Virtuous Roads of Intention
A short story with moral
Written by: Danruk Rooface
Featuring: Marcus the Kangaroo created by Inkbunny writer/artist Bomba

Instantly, the very immediate moment that Marcus stubbed his toe on a concrete curb, he felt tingles of shooting pain which caused light stars in the giant kangaroo’s eyes.  His broad snouty muzzle wrinkled up into itself. The usual dusty blue eyes watered and lidded over. A sharp hissing inhale filled his marsupial lungs as he expanded his chest with the intake.  He spun and half sat and half fell on his broad thick tail, the fine short coarse fur of the tail brushing to the sidewalk as he plunked down with a bit of a heavy thump.  The kangaroo grabbed at his newly smarting and short stubby toes on his broad feet.  

Marcus hissed in and out a few times, oohing and ahhing, not to mention feeling a soft ache and sting now in his tail thickness thanks to the bump he took.  He glared at the curb along the sidewalk, then rubbed away some more of the pain.  Hot hazy and humid summer weather beat down upon him as if not enough that he now was also smarting stinging and sweating up a storm.  

With a few more overly dramatic huffs, Marcus got up again and adjusted accordingly.  Though his feet were still getting a few small twinges from the recent toe jamming against some uneven sidewalk the roo brushed a few more shakes of dust and loose fur off of himself.  

“How did I manage to do that to myself?” the gangly and awkward clumsy kangaroo said.  Another few moments he let the small aches pass along and Marcus bounded his way along the street.  He softly grumbled at his lack of grace and dexterity.

The concrete course of the sidewalk stretched its way along the path of the small city block that led to one of Marcus’s all time favorite places to grab a snack.  Before too much longer he found that he bounded to the corner where the courtesy corner store sat.  The sandblasted look of the off-grayish brick building showed its age.  

Marcus approached the outer door, a quaint outer wooden framed screen that gave a familiar hinged creaky squeak as his paws pulled it open.  His own unintentional enthusiasm pulled it right into his own face where the screen mesh popped him right in his own nose with a static-sounding plap!  Again he gave a rumbly chuff and softly growled his klutzy un-luck.  Marcus just as quickly recovered a bit of lost pride and instead continued through the inner glass door that pushed in.  

He loped up to the candy counter with a purpose.  He knew the sweets that he was looking for.  When he got to the specific bin, his blank stare and his dull brain were crushed to see that the rocket bomber tart and sours were all out.  

“Aw, Man, but there’re my favorite!”  he thumped his tail maybe a bit harder than he should’ve in frustration.  To make matters worse, the shop seemed to have hired a new employee that he didn’t exactly know too well.  However he mustered up some bravado and went up to the main counter where they served some ice cream.  Perhaps at least that would appease him for the time being.

“Nope.” Was the answer when he asked for Rocky Road as well as Mint Chocolate Chip and Fudgey Swirl with peanuts.  He peered into the cavernous empty ice cream counter.  “Sorry there bouncy.  Our Freezer’s on the fritzers.  We don’t have any of our flavors out today.  Maybe you can find some at our Sapling Street location.”

Marcus wasn’t about to make a 5 block detour just to see if the other location had his preferred snacks in stock. “no.. Noo…” his voice wavered as he white lied in a falsetto and slightly fake polite tone. “I getcha, I’ll be back another time no worries.”

But it WAS a worry.  He didn’t like coming all this way and not getting what he wanted. 
Marcus reared up his large haunches and slid his paws to his side. Once he was outside he made way to a small park with a playground.  He may have grown a bit too big and a bit too old for such frivolous play but it was his day out.  

His attention was drawn to some nearby trio throwing  a Frisbee around.  They saw him approach and he gave a small call for a throw.  “Hey..  One this way!”  His paw lifted up and waved as he stood a distance away.  A nice looking porcupine girl gave him an even toss with a flick of wrist which led the Frisbee to float right his direction.

Judging, and re-judging and mis-judging where it would land, he clumsily tripped over his own two big bulky roo feet.  He did his best to make it look like he was diving for the disc but it fell far short of where he actually was, too far away.  He landed  right on the brunt of his chest and bumping his face to the ground.  The group of three pointed and laughed at him.  The seemingly sweet and nice porcupine girl mocked at his prone form. “My Grandmother could’ve caught that and she’s blind!”

Embarrassed and red-faced , even more so than his usual red kangaroo self, Marcus just took a soft kick at the plastic disc and sent it back skimming the ground, lightly grunting a grumbly “didn’t want to play your stupid game anyway!”  and ran off . 

After aimlessly wandering more towards the active part of the city blocks he knew well, Marcus decided to see if perhaps a game of Bowling would be better.  He went into the semi darkened space of the alley and up to the rental counter.   A pimply scruffy furred face of a teenage red panda greeted him.
“Hi!” Marcus said while pointing. “I need shoeszes!”

“Shoeszes?” The slightly befuddled red panda chirped back in a cracking voice.

“For my toeszes!” Marcus rocked his broad feet back and forth in soft emphasis, pointing just at the size he figured would fit him well.

“Shoeszes for your toeszes?”  The fluctuating creaky voiced pimply face teen panda mimicked back.

“Shoeszes for my toeszes for the kangaroozes!” Marcus lyrically chimed in a bit of a sing-song voice.  Still pointing in anticipation towards the stacks of pairs behind the counter.

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” the teen panda said.  “Besides, we’re closing in 10 minutes for League Games Day. The lanes are reserved for league players only.”

“Son of a….” Marcus grumbled and stopped himself short.  His fuse was fizzing and fuming inside but he would not let this setback and situation damper his day.  Instead he ordered a quick salted hot pretzel from the snack bar and a small soda.  His paws tipped the tray a bit too far though and the sugary fizzy soda blotched and sploshed all over his fuzzy chest, soaking him with the seltzery surprise.  It certainly wasn’t his day today and sliding to worse.

A striped tail skunk tsked from nearby allowing a small sympathetic look.  Shades of red flickered in Marcus’s eyes but he instead diligently just grabbed a few napkins and went to the bathroom nearby to do a quick rinse and dry to his sticky soaked chest fur.  

Marcus returned to the snack counter after the cleanup. “I spilled my soda, I need another.”

“No Refills, No refunds.” A red panda paw pointed to a sign which stated the same in small plastic white letters on a menu board.  

“But this one was an accident, and I made a mess. You saw me do it.”  Marcus tapped the counter with his paws a few times.  “This is an exception! I didn’t even get a sip out of it!”

“No Refills, No refunds. No exceptions.” The Red Panda walked away to behind into an office space and closed the door muttering “League time is soon,  move along.”

Still slightly sopping and damp in the chest, Marcus could only dejectedly exit the building nibbling on the small bits of soggy soft pretzel that were leftover from the spillage too.  “Yecch” he spat them out in the street and decided there was one place to go that could possibly salvage this day.

Approaching the North East Village block, Marcus weaved his way through outdoor kiosks and push carts hawking various rainbow streaked clothing and tye dyed creations and gaudy fashions that included many small and large dangly ear rings of questionable faux quality.  The kangaroo stepped down the small corridor of an alleyway for pedestrian shoppers and followed the signage and arrows to his mark.  He didn’t quite see where he was going and stepped on a young fox boy’s tail. 
“Geez.” Marcus said while inadvertently bumping into him a bit,.. “Sorry about that kid.”

“Go cuss yerself!” the mouthy brat fired back with a sailors tongue and foul sneer. “You did it on purpose!”
“I…uh..rrurr.?” Marcus stuttered in a bit of disbelief. 
“Get outta MY way you gawky geek before I smear the sidewalk with ya!” The bratty half pint vulpine kicked Marcus’s shin hard and then scampered off into the streets. 

Marcus was still mere steps from his hopeful salvation, even this moment of goof and klutz could be washed away with a luxurious slump in the Sultry Sauna Shack, and their hot tubs and steam baths and steam rooms.  He saw the neon glowing recess where the stairs led down into the sub basement of the street level shops.  It flashed and beckoned OPEN with a digital display of lights surrounding.

The health inspectors “STOP” sign plastered on the actual face door and the audible clack of a locked door upon pulling proved otherwise, and Marcus’s forehead sagged to a snappy klunk against the frosted glass pane.  

MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTHHEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRR!

Marcus snapped. His eyes fired full red.  He steamed and fists balled and muscles in his entire marsupial body flared and flexed.  With a rear and a powerful kick, he bashed in the glass of the door, swearing in staccatto short spurts that would put a tourretts patient to shame.

FUCKITY FUCKFUCKFUCKINGASSFUCKPUSSYSHITMOTHERFUCKERBULLSHITSONOFABITCHASSHOLE!

Marcus’s rant just grew his insanity and fueled his temper and want for more destruction, he gave another swipe to the exposed neon sign among the  broken pieces of what was the door and that also tumbled to a sparking sputtering end into the concrete steps below where his big broad and calloused foot pads crushed it into oblivion.

He turned his attention to the alleyway where the fox had taunted him, the bold little brat had actually slyly coursed back and he was within a few arms reach.  Marcus caught the scrawny scruff of the kit.  
“Mister ya better…”  
But Marcus cut the fox short with another tirade of  swearing.

SHUTTHEFUCKUPYOUSMALLBALLEDFOX!

Marcus rocked his haunches and very intentionally stomp-steamrollered the fox over and stepped purposefully over his chest while bullying and bringing his large frame and tail down, buffeting the brat not caring who saw or heard him foully rant and chew out and beat on the overzealous youthful kit.  

GOTHEFUCKHOMEANDSUCKONYERMOTHERSTITMILK!  

Marcus swore and fumed. He left the fox boy broken, maybe dead. 
The kangaroo continued his backtracking path with intent.  His temper flowing and his blood curdling within his own veins.  He yanked open the doors to the bowling alley, stomping purposefully. 
He faced the red panda and pointed a paw accusingly.

LISTENHEREPIMPLEFACENEEDLEDICK!
The irate broad tailed kangaroo grabbed the geeky thin twiggy teen panda by the collar of his employee bowling shirt.  Kangaroo paws clenched and choked and added more pressure.  Marcus’s rage took sadistic pleasure in watching the pencil neck gasp under his forceful demeanor.
FIRSTIWANTMYGODDAMNSODATHATIPAIDFORFUCKINGNOW!!

In one hop and leap Marcus was behind the counter space with the employee, his paws still squeezing the breath out of the gasping pimple faced teen who had a terrified look on his face. Fear was good. Fear was the kangaroo’s friend while his rage and temper was turned up full.  Marcus grabbed an empty soda cup, forced the panda to fill it and then promptly upturned it and  poured the contents over the red panda head.  
OHANDANOTHERFUCKINGTHING!

Marcus grabbed a pair of the size of shoes in his paws.  He demonstrated. 
“SHOESZES!” He slid one on  and tightened in with the easy access Velcro strap provided across the top.
The red panda was nervously crying and had a very telltale wet spot in his crotch and it wasn’t from the recently poured soda down his head.
“FOR MY TOESZES!”  Marcus Velcro strapped the other one to the other foot.  His growling was not at all lyrical but more demonic.
“FOR THE KANGAROOZES!”  With  a quick rear up on his tail Marcus put all his force behind his feet and knock-kicked the red panda down behind the counter.  Marcus tore the shoes off, pinned them onto the snout of the panda and bounced out of the bowling alley,  Marcus’s path of rage was not quite finished yet.

Marcus stopped at the park with the Frisbee throwing trio.
YERALLABUNCHASSHOLESHITSTAINPOOPRETARDS!
Not that they quite understood what he swore and ranted, but what they did understand is how much it hurt when in turn he sodomized each one of them sideways with the Frisbee.  Even the girl.  The trio never spoke of that traumatic afternoon again to anyone.  

The Screen Door exploded off of the courtesy corner store. The inside glass door bashed slightly askew as a kangaroo in a snack shop raged and ranted through it.
While his vitriol and swearing waves were recessing his irked frustration still coursed through the shop as he upended and turned over and flipped several candy bins, poured out gum balls, spread open sugared packets of pixy stix, and stomped several styles and types of chocolate candy bars into mush.
His ears perked as he heard the new employee being a complete chicken shit and calling the police on him.  He rudely farted out the door as he had one last stomping spot to hit.

Marcus was found at the edge of a curb, his flat feet continuously bouncing and his tail swatting and thumping near corner of the street.  A cement curb showed signs of cracking and breaking after the pounding assault.  Nice  men in hospital white coats talked in low calm tones while the kangaroo was reassured and  then subdued.  Two whispery words were uttered from the kangaroo upon surrender.
“Fuckin’ Sidewalk!”

The Moral of the Story:  Anger and Rage and Insanity are your friends, kids! Violence solves all your problems when you’re pissed off.  Next time someone is a jerk or an asshole or you just don’t get your way, don’t wait. Make them as miserable as you are by causing a scene and demanding satisfaction by any means necessary! Oh, and, tempers make you less of a gawky klutz!