School Days by Pent Ghelsburg
Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. This work involves underaged characters. You have been warned.
The sun rises against the horizon. Clouds overhead obscure its fiery gaze. Its glare broke through the window, peering through the blinds. An alarm goes off, another day anew. A young boy rouses from slumber as he stretches and yawns on the bottom bunk of the bed he was sleeping on. Raising his white fur-covered arm, he jams one of his fingers into the bottom of the upper bunk.
"I'm up…I'm up." The higher-pitched voice of the boy's younger brother sounded from above.
The older arctic fox boy eased himself out of the bed. Looking at the clock the digital date on it showed that it was Monday. This meant it was a school day.
"Come on, Samaliel. Time's ticking." Pent popped his head over the top bunk to make sure his brother was getting up.
The salt and peppered colored fox rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I know."
"I'll make you waffles and syrup if you hurry up and I'm not late again because of you." The older boy was always worried about being punctual.
The smaller boy immediately hopped out of bed, not even bothering to slide down the ladder that was meant to switch between the levels of it.
"Good boy. Go ahead and get dressed and I'll make breakfast." The white fox exited the room making his way to the kitchen.
Pent and his brother lived with their foster mother. A woman who put in as little time to care for them as possible. Providing only the bare necessities and nothing else. The older boy takes up the responsibilities instead, not letting the drone of a wolf drag him down. He made his way into the kitchen and slid out of the waffle iron from the storage cabinet. Looking through the pantry, he found the waffle mix to be almost empty.
"Enough for Samaliel…" He told himself, deciding that he would have cereal or something of the like.
Pent mixed the batter in water before pouring it into the waffle iron. Plugging it in, he began to pour himself a bowl of cereal while he waited. It wasn't long before the alarm on the waffle iron sounded, reminding him that it was done cooking. The boy pried the thing open and plopped out the somewhat singed wheat product onto a nearby plate.
Samaliel soon padded into the kitchen. The younger boy seeing his brother still working figured he'd help by making them some juice. Panning over the stepping stool so he could reach, he pulled out two cups. After pouring them both some apple juice, he delivered it to the table.
"Oh thanks, bro. I see you're ready. That's good. Well…here's breakfast. Don't let it get cold." Pent handed off the plate at the table.
Samaliel looked up at the bigger boy after jumping off his stepping stool. "Aren't you gonna eat with me?"
"Oh, yeah but I need to get ready too. Don't wait. I'll be back to join you in a second." Pent put his bowl next to the other boy's plate but did not sit down just yet.
The younger boy tugged on his brother's pajamas. "Can it wait? I wanna eat with you."
"Sure, okay." The older boy smiled and sat down giving in to his brother's request.
The salt and pepper fox joined him. "Thanks, Pent."
The bigger boy nodded and they began eating. Pent continued to keep an eye on the clock. Today was supposed to be tryouts for hockey and anyone late couldn't attend. Pent hoped he would make the team as he had done last year. It was not guaranteed and he was a little nervous about it. The older fox worked through his meal rather quickly as he wanted to get dressed as soon as possible.
"It's really good." Samaliel complimented the other boys cooking.
Pent's tail wagged gently behind him. "Thanks but it's not very hard to make."
The older fox finished his meal but remained to give the other boy company. Samaliel didn't take much longer before finishing his meal.
"Mind cleaning up so I can get dressed and stuff?" The older fox suggested to save time.
The smaller boy nodded as it was far from the first time that he had done the chore many times before. Pent made his way back to their room to get ready for the day. He rifled through his things until he found his uniform and changed into it. After putting it on, he slid on his shoes and socks. He grabbed both of their bags and returned to Samaliel he saw the other boy was just about done with the chore.
"Ready to go? We can finish when we get back." The older fox said looking over at the clock again.
Samaliel nodded and put down the remaining dish for later before taking his bag from the other cub. He followed the bigger boy to the door and opened it for them. Once they were outside Pent locked the door. The two looked beyond the front door, seeing that it was a very nice day. There weren't many clouds in the sky and there was a slight breeze. It was bright enough that no street lights were currently on.
The two headed to the street corner where the bus usually picked them up. They waited there a few minutes until the familiar yellow vehicle appeared in the distance. It didn't take much longer until the bus arrived, stopping right where they were waiting. Air compressed out of the vehicle as the sliding door opened to allow them in. Pent lightly pushed Samaliel on the back to ease him in and followed him once he was a few stairs up.
Pent shadowed his younger brother until they found an open seat. The bus had a mix of older and younger kids as it served both the primary as well as secondary schools local to the area. The older fox had just made the transition to secondary school so it was the first year they had to go to different buildings. However, Pent didn't leave his younger to fend for himself and continued to sit by him as he was rather protective of Samaliel.
The bus began to move again once they were sitting down. It was loud with chatter on the bus and Samaliel immediately began conversing with some of his friends behind them. The boy had to kneel up to look over at them. The bus driver ignored the issue as they didn't care as long as no one stood up. In the meanwhile Pent took out a book to occupy himself, choosing a new book he hadn't started reading yet.
He tried zoning out of everyone's conversations but it was still pretty loud. All the same, he was able to start his book. The bus made a few more stops with none of the kids bothering to talk to the fox. Pent was known for being rather anti-social and was far from the most popular kid in the school. Most cubs didn't bother with him except for his brother who knew of his brother's true nature.
The bus soon arrived at the two schools, stopping in the loop in front of the building. The sudden shifting of the vehicle caused the entirety of the passengers to lurch inside. Most of them groaned that they had arrived. Pent huffed and put away his book. He waited for the front rows to file out before reaching back to Sama to poke him and get his attention. The two walked forward through the rows of seats.
They filed out into the schoolyard. Many of the students had separated from the groups of them hanging out by the buildings that they attended. Pent waved to Samaliel to see him off. The salt and pepper fox happily trotted off with his friends, leaving his brother behind. Pent sighed, telling himself it would be a good day. Another chance to learn and better himself, a creed he lived by day in and day out.
Pent looked around to see if he knew anyone. A quick gaze around showed no familiar faces to him. He shrugged and made his way inside. The white fox made his way into the building. The immediate rush of dry air passed by him. It was stale and smelt of wax. He assumed it had to be because they cleaned it the previous night. Making his way inside he continued to the lockers, knowing his to be further down the halls.
He noticed a few of the other students were around. Most of them ignored him. The bigger teens eyed him warily as he made his way down the hall. Pent kept his head low, trying to not bring attention to himself. He knew full well that bullies were a thing and so far in the few months he'd been at the school Pent had avoided them. The cub intended to keep it that way.
Pent eventually arrived at his locker. It was situated by the gym and he could hear the squeaking of tennis shoes nearby. A quick look inside the arena and he saw some people playing basketball. Looking over at them a moment, Pent noticed that the ball soon went astray and was bouncing toward him.
"Hey, can you grab that for us?" An unfamiliar female voice from inside the court beckoned to him.
The fox reached to grab the ball before throwing the ball back toward them.
"Thanks, did you wanna play?" Another unfamiliar male voice invited him into the game.
The fox kit thought about it for a second. Basketball was far from his favorite sport and he knew he wasn't very good at it. Looking at the clock on the wall reminded him that he still had time before class started. He nodded and padded inside. Pent put his bag down on the bleachers and joined the crew.
"Canines on defense…felines on offense." The same girl's voice from before suggested.
Pent was vaguely familiar with defense and hoped he could put up a good showing. The cats lined up on one side of the court and Pent joined his canine compatriots on the other. Looking at them for a second they all seemed bigger than he was, adding to the uncertainty of the moment. One of the cats began dribbling the ball. The fox cub watched intently, certain that he would be a target since he had just joined in.
The cat girl began heading down the court at full speed, barging her way past several of the teenage boys without issue. Curling and spinning in and around them. Pent watched in amazement as she made short work of every defender she passed. Yet she made no run at him, darting right for the basket and scoring a goal.
"Cats 1…Dogs 0…" Pent huffed at being associated as a dog even if he was somewhat related biologically to them.
The girl passed the ball to one of the dogs. A large bulky boy who seemed to spend a bit too much time in the gym.
"Swap it up each goal we will rotate." The same girl continued to moderate the game despite playing in it.
Pent swapped sides as he knew this meant he would be on offense. The cat opposite of him was pitch black. Looking at the critter it was difficult to make out if it was male or female. All he knew was that they looked much bigger than he was. The bulky boy began dribbling the ball passing it directly to Pent. The fox wasn't quite ready for it. The black cat swooped in for a steal before reeling past him and scoring a second basket. The bulky dog snarled at him after the score.
"Oh be nice…it's just a game. Come on cubby, you can play on our side." The cat girl suggested since the dogs were not playing nice.
Pent smiled and contemplated his options for a moment. Each of the members of both teams was staring at him.
"I uh…I gotta go!" Pent came up with a white lie to avoid making the decision.
The fox quickly retreated to grab his bag and returned to the hall. The boy figured that was a lose-lose situation. He had already made one enemy and certainly didn't want to make more. The cub made his way back to his locker and took a deep breath. He was glad the situation was over but could still hear the squeaking of the tennis shoes from the court. Pent decided to mind his own business and bide time until classes started.
Pent grabbed his things and decided to wait outside in the hall by his first class. Making his way down the hall, he avoided going back to the court. Literacy and Language Arts was the first class he had that day and it was down another. He noticed the halls were full of other cubs now and had to try to avoid running into people. Still, it wasn't overly congested and he was able to get there fairly quickly.
The fox made his way down the second corridor until he found B29. Some cubs had already sat down outside of it and he contemplated if he should just stand instead. He awkwardly stepped to the opposite side of the door trying to avoid the attention of the other kids. Pent looked down into his bag, digging to get his book back out.
"Hey, I saw you at the basketball game. You did pretty well." An unfamiliar male voice said nearby.
Pent knew they couldn't have been talking to him so he ignored the communication and focused on finding his book.
"Are you ignoring me?" The same voice asked again.
The white fox cub blinked twice. Were they talking to him? No, it couldn't be, he told himself. He pulled out the book. Upon turning his attention forward he found another boy standing nearby him. Pent had to look up a bit at the somewhat taller cub.
"Um…hi?" Pent said, unsure what else to say.
The brown and tan dog scratched his head. "You're funny. Hi!"
Pent said nothing for a second as he wasn't used to people talking to him. "Thanks?"
"What's your name?" The bigger boy asked holding out his paw as a gesture of greeting.
The white fox kept it as short as possible "Pent."
"Oh, that's a unique name. I've never heard of it before." The other cub continued holding out his hand expecting the other boy to shake it.
Pent slowly extended his hand forward, the other boy taking the liberty of shaking it for him.
"Mines Arthur. Nice to meetcha." Arthur let go of the other boy's paw and stood idly for a second.
The fox looked him up and down. From a glance, he appeared to be an Eskimo dog, though he couldn't be certain.
"So…do you like basketball?" The bigger boy continued to spur on a conversation despite the other boy's short responses.
Pent wasn't sure what to make of his new acquaintance, immediately believing that Arthur was trying to take advantage of him.
The fox shook his head. "Nah."
"Am I bothering you? I can leave you alone if you want." Arthur was growing tired of the rushes responses by the other boy.
Pent huffed. "No...Um..."
"Um, what? Cat got your tongue?" The dog reached up and tugged his tongue playfully.
The smaller boy couldn't help but smile. "I'm just not used to people talking to me."
"Oh, I see. Well, then. I can be the first." The Eskimo dog pointed at himself.
Pent looked in front of him, noticing students were beginning to file into the class. "Sure…"
"Wanna sit next to each other in class?" Arthur suggested since there were no assigned seats.
The fox's tail wagged slightly behind him. "Uh, okay…"
"Are you sure? I can sit somewhere else if you want." The bigger boy wanted to make sure he wasn't making the smaller one uncomfortable.
Pent shook his head before heading into the class but said nothing. Arthur remained shortly behind him, unsure what to make of the muted response. He figured the other boy was shy but this was a bit much for him to handle. The Eskimo cub decided to give him some space for the time being.
The fox found his way to the front row. The seats up there were always free as most of the kids were used to sitting in the back. Pent was one of the few ones who were eager to learn, no matter the subject. The seat directly to the right of him was vacant but Arthur decided to skip it. The two remained separated by a few rows once the bigger boy decided where to sit down. The bell rang and announcements churned off before long.
"Today is Monday and it is an A day for specials. Cafeteria selections for lunch chicken or salad, with fruit, fries or chips, and juice or milk. Afterschool scheduling today; Band Practice will meet in the auditorium. Tryouts for both hockey and soccer will be held today. Potential soccer players can meet outside on the field. Hockey players will meet in the courtyard to be taken to the school rink. That is all, have a good day."
The instructor wasted no time in beginning her lesson. The woman was a grizzled old educator. Her gray feathers covered her wrinkles. She was rather infamous among the upperclassman as holding nothing back when it came to discipline. To the students, she was to referred as Mrs. D. The dainty frail old woman was a crane, some of her feathers had molted leaving her a bit of a mess.
Today's lesson was covering the book the students were supposed to have read. Chapter 1 of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. A book that Pent had already read some time ago. The young fox was an avid reader who metaphorically devoured books whenever he had the chance. Since the book wasn't very long, the cub was able to work through it rather quickly.
The woman began asking questions to the class. Pent attempted to answer every question but the old crane wouldn't have it. The kit had been identified as gifted earlier in his life and she knew better than to rely on just the gifted students. She allowed Pent to answer one question and then picked on random students to answer after. Of course, most of them had not answered and she continued to get even more frustrated.
"So, I suppose only a few of you have read? If I gave a pop quiz…how many of you think you would pass?"
Pent raised his paw and looked around to see he was the only one with it up.
"I see. Well then, tonight the rest of you will have to read 2 chapters. Tomorrow you will have a quiz…ready or not." She folded her wings defensively.
Some elongated "Awws" were elicited across the room. Originally the woman had planned on doing something with the book but now how to do something else. Instead handing out a worksheet as busy work since she had no other ideas. Pent was handed a different sheet when she passed by him. Looking at it, the paper appeared to be something to do with the book. Gazing around at everyone else, he wondered why his paper was different.
He ignored the issue and began to work on it. It didn't take him very long to answer the questions. The cub filed to the front of the room to turn it in. The woman, who had just sat down, looked at him warily. She snatched the thing from him and shewed him away. Much to her chagrin, the paper ended up having nothing wrong with it. She huffed as she stamped it with a 100.
Pent had already sat back down and began reading the same spaced-themed book he was reading earlier. It was by a preeminent author who had passed some time ago, an American scientist by the name of Carl Sagan. Every time a teacher noticed him reading it they couldn't help but wonder if Pent understood what he was reading. Of course, there were parts he didn't entirely comprehend but that didn't stop the fox kit's burning desire to learn more.
Throughout the rest of the class, the cubs continued to chat lightly. The woman allowed them this much freedom so long as they didn't get too out of hand. She figured it was better than strong-arming them every chance they got. The fox kit decides to not engage in such social activities as he was much too entranced by his book. The rest of the class seemingly flew by as it often did for the young cub, especially when he was into something.
The end-of-class bell rang and the other cubs got out of their chairs to get ready to leave. It took Pent a few more seconds to gather his stuff, the other students not bothering him since he was somewhat off-putting to them. Arthur was the only one who remained behind as he was somewhat impressed by the other cub.
"You're pretty smart you know that?" He said from behind, not yet approaching the other boy.
Pent stuffed his book back into the bag. "I guess?"
"You guess? Come on now…give yourself some credit, dude." Arthur approached the smaller boy and waited for him to pick up his bag.
The fox shrugged as if it was no big deal to him. "Thanks."
"What class do you have next?" The bigger boy let the smaller one take the lead and began to follow him closely behind.
Pent hesitated before answering. "Math, why?"
"Just wondering, heh." Arthur still wasn't sure what to make of the other cub's somewhat defensive nature.
The fox kit headed out the door and made his way down the hallway. The sound of chatter filled the linoleum-laden hallway. It made it difficult for Pent to hear himself think. Arthur had already parted ways from the other cub as he didn't want to cross as too creepy. The white fox made his way to math which was down a few halls from where he was. As always he kept his head low to not garner himself any attention.
Pent was one of those kids who liked to be left alone as he had been a subject to bullying in the past. The young fox had even taken up martial arts, though he still wasn't keen on getting into conflicts with people. It had been a while since he'd had an issue because the last time it happened, Pent was more than able to handle himself. However, since he was in a new school the fox figured it would likely happen at some point.
The young cub made his way to the next class. There wasn't much time between classes and as such the students were already inside. Pent had been enrolled in an advanced science and math class, two grades above where the rest of his peers had been assigned. As such the class was older than he was. Still, that didn't stop him from sitting at the front of the class. The entirety of them looked at him when he entered.
The teacher for this particular class was a rotating one as they hadn't yet nailed down a full-time person for the position. Pent didn't mind the issue, though the inconsistency of instructors meant that the class was sort of all over the place. The variety of stuff they dealt with somewhat appealed to the younger boy as he enjoyed the challenge of new and exciting things.
This particular day's instructor was a younger man just out of college. The Bengal tiger walked in last, the somewhat bulky young adult wearing a suit and tie. Pent looked at the older male, he was carrying a small briefcase.
"Greetings, students. I will be your teacher this week. You can call me Mr. S." He spoke with a thick Indian accent.
Pent grabbed his math book from the shelf underneath the chair. The man had already begun explaining the lesson, not relying on much other than his memory. He was going over some simple algebraic concepts and discussing the determination of variables on graphs. It wasn't a very long introduction as the man considered it to be an easy concept to grasp. Within minutes of the class starting, he had already passed out a worksheet for them to work on.
Pent looked at it. Math was one of the only classes that still didn't offer the students laptops to work on. The fox thought about it for a few seconds before beginning to work on it. There were a few examples of it and he was able to manage the task rather easily. Some of the other students in the class tried to look at the younger cub's paper but Pent managed to cover it as he didn't like when people tried to copy off him. When he was done he walked up to the front to hand it to the substitute.
The tiger looked at him. The teacher wasn't expecting such a young student in the class. Still, he said nothing and took the paper from the fox cub. Pent smiled and walked back to his desk. The man began going through the boy's answers, finding nothing to be wrong with it. He graded the thing and put it back on his desk for the cub to get before he left. Pent returned to his desk and continued to read the same book he was reading before.
The rest of his classes went much the same until lunchtime. Lunch was one of two times per day and the students of the school were allowed to have more freedom. Only a few cafeteria monitors were assigned to the large room. Pent made his way to the cafeteria. He was alone again as he often was during the day. He filed his way over to the long line that currently was looping on the side of the Cafeteria.
He made his way behind a squirrel boy and a mouse girl. Pent paid no attention to their conversation as they continued forward in the line. The fox contemplated reading his book again but figured it probably wasn't worth it with other students rushing to get whatever was being served. Once he was at the front of the line, he smiled at the hippo lady behind the counter. The woman was rather busy going back and forth, not noticing him at first.
She turned back around and handed him a tray, smiling back at him.
"Thanks, Beatrice." Pent tried to be friendly to the staff as he knew that they were probably mistreated.
The hippo waved to him but said nothing, continuing to much away at whatever she had in her mouth.
"That was nice of you." The squirrel boy in front of him remarked at the fox's comment toward the lunch lady.
Pent nodded. "Mhm."
"Care to sit with us? The table we usually sit at is pretty empty." The bigger rodent boy suggested the fox kit.
The smaller boy shrugged. "Sure."
The squirrel held out his paw to take the mouse girl's own. Pent followed behind them not wanting to intrude on their personal space. It wasn't like he knew them very well and he didn't like being a nuisance. Soon they arrived at the table the squirrel had spoken of. It was a rectangular table like all of the rest in the room. The only thing distinguishing it was a small letter label reading "E" on the end of it.
The squirrel and mouse sat down together. The bigger boy motioned for Pent to join across from them but he didn't move.
"Freshman?" The squirrel asked, attempting to start up some form of conversation.
Pent thought about it a second before nodding.
"Ah, makes sense. I'm a sophomore myself. I've seen you around before, I think. What's your name?" The bigger boy scratched his head.
The fox began eating, speaking between bites. "Pent."
"Don't talk much, do ya?" The squirrel helped his supposed girlfriend open the juice she was having difficulty with.
The mouse eased her shoulder into his. "Maybe he's just shy."
"Perhaps but everyone can use someone to talk to." The squirrel slung his arm over the girl seeming rather comfortable with the public nature of their relationship.
"What's yours?" Pent finished a bite and finally asked.
The squirrel smiled at the other boy. "Santiago but you can call me Santi."
Pent reached out to shake the other boy's paw who hesitated before reciprocating the action. Santiago wasn't used to such a formal gesture, especially from other cubs around his age. It didn't last long before they ended it. The squirrel goes back to nibble on his greens.
"And you?" Pent asked to be friendly to what he assumed was the other boy's girlfriend.
The mouse chirped at him with a somewhat squeaky voice. "Michelle. Nice to meet you."
The fox returned to eating as he didn't know how else to continue the conversation. The three of them ate without much of another word. Pent felt somewhat glad to have some people sit with him for a change as he normally sat alone. A few moments later the fox felt a tap on his shoulder. Looking up to see who was behind him, he saw no one. The fox kit figured someone was playing a trick on him.
"Looking for someone?" Santiago asked as he noticed the younger cub looking behind him.
Pent shook his head. "Nah just someone playing a joke on me."
"Ah, have a problem with that?" The squirrel wasn't a fan of hearing other students having a hard time in school.
The white fox shrugged. "Sometimes."
"You want to talk about it? Maybe I can help." Santiago leaned in as if to give his attention to the other boy.
Michelle looked at the fox cub, seemingly staring at him.
"Maybe later?" Pent tried to deflect the issue as he was feeling uncomfortable again.
The squirrel smiled. "You got it bub.
The fox kit was glad the issue had been dropped. "Well, cya and…thanks."
"Sure." The squirrel went back to eating his food.
Pent grabbed his tray and made his way outside. The conversation had made the company awkward for him and he wanted a little alone time. He knew not many students came outside. It was fall time and the temperatures were already dropping. It wasn't quite cold enough to snow just yet but it was still rather chilly.
Santiago wasn't sure what to make of the interaction. All he did was try to be friendly and yet the other boy had just gotten up and left. He decided he would have to check in on him later to see what had gone wrong. Now outside, Pent checked around to see if any other people were around. Only one other person was visible, and it appeared to be a member of the school maintenance staff.
Pent huffed and sat down. He began eating again. The breeze of the wind rushed past him as he allowed himself to decompress. By the time he finished eating, the bell sounded again signaling the end of the lunch period. The fox made his way back inside and disposed of what was left of his meal. The room had almost emptied but he could see that Santiago had stayed behind and there was no sign of his girlfriend.
The squirrel re-approached the fox who watched as he made his way toward Pent.
"So…did I say something wrong?" The issue had been bothering the boy the entire lunch period as he was used to people being friendly with him.
Pent shook his head. "Nah, I was just uncomfortable talking about it."
"Right, that makes sense since you just met me. Well, maybe later if you like." The squirrel wanted to make sure it was on the other boy's terms.
Pent huffed. "Maybe."
The fox began walking again, eager to be done with the conversation. Santiago remained close by but kept his distance so that Pent didn't realize he was following him. The squirrel became determined to see just what got the boy down. He never liked to see other people down and out, even if he didn't know them well. Eventually Pent found his way to the gym. Physical education was the class he had directly after the meal.
Making his way into the locker rooms, Pent looked around. He loved being physically active but Pent also knew that this time of day was the one when the other students were mischievous. One of the bigger boys eyed Pent, coming up to him and sizing him up. The fox cub didn't back down. Looking at the larger bulky buffalo, he knew full well who it was.
"Ay, kid. Where's my money?" The buffalo teen crossed his arms expectantly.
Pent turned around and said nothing, seeing Santiago behind him. The fox wondered why he was still following him. The buffalo grabbed Pent on the shoulder. The smaller boy's eye glinted and turned around before grabbing the larger one's arm.
"It would be advisable for you to stop." Pent warned him with a stern look on his face.
The buffalo hesitated a second as the act of self-defense caught him off-guard. "Or what? Little foxy is gonna stop me?"
"That is correct." The smaller boy moved the teen's hand off his shoulder.
The teen huffed as he reasserted himself and pushed Pent against one of the lockers behind him. Santiago watched in fear, certain that the younger boy was about to get pummeled. He ran forward to stop the conflict. Before he could do anything about it, Pent had swept his leg underneath the bigger teen bringing him to the floor with an inglorious thud.
"How now, Gus? What was that about not stopping you?" The fox kit stood to overtop the now flat on his back buffalo.
Santiago stopped just short of where they were. Astounded the fox had defended himself rather well. Pent walked away from the teen. Gus wasn't entirely sure what to make of what had just happened. Deciding in his head he would have to focus on someone else. The squirrel stood stunned, not wanting to enable to apparent bully and instead leaving him on the floor. Figuring he would have to have Pent invited to a counseling session to see what other problems he was facing.
The squirrel finally parted ways going to his class, knowing full well he would be late. Santiago would have to explain himself and hoped that the teacher would understand. Pent was glad that he was mostly alone again. The locker rooms were always busy with activity and today was no different. The fox pulled his bag off his shoulder and withdrew the change of clothes he had inside.
Pent changed out of his school uniform into his set of PE clothing. The fox made quick work of it as he was eager to get outside. All he wanted to do was let out a little of his frustration. He pulled his shoes off and replaced them with the tennis shoes he has stashed in his locker. Once he was ready he headed outside. Pent felt the rush of hair hit his face as he exited from the door to the field.
He could see that the other cubs were already crowding around the coaches. The PE class had two coaches. It was an integrated class and not split by gender as both of the schools sought to equalize things and make them more accessible. Pent proceeded to the rear of the crowd, not getting too close as to make himself feel squished. It wasn't long before one of the coaches started to recite some instructions.
"Today we're going to run some scrimmages. The name of the game is lacrosse. Each of you will be given a stick. There will be 10 players per side. Do not worry about position. Volunteer for whatever you feel comfortable with. These will be half-field matches so we can fit more players on each field." The woman spoke on a megaphone instead of using the power of her voice. So I will take the half for defense and Coach Vemin will take offense." The main coach who went by the name "Q" was the one who had elicited the instructions.
Coach Vemin took one side, the younger woman of the two in charge of the class. Coach Q took the other side. Both of them held up flags with the usual letter designating each side of the ball. Pent thought about it a second and figured he'd be better off on defense since he played it in hockey. Pent was still near the back of the crowd of cubs and teens, waiting for instructions as he was eager to get started.
"Alright, sticks and balls will be on the side of the field. I will begin numbering you off. Even numbers will take the forward field and odd numbers will take the rear one. Your job is simple, don't worry about anything other than stopping the other team from scoring. Defense in lacrosse is similar to soccer so you can use similar techniques to defend." The tall lanky black panther knew that the students had been taught how to defend in soccer since they had played it recently.
Coach Q began counting off the cubs and teens. Pent eventually was assigned an odd number so he grabbed a stick and took the rear side of the field. Already the anticipation of the moment was building in him. He'd heard of lacrosse before but never had gotten the chance to try it until now. The boys and girls all filed into the shortened version of the field. Soon the students assigned to offense joined them.
"Alright, rules are simple. 15 minutes will be put on the clock. If the offense can manage to get to 5 points, then they win. If the defense can stop them from putting up that score, then they win. The clock will only stop when a penalty is charged or when a goal is scored. Face-offs will not occur since neither side has played the game before. There is to be no tripping or acts of aggression outside of leg tackles. Paws up if everyone understands."
Each of the cubs and teens involved raised their paws. The game started before long with the coach delivering the ball to one of the boys on the offensive side of the field. She blew the whistle and the game began. Pent could see a clock beginning to count down on the side of the field. He turned his attention to the boy with the ball and watched as he began to weave his way through the defense.
Pent watched as the offense-man broke through the cubs and teens in front of him. For some reason, he looked familiar but he couldn't quite put a face to who it was. Just as he was thinking about it the other boy whisked past him. Pent lept in the air trying to do something about it but it was too late.
"1-0" Coach Q announced on the megaphone.
The boy walked back to help Pent who he had noticed had fallen. Offering his paw to the fallen cub. The fox looked up and realized it was Arthur.
"Nice try" The bigger boy picked up his friend and dusted off his back.
Pent smiled. "Thanks. Good job to you too."
Arthur made his way back to the other side. Pent told himself that he wouldn't let anyone else pass him, should they come his way now. The fox grabbed his stick and readied himself once again. The coach blew the whistle again, signaling the start of the next round. Pent prepared himself to defend again. This time one of the girls picked up the ball and began running. As she tried to pass the ball she was picked off by one of the first defenders in the group.
"1-1" Coach Q announced as the score was even.
Pent huffed as he was feeling somewhat useless. The coach collected the ball again, this time giving it to another boy on the offense, trying to give everyone a chance with the ball. This time the boy darted directly for Pent as he figured the white fox was an easy target. The fox kit slid on the ground, successfully knocking the ball out of the net of the lacrosse stick. The defense cheered loudly as they took the lead.
"1-2" Coach Q continued to keep track of the score.
The game continued much the same way for the remainder of the scrimmage. Each side trading scores, one after the other. Despite either side not knowing the full rules or strategy behind the sport. Still, each side gave it its all. When everything was said and done, the offense ended up on top. The whole of the defense time sulking, Pent partially blaming himself since he had let the first goal.
On the other side of the ball, the students who were assigned offense cheered and jumped at each other in glee. Pent hung his head low as losing wasn't something he was very fond of. The coach soon sounded the whistle again, signaling for the two teams to go inside. The fox kit made his way back into the locker room, wanting to get to math and science since the match hadn't gone as well as he might have liked.
Back inside the locker room, the familiar warmth of the indoor heater assaulted his body. The chilliness of the outside autumn temperature didn't bother him so he didn't notice it. The fox made his way to his locker, keeping a low profile since he didn't want to attract any attention.
"You did well today. It was a good match." A somewhat familiar voice beckoned to him from behind.
The fox thought for a second, contemplating if they were talking to him. Doubling back he saw the familiar visage of Arthur.
The smaller boy shrugged. "I guess."
"Can't win them all. No reason to be down and out about it." Arthur patted Pent on the back.
Pent nodded. "Yeah, but I could have stopped you."
"You can stop me next time, haha. The game's over, bud." The bigger cub smiled widely.
The fox rolled his eyes at him. "Whatever."
"You don't need to be a sour sport about it. I've played the game before. Have you?" Arthur was keen on making the other boy feel better.
The kit shook his head. "Nope."
"Well, there you have it then. Just a lack of experience. Tell you what, if you want to meet me after school then we can practice some. I don't think the school would mind if we borrowed equipment for a little bit." The Eskimo scratched his chin as he thought about it.
Pent smiled, wagging his tail a bit. "Alright, that would be cool but it will need to be another day."
"Sweet, now no more sad face alright? Smiles go for miles." Arthur reached up and forced smile on his face in an attempt to be funny.
The fox nodded. "Thanks."
"Alright, well let's get ready for class so we're not late." Arthur parted ways going to his locker which was on the opposite side of the room from Pent's.
The two started undressing, neither paying attention to the other. The public capture of undress in physical education was something they had grown up being used to. Neither of them was bothered or shy about it except when it came to the showers, which was optional. Pent lifted his arm and smelt himself. He had a light smell but nothing overwhelming, figuring it could wait til he got home.
Pent and Arthur changed back into their school uniform. Arthur grabbed his bag and turned around to see if the other boy was ready. He waited around a minute or so until the smaller cub was ready. When the fox turned around he was surprised to see the other boy still around.
"So, ready to go to class?" Arthur looked at the wall clock. "We have like 5 minutes."
Pent nodded and made his way to the other cub. No longer feeling as bad about having lost, the fox was enjoying the company of his new friend. The two made their way back out of the locker room and into the halls of the school. It was busy with traffic since it was a transition time for the students. The fox kept himself close to the other boy, not feeling as uncertain of himself with having someone else around.
"Pent Ghelsburg to the Counselor's office, please." A loud voice called out from the school speakers.
The Eskimo dog couldn't help but smirk. "Naughty boy, see you later?"
"Sure, okay." Pent waved before parting from the other cub.
The fox thought about what he could have done for a second. He was not normally called to the office and he wasn't sure what it could be about. Still, he didn't think he was in trouble and so assumed it had to be about something else. He made his way to the front of the school where the administrative offices were. By this point, the crowds of students were thinning out so he didn't have to worry as much about knocking into people.
Pent soon arrived at the door for the front offices. As always the doors were open and he made his way inside. The young man at the front desk greeted him. A bulky beaver chewing loudly on some bubble gum.
"Ay, 'ow can I help ya?" The man asked the arriving student.
Pent huffed. "I am here to see the counselor."
"A'right, Pent then?" The beaver picked up the phone to call the counselor to let her know the boy had arrived.
Pent stood there a few seconds waiting.
"She will see you now." The young man pointed to the office door with the word counselor engraved on a plate in front of it.
The fox made his way past the front desk to the left side of the office. He knocked on the door, which popped open the moment he applied some force to it.
"Ah, hello there. A face I have not seen before. Come right inside." A chameleon woman wearing a dark blue blazer gestured for the cub to come inside.
Pent slowly made his way, his tail somewhat between his legs and uncertain as to what was going on.
"No need to be afraid. You're not in trouble. I'm just here to help you." The lizard sat back on her chair, folding her hands in her lap.
The fox was still standing in front of his desk, unsure of how the whole thing worked.
"You're a nervous nelly for certain. Take a seat. You will be late for class but I have already notified your teacher." She leaned forward on the desk looking at him intently.
Pent sat down at the chair furthest away from the desk, still not saying a word.
"Perhaps you'd like to do peer counseling? If you're this nervous around me then we won't get much done." The woman suggested something that worked with other students who were nervous around her.
The kit shrugged as he still wasn't sure what to make of the situation.
"Right then. Let's see how this goes and if it doesn't work then I will set you up for peer counseling." The woman figured she had to at least try first.
Pent gritted his hands together, twiddling them a bit.
"So, one of the kids in your grade came to me concerned that you are often alone. Is this the case?" She reached into a jar on her desk and pulled out a lollipop before handing it to him.
Pent smiled and took the treat from her. "I guess."
"I see, I suppose other kids are giving you problems?" The woman was blunt and directly to the point when it came to her job.
Pent turned quiet and said nothing, his face turning bright red.
"I see, well then. Give me a moment." The chameleon got up from her desk and left the room.
The fox felt glad that she was gone. He stood up and peered outside the window to look at the side of the school. Pent could see the primary school and wondered how Samaliel was doing. A few minutes of staring later and there was a knock at the door. The fox turned around to see a familiar face making his way into the room. It was Santiago from earlier.
"Santiago is a member of Peer Counseling. I will let you talk to him. Santiago, you can report back to me when you're s done. I will leave you to be." The counselor shut the door once the squirrel was inside.
The rodent made his way to a chair in front of the counselor's desk and pulled it into one of the sofas.
"Come on, bud. No more stuffy adults. Just us." The older boy patted the chair gesturing for Pent to join him.
The fox felt a bit more at ease now with the woman gone, especially since he was somewhat familiar with the boy. He made his way to the sofa and sat done.
"So, tell me. How's school going? And…no short answers." Santiago recalled that Pent wasn't the best at socializing from earlier.
Pent hummed. "I think I'm doing well. I've got A's in all my classes."
"Well, that's good. Did you join any clubs or anything?" The squirrel pulled out a small tablet and began writing notes on it.
The smaller boy eased back in his chair trying to relax. "Not yet, but I intend to try out for the hockey team."
"Ah, good luck. I suppose you like sports then?" Santiago moved his chair closer to the other boy causing it to squeak against the floor.
Pent nodded. "Oh, yeah. Totally."
"I see. So who's your favorite team?" The older boy was trying to make it as causal as possible before getting
The kit hummed. "The Maple Leafs and the Habs."
"Ah, I don't follow hockey. So tell me, are people giving you problems?" The squirrel listened intently as if expecting an answer immediately.
Pent sighed. "Kind of."
"Right, well…can you tell me? We are trying to help after all and what you say will only be shared with the Counselor." The squirrel joined the other boy on the sofa.
The fox hesitated a second before responding. "Just a few people trying to mess with me. Mostly people trying to copy my work."
"Anyone specific or does it seem to be random people?" Santiago wanted to know the perpetrators so they could be questioned.
Pent scratched his head. "Gus and the other ones I don't know the names of."
"You handled yourself pretty well with Gus today. I'm not sure he'll mess with you again. Do you think he will?" The older boy continued to write down notes between questions.
The kit shrugged. "Probably but I'm not worried about it."
"Confident are we? Well, that's good, heh. Do you feel lonely?" Santiago wanted to make sure the other boy had friends without asking directly about his friend's situation.
The smaller boy frowned. "Sometimes but I'm trying to make friends. It's just hard."
"Right, I feel you. Well, we can be friends if you like?" The squirrel touched the other boy's shoulder.
Pent nodded and smiled. "I'd like that. You seem nice."
"Well, thank you. Feel free to talk to me anytime, dude." Santiago smiled and released his touch.
"So, can I go back to class now? I don't want to miss Science." The fox got up from his chair, assuming it would be fine.
Santiago got up as well. "Sure, I'll see you later."
Pent waved and made his way out of the room and back through the front office. The Counselor handed him a hall pass as he walked out. The fox was eager to get back to class, no longer worried about if he was in trouble or not. Making his way to class he entered the steel door that led into the laboratory area of the school. The air smelt different from the rest of the school, and he picked up the scent of something arid that he could not distinguish by smell alone.
Popping into class he offered the pass to the rat teacher, Mr. Shalk. The man was one of the younger teachers and was seen by the students as being overly enthusiastic. He was one of the fox's favorites, partly because of the man's personality and partly because of the boy's love for the subject. The man started going on about Stoichiometry and some equations on the board.
Pent filed into one of the empty chairs near the front of the class. He was somewhat annoyed he had missed the start of class, though he felt better after talking about his situation. He got his laptop out of his bag and started to take notes on what the teacher was going over. The kit had heard of the scientific calculations of Stoichiometry before but had never tackled it himself. He listened intently as he wanted nothing more than perfection in the skill.
The man showed off a few examples before asking questions to make sure that the class understood them. Pent raised his hand eagerly to take a stab at it. Only getting a few of them wrong. Shalk was more than willing to correct the cub as he seemed more than ready to take on the challenge. The Rat clapped at the boy once he seemed to have grasped the idea better. Once the lesson was over, the man assigned a digital review for them to go over.
Mr. Shalk was planning an experiment for the next day and he wanted it to be a surprise. He wasted no time in beginning to prepare for it. The fox kit took a little more time than he had in previous assignments that day, making sure he could do it without effort. Even going online to do some extra practice. When he was done, he submitted the thing. The assignment was set to auto-grade so he got the automatic feedback he so desired.
Of course, he got yet another 100 much to his delight. He smiled and took out his book again. The rat teacher soon took notice and walked over to him.
"All done?" The young man asked the student.
Pent nodded "Mhm"
"Of course you are. I should expect nothing less from you, I suppose. How would you like a challenge?" The rodent thought about it for a second as he hadn't prepared something beforehand.
Pent smirked. "Sure, bring it on."
"Heh, such an eager beaver. Go on to Module 2, there is a puzzle as a challenge question. See if you can do it." The man walked away again to go back to what he was doing.
Pent popped open the computer program again. Looking at Module 2 he saw that it was locked but that a link underneath remained accessible. He opened it and was presented with the puzzle that his teacher had talked about.
In front of him with a maze of squares. The directions read to use the equations in each of the boxes to determine the route in which the equation would go next. The goal was to get to the end of the maze, a larger square designating it as the finish made it apparent where that was. Pent began to work through it. The problems were very similar to the ones that he had just worked on and so they weren't very difficult.
In mere minutes he finished and submitted it. He pulled out his book and began reading it again. The lack of challenge was rather disappointing but he was still looking forward to picking up the book again. He started reading again, the teacher not bothering to check his work as he was too busy preparing for the next day's lesson. When the class ended the fox made his way out of the room.
It was now the final class of the day. Pent had French last and it was one of the classes he shared with his age mates. He made his way back towards the lower grade halls and filed in towards the rear of the hallway. The fox saw Arthur and waved at him, glad to see a friendly face. Not saying a word to him when he approached but still felt comfortable enough to stand by him.
They were soon let into the class. French class was taught by a middle-aged woman who hailed from France itself. The woman was a scorpion, one of the few insects who taught at the school. Pent followed Arthur into the class but still didn't sit next to him since the other cub took a row other than the first. Arthur couldn't help but consider the nuance as strange but said nothing about it.
The scorpion began the class in full. The students were expected to converse in French since the province spoke it as both a primary and secondary language, depending on location. Pent and Arthur had grown up speaking both French and English and so they were considered fluent in both. The woman was a stickler for the formal version of the language and insisted they used it, even among their peers.
Today's assignment was nothing short of busy work. The woman had been occupied with personal obligations that had distracted her from making an actual lesson. She began speaking in French instructing them to just practice conversing. The insect wasn't even paying attention, staring at her phone for the entirety of the class. The students of course took advantage of it and only a few of them went through with what she requested.
Arthur shuffled his desk over to where Pent's was. He figured the other boy likely didn't have a partner. The two began speaking in French.
"So…are you planning on anything after school?" Arthur's French accent needed work but it was still understandable even despite it.
Pent spun his chair around to face the other cub. "I was planning on trying out for the Hockey team."
"Oh? You like Hockey too? I didn't know there were tryouts after school." The Eskimo dog considered if his parents would be alright with him staying after school ended.
The fox nodded. "Mhm, I play defense. Do you play as well?"
"Oh, yeah. I usually play forward, which is part of why I was pretty decent at Lacrosse on offense today." Arthur leaned back in his chair trying to get more comfortable.
Pent smirked. "Haha, very funny. I'll get you back…"
"Right on…I'll have to ask my parents if I can stay after school. Are they providing equipment?" The bigger boy asked as he wasn't sure how the logistics of the event were working.
The smaller boy hummed. "Yeah, the email said there would be equipment provided for the day. Though…whether it will fit or not is an entirely different issue."
"Well, it's better than having nothing. I hope my parents will say it's alright." Arthur knew he'd have to wait til after class to ask his parents since phones were off-limits while in class.
The two continued to converse about nothing specific. Time seemingly flew by as they chatted away. The final bell of the day sounded and the students exploded out of their seats. Pent remained for a moment since he knew better than to brave the traffic at the end of the day.
"Well, now you can ask your parents. I can wait for you." Pent suggested as he figured it was better than being alone.
Arthur nodded and opened up his bag which he had slung on the back of his chair. He rifled through it and pulled out his phone. The boy considered calling his parents but knew they were at work at this time of day. So he chose to text instead.
"I'm sure it will be fine. I usually take the bus home but I think I can walk. It's not that far." Arthur was one of the first stops on the route and wasn't worried about walking at night.
Pent nodded. "Are you sure? You don't need to get in trouble just for tryouts."
A ringtone sounded and Arthur checked his phone. A smile crept across his face as his tail wagged behind him.
"A-yup. Looks good to go. Where to?" Arthur realized he wasn't sure it was being held.
Pent gestured for the bigger cub to follow him. The fox grabbed his bag and the two headed out of the classroom. He led his friend to the rear of the school, which was already thinning out the crowd. Most of the students had already gone in the opposite direction so there weren't many people on this side of the building. They made their way out of the building through the rear exit to the school courtyard.
It was already getting dark outside and the sun was already setting on the horizon. Pent and Arthur could see that some other cubs had already gathered near the basketball court. A large bear stood at the center of them, wearing a referee's sweater with a whistle around his neck.
"Alright kiddo's we're going to give it 2 or 3 more minutes then we'll all walk over to the school rink. Once inside I want you all to split up by age. 12 and 13-year-olds will be group 1, 14 and 15 will be two, and so on. You all are more than capable to work that out yourself."
The group continued to wait for the allotted time before he spoke again.
"Alright, let's go. No one lag behind. Equipment is already set up in the locker rooms. Everything is assorted by size, so everyone should have something that fits them. Try not to argue over who gets what. Remember it's just for today so it's not like you're keeping any of it. Players will be required to have their equipment unless their families cannot afford it. Anyone who needs it will speak to me after practice."
They began walking in the distance towards a building off the beaten path in the back of the school. By the looks of it, the place had no roads connecting it. Anyone attending games was expected to park by the schools so everyone had to walk to it, no matter their role. Pent had seen the place before but only secondary students were allowed to try out so it was the first time he'd be trying out for the school team.
It didn't take them long before they arrived at the building. Pent knew they were near the ice rink as the temperature noticeably dropped once they were inside.
"Last thing before everyone goes to get ready. There will be two teams for each age division. We will try our best to include everyone but sometimes numbers prohibit it. So do not fret if you don't make the team. There are always public leagues recruiting. Now good luck and have fun." The bear led the large congregation of kids and teens to the locker rooms.
Once inside, the lights dimmed a bit as the only lighting in the locker room areas came from the rinks themselves. As the coach had said, piles of equipment were strewn across the room. Signs overtop of each pile indicated the size of each set of equipment. Sticks were labeled by their length and goalie equipment also had special labeling on it. Pent looked at the stuff and padded over.
The room was rather crowded. It was much more people than he was expecting. The fox kept silent, trying to not let the anxiety of being in a big group get to him. Arthur wasn't as bothered by it and started to walk into the room, not noticing his new friend's problem. Pent was able to power through it and try to ignore the issue. Putting his bag away in one of the many metal storage units on the walls.
He looked around and noticed that it was just boys in the locker room. He figured the girls had sectioned off into the other set of locker rooms. Pent finally started to undress, stuffing his school clothes into his bag so they didn't go missing. Changing into pads in a hockey jersey was easy for him as he had done it many times in the past. It didn't take him very long until he read ready to put on the jersey.
The jerseys the school had provided were nothing special, just colored sweaters with non-assigned numbers on them. Pent picked one without much thought. Putting it on, the thing draped on him.
"That looks silly on you…wrong pile, cubby." One of the other boys jested at his expense.
Pent huffed and took it off before going to another pile and rifling through it until he found his size. The sportswear fit much better on him than before. When he looked around to see if Arthur was ready he saw the other cub was wearing the same color jersey he was.
"Looks like we're on the same team this time. Let's go grab skates from the rental racks." Arthur suggested as he slung his arm around the other boy.
The fox wasn't entirely sure what to make of the closeness but allowed it all the same. The two walked together again until they were out of the locker rooms. A large line filed out from a window where both boys and girls were being handed skates for the day. Pent could see the coach was already circling one of the arenas backward, clearly not having any issue skating without looking.
The person worked through the queue of cubs and teens until Pent and Arthur were handed skates. They saw the team had been sitting on the nearby bleachers, awaiting instruction. The bear coach finally stopped to address them.
"Welcome to the arena. We have two hockey rinks in total. So the younger kids will go first with the older kids going after. Matches will be 2 periods of 5 minutes in total. I assume most of you have played before, so you will be able to pick what position you are. 12 and 13 year old's will report to me. 14 and 15-year-olds will report to the other arena. Chop chop."
Pent tightened his skates on his feet and proceeded to walk awkwardly toward the arena. It was always odd getting used to different skates. He strode onto the arena and began doing some warm-up laps. Pucks had already been set up around both nets so he picked up one and began working on his handling skill.
"Alright foxy, wanna see if you can stop me since I got the better of you in Lacrosse?" Arthur suggested with a grin on his face.
Pent stopped fast on the ice, not hesitating even a second. "You're on."
But before they could do their little scrimmage, the coach blew his whistle again.
"Alright, so I'm sure you've all noticed that some of your jerseys are yellow and the rest of them are green. These will determine teams. Rules will be standard hockey rules with no fighting allowed. Anyone who fights will be ejected and not allowed to participate on the team. Are we clear?" The man folded his arms as the cubs all looked up at his bigger form.
A moment of silence followed before he blew the whistle. "Let's get started. Yellow on the left side of center ice and green on the other."
Pent and Arthur skated over to the left side of the ice and got into place. The fox angled his body so that he was square with the ice. Watching his friend take the face-off against the other team. It wasn't much longer before the coach dropped the puck on the ice. Arthur squared off against a grey wolf, the two swinging and finagling to get the puck free. The Eskimo dog leaned his shoulder into it before finally wrestling the puck out from being stuck.
Arthur passed the puck to Pent who passed it back to the girl across from him to take a more defensive role. The red panda raced forward as she met the first signs of defense, able to spin out of it. The other team's defense was quick to intercept her as she passed through the center ice. The other team takes control of the puck. Pent watched as they streamlined right for him, and the fox prepared himself to cover the other player.
Pent lurched his stick forward wrestling it against the other boys, the two remaining in tandem until the fox kit knocked the other boy against the board. The puck finally got free as he passed it to Arthur. The dog passed it right back to the Red Panda who was quick to get a shot off on goal. The goalie was more than able to read the shot as it was deflected off them before passing it back to the wolf boy.
The game remained deadlocked without stopping for the entirety of the five minutes. By the time the whistle was finally blown, the entirety of the team was huffing and gasping for air. In a traditional game, it was normal to swap up lines but the coach hadn't set it up that way so the lines had to remain on the ice for their session.
"Alright, switch it up to the next group of cubbies." The coach finally rotated the groups.
Pent and Arthur skated off the ice along with the rest of the team that was just in-game. The fox made his way to the bleachers where a large dispenser of water and some cups had already been set up for them to take advantage of. The boy heard the whistle blow again as the next period of hockey began without them. Pent grabbed some water and found an empty spot at the bleachers and sipped on his water.
Arthur waited in line to do the same, noticing some of his other friends in the stands. Thinking about it a second he decided to spend some time with them. Pent found himself alone again, watching the game but not thinking much of it. After all, he had gotten used to the idea of being alone. He spotted the Eskimo dog over with some other students but didn't think about joining them. Instead watching the game in front of him, wondering if they'd be able to play again.
The second period ended before long with the score ending up with the green team with the only goal. Pent sighed as he assumed that would be the end of it. The coach soon whistled again.
"Alright, we're going to have overtime for the first group of 12-13-year-olds. It will be a 1-1 style shootout with one on offense and one on defense. Each team will get 1 shot until one scores. If the shooter loses the puck, it is considered no score. Get back on the ice."
Pent perked up again as he knew that meant he'd be going back on the ice. The cubs who were in his group lined up to go back. The fox finished his drink and joined them. The coach proceeded to call them one by one. The goalies had already taken their place. The first few rounds resulted in no scores and eventually Pent got his chance. He looked at the wolf boy in front of him. He knew he had to stop him, lest he is humiliated like earlier.
The wolf eased into his stride, kicking into the ice. Pent kept on top of him maintaining a little bit of distance in case he deeked or backpedaled. The wolf could not break the fox's defense, trying to skate back and forth. Finally his back against the wall, Pent pinned him and wrestled the puck free.
"Well, good job everyone I think that's enough for today. Next group. Younger cubs you can go home now." The coach blew his whistle again.
Pent and the rest of the team he was working with made their way out of the rink. He looked back to see Arthur still hanging around with the other cubs so he decided to just go ahead and go on his own. The fox filed back into the locker room ahead of everyone else. It was pretty quiet in the room and he began taking off the rented gear. Once he was down to just his boxers, he allowed his body to breathe a second.
He hadn't worked up much of a sweat as he let himself settle down from the physical activity. One of the other kids patted him on the back but said nothing. Pent didn't think much of it before he began to untie the skates and take them off. After he changed back into his school clothes, he grabbed his back and headed into the rink to return his skates. He turned around and saw the older teens were still in the middle of playing.
No one else was in line so all he had to do was hand them in. He left them on the table since he saw no one at the stand. Pent began to head out of the rink, keen on going home to make dinner. His stomach reminded him that it was about time to eat. Just as he was about to leave, he looked back to see if he could see Arthur. Yet there was no sign of him.
"Another day." He told himself.
Pent made his way out of the rink. It was completely dark now and getting chilly. The cold didn't bother him but he could still tell it was getting colder. The fox made his way to the street before he heard a familiar voice calling to him from behind. Pent looked behind him, surprised to see the boy he was looking for before.
"Hey, wait!" Arthur was running towards him.
Pent looked over his shoulder until the other boy was at a more personable distance from him.
"Cool, I'm glad I caught you. I thought you left already." The Eskimo huffed and puffed, trying to catch his breath.
The smaller boy shrugged. "I was about to go home."
"Well, yeah. Me too but I was thinking we could hang out maybe this weekend if you want?" Arthur smiled with a hopeful demeanor emanating from him.
The fox hummed. "I'll ask but I need to get going home."
Pent wasn't certain if he was being asked for help or led on as he had often been in the past.
"Cool, Are you walking home?" Arthur asked as it didn't appear that Pent was headed over to the bike rack.
The white fox nodded. "Yep, I took the bus this morning."
"If you want, you can hitch a ride on the back of my bike." The Eskimo figured it was better than walking.
The smaller boy thought to himself for a moment. "Hmm, but you don't know where I live and you need to get home too…"
"It's not that big of a deal. I don't live that far from here anyways. Do you live far?" Arthur assumed that might be a problem since the fox had mentioned he took the bus in the morning.
Pent shrugged. "Kind of but I'm not calling my…mother to pick me up."
The kit stopped just short of calling her a foster mother as he didn't want to explain the issue.
"I see is she working or something? Maybe my parents can take you home if you want then?" Arthur started to head over to the bike rack and tapped Pent on the shoulder to follow him.
Pent did not like to inconvenience people and pulled away slightly.
"Don't want to come? I mean…if you live far and your mom can't pick you up then it's gonna take you a while to get home and it's already late." Arthur didn't feel comfortable leaving the other cub behind.
The fox huffed. "Fine."
"Good boy, now let's get a move on." The Eskimo dog unchained his bike and moved it out of the rack before straddling it.
Arthur got on first and motioned for Pent to get on. The fox had seen enough other kids do it in the past to be familiar with how the system worked. He stepped on the pegs and grabbed onto Arthur's shoulders. The dog began pedaling before long, making his way down the dark streets. Pent felt the cool breeze blow through his fur as they made their way away from the school. The Eskimo dog had done this enough in the past that a second passenger didn't bother him anymore.
The two remained silent for the duration of the ride. It took Arthur about 20 minutes to make the ride to his house. When they were outside the place the dog motioned for Pent to wait on the lawn. A few moments later and the dog reappeared with his father. Arthur had already explained the situation to the man and of course, his father had no issue in helping out the other boy.
"Ay, so where do ya live kiddo?" The man looked at the fox and awaited an answer.
The older Eskimo dog looked much like his son except his coat was darker and more unkempt.
"Over on Taysedale street in Carter." Pent moved away from the bike.
The boy's father rubbed his chin. "Alright, simple enough. Arthur coming or staying?"
"I have homework to do and mom will yell at me if I don't get it done." The younger dog frowned and hid his tail between his legs.
The man rolled his eyes. "Oh, psah. You can come if you want."
"Cool, thanks, dad." The boy's tail wagged behind him.
The man pointed at his car. "Alright, you two, back seat and no shenanigans."
"Thanks, Arthur's Dad." The fox smiled warmly at the man's willingness to take him home.
Arthur headed into the car first and beckoned from within for his new friend to join him. Pent followed him, into the back seat and buckled himself in once he was inside. The fox placed his bag on the floor and looked out the window. The man shut the door for them before going to the driver's entrance. The man started the car before long.
"Hey, Dad. Can Pent come over this weekend?" The cub wasted no time in asking the question that had been burning in his mind since he got home.
The father chirped back quickly. "Sure, I don't see why not as long as his parents are fine with it."
"Cool, thanks. So just let me know what your mom says, Pent?" Arthur looked back over at his friend who was still peering out of the window.
There was no response for a few seconds and Arthur thought his friend was ignoring him. The dog reached to touch him on the shoulder.
"You alright?" The Eskimo puppy asked his friend.
Pent looked back at his friend. "I will think about it okay? I'm not sure I want to come or not."
Arthur was taken aback by the answer. "Oh? Okay…I didn't do anything wrong did I?"
"No, it's hard to explain." Pent wasn't sure it was appropriate to tell his new friend about the issues he'd faced in the past.
Arthur pushed away as if hurt by the comment. "Okay."
"Look, it's just…I'm not the most interesting cub to hang out with. I'm just boring." The fox tried coming up with an alternate reason to explain himself.
The dog turned back around. "I don't think you're boring."
"Well, thanks. I'll ask my mom…I promise." Pent figured he'd have to at least give it a try.
Pent looked back out the window again, thinking he had diffused the situation.
"Cool, I'll look forward to it. I'm sure we can do something fun. Maybe you can even sleep over if you want." Arthur was hopeful that the other boy would stay longer rather than shorter.
Pent hesitated before answering. "Sleepover? I've…"
"You what?" Arthur leaned in closer as the other cub had grown quiet.
The fox huffed. "I've never had a sleepover before."
"That's okay, we can have lots of fun. I promise!" The Eskimo cub was surprised the other boy had never slept over before.
Pent was feeling a little overwhelmed by the invitation. "Maybe…okay?"
"Sure, just let me know." Arthur eased back in his chair.
It wasn't much longer until they arrived at the street Pent had spoken of. "What apartment number are you?"
"221 were in the third complex on the right. Thank you for taking me home." Pent grabbed his bag from the floor and put it in his lap.
The father pulled into the third complex and parked.
"I will be back, Arthur. You can wait in the car. Come on, Pent." The older dog didn't want the boy to walk up to the apartment himself.
Pent led the way to his apartment and as he was about to unlock the door the older man gently touched him on the shoulder.
"Look, you don't have to come if you don't want. Arthur can be a bit assertive when he wants something. You seem like a nice kid so if you don't come just text me or something and I'll come up with a white lie for you, alright?" The man handed him a folded-up business card that had his contact information on it.
Pent smiled and nodded, no longer feeling as burdened by what he felt was an obligation. "Thank you again."
The man waved himself off and Pent made his way into the apartment he was greeted by Samaliel who was more than happy at the arrival of his big brother. The smaller fox hugged the bigger one, Pent gladly returned the affection with a hug of his own.
"How was hockey?" Samaliel asked since he knew that was why Pent had been out late.
Pent kicked off his shoes and shut the door behind him. "Good, no team was named yet. How was your day?"
"Fine, foster mom still hasn't come home yet." The smaller fox's stomach rumbled audibly.
Pent sighed. "Figures, I'll make some food and then I'll come to help you with your homework."
"My homework is almost done. Do you want some help?" Samaliel didn't want his brother to work by himself as he often did.
The bigger fox shrugged. "Sure, but you gotta finish your homework first."
"Alright…fine but no starting without me." The smaller fox retreated to his room to try to rush through whatever was left of his assignment.
Pent chuckled and decided to go ahead and take a shower. He figured he probably smelt bad and needed to wash up before bed. He popped into their shared room to see Samaliel already at work. The older fox smiled and grabbed some pajamas and underwear for himself. Retreating to the bathroom, he turned on the faucet and stripped. Not bothering to wait for it to warm up, he stepped inside without delay.
Pent spent a good few minutes bathing himself as he was a rather hygenic boy. Despite the smell of his own body not bothering him, he liked how he felt when he washed as it was refreshing. Samaliel finished his homework while the other cub was bathing himself. The younger fox had to use the restroom and he heard the sound of the shower running. He didn't like invading his brother's privacy but they weren't allowed to use the other restroom in the apartment since it was their foster mothers.
Samaliel had to go pretty bad so he decided to go in anyways. He popped his head in the door to make sure Pent was still inside the shower. All he could see was the faint shadow of Pent's body. The smaller cub lurched inside and removed the older fox's clothing from the toilet. He noticed the business card fall out of the other fox's pocket. Sitting on the toilet he looked at it for a second and wondered why his brother had such a thing.
He relieved himself and decided he'd ask about it later. Samaliel flushed the toilet and slipped back out, leaving the clothing on the floor. The older fox finished before long and grabbed a towel. He noticed his clothing wasn't where he left it, seeing it on the floor instead. Pent didn't think much of it and stepped out of the shower. The white fox changed into his pajamas and picked up his dirty school clothing to dispose of them in the hamper.
Pent dropped it off in their room into the hamper and checked on his brother. Samaliel was nowhere to be seen so he assumed that the other cub had to be in the kitchen. Making his way over there, he overheard the sound of pans hitting the floor. Rushing into the kitchen, he found his brother on the door with some pots and pans overtop of him.
"You alright?" Pent leaned over to offer him a helping hand.
Samaliel nodded and picked himself up. "Yup."
"Alright, what do you want for dinner? I assume your homework is done now?" The older fox asked to make sure.
The salt and pepper fox gave a makeshift thumbs up. "Anything is cool. I just want to help."
"Alright, let's do some fish then. There should be some frozen filets in the freezer you can grab them. You can grab the veggies as well." Pent picked up the pots and pans before storing the ones he wasn't going to use.
Samaliel delivered two filets from the bag onto a pan Pent was holding out before doing the same with the veggies into a pot. The bigger fox grabbed a box of rice before delivering it to a crock cooker. It wasn't long before everything was set on the stove and all they had to do was wait. The older fox led into the living room to chill with his brother until the food was ready. The younger boy flew over to the couch, eager to relax with Pent walking around before joining him.
"So school was alright today?" Pent asked as he was always more worried about his brother than himself.
Samaliel nodded. "A-yup. Just another day. Nothing new today. Just some review."
"That's good. That would explain why you didn't need help with your homework." The older fox rather liked giving his brother help even when he didn't need it.
The younger fox puffed out his chest. "That or I'm just learning more and getting smarter."
"Of course." Pent reached over to pat the other cub's head who leaned into his touch.
"How about yours?" Samaliel knew his brother had some issues in school even if it wasn't academically related.
Pent huffed. "It was fine. Not much to talk about."
The older fox didn't want his brother to know he had gotten into a conflict today, even if he had won.
"I think you're hiding something. I saw that business card fall out of your pocket in the bathroom. Who is that?" Samaliel couldn't help but be curious about it.
Pent thought about it for a second as he had almost forgotten about it. "Oh, it's a friend's father who took me home."
"And he gave you his business card…wait…friend?" The younger boy didn't recall his brother making any friends in secondary school yet.
Pent nodded. "Yeah, I met someone I guess."
"Oh, that's good." Samaliel turned on the tv to pass some time.
The oven beeped before long and the two returned to the kitchen to fetch their food. Pent refused to allow Samaliel to take the stuff from the oven as he had burnt himself before. Slapping an oven mitt on he pointed to the pantry where the paper plates were stored. The younger boy grabbed enough for both of them and presented them to Pent. The older fox served them up food before disposing of the hot pots and pans into the sink for after.
Pent and Samaliel sat together as they began to eat, occasionally talking to each other before bites.
"So are you planning on going over Cameron's this weekend, Samaliel?" The fox recalled his brother had mentioned it before.
Samaliel nodded and ate a bite of his meal. "Yeah, his mom is picking me up Saturday morning. Why?"
"Cause I might go over to my new friend's house. I haven't decided yet." Pent wanted to make sure his brother had something to do in case he did end up going somewhere else.
The younger fox looked at his brother. "Oh? That's not like you at all. I mean didn't those other kids try to just get you to do their homework?"
"Yeah, but I'm hoping this time it's different. Like I said…I'm thinking about it." Pent swallowed his food and stared at the wall as if thinking about something.
The older fox let his food sit for a few seconds before resuming eating again. The two finished before long as it was later than normal for them to eat. When the meal was finally dead, Samaliel insisted on cleaning up. Of course, Pent didn't let him do it alone. The younger fox pulled up his stepping stool so he could reach the sink with the other cub handing him the dirty dishes to clean.
When they were done, Pent decided to treat his brother to some ice cream. He wasn't huge on sweets but he knew his brother liked the stuff. Pulling out a single-serve carton before delivering it to the smaller boy.
"Not gonna have any?" The salt and pepper fox didn't want Pent to feel left out.
Pent shook his head. "Nah, I still got homework to do before I go to sleep."
"Alright, promise me you won't stay up all night?" Samaliel began plowing into the carton with a spoon.
Pent retired to his room, certain that Samaliel wouldn't need him anymore since he was capable of cleaning up after himself. The fox rifled through his bag and pulled out the book he had started the other night. Despite not having to read any more of it, he was keen on seeing what happened next. He hopped in bed and began reading it. It wasn't long before Samaliel came skipping into the room.
"That's your homework? Psah, same old Pent." Samaliel stuck his head underneath the bunk, making sure his brother could see him.
Pent rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh, It's a good book."
"You think that about every book, don't you?" The younger boy began to climb the ladder up to the top bunk continuing to talk to the other cub.
The white fox sighed. "No not all of them but yes there are quite a few good books. You should try reading yourself some time."
"I have to read for school all the time. I prefer to play video games." Samaliel pulled the sheets up and got underneath them.
Pent chuckled. "Suit yourself."
"Hey, Pent?" The younger fox popped his head down from the upper bunk.
The white fox put his book down. "Hmm?"
"I think you should go to your new friend's house this weekend. I know you've been hurt a lot but you can't let that keep you down. I want you to go. Do you promise to think about it?" Samaliel felt like his brother was a lonely cub and just wanted him to have more friends.
Pent smiled at him. "Yes, Samaliel. I will think about it but only if you read a book."
"How about I read a book of your choice for fun and you have to go to your friends?" The salt and pepper fox figured it was a win-win situation.
Pent laughed. "I will think about it and you can pick the book. I think that's a good deal."
"Fair enough. Good night, Pent." Samaliel retreated to the upper bunk.
The older fox read another chapter of the book before putting it away. He poked his body over the top bunk to check on his younger brother. Sure enough, Samaliel was already asleep. Pent reached down to pull over his sheets and blanket to make sure he was warm. Leaning over and kissing his forehead. Pent hopped off the bed to turn off the lights in the room. He yawned and stretched, it had been a long day.
Pent crept into bed and looked out the window. He liked to look at the stars, wondering about the infinite possibilities of the cosmos. His wind began to wander before long as it often did when he gazed into the stars. The glittering sparkles of light in the distance glistened and flickered against the dark sky. Easing back down he finally slid into his sheets and set the book back on the window shelf.
The fox allowed fatigue to take over his body. Eager for the next day at school. For once looking forward to seeing people. To atalk to his new friends…and to see if he made the hockey team. Soon falling into the dream world, eager to tackle whatever challenges woulda face him in the future…
