A Prey Among Predators

The late morning sun beams down on Brett and Nolan as they trek down the sidewalk by a bustling downtown road.

Brett sniffs the jacket, then pokes his large nose into the air. “He’s around here…”

Nolan follows him as he makes a right around a building.

“...almost here…,” Brett murmurs.

He then halts and faces his left. Nolan does as well.

Across the street is the cute colorful building of the city aquarium.

Brett draws in a breath then steps onto the quiet street. With surprise, Nolan hops down onto the street and follows him to the entrance of the vibrant building.

Brett halts on its brick sidewalk and gazes up. He takes a whiff of the air. “Yeah, he’s in here.”

Nolan stops next to him. “At the aquarium?”

Brett peers at him. “Yup.” He adjusts the jacket in arms. “Let’s grab some tickets.”

With worry, Nolan steps behind him.

The weekday crowd has a few kemonomimis gazing at the tide pools, under the shade of multiple, teal and eggplant-colored canopies. Nolan breezes past the exhibit, down the walkway, as he keeps in step with Brett’s lead. He gazes around, unsure and fearful, with his ears facing in front of him.

Brett halts in his tracks to draw in the scent from the jacket. Nolan stops next to him and watches as he works his nose in the air before his eyes land on him.

Brett spots his worried expression and nudges his shoulder. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Uh—” Nolan plays with his fingers behind his back. “—it’s just that...Carter said he was going to the aquarium before practice…” He knits his eyebrows. “Isn’t odd how he’s still here?”

Brett shrugs. “You never know. But he is here.”

Brett resumes guiding him down the walkway. His ears are forward with his busy tail high in alert.

The walkway curves and goes uphill slightly, bringing the two up to the outdoor penguin exhibit to their right.

Nolan’s eyes grow wide at the rocky setting and squawking penguins.

Unfazed, Brett whisks past them and rounds the end of the exhibit, halting at the building connected to the exhibit from behind. He faces a door with a silver handle.

Nolan stays a foot away, his heart racing with trepidation.

Brett grabs the handle pushes down on it; it stays still. “Ah, locked—” He flicks up his finger, revealing a sharp, sleek claw. “I figured.”

He then works his claw into the handle’s keyhole. “Keep a lookout, Patty,” he orders over the jiggling of the knob.

Nolan peeks around, his ears standing high and tall and his tail showing pure white. No one occupies the walkways; the only kemonomimis in sight are the ones gazing at the tide pools to the left.

The knob clicks.

“Got it!” Nolan hears Brett exclaim.

He whirls around, spotting Brett pushing the door open and slipping inside. With a sharp inhale, Nolan follows him in.

On the other side is a white-colored hallway with teal-colored doors on each side. Its fluorescent lights add a glossy sheen to the tile floors.

Nolan closes the door behind him and tiptoes up to Brett. Brett steps toward the other end of the hallway, where a metal door is situated.

Brett comes up to the door and presses down on its handle. The handle sinks under his palm, letting him pull it open.

Nolan peers inside.

Staring back at him is the inside of a loading dock. The lighting is dim; the floors and walls are a dull gray concrete. Wooden crates are pushed up against the walls.

And in the middle are the four familiar penginmimis surrounding Carter, who is tied to a wooden chair with rope.

Nolan gasps, his hands flying to his face. “Carter!”

The four penginmimis whip their heads up at the open doorway as Carter gazes ahead.

“Pat!” Carter shouts with relief. “Tell them I didn’t steal fish!”

Brett pokes his head into the room. “‘Steal—’?”

“What?” Nolan gawks.

Zachary separates from his group and steps up to them. “No worries, it seems worse than it looks; we have a reason for such punishment.”

Behind him, Carter hops around in the chair in an attempt to tear the restraints. The three other penginmimis grip the springing chair to hold him in place.

Brett lets go of the door and steps forward, motioning Nolan to step into the room. Nolan does, allowing his teammate to enter the room as well. The door hisses closed behind them.

“You see,” Zachary continues, “all of the fish was gone this morning… Right after this boar here” —he throws a glare at Carter— “left the aquarium. He had joked numerous times that he’ll steal our feral friends’ and families’ fish. Therefore, he stole the fish.”

Carter halts his jumping and yells from behind him, “NO, I DIDN’T!”

“I don’t think he would do such a thing—” Nolan turns to Brett. “—right, Brett?”

Brett crossed his arms. “Uh, no, no, he wouldn’t.”

Carter leans over in a failed attempt to make eye contact with Zachary. “See?”

Zachary scoffs and turns around to face him. “That’s because they’re your friends. They’re backing you up.”

“Did you SEE him with the fish?” Brett questions.

Zachary whirls to him. “No, but it doesn’t take rocket science to fit the pieces together.”

“Or maybe it DOES, because I didn’t do it!” Carter hollers. “Now why don’t you let me go and so that you guys can get the right guy?!”

Zachary spins around to face him, fists by his sides. “That’s because you ARE the right guy!” He storms up to him. “You joked around and you did it! Out of all the times my colony and I have visited our friends and families, you’re the only one who said those cruel jokes.” He sticks his face into his. “So you’re the only one who would do something as cruel as stealing ferals’ food!”

Carter clenches his jaw. “Just because I joked around doesn’t mean I did it.”

“So who did it? Who?”

“I don’t know!”

Zachary pulls away and points at him. “It’s you!”

Niclas slips up from behind the goalie. “Se olet sinä!”

“Tas esi tu!” Renārs chimes in from the right side.

Connor gazes down at him from Zachary’s side. “No doubt about it…!”

Zachary grabs his jaw, forcing him to stare at him. “Even your friends can’t bring up a good argument as to why it’s not you.” He turns his head for him to face his friends.

“It’s not him,” Brett calls out.

Nolan throws his hands in the air. “No, it isn’t!”
A cocky smile crawls up Zachary’s face.

Carter begins breathing hard, his shoulders and chest shifting. “Just...just—” He gazes up at him. “—let me go and I’ll never do it again.”

He chuckles mirthlessly. “So you did do it—”

“No, I didn’t! I won’t JOKE around ever again!”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Look, I’m sorry—” Carter tries to pull his face away from his hand.

Zachary swings his head back in place. “Nope.”

“Just let go—” He cranes his head up.

Zachary pulls his head back down. “No.”

“Just let me—” Carter twists his head down “—let go—!”

Zachary holds his hand in place to force him not to swing his head out of his grip. “You don’t deserve to be let go…!”
“LET! ME! GO!!!”

Carter instantly swings his head up into the air to arch his back as he bursts into a grizzly bear. His large, furry size throws the chair and rope in all directions as splinters and threads.

Nolan spins around and dashes away from the terrifying scene, only to hit the closed door. With his mind swimming in numbing horror, he slips behind Brett; his ears are pinned back with his tail mimicking a handful of teased cotton balls.

On his hind legs, the bear lets out a deafening ROAR!

The three penginmimi scramble to their feet from the blow and sprint away into the shadows of the room. Zachary pushes himself up with his arms, yet steps on a plank of wood, making him slip back onto his bottom. In a panic, he crawls backward with terrified eyes up on the animal.

The bear twists its head to him; its beady black eyes pierce at him.

“Oh holy—!”

The bear pounces on Zachary and bites at his chest, holding him down with his large paws.

Zachary lets out a loud honk equivalent to a rubber chicken.

Brett tosses the jacket on the ground. “NO!!!”

He rushes toward the scene, causing Nolan to take cover in the shadows against the wall.

Brett lunges into the air, shifting into a red wolf, and latches onto the grizzly bear’s large back. He digs his fangs through its fur.

The bear arches back, letting go of a beaten Zachary. He lets out a ground-shaking roar before whipping its back to aside.

The red wolf is thrown down to the ground, making him spin. He skids to a halt as he turns into his balanced form with his eyes aimed at the door’s direction and stumbles backwards.

Instantly, a dart flies across the room and punctures the back of the bear.

The bear lets out a whining roar before rocking back and forth and slamming against the ground on its stomach.

Nolan snaps his head to the door.

With the doorway now wide open with its light pouring in, four policemen storm inside.

In the middle is Captain Stuart Skinner with pointed gray and brown colored ears and a matching bushy tail; he is a gray wolf.

Next to him to his right is Officer Jack Kopacka, who is holding a dart gun. Brown and white feathered wings are folded behind his back with an equivalent feathered tail majestically sprouting out; he is a peregrine falcon.

The other two police officers are on the other side of their captain: Officer Pierre-Luc Dubois and Officer Dillon Dubé.

Officer Dubois has nicely rounded golden ears with a sharp tip; his tail is squat and bushy with specks of black; he is a golden jackal.

Officer Dubé has black, rounded ears brushed with white and orange; his tail is slim and orange and black-striped with a curled tip; he is a bengal tiger.

“Please remain calm,” Captain Skinner orders in an authoritative tone. “We’ll take care of this.” He turns to Officer Dubois and Officer Dubé. “Take the bear to our vehicle. Make sure he hasn’t turned feral.” He then rotates his head to Officer Kopacka. “Take the penginmimi to the hospital.”

Officer Kopacka hands him the dart gun and hovers away with the aid of his flapping wings. The other two stalk up to Carter, who is laying on the ground in his balanced form, unconscious.

Captain Skinner strides over to Brett as he slips the dart gun into his thick holster.

He halts in front of him and slips his hands behind himself. “So, what’s your relation to this situation?” He pulls out a small legal pad and pen, cold eyes aimed at him.

Brett shifts in his spot, hands in his pockets. “Uh, Carter, the kumamimi, is my teammate. My other teammate, Nolan—” He juts chin out toward his direction.

Captain Skinner peers behind his shoulder. With his sharp night vision, he makes out Nolan mixing in with the shadows.

“Come out here please, usagimimi. We won’t harm you.” He turns back to Brett. “And?”

Nolan, completely frozen, watches Officer Kopacka passing by him in the air with an injured Zachary in his arms before he disappears through the doorway.

“Well,” Brett continues, pinching his nose, “Carter was missing, so the two of us traced his scent to here. He was held hostage by penginmimis, thinking Carter stole their fish since their fish is missing.” He lowers his hand. “And I know him, officer, he wouldn’t steal anything.”

“Hm.” Captain Skinner taps his pen on the pad. “Well, we did trace the fish supply after getting the report and we found all of it at his place.”

Brett gapes at him with large eyes. “What? Really? The fish was at his place?”

The police captain nods as he writes on his notepad.

“He-he wouldn’t do that!” Brett squeaks out. “That’s not Carter!”

“If he’s not charged for stealing, he’ll be charged for violent assault in his animal form.” Captain Skinner halts his writing and snaps his stoic eyes at him. “Don’t argue with me, okamimimi.”

He then snaps his head behind his shoulder as he senses Nolan move behind him. He, along with Brett, watch as Nolan skitters through the doorway and disappearing down the hallway.

“Darn rabbits and their prey instinct.” The police captain sighs and turns back to Brett. “Thank you. We may call you and your usagimimi teammate for further questions for the investigation.”

He then turns around, slips his notepad and pen back into his holster, and exits the room.

Brett lets out a heavy sigh, peering around the empty room. He then steps back to the jacket and scoops it up.

Observing the jacket in his arms, Brett murmurs, “Okay, Pat, where did you go?”

He stuffs the cloth against his nose, inhales into it, then pulls it away as he lifts his head. He works his nose into the air and allows the scent trail to guide him out of the room.

Notes