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Chapter

3(Attempts

for) A Valentine's Day Kiss           "Happy Valentine's Day, love," a young

wolf gent said to his lady.          The

she-wolf happily took the flowers and pecked him on the cheek. "Why thank you,

honey," she smelled them. "You are the sweetest thing I could ever have."          As

I passed them and went into the school yard, me mind couldn't help but think, you lucky wolf, you... Oh well, I had me

sights on another pretty set of eyes.          While

the cubs, kits, and a couple of new human kids played and raced in the bustlin'

school yard, I casually inched me way inside. I was along the school's aging

brick wall, so no one noticed me yet. No teachers were in site, save for Mrs.

Gillman by the main doors, but she seemed more tired than a boy in Sunday Mass.

Luckily, I spotted them not too far from me stance, both of them the prettiest

vixens me gray eyes ever seen in New York. Their names were Abby and Constance

Anderson, thirteen year-old twin sisters with fur finer than their dresses and

eyes as yellow as the sun above.           As

I casually made me way to them talking to some other girls, I noticed a

familiar pinkish face not too far away. It was the human boy named James,

playing a game of 'catch the robber' with some young cubs. He even took his

jacket off in the cool air. From what me ears have learned from Lance, the

kid's earned himself a couple of friends and played in the early spring sun

with Lance and his brothers after school.           "Excuse

me? Who are you?"           I

nearly jumped outta me fur, then I straightened meself up upon realizing it

were the twins. "'ello there, ladies," I nodded to them with a tip of me cap.           One

of the vixens looked at me funny. "Yes?" she asked. They loved to mess with me

and pretend they had amnesia last time I talked to them, which sometimes got

annoying, even by me standards."Surely ya remember

the famous and...quite handsome Peter Gray?" I grinned to them, raising me

eyebrows with a flicking tail. "How about you, Constance?" I turned to her, who

had a red bead in her hair. "Don't ya remember me from last year, when I offer

ya a flower for Thanksgiving?"           Abby

cleared her throat for some reason. "That was me, jerk," she pouted, her tail

curled in anger. "I'm Constance, you

idiot."          I

wanted to slap meself. "Aye dang it," I mumbled.           I

noticed the other girls giggling behind them and folded me ears. "And besides,

why would we want to mingle with you poor?" Abby (or whom I assumed was) asked

me. "You look positively filthy."          "Hey!

The only poor one here is you, for who'd miss out on getting a kiss from me?" I

asked. I immediately regretted it when both vixens raised their paws,

snickering while walking away with their tails facing me.           "Not

surprising, seeing as how you usually faint like a dainty woman every time a

girl kisses you," someone spoke.           I

turned. "Hey!" I said, seeing it to be both Lance and James, who now wore a

snickering grin. "That wasn't what ya thought it was!"          "I

may be a human but I ain't dumb, you know that?" James remarked. "Still," he

started to giggle like a girl, "I can't believe you humiliated yourself like

that." He bent over chuckling and Lance patted the lad's back with a wagging

tail          "It's

not the first time old Peter here's kicked his own butt," he said in between

breaths. "L-Like, this one time last Valentine's Day, he tried to kiss a

teacher on the cheek, but he slipped and fell on his head instead."           I

folded me ears. "Oh really, Mr. 'I-Love-Ya-Patty-Jones?'" I grinned.           "Hey!"

he added, "she was a pretty raccoon and I didn't know she was secretly dating

that wolf!"           Pretty

soon, me and Lance laughed at past days of Valentine. The day Lancie saw a

coyote from West woo a gal, and how me and him tried it out on other ladies,

only to get us in deep trouble. At least for him; I got me tail outta there

while he got the paddling of a lifetime.          All

of a sudden, I spotted another pair of pretty eyes. "'ello there..." I grinned

with a flickering tail and bristled fur. "There's Caroline Mc..." Lord, what was

her name?          "Caroline

McCray, you mean?" James asked. "The she-wolf over there?"           Lance

folded his ears. "Dear Lord, you ain't going Casanova again are you?" he gazed

to me as I made me way over to the pretty she-wolf.          Soon

as she turned to me, I grinned and gazed into her auburn eyes. "Has anyone ever

told ya how pretty your eyes are?"           I

saw her blush slightly in surprise. Jackpot. "Ya must be Caroline McCray?" I

asked slyly. "Me name's Peter Gray, and I can say that your eyes are as

beautiful as autumn." I grinned kindly.           "Uh,

thank you," she replied. Her tail slightly wagged behind her, so me luck was in

proper order. I also noticed her twiddling he thumbs.           "Caroline?"

one of her friends turned and saw me, then gave me a friendly smile. "Oh come

on, you want to be the Valentine of that Gray fellow?"          Caroline

turned to me and widened her eyes lightly. "Peter Gray?" she asked. "The street

urchin?" Originally thinking it was a good title for me, I smiled and nodded

with me pride.           In

all me days on the street, I have seen and witnessed many things no regular New

Yorker sees on a daily basis. I slept in trashcans, eaten from that very can,

bartered for food, even gone days without

food. But never in me life,

save for a few mothers drunken or angered, have me cheeks been slapped by a

girl."Ewww!" Stars danced across

me eyes and I struggled to stand. "What the 'ell?" I felt the red in me cheek,

but kept meself smiling. "What was that for, me love?" Caroline replied with, "You're a street boy

and you could have fleas!" Me ears perked up. "Hey! Who are ya calling

flea-ridden?" I asked. "Me fur is cleaner than a priest's heart, yes it is!" I

got on me feet and pointed to her. "I give ya a complement and ya slap me like

a rag? What the 'ell?""Get out of here, mutt!" a cub shouted. "You

don't belong here!" A crowd had gathered nearby, with James, Lance, even his

brothers snickering in the corner of their curious eyes.I turned and gave a low growl in me throat.

The voice was from Gavin Flint, a coyote with an attitude of steel and a mind

more blank than freshly made paper. He came outta the small crowd and snickered

at me humiliation. "Why don't you do us all a favor and go back

to the workhouse, mutt?" he sneered with a flicking tail. "You don't belong

here, Gray." I hated him; one time Gavin pushed me into a puddle of mud and

took $3 and two ha'penny I earned from a kind gent. "You're one to talk, coyote!" I shot back. Me

eyes saw he was about to lunge for me when a high voice came from nowhere. "What is going on here?" Me fur bristled in less than a second. Oh dang it, not her! Great, another

familiar muzzle that hated me guts.  I heard a gasp. "You!" With folded ears, I looked up to see Ms.

Lesser, or as many students liked calling her, "Presser Lesser." She was the

toughest teacher in the school, an old fennec who stood a foot taller than me with

eyes as piercing as her fingernails, and a stare that was said to have turned people

to stone. 'Who do you think makes the statues around Central Park?' everyone

joked. This was no

place for me joking. "'ello there...Ms. Lesser, m-ma'am..." from how

quiet the school yard was, all the other cubs and kits had to be watching,

waiting for me demise. And it came with her pulling me right ear

with her nails and speaking."You. I specifically told you to not come

here at all. You have the honest gall to

come to this public building and bring in your filthy footpaws to-""I am not

dirty!" She pressed her fingernails deeper, making me

try to squirm as we came to the gate entrance. "And if I ever see you set one

step in this place, if you even try to harass any of the girls again," she

threw me out, and I winced as air filled the small puncture of me ear. "I will

have the policeman arrest you and personally see that you and your fleas rot in

prison." She closed the gate. "Got! Get out of her before I do it! Now!"She turned to the kits and cubs that watched

it all. "Recess is over, so get to your classes! Go on! Get!" everyone followed

her command and I watched as Lance and James gave me apologetic looks.Witch... To

vent off steam, I went back to Joseph Kinnick's Bakery and got him to gimme a

piece of muffin for only three nickels, and I listened to him talk about how

Johnny was doing. "Ah, the cub is healthy as a horse?" I got me reply when I heard a cry travel down

the stairs, and a she-wolf cradled the cub in her arms. Rosie had Johnny's

green eyes, and a smile that I thought every woman should have. Kind, yet

sharp."So how's life been for ya, sonny?" Joseph

asked me as he kissed Rosie. "How's Valentine's Day for ya?" I gave no reply to

him, as he read it all off of me face. "Peter, I keep telling ya to stop trying

to flirt with women, they just cause trouble."Rose gave Joseph a quizzical stare. "Joseph?"

she asked wryly. "Oh-except for you dear," he chuckled, and

then turned to me. "The point is, you can't keep looking for a girl when you

are who you pretend to be. A real love for someone is when ya don't see it

coming' for ya." He happily turned to Rosie and his cub. "That's how I met my

beautiful wife, young lad. So you should wait too, and make the best of

Valentine's Day for those who can't."After drinking the rest of the water, I laid

me change on the table. "I'll consider it, Joseph," I mumbled. "Good day,

Rosie, Joseph. Little Johnny." After waving to them

from the window, I took meself a stroll down Cross Street and past the tenement

buildings with a curled tail. Occasionally I tipped me cap to a pair of pretty

eyes shining under the cloudless sky, and smelled the sweets that gents and

ladies held tightly in their arms.           It

was Valentine's Day, and every one of every species was cheery from perking ear

to swishing tail. Of course, everyone was busy and some scowled at me merry

muzzle, many of New York greeted each other with "Happy Valentine's Day" and

"Good bless ya neighbor". In every alley and every tenement and every

marketplace I went, husbands kissed their wives, kits and cubs and human kids

shyly gave presents and cards to their friends, crushes got crushed, and young

couples held paws together like glue.          On

me way to me usually hideaway, I even spotted two gents holding paws together,

one a reddish fox and the smaller a mouse. I knew them pretty well, being they

were outcasts as I was, and gave me scraps back at the orphanage. The tall fox

was named Edward and the mouse liked to be called Hansel. Hansel wore a coat

that covered overalls while Edward wore a shirt that looked fancy once, but now

was more worn and dirty than a wash rag. Both were in their late thirties yet

seemed young and bright as me fur.          I

stopped in me tracks in the melting snow to see they weren't getting popular

looks as well, even scowls that matched that of the Presser Lesser, but worse than anything she coulda thrown at

me. Their looks were just...pure disgust.          And

faster than a crossing cabbie, someone nearby threw a piece of thrash or two at

them. Another hurled a dead rat at their muzzles.  "Hey look, it tis

your cousin!" someone howled. "Why don't ya kiss that?"A young mountain lion

nearby shouted to them, "Get outta here, degenerates." He was selling flowers,

and some of his customers gave the pair ugly looks as well. Me eyes saw Hansel

and Edward's expressions of distress, then the two quickly walking away while

the wolf went back to selling roses from his cart. I stood there frowning madly,

remembering how Gavin treated me earlier, not to mention the Presser Lesser.

The memory eased away eventually, and an idea popped into me head.Casually, I walked

over to the cart and innocently looked at the busy cat as he worked. He had to

be no older than twenty, and seemed happy with his job. So you should wait too, and make the best of Valentine's Day for those

who can't,I recalled Joseph's

words and grinned at the mountain lion. Too bad he was gonna have less roses to

sell.Soon as the mountain

lion gave a rose to the next customer, I slipped behind him and grabbed meself

two decent roses. By the time me ears caught him shouting, I disappeared into

the street and ran for Edward and Hansel. It took me a couple o' seconds, but I

spotted their curled tails among the wagging."Wait!" I shouted. "Hansel!

Eddie!" They turned their

muzzles and I skidded to a halt while holding the roses behind me back. I lit

up a kind smile on me muzzle and looked up at them. As others went by, earning

me an extra frown and two confused looks, I shamelessly presented the roses. "Happy Valentine's

Day! I got these two for ya two."I spotted Hansel's

brown eyes light up in a widening smile next to Edward's grin of white canines.

"Peter Gray, you lil' scamp," Hansel let go of gave one of the roses to him.

"You did not need to do this." I handed the other to

Hansel's empty paw. "Of course I do," I said with me tail wagging and cap in

paw. "You two deserve a proper Valentine's Day, so me noggin thought that flower

seller wouldn't mind me borrowing a few of his flowers." The older fox and

mouse laughed through their noses while holding the roses, putting a smile on

me muzzle. It seemed like only

yesterday when I first caught sight o them from the orphanage windows, two

distinct immigrants from Germany who came to America in escape from hate and search

for opportunity. Both worked as street sweepers and once worked in steel

factories before Edward was nearly crippled in an accident one day.They were very kind

to me the first days we met. Every morning as they went to work, Edward would

come by me open window by me bedroom and leave me a few pieces of bread from

the market, and Hansel, on special occasions, a sweet bear or two. I always

waved to them and thanked them for their kindness.Edward didn't speak

often enough, not cause he bore a thick accent even Hansel had trouble

understanding, but he held a troubled past. I didn't know why, but I respected

him for that."You keep your head

clear, and don't give up, you lil' scamp," Hansel told me. The mouse petted me

headfur and I hurried to put me cap back on. "Can do," I chuckled

lightly. "Happy Valentine's Day, ya two." I smiled with a tip of me cap. "And

don't let others get the best of ya!"          I

waved me paw to them and watched as they went down the street and disappeared

around the corner. Feeling merry as a schoolboy, I went into an adjacent alley

and climbed me way up the tenants. It was difficult, but me paws never faltered

in their grips.           At

last, I made it to the top, and felt immersed in the sunlight as it began to

sink from the sky. I saw the bustling tenements and the

upstate houses from me spot, the smoke from atrocious workhouses, the immigrant

ships sailing in the Hudson, everything with the slightest beauty. And as the

sun sank on New York, and the lights of Lady Liberty arose in the dark, I

thought, What a beautiful city...