The Adventures of Peter Gray Chapter 17: The 4th of July
Chapter 17 The 4th of July "Happy 4th of July to everyone!" a newsie I knew nearby shouted with a swishing tail. "Happy Independence Day to all humans and fursons everywhere! Oh 'ello Peter!" I nodded to Bromley and tossed a coin to the young German Shepherd cub before being tossed a rolled up newspaper for trade. "Good luck with the rest, Bromley!" I said over the other customers. "And Happy Independence Day to ya too!" As I walked down the cobblestone path and soaked in the warmth of the sun, Central Park's trees sprung to life amid the shallow winds and happy chatter of fursons. I made sure to tuck the newspaper in me back pocket before smiling at the festivities present. Fursons of every kind celebrated Independence Day in dozens of ways, some with sparkler sticks in their paws, mothers scolding their cubs to be careful less they want their fur to catch fire, or some already setting up for a tasty picnic. Me, I was just eyeing the sights, and keeping sight for unguarded food. I checked me father's pocket watch to see it was half past noon, and everyone was celebrating high and mighty as angels outside. Seeing a human vendor next to me selling It was a few minutes later that I spotted a couple wolf kits playing in Sheep Meadow with sparklers, and a certain fox and raccoon hybrid a few yard to me right looking at me with a wry smile on his muzzle. "Peter Gray!" Kid Blink laughed while lunging at me fer a hug. "Tis great to sees ya in de Park!" The goody hybrid lemme go and smiled a toothy grin at me while adjusting his eyepatch. "Blink!" I laughed with a flickering tail. "I haven't seen ay in months!" I walked alongside him, smelling the scent of newspapers and sweat tracing his skin. "I ams on me break day since it tis de Fourth of July," Blink smiled halfheartedly, "and thought dis woulda been a gud time to taka stroll 'round de Park." He turned down to me with a curious glance. "How's youse been? I heard frem Bromley 'bout yer...little scuffle wit de local bully a month's back. Didja really youse glue on de 'yote?" I folded me ears, slightly ashamed that me and Gavin's little predicament went all the way across the bridge and into Brooklyn. "Yeah we've handled our quarrel since the midnight howl, Blink." I turned to the newsie and widened me eyes when I noticed his right leg with a slight limp. "What happened to yer leg anyway? Ya look hurt." Blink perked his creamy ears up and glanced down to his leg. "Ah it nuddin'," he chuckled while catching up to me. "De boss back 'ome is mad dat I didn't sell 'nuff papers last week." The hybrid shook his muzzle. "He only nicked mes leg, and gave me anudder chance." I lowly growled and nudged his shoulder. "Ya shoulda fought back fer yer American rights Blinkie!" I barked to him. The hybrid widened his eyes at me actions and lifted his paws up. "I'm serious. Ya don't deserve that." "I knows dat, Peter, but dis is de time when de bosses don't listens to ya," he sighed with folded ears. "Dem fat tycoons care onlys about how's deep der pockets go, and sees de strikes as poppycock." He turned 'round fer something, and whispered in me ear, "I should tells ya dat me and de odder newsies are planning sumdin', like a union. A Newsies Union." I laughed while we passed Bethesda Terrace, trying me best to ignore the stare of passing gentlewolves. "Amen to that Blink!" I hollered with wolfish glee. "Screw the newspapers, screw the fat gentlewolves, and screw the coppers even if they try to stop ya from striking." "Says de guy who runs frem coppers like the cooties?" Blink chuckled skeptically. "Eh, don't worry about me, Blink," I spoke, playfully nudging the older fox/raccoon's shoulder. "Those lackies couldn't catch me if I presented meself like a bordello gal." I turned to him and smiled cheekily at his raised eyebrow. "Relax yerself Peter," Blink said after a moment. "It's Independence Day. Go celebrates yerself with yer friens." He patted me shoulder and wagged his tail, then twitched his left ear toward our right. I followed his gaze and saw four figures approaching us. "Peter!" James waved. Alongside him were Mr. Lawton, his wife Laura, and little Annabelle in summer clothes. I noticed Mr. Lawton carrying something under his left arm, but James' arms got in the way. "Peter!" "Ah, is dat yer family, Peter?" Blink teased me. I folded me ears and walked over to them with me fox/raccoon friend. "'ello James!" I grinned with a wag of me tail. I quickly walked over to him and gave the human friend of mine a pawshake, then turned to Laura and Mr. Lawton with a friendly smile. "Happy Fourth of July to ya all!" "Happy July 4th to you too Peter!" James chuckled with a pat on me right shoulder. "We've been looking for you all over this place." I raised one of me twitching ears in confusion, but a certain smell from Laura's basket caught me nose like a greasy fishing hook, and it didn't take me long to know the smells anywhere. I stepped closer and sniffed a few times. "Hmmm, is that freshly baked bread from Joseph's Bakery and cheesecake tipped with strawberries and a small collection of...fruits?" I asked with interest. I clutched me stomach as it was rumbling, and offered a innocent look. "May I join ya?" "July doggy! July doggy! July doggy!" Annabelle chirped. "Doggy!" Laura smiled. "Of course you can Peter, as long as my wife made enough for later?" Mr. Lawton smiled happily as Laura playfully smacked his shoulder. "And who is the furson behind you, Peter? A friend of yours?" Blink behind me cleared his throat and offered a paw. "De name's Kid Blink," he said with a quick tip of his newsie cap. Blink then blinked a few times and curled his fox/raccoon tail. "May I comes as well? I gots nuddin' to do." "Anyone who's a friend of Peter's is a friend of ours sonny," Mr. Lawton said. "Now let's go get our spot before the best spots are taken. Come on. Blink and I followed the heavenly smell Laura carried in her basket, almost the point me and the hybrid were elbowing each other for first dibs on the cheesecake. It was a few minutes later that we found ourselves in a part of Central Park without trees 'round. Kits and human kids played in every direction me eyes could see. Some played with sparklers in their paws and hands, others tossed horseshoes, a couple ate fantastic-smelling food with their families, and the rest simply watched and chatted with glee. For a moment, I was about to look for Lancie and his family, but remembered him saying they planned to celebrate July 4th at his aunt's house, which coulda explained why the idea of hiding from me friend's parents kinda lingered a bit. Oh well. "Where are we gonna go?" James asked his parents. "I can't see any spots for the fireworks." We initially noticed Annabelle looking surprised by his statement. "Don't worry Annabelle, there will be fireworks tonight." That calmed her down quickly, for now. I felt me stomach rumble, me belly more empty and less hollow than a church on Monday, when I spotted a spot. "Ova there!" Blink beat me to the punch, and we finally sat down. The grass was very soft, but no better than the delicious cheesecake we got ourselves after the wonderful feast. Me stomach felt like a stone afterward, but it didn't stop me from having a cheesy and sweet bite. Blink seemed hesitant at first, but wolfed his piece of cheesecake down like a wolf. As he sat down there next to me with a toothy grin, we marveled in the rest of the foods present in the center of the picnic blanket. Around the basket, James was to me right eating a piece of bread, Mr. Lawton across from me favoring a piece of turkey, and Laura kneeled down with Annabelle giddily stuffing sweets into her mouth.
"Fourth of July! Fourth of July for everyone!" a cheetah in vendor's attire handed out miniature US flags to everyone for a penny each. Mr. Lawton happily bought some for all of us, even though Blink insisted he could pay for himself. "So Peter here tells me you're a newsie right?" Mr. Lawton asked curiously. "I used to sell newspapers back when I was your age, but it never required me to wear an eyepatch." Blink's ears folded as Mr. Lawton chuckled. "I lost its in an accident, tanks ya very much, Mista Lawton," he said bluntly, then chuckled when it became the human father's turn to look uncomfortable. "Ah relaxes yerself, and tanks fer de invite fer de picnic." He ate the last of the chicken and rubbed his belly. "Yer mudda's a gud cook Jamie." "Why thank you Blink dear," Laura smiled while taking a napkin and wiping Annabelle's cheesy cheeks. The little girl seemed flustered, but Laura patted her head lightly afterward. "Ever since we left Buffalo all those months ago, life in New York has been so darn hectic. There's been moving, leaving friends and family behind, but..." Laura glanced down at the wide-eyes Annabelle and lifted her chin up with a smile, "it is good to know I have family here as well." I caught outta the corner of me eye the sight of Blink's foxy tail wagging behind his back, and playfully nudged the hybrid with me elbow. "What about me?" I asked cheekily. "After all, it's also me birthday today." Mr. Lawton's eye brows were raised. "Really?" he asked. I grinned. "Cross me heart and hope to die Mr. Lawton," I crossed me heart and caught Blink mimicking me like a bad mime. "Hey, it's true Blink." James and Laura giggled after whispering something to each other. "What's so funny?" James grinned and explained, "If today's your birthday, then I guess Christmas Day is your...wedding, right?" James and Blink giggled like ninnies as I folded me ears. "I'm not lying James. I swear like a drunk," I lowly spoke. "Mr. and Mrs. Lawton, today I am turning thirteen." I sighed, ignoring James as if he were invisible. "I was found at me orphanage's doorstep on at 1:00 am on July 4th, and the nuns back there didn't know me real birthday, so they decided to have the Fourth of July be me birthday from now on." "If that's true, then why didn't you mention it to me and Laura earlier Peter?" Mr. Lawton asked with human curiosity. Laura turned to stare at James, and he quickly straightened himself out before sitting properly cross-legged. Even blink stopped laughing and listened in on us. "Thank you dear," she said to her son, then asked an addition of, "Is it because we wouldn't believe you?" I curled me tail and sighed. "Nah, it ain't because of that," I waved them offa me. "I just...I ain't that much of a birthday wolf. 'cause me birthday's on Independence Day, ya can guess people are more interested in the fireworks." It was that, and I never had a birthday celebration before. I got a small chocolate bar from Hansel and Edward through the window whenever they came through me home town, but the nuns ever acknowledged me pleas for a cake. It didn't matter what they believed, because it was true. As of today since this morning, I was turning thirteen years old. Suddenly, I was surprised to find Mr. Lawton reaching over to pet my headfur, his scratching in between me ears causing me tail to wag and a warm feeling to glow in me chest like an oil lamp. "Happy Birthday then Peter," he said with a kind smile. "Thank you Mr. Lawton," I said in response. Why did me tail not stop wagging, even when Mr. Lawton sat down next to his wife? The human across from me shifted himself on the picnic blanket and smiled with a wave of his hand. "Oh please Peter, call me Henry," Henry said. It wasn't long before dusk came, and the sun started to sink over the trees and smoke-spewing buildings in the distance. Trumpets and bands blared the music of patriots in the air, and a small parade of soldiers in uniform went through Central Park. Children sang, families laughed, and food was eaten every minute.
It wasn't long either when sparklers were brought out more, causing every cub in sight to ask their parents for more sparklers to wave around with their miniature flags. After the picnic was over, me and Blink got us some sparklers outta the change in our pockets, and got one for Annabelle as well. "Sparkly! Sparkly!" she giggled with it in her feeble hands. Laura happily picked her up and walked with the human girl as she tumbled along the grass. Compared to the darkened park, Annabelle was a firefly in the sea of blackness, along with lamps families brought. After my last one burned out, me legs were starting to get tired and the mosquitoes started kissing me skin. I eventually sat down on the picnic blanket and swatted them away. I spotted Henry kissing Laura with Annabelle playing with James and their flickering sparklers like swords. God, the sight of so many twinkling lights made me feel like I were in the dark me entire life. "Ah, whata night," Blink curled his tail onto his lap as he sat next to me. The hybrid furson was breathing deeply, like he ran from here to New Jersey. "I 'aven't had dis much fun since de day I were born." Blink chuckled lightly nd nudged me left shoulder. I smiled and wagged me tail with delight at the night. "Yeah..." I replied. In me opinion, I couldn't wait for the- "Can you believe the sight Mary?" a gentlewolf whispered behind me back, even though I could hear him like a harp. "A wolf furson sitting with a family of pinkies. Ugh, the sight." "And a filthy newsie hybrid at that," she replied in a 'low' whisper. Me ears perked at said trash. I rapidly turned me muzzle around to see an aging black-furred gentlewolf and his lady sitting a couple of yards far from me. They were dressed respectively, but that was the least I coulda said about their grimaces at me. "Excuse me?" I asked with a kind smile. "I thought I misheard ya, sir?" The old gentlewolf's eyes were auburn yellow, and staring t m intently as I shifted me nervous tail. "Why do you associate yourself with them, the pinkies and the newsboys?" he asked, turning not only to the Lawtons in the dark, then at me friend next to me. I heard a lowly growl come from Blink's throat, and widened me eyes at Blink showing his canines. "Hey dere!" he said crossly. "Whatcha talking about me friens like dat, mista?" "I wasn't referring to you, young boy,' the gentlewolf said, then looked back to me. "I was speaking to him, newsboy." He spoke the last word with a hint of venom, making me grab a hold of Blink's left paw to keep him from having us spend the night in a cell. I let go and lifted me paws, shrugging nonchalantly. "Hey, the only prejudice I have is for people who think the world revolves around their hindquarters," I grinned at the aging gentlewolf without a care in the city. "People like you for example." His wife gasped, and whispered something to the gentlewolf. "How rude," he huffed. "Lovely, let's get away from these brats." She nodded to him, and they stood up from their picnic blanket. "Bring the basket too, or else they'll steal everything. Ouch. "With our clothes, whatcha expecting? A schoolboy?" I asked as the gentlewolf and his lady got up, probably to get away from us. As soon as they were outta earshot, me and Blink turned to each other with expressionless looks on our muzzles. For a minute, we were silent, the next we howled with laughter till our stomachs hurt. "Oh good Lord, didja see de look on his muzzle Peter?!" Blink fell over on his tail and rolled onto his back. "I was sure he'd hit ya wita rulla me frien." Suddenly, it happened. An explosion of color lit the night sky. It was soon followed by another, and an entire rainbow covered the darkness amid trumpets and drums. A minute later, the Lawtons returned to the picnic basket and we sat watching the entire thing. We oohed and ahhed as rockets flew above the park and lit New York City like a candle in the world. Everyone cheered at the music and the spectacle with wonder. Annabelle curled up with an exhausted and mesmerized James, Henry hugged Laura in his buff arms, Blink stared with his single eye at the fireworks like a little cub, and I sat in between by meself. However, under the rainbows and flares and bombs bursting in the air, under the red the whites and the blues lighting Central Park, I knew one thing. I wasn't alone.