From Bully to Baker: Different Shades of Grey - Chapter 1: The Little Baker

Story by BobbyThornbody on SoFurry

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On one bright and sunny summer morning, Gideon Grey, a young fox kit, was seen in the kitchen alongside his mother, Amanda. The two of them were making a pie together. Also in the kitchen, sitting down at a table, was Gideon's father, Tyler, who was looking forward to tasting the pie.

On this particular day, Amanda had let Gideon do most of the work involved in making it, because, after making them with her for so long, he wanted to try making a pie completely on his own. This, though, led to a very nervous looking kit, whose attention was focused on the oven, as the pie within was baking. It was very clear the fox was determined not to let the pie burn.

"Gideon, sweetie, just relax," the kit's mother told him. "I'm sure it will be just fine."

The kit looked to his mother. "Ah just don't wanna take any chances, Mama. Ah want the pie ta be perfect."

"Ya set the timer, didn't ya, Gid," the fox's father asked.

"Ah did. Yeah," Gideon replied.

"Then listen ta yer Mama," Tyler told him. "Ya set the timer with every pie ya make with her and it always comes out fine. That's not gonna change just because ya did it yerself this time."

"But Papa, what if the battery on the timer dies or somethin'," Gideon protested. "Ah don't want it gettin' ruined."

Amanda gave a soft chuckle, placing her paw on his shoulder. "If it does, we also have a clock on the wall. Your Papa's right. Just relax. I have no doubt it will turn out wonderfully."

Gideon looked to Amanda and nodded. "Alright... Ah'm sorry. Ah'm just really nervous cuz it's the first time Ah've ever made a pie mahself."

"Ah know, Gid, but starin' at it is just gonna make ya more anxious," Tyler told him. He then patted the seat of the chair beside him. "Come over here and have a seat with me."

Gideon did as he was told, walking over and sitting down with his father.

Amanda also walked over, sitting down in one of the chairs as well. "I'll say this. It smells absolutely wonderful."

Tyler nodded. "That it does. And Ah don't have any doubts it'll taste just as good as it smells."

Gideon gave a nervous chuckle. "Ah sure hope so."

Right then, a doorbell was heard.

"Ah'll get that," Tyler said as he stood. He made his way toward the front door and opened it.

Standing there was Gideon's friend, a ferret named Travis Bailey. "Hello, Mr. Grey. Is Gideon home?"

"Hello yerself, Travis. Come on inside," the older fox told him, stepping aside as the ferret entered.

Travis sniffed the air as he entered. "Something smells really good."

"In here, Travis. Ah'm makin' a pie," came Gideon's voice from the kitchen.

Hearing his friend, Travis made his way to the kitchen, being followed behind by Tyler.

As his friend walked in, Gideon gave a wave. "How ya doin'?"

"Doing good," Travis said with a wave as he walked over. "You and your mom decided to do some baking, huh?"

Gideon shook his head. "Nope. Ah did everythin' mahself today. Just waitin' fer it ta finish bakin'."

"I bet it's gonna be delicious, Gid," Travis told him.

"That's what his mother and I think," Tyler commented.

"How much longer 'til the pie's done, Mama," the kit asked.

Amanda turned her attention to the timer. "About three minutes."

Gideon nodded. "Alright..." He then turned to Travis. "Ah made apple pie with some of the apples off the tree in the backyard."

Travis smiled. "Then yeah, it'll taste great."

Gideon's eyes turned toward the stove again. He walked over to it. He then grabbed the cooling rack from the nearby cabinet and set it down. He stood there quietly for the last couple minutes, reaching and turning the oven off the moment he heard the timer beeping.

"Did you need some help getting it out, Gideon," Amanda asked him.

"Ah can get it, Mama. Thank ya though." Gideon then grabbed the oven mitts and slipped them onto his paws. He then opened the oven door, carefully pulling the pie out, which he then set down on the cooling rack before closing it again.

Travis walked over, looking at the pie. "Wow."

Gideon looked at the pie as well. "It doesn't look or smell like Ah burned it at least."

"See, sweetie? You did fine," Amanda stood and walked over, smiling at her son.

"Ah guess Ah did," said the kit, a smile forming on his face. "Now we just gotta wait fer it ta cool. Last thing Ah need is ta burn mahself eatin' it."

Tyler chuckled. "You boys go watch TV, and we'll try some of yer pie in a little bit."

"Alright, Papa. C'mon, Travis," Gideon replied, as he left the kitchen.

"Right behind you," the ferret replied.

The two of them made their way to the couch in the living room and sat down.

As they did, Gideon reached over, grabbing the remote to turn on the TV. he flipped through several channels before finding a cartoon for the two of them to watch. "This alright?"

Travis nodded. "It's fine with me."

The two of them sat and watched cartoons for about half an hour before Gideon heard his mother calling out.

"Gideon, are you ready to try some of your pie," she asked.

Almost immediately Gideon jumped up. "Ah'm comin', Mama." He then went right for the kitchen, with Travis close behind. He walked up to his pie, sniffing it as he looked it over.

Tyler carefully handed him a knife. "Go ahead, son. Ah'm sure it turned out just fine."

Gideon went completely silent as he cut into the pie. Very carefully, he cut several slices, before he then transferred the first slice to a plate. He then put a bit of whipped cream on top before he turned to hand the plate to his mother. "Here, Mama. Ah want ya ta have the first piece."

Amanda gave the kit a soft smile. "Are you sure?"

"Ah'm sure. Please take it," Gideon told her insistently.

Amanda took the slice, still smiling.

As she did, Gideon put another slice on another plate, adding whipped cream to it before turning to his father. "Here, Papa. This one's yers."

Tyler chuckled and took the slice. "Thank ya, son."

"Yer welcome," the kit replied before prepping the next slice, which he then handed to Travis. "Here ya go, Travis."

Travis took it. "Thanks, Gid."

Once the others had sat down with their slices, Gideon got one more slice, adding the whipped cream then sat down at the table. He then looked at the other three, waiting for one of them to take the first bite.

Amanda did just that, cutting into it and taking the bite into her muzzle, chewing and swallowing. "Gideon?"

"Yeah, Mama? Is it okay," Gideon asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"It's wonderful," she said before taking another bite.

Tyler and Travis both took a bite of their slices as well, with Travis being the one to speak up next. "Wow! Gid, this is great! Try it!"

Gideon was now smiling by this point, as he cut into his slice and took a bite. As the kit chewed and swallowed, he looked to the others. "Ah can't believe it..."

"Well, did you expect us to lie to you about it, son," his father asked.

"No no... Ah mean... Ah can't believe Ah'm the one who made this pie. It tastes just like Mama's," Gideon said as he took another bite.

"Oh no, sweetie. I'd say it tastes even better," Amanda commented.

"Aw, shucks, Mama, it ain't THAT good," Gideon protested.

"Gid, Ah'd even go so far as ta say if ya present this pie at the Carrot Days festival in a few weeks, Ah bet ya would win," Tyler told him.

Gideon raised a brow. "Ya really think so?"

Travis swallowed another bite of pie. "I agree, Gid."

The fox couldn't help smiling at the praise he'd been given. "Thank ya, everyone. That means a lot ta me."

As they neared the end of their slices of pie, Travis looked toward Gideon again. "There's just one problem with this pie, Gid."

Gideon gulped down the bite of pie he had before speaking. "Uhhh... what is it, Travis?"

"I don't wanna stop eating it. I want another slice," Travis said as he finished his off.

"Travis, don't scare me like that," the kit told him, giving the ferret a playful punch in the arm.

Travis snickered. "Seriously though, could I take some of this back home with me later? I bet Dad would love it."

"Ah don't see why not. Ah'd like ta know what he thinks of it," Gideon replied. He then stood and gathered up everyone's plates and silverware as they finished, bringing them over to the sink, rinsing them and putting them in the dishwasher. He put two more slices of the pie into a separate container for Travis and his dad. He then took what was left of it and put it in the fridge before turning back to Travis. "You wanna go back ta watchin' cartoons fer a while?"

Travis nodded. "Yeah. Sounds good."

Amanda looked to the kit with a soft smile. "You boys go have fun... And Gideon?"

"Yes, Mama?"

"The pie was delicious."

Gideon blushed. "Thank ya. Ah'm glad it turned out alright."

"Turned out great," Tyler told him. "Now go on."

Gideon nodded, making his way back to the living room, plopping himself down on the couch again and turning his attention back to the TV.

Travis' eyes turned to the TV as well. "I'm curious, Gid... what kind of pie are you gonna make next," he asked as they watched.

"Honestly, knowin' the apple pie went so well, Ah was thinkin' of makin' a blueberry pie next time. Ah gotta have Mama take me ta the store fer that though. We don't have any blueberries in the house right now."

Travis' mouth began watering after hearing that. "Blueberry sounds good."

"Ah'm hopin' it will be. Mama let me look over her cookbooks ta get some ideas, so Ah think Ah know what Ah wanna do with it. Just need ta get the stuff ta make it," the fox replied, as the pair continued watching the toons.

It wasn't until smells of dinner came in from the kitchen a few hours later that their attention was drawn away from them again, and Gideon immediately got up and walked in to see his mother over a large pot of soup. "Need me ta set the table, Mama?"

"Please and thank you," Amanda remarked as she turned the stove off.

Gideon nodded and made his way to one of the cabinets, pulling out several bowls.

"I'll help too," Travis walked over to one of the drawers, opening it and retrieving several soup spoons.

The two set to work setting the table before Tyler walked over to the pot of soup on the stove, picking it up, and bringing it to the table. "Smells wonderful as always, Amanda."

Amanda gave her husband a soft smile before making her way to the table.

Gideon pulled back the chair for her. "Here ya go, Mama."

"Thank you, sweetie," Amanda replied, taking a seat as Gideon scooted the chair in. He then took his seat, as did Travis.

"So, Ah'm guessin' yer dad's runnin' late today, Travis," Tyler asked as he started serving the soup.

"Yes, sir. Dad's moving to the clinic tomorrow, so he's spent most of the day getting it ready," Travis told the elder fox.

"I bet he's glad to be going back to something he enjoys doing," Amanda commented as Tyler put soup in her bowl.

Travis nodded. "Yeah. He loves helping people. It puts a smile on his face when he's able to get others back on their feet again after they get sick."

"That's always a good feelin'," Tyler said as he ladled some soup into Gideon's and Travis' bowls. He then put some in his own before taking his seat.

"He's looking forward to it," Travis said.

"Would ya like ta say grace fer us tonight, Travis," Tyler asked.

"Sure, sir," Travis then bowed his head, along with the others. "Dear Lord, thank you for this meal you have presented us with tonight. Thank you for allowing me to share in it with my friend Gideon, and his mother and father. Thank you for watching over us, and for helping Dad get back to work. Thank you for giving us a roof over our heads and for keeping us all safe. Amen."

"Amen," the three foxes replied in unison.

They all raised their heads and began to eat.

Gideon ate several spoonfuls of the soup before looking to his mother. "This is delicious, Mama."

"Sure is," Travis chimed in. "And thank you for letting me stay for dinner."

"Yer always welcome here, Travis," Tyler told the young ferret. "We enjoy havin' ya."

"We certainly do," Amanda added in. "You're a sweet young man."

Travis looked to Amanda and blushed a little. "Thank you, ma'am."

Around an hour later, the four had finished their meals, and Gideon had taken to gathering up the dirty dishes alongside Travis. "We'll take care of these, Mama. You and Papa go on."

Travis nodded. "You made the dinner. We'll clean everything up."

Tyler and Amanda looked to each other and smiled, leaving the kitchen.

The two then started cleaning up, with Travis clearing the table and Gideon gathering the dishes and putting them into the dishwasher.

As the two were in the process of cleaning, Travis' cell phone rang.

Pulling it from his pocket, Travis answered it, noticing the call was from his father, Charles. "Hey dad!"

His father chuckled. "Hey. Just letting you know I just got home."

"I'll be home soon. I'll be bringing home some of the apple pie Gideon made too," Travis told him.

"Sounds great, kiddo," Charles replied.

"I'm helping clean up the dishes from dinner. Mrs. Grey made some really good soup tonight," the ferret continued.

"No rush, Travis. I got everything all set up at the clinic and ran a couple errands while I was out. Take your time, and I'll see you when you get home," the elder ferret responded.

"Alright," Travis said with a smile. "Love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

"Bye, Dad." Travis then hung up, slipping the phone back in his pocket. He then went right back to helping clean the kitchen up.

"Ah'm gonna put some of the soup Mama made into a container fer ya ta take ta yer dad," Gideon told his friend, as he grabbed an empty container and did just that, putting a generous portion into it before sealing it tightly.

"Thanks, Gid. I'm sure Dad will appreciate it," Travis told him as he began loading the other dishes into the dishwasher.

Between the two of them, Travis and Gideon had the kitchen completely cleaned up from dinner in about ten minutes. The two then made their way into the living room, spotting the two elder foxes watching the TV.

"Kitchen's all clean, Mama," Gideon told Amanda.

"Thank you, boys. I appreciate the help," she told them.

"And Ah put some of the soup in a container fer Travis ta take back ta his dad with the slices of pie Ah'm sedin' home with him," the young fox told his parents.

"I was going to insist on that anyway," Amanda told him with a soft chuckle.

"Ah kinda figured," Gideon said with a grin.

"Dad called while we were cleaning up. He's at home waiting for me," Travis commented.

"Then Ah guess ya better head on home," Tyler remarked.

Gideon turned to his dad. "Ah'm gonna walk back with him, if that's okay."

"Fine with me," Tyler told them. "Best get going though. It's startin' ta get dark."

"Yes, sir. Ah'll come right back." Gideon then turned to Travis, who went back into the kitchen with him to get the soup and pie slices before coming back out.

"Thank you again for the wonderful dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Grey."

Amanda looked to him. "You're very welcome. Take care and have a good night."

"You too," the ferret replied before the two of them headed outside.

As they exited the house, they spotted a moving van in the driveway of the house directly across the street.

"Hey, Gid... Looks like someone new moved in," Travis said, pointing to the moving van.

"Yeah, Ah guess so." Gideon turned toward it and looked. "Ah'm sure we'll end up meetin' whoever it is later."

Travis nodded then started walking with Gideon down the street.

A few blocks later, the two of them arrived at Travis' home. Inside, they could see a Travis' father walking? around.

"I'm home, Dad," the young ferret called out.

Charles turned to look at his son. "Hey, kiddo."

Travis put the food he'd brought from Gideon's house on the coffee table nearby before walking over to his dad and hugging him.

Charles hugged his son tightly in return.

"Gideon put some of the soup his mom made in with the pie," Travis told his dad.

Charles walked over, opening the bag that held the food. "Looks delicious."

"Wait until you try the pie, Dad. It's amazing."

Gideon rubbed his neck. "Yer gonna make me blush if ya keep talkin' like that."

"I'm just being honest," the ferret told his friend.

"Ah know..."

Charles turned to Gideon. "It does look good. And please tell your mother thank you for the soup."

"Ah will, Mr. Bailey," the kit replied. "Ah'm gonna get home now. Ah'll see ya tomorrow, Travis."

Travis turned to his friend and hugged him. "Sounds good to me, Gid. Take care."

"G'night, Travis. G'night, Mr. Bailey."

"Good night, Gideon," the two ferrets replied.

Gideon then left, heading back to his house. When he got there, he looked to his parents. "Mama? Papa? Did ya know we got some new neighbors?"

Amanda turned to him. "We know. It's another fox family, and they have a son too. Maybe you two can become friends."

"Ah wouldn't mind that," the kit said as he walked over and hugged his parents. "Oh! And Mama? Mr. Bailey said ta say thank ya fer the soup too."

Amanda nodded. "I'm sure he'll enjoy it."

"Ah know he will.."

Amanda nodded again.

"Ah'm gonna go watch some more TV before bed, if that's alright."

"That's fine, Gid. Just don't stay up too late," Tyler told him.

"Ah won't," Gideon replied, hugging his parents again. "G'night, Mama. G'night, Papa. Love ya."

"G'night, Gideon," his parents replied.

Gideon made his way upstairs, clicking on his light and his TV before relaxing on his bed. After about two hours, he began to get tired and turned it off before climbing under his sheets and quickly drifting off.