly around Grizz’s torso, hugging herself as close as she could.
“Whoa, sunshine,” Grizz muttered, then repeated loud enough for Alyce to clearly hear. “Ya feelin’ friendly today?”
*Huh, I wonder what he means by that? I’m always friendly, aren’t I? Oh well!* “Yes sir!” Alyce replied, deciding against elaborating any further.
“Well, guess ya picked a good time! We were goin’ eighty miles an hour there!" Grizz slowed the bike down in preparation for an upcoming turn. "If ya don’t hang on tight, I’m gonna have to scrape what’s left of ya off the ground!”
“Don’t worry, Grizz! I won’t let—“ Alyce spotted movement far off to the right. *There…did something just dart into the bushes?* “Grizz! Did you see that? It looks like something’s out in the bushes over there!”
“Yeah, yeah…I bet ya wanna check it out.”
“I think we should, Grizz, don’t you?”
“Fine, Alyce, let’s do it up!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"And Mister Grizz, too!"]]
Grizz brought the Junkyard Moth into a brief wheelie as he turned toward the foliage Alyce had drawn his attention to. He leaned over the handlebars, and Alyce felt herself leaning forward as well. “This is the way, ain’t it?” he asked.
“Yes, Grizz!” Alyce confirmed. She scanned the landscape for whatever could have caused the disturbance. *If it’s the men in black from the compound, we need to make sure they can’t catch us or tell everyone about Grizz’s distinct motorcycle! If it’s an animal…well, it’s definitely already scared by now, but I want to make sure everything’s OK.*
Grizz brought the Junkyard Moth to a skidding stop, similar to the way he stopped the bike the first time. *Huh, Grizz really likes doing that! I must admit, it must look cool.*
Grizz stood the bike upright as he dismounted, and before Alyce knew it, his knife was in his hand. “So, around here somewhere, right?” he whispered.
*Why is he whispering? We came screaming toward these bushes on a motorcycle. It’s a little late to be quiet.* Alyce shrugged. “Yes, Grizz!” she whispered back. “I don’t know what it was, so…let’s be careful, OK?”
Grizz nodded as he crept through the bushes silently. “C'mon, sunshine, don’t ya know? I’m always careful!”
*Yeah, well, I wouldn’t say that, but…you’ve been doing just fine this whole time, haven’t you?* Alyce shrugged and trailed Grizz through the bushes, her head snapping back and forth in search of the source of the disturbance.
Alyce’s ears wiggled as she heard a soft rustling sound to the left. “This way!” she whispered, tugging Grizz in the proper direction. Before long, the bush in front of them was quivering, a quiet whimper occasionally issuing from behind it. Grizz slashed some of the leaves off in one stroke of his knife, revealing something small curled up into a ball in front of them.
Alyce stared in confusion, until she caught a glimpse of a skinny tail jutting out to one side. *Oh…I’ve seen that tail before…but on…wait, this can’t be right.* “Aaron,” Alyce wondered aloud, “is that you?”
The tiny shape before them uncurled itself from its balled position, revealing the tiny mouse-boy Alyce and Grizz had met in the Earthrunner village. “Oh…Miss Alyce!” Aaron exclaimed. “And Mister Grizz, too!” Aaron jumped to his feet and gave each of them a hug in turn. “Was that…were you the ones making all that loud scary noise?”
*Yeah…now that he mentions it, that motorcycle is really loud! And normally, that would bother me. I guess I was having too much fun to notice!* “Yes, Grizz found a motorcycle from his uncle, and we were taking it for a test drive!”
“It tests out great!” Grizz confirmed, adding a thumbs-up for emphasis. “But enough about that. Kid, what are ya doin’ here? Don’t ya live with them Earthrunner folks?”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"What's a CTA?"]]
Aaron nodded. “Yes," he said, "but…Mister Grizz, have you seen my mommy?”
“Oh no!” Alyce exclaimed. “Aaron, is your mommy missing?”
“Yes…” Tears began welling up in Aaron’s eyes. “Mommy left in the morning to fetch water for us…and she still hasn’t come back!”
“So you left the village to find her? Won’t they leave you behind?”
“They were going to leave Mommy behind, Miss Alyce! I asked them to stop and help me find my mommy, but they said we had to move again…”
Grizz shrugged and laid a hand on Aaron’s shoulder. “Yeah, see what I meant? It don’t matter none how many animal bits ya got; anyone can still be a jerk. Case in point: Alyce an’ me, we’re gonna help ya find your mom, see?” Grizz looked up and gave Alyce a quick wink. “Alyce here won’t let me get away with sayin’ no, I bet.”
“Exactly!” Alyce confirmed. “There’s no way I’d let Grizz say no to a cute little boy like you.”
Aaron blushed. “Aww, cut it out!” he insisted. “But…thank you, Miss Alyce, Mister Grizz!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Grizz muttered. “Just tell us everything, kid. Where were y’all? Where’d your mom go to get water? Wait…we ain’t even met the dame, have we?”
Alyce shook her head. “Aaron, we don’t know what your mommy looks like, where she was fetching water…anything! Any details you can tell us about anything will help!”
“Alright,” Aaron replied, wiping a tear from his eye. “Mommy’s about as tall as you, Miss Alyce, but her hair is…yellow?”
“Blonde,” Grizz clarified. “A kinda dark yellow, right? They call that ‘blonde’ out here.”
“OK…Mommy is blonde. And…she’s got a big long tail and big ears, like a tiger! Mommy always cheers me up with this tiger roar she does.”
“That’s very helpful, Aaron,” Alyce assured the boy. “Thank you. Now, do you know where your mommy was getting her water from?”
Aaron shook his head. “No…Mommy went through some woods…and then I heard a really loud roar from where Mommy was going, and then all the Earthrunners got really scared.”
“Damn,” Grizz muttered under his breath. Alyce gave him a glare to let him know not to swear in front of a little boy, and he took the hint just fine. “Sorry. But…Alyce, I’m thinkin’ the CTA had somethin’ to do with it, see?”
“Maybe not, Grizz,” Alyce replied. *I really hope you’re wrong, Grizz. Nothing could be worse for a beastperson, especially one with a child.*
“Yeah, but…where else do we know to look? The kid doesn’t even know where his water’s comin’ from, see? The only thing we got to go on is that roarin’ noise, an’ if it spooked everyone in his village, they must’ve thought it was CTA crackin’ down on ‘em, an’ I’m inclined to agree with ‘em there.”
“Excuse me,” Aaron politely interjected, tugging gently on Alyce’s tail to get her attention. “What’s a CTA?”
Alyce knelt down and looked Aaron square in the eyes. “Well, Aaron,” she explained, “it stands for ‘Cross Town Asylum’. Remember the bad guys who I told you were chasing me? They have a big building in town where they do all sorts of mean stuff to beastpeople like you and me.”
“…and Mommy…”
“Yeah…they’re definitely scary enough to make everyone in your village really afraid. But if your mommy is there…” Alyce rose to her feet and turned to Grizz. “…Grizz, what can we do about his mommy if she’s at the compound?”
Grizz lowered his gaze to the ground, shaking his head all the while. “…I dunno,” he admitted. “We could try an’ bust her out, but I don’t like our odds there, see? An’ I can’t just go bringin’ two more beastpeople right to their doorstep, ya know?”
“Right…I didn’t think of that.” *But…all the same, we can’t just stay here and do nothing, either…but…* “…what can we do?” Alyce repeated.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"What's a motorcycle?"]]
“Well, let’s not get carried away, here,” Grizz said, turning his attention back to Aaron. The boy who was clutching his mouse-tail as if it were a security blanket. “Now, kid, ya said ya heard some roarin’ comin’ from where your mom was supposed to be gettin’ her water from, yeah?”
Aaron nodded. “Mister Grizz,” he elaborated, “I walked toward the noise, where Mommy had walked to get water. Then I ran into water, but not Mommy. So I walked more, and then I was here.”
“So…you didn’t see your mommy on the way,” Alyce paraphrased. “Still, though…maybe there’s a clue near that water you mentioned before. Aaron, can you please lead us there?”
“Yes, Miss Alyce.” Aaron began leading the way through the forest, albeit slowly. Alyce could excuse the slow goings; Aaron was just a little boy, and one that had apparently been doing a lot of walking already, to boot.
“Mister Grizz,” Aaron said as they walked, “what was making all that loud noise from you?”
“Wait, what are you—oh yeah,” Grizz replied. “Didn’t Alyce here tell ya? That was my motorcycle. My uncle built it all by himself.”
“Your uncle built you a motorcycle? That’s so cool!” After a brief hesitation, Aaron added, “Mister Grizz, what’s a motorcycle?”
Grizz mumbled something so quietly that not even Alyce picked it up, though she guessed it was some sort of swear. “…I gotta be a teacher for sunshine over here first, an’ now you, pipsqueak?” Grizz laughed. “A’ight, well, Professor Grizz is all up in this! See, kid, a motorcycle’s like…it’s like a bike, but it’s got car parts in it instead of havin’ pedals to push with your feet, see?”
Aaron nodded. “Mommy told me all about bikes and cars.”
“Well sh…oot. Just put ‘em together an’ that's basically a motorcycle. Uncle built this motorcycle out of stuff other people threw away, see? An’ he called it the Junkyard Moth an’ then taught me how to drive it. I must’ve been about your age when I learned how to drive it, too.”
“Mister Grizz, I don't believe you!” Aaron admitted. “I didn’t know what a motorcycle was, and you knew how to drive one?”
“Hey, I bet ya know a bunch of stuff I don’t know,” Grizz retorted. “You an’ me, we’ve had different lives, see? An’ that makes it so ya come out with different skills an’ ways of thinkin’. It’s what makes you an’ me so different, see?”
“That…and I look like a mouse.”
“That don’t mean sh…oes.” Alyce nodded her approval; Grizz was doing a very good job of skirting around his usual vulgar speech patterns in the presence of a child. “You’re just as much a person as me, Alyce, an’ anyone else.”
“Grizz is right,” Alyce agreed. “It’s like he’s told you before! You can’t judge someone based on whether or not they’re a beastperson, because beastpeople can do terrible things and normal humans can be very kind.” Alyce threw her arms around Grizz, who was clearly taken off-guard by the gesture.
Alyce offered Grizz her tail to help calm him down. “Take Grizz, for example," she continued. :He steals, he swears, and he doesn’t have a cute tail like you and I do, Aaron. I think he’s jealous,” she added mockingly. “Just kidding! He’s actually the kindest person I’ve ever met.”
“Aw, don’t go embarrasin’ me in front of the kid, sunshine.”
“No, Mister Grizz,” Aaron protested, “you're very rude. But you're also very nice. It's funny how you do both!”
“See, Alyce, this kid gets me,” Grizz noted with a grin.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"But is Mommy OK?"]]
After a few more minutes’ worth of walking, the trio found themselves in a public rest area, or so said a nearby sign. Alyce didn’t see any people around. *Thank goodness nobody’s here! Aaron and I would stick out too easily!*
“Aaron, is this the place?” Alyce asked, staring at the brook running nearby. “And Grizz, is this the same brook that we’ve…”
“Yeah, sunshine,” Grizz confirmed. “That company I told ya about that filters the water an’ sells it as ‘natural spring water’? They’re about ten minutes away, on foot.” Grizz pointed through the trees. “I can see their buildings from here, see?”
Alyce peered into the woods downstream, and true to his word, an unmistakably artificial sort of gray could be seen through the green of the forest. “Yeah…I see it! Aaron, was your mommy here or over there?”
“…here,” Aaron replied. “I think she was here.” Aaron waded across the brook and picked up something hidden in the grass. “This is Mommy’s sandal.”
Alyce beckoned for Aaron to throw her the sandal. “Huh. Grizz, why would Aaron’s mommy drop her sandal here?”
“It’s ‘cause she’d have to leave in a hurry,” Grizz replied. “Now, whether that’s ‘cause she was runnin’ away or ‘cause someone took her away…that, we can’t tell, see?”
“Mister Grizz…do you think Mommy’s OK?” Aaron asked.
“How would I know?”
“Grizz!” Alyce snapped. *You can’t just talk to a child like that…you have to be reassuring!* “Don’t worry, Aaron, I’m sure we’ll be able to find your mommy.”
“But…is Mommy OK?” Aaron asked again.
“I…think so.” *I want to make Aaron feel better, but I don’t want to lie to him, either…I don’t know if his mommy is OK any more than he does, but…we can’t have him lose hope, either.* “Grizz, do you think we can find his mommy with the clues we have around here?”
“What clues?” Grizz retorted. “We got a missin’ sandal an’…” Grizz knelt down on the dirt half-circle that skirted the brook. “…hold up, we got tire tracks up here. That don’t tell us much. Someone could’ve come by in a truck an’ taken a piss, while the kid’s mom gets so spooked at the chance of someone spottin’ her tiger bits that she up an’ runs, leavin’ her sandal behind. Or the CTA saw her tiger bits an’ kidnapped her, an’ she lost a sandal in the struggle. Kid, we might find more hints on the way back to wherever your Earthrunner peeps had set up shop.”
Aaron gave Grizz a blank stare. “Mister Grizz, what are you saying?”
“It’s street lingo,” Alyce explained. “Whatever he’s saying, it gives me an idea. Aaron, can you please lead us to where the Earthrunners were when you left them to go find your mommy?”
Aaron nodded. “Sure, Miss Alyce, this way.” Aaron began pushing his way through the forest, while Alyce and Grizz crossed the brook to catch up with him.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Well, this is it."]]
“Ya know,” Grizz pondered aloud, “while we’re on the way to the village, kid…can ya tell us everything ya know about what happened this morning? Start from the top, see?”
“Oh, I don’t know much, Mister Grizz…”
“Don’t worry, Aaron,” Alyce assured him, “we need to know as much as possible to help find your mommy.”
“OK, Miss Alyce.” Aaron stopped for a minute, a finger to his chin. Once he had the story straight in his head, he continued walking and explaining. “Mommy was awake really early in the morning. Her moving around woke me up. I asked her what she was doing. Mommy said she was getting water and she’d be right back, and told me to sleep some more. And then I did, and then Mommy still wasn’t back, and then someone said they heard a loud noise from where Mommy went. Mister Grizz, you think that was a car, don’t you?”
Grizz nodded. “Sure do, kid,” he confirmed. “That brook’s near a public rest stop, sure, but that stop an’ that road sure ain’t too busy. The road and this stop are both in awful condition. It’s possible that there’s only been one car down this road the whole time.”
“But Grizz,” Alyce protested, in a quiet voice she hoped Aaron couldn’t hear, “that one car could have been from the compound. What happens then?”
“Well, sunshine, it’s like this,” Grizz explained, equally quietly. “Either we’re wastin’ too much time confirmin’ the suits got her an’ we’re gonna be too late, or we go chargin’ in there to save her an’ then it turns out she ain’t even there.”
“We're here,” Aaron announced, standing in a clearing rife with flattened grass. “The Earthrunners were here, and then they left while I was looking for Mommy.”
“Sh…ingles. They left a kid all by himself an’ didn’t even stop to wait for ya? Are ya gonna be able to catch up to ‘em?”
“Now, Grizz,” Alyce admonished, “let’s focus on finding Aaron’s mommy first. Then we can worry about getting both of them back to their village!”
“Yeah, yeah. I just thought that maybe, someone might wanna tell ‘em to wait, but the kid’s already told us they ain’t gonna wait.”
“Oh, I see. Now, Aaron, is there anything else that might tell us your mommy was here?”
Aaron swished his tail through the air. “Sorry, Miss Alyce, I don’t see anything!” he announced.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Too much time with me is gonna ruin him."]]
“Well, ain’t this great,” Grizz said, hands at his hips as he surveyed the area for more clues. “We got no leads, no answers…the only thing we do got is that the kid’s mom left that brook in a hurry. I ain’t got a clue what to do.”
“I do!” Alyce assured both Grizz and Aaron. “We have to keep him with us, at least until we can locate his mommy.”
Grizz mumbled a quick curse into his sleeve. “…I ain’t good with kids, sunshine. An’ the streets ain’t no place for a kid like him…an’ we still gotta try an’ hide his mouse bits, too.”
“Excuses, excuses!” Alyce lifted Aaron onto her shoulders. “You’ve done just fine with me, and I’m sure you can do just fine with Aaron too!”
“I really want my mommy,” Aaron informed her. “But…if we can’t find Mommy, then…Mister Grizz, you and Miss Alyce will be the only people left to take care of me!”
Grizz shook his head. “Naw, I can return ya to the Earthrunners an’ someone there can deal with ya.”
“Stop it, Grizz!” Alyce growled. *I didn’t think he’d have such a big problem with this.* “It seems very simple to me…if Aaron is with us and we find his mommy, then they’re reunited just like that! If we drop Aaron off with the Earthrunners and then find his mommy, they’ll be gone before we can reunite them!” *And if we never find his mommy…Grizz, you better not bring that up. I don’t think Aaron would be able to handle it.*
Grizz shook his head. “Look, sunshine, I ain’t tryin’ to be rude…if ya want the truth, I just don’t think I’m up to it, a’ight?"
Grizz knelt down in front of Aaron and ruffled his hair. "Kid, your mom sounds like she did a real good job of raisin’ ya just right," he continued. "I sure can’t do that, especially not out on the streets. I have a hard enough time watchin’ over Alyce."
Turning back to Alyce, he added, "An’ now ya wanna just up an’ adopt a kid who’s already got him a place to go? I bet that if I take the kid an’ make a run for it, I can catch up with his damn village. But…I guess we gotta let the kid decide.”
Grizz put a hand on Aaron’s shoulder, and offered a respectful nod. “Now, Aaron…what do ya wanna do?" he asked. :Stick with those Earthrunners, or—“
“I want to stick with you, Mister Grizz!” Aaron interrupted. “You’re right…the Earthrunners aren’t very nice. From what you just said, though…you sound like you want to be nice! That must mean you’re nice, right?”
“See, that’s what I was thinking!” Alyce agreed. “Grizz is such a rude and contradictory guy, but that’s just because he tries so hard to do what’s best!”
“Y’all are gonna embarrass me,” Grizz protested. “A’ight, fine, we can try an’ let the kid tag along, but only until we find his mom, see? An’ that ain’t gonna take long, ‘cause we’re gonna dedicate ourselves to it, ain't that right?”
“Grizz, it’s not that you don’t like Aaron, is it?”
Grizz shook his head. “The kid’s great, but too much time with me is gonna ruin him, see?”
“Don’t worry, Mister Grizz!” Aaron reassured him. “I’m sure Mommy’s out there, looking for me, too! We’ll all find each other, and then everything will be OK!”
“Yeah, yeah…”
“So, Aaron,” Alyce said to change the subject, “do you want to take a ride on Grizz’s motorcycle?”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I don't feel safe, Mister Grizz."]]
### Chapter 10
“I don’t feel safe, Mister Grizz,” Aaron noted, his voice barely audible over the ruckus being raised by the Junkyard Moth. Aaron was nestled between Grizz and Alyce , and she held the boy in place with her arms while gripping Grizz with her hands.
“What?” Grizz hollered, completely oblivious to Aaron’s complaint.
*Oh, right! Grizz has ordinary human ears! He can’t hear over the sound of himself riding a scrap-metal motorcycle at sixty miles per hour.* “Aaron says that he doesn’t feel safe!” Alyce clarified.
“Hell, just gimme a minute, see?” Grizz pointed to the spires of junk rising upward from the horizon. “The trainin’ wings I told ya about earlier…they’re hidden in the junkyard too, see?”
“Training wings?” Aaron repeated.
“Yes, Aaron,” Alyce explained. “Apparently Grizz has some safety features hidden away somewhere nearby. They should keep us from falling off the motorcycle, OK? Between these wings and my arms, you’re going to be OK!”
“OK…thank you, Miss Alyce!”
“You’re welcome, Aaron!” *And I should probably tell him to stop calling us “Mister Grizz” and “Miss Alyce”…I don’t really mind it too much, but I bet Grizz hates it!*
Grizz eased the motorcycle to a stop in the middle of the junkyard. “A’ight, gimme a minute,” he requested, disappearing behind a nearby pile of scrap metal.
“Miss Alyce, why does Mister Grizz keep motorcycle parts in a junkyard?” Aaron asked while he waited.
“That’s nothing!” Alyce informed him. “He keeps food in a trash can in his alleyway!”
“What? Eww!”
Alyce giggled. “Yeah, that’s what I said at first, too! But then Grizz said he kept the can clean, and all the food inside is in cans of its own.” *Wow, I’m adapting to Grizz’s street life pretty fast. Maybe…maybe this is what Grizz is worried about; he doesn’t want Aaron to have to get used to being on the streets like Grizz and I are.*
“But a trash can? That's so gross!”
“I don’t think there’s any trash in that can…just really good beans!”
“Oh…okay, Miss Alyce. I don’t know if Mister Grizz always tells me the truth. But I know you do!”
Alyce patted Aaron between his ears, just as Grizz sometimes did to her. “Don't worry, Grizz doesn't lie! And he's always doing what’s best for everyone, even if he says lots of rude or even mean things in the process. Why, when he and I first met, he even called me mean names!” *Um, I think. I really need Grizz to teach me his lingo.*
“Wow…you? Maybe Mister Grizz just doesn't like to talk to strangers.”
“Hey, y’all spreadin' rumors ‘bout me over there?” Grizz yelled as he stepped into view, carrying a large yellow piece of metal under each arm. Grizz held them up for Alyce and Aaron to see.
True to the motorcycle’s theme, the pieces of metal were fashioned in the shape of a moth’s wings. The colors were faded, but the color scheme was unmistakable regardless; the wings were mostly yellow, with a red trim and blue tips at the top. Two large grated holes were on each wing. Alyce wasn't sure if they were for ventilation, or part of the mechanism that would hold them to the motorcycle. “Yeah, what do ya think?”
“They’re great, Mister Grizz!” Aaron cheered. “Um, what are they?”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"At your age, I wasn't half as brave as that."]]
Grizz laughed. “Ya keep doin’ that," he said, handing Aaron one of the metal slabs. The child nearly fell over under the weight of it, but managed to hold it up and listen to Grizz through the mesh hole. "Anyway, these here…they’re the wings that go on the Junkyard Moth.”
Grizz slid the wings in between sections of the motorcycle’s chassis, causing said wings to jut out to the sides at an upward angle. “An’ then all ya gotta do," he muttered to himself, "is slip these lockin’ bolts on in…” Grizz fastened each wing in place with a rod that looked a little like an oversized AA battery, each rod being a dirty purple color with rings of orange on both ends. “…an’ boom! Ya got yourself the ultimate in safety measures, see?”
“So those will keep me safe, right?” Aaron asked.
“Well, that’s the idea, kid! Ya might still be scared ‘cause of how fast we’re goin’, but trust me, ya won’t get hurt.”
Alyce nodded. “Trust him!” she repeated. *I know he seems scary and dense, but Aaron, you know he’s a nice guy! You just have to learn he has the smarts to match.*
“Alright,” Aaron finally relented. “So we can use this…motorcycle to help find Mommy?”
“Sure can!” Grizz confirmed. “Well, no, wait, maybe not. Well, we can get close to town really fast, an’ then try to find her there. But we can’t drive the bike in town, see?” Grizz walked over to Aaron and studied his appearance closely. “Speakin’ of town, we gotta hide all these mouse bits.”
“Oh…Miss Alyce, why do we have to hide our animal parts again? Mommy always tells me my mouse ears are cute.”
“They are cute!” Alyce reassured him. “But there are mean people in the town that…won’t think they’re cute.”
“And there's bad men chasing you, right, Miss Alyce?”
“That’s it, alright,” Grizz confirmed. “See, kid…ya remember how the Earthrunners didn’t like me none just ‘cause I ain’t got no animal bits? Out here, it’s the other way ‘round, an’ just like them Earthrunners got that guy with the scorpion tail who tried to kill me, we gotta worry about these guys whose job it is to do some pretty mean stuff to people with animal bits, like you or Alyce.”
Aaron gulped in fear. “Oh…that sounds really scary. But…if Mommy is out there, we have to find her!”
“Ha, see? Before, ya told me it was weird how I was driving a motorcycle at your age…but at your age, I wasn’t half as brave as that.”
“Wow, Aaron!” Alyce exclaimed. “You’re so brave, you made Grizz give a compliment!”
“Yeah, yeah…” Grizz climbed aboard the Junkyard Moth and invited his beastly companions to do the same. “Well, kid, ready to find your mom?”
“You bet!” Aaron said.
*He sounds like he feels much safer now. Good thing!* “So Grizz, where are we headed?” Alyce pondered.
“Well,” Grizz replied, “we can’t really comb the forest with this thing, see? So I’m thinkin’, we’ll scour the town for the kid’s mom, see? An’ if she didn’t have the sense to cover up her tiger bits, she’s probably causin’ a scene somewhere.”
*Yeah, that’s right…Aaron here is wearing enough clothes to hide his tail, but certainly not enough to cover his ears…but then again, his mommy sounds like she’s lived in the outside world before.* “She might have the sense to cover herself up. Aaron…didn’t you say your mommy lived outside of the Earthrunners before you were born?”
“Yes, Miss Alyce,” Aaron answered. “Mommy says she was living with Daddy for a long time. Then she turned into a tiger-lady, and Daddy was sad, but they still took care of each other. And then…” Aaron’s gaze fell to the ground. “…then I turned into a mouse-boy, and Daddy didn’t want to deal with both of us being beastpeoples. Then he left Mommy and me behind.”
“Harsh,” Grizz noted. “Well, then, we better find your mom real soon. Everyone ready?” Alyce and Aaron settled into position, nodding their approval. “Then let’s do it up!” Grizz fired up the Junkyard Moth and made a beeline for Cross Town.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"It feels kind of dirty in here!"]]
On their way into town, Alyce saw a lot of cars headed in the opposite direction. “Grizz!” she shouted. “I’ve never seen so many cars before! Why are they all leaving?”
“Hell if I know!" he replied, his eyes still on the road. "First we gotta hide this kid’s mouse bits, an’ then we gotta find his mom. Then we can worry about a bunch of people goin’ on vacation all at once!”
“True!” *My mind really does tend to wander, doesn’t it? We have to focus…have to find Aaron’s mommy!* “Wait a second! Grizz, we’re in town now! Why are we still driving? Aren’t you afraid of the cops?”
“Nope! But thanks for pointin’ ‘em out, sunshine! Can’t ya see ‘em watchin’ the roads leadin’ out?” Before Alyce could check Grizz’s claim, he eased the bike to a stop in his alleyway and beckoned everyone to disembark. “So, kid, put this on,” he ordered Aaron, throwing the boy his cloak.
“Mister Grizz,” Aaron lamented, “this is far too big for me!”
“Well, I can’t do sh…uh, I can’t help ya there.”
Aaron shrugged and slid into the cloak as Grizz ordered, staring forlornly at the large trail of extra cloth behind him. “It feels kind of dirty in here, Mister Grizz!”
“Not much to be done there, either, see? Sorry, kid, but if ya really want some sweet clothes, ask your mom to take ya shoppin’.”
“Now, now, Grizz,” Alyce scolded, “we could take him shopping ourselves, you know!”
“C'mon, sunshine, ya ain’t got no focus, do ya? After we find his mom, we can worry about all this crazy sh…oh. Oops.”
“Don’t worry, Mister Grizz,” Aaron assured the thief. “You sound like you really want to help me, so I don’t mind if you swear a little.”
Grizz heaved a deep sigh of relief. “Hell…thanks, kid. You’re alright.” Grizz gave Aaron a thumbs-up of approval. “Right then, let’s check the park first, see? If those religious nuts are still there, they might be a hassle, see? Plus, if she’s callin’ out to find the kid, you two got some good ears on ya, right? The park’s close to the middle of town, so if she’s shoutin’ out for ya, kid…you an’ Alyce should be able to tell where she’s at.”
Aaron nodded. “You’re good at planning, Mister Grizz!”
“He sure is!” Alyce agreed. “Now come on, boys…let’s do i—“
“Hold on,” Grizz interrupted. “Are you stealin’ my catchphrase?”
Alyce giggled. “If it bothers you that much, let’s just say it at the same time, OK? Ready? One…two…three!”
“Let’s do it up!” Alyce and Grizz shouted in unison.
Aaron did not join in the shout; he was too busy staring in confusion. “What are you doing, you two?” he asked.
“…nothing!” Alyce said with a smile.
“Right,” Grizz mumbled. “Come on now!” Grizz led the trio toward the park, but stopped short, herding Alyce and Aaron into the doorway of a random building. “Hold it,” he ordered flatly.
“What’s going on, Mister Grizz?” Aaron asked, holding the cloak up to keep it from dragging along the sidewalk.
“Cops. An’ tons of ‘em, too. We oughta watch our step until we know what their deal is.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"She dissed my cloak…"]]
Alyce poked her head around the corner, and spied the police that Grizz was talking about. They were lined up across the road, their cars blocking every single lane. Most of the cops were hiding behind their cars, on the same side as Alyce and friends. Some of the people present didn’t look much like cops, though. “Grizz, what do you think is going on?”
“Just a roadblock. They’re tryin’ to stop someone fro—“ Grizz stopped mid-sentence as the ground began to quake under his feet. “…the hell is goin’ on here?” he growled, making his way toward the police roadblock.
“Mister Grizz!” Aaron shouted, chasing after him. “Wait for me!”
“Me too!” Alyce added, chasing the both of them. *This doesn’t feel like a good idea, but…we don’t have much choice.*
Alyce’s suspicions were confirmed as she froze in her tracks. On the other side of the police blockade, a large green vehicle rumbled from around a corner, headed straight toward the blockade. From a distance, all she could tell about the vehicle was that it was fashioned in the shape of a dinosaur, and that whoever was driving it was there to cause trouble. “Guys…should we stick around?”
One of the police officers started herding the ordinary people to safety, and noticed the trio approaching him. “No!” the officer shouted. “You three should get out of here! It’s not safe here!”
“What’s the matter, sir?” Aaron asked.
One of the women being escorted off the premises stopped and turned to face the boy. “…Aaron?” she asked, stunned.
“…Mommy?” Aaron asked, equally stunned, as he turned to face the lady. “Mommy! It is you!”
The two ran to each other, and Aaron’s mother lifted the boy into a grateful embrace. “Oh, Aaron! How in the world did you find me? And…where did you get this…this nasty old…”
“…I like that cloak,” Grizz mumbled dejectedly, moving slowly off to the side.
“So you’re Aaron’s mommy?” Alyce asked her. “Nice to meet you! I’m Alyce, and this is my friend Grizz! Grizz, say hi!”
“…but…she dissed my cloak…”
Alyce giggled. “Never mind him! What are you doing all the way out here in town?”
Aaron’s mother was wearing a beret to hide her tiger ears, though her curly blond locks were free to bounce around her rosy smile. She was a tall woman, almost as tall as Grizz, though she was much more slender. “Hello Alyce, Grizz,” Aaron’s mother greeted them in turn, holding Aaron close to her chest. “I’m Beatrice. You two know m—“
“Hey!” the officer interrupted, pushing them away. “Come on! Move! Get out of here!”
“Yeah, we’re goin’,” Grizz snapped, quickly shoving his hands into his pockets. “Come on, y’all, everyone back to my place.”
“…this is your place?” Beatrice asked when they arrived, a hint of disgust tainting her question.
“Dammit, woman, we reunited you an’ your kid, an’ ya just keep puttin’ me down…?”
Beatrice shook her head. “I’m sorry…Grizz, was it?”
“What, an’ now my name’s under attack, too? I ain't gotta take this.” Grizz disengaged himself from the group to go take care of the Junkyard Moth.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"When I was your age, I sure didn't get it."]]
“I really didn’t mean to offend him,” Beatrice said after a minute’s silence, looking over at Grizz as he disengaged from the conversation. “Indeed, if what he says is true…Alyce, I owe you and him a great deal.”
Aaron looked up from his mother’s embrace into her eyes. “He was telling the truth!” he confirmed. “Mister Grizz and Miss Alyce…they visited our village not too long ago, remember? The girl with the pretty fox tail who stayed with her human friend? Miss Alyce is the girl, and Mister Grizz is the human friend! Mister Grizz is really rude, but really nice! Miss Alyce is even nicer! They let me ride their motorcycle and everything!”
Beatrice chuckled. “Is that so? Alyce, it sounds like you and your friend took really good care of my son.”
“We were more than happy to do it!” Alyce replied. “Aaron is a really nice boy. But Beatrice, ma’am…what were you doing here in Cross Town?”
“Well, Alyce…I came to get a supply of water.”
“But we went right past a perfectly fine brook on the way here…and you don’t have anything to carry water in. Where were you getting water, ma’am?”
Beatrice sighed and placed Aaron on the ground. “Aaron, can you go thank Grizz for me? Go over there and have a nice long talk with him, OK?”
“Sure, mommy!” Aaron replied, his enthusiasm showing even through Grizz's cloak.
Beatrice watched him approach Grizz and begin striking up a conversation. “Alyce,” she began, “how much did Aaron tell you about his father?”
“Plenty,” Alyce admitted. “Aaron’s daddy really just threw you out like that?”
Beatrice nodded. “I came back to beg him to reconsider. Aaron’s old enough to start school, and he needs a father figure in his life. I thought that if I got Aaron’s father to reconsider, that would solve all of Aaron’s potential problems…and maybe we could be a family again.”
“Wow, ma’am, that sounds…harsh, as Grizz puts it. But Aaron sounds really happy as it is…at the Earthrunner village, he had a lot of friends his age, and you and him were able to live together without too much trouble, right? A lot less trouble that you would have out here…ma’am, have you heard of the Cross Town Asylum?”
“Yes…point taken, Alyce. But…Aaron’s my son, and I want to do everything I can to make things better for him. It’s one of those things that’s hard to understand until you become a parent yourself,” Beatrice noted with a giggle. “When I was your age, I sure didn’t get it.”
“No…it’s that feeling you get when you see them in trouble, right? You want to make their life right in every way you can, and most of the ways you can’t? Trying to go beyond the impossible in your efforts to set right every little thing that seems wrong with their life?”
Beatrice recoiled in shock. “What, do you have a child somewhere?”
Alyce shook her head. “No, no! But I feel that way about Grizz sometimes. He’s homeless and he doesn’t have any family, and I want to help him fix that. He deserves the world, he really does! If I'm going to spend every day at his sid—“
“Hey!” Grizz hollered, looking up from whatever conversation he was having with Aaron. “You talkin’ about me over there?”
“Yes, Grizz!” Alyce confirmed. “I was just telling Aaron’s mommy about how you’re out here because you don’t have a home or a family.”
“Neither do you.” Grizz turned his attention back to Aaron, leaning in to whisper something to the child.
Beatrice laughed. “So, Alyce, you’re putting Grizz so far above yourself even though you’re in the same boat…and that description of that feeling you just gave…I should have known you were his girlfriend!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I'm not really sure what love is."]]
Alyce’s eyes went wide. “What? Girlfriend? Me?” she gasped. “I don’t…what do you…”
“Oh, you’re not?" Beatrice said, pulling on her beret. "Sorry…I just assumed, since you sound like you’re in love with him and all…”
*Love…? Is that what…* “I don’t know…I didn’t have a nice mother like Aaron does. I’m not really sure what love is.”
“By the sounds of it, neither does Grizz.” Beatrice walked past Alyce and approached Aaron and Grizz. “Hey Aaron! I’m done talking with your friend Alyce. Are you ready to go?”
Aaron looked up into his mother’s eyes. “Mister Grizz told me a secret!” Aaron shouted, completely glossing over his mother’s question.
Grizz’s forehead made a loud slapping noise against the palm of his hand. “It ain’t no secret if ya go an’ announce it,” he told Aaron.
“Oh yeah. Sorry, Mister Grizz! So, Mommy, where are we going?”
“We…” Beatrice began, her voice trailing off quickly. “…oh, right. How would we get back to the Earthrunner village, anyway?”
“Grizz, couldn’t you bring them on your motorcycle?” Alyce asked.
Grizz shook his head. “How?” he retorted. “Findin’ the damn place is half the problem, ya know? They’re all nomadic an’ we ain’t got a way of trackin’ ‘em down. Yeah, if we knew where they were, we could take the kid an’ his mom right there on the Junkyard Moth, but it ain’t lookin’ good just yet.”
*Maybe Aaron’s father could take them in…but I can’t just suggest that out loud. Beatrice sent Aaron away just to make sure he didn’t hear her talk about the man.* “Hm…you’re right, Grizz. This planning business is really tough, huh?”
“Yeah, well…whatever that tank-thing was…the thing the police were gettin’ everyone away from…that’s gonna make plans even harder to make.”
“Just my luck,” Beatrice mused. “I saw that vehicle this morning…it scared me so much that I fled through the woods…and now here it is, in your town.”
*Ah, so that’s why she dropped her sandal by the river! Everything makes sense now.* “We were worried that something worse had happened to you!” Alyce exclaimed. “But now, I suppose we can’t go on ignoring that…tank? Grizz, is that what you called it?”
“Yeah,” Grizz affirmed. “It’s sure built like a tank. Whatever it is, it’s got the whole town on red alert, see? An’ unless someone stops it, it ain’t gonna let us make no progress.”
“So what are you saying, Grizz? That you want to stop it?”
Grizz laughed. “Hell no! Not somethin’ that big…and I sure as hell ain’t excited at the thought of havin’ to kill someone again, even if it is to defend ya, sunshine.”
*Defend me? But…I’m right here, and that tank isn’t. But…I guess Grizz has to justify it like that if he’s going to be OK with the circumstances at all.* “Yeah, I don’t blame y—“
“Wait,” Beatrice interrupted, “you…killed someone? Just who are you kids? Was Aaron there?”
“Oh, no," Grizz answered. “That wasn't even today…Aaron weren't near it. But I had to do it, to save Alyce here, ya know? If I didn’t kill that guy, he would’ve killed Alyce.”
Beatrice nodded. “Well, when you put it that way…" She covered her mouth and added, "…I see. How did you two get so close?”
“…what?” Grizz shook his head and blinked his eyes rapidly, obviously stuck in complete disbelief.
“Oh…forget I said anything.” Beatrice chuckled to herself a little.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Me, hero?"]]
“Anyway," Beatrice continued, pacing around the alleyway Grizz called home, "it certainly doesn’t look like there’s any room in your lifestyle for just Aaron or myself, let alone the two of us together.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty tight quarters up in here as it is," Grizz said as he leaned against a wall. "I wish I knew what to do for ya, really.”
“Grizz, there has to be something!” Alyce shouted. We can’t just turn them away…we have to help somehow!
“Yeah, probably, but I sure ain’t got a clue as to what that somethin’ might be. Don’t worry, sunshine, I wanna help the kid an’ his mom as much as you do, but how…how’s always the big question, see?”
“True…the only way I can think of would be to help drive back that tank, save all of Cross Town, and then use the aftermath and your hero status to help find Beatrice and Aaron a place to live.”
Grizz laughed right in Alyce’s face. “Me, hero? Sunshine, there’s optimism an’ then there’s just bein’ stupid. Did ya see all those cops lined up to stop that thing? I’d be surprised if they could handle the damn thing, let alone me on a motorcycle with nothin’ but my knife.”
“We certainly wouldn’t want you to put yourself up to that for our sake, either,” Beatrice insisted. “But…don’t worry about us. I’ve got an idea.” Beatrice lifted her son onto her shoulders. “Thank you again, Alyce and Grizz, for bringing my son to me.”
“Thank you, Miss Alyce!” Aaron added. “Thank you, Mister Grizz!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Grizz said, modestly dodging their gratitude.
“You’re welcome!” Alyce shouted, with far less modesty. “Bye Beatrice! Bye Aaron!”
Grizz gave Aaron a thumbs-up. “Later, kid.”
“Bye Miss Alyce!” Aaron replied. “Bye Mister Grizz!”
“Farewell, you two!” Beatrice added. “If everything works out…hopefully we’ll all meet again.”
Alyce watched the two of them leave, moving toward a nearby police car and presumably asking for a safe ride to their destination. “Wow, Grizz, even Aaron’s mother is nice!”
“Yeah, she ain’t bad, I guess…once she was done dissin’ my alleyway, an’ my clo—dammit!” Grizz shouted. “That kid left with my cloak!” Grizz kicked a stray chunk of asphalt into the road. “Dammit! That thing meant a lot to me, ya know.”
“And Grizz, wasn’t that our blanket?” *It’s already cold enough out here as it is…and it’s likely to just get colder as time goes on.*
“Aw hell…it was, too. We’re gonna have to get you somethin’ else to keep you warm at night, huh? But…now’s a bad time, see?”
As if to prove Grizz’s point, loud booming noises began to fill the air. Alyce screamed and covered her ears. “Grizz! What’s all this noise?” she asked.
“Gunshots,” Grizz replied. “Whatever’s goin’ on with that tank, it sure ain’t endin’ peacefully.”
*Yeah…whatever that was, I hope everything’s going to be OK. I hope Beatrice and Aaron arrive safely wherever they’re going.* “Grizz…? Do you think it would be a good idea for Beatrice to bring Aaron back to his daddy?”
“Huh? Why would ya ask somethin’ weird like that, unless…no. Ya think that’s what she’s up to?”
Alyce nodded. “That’s why she left the Earthrunners early in the morning, too. She was going to beg Aaron’s daddy to let the three of them be a family again.”
Grizz scoffed. “An’ what, she ended up forgettin’ the fact that she was in a nomadic village at the time? What, did she not know their damn schedule? Those Earthrunners are more of a mess than I thought.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I'm scared."]]
“Grizz, that reminds me…why does she have to be on the run like this?" Alyce asked, sinking into a sitting position beside Grizz as he examined the Junkyard Moth. "And why does the compound get to do what it does? It can’t be legal, can it?”
Grizz sighed. “Sunshine…I don’t know much about it, see? Never really cared as much as I did when I met you. But what I heard about it is this…so, people started growin’ animal bits for no apparent reason, see? Didn’t matter if you were five years old or fifty, some people just started growin’ parts from random animals. Remember those bird fellas in the Earthrunner village, how they were brothers? Yeah, the fact that they shared similar animal bits is just a coincidence."
Grizz shook his head. "I'm losin' the plot," he said, stopping a moment to focus his thoughts. "So yeah…we got a bunch of animal bits poppin’ up like it ain’t nothin', an’ then in a panic, the folks that make the laws in Cross Town are OK with sendin’ a bunch of beastpeople to whatever medical place can take ‘em in an’ derive a cure from ‘em somehow. Ya know, like the CTA. Uncle said they used to do other stuff, but now they’re pretty much all about crazy experiments.”
Alyce scooted away from Grizz so she could lay down, ending up in a balled-up position. “And…they’re allowed to do whatever they want to me, and all the people like me? Just because…?”
“That, I’m not sure on, see? But nobody tends to ask questions ‘cause they want these animal bits cured. You know, some kinda vaccine ya can shoot into a baby an’ then be sure he won’t ever grow up to have animal bits.”
Alyce placed her hands on her ears. “So we’re just…diseased?”
“Whoa,” Grizz muttered, waving his hands in front of him, “I think that’s bullcrap. That’s what a lot of higher-ups are thinkin’, that ain't my opinion. They got laws an’ everything, see? Local Cross Town policy is that ya have to report a beastperson to the CTA whenever ya find one. So…ya know, it’s a huge medical kinda scare to them, see? The way I see it, though…if this started while Uncle was still alive an’ they still ain’t figured out a cure…it ain’t just somethin’ that’s even got a cure to throw at it, see?”
“Thank you, Grizz…” *I can tell you’re trying to stand up for me, in your own unique way…but still…* “…Grizz, do you think things will ever change?”
Grizz nodded. “Well, ya go an’ horrify enough people, an’ they’ll get scared straight, see? I bet if they knew the kinda hell the Asylum put you through, people would go back on all the awful laws they’ve made for this, ya know? That, or someone important gets animal bits an' they gotta eat their own words."
Alyce giggled. “But Grizz, it would have to be something cool, right? Imagine someone telling you what to do, and he has cute little kitty ears!"
Grizz laughed. “Yeah, ya got a point there.” Grizz offered a hand to Alyce, and pulled her to her feet. “Though if he had animal bits half as pretty as yours, that'd be its own reward, right?”
Alyce blushed. *Grizz, you know just what to say…* “Wait, what about other places? Are they crazy about beastpeople in other places?”
Grizz shrugged. “Sunshine, I’m just a homeless guy. The hell would I know about foreign affairs an’ shit? Son of a…if ya really wanna know, hit up the damn library.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do!” Alyce grabbed onto Grizz’s hand. “Grizz, take me to the library!”
“…alright, Alyce, that’s what we’ll do, then. Maybe we can get a map an' just leave for somewhere safe.” Grizz led Alyce out of the alleyway, and froze in his tracks. Alyce shared his shock as the tank came crashing down the street in their direction. “Oh crap,” Grizz muttered. “Forgot about this guy.”
Alyce glanced past the tank to see the police blockade in ruins. The squad cars were mangled, pushed aside, and some were even on fire. *Oh my…I hope nobody was in those cars! Why is this tank…what’s going on?*
Alyce stared up at the tank barreling down the road. It was a faded shade of green, and its front end had been fashioned into the shape of some sort of dinosaur. Three large spikes protruded outward from the tank’s face-like area, covered in a few materials that they had been speared through. All told, the dinosaur tank was larger than some of the surrounding buildings. “Grizz…?”
“Yeah, sunshine?”
“I’m scared.” Alyce jumped into Grizz’s arms in desperation.
“The hell you huggin’ me for?” Grizz muttered. “I’m just as scared as you are.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"From who?"]]
### Chapter 11
The sight of the dinosaur tank caused Alyce to cling fearfully to Grizz’s side. Grizz, however, stood his ground, staring up at the death machine rumbling right for them. “Grizz, what is it?” Alyce asked.
“Somethin’ about this here tank…” Grizz mumbled.
*Grizz, what are you looking at?* Alyce sized up the dinosaur tank to try and spot what it was that was captivating Grizz so. *I don’t see anything.* “Grizz, shouldn’t we run?”
Grizz nodded and began moving back toward his alleyway with Alyce in tow, but found his escape interrupted by an eruption of gunfire on the ground in front of him. Grizz leapt backwards and looked up at the dinosaur tank, which had some sort of machine gun pointed right at them. “Where are you two going?” a voice asked from some sort of loudspeaker system inside the tank. “Come on, if you leave now, you’ll miss the party!”
“Grizz! What are we going to do?”
Grizz spat at the ground. “Dammit, sunshine,” he replied, “looks like this guy’s not gonna let us run.” Grizz walked closer to the dinosaur tank and yelled a question to its operator. “What do you want with us?”
“Oh, do speak up!” the tank driver demanded. “I’m afraid I can’t hear you over all the screams of terror filling the streets!”
“Ugh.” Grizz shook his head. “Another nutcase.”
A blaring siren caught Alyce’s attention. “Grizz!” she shouted, pointing to a police car whipping around the corner. “Here comes a cop! He’ll be able to help us, right?”
Grizz silently pointed behind him, to the police roadblock that the dinosaur tank had previously wrecked. “The way I see it, he’ll be good for a distraction, tops, see?”
“A distraction?” *Grizz, you don’t want to help him?*
Grizz nodded. “Stay close…well, keep stayin’ close.”
Alyce nodded as she watched the lone police officer exit his car, megaphone in hand. “Freeze!” he shouted, one hand on the megaphone and the other on his pistol.
*Wait, that’s the same cop that was helping evacuate people before. He’s the reason Aaron’s mommy made it out OK!* “Grizz,” Alyce whispered, “shouldn’t we help him?”
“Nope,” Grizz answered. “He’s here to help us.”
The dinosaur tank’s guns turned to face the police officer. “You’re just one cop!” the driver informed him. “I plowed through an entire roadblock, and you think that you alone can stop me?”
“He’s right, ya know.” Grizz pulled Alyce into the alleyway while the dinosaur tank was kept busy by the lone police officer. “Come on, Alyce!” he shouted, having already fired up the Junkyard Moth. “We’re outta here!”
Alyce nodded and held herself close to Grizz aboard the motorcycle. “Grizz, isn’t there something we can do?”
Grizz went speeding out the other side of the alleyway. “Son of a…ya keep buggin’ me about tryin’ to be a hero, sunshine, but what am I gonna do? That tank is bulletproof, it’s got guns that’ll tear us to shreds, an’ it looks like it could knock over a damn building. An’…someone managed to build it outta scraps.”
“What? Did you just say ‘out of scraps’?” Alyce asked. “That thing? Is…is that even possible?”
“Yeah, that’s what I said. It’s the kinda miracle I’d only expect from…”
Alyce gripped Grizz tighter as the Junkyard Moth accelerated. “From who?”
“…Uncle. I mean, it couldn't be, I saw him die, but still, it shakes me up seein' that, ya know?"
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I gotta tell ya…"]]
Alyce put Grizz's sentence together in her head with the information she heard before. “Wait," she said as she came across a mismatch. "Didn’t you tell me he was dead by the time you came back from an errand?”
Alyce felt Grizz’s body expand and contract under the influence of a sigh, as he pulled the Junkyard Moth to the side of the road. “Alyce,” Grizz muttered after he silenced the engine, “I gotta tell ya…I lied to ya that time, see?”
Alyce took Grizz’s hand in hers. “Grizz…what do you mean? How…what lie?”
“I was there when Uncle died, see?” Grizz’s head tilted back, pointing his gaze to the sky. “I wasn’t out on some errand. I was there.”
“Then why did you lie about that?”
“I lied ‘cause I was ashamed, see? I watched the guys kill Uncle, an’ then I ran. Just up an’ out of the fire escape, see? I should’ve done more to help Uncle, after all the things he did to help me, an’ what did I do? I cut an’ ran.”
“But Grizz…you were just a little kid! What could you have done against armed robbers?”
Grizz turned his neck to look at Alyce. “See, that’s my point! Now will ya quit buggin’ me about bein’ a hero against this tank? I was powerless when Uncle died, an’ now I’m powerless against this killdozer thing causin’ this town so much trouble. So maybe now, ya won’t sit back there, tellin’ me, ‘oh, we should do something’ or ‘yeah, let’s help the cops even though we’re just two kids and one motorcycle’. Snap out of it, Alyce!”
Alyce reared back in shock. “I’m…I’m sorry, Grizz…I didn’t know, OK?”
“Damn.” Grizz bowed his head in shame. “Didn’t mean to yell at ya there.”
Alyce giggled. “Apology accepted,” she whispered, giving Grizz a big hug. “I’m glad you finally told the truth.”
“Yeah,” Grizz muttered. “Felt goo—“
A loud grinding, rumbling noise interrupted Grizz’s catharsis. Grizz fired up the Junkyard Moth as the building behind him was completely capsized. “Grizz, what’s going on?” Alyce asked.
“Crap…guess he can knock over buildings in that thing.”
“Who? Knock over buildings with what?”
Alyce’s questions were answered as the dinosaur tank emerged from the smoke and rubble of the collapsed building. “Hey kids!” the tank’s driver announced. “Did you miss me?”
“Oh well,” Grizz grumbled as he took the Junkyard Moth onto the road in an attempt to flee. “Today just ain’t my day.”
“Hmm…nice bike! Tell me where you got it, so I can send your next of kin a suitable replacement.”
“Next of kin?” Alyce repeated. “Suitable replacement? Grizz…are we supposed to feel insulted?”
“Just shut up an’ hold on,” Grizz replied, ignoring her question.
Alyce nodded and anchored herself against Grizz. *I just hope Beatrice and Aaron are OK.* Alyce chanced a glance behind her, to be greeted with the sight of the dinosaur tank’s twin machine guns being prepared to fire. “Look out, Grizz! He’s going to shoot us!”
Grizz took a deep breath. “A’ight, Uncle, time to put this bike to the test.” Grizz weaved through abandoned cars, mailboxes, and whatever else he could spot, in an effort to minimize the number of clear shots the dinosaur tank could get in on the Junkyard Moth.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Where are we going?"]]
*Grizz is so focused on the road ahead of us…I better keep watch of what’s behind us!* Alyce looked back and watched the dinosaur tank grow smaller and smaller in her view. “Grizz…I never noticed how much faster we are than the dinosaur tank!”
“Huh?” Grizz took a quick peek behind him when the bullets stopped flying. “Huh. Well, guess that’s our only real advantage.”
“What do you mean, Grizz?”
“One good shot from those guns could ruin our entire day, see? So we’re lucky we’re so much faster than the tank.”
Alyce nodded. “Grizz…I don’t want to bring this up, considering what you told me not too long ago…but…could we use that against the dinosaur tank somehow? You know, to stop it?”
“Oh, for fu—“ Grizz stopped himself mid-sentence. “…maybe. Tryin’ to do somethin’ with it puts you an’ me in a lot of danger, though, don’t it? Why don’t we just press our speed advantage an’ get the hell outta here?”
*I thought I had something there, but…I can tell by that pause that Grizz considered trying to do something. But just the fact that he’d have the two of us in danger…that stopped him cold. Grizz, you’re just full of surprises!* “OK. Let’s get out of here!”
“Great, an’ I know just how to do it!” Grizz announced, taking a hard left turn.
Alyce turned her head and watched the scenery fly by, as Grizz took turn after turn through the city. Finally, after a few minutes of counting how many left or right turns Grizz had made, Alyce lost count and found herself asking, “Where are we going?”
Grizz shrugged as Alyce saw the rear end of the dinosaur tank shoot past her vision. “If we take enough turns, that tank won’t know where we’re at!”
Alyce gave up on trying to follow exactly where in town they were once Grizz flew through his alleyway, reaching down to pick up a bag as he swooped through. “Grizz, won’t the person driving the tank hear your motorcycle? It’s loud!”
“The Moth’s loud, but that tank’s louder!” Grizz looped the handles of the bag over the left handlebar of his motorcycle. “Now, I know what you’re thinkin’ back there: ya really wanna try an’ help the town just ‘cause it’s the right thing to do. Am I right?”
Alyce nodded. “And you seem to think that fighting that tank would be a waste of time, or simply just too dangerous for a couple of kids like us to attempt. Is that about right, Grizz?”
Grizz laughed. “Well, sunshine, you knowin’ me so well saves me from havin’ to explain everything to ya. Now, how ‘bout we go swimmin’?”
*Oh…that bag must be the one with our swimwear and towels in it!* “Grizz…” Alyce began.
“Yeah, yeah,” Grizz admitted. “I know, it don’t feel right. It kinda bugs me too, really, abandonin’ the town an’ dodgin’ out on what could’ve been a real cool fight, just a man an’ his motorcycle against a tank that can crush a whole building. Yeah, I gotta admit, that would’ve been sweet. It’s too bad, though, ‘cause—“
Grizz’s imagination was interrupted by the wail of a police siren. *Another police car?* “Grizz, should we stop?” Alyce asked as the car pulled up behind them.
Grizz nodded silently and brought the Junkyard Moth to a stop on the side of the road. “Great, just what we need,” Grizz mused, “but we can’t go makin’ enemies of the cops, either. Alyce, just stay cool, keep that scarf on, an’ let me do the talkin’.”
“OK, Grizz.” Alyce gave Grizz a hug to calm the both of them.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"That ring!"]]
The police officer parked behind Grizz’s motorcycle and left his car to stand before the homeless youths. “Sir, where did you get that bike?” the officer asked.
“It’s a gift from someo—“ Grizz’s eyes dropped to the officer’s hand. “That ring! Where’d you get it?”
Alyce followed Grizz’s gaze and spotted a brilliant blue gemstone set in a ring on the officer’s finger. “Grizz, is that Geoff’s ring you mentioned before?” she asked.
“Wha…you two knew Geoff?” the officer gasped. “Just who are you, anyway?”
“Likewise!” Grizz retorted. “Name’s Grizz…this here’s a friend of mine named Alyce.”
“Hi!” Alyce shouted to the police officer, in her trademark enthusiasm.
“Hm…” The police officer scanned his eyes over a clipboard, tapping a pen against his chin. “Well, no clue who Grizz is, but…”
*Oh, right! Grizz is just a nickname! There’s no way the police officer would know him by that name. But…oh, what was his real name? I’ve got to tell the officer is real name!* “What about a, um…” *Oh, shoot, what was Grizz’s real name? Oh…it was some silly pun…um…* “…Lee?”
“Greg Lee,” Grizz corrected her. “But that ain’t important…”
The police officer’s jaw dropped. “Greg…?” he repeated. “Greg Lee? You mean that kid Geoff took in? That can’t be you…”
“Funny story…it is.”
“Grizz,” Alyce whispered, “this can’t be the best time to act like that. He’s still a cop, you know!”
“No, relax!” the police officer insisted, offering his hand to be shaken. “The name’s Officer O’Malley, and I—wait. ‘Grizz Lee’?”
Alyce giggled. “That’s what I said, too! Silly, isn’t it?”
“Dammit, you two,” Grizz groaned. “Here I am tryin’ to uphold Uncle’s legacy, an’ that’s funny to the two of ya?”
“Well, yeah!” O’Malley explained amid a storm of laughter. “Come on, ‘Grizz Lee’? You might think you’re doing The Grizzly Bear an honor, but…damn, he’d be so embarrassed! Oh man, honor ain’t in that man’s vocabulary!”
“Wait, ya knew Uncle?”
O’Malley’s laughter continued. “Sure I did! He drank a lot and was terrible at cards!”
*Hm…Grizz left those details out. I’m sure he had a reason, though!* “Where did you get his ring?” Alyce asked.
“He put it up for collateral in a card game!”
“That means Uncle didn’t have money to bet on a game,” Grizz whispered to Alyce, “an’ so he had to put up the ring as a bet instead. An’ by the looks of it, Uncle lost that game.”
“Gotcha,” Alyce whispered back. “Thank you, Grizz.” *You should explain things to me more often, especially your crazy street lingo!*
“Well, I'll be damned,” Grizz continued, “Uncle did tell me he played lots of cards with some guys, but…he always told me to get lost before the game started.”
“Ha, that’s because he was afraid you’d swear like us!” O’Malley explained. “Looks like that weren’t good for crap.”
Alyce giggled. “You two talk the same!” *Wonderful! Now…I won’t be able to understand a word. But I suppose that’s just going to help Grizz feel more comfortable with his uncle’s old friend!*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Hell no."]]
“Right then,” Grizz affirmed with a nod. “O’Malley, the hell you want with us? We’re fleein’ the dinosaur tank in the area, see? We don’t wanna get killed by that thing.”
“Yeah, that SOB,” O’Malley began. “We got threats called in this morning, from someone telling us they were on the way to crush the whole town. We never did get a motive out of them, but…here they are, smashing the town to bits. Right before I went on vacation, too.”
“Sounds like ya got your hands full, man.”
“Sure do. So…” Officer O’Malley stifled a laugh. “…Grizz. How the hell did you manage to survive? Didn’t Geoff get murdered by some robbers?”
Grizz nodded. “Yeah. I was…out at the time.”
“But Grizz, you wer—“ Alyce’s correction was halted by Grizz’s elbow gently nudging her in the stomach.
“I was out,” Grizz repeated, “an’ Uncle was dead when I came back. I got real scared, an’ hid on the streets.”
“You? Homeless?” O’Malley interjected. “You can’t be the Greg Lee that The Bear took in. That kid was a crybaby!”
“Yeah?” Grizz’s fingers clenched into a shaking fist. “Well, Greg ain’t here no more; now ya gotta answer to Grizz!”
“And…Alyce!” the foxgirl shouted. When she was met with four unblinking eyes, she added, “Just…thought I’d add.” *It seemed like the right thing to say. Oh well, Grizz has always been better at that sort of thing.*
“…well, whatever,” O’Malley said with a shrug. “I guess a kid grows up real fast once he ends up on the streets like that. Just saying…when The Bear was taking care of you, you were way different. Don’t worry, I can see you here now…you sure don’t look like that wimpy kid The Bear couldn’t get to stop crying.”
O’Malley nodded his approval. “Yeah," he added, staring into the sky, "we never did find another body back at Geoff’s place…I guess you could very well be the very same Greg Lee. Or…Grizz…” O’Malley silenced another laugh. “…whatever you call yourself these d—“
O’Malley’s jaw dropped, effectively stopping his sentence right then and there. Alyce turned around and spotted the source of O’Malley’s shock. “Oh…that dinosaur tank again!” she whined. Why can’t it just leave us alone?
“Son of a…” Grizz muttered. “That thing ain’t gonna leave us alone, is it?”
O’Malley shook his head. “Well…so that’s the tank. Never thought I’d see the day.” O’Malley turned his attention back to the two younger people in his presence. “Look, you two, it’s not safe around here. You gotta get out of here; I’ll hold this tank back.”
“But Officer,” Alyce mused, “all your other fellow officers haven’t been doing very well in that respect. You’re just one cop…what are you going to do?”
O’Malley shrugged. “I’m gonna hold my ground and tell the driver to stand down. That’s what we’re supposed to do when a perp is coming at us.”
Grizz let out an angry sigh. “Dammit,” he said, an air of command in his voice. “No. That is not your usual perp. That is a friggin' tank. You will not treat it like the usual perp. You will treat it like a friggin' tank…um…’cause it’s a friggin' t—“
“OK, kid, I get it,” O’Malley interrupted. “It’s a friggin' tank. So how do I stop it?”
“How do we stop it, you mean!” Alyce corrected him.
“Hell no,” both males present groaned in unison.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Alright, kids, your funeral."]]
“Sunshine, did you not understand my speech?” Grizz asked her. “That…is a friggin' tank.”
“But…if we move fast, it doesn’t have a chance!” Alyce reminded him. “Come on, Grizz, I pointed that out to you already! That tank is big, but it’s really slow, too! And it must have a weak point somewhere; didn’t you say it was made out of scrap metal, just like the Junkyard Moth?”
“…no way,” O’Malley retorted. “That thing…built from scrap? I call bull.”
“That’s my point, officer! If it’s that strange that someone built a whole tank by hand, then they must have messed up somewhere. And you know what that means!”
“Weak point,” Grizz guessed. “Yeah. And whoever put that thing together…it might have machine guns it can aim, but…other than that, there ain’t no way it could have the kinda craftsmanship the Moth’s got in it!”
“But it’s still a friggin' tank,” O’Malley dissented. “And all I have is my service pistol here.”
“Well, sir,” Alyce replied, “when all you have is a pistol…well, you’ll just have to find a use for it! Shoot the tank’s guns or something, you know? Grizz and I will stay on the move, and try to spot a weak point!”
“Two problems there, Alyce,” Grizz warned her. “One, I sure as hell ain’t agreed to your plan yet. Two, even if I did…I ain’t bringin’ ya along for the ride.”
Alyce shook her head and pulled Grizz into her embrace. “Grizz, I know you’re worried about me, but…where you go, I go! That’s how it’s always been, and that’s how it will always be!” *And in this time of need…I think you’ll need me by your side more than ever.*
“Someone’s gotta stay on the horn, though.” Grizz glanced at O’Malley’s squad car. “Someone’s gotta put some calls in to the cavalry, see?”
“Well, that would leave me,” O’Malley noted, “but…I shouldn’t send two kids to do a cop’s job.” O’Malley nodded toward the dinosaur tank, which had managed to close about two-thirds of the distance over the course of the entire conversation since it appeared. “But we’re running out of time here. If we’re gonna do this…Alyce, Grizz, you’ve got to decide now.”
*Ha! No contest.* “Count me in!” Alyce shouted.
“…damn,” Grizz grumbled. “Guess I gotta go too.”
“Alright, kids, your funeral,” O’Malley joked. “I'll will lay down some cover fire and call in backup if we need it.”
“OK, thanks officer!” Alyce cheered. “Come on, Grizz…”
Grizz met Alyce’s gaze, and seemed to know exactly what she wanted. “Yeah, yeah…”
“Let’s do it up!” Alyce and Grizz shouted together as they held each other tightly.
“…you kids are so dead,” O’Malley noted.
“Probably!” Grizz agreed. “But sunshine here, she’s stubborn when it comes to helpin’ people.” Before O’Malley could offer a reply, Grizz and Alyce were disentangled, speeding toward the dinosaur tank, armed with only a knife, their wits, and the motorcycle underneath them.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Back for more, kids?"]]
“Back for more, kids?” the tank’s driver taunted over the loudspeaker.
Grizz veered to the right and quickly circled around toward the back of the tank. “Look for a weak point or somethin’!”
“Right!” Alyce confirmed, her eyes scanning across the body of the tank as Grizz ran rings around it. *It’s no use…I don’t see any loose plates or anything!* Grizz finished a lap around the dinosaur tank, swerving to avoid gunfire on his way into a second lap. *Wait…way up there…* “Grizz! It looks like there’s a way inside the thing!”
“Great, sunshine! Where’s it at?”
“Up there!” Alyce pointed to the balcony-like structure most of the way up the tank’s back. “That must be how the driver gets inside!”
Grizz shook his head. “Sunshine, that’s way too high up. There’s gotta be another way in!”
*Oh…he does have a point. That entrance is so far away! I wonder how anyone even uses it in the first place. Unless they just put up a ladder and climb in…but we can't do that!* “But…I don’t see any other way in! We’ve been around all four sides, and that’s the only opening we’ve seen out here. There’s no weak plates or anything, either.” *Grizz…this is what you were afraid of this whole time, isn’t it? That there’d be nothing we could do? That this is way over our heads…wait…overhead…* “Grizz! What about…underneath the tank?”
Grizz turned his neck to look back at Alyce in shock. “You serious? Alyce, ya wanna scoot underneath this death machine? I mean, it's raised off the ground quite a bit, but I think it's still too short to stand under. And ya wanna get under it?” Grizz let out a quick chuckle. “That’s insane. Let’s do it up. Alyce, give O’Malley a wave, will ya?”
“Alright, Grizz!” On their next pass in front of the police officer, Alyce had one hand wrapped tightly around Grizz’s abdomen and the other waving frantically in the air. Alyce saw O’Malley nod and begin firing shots at the dinosaur tank’s machine guns. “Now what, Grizz?”
“Now…now it gets awesome.” Grizz turned away from the dinosaur tank and revved the Junkyard Moth’s engine in anticipation. “Better hold on tight for this one, sunshine!”
Alyce followed Grizz’s instructions as a wicked grin spread across his face. *I know that grin…what kind of insane stunt is Grizz planning?* “Ready!” she announced.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Time for some irony."]]“Ain’t nobody ready for this,” Grizz replied. Alyce was about to ask what that meant, but Grizz jolted the thought out of her head with a sudden burst of acceleration. “Here goes nothin’!”
Grizz threw the Junkyard Moth toward the ground and skidded sideways toward the dinosaur tank, issuing a shower of sparks from the safety wing being dragged along the pavement. “This is as low as we can go!” he shouted.
Alyce screamed and huddled up close to Grizz as the side of the tank took up more and more of her field of vision. To his credit, he was whooping with excitement as the motorcycle skidded uncontrollably along the ground, at a speed Alyce was sure could kill them both.
Eventually, the motorcycle ground its way to a halt underneath the dinosaur tank. “Phew…what a ride!” Grizz sighed, flipping his hair.
Alyce crawled off the Junkyard Moth and onto the asphalt. “Grizz…that was insane!” she finally managed to say. The trembling of the asphalt under the tank combined with the shaking of her own body from the sheer rush of adrenaline to make her really unccomfortable. She leaned her body against Grizz for support as the two of them marveled at the stunt.
“Told ya so.” Grizz tugged a handle he had found on the underside of the tank, revealing a way inside. “Looks like some kinda maintenance entrance.” Grizz motioned for Alyce to approach, so he could hoist her up into the dinosaur tank, and climb in after her. “Well…I gotta say, the craftsmanship up in here is really somethin’.”
Alyce took the chance to observe her surroundings. The maintenance chute was a short, square tunnel, surrounded on all sides by all sorts of electrical wires and moving gears. If anything were to happen to any part of the tank, this would be the place to tinker with it. “Yeah, Grizz…I still can’t believe someone put all this together.”
“Yeah, neither can they; that’s why they need this maintenance entrance.” Grizz flicked his knife into his hands and fixed his eyes upon various electronics. “Well…time for some irony.”
Alyce giggled. “We’re using the maintenance chute to break the dinosaur tank? Grizz, that’s genius!”
Grizz shrugged and began slicing whatever wires he could reach. “Eh, what can I say?”
Alyce felt the tank lurch to a stop around her, and watched as the lights in the maintenance chute began fading one by one. The gears moved slower and slower until they, too, were cold, dark, and motionless. “Grizz…now it’s just way too dark in here.”
“Well, whatever.” Alyce felt Grizz lift her into his arms and help her back into the street. At this point, the tank had driven past the Junkyard Moth, thankfully not crushing it. “Let’s just go tell O’Malley about the maintenance entrance an’ let him handle it from here.”
“Sounds fine to me!” Alyce cheered as they sped out from the dinosaur tank. Now that it had been completely incapacitated, it stood in the middle of the road, completely silent, its metallic visage grimacing in the shadows of the sun. *It’s even creepier when it’s not moving.*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Are you a cop?"]]
“Yo, O’Malley!” Grizz shouted as he pulled his motorcycle up to the cop. “We found a way in an’ slashed all the electronics we could find!”
“Well, no crap,” O’Malley replied. “Its guns have stopped and it’s not going anywhere. I suppose I can call in backup and take things from here. You kids are really something, you know that?”
“Well, looks like your police force needs more motorcycles, see?”
O’Malley laughed. “Damn…guess so.” O’Malley turned his attention to the radio communication system in his squad car. “This is Officer O’Malley, on the corner of—“
Suddenly, a meek voice on the other side of the radio interrupted him. “Finally! Mister, are you a cop? I need help.”
“The hell? Kid, this radio system’s for police use only! Get the hell of—“
Alyce put a hand on O’Malley’s wrist. “Stop!” she ordered. “I know who that is. Can I please talk to him?”
O’Malley nodded and handed Alyce the radio. "If you can get him off the squawker, you go ahead and do it."
“Hi Aaron!” she greeted.
“…oh, Miss Alyce, you’re there too!” the voice on the radio replied. “And Mister Grizz, is he around?”
“He is! Aaron, is something the matter?”
It took awhile for Aaron to voice his reply. “…Mommy’s gone.”
*What? He’s missing his mommy again?* “OK, Aaron…um, do you know where she is?”
“These big guys in black clothes took her. Alyce, are they…?”
*Oh no! They must be those men in black! They took Beatrice to the compound!* Alyce took a deep breath. *OK, Alyce. Stay calm. Aaron needs you to be calm.* “Yes, Aaron. They’re the same bad guys that are after me. Where are you now?”
“I don’t know. There’s a lot of people here with signs. They look angry.”
O’Malley snapped his fingers. “Sounds like a protest,” he mused. “Come to think of it, some religious group was staging a protest at the Cross Town Asylum, and there were a couple squad cars called in to set up a barricade in case things got dicey. That kid’s probably there.”
“Don’t worry, Aaron,” Alyce reassured the frightened child. “We’ll be there soon. Grizz will take us there on his motorcycle!”
“OK, Miss Alyce,” Aaron replied over the radio. “Please hurry.”
“We will!” Alyce handed the police radio back to Officer O’Malley. “Sorry about that!”
O’Malley shrugged. “Well, I guess…if the kid’s mom needs saving…it’s alright,” he reasoned. “You kids should probably go help that, uh, other kid. My men and I still have to subdue whoever’s driving this thing, and it might take awhile.”
Grizz laughed. “We weren’t expectin’ no backup anyways,” he noted, already straddling the Junkyard Moth. “O’Malley…you watch out in there.”
“Yeah, kid. You too.” O’Malley began calling for backup on his radio as Alyce joined Grizz aboard the motorcycle.
“Son of a…” Grizz grumbled as he fired up the engine. “We just can’t catch a damn break.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I'll watch your back."]]
### Chapter 12
Alyce wrapped her arms as tightly around Grizz as she could, while the Cross Town Asylum rose from the horizon to greet her. Its shadow seemed to reach for the two of them as they approached, eager to devour Alyce all over again. *I really hoped I’d never have to come back here ever again. But…Aaron’s mommy is in trouble. Grizz needs me to help him navigate the area, and I need Grizz to keep me safe…so there’s no choice. We both have to go in and help find Beatrice.* “Grizz…?” Alyce said, her voice weak with fear.
“…yeah?” Grizz replied, with much less audible fear in his voice.
“I’m scared.”
“Of course you are…we ain’t exactly headed to Paradise here.” As the compound finished rising into view, Alyce spotted the protesters O’Malley had mentioned, shouting angrily and holding up signs. “Well…looks like we ain’t the only ones pissed with this place.”
“How are you so calm, anyway?”
“Honestly? I’m totally not. Even Uncle was scared as hell by the kinds of things that happen up in there.”
“Then…how are you acting so calmly?”
“Sunshine…that’s what bravery really is. It’s when you’re so friggin’ scared…an’ yet ya press on anyway.”
“Oh…OK.” *Grizz is right. No matter how scary this is…I have to be brave. For myself, for Grizz, and for Aaron. And…as long as I have Grizz around, everything should be OK.* “Grizz?”
“…what now?”
“You won’t let anything bad happen to me in there…will you?”
“I’ll watch your back. Just…watch mine, too, will ya?”
Alyce took a deep breath. “Right. I’m behind you all the way!”
Grizz pulled up and brought the Junkyard Moth to a stop a block away from the compound. “A’ight…you know the place better than anybody…so I’m countin’ on ya here. I don’t wanna drag ya into this place, but…I need someone to tell me which way to go.”
Alyce dismounted the bike and gave Grizz a heartfelt hug once he was on his feet. “I’m not letting you go in there alone.”
Grizz chuckled, though this laugh felt devoid of humor in some strange way. “Yeah…didn’t think ya would. That's why I skipped the step where I try talkin' ya outta comin' with.” Grizz smashed his knuckle into his opposite palm a couple times. “Right. Let’s do it up.”
Grizz and Alyce traveled the last block on foot, and Alyce stopped to observe the protesters. They were a varied lot, but their cause was unified; judging from the signs and chants, Alyce figured out their cause was related to stopping the experiments that were going on inside the Asylum. *Hm…exactly why they’re against it…I can’t really tell. Oh, that guy in the middle looks like he knows.*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Now, sir, don't be rude."]]
Alyce slinked and shimmied her way through the crowd, before finding herself next to a familiar bearded man clad in a robe and clutching a book to his side. “Um…excuse me…” Alyce said, tugging on the man’s robe.
“And that is—oh…what is it?” the bearded man said, turning to face Alyce. “Oh…it’s you! From the park! That hapless shr—“
“Hey, she ain’t alone, ya know,” Grizz interrupted, shoving aside a few protesters to take his place.
“My, my, imagine meeting you two barbarians here.”
“Now, sir, don’t be rude,” Alyce scolded him. “I just wanted to ask why you’re here, if you please.”
“Well…not that you would care, but…the heathens in this building are attempting to harvest a beastperson vaccine from the beastpeople, killing them in the process.”
“Oh! So you’re saying you care about beastpeople now!”
The bearded man laughed. “Oh…heavens, no! We just can’t have science interfering in God’s work! This cure would obscure the sinners that—“
Grizz interrupted the bearded man’s sermon by way of a right hook to the chin. “Ugh,” he grumbled, “we don’t have time for this crap. Come on, let’s just find the kid's mom an’ move on.”
“Oh, O-OK,” Alyce stammered. “Everyone…I’m sorry my friend punched your leader in the face! He’ll…he’ll be fine, though, right?” Alyce shrugged and ran up to the two police cars that had been parked in front of the steps into the compound. She peered into the windows of them, until Aaron’s head popped up in one of them. Alyce opened the door and gave Aaron a hug. “Hey Aaron!”
“Hi, Miss Alyce!” Aaron greeted her. He looked past her, where Grizz was standing over the bearded man, rubbing his fist in satisfaction. “Hi, Mister Grizz!” Grizz looked up and waved briefly.
“So…Aaron, wasn’t your mommy getting a ride from the cops to keep anything bad from happening to her?”
Aaron nodded. “Yes, but…the cops brought her here when her hat fell off. They left me in the car here…they want to figure out what to do with her before they deal with me. That’s what they said.”
*Oh…right…didn’t Grizz tell me that there was a local law about reporting beastpeople to the asylum?* “Well, Aaron, don’t worry…Grizz and I are going in there to find your mommy, OK?”
“But Miss Alyce, I thought you were running away from these bad men!”
“I was, Aaron. I was. But…you need my help. Your mommy needs my help. So I have to stop running for now, OK?”
Aaron squirmed out of Alyce’s embrace. “So…should I stop running too? I should go in there and help find Mommy too, right?”
Alyce shook her head. “Aaron…you’re much too young. It’s bad enough that I have to go in there, because…” To prove her point, Alyce ripped the scarf off of her head, revealing her fox ears. When the entire crowd of protesters behind her gasped, she instantly realized her mistake.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Didn't mean to make a scene."]]While Alyce was a little scared at the crowd seeing her fox ears, Grizz seemed to just roll with it. “Yeah, she’s got animal bits!" he shouted at the protest group blocking their entry into the ASylum. "Big deal, guys.”
He took a few more steps toward them and continued, “Really, now, this girl here’s a real nice dame, an’ it don’t mean nothin' that she’s got them fox ears, ya know? She ain’t cursed or a damn sinner or whatever. In fact, she an’ I came here to help a little kid find his mom in that hellhole, see?"
Grizz started really getting into what he was saying, throwing in some arm gestures to punctuate his next point. "Dissections!" he shouted. "Torture! Shots! Death! She knows damn well the guys in there want her for their experiments, an’ she’s chargin’ in all brave-like anyway."
"Now," Grizz said, spreading his arms in a gesture to part the crowd, "y’all can stay out here an’ go off about the apocalypse or whatever the hell. But Alyce here? I admire this gal, an’ I’m goin’ in after her. Y’all can help, or y’all can stay the hell outta the way.”
Grizz stopped and kicked the bearded man on the ground one last time for emphasis. “Seriously," he finished, "y'all are almost as bad as the guys in this here asylum sometimes.” Grizz came over and put a hand on Alyce’s shoulder. “Phew. Didn’t mean to make a scene. So…ya ready?”
“Grizz…I really liked your speech,” Alyce complimented.
“Yeah, yeah…”
Aaron nodded. “It was a good speech!” he agreed. “Well…good luck in there, Miss Alyce, Mister Grizz! I’ll be waiting out here for the two of you…and my mommy!”
“Don’t worry, kid, ain’t nobody that can stop me!”
“Right, and I’ll be right behind Grizz!” Alyce added. “So…no worries, right?” Alyce led Grizz up the stone steps leading to the front doors of the compound. She pulled at the handle, but the door refused to budge. “Grizz…the door’s locked!” she announced.
“So?” Grizz retorted, running back down the steps. Alyce watched in complete confusion as Grizz snatched a sign from one of the protesters and brought it back up. “There, see…look at the handle on this thing. Nice, well-crafted wood.” Grizz shrugged and used the sign to smash through the glass panes of the front doors.
“There!" he chirped, satisfied at the hole in the glass. "See, the hell do we care if the door’s locked?” Grizz threw the sign back to the crowd, though it landed a little short, catching the bearded man leading the protest square in the stomach. “Yeah, didn’t actually mean to do that.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"He's got us beat."]]
Alyce shrugged and followed Grizz through the shattered glass, and back into the compound. “For the record, Grizz, I really should have thought of breaking the glass. That’s how I got out of here in the first place!”
“Great. Enough with the history lesson.” Grizz stopped and jerked his neck to and fro, resulting in a loud cracking noise. “Where would the kid’s mom be?”
Before Alyce could answer, some compound employee was rounding the corner and heading straight for them. “Hey!” she shouted. “What’s the meaning of this?”
Grizz shrugged and punched him in the stomach, leaving him to fall over a counter and crumple up on the floor. “Shit…probably didn’t need to deck their secretary that hard,” he observed.
“No kidding, Grizz!” Alyce shrieked. “Please, be careful you don’t hurt anybody!”
Grizz scoffed. “These are the monsters that want to kill ya, and ya want me to have mercy on ‘em? Ugh. Whatever. Let’s just…”
Before Grizz’s thought could reach its completion, Alyce’s ears stood up in attention as the compound’s intercom system crackled to life.
“Welcome to the Cross Town Asylum,” a foreboding voice greeted. “Unfortunately, we don’t have any tours scheduled…and judging by the fact that you punched out our secretary, I imagine you don’t have an appointment. Sir, you must just be here to return our little runaway to us.”
Grizz’s hands balled into the tightest fists they could make as his head darted about. “Damn. They caught us on camera!”
“Indeed we have. The entire compound also has live audio feed…you know, just in case someone decides to sympathize too deeply with these beasts.”
“Alright, shut the hell up! Ya know I ain’t here to give Alyce back to ya! In fact, we’re here to take another person off your hands, see?”
“Ah…but that would be stealing.”
Seeing Grizz so overcome with anger was igniting Alyce’s passion as well, until she couldn’t hold herself back anymore. “Grizz doesn’t care, he’s a thief!” Alyce shouted. “And even so, he’s the good guy here! So…stop being rude to my Grizz!”
A soulless chuckle shook the very walls of the compound. “A talking animal, how charming. Oh well, it will turn to screams soon enough.”
A brigade of black-suited men filed into the lobby, quickly surrounding Alyce and Grizz with their imposing frames. “I’m glad we still have enough men to surround you,” the voice on the intercom continued. “I don’t know how the two of you did it, but you turned one of our own against us. He managed to murder a fairly large number of our enforcers, too, before we figured out what was going on. Such a shame; he was one of our better agents."
There was a short pause in the speech over the intercom. Alycce used it to size up the competition. *It's no good,* she thought, *we're surrounded!*
"Hm, all’s well that ends well, though," the intercom voice continued. "Soon, we’ll have Alyce back, thanks to you, young man. Now…won’t you kindly come along quietly to the center surgery room, and deliver our property back to us without further incident? We’ve no intention of harming any humans today, you know.”
“Ugh…he’s one sick freak, but…he’s got us beat,” Grizz admitted, raising his hands into the air. “Fine, let’s go.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I can't stand this guy."]]
*Grizz…? We can’t just…you’re giving up? And…so soon? Wait…maybe you have a plan. Yeah, that’s it. You always have a plan, Grizz…though I don’t like how this one starts.* Alyce sighed as the men in black trained their guns on Alyce and Grizz. “Please put those away,” Alyce pleaded. “We’ll go quietly.”
“Don’t reason with them,” the voice on the intercom snapped. “They’re trained not to fall for…whatever you did to that traitorous enforcer I mentioned before.”
Alyce felt the men in black shoving her and Grizz to their destination, and noted the looks on the other beastpeople interred in the compound. As Alyce was paraded by their cells, she noted a distinct look of apathy on their faces. *They’ve probably already given up hope…they don’t need these men in black to make an example out of me.* “Grizz…they’re leading us to the surgery wing. I…don’t need to tell you what happens there.” Tears began squeezing their way out of Alyce’s eyes.
“Hey,” Grizz reassured her, “I told ya, I’d stick with ya ‘till the end, see?”
*But…I don’t want things to end here, Grizz.* “I…”
“Shh…come on, sunshine, buck up.”
Eventually, Alyce and Grizz were herded around enough corners to find themselves in a surgery room, with a lone doctor standing in front of a stretcher. His white uniform was stained in blood, and he peeled away his surgical headwear to reveal unkempt blond hair and an unsettling smile. “So…you’re Alyce,” the doctor began.
“And you’re the jerk from the intercom!” Alyce retorted. Grizz nodded, perhaps in approval of the comeback.
“Well, well…as the chief of staff, I’m expected to keep myself updated on the beasts we take in here…but nowhere in your files does it say you’re such a rude little twit.”
“Look, cut the crap,” Grizz demanded. “We came ‘cause we heard ya got a new inmate recently, an’ we wanna bust her out, see?”
The chief of staff let out a bone-chilling cackle. “Oh, don’t you have quite the sense of humor! Men…leave us alone in here for a bit. I’m dying to hear a few more jokes from this boy before I move on to the surgery.”
The men in black nodded and left, though Alyce noted some obvious discomfort from a few of the men before they could leave. “Now,” the chief continued, “tell me more about this beast. We get new submissions all the time, you know.”
“You sicko!” Alyce interjected. “Her name is Beatrice! She’s not a beast, she’s a mommy!”
“Come now, you must know some actual defining characteristics, hm? Or did you honestly expect me to believe that I would endeavor to know people by name? Honestly…do slaughterhouses chronicle the life story of every cow they turn to beef?”
“Dude…the hell is wrong with you?” Grizz shouted. “Ya just said ya have records of everyone on file that they expect ya to keep up on, an’…that ain’t even gettin’ into how insane you are for comparin’ a mother to a burger! Alyce…I can’t stand this guy.”
“Me neither,” Alyce agreed.
“Well…what can you do?” the chief of staff demanded. “You’re just two kids, trapped in a building crawling with security, and I myself have Alyce right where I want her! And…I might still have this other patient somewhere on hand. I don’t know, I don’t care. All I know is that your fates are all mine to control at this point. Stand down, and Alyce gets butchered; resist, and things just get bloodier. Well?”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I give up."]]
“I…” Alyce gasped. *I understand your pessimism, Grizz. He’s…got a really good point. We’re trapped, alone, outmuscled, and…what can we do?* Alyce sank to her knees. *Why did we even come? Why did I drag Grizz into this?* “…I give up.”
The chief of staff cackled once again, with so much intensity and creepiness that Alyce almost fell off balance just from the wicked influence it seemed to cast. “So, you’re a smarter animal than I thought." he said. "Now, what of your owner here?”
Grizz simply responded with a solid right hook, knocking the chief of staff onto his back. “I ain’t her owner!” Grizz shouted as he straddled the dazed doctor. “She ain’t no animal!” At this point, Grizz began punctuating his sentences with his fists, using his left hand for one sentence and his right hand for the next.
“Sicko! Alyce is a person! Same as me an’ anyone else! And you! Will! Not! Hurt her!”
Grizz stopped to catch his breath, his hands dripping with blood. Alyce looked down and gasped at the sight of a large cut on the chief of staff’s forehead. *Did Grizz manage to cut that man with nothing but his fists?* Alyce slowly rose to her feet and put a hand on Grizz’s shoulder. “It’s OK,” she reassured him, “calm down.”
“I…” Grizz rose to his feet and shook his hands dry. “…I just lost my cool for a bit there. I couldn’t handle him talkin’ about ya like that, ya know?”
“Well, well,” the chief of staff muttered, rising to his feet. “Lesson learned. Apparently the thief is a fair bit more noble and chivalrous than he lets on. Just one problem, thief.” The chief reached under his lab coat, and when his hand reappeared, it was clutching the handle of an enormous serrated blade, still glistening with the blood of a previous victim. “Chivalry is dead, and you’re next.”
Grizz laughed. “Man, ain’t you just a bucket of crazy. Look at yourself…how are ya gonna handle this?” With a flick of the wrist, Grizz had his knife at the ready.
“Me alone…perhaps you can handle. But…” The chief of staff held down the button on a device he had around his neck. “All enforcers to the central surgery room!” he demanded into the device, his voice finding itself blasting out of the intercom system.
Grizz glanced to his left, and nudged Alyce into doing the same. There was an array of monitors on the wall, which had apparently been set to show the video feed coming in from security cameras all throughout the compound. Grizz was pointing to one monitor in particular, which Alyce strained to make sense of.
Finally, she spotted the reason for Grizz’s interest: one camera pointed into the center of the lobby, where all the men in black were filing out the broken front door toward an unusual shape looming on the horizon. Whatever it was, it was in the opposite direction as they'd been ordered. “Grizz!” Alyce cheered. “That’s…they’re…it’s…”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Come on, Grizz!"]]
“Yeah, sunshine,” Grizz said, staring at the security monitor. “The dinosaur tank. Damn, this must be O’Malley’s doin’ somehow.”
“…you crafty kids,” the chief of staff finally mumbled. “Distracting my enforcers with such imposing backup…but I can still kill you both right here and now! Then it will all be for naught! This struggle will barely be a footnote in the long and storied history of Cross Town Asylum! And…you two…who will mourn your passing? Who will tell stories of your existence to pass on your legacy? Nobody!” The chief of staff gave one last battle cry before leaping into battle against Grizz.
“This dude…is so crazy.” Grizz’s knife clashed against the chief’s imposing blade.
Alyce took the time to retreat to a corner of the room and observe the fight from relative safety. *What is that weapon the chief of staff is using? It…could be some sort of modified surgical tool. It doesn’t have the same kind of handle that Grizz’s knife does, not at all!*
Alyce shook her head. *No…come on, Alyce, focus! Grizz needs your support!* “Come on, Grizz!” Alyce cheered. “Nobody can beat you in a knife-fight!”
“Hm, isn’t her timing strange?” the chief noted, the blood from his head wound dripping down the side of his face. “She’s found herself a dose of confidence, just in time to see you fail her.”
“Like hell I’ll fail her!” Grizz retorted. His anger ended up getting the better of him, however, as an enraged swing of his knife missed its mark, and before Grizz could revert to defense, the chief’s blade ended up drawing some blood from Grizz’s arm. Grizz simply gritted his teeth, held onto his wounded shoulder, and did his best to stay in the fight.
*If Grizz gets too angry, he slips up, and ends up getting hurt for it!* Alyce took a deep breath. *OK…I really need to cheer him on better. I don’t want more of those slip-ups happening!* “Grizz, stay calm!” Alyce advised him. “Don’t let him get you mad!”
“It ain’t easy, ya know!” Grizz carried on the conversation despite being focused enough to find his own opening through which to score a hit on the chief of staff. His hit wasn’t nearly as devastating, however. “Anger’s as strong as emotions come, remember?”
“Maybe so! But keep your cool!” *Oh, if I could just go over there and give him a big hug right now…that would keep him calm! But…oh, Grizz, I’m so worried about you! You have to win this fight! I…can’t imagine this world without you!*
The chief of staff locked eyes with Alyce for a split-second, but to Alyce, it felt like at least five seconds. “Come on, Grizz!” he repeated in a mocking tone, followed by maniacal laughter. “I see the fear in her eyes…it’s the same fear all animals show just before the slaughter!”
Alyce turned her head slightly. “He’s wrong, Grizz! He’s just saying that because he’s losing!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Do you know Agent Venom?"]]
“I never lose! I never die!” the chief said, stressing his point by shoving Grizz's knife away with his blade. Grizz's arm went with it, which opened him up to get pushed over the stretcher in the room, knocking him over. With frightening speed, Alyce found herself being held in place by the chief of staff, his blade pressed dangerously against her throat.
Grizz rose to his feet and gasped in shock. “You…sick bastard,” he muttered. “She ain’t a part of this fight. Let her go.”
“Didn’t I already tell you? Chivalry is dead, thief. But perhaps you can put that decency to use and stand down? I’m a doctor. I save lives. All I want to do is complete my research. There's so much potential here…a cure is only the beginning! Tell me, thief, do you know Agent Venom?" When Grizz remaind silent, the chief shook Alyce in his grip a little. She flinched and gave a short yell as the motion pressed her against his blade a bit. "Do you?"
"Look, man, I dunno!" Grizz answered, finding his footing, his knife still in his hand. "That was forever ago!"
"Historians like Ace say that it's the bioweapon that caused the downfall of civilization all those years ago…but some of our tests have found trace amounts in these beasts' bodies! Do you know what that means?" Grizz shrugged a little. "Exactly, you don't! And neither do we! But what we find out could do more than cure these animals…why, it could strengthen the whole human race!"
Grizz shook his head and flourished his knife in front of him. "Yeah, well, tell it to the judges at the science fair, Poindexter," he said, taking a step toward the chief. He stopped his advance, looking Alyce square in the eye, but didn't drop his stance. "You ain't cuttin' Alyce up just to learn about some old biowhatever."
The chief of staff made a clicking sound with his mouth as he shook his head. "Then let me put your situation in a way your tiny brain can grasp. My enforcers are still trying to keep that blasted tank of yours from flattening the entire complex…you can still slip out unnoticed.” Alyce struggled to break the chief’s grip, but quickly relented when he proved himself stronger. “Come on, thief. All you have to do is leave.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Stupid boy."]]
“Grizz…” Alyce cried. “You can’t leave me. Please…” Ever since the chief of staff had offered Grizz the opportunity to escape, Grizz had been awfully silent. *He's not considering it, is he? Wait…what am I thinking? I'm the one that dragged him here. Grizz…if you do leave now…I would understand…*
“Aww, listen to it cry," the chief of staff said. "Doesn’t the beast sound so sad? Don’t worry, thief…after awhile, the screams just sort of blend together…and then butchery just turns into a day’s work.”
Grizz shrugged. “See, Alyce?" he said. "This here’s why I ain’t fond of killin’. Ya get too comfortable doin' it, ya end up turnin’ into a psycho like this guy.”
Grizz lunged forward with his knife, but the chief of staff was ready. The psychotic doctor released his grip on Alyce, and as she fell to the floor, she watched in horror as the chief plunged his blade into Grizz’s guts. Blood seeped out of the wound as a hollow expression of shock spread across Grizz’s face.
“Stupid boy,” the chief grunted. “All that talking you did…it made your intentions far too clear. What…were you trying to surprise me?” Grizz’s knife fell from his hand, clattering loudly on the linoleum floor. The chief watched the knife bounce away from the two of them before turning his gaze back to Grizz. “You see…you never had a chance from the beginning. You were just one thief…what did you think was going to happen?”
While the chief taunted Grizz, Alyce’s gaze flicked down to Grizz’s knife.
*I think I understand you now, Grizz. What you did to Caulder…you were afraid this would happen to me. You killed that fishman because you had to protect me…even if it meant compromising your own morals, you wanted to do whatever you could for me. And…I want to return the favor.*
Alyce snatched up Grizz’s knife and rose to her feet. The chief of staff jerked his blade to defend himself, but since Grizz was still stuck onto it, he was unable to stop Alyce from plunging the knife directly into his throat, her attack powered by some emotion that had welled up inside her. *Is…is this anger? No…it feels…stronger.*
Alyce fell backwards, in shock of what she had just done, despite all the mental justification she had gone through. It was the distressed gurgling sort of sound he made that pushed her over the edge, and made her just want to crumple to the floor *Grizz…you were right. This…is the most unpleasant feeling I’ve ever had.* As the chief fell backwards from his wound, Grizz followed suit.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I love you."]]
Alyce caught Grizz in her arms and knelt on the floor with him cradled close to her. “Grizz…are you OK?” she asked.
A violent cough burst out of Grizz’s mouth. “Ow…” he muttered. “…sunshine. The hell. I got a blade stuck in me. The point on this thing ain’t very sharp…so the fact that that nutjob managed to stick it in me like this…damn…it hurts.” Alyce reached for the handle of the blade, but Grizz grabbed her hand out of the air. “Naw…ya take it out, an’ I’ll bleed even more. So…ya killed someone.”
Grizz’s wound was oozing plenty of blood as it was, so Alyce relented. “Yeah…I’m just like you, huh?”
“Lucky you.” Alyce was looking directly into Grizz’s eyes, but it was difficult to do so since Grizz was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. “Ow.”
“Grizz…you’re going to be OK, aren’t you?”
“I…I dunno. This…this is really painful. I’m amazed I ain’t passed out from the shock.”
“Grizz, please…are you going to die?” *You…you can’t die. I…* Alyce began crying full stop. *I need you.* “You can’t leave me. Please…” *I…think I understand everything now. That one thing I could never manage to tell Grizz…the fact that I’m more concerned with him than the fact that I just killed a man…it all makes sense.*
“Can’t leave ya, huh, sunshine? Fuckin’ A…why’s that?”
“Because, Grizz…” *Beatrice…I think you were right. I finally realize it now.* “…because I love you, Grizz. I need you. You can’t die.”
Grizz laughed weakly. “So…ya love me…damn, Alyce. What a crappy time to say so.” Grizz began tearing up as well. “Great…now if I die…I’ll feel so guil—“
“No,” Alyce interrupted. “You won’t die. You can’t. You’re going to be OK.” Alyce rose to her feet, with Grizz still draped across her arms. *Wow…I didn’t think I was this strong. I guess…it’s that I have to Grizz needs me to be strong, so I am.* “Come on. We’re going to get you help. You’re going to be OK.”
“Hey… what about that…that kid’s mom?”
“Beatrice…I just don’t know, Grizz. Look, we need to help you. I…can’t let you die.” *I won’t.*
“I…guess I ain’t…I ain’t in no position to give orders, huh?” Grizz blinked the tears from his eyes. “Goddamn. Part of me really wants to pass out from this. But you…you’ll think I died. I’m fightin’ to stay awake, see?”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"It's been real, Alyce."]]
Alyce slipped her tail out and laid it gently across Grizz’s chest.
*My tail always seemed to comfort him before…maybe it will help him now. Grizz…even in your condition…you fight for my sake. That’s…that’s what love really is, isn’t it? He and I are willing to do such desperate things for one another’s sake…we push ourselves to the limit, just to make the other happy. I…can’t let this slip away from me. Especially not now…not after I’ve finally realized everything. Please, Grizz…you’re going to be OK.*
“…thanks, Grizz.”
Alyce finally reached the front door, and fell to her knees before she was able to traverse just one of the many stone steps leading down from the compound. “Please!” she yelled to the diverse crowd gathered around her—protesters, men in black, police, and the random onlookers they attracted. The dinosaur tank blocked out the majority of the setting sun, but Alyce still clearly saw Officer O’Malley climb out from the maintenance hatch. “Please!” Alyce repeated. “Someone help Grizz! He’s been stabbed!”
“…hey,” Grizz whispered to her. “You…you’re a great kid. It’s…been real…Alyce. I…nah. I shouldn’t say it.”
*Grizz’s speech is becoming even more fragmented and pained. I…can’t give up! Grizz is going to be OK. He’s going to be fine and we’re going to be together. It’s…all going to be OK.* “No, Grizz. You can tell me anything.” Some people were already running up the steps to help Grizz with his wound, apparently ignorant of Alyce’s fox features. *Now they run to us…when they’d usually run from us.* “Come on, Grizz. Focus on me. What…what is it you want to say?”
“I…I…” Grizz’s head fell limp before he could finish his sentence.
“Grizz…?” Alyce gaze Grizz a gentle shake. “Grizz, what were you saying? Oh no…” *He’s…he’s…* Alyce began crying into Grizz’s chest. “Grizz! Wake up! Please!” Alyce looked up to the sounds of approaching sirens. Among the emergency vehicles, Alyce spotted a few ambulances. *I’ve got to…get Grizz to them…before it’s too late!*
Alyce summoned the last of her strength to rise to her feet once again, and slowly hauled Grizz down the steps, stopping when she noticed that the protesters were blocking her path, with the bearded man directly in front of her. “Please…let us through,” Alyce pleaded, the words having to force their way around a lump in her throat. “Don’t let this man die on me.” The bearded man silently nodded and stepped aside, prompting the crowd to follow suit. “Thank you.”
Alyce continued through the crowd as Aaron ran up behind her. “Miss Alyce…are you OK?” he asked. “Is Mister Grizz OK? Is my mommy OK?”
Alyce sighed deeply. “Aaron…I’ll tell you later.” Once Alyce breached the crowd of spectators, an ambulance pulled up in front of her. “Please,” she begged the paramedics that came out. “Please help Grizz.”
“Ma’am…we’ll do our best,” a paramedic promised her, pushing a stretcher in front of her to place Grizz on. With Grizz out of her grip, Alyce quickly fell to her knees, exhausted from the day’s endeavors. “Hey…you don’t look so well.”
“I…” Alyce began, but before she knew it, the words became lost in her throat, never to escape. She felt her consciousness rapidly slip away from her, until all the chaos around her plunged into silent darkness.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"And that's how we all met."]]
### Epilogue
“…and that’s how we all met,” Alyce finished, taking a deep breath.
“Are you sure?” Aaron asked. “I bet Grizz knew a bunch of things you didn’t. And…you skipped lots of stuff.”
Alyce giggled. “Yeah, yeah…I do wish Grizz was here to help me tell the story, though. He was always better with details, after all.”
“I know, but…what happened to the dinosaur tank? Were you OK? What about the—“
“Aaron, please…one question at a time! Besides…do you really think your classmates really want to know all those details?”
Aaron nodded. “They think I’m really cool! They haven’t met very many Crosses before, and Miss Bryant always says I can teach them about us better than she can!”
“Well…OK. But you don’t tell them all the scary details, do you?” Alyce asked.
“Um…sometimes!” Aaron admitted. “Miss Bryant tried to tell me once that not every kid has been through all the bad stuff I’ve been…but my classmates think it’s all so awesome! It’s like a movie!”
*Well…I guess if his teacher is trying to use him to help his classmates learn tolerance…why, I remember the time she called and said, “Why do you teach your son to call a Cross a beastman? We are in an age of political correctness now! It’s not right for you to make him so ashamed of his heritage!”*
*And then I had to tell her, “I’m a fox Cross, and his real mommy was a tiger Cross! I didn’t think I was teaching him intolerance!”* Alyce laughed at her own thoughts.
“OK, OK…so, Aaron, go ahead, ask me about some details," she offered. "I can try to answer them!” *Though…Grizz would be a lot better at answering most of your questions, I bet.* “But you only get so many questions, see? You have to go to bed in time to wake up for school tomorrow!”
Aaron nodded. “OK…so how did we get this house? And how did we turn into a family?” Aaron gasped. “Oops! That’s two questions! But…it’s really hard to only ask one question at a time.”
Alyce giggled. “No, it’s OK, those have the same answer. OK, so…since you lost your mommy after that day when the compound took her, and your daddy was in a building that the dinosaur tank knocked over—“
“Hold on!” Aaron interrupted. “Start with the dinosaur tank. What was that?”
Alyce shrugged. “I don’t know…I think the driver got arrested for all the people she hurt—“
“She? Like, a girl? It was a girl in there?”
“Yes, Aaron. She drove around, and claimed she was an alligator Cross. Apparently, a Cross had run away with her sister because they were in love, and she didn’t like that, so she tried to make it look like Crosses were really bad people. People already didn't like Crosses, and she wanted to use that to get people on her side. She built a big tank, used a special machine to make her voice sound deeper, and she hurt a lot of people…so the cops had to put her in jail. The cops ended up taking the tank apart so nobody else could hurt people with it.”
“So…did Grizz’s uncle really have something to do with it after all?”
“Nope! Grizz’s uncle was…long gone by that point. Grizz was just really scared when he said that!” *I don’t blame him, though…it’s crazy how she was good at building machines from scrap, just like Geoff.*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"A year and a half."]]
Aaron was sitting on his bed as he silently worked on the exercises his teacher had given him. *Miss Bryant says I’m really smart, but I need to practice my letters just like everyone else. Let’s see…A…B…*
“Aaron!” Alyce’s voice suddenly called from the living room. “Come look!”
“Coming, Miss Alyce!” Aaron shouted back as he leapt off his bed and ran to the living room. “What is—“ Aaron followed Alyce’s gaze out the window, and he quickly found himself being greeted by a landscape of sheer whiteness. Even as he stared, a fresh layer of snow was being dropped into place from the clouds above. “Wow! Look at all that snow!”
Alyce nodded. “I bet there won’t be any school tomorrow!”
“But that’s…my last day! I didn’t say goodbye to Susie or any of my other friends yet…”
Alyce giggled. “You’ll see them after school reopens in January, won’t you?”
“Yeah, but…it would be rude to not say goodbye…”
Alyce shook her head as her fox tail wagged behind her. “Don’t worry, Aaron…I’m sure they won’t be mad. They’ll just be glad to see you after the break!”
Aaron’s mouselike nose wiggled. “But…we’re all going to miss each other a lot…”
Alyce rose to her feet, her thin frame and long brown hair caught in silhouette against the bright white void outside the window behind her. “Then maybe we should just have a party here!”
Aaron’s mouse ears perked up at the idea. “Do you really mean it, Miss Alyce? Can we?”
“Of course!” Alyce put a hand on the window. “Grizz wouldn’t like the idea, but he won’t be around…”
“Where is Grizz?”
Alyce let out a distressed sigh. “He couldn’t tell me,” she answered after a long silence. “He just said he had a job to do, and then he took off on his motorcycle.” Alyce’s fox ears drooped. “I hope he’ll be alright with all this snow.”
“Miss Alyce, that’s Grizz you’re talking about!” Aaron assured his foster mother. “He’s been through worse than snow!”
“You’re right, Aaron…”
*She still sounds sad…!* “You told me the story about how we all met…Grizz beat up all those bad guys, and he can beat up bad weather too!”
Aaron’s comment finally squeezed a laugh out of Alyce, and he saw a smile on her face as she moved in for an embrace. “You make him sound larger than life…!”
“What’s that mean?”
“Oh…well, Grizz is human, just like—“ Alyce hugged her tail to her chest. “—mostly like us. The way you talk, though, it makes him sound…magic or something.”
Now that Aaron understood the joke, he joined Alyce in a round of laughter. “We need to have a party, then…just for him! Maybe he’ll hear it and come home!”
“Yeah…” A brief flash of sadness ravaged Alyce’s face, but she was quickly back to normal. “…yeah! He’ll come and yell at us for starting a party without him!” Alyce began fetching her winter clothing, prompting Aaron to do the same. As he pulled on a black pair of boots and a vibrant blue jacket, she was getting dressed in a green jacket with gloves to match. “But for now, we have to fetch some things for the party!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|Holiday Special 2]]
“Now…since you lost your mommy and your daddy, nobody knew what to do with you, but you insisted, remember?” Alyce said, scooting her chair closer to Aaron's bed.
Aaron nodded. “Yeah," he replied, "I told them, ‘Miss Alyce can take care of me! She and Mister Grizz have taken really good care of me already!’ And then they didn’t want to let me stay with you, because you didn’t have a home and you’re too young to be a mommy. And then that police officer…O’Malley, right?”
Alyce nodded.
“Yeah! O’Malley helped us get Daddy’s house, and he helped prove you were a really good mommy, and then he helped tell the town what happened, and the entire town liked our story so much, they helped pay for the house…right?”
“That’s right, Aaron! Everyone donated lots of money to pay to help us settle in, even the bearded man that ran that church group that hated Crosses. He even said he was sorry for being rude to me and Grizz!”
“Wow…people must have really liked our story!”
Alyce nodded. “They sure did! O’Malley always said that adopting a child isn’t supposed to work the way it did with you, but…he was able to do a lot for us! He helped us even more after that…he helped us all get identities and everything, so that we could join everyday society. Nobody ever found my mommy or daddy…same for Grizz. But O’Malley did help me find a last name and everything!”
Aaron laughed. “What did he mean when he said you hate eyes?”
Alyce joined Aaron's laughter. “I's, as in the letter I…it’s not every day you come across a woman named Alyce Brangwyn!” *It’s a weird name, but…people used to think I was weird because I’m a fox Cross, too.*
“Anyway," she continued, "the people in the town weren’t the only ones that liked our story. Apparently it was a big help in changing a lot of laws…so now people aren’t allowed to be mean to you just because you’re a Cross. There are still plenty of people that don’t like Crosses, but…I guess there’s no stopping that.”
“Miss Bryant always says that kids who pick on me for being a Cross…probably do it because their parents say that Crosses are bad. Wait, Miss Alyce,” Aaron wondered, “where did the word ‘Cross’ come from?”
Alyce shrugged. “I think people wanted a nice word to use to refer to us, and they used the name Cross because we’re in Cross Town, and because…well, look at me!” Alyce wiggled her ears for emphasis. “I’m a cross between a human and a fox! Grizz would probably know more than I do about that. I don’t think of myself as a Fox Cross or a beastwoman or any of that. I’m Alyce, and that’s that!”
Aaron nodded. “No, I think I get it now. So…all that happened a year ago?” he asked.
“A year and a half,” Alyce elaborated. “Everything moved so fast after that, huh?”
“It sure did!” Aaron wiggled around in his bed, sinking deeper into his covers. “OK, Miss Alyce…one more question: did you ever find out what it was that Grizz wanted to say to you that day, before he stopped moving?”
Alyce shook her head. “I think I know what he was going to say, though. I think he wanted to say ‘I love you too’.”
“Nah, it weren’t that,” a voice interrupted her from the hallway.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I passed out, kid, I didn't die."]]
“Grizz!” Alyce exclaimed, running into the hall to give him a warm greeting hug. “When did you get back?”
“…eh, few minutes ago?” Grizz guessed, a bottle of soda in his hand. “Sorry I’m late…I heard the guys that make Crystal Drops finally put out that new soda, Lost Fruit Punch, an’ there was a hell of a line to get to it, see?” Grizz unscrewed the cap and pointed the open bottle toward Alyce. “I saved the first sip for ya.”
“Thank you!” Alyce tilted her head back and let the new blend of soda flow across her tongue and down her throat.
“Whoa, whoa! I told ya to have the first sip, not drink the whole damn thing!”
Alyce rolled her eyes and lowered the bottle from her lips. “Sorry! It’s really good…very fizzy, and very fruity! It’s not like your usual soda, though.”
Grizz shrugged and helped himself to a hearty gulp of Lost Fruit Punch. “Eh, it is kinda weird. Like…I don’t hate tropical punch or nothin’, but damn, I think I’ll stick with Crystal Drops for now, thanks.”
“Hey!” Aaron yelled from his bed. “Can I have some?”
Grizz laughed. “Maybe tomorrow, kid! For now, ya need to fall asleep, soon, don’t ya?" Grizz turned back to Alyce with a quizzical look on his face. "Say, Alyce, what’s this kid doin’ still awake?”
“Sorry!” Alyce replied with a shrug. “He wanted me to finish the story of how we all met. His classmates are fascinated by the story!”
“Really? Tthat is the worst bedtime story ever, an’ it ain’t exactly kid-friendly…but we are pretty cool, ain’t we? Still, though, ya better wrap it up so this kid don’t oversleep an’ miss the bus again!”
“But…my classmates think your motorcycle is really cool too!” Aaron informed him.
“Hm…well…” Grizz shook his head. “No. Ya gotta be up in time for the bus.”
“Aw…come on, Grizz!”
“Nope. Sorry, kid. We can finish the story, though, how’s that?”
“Hm…OK!”
Alyce and Grizz returned to Aaron’s bedroom. “So, kid, how far did Alyce get ya through the story?”
“Almost all the way.”
“What? Hey! You said that last question was going to be the end!” Alyce remembered. “You little sneak!”
Aaron laughed. “I learned it from Grizz!”
“It’s true,” Grizz noted. “I ain’t the best influence on a kid, huh? That’s why I didn’t wanna take him in at first. But…hell, kid needed a home an’ someone to take care of him, so…eh. Right, kid, since ya managed to swindle me into comin’ in here, I’ll give ya two more questions. I figure ya earned it, see?”
“OK…Grizz, what happened to the Earthrunners? I miss my old friends sometimes.”
“Ah…well, I dunno. I imagine some of the people there went back to their old homes an’ took their kids with ‘em, an’ others ended up movin’ out of the village as conditions for Crosses improved out here in the real world, see? Maybe some of 'em still walk the earth 'cause they ain't heard the news? I couldn't tell ya, sorry.”
“Oh…OK. My last question is…exactly what is it that you do? You never want to tell me what you do at work!”
“…huh, really? Seems like a weak question to end on, ya know?”
Aaron shrugged. “I was done asking questions. Nobody would tell me what you were going to say before you stopped moving.”
“Stopped moving?” Grizz laughed. “C'mon…I passed out, kid, I didn’t die. Honestly, though? I was gonna call Alyce stupid ‘cause she fell in love with me. ‘I think you’re an idiot for lovin’ me, sunshine.’ That’s what I was gonna say…"
Grizz froze up, his tension exhibiting his embarrassment. "…yeah, I was an edgy little puke. I can still be a real jerk sometimes, I guess. But I didn’t think she was up to it, and I sure weren’t expectin’ to get a free house anytime soon, either. I was gettin’ real worried about havin’ to deal with the two of ya for a long time out in the streets, but…hey, now I got a job an’ everything.”
“But you said you’re too young to have a job!”
“Yeah, well, that was before people found out about my lean-to that I built outta garbage, an’ the Junkyard Moth, an’ the trash cans that I used to hold food an’ fry eggs an’ all that. Now I’m a…well, I dunno what you’d call me. But apparently I picked up Uncle’s skills with makin’ things outta trash, an’ I make money doin’ that."
Grizz leaned in close to Aaron, striking an exaggerated pose to whisper a secret. "Don't tell them I didn't build the Junkyard Moth…!" he whispered, loud enough for Alyce to hear. She laughed as Grizz settled back into a natural position next to Aaron's bed.
"I don’t tell ya what happens when I work ‘cause it’s mostly boring," he finished, "but then again, people can’t believe a fella my age is doin’ the kinda work I do sometimes.”
“Wait, how did you learn how to do all this from your uncle?”
Grizz shrugged. “Who cares? I got a job an’ it’s awesome, an’ people love it. It’s recyclin’, ya know? It’s green work or somethin’…hell, like I care. One day, I'm hopin' to build Alyce a motorcycle, like Uncle built me one, see?”
“Well, I think your job is cool, not boring.” Aaron yawned loudly. “OK, I’ll go to sleep now. Goodnight, Grizz. Goodnight, Miss Alyce.”
“Goodnight!” Alyce and Grizz replied in unison.
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"I think you went off-topic there."]]
Alyce took Grizz’s hand and led him to the bedroom they shared. “Grizz…I’m pretty tired too," she told him, arching her back in a stretch. "I think I’ll go to sleep soon myself.” Alyce planted her face into her pillows and stretched her limbs across the bed, her tail starting out sticking straight up but quickly falling to the side. “You know, Grizz…I’m pretty used to being Alyce Brangwyn by now, and Aaron’s mostly used to the last name of Burton you gave him, but…are you ever going to tell people to call you by your real name?”
“Nope,” Grizz answered flatly. “I guess if they don't know better, I can't stop 'em from sayin' Greg. But…hell, sunshine.” Grizz shrugged, nearly knocking over a vase full of sunflowers in the process. “I gotta tell ya…from the start, I knew I was gonna have to take care of someone the way Uncle took care of me, but…at first, I thought it was gonna be you.”
“But then we were assigned to take care of Aaron…”
Grizz nodded. “An’ that’s about the time I understood it all, see? I was tryin’ not to fall in love with ya at first, ‘cause I kinda had too much power over ya in our situation…wouldn't have been right, ya know? But after we got off the streets…”
Alyce shook her head. “Grizz…I think you went off-topic there.”
“Yeah, oops, lost the plot." Grizz sat down next to Alyce and stroked her tail while he talked. His fingers gently teased the orange fur as a smile crossed his face. "Anyway, nah, when that kid needed a last name, I suggested Burton outta respect for Uncle, see? But Uncle needs more respect than that…plus, I really like the sound of bein’ called Grizz.” Grizz’s facial features suddenly shifted into exaggerated anger. “Even if people like you think it’s a damn joke.”
Alyce giggled. “Sorry, Grizz! I think it’s really sweet, I do. It just sounds really silly to people when they hear it the first time, without knowing why. You have to admit that.”
“Yeah, yeah…" Grizz pushed himself off the bed, making his way to the exit of the cozy little bedroom. "look, you just get your ass to sleep, Alyce. Ya know how I am…I always like to work a bit before I fall asleep, see?”
“Of course, you’ve always been like that!” Alyce got up from the bed and stopped Grizz in the doorway to give him a grateful kiss on the lips. “Grizz…” she muttered as she drew him into a hug, her tail wrapping around her side to get pinned between their bodies. “…telling Aaron that story reminded me of how lucky I am to have you around. Thank you, Grizz…for everything.”
Grizz patted Alyce on the shoulder. “Sunshine, you’re embarrassin’ me and there ain’t even anyone around.” After a shrug, he relented and wrapped his arms around her. “But yeah, I owe ya one too. Um…thanks.”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|"Lucky us."]]
*I came so close to losing you that day…* Alyce’s hands subconsciously found their way to the scar on Grizz’s stomach. *It took the doctors so much time and work to get you to feel better that a lot of people wanted to give up, but…I would never give up on you, or let anyone else give up on you. And in the time since then…well, you’ve lightened up a lot.* “But I’m more like you now, too.”
“…huh?”
“Oh…I said that out loud, huh?” Alyce asked, still locked in her embrace with Grizz. “I was just thinking…we’re becoming more like each other. You’re more lighthearted these days, and I caught myself using a few of your phrases while I was telling Aaron our story.”
Grizz smirked. “Huh,” he grunted. “Lucky us.”
Alyce giggled. *It’s been awhile since those words have come up. But…there are three words that have been coming up a lot more often…and I’m so happy they do.* “Goodnight, Grizz…see you tomorrow. I love you.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Grizz broke out of the hug and turned toward the hallway. Alyce could tell he was trying to hide his face, but she caught sight of him blushing anyway. “Love ya.”
Alyce shrugged and jumped back into bed. *Well, the more things change, the more they stay the same, I guess. As much as Grizz has improved, he’s still the same rude man who tries his hardest to seem as macho as he can. That’s OK, though…I know he’s wonderful enough, deep down.*
Alyce turned onto her side and stared at the vase full of sunflowers. *If he was as stoic as he claims, he never would have bought me all these sunflowers. But…I guess his past life never did have much use for sensitivity. He must be sticking with some of his old ways out of comfort. Although…his old ways have been a big help! When we first got moved into this house, Grizz found so many ways for robbers to break in, because he was a robber himself. But now, with his work in…recycling, he can make plenty of honest money. I don’t think he cares, but…I think it’s nice. It’s taking awhile to get used to living like this, but…*
Alyce yawned, and took that as her cue to pull the covers up to her chin. *It’s nice. Grizz was glad to have a chance to wash this mattress and fix it up, too, so…even though he must be having an even tougher time getting used to things than I am, he’s doing what he needs to do to adjust. I don't know why he'd want reminders of the time he spent living in that alleyway, but if it helps him move forward, it's OK with me. Well, Grizz…see you tomorrow. I love you*
Alyce rolled onto her back and heaved a happy sigh toward the ceiling before drifting off into a peaceful night’s sleep, but not before one last thought.
*Lucky me.*
## THE END
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Back to Title|Title]]
Grizz drove his motorcycle, the Junkyard Moth, through the blinding snowstorm that was pounding into the city around him, though the raging blizzard still wasn’t enough to hide the true splendor of the city before him. *This has gotta be River City. The buildings are too tall, and there’s just too many people on the road…I ain’t in Cross Town no more.*
Through the snowfall, Grizz could make out the distinct fiery sight of the sun falling over the horizon. *It’s gettin’ late…wonder what Alyce an’ Aaron are up to without me.* Grizz shrugged and pulled into an alleyway behind an electronics store to review his orders.
*Wish I could’ve told Alyce where I was headed, but she wouldn’t be happy with me helpin’ a guy get some drug money. Me, though…the way I see it, an’ the way he told it to me, this fella paid for some merchandise an’ didn’t get it. That’s grounds for a refund if I ever heard ‘em. How he found me, though, an’ how he knew I was a thief…well, I ain’t gonna ask questions for a reward this big. I could buy Alyce somethin’ real nice with the kinda cash on the line here!*
The more insight the client showed, the more it confused Grizz; indeed, just as he had been told, the target was soon before him, clutching a briefcase. *Damn…this is just fallin’ right into place, just the way that guy told me it would.* Grizz shrugged and pursued the target, a feat made more difficult by the snow falling all around the both of them. *Man, if he goes an’ doubles back on his path, he’s gonna see my footsteps! I’m gonna have to be real careful about what I do from here on.*
Fortunately, the job seemed much easier than Grizz had anticipated; the target made absolutely no effort to ensure he wasn’t being watched. *Damn, this fella’s keepin’ his cool real well, considering the cash he’s got up in that case. Man, I’d be jumpy as all hell if I had to lug that thing around.*
Grizz pulled down on the hood of his filthy cloak, which was protecting him from the accumulating powder. *I wish I could just snatch that case now, but apparently he’s gonna drop it off at some drop point…an’ if I report on that location, I get a nice little bonus. ‘tis the season, I guess. Oh, looks like this here’s the place!*
Grizz watched in awe as the target dropped the briefcase in a nondescript alleyway, nestled firmly against a back door leading into a red brick building. Grizz gave the target plenty of time before investigating the briefcase and the building to which it had been delivered. *What’s this on the door? “China King – Employees Only”? Hm…must be a front. They go an’ hide behind a Chinese restaurant so nobody suspects—*
Grizz’s thoughts were interrupted by the unmistakable sound of a pistol being primed and readied to fire. Grizz dove behind a nearby dumpster as the first shot was fired. From his safe haven, he watched as his assailant’s gun relayed its position through its muzzle flash. *Was this a setup? Nah, couldn’t be…ya think this fella could afford a silencer if he was in my client’s pocket. Nah, I bet this is the fella that was supposed to come for the case himself. Bit of a relay race goin’ on here. Well…guess I better get out from behind this dumpster an’ take that case back to the Junkyard Moth.*
Grizz found a tin can sticking out of the garbage, and threw it high into the air in his assailant’s general directions. *Now, while he’s distracted…* Grizz felt like he broke the sound barrier as he sprinted toward the briefcase and out of the alleyway. *I guess that ol’ tin can bought me just enough time! Now to take this cash an’ dash…!*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|Holiday Special 3]]
“Wow!” Aaron gasped as he took in the scene before him. He had been helping Alyce decorate the living room for the party for a few hours, but it wasn’t until now that the fruits of their efforts really registered in his mind. “We made this place look really cool!”
On any other day, the house had a plain appearance to it; the walls were painted to look like wood, and a maroon carpet stretched underfoot to create a warm and inviting environment. Tonight, however, the living room was decked out in all sorts of festive holiday decorations; lots of crackers, cookies, and cakes were set out on a long coffee table, while tinsel of all colors snaked around the perimeter of the room. Aaron looked up in the doorway to see a small green plant hanging down. “Miss Alyce," he said, "you never told me what this is!”
“Oh, that’s mistletoe!” Alyce explained. “At the store, someone told me that whoever stands under it has to kiss!”
Aaron giggled. “That’s silly, Miss Alyce!”
“It’s true, though! And when we finally lure Grizz into the party, I’ll use it to help me get a kiss from him!”
“But…I’ve seen you two kiss, haven’t I?”
Alyce shook her head. “I’m always the one that does it. I want Grizz to make the first move for once!”
Aaron’s head tilted sideways, shooting a confused glance at Alyce. *Why does that matter? I thought kisses made her happy already!* Aaron shrugged and decided to drop the subject. “Miss Alyce, how much longer until the party starts?”
As if on cue, a quiet knock began to issue out from the door. “Seems like I’m not the only one with such good timing around here,” Alyce remarked through a fit of laughter. “Well, won’t you answer it?”
“Me…? Really?” Aaron confirmed. When he saw Alyce nod, he couldn’t help but jump for joy. “Yay! I get to answer the door!” Aaron sprinted over to the front door, and slowly opened it to reveal a long line of kids. “Wow! You all came!”
“It would have been nice to know of this party earlier,” one of the kids’ parents remarked, “but we agree with your sentiment; school is likely to be closed tomorrow.”
Aaron giggled. “Those are some big words, ma’am…but I think I know what you said. I’m so glad all my friends are here!”
The anonymous adult nodded. “Well, consider this party a Christmas present from all of us.” Aaron swore he heard one of the adults in the back clear his throat. “Oh, alright,” the first parent added, “a holiday gift.” The adults all turned to Alyce. “You’re sure you’ll be fine with our children in your care?”
“Of course!” Alyce confirmed, snapping both her arm and her tail into an attentive salute. “You can count on me. If you want our number…”
Aaron shrugged and followed the stream of children pouring through the front door. *The grownups are boring. I wonder who came to the party?* Aaron led everyone into the living room, taking the chance to greet everyone as they passed by.
“Hi Joey!” he began. Aaron started getting more and more nervous as each of his classmates marched by. *…Alina…Hank…Karen…Toby…hm. Wait, where’s Susie?* Aaron left his friends behind in the living room as he went back to the front door to find Alyce.
Thankfully, she was still talking to the adults near the front door, just the way Aaron had left her. As she saw him approach, her face grew slightly concerned. “Oh…Aaron, what’s up?”
“Miss Alyce, did you see Susie come in here?”
Alyce stopped to think. “Hm…I…I guess I didn’t see her, either. Did we call her?”
Aaron nodded. “She was the first one we called, remember?”
“Oh…I remember now.” Alyce shook her head. “It looks like she didn’t come. Sorry, Aaron.”
“But…everyone else in Miss Bryant’s class is here! Why couldn’t Susie come?”
Alyce shrugged. “Maybe her mommy and daddy just wouldn’t let her.”
“…I guess.” *How are we supposed to have fun if we don’t have everyone here?* Aaron sighed and returned to his friends in the living room. They looked like they were having a good time, as they talked and laughed and ate the sweets that had been set out for them. *How can they have so much fun without Susie? I bet she’s all alone at her house, and she’s really sad that she couldn’t come.*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|Holiday Special 4]]
“Stop!” a thug in a pinstriped suit demanded.
“Yeah, ‘cause all ya had to do was ask,” Grizz replied sarcastically as he leapt aboard the Junkyard Moth. *My instructions were to lose anyone tailin’ me before I took the cash back to the client.* Grizz felt a mischievous smirk spread across his face. *Ya know, like it’d be a problem.*
Grizz cracked his knuckles and sped off on his motorcycle, leaving the pinstriped chump buried under a pile of powder snow. The heavy snowfall made handling difficult, but Grizz had learned how to handle the Junkyard Moth from the best driver he’d ever known. *Uncle, don’t fail me now.*
Grizz felt the subtle warmth of a light being shined directly onto his back, and instantly knew the source. *Headlights! I bet they’re followin’ me, too. Well, ain’t they gonna be disappointed.* Grizz took a hard left turn down an alleyway, toward the River City waterfront. *I remember the Waterfront bein’ over here, but other than that, I guess I don’t know this place too well.*
Grizz shrugged and made a beeline for the River City-Cross Town border. Unfortunately, his maneuvers had led him to two more cars that seemed murderously intent on retrieving the briefcase. “Damn,” he whispered to himself.
“Just cough up the case, kid, and we might let you live!” one of the thugs yelled from inside one of the cars.
“Quit chasin’ me an’ I might let y’all live!” Grizz shot back indignantly as he skidded around a right-hand turn, using the reduced traction of the snowy weather to his advantage. *Driftin’, I think Uncle called it. They did this sorta thing all the time back in the kinda movies he watched. Whatever it is, it’s sweet!*
Grizz started to get carried away, drifting through both the next left-hand turn and the town border that followed. Once he realized what he was doing, however, he stopped fooling around. *Nah, that’s gotta stop happenin’ right now. Can’t screw around with these fellas; they look pro, an’ they look pissed. One thing they don’t look, though, is smart.*
Grizz quickly spun his motorcycle around to face the opposite direction, and drove right around one of the incoming cars. *Here comes an old classic, straight outta one of Uncle's favorite movies! This scene got burned in my damn head. I bet I could do this in my sleep!*
Grizz watched in gleeful anticipation as the car he had zoomed past proceeded to turn around to put in another solid attempt at ramming him off of his bike. *Yeah, an’ then, since we got all this snow up in here, I’ll have to start revvin’ early.* Grizz’s tires spun in place, throwing snow behind the Junkyard Moth as they eagerly awaited a stronger burst of the throttle. *Just a little more…there it is! Go time!*
Grizz suddenly accelerated forward, and blasted out from between the cars like a snowy rocket. He struggled to bring the Junkyard Moth back onto the road as he heard the distinct, ear-splitting noise of the cars crashing behind him. Once he was back onto the road, he chanced a glance, and the carnage he was leaving behind felt like a great personal accomplishment.
*An' that’s how it’s done. That’ll keep ‘em busy long enough for me to give ‘em the slip. Should keep the cops away from the rendezvous point, too.* As Grizz rode toward the Cross Town Park, his thoughts began to wander as soon as he was sure that no other cars were on his tail.
*Damn, what a night! Best Christmas gift I ever got…thanks for the car chase, dopes.* Grizz snapped off a quick salute to the wreckage before continuing down the road. *I just hope Alyce an’ Aaron are havin’ a good time…*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|Holiday Special 5]]
“But Miss Alyce, how can I have a good time?” Aaron protested. “We’re missing Susie!”
“Come on, Aaron, it’s not fair to your friends to act like this,” Alyce replied. “See, they’re all having fun playing that game in there!”
“I know, that’s why I’m sad again! Susie would have really liked ‘Wormholes’.” Aaron looked over his shoulder at the game Joey had brought; all he had to do was plug a few wires into the television, and soon there was a really pretty game on the screen. “I’m don't understand it, but it looks like fun.”
“You should go play it, then!” Alyce urged him.
Aaron shook his head. “I don’t wanna. I’m sorry, Miss Alyce.”
Alyce scooped Aaron off of the floor, and into a warm and comforting hug. “It’s OK, Aaron. I’m sure we’ll think of something.”
“I just wish Grizz was here. Then we’d—“
Suddenly, the front door nearly flew off of its hinges, as an excessive force sent it shooting open. Aaron was overjoyed to see Grizz standing in the doorway, brushing snow off of his beloved cloak. “’sup?” he asked nonchalantly.
“Hi Grizz!” Alyce and Aaron greeted him in unison.
Grizz stepped into the house, and his expression became more and more sour as he made his way inside. “…the hell are all these kids doin' here? An' what's with the goofy stuff on the walls?”
“We’re having a party!” Aaron explained cheerfully.
“Party, huh? How much longer is it gonna be?”
“At least another hour,” Alyce answered. “Also, I need to talk to you…it’s about Aaron…”
The young mouse-boy listened in as Alyce set him down and went into the kitchen to have a quick chat with Grizz. “…this about?” Aaron heard Grizz begin, as he struggled to catch bits and pieces of the conversation over the sound of his friends playing “Wormholes” behind him.
“Aaron feels a little…Susie couldn’t come…”
Grizz's replies were mostly swears for a little while. Then, “…do ya want me to do?”
“He seemed happy…see you, but…”
“…take him for a ride?” Aaron’s tail perked up in excitement as he continued to listen. “…us both outta the house.”
“But it’s…party…can he leave his own…”
“Relax, sunshine…just tell ‘em straight…” Grizz must have had the final say in the conversation, since he was soon standing in the doorway to the kitchen, looking expectantly at Aaron. “So, kid,” he grunted, “ya gonna stand there eavesdroppin’ all day, or are ya gonna get your coat on?”
Aaron gasped and quickly fetched his winter wear. *A ride on the motorcycle! Yay! I knew Grizz would figure something out…!* As Aaron hastily pulled his coat over his arms, he tried to convey his gratitude to Grizz. “Thank you!” he shouted. “Yay, a motorcycle ride!”
Grizz nodded at Alyce, who was still somewhere inside the kitchen. “See, kid doesn’t look so sad to me.” Grizz smiled approvingly as Aaron shoved a motorcycle onto his head. “Ready to go, then?”
Aaron gave Grizz an enthusiastic thumbs-up. “Let’s go!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|Holiday Special 6]]
As Grizz cruised through the snowdrifts rolling around the nigh-deserted streets, he tried to start a conversation with the young mouse clinging to his back. “So, Aaron,” he began, “I hear Susie skipped out on your party.”
“Alyce says her mommy and daddy wouldn’t let her come!” Aaron elaborated.
*Really? Man, I never did like Susie’s mom.* “An’ ya really wanted to see Susie show up, didn’t ya?”
Grizz felt Aaron’s helmet brushing against his back as the head inside of it nodded up and down. “Everyone came except for her! I hope she’s not feeling sad.”
*Kid’s sad enough for the both of ‘em. Ugh, this still ain’t my style, but…‘tis the season, right?* “Alright, kid, ya better not mention this to anyone.”
As Grizz took a sudden left turn, he felt a minute surge of panic flow through Aaron’s grip. “Grizz, where are we going?”
“Where else? I’m takin’ ya to see Susie.”
“But Grizz—“
“No buts,” Grizz interrupted. “I bet she really wanted to kick it at your party just as bad as you wanted her to show.” *So I guess this here’s my gift to ya, kid. Ya better be grateful.* From there, Susie’s house was barely a stone’s throw away, and the Junkyard Moth took the boys there in short order. “So, here we are. Wanna try headin’ in through the front first?”
“Um…what else could we do?” Aaron asked, the confusion clear in his voice.
Grizz laughed. “Let’s just try the front, then. Lemme handle this.” With a loud and commanding knock on the door, Grizz summoned Susie’s mother. “Yo, I got word that my boy here threw a party an’ your daughter couldn’t make it. Fella thought he’d come an’ see if she’s OK.”
“Oh, it’s you,” Susie’s mother hissed, making absolutely no effort to hide her scorn. “Don’t you and your misfits know that these children have school tomorrow?”
“Lady, I ain’t ever been to school, an’ even I can see this snow’s probably gonna get it cancelled tomorrow. Ease up, will ya?”
In lieu of a proper reply, Susie’s mother simply slammed the door in Grizz’s face. After a moment of stillness and silence, Aaron finally asked, “Grizz, what do we do now?”
“Ya sit back an’ watch the master.” Grizz pointed to a lit window on the second floor of the house. “That Susie’s room?” Aaron nodded. “Well…”
Grizz’s eyes scanned the house for a potential weakness to be exploited, and quickly found a sturdy-looking drain pipe running down the side of the building. *Jackpot.* Grizz swiftly hoisted himself up the pipe and onto the roof, and from there, shimmied across the edge of the roof until he reached the lit window.
Once he positioned himself in front of the window, he gave it a few light taps with his foot until a little girl finally came to the window to investigate. She was an adorable child that was very likely the same age as Aaron, and she stood in the window clad in pink pajamas, fussing with her shoulder-length brown hair.
Grizz was relieved to see her finally open the window. “Hey,” he explained. “You Aaron’s pal Susie?” Her facial expression was one of utter shock and confusion; Grizz wasn’t very surprised to see that all she could do to answer the question was nod. “Ya wanna come outside an’ talk to him for a bit? My fingers are gettin’ tired of—“
Grizz gasped as he felt his fingers completely lose their grip on the wet, slippery shingles of the house, and with a devastating thud, he landed in the snow on his back. He attempted to stand, but having the wind knocked out of him by a two-story drop left him motionless in the snow for a few seconds. “So, kid, ya comin’ or what?” he finally asked.
“Mommy won’t let me outside,” Susie said. “I’m supposed to be in bed.”
“Man, the hell with her!” Grizz rose to his feet and held his hands out in the air before him. “Just jump, an’ I’ll catch ya.”
“You can trust Grizz, Susie!” Aaron confirmed.
“Oh…just a minute,” Susie requested as she disappeared from the window. When she reappeared, she was wearing a puffy purple coat over her pajamas. “OK…here I come…!” Susie fell clumsily into Grizz’s arms, a boot-clad foot accidentally catching his cheek in a painful stomp. “Sorry, mister.”
Grizz grunted as he shook off his injuries. *Damn…the things I do for Aaron.* “Just make this count, will ya? Hell, if we’re gonna go through all this for ya…” Grizz rose to his feet, only to find that Susie was already headed straight toward Aaron. *Well, at least she knows how to get to the point.*
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|Holiday Special 7]]
“Oh!” Aaron exclaimed as he saw Susie run across the snow-covered lawn toward him. “Hi Susie!”
“Hi Aaron,” Susie greeted. “What are you doing here?”
“Grizz took me to come see you because you didn’t come to the party!”
Susie nodded. “Mommy says that I need to be ready for school tomorrow.”
“But…all the other adults said that there won’t be any school tomorrow!”
“I know…I couldn’t sleep! I was watching the snow fall. It’s so pretty!”
Aaron nodded. “Grizz was doing a special job…I was waiting for him to come back so I could come see you!”
“But…what about your party?”
Aaron’s gaze fell to his feet. *I know, everyone else must be asking Miss Alyce where I went, but…* “I wasn’t having any fun. I was thinking about how sad you were because you couldn’t come.”
“Ain’t you a sweetheart,” Aaron heard Grizz mutter under his breath, and looked to see his callous caretaker counting a large sum of money.
Aaron giggled at Grizz’s mutterings. *He’s so silly!* “Grizz heard you couldn’t come to my party,” he elaborated, “so he drove me through the snow so that I could come see you!”
“You’re both really nice!” Susie observed. “Thank you Aaron! Thank you Mister Grizz!”
“Took me long enough to get Aaron to stop callin’ me that,” Grizz lamented as he sped off on his motorcycle.
“Where is he going, Aaron?”
Aaron shrugged. “Grizz is really nice!” Aaron insisted. “I’m sure he’ll be right back. He was counting some money…maybe he’s going to buy something!”
“Oh yeah! I was going to bring this to the party, but I couldn’t come, so…I have something for you!”
“Wow, thank you, Susie!” *Susie’s such a great friend! I don’t think anyone at the party brought me anything.* “What do you have for me?”
Susie started digging through her coat pockets, eventually finding two small items, one white and one green. “Here,” she said as she handed Aaron the white item, which turned out to be a piece of paper, “I drew it just for you.”
Aaron unfolded Susie’s artwork to find a picture of the two of them inside, swinging on the swings together. “This is really pretty…thank you, Susie! What’s that other thing you have there?”
Susie took a few steps closer to Aaron as she held her hand above their heads. Her fingers uncurled, allowing a wiry green plant to hang down. “It’s called mistletoe,” she began to explain.
Aaron gasped. *I know that stuff!* “That’s the stuff Miss Alyce is using to get Grizz to kiss her!” he blurted.
Undaunted by Aaron’s interjection, Susie continued her explanation. “When two people stand under it, they have to kiss!”
“Kiss? But isn’t that icky?” Before Aaron could protest the idea further, he felt Susie’s lips quickly peck him on the cheek. Aaron spent a moment of silence with his hand on the spot she had kissed before finally admitting, “That wasn't so icky.”
Susie giggled. “It’s part of Christmas, isn’t it? I hear grownups talk about it a lot. I’m glad you’re OK with it.” Susie suddenly moved in for a hug, knocking Aaron off balance and into the snow. “Merry Christmas,” she gasped through a fit of laughter.
“Merry Christmas, Susie!” Aaron reciprocated. As the two children rose to their feet, Aaron spotted a single headlight cutting a swath of illumination through the darkness. “That must be Grizz!”
After the mystery vehicle threw a wave of snow over the children, they poked their heads out of the snow, and Aaron’s suspicions were confirmed. “’sup?” Grizz asked nonchalantly, as was his wont. “Yo kid, ready to get outta here?”
Aaron nodded. “But what about Susie?”
“If I go through the front door, Mommy will get mad!” Susie realized. “I’m not supposed to be outside!”
“Pfft, y’all are actin’ like this is an issue,” Grizz scoffed. With a wicked laugh, he swept Susie into his arms and hoisted himself up the drain pipe again. “It’s harder with one hand, but…yeah, here we are!” Grizz shimmied over to Susie’s window and gently lowered her inside as Aaron watched from the ground in awe. “There. Now ya just gotta keep it cool, like nothin’ happened.” Grizz shimmied back to the drain pipe and used it to make his way to the ground much more gracefully than he did the first time. “So Aaron, we headin’ home now?”
“OK!” Aaron confirmed as he waved goodbye to Susie. “So Grizz, where did you go?”
“Well…”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Next|Holiday Special 8]]
Grizz arrived home just in time to see Aaron’s classmates leaving the house, their party presumably over. “Sweet timin’,” he observed as he led Aaron inside, being careful to hide a slip of paper in his pocket. “Yo Alyce, where you at?”
“In here!” she called out in reply. Grizz followed her voice into the living room to find her taking care of some leftover sweets from the party. “Brownie?”
Grizz nodded and snatched one of the tiny brownies from a platter Alyce was holding, then ate the treat in a single gulp. “Thanks. So, how’d the party go?”
“Other than Susie not showing up…well, all the other kids had a lot of fun!” Alyce suddenly placed a hand on Grizz’s chest as they passed through a doorway. “You wait here…I have something for you! Just let me take care of this stuff.”
Grizz watched Alyce head toward the kitchen, her tail wagging a lot more than usual. *Damn, she’s real pleased with somethin’. I ain’t never seen her tail move around so much.* Grizz started to observe the situation for a contextual clue that might reveal what his gift is.
*Alyce is just wearin’ a blue shirt an’ blue jeans, not hidin' nothin' there…I don’t see nothin’ that’s moved or anything, just the shit they had to move for the party…damn, what’s this chick on about?* Grizz’s confusion only grew when he saw Alyce approaching him with her hands empty. “A’ight, I’m sick of this guessin’ game," he said. "What’cha got for me?”
Alyce directed Grizz’s attention to a plant hanging in the doorway over their heads. “Grizz, how much do you know about mistletoe?”
“Nothin’,” he admitted. He glanced at Aaron for a hint, but the child only giggled and ran off to his room. *The hell is this about?* “Is that what this plant is? So…what’s the big deal with it?”
“If you stand under it with someone, you’re supposed to kiss them,” Alyce explained, puckering her lips.
“Ah, ya tryin’ to catch me in some weird trap, huh?” Grizz crossed his arms and turned his head away from Alyce. “Come on, sunshine, the hell's all this about?”
Alyce sighed as her shoulders drooped. “Grizz, I just wanted to get you to kiss me!”
“But we kiss all the time.”
“Yeah, but…I always have to start it. I just want you to be the one to—“
Grizz silenced Alyce’s complaints with a long kiss. He watched her eyes slide shut in bliss before he let his do the same. One of his hands moved gently to her cheek, holding her still as the two shared passionate kisses. Eventually, Grizz's breath gave out and he had to withdraw, his lips gently pulling at her lower lip a little as he did.
“There," he gasped deeply. "Happy now?”
Alyce blushed and hugged her tail to her chest. “Very," she replied. "Thanks.”
*Damn…was she waitin’ all day for that? Well, I guess it was pretty fun.* “So ya ready for a real present?” Grizz brandished the slip of paper he had been concealing, and allowed Alyce to snatch it from his grasp as he struck a heroic pose.
“Hm…what’s this say…um…Grizz, what does all this mean?”
Grizz laughed. “It’s an invoice. I paid off the fella that runs a convenience store…he’s forwardin’ a shipment of Crystal drops here. It’s your favorite, ain’t it?”
Alyce dropped the note as her eyes widened. “How much…how much soda is in a shipment?”
Grizz shrugged. “I asked him for a whole damn crate of the glass bottles. I’m gonna guess…like, thirty bottl—“
“Thirty bottles of Crystal Drops?” Alyce interrupted. “And all in those really neat glass bottles? Wow, Grizz, that’s amazing!” Alyce threw herself at Grizz and started clinging to him, the force of the impact sending the two of them spinning into the living room. “Oh, Grizz, you’re the best!”
“Ha, an’ it ain’t even Christmas yet,” Grizz said. *I ain’t gonna tell her what’s buyin’ all this, but she’s gonna love it! I don’t wanna lie to her, but I really don’t wanna make her sad. So…* “You an’ Aaron are gonna have the best Christmas ever. Just y’all wait!”
(link-undo:"Previous") | [[Back to Title|Title]]The Fox and the Thief is a novel written by Jon "the Red". Alyce Brangwyn is a young woman trapped in the cruel Cross Town Asylum. There, human experiments are carried out on people like her, who have grown animal-like features, like Alyce's fox ears and tail. She takes her chance to escape, and runs into a homeless thief calling himself "Grizz". What happens from there is a tale exploring the meanings of love and life, and a journey that forever changes them both.
Scroll to the bottom of each page and click "Next" to turn the page. Use the "Save Bookmark" link at the top of a page to save your place. Then use "Load Bookmark" when you return to the story where you left off. There's also a chapter select along the bottom if you want to go to the first page of a specific chapter.
[[Click here to return to the title.|Title]]
## THE FOX AND THE THIEF
### by Jon Farrar
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## [[Click here to begin|"My ears hurt!"]]