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Chapter 2New in the Neighborhood           "Get outta there ya filthy brat!" the restaurant owner, probably

drunk of his arse again, threw the bottle, missing me muzzle by a mere

pinprick. "Go back to the sewer ya crawled outta, ya here?! Stay out of my

garbage!"

          I dodged his next bottle, and

fled out of the alley like the plague, the screams of the elder cat still

ringing in me ears. Boy, that guy needs a

nap big time, I thought. Note to

self: never ask a hungover cat for food anytime soon...          As I got out into the street, the howling wind of Manhattan

mocked me for not asking yesterday, when the cat was probably sober enough to

at least be polite about saying, "No table scraps. Good day."          I walked outta the alley and down to a road of apartments

and many different species. There were badgers, wolves, cats, and even a few

otters shivering in the winter. Ever since New Year's Day, the weather went

from bad to improved. The wind became less, but I kept cursing Mother Nature

for her joking around with New York when she coulda been in Alaska.           As I started to turn a corner, I suddenly felt cold, hard

ground. "Aye!" I fell on me tail and winced at the pain. A couple of ladies in

fake fur coats laughed at me pain, while a wolf gent offered me assistance.           "Are you alright, young man?" he asked me. He strolled over

with his cane and offered me his paw. "Do you need help?"          I took it and he hoisted me up. "Aye, no thank ya, sir," I

steadied myself on the icy ground.          He tipped his hat. "Then have a good day," the gent smiled

at me and turned into the crowd.                     As I started to walk, I realized what happened and madly groaned.

Me pants were wet and frozen solid. I angrily looked up at the sky and sighed. "Ya

just love making me miserable this

year, don't Ya?" I did me best in shaking some forming icicles off me tail and

rubbed me paws together as I edged through crowds of people.           About an hour or so, me footpaws and paws felt as solid as

stone, almost becoming heavy for me to lift. I needed to get warm soon.By

the time I was nearing the local school, I got a neat idea in my special noggin.

Lance and his brothers were soon to be outta their classes and they owned a

heater (pretty good for them being a raccoon family). All I had to do was go to

their home and I'd be warmer than a moth in May. But

as my hopes rose, I remembered. Ugh,

I thought bitterly, let's just hope I can

woo their mama or I'll be really cold tonight... After

half an hour of walking through snow deeper than a sewer, and passing through

vast crowds of gents and ladies scurrying away, I made it to the East end. Ah

yes, in all me life I never felt at home there, where kids and cubs were the

most with their parents. Its apartments and houses were small and sometimes cramped,

but it also became lively in both winter and summer. At least, when school

wasn't here. Still, I noticed a couple of young spaniels playing on a frozen road

while their parents yelled at them. I even spotted Old Man Holler screaming at

a street lamp to watch itself.  At last, I spotted the school and its iron

gates that led to the open playground. Grinning, me footpaws ran me over in a

squick and I waited, standing beside the gates in hopes the guards didn't

decide to bully me. I was freezing and I didn't need no adult pushing me today.It

had been ten minutes since the bell shoulda rung, but I was almost a frozen

statue. "Ugh, would ya hurry up ya raccoons?" I muttered harshly. "I swear if

that bell doesn't ring soon I'm gonna ring their necks..." I breathed on me paws

and groaned. "Somebody hang me-"Just

as the words came outta me mouth, I heard the bells ring and a grin form across

me muzzle. Soon, cubs and kits of all species, but most of them canine and

feline, ran outta the school and laughed as I stood there. I earned meself a

few noticeable stares, but the rest were more welcoming.Then,

a twelve year-old badger came out with a group of other carnivores and looked

at me, "Well!" he pointed to me and chuckled, "If it isn't Peter Gray! Glad you

survived another night!" He waved while walking outta the front gate."I

don't plan to!" I shouted back.I

was even well-known with the younger ones. One

was a first grade mouse whose father I borrowed money from. "'ello Peter!" he

smiled brightly. Note: he happened to look up to me, so to speak. I

meekly waved. "'ello there..." I said. "Good day at school today?""Yep!"

he laughed. "See ya around, Peter!" He walked away when his mother scurried him

away, while she gave me a scowl in the process. My

ears folded and me tail's fur crawled. I wasn't exactly 'popular' with the

parents around New York. Okay, I wasn't exactly that Roosevelt fellow, but the

adults tended to look at me and see only an urchin. Well, I was an urchin, but

they saw me like well...a piece of coal among diamonds. "Peter!"

I felt meself stagger forward. "Glad to see ya, buddy!" He quickly let go and

turned me around to widened green eyes. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?" I

struggled not to laugh at his confused face. "Okay? O-O-Okay?" I sneezed into

me paws. "I'm p-practically frozen w-wolf sushi here."As

soon as Bobby and Billy arrived from their classrooms, Lance and the other two

eagerly agreed to gimme some time with their heater. Billy even eagerly handed

me his coat, though for only until I had me tail warmed up. As

soon as we began walking over to their apartment, Bobby spoke to Billy. "Do you

think mum will allow us to help him?" he whispered. I

flicked me ears. "I'm not so sure," Billy replied. "I doubt she'll let him live

ever since his um...last visit." I heard snickering. Me throat

cleared loudly. "Hey!" I spoke up in annoyance. When I turned to them, I pulled

the warm coat closer as a gust of wind visited. "It was an accident and me head

was not thinking straight..." "You

walked in on our mum taking a bath and didn't look away." Lance spoke deadpan. "And

you ran out laughing like a lunatic when she threw her brush at you."Billy

howled with laughter behind us. "Oh yeah!" he giggled like an eleven year-old,

then again he and Bobby were eleven.

"I can still remember her face when she came outta the tub. She was more pissed

than a rattlesnake!" He and Bobby laughed more. "And from how she's been

acting, I wouldn't be surprised if she baked you into her next pie!" Again, that horrid laughter. It

was easy to ignore their teases mainly for focusing on keeping warm with their

coat. Still, me footpaws felt numb enough for me to stagger on several

occasions. Luckily, Lance helped me up while Bobby and Billy got distracted

with joining kids on riding the back of a streetcar. A bloody streeycar. Billy even grabbed his

coat off of me while giving a goofy face. "Remind me to shave

their tails next time they ask for me help," I asked Lance in a low growl.           "Gladly," he agreed with a curling tail. "I'll even make

you a coat from their tail fur." We got a real good laugh outta that idea.We

were already on their street, not far from the apartment building the raccoons

lived in. It was a nice and often empty street, even if the trash and smell of

decay clogged me nose like smoke. The snow helped a bit this time, as well as

the fact a butcher lived nearby covered the smell for most of us, but the

bloody factories blocks away were kind enough with their ashes and soot.  At

last, me eyes spotted the building, and its prominent clothes lines above us.

But what caught me eyes was a large carriage parked by a tenant next door, and

a few adults whispering to each other opposite of the street. Suddenly,

me eyes spotted something I thought I'd never see. It

held the skin color of a pig, but walked on two straight legs. It was flat muzzled,

and had small stubby ears covered by wool hats. They also wore wool coats,

probably from feral sheep and gloves. And there were two of them, one older and

one probably me and Lance's age, both carrying heavy luggage while an older

wolf helped with them. I

heard the older man say, "That's the last of it," he handed coins to the wolf.

"Thank you so much, sir. Here you go." The wolf kindly took the money and went

away with his carriage. "Oh

my gosh," Lance said in surprise. "Are those...humans?"I

slowly nodded. "Me eyes don't deceive...so I guess so?"Humans

were a very strange species on Earth, having no fur or tail as a distinct

feature to them. They even held not as strong of noses as every other species

did. I remember once reading in a newspaper that humans were scattered across

the planet and often in bands like packs, keeping together and struggling the

most in winter. It wasn't until decades ago that it was considered illegal to

keep them as slaves, thanks to a kind wolf named Lincoln. Some, mainly canines,

still look down on them as dirtier than soot in snow.Personally,

as long as they had a stove and coal, any humans was me friend.As

me and Lance got closer, the young one saw us. "Hello there," he smiled

wide-eyed, then called out, "Hey dad, are they our neighbors?" The

older human turned to us with some luggage and looked at us in surprise. "I'm

not sure, scamp," he said, then turned to me and Lance. "Are you with them?"

From his gaze, me eyes could tell they were looking at the crowd of adults that

gathered opposite of us. While

Lance was hypnotized by seeing a human up close, I was more of a social gent.

"Nah, I'm not with that lot," I smiled while tapping me cap. "Me friend here

though lives next door to ya."  I turned

around and saw the raccoon was speechless like an idiot. "Hey Lancie, wake up!"

I snapped me fingers and he dazed outta his dreams."Oh-Oh,

hello sir!"  he nervously walked next to

me, still keeping his eyes on the humans. "Do...do you need any help?""I

was about to ask the same friend for your friend," the father said with a smile.

"You look like you're a frozen statue, lad." A

gust of wind blew by, and I shivered again. "Touché," I chuckled, curling me

tail around me leg. "I fell in a p-puddle earlier and I'm turning into the Hudson.""But

don't wolves have thick fur?""Just

because I have fur doesn't make me a darn fireplace..."The

father lifted a piece of luggage and grinned. "Would you like to warm up

inside?" he asked. "I'm pretty sure my wife Laura already started up the stove."Just

like that, me eyes lit up and a smile formed across me muzzle. "Oh God bless ya

sir! Thank you to the ends of the earth sir!" With a wagging tail I happily

walked over to the man. I extended a paw for me to shake his...God what was the

word...'hand'? "The name is Peter sir. Peter Gray. The raccoon that's staring at

you two is named Lance.""Hey

I wasn't staring!" Lance shot. "I just...I've never seen a human this close

before..."The

man chuckled. "It's okay; I can honestly say the same about you two. I'm Henry

Lawton," he happily shook me paw. At first, it felt weird shaking the hand of a

human, but it felt firm in me paw. "That wee one over there is my son, James.

James, say hello to Peter and Lance.""Hello!"

James lit his face up as he climbed the small stone stairs and to the door.

"Uh, a little help please?"Lance

quickly went up the stairs and opened the door for young James and Mr. Lawton,

and we went up a flight of stairs to the third floor. Mr. Lawton gave Lance the

key and opened the door for him while they brought the last luggage inside. I've

been in tenants and apartments before, but I had never been in a human's tenant room before. It was a

rather large room with boxes and luggage piled around, but with enough room to

hold a small family. Speaking of which, two other humans were inside, both of

them female and wearing warm dresses and with pale skin. The eldest had to be

the wife, but the small girl sitting on the table I did not know.As

soon as everyone went inside though, I felt a sharp pain in me tail as James

closed the door.  "Dang it all!" I yelped with baring fangs.While

Lance fought back a giggle, the human boy rambled on with apologies. "Oh my

gosh, I'm so sorry! I'm so, so, so

sorry!" James quickly opened the door. "I hope it's not broken?" I

pulled me numb tail outta it and glared in annoyance at the door behind me.

"Ugh, ya wooden demon!" I kicked the blasted thing and it felt like me footpaw bones

shattered. "Aye, damn it!" I

hopped on me other footpaw and glared for a moment at Mr. Lawton as he laughed

along with the giggling human girl who sat at the table. "He

he he!" she laughed. "Funny doggy!" Aye,

she was cute, so I couldn't be mean to her for laughing at me misery. Mr.

Lawton however, showcased it like a show. "Be careful next time, James," he

said while shaking his head. "Fursons are very sensitive with their tails.

Especially wolves, not doggies Annabelle.""'Sensitive'?

Try brittle as a twig," I smoothed the fur out and sighed at me numb limbs, but

as soon as I saw the stove on the other end of the room, I laughed. "Excuse me..."

I scooted past them placed me hands near the stove's flame. I made sure not to

get in her way, but I couldn't help with the lovely heat. "Well,

looks like you adopted a child without my permission Henry," the human woman

chuckled. It took me a moment of bliss to realize it was Mrs. Lawton. "And who

is this lad over there?" I

heard Lance shuffle behind me. "I'm your new neighbor ma'am," he spoke kindly.

"My name's Lance Turner, and the loon over there is Peter."          I ignored Lance's comment as I had died and went to heaven.

The fire under the stove was blissful to me paws, and the radiance from the

coal melted the ice in me fur.           "Forgive me for asking but where are you from?" Lance

asked.          "Buffalo! Buffalo!" Annabelle squeaked with kicking feet.

She had to be no older than a kindergartener. "We're from Buffalo!" She turned

to her mom with a smile. "Isn't that right mommy?"          Mrs. Lawton laughed while putting something in the soup she

made. Up close I could make it out as a spice. "Yes, we came all the way from

Buffalo," she added kindly. "My husband got a job here in the city that pays

more and we thought a change of pace would be kind to the children."          "You can say that again, Mom," James spoke up. "This city

is huge!" He turned to Mr. Lawton.

"How big is it again Dad?"          He sighed. "I dunno...about three million here," he said,

causing Annabelle to widen her blue eyes. "Yep, that many people."          "Alright, the soup is ready everyone!" Mrs. Lawton happily

announced. "My special recipe of broccoli and steak soup, fresh from the pot."

She turned to me and Lance. "Would you young fursons care for some?"          I was about to ask, "'Fursons'? Is that what ya humans call

us?" when the thought of food distracted me words.           While Lance was eager to have a bowl, I felt a bit

reluctant to have a sip of it. However, the overwhelming smell caused me tummy

to growl louder than a lion, so I had a taste.           And boy did I love

it!          Not only did the soup stop me hunger, but the mere taste

sent me tongue in an eager addiction for more. Mr. and Mrs. Lawton were kind

enough to allow me seconds and thirds, along with a slice of fresh bread the

Mrs. Bought while stopping by the market earlier.           "Are you two angels? Because I have a feeling me heart

stopped and me soul went to heaven here," I laughed while taking down another

morsel of bread. "I

hope you have enough money though?" Lance asked, rubbing his stomach. "I'd hate

to be...you know...robbing off of you..."          "Don't worry, you two," Mrs. Lawton replied with a smile.

"We'd be bad Christians for not helping fellow New Yorkers out, wouldn't we?"           "Especially if one of you is our new neighbor," the Mr.

spoke. "James here is starting school tomorrow and I bet he can't wait to make

new friends." When James commented on how he's already made some, both of us

laughed. "So Peter, Lance, what grade are you two in?"          I paused for a moment, with Lance glancing at me and Mr.

Lawton's family with mixed expressions.          I folded me ears slightly. "Well...you see I'm not a regular

New York cub..."          When the humans looked to each other with raised eyebrows,

Lance had to add, "Peter is an urchin, been an orphan his whole life."          Mrs. Lawton gave me these motherly eyes that looked sad.

"You poor boy," she spoke. "How do you survive?"I

lifted me muzzle and attempted a smile. "Well...I grew up in an-"          All of a sudden, the door to the stairs opened, and a

familiar muzzle appeared. "Hello?" it was an elder raccoon wearing a coat, and

carried a baked pie in both her paws. "Oh hello, sir. You must be Mr. Lawton,

my new neighbor-"           Our eyes locked like a predator and prey, but she was the predator and I was the prey. I stood up more frozen

than before.           Lance choked a moment. "Mom?!" he gasped.          I gulped in fear, then chuckled nervously while scratching

the back of me head. "Uh...h-hello, Mrs. Turner," I meekly waved. "Uh...you look l-lovely today."          Anger burned her eyes. "You devil! Come over here!"          "WellI'dlovetochatmorebutIhaveplacestogothankssomuch!"          I ran past Mrs. Turner and heard her shouting mean things

that'd make a nun faint. But before I ran past the door and down the street, I

shouted up above, "Welcome

to the neighborhood!"