Walking along the road, the orange fox keeps his brown eyes straight forward. Not once does he look back at the town, which is already about two miles away. He clutches at his blue bandana, hoping luck will come to him while he presses on. His blue baseball cap keeps his head protected by the sun’s advancing rays, while schlepping a backpack of the same color around. As he ambles alongside the paved path, the music of nature plays; wind whistling through the trees, the ruffle of leaves as the branches dance, the harmonic tune of the birds calling out to one another. In contrast, the beautiful sounds are interrupted by the occasional one or two cars that pass him by on the road. After about a minute’s walk he now find himself arrived at a bus terminal. The platforms are near-deserted, save for a few occasional animals waiting around to travel, as well as the ones waiting in line. All is mostly quiet as there is no chatter. His bright colors draw some attention, but not enough for people to take interest. He approaches the desk, where the silent animal behind watches him.
“H-hi,” begins the fox. “One ticket to Anitropolis, please…” The clerk just glares back at him with clenched eyes and a grumpy face. Yet, the creature in the white button-down shirt and black pants complies with the order; producing a bus ticket with the click and clack of the computer. After the process is complete, the clerk holds out their grasper when showing the price of the ticket. The fox reaches into his knapsack and pulls out dollar bills, which he hands over to the worker in exchange for the ticket. “Thank you.” The orange animal heads outside to wait on the platform of the assigned bus number, occupying the bench closest to the edge of the platform. Alongside him is a white rabbit, same build as him with a red bandana, red eyes, red baseball cap, and red backpack. Looking past him, he takes notice of a tan warthog by the pillar, half the height of the other animals, with a female build and long, chocolate hair and eyes. She wears a charcoal jacket over a pale t-shirt, complemented by denim-blue jeans. Next to her is a chicken, leaning against the pillar on the opposite side of the warthog. Her brown eyes peer out from the platform, before noticing the fox. The orange, fluffy animal turns away.
“Lovely day, isn’t it?” begins the rabbit beside him. His tone is higher than the average male, and more melodious. The fox faces him. “I take it you’re heading to Anitropolis, too?”
“Huh?” replies the fox. “Oh! Um, yes… I am…”
“Anitropolis has some nice scenery and landmarks. Pretty pleasant when you walk around. It’s really a great place for photographers, aside from tourists!”
“Yeah, well, I’m not really going there to see sights… I’m heading there to start anew. I’m sick of how everyone in my hometown is treating me. I’ve decided enough was enough, and I’m leaving.”
“Do tell. What has happened in your hometown?” The fox stays silent, reluctant to share his story. “Don’t worry, you can trust me.”
The fox lets out a sigh. “I spent my years in an orphanage; where I was belittled and abused because of my disorder and biological parents’ reputation. I didn’t really have friends because of how the kids viewed me. The adults were worse; they thought I was flawed and imperfect. They dubbed me as the ‘Flawed Fox.’”
“That’s not your real name, though, is it?” The fox shakes his head. “What is your name?”
“Zach,” responds the fox. “It’s Zach.”
“Nice to meet you, Zach. I am Ralph. I’m sorry you’ve had a sucky life. Did it turn around for you at least?”
“Not at all. I was never adopted, and I didn’t have a single friend. Team Rescuers were no better, either…”
“Team Rescuers?! You knew Team Rescuers?”
The fox in blue nods. “They saw I was down on my luck and were kind enough to hang out with me. I thought I was happy with having friends, finally. However, it didn’t last very long; they got sick of me, and decided to push me away. They swore they wouldn’t interact with me after that.”
“Horrible…”
“I’ve decided to leave. If I stayed, I would continue to suffer. I’d never get my reputation turned around… I’m never going back to that awful place!”
“I know how you feel… My life was bad, too… My dad was a big alcoholic and my mother was pretty strict with things. School was the only place I could get away from them, really. As I hung out with friends, I started to have a nice relationship with another male. We kept our love secret and met privately, but we were eventually found out by some others. We were constantly bullied and labeled as outcasts because of what we had. It became too much for him, so he took his own life.” Zach lets out a gasp as he covers his mouth with his paws. He then tells him he feels sorry for him. “Thanks… After all of that, my parents weren’t very happy about the whole thing. They shunned me and kicked me out of the family. Then again, my dad was always a drinking and abusive, and my mom was no better. I’ve been on my own afterwards, but it wasn’t smooth sailing. That’s why I’m here, too…”
“That makes three of us,” adds the warthog from the side, taking a couple of steps toward them. She lets out a sigh, and begins her tale. “My parents don’t understand me. Well, it’s mostly my dad… He’s been horrible toward me right from the start. Expects me to respect him, expects me to be good and always listen to him. I would’ve, if he wasn’t so terrible to me.” Ralph asks what she means. “Always disrespectful, insults everything I do, belittles me, even says I don’t do enough around the house, when that’s not true. When I would have my downtime, he would always say I was being lazy and to get off my butt and be useful. In the times where I was alone, I would sketch characters and scenes from shows/movies I love… I’d even make my own characters, as well as make up different scenes mixing my characters with others.”
“Do you have your sketches with you?” Zach asks. The warthog questions him as to why. “I just want to see.” She pulls out a folded piece of paper from her jacket pocket and opens it up to him. On the sheet is a pencil-drawn image of three cartoon bears in front of a hill made into a home. In front of them is the warthog herself, surrounded by them as they comfort her. “Wow! That’s really good.”
Ralph leans over to view. “Holy! You are very talented!”
“Thanks. Unfortunately, my dad doesn’t think so… During the times I would draw, he’d always insult my work… He thought it was a waste of time and not useful for me. He then ripped up some of them and tossed them in the garbage. Sometimes even throw them into the fireplace, where’d they be burnt up. Worst part of it all; my mom would stay quiet and wouldn’t take my side through any of it. She was no help and unsupportive. I decided I had enough and left.”
“And now you’re out here all by yourself?” The warthog nods. “Aw, gee… It’s not always good to be pushed to your limits…” The fox hands her back her drawing. “I feel bad for you, Miss-”
“Emma,” spurts the warthog. “I’m Emma. Pleasure to meet you both, by the way.”
“Hey,” calls a voice from nearby. The three animals turn to the source and find the chicken approaching them. “I understand what having tough parents is like. That’s something we have in common… When I was a little chick, my parents were rough with me, but always fantastic with my older sister… They praised her and favored her more than me… They would always ask me, ‘Why can’t you be like your sister?’ They would constantly yell at me for not working hard and… Whenever I did manage to accomplish something, like excellent grades or gain a skill, my parents would be harsh; telling me it’s not sufficient, and my sister is way ahead of me with it.” She grunts. “With them, it’s never enough! They expect me to do better and strive for excellence! No matter how hard I try, they always want more! But with my sister, she’s fine?! I don’t freaking get it!” The raised tone from her voice draws other animals’ attention to her, prompting her to calm and ease her voice after letting out a sigh. Once she’s soothed, the patrons return to their previous business. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to yell… It’s just-”
“We feel you,” Ralph relates. “It’s hard to keep that stress bottled up…”
The chicken continues. “Anyway, after I came of age, I left to pursue a better life and ceased all communications with my parents; even my sister… I’ve been flying solo for a bit, and it’s not been easy, but I’ve sort of managed… Though, I could do better away from home.”
“What’s your name, Miss?” asks Emma.
“Winifred,” the chicken tells her. “But everyone calls me ‘Winnie.’”
“I’m sorry you went through all of that, Winnie.”
“I thought my mom was strict,” Ralph comments. “But your story takes the cake…”
“I don’t think my dad was ever drunk, but I always thought he was,” adds Emma.
“At least you three had parents and families,” goes Zach. “I never had any family at all… No one to adopt me, to care and love me… And when I met my biological parents, they never wanted me back, nor have communications with me… I’ve been left to handle everything on my own…”
“Despite some differences, the four of us are in the same boat,” says Winnie. “We’ve all been mistreated in different ways… Pushed away, neglected, not taken seriously… What did we ever do to all of them…?”
“You know what?” begins Ralph. “Maybe this was meant to be.” The fox, chicken, and warthog ask him what he means. “It might be coincidence, but perhaps its destiny bringing us together. We’ve faced hardships that have made us who we are, and now whatever challenges await us in Anitropolis, it’s telling us to stick together.” The other three nod in agreement.
“Let’s make a pact of friendship,” Emma suggests. “Agree to work together and be good friends.” Zach and Winnie agree with her, followed by Ralph.
“Whatever happens now, we will face it all together,” adds Winnie. Their moment is interrupted by the loud honk of the incoming bus as it approaches the platform and comes to a halt. The doors swing open, allowing the passengers to enter in. The four animals, one-by-one, go in and take their seats near each other. As everyone gets settled in, the doors close, accompanied by the roar of the engine and jerking motion as the bus leaves.
“Goodbye, Heroto and Team Rescuers,” comments Zach, looking out the window. “See you never… It’s time to begin a new life with new friends.” Ralph, Emma, and Winnie join him in the moment.
“Farewell, Hopsdale,” adds Ralph. “No more abuse on this bunny.”
“Sayonara, North Portstown,” Emma utters. “Not turning around now.”
“Ta-ta, Farmton," Winnie says, being the last to add in. “Don’t care what happens to you all. May all of you rot over there.” The four become silent for a few more seconds as they see the bus terminal become smaller with distance.
Emma turns to her new friends. “So, what’s our plan when we arrive to Anitropolis?”
“Isn’t it simple?” Winnie starts. “We find a place to live, get jobs, and live a life that’s not horrible to us with no restraint.”
“Yeah, but seems too simple. What I mean is, where are we staying at? What kind of jobs will we get? Stuff like that.”
“Oh, well, haven’t really thought that far… Let’s see…”
“I may be able to help.” The warthog takes out her phone and begins her research. “What’s first?”
“Let’s find a place to stay first,” Ralph implies. “Having a roof over our heads is top priority. A nice apartment would be a good shout.”
“Let’s see what’s for sale in Anitropolis. I hope there are vacancies.”
“Wouldn’t they be too expensive?” asks Winnie. “Not to mention the contracts and legal issues? That’ll take a long time.”
“You’re right,” adds Emma. “We could try an extended-stay hotel. Not sure about pricing. Might even be too expensive.”
“We’ll worry about that later on,” Ralph says. “Though, wouldn’t be a bad idea to find a good place for a decent price; not too expensive, yet fairly adequate in terms of quality.” During the three animal’s discussions, Zach feels his eyelids getting heavier. Once his eyelids meet in the middle, they flutter open again. The fox repeats this routine, doing all he can to fight off his tiredness. However, once his eyes close once more, his weariness has won; bringing him into a world of sleep.
