Unbroken bonds: Chapter 1
Sorry about the title, I'm rubbish at them (edit: saw another story shared the title so changed it.)
Nikko lay back in his seat, stretching slightly as if cramped. He was reclined on the rear facing seat inside a limousine, his eyes meeting directly with the figure opposite him. A young cheetah of semi-athletic build, his thick, muscular legs clearly visible beneath the tight blue-gray jeans he always insisted on wearing. The cheetah was Nikko's friend and had been christened with the unusual name of Urban, a name that suited him well, as he seemed to pulse to the rhythm of the city, being able to take his time when everyone around him seemed to have none. It wasn't so much that he seemed to fit the city; it was more a case of the city fitting him. On this occasion he had decided that topless was the way to go, wearing no more than his jeans and a pair of light trainers. A decision that Nikko reflected, may well be wise, as they were going to a party hosted by a fennec, the mayor's son, and their heating tended to be set to the thirties or higher.
The others in the limo consisted of Kelly, a huge female wolf from the year above Nikko and Urban. Kelly was the third member of their little group that tended to stick together outside of lessons. She was especially useful in that she was well over six feet tall, and built as heavily as an ox, if they wanted to be left alone, they were left alone. The last three were: Richard, Emily and Alistair, respectively, a lion who captained most of the boy's sports teams, a meerkat with an obsession with celebrity, and an arty but nervous sheep who was due to star in the new production. Seeing Nikko's look and that they had reached their destination Urban sat up and winked at Nikko, who was himself a rabbit.
The six of them had been given a limo for two reasons: firstly that Kelly was the captain of the girls teams and deserved certain honours, secondly the same was true for Richard, except in his case it wasn't the girls teams. Nikko got out of the black limousine and wandered towards the house accompanied by Urban and Kelly. Nikko considered how describing the grand building as a house may underplay things somewhat, its split floor windows glaring at him menacingly, defying him to describe it as anything short of a mansion. It was certainly true, Nikko reflected as he reached out his arm to lift the enormous brass knocker, the house begged for descriptions such as 'Majestic' and 'Awe-inspiring'. Nikko knocked upon the door.
Five minutes later Nikko, Urban and Kelly were curled up on a red velvet sofa in a wooden panelled drawing room with a beautifully framed open fire, providing a beautifully warm atmosphere. Being discreetly asked by the feline butler what they wished to have to drink. At this Urban's ears perked up, he rarely drank simply due disliking most alcoholic drinks, however he made an exception for good sparkling wine. He wasn't too bothered where it came from, as long as it was good.
"Do you have any vintage champagne from around Epernay? I feel we're in a champagne house here, I doubt you would recommend any other European sparkling." This was predictably his immediate request. Somehow it seemed that Urban was able to do things that others would never dare. Not only would he get away with it, but he was often congratulated for his daring, as was the case this time round.
"Would a 2000 Dom Pérignon do for you sir?" asked the Butler.
"Sounds marvellous!" exclaimed Urban, his eyes lighting up as if he had not expected the outcome.
"You have excellent taste sir" returned the butler.
Kelly ordered a vodka martini, with the request to 'keep them coming' and Nikko, being generally a non drinker ordered a glass of Coca Cola, specifying the brand to try to retain at least a thin veil of class. After they had ordered their drinks the trio were immediately confronted by the host of the party, a well dressed fennec fox who went by the name of Julian, his North African descent was not betrayed by his name or accent.
"I promise you that this will be a night you will never forget." Started the fox "I know you three tend not to go to parties, but I'm so glad that you made an exception for this one." He honestly did seem ecstatic that they had taken the time out of their routines to attend the house party. The three of them had previously decided however that it was probably impossible to turn down a house party in a mansion, as a direct result of this decision they decided not to try. The fox continued the explanation of his plans for the night, his large ears twitching in excitement. "I only invited about twenty people here, so it should be nice and quiet, just to your liking. Later in the evening, once everyone has arrived we'll move to the dining room and eat, nothing too fancy, just what that the kitchen could prepare over afternoon. After we've eaten we'll move back into this room and play some games I've organized, they should last us until everybody's left."
"No drinking games I hope?" Queried Kelly, as if she could talk, it was only six o'clock and she'd already downed her first vodka martini. "It's just I doubt anyone could keep up with me." The joke now made sense, as she did have a very good point, there were few on earth who could keep up with Kelly's drinking capabilities. Her liver currently had an expected lifetime of about nine years.
"Of course not!" scoffed the fox "Do you really think I would set anyone against the legendary capacity of Kelly Johnson?" It looked quite like he planned to gain Kelly's affections over the course of the night. "The main event will be a high stakes game of strip poker." Was the foxes playful comeback. That confirmed it. He was trying to forge a relationship with Kelly, something that would never happen, as unlike the steel used to forge links in a chain, Kelly was not soft and malleable. She might play along with his games for a small time, but before he reached his objective he would inevitably strike too hard and she would snap, releasing all the pent up energy of a superheated furnace. He didn't stand a chance.
Seeing that Kelly had not prepared a comeback, as she was finishing off her second Vodka martini, the fox decided to take a different approach, asking a question of the three of them. "So, tell me, how come you three are such good friends?" This distracted Urban from the reflective daze that he had been in ever since he sat down in this room, surrounded by portraits of men long gone.
"That's a rather long story, are you sure you want to hear it?" Was his immediate response, his body shook slightly in a movement that may have been a sigh.
"We have time, what you can't tell now you can always tell later, that gives us all night." The fox was quite certain he wanted the entire epic. Having finished her drink, Kelly gestured for the butler to come over to her.
"If we're going to be nostalgic and tell this story, I better have a vesper at hand."
Well, finally that's it, the end of my first ever story to be let loose in the jungle that is the internet. I hope its okay and greatly request constructive criticism. (For those of you that don't know what a vesper is, go and watch casino royale.)