WARNING: This story may contain content of an adult nature. If you are easily offended or are under the legal age to view adult content in your area, please exit now. This text is intended for adults only and may include scenes of sexual content or graphic violence. Reader discretion is advised.
Revelations by IndigoNeko
Chapter 34 – The Two Sides of Justice
Friday, June 12th, 2015
David slung his messenger bag over his shoulder, then pulled the folded up wheelchair out of the back of his SUV and flipped it open, kicking down the brace in the back to make sure it stayed open. After pressing the button to make the rear hatch close, he pushed the chair around the passenger side of the vehicle, where his daughter was sitting and pulled the passenger-side door open.
“Hold onto my neck, love,” he said as he unbuckled hir seatbelt and stuck one arm under hir knees. After Alex leaned forward, he put his other arm behind the small of hir back and lifted hir out. He grit his teeth at the pained noise shi made as he took hir out and set hir on the wheelchair.
“I’m sorry, love,” he said, waiting a few moments as Alex took several shallow gasps.
“It’s okay, daddy,” the young tigress said after a few moments.
“Okay,” he said, closing the passenger door and gripping the handles on the back of the wheelchair.
“Good morning, Alex, Mr. Andreyev,” they heard someone yell from across the parking lot.
Both of the tigers turned, spotting Alex’s teacher, Mrs. Eaglantine, standing under the main entrance awning.
“Good morning,” Alex replied as hir dad turned the chair and pushed it over to the front doors, one of which the slender bald eagle was holding open.
“It’s good to see you again, Alex. How are you doing?” the bald eagle asked as David pushed the chair through the doors and over the metal grating in the front half of the lobby.
“Sore,” the tiger cub replied tersely. “Tylenol doesn’t help very much.”
“Well, once you get back home, I’ll get you some vicodin, kiddo.” David said, wheeling Alex through the doors to the right side and through the main hallway into the library area.
“Elizabeth looked rather sad when you didn’t show up on the last day at school. She doesn’t have many friends except you,” the teacher said as they entered the library. The skylights allowed quite a bit of light in, but the edges of the library and corridors that led to the classrooms were still dark.
Alex didn’t say anything. Shi knew Elizabeth didn’t have many friends. Honestly it didn’t make much sense considering how nice the little stoat was; everyone should have been her friend. Maybe it was the fancy dresses.
Mrs. Eaglantine felt miserable for the young tiger. Unfortunately, with the way the grading system was set up there was no way around taking the final tests, unless she made up fake test scores. Unfortunately, that was a quick way to get fired. She led the two tigers across the library and down the hallway to her classroom, where she flipped the lights on.
Once they arrived, Alex slowly pushed hirself out of the wheelchair, using hir dad’s arm for support, and sat down in hir usual spot. Mrs. Eaglantine had already peeled the name-tags off the corner of the desk in preparation for next year’s class. As shi glanced around the room, shi noticed most of the decorations on the wall had been taken down as well. The classroom didn’t feel the same at all.
David let his messenger bag slide off his shoulder, catching it just before it hit the ground. He took a few books out of the bag and handed them to Mrs. Eaglantine. “These are the schoolbooks shi had in hir backpack.”
“Thanks. I completely forgot about those,” the teacher said, taking the books and walking over to her desk.
“Here’s your lunch, kiddo,” David said, pulling out a small paper bag and setting it on the desk next to Alex’s. “And your school stuff,” he added, pulling out a binder and setting it in front of hir.
“Thanks, dad,” Alex said.
“Good luck. Love you kiddo,” the white tiger said, leaning down and kissing hir on the cheek.
“Love you, dad,” the tiger cub said, watching as hir dad started walking out of the classroom.
“I’ll go wait out in the library, in case Alex needs to use the restroom or something,” the tall tiger said, pausing at the entrance to the classroom.
“Okay,” Mrs. Eaglantine said, nodding to him. “The light switches in the library are on the main office wall, but it should be bright enough with all the skylights.”
“Thanks,” he said, turning around and walking out.
“Okay, Alex. You’ve got five tests. You have forty minutes for each of them. No notes allowed, just a pencil,” the eagle said, walking over from her desk with a stack of papers in hand. “Here’s the tests. You can take them in any order you want, and you may take a five minute break between each test if you want. If you haven’t finished them by eleven o’clock, you can take a lunch break. Any questions?” Mrs. Eaglantine asked, as she set the stack of papers down on the desk.
“No,” Alex said, taking a pencil out of hir binder before pushing the binder off to the side.
“Okay. The math test has some scratch paper on the back if you need it, and remember to show your work, or I can’t give you partial credit if you get an answer wrong. Once you’re done with each test, let me know and I’ll come pick it up to grade it.”
“Okay,” Alex said, wincing slightly as shi reached out and picked the first test off the stack, pulling it over and starting by writing in hir name. The bald eagle nodded, then turned and went back to her desk.
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Officer Hoffman put his car in park and flipped the ignition off. He still couldn’t believe that the D.A. had managed to get an arrest warrant for a minor less than 24 hours after he’d filed a case report. The whole concept was completely bonkers. This should have taken a week or more. The D.A. had also added attempted murder to the list of charges which he’d recommended in his report, which was preposterous; the kids were like ten years old.
Officers González and Johansson were already parked and had gotten out of their vehicle. Apparently they’d been here for several minutes. After unbuckling his seatbelt, he stepped out of his squad car and joined the black caiman and pine marten. The two made an unlikely pair, but worked well together. In another month González would be flying solo, having been on the force for nearly a year.
The apartment complex was a very boring greenish-brown, and moss was growing on some of the rooftops. Hoffman would have laid money on the bet that this was low-income housing. The apartment complex’s only saving grace was that it was literally across the street from Atfalati Park.
The canine glanced up at the building number, then peered up through the stairwells to make out the apartment numbers. He looked down at the paper notes he had folded up with the arrest warrant. Rabten Metok, age 12, tufted deer... ahhh, there was the address. Apartment 52. He looked up again, scanning the apartment numbers. There it was; the second floor on the left.
“Hey, González. You wanna take point?” he asked as he walked up to the two other officers.
“Sure,” the reptile replied in a deep voice.
“Kay,” the canine said, nodding. He pulled out a pair of small-sized cuffs that he’d requisitioned just for this particular bust and handed them over. Hopefully the kid was actually home instead of hanging with friends or something. It was summer break now, after all.
“Lead on, oh muscular one,” the pine marten said, making a fluid gesture with her hands.
The crocodile walked up to the stairwell and started heading up. The stairwell was sturdier than Hoffman had thought it would be. Even with the 300 pound reptile going up the stairs, Hoffman couldn’t feel them shake.
When they reached the second story, the crocodile reached up with his hand in a fist, only to stop when Johansson tugged on his shirt. He looked down, and she pointed at the tiny button to one side.
With a slight frown, the crocodile reached out with his other hand and gently pressed the doorbell. A pleasant chiming noise came from within; also not what Hoffman had been expecting.
After a few moments, the crocodile pressed the button again, with a similar lack of response. He reached out and tested the doorknob, finding it locked. At that, the huge crocodile took a few steps back, taking a solid stance and bracing for a kick... only to stop when his partner held up a key.
“Damnit Johansson, I wanna break down a door,” the croc whined.
“I know you do, big guy, but this way the department doesn’t have to pay for unnecessary door repairs, which would have been taken out of your paycheck. It’s a lot cheaper to simply talk to the apartment manager for three seconds and get a key. You owe me a beer for saving you a hundred bucks,” the much smaller weasel said.
The burly crocodile huffed and folded his arms as the pine marten stepped in front of him and inserted the key, then turned it clockwise. She withdrew the key, and turned the knob, giving the door a slight push and stepping back out of the way.
González stepped in, loudly saying “Tualatin Police. We have a warrant.”
The apartment seemed empty. It was a bit dusty and smelled of incense. Tapestries hung from the walls, and the furniture was somewhat rustic. It looked vaguely indian or maybe chinese. The three police officers stepped in, careful not to disturb anything.
Hoffman also called out “Tualatin Police Department. If anyone’s home, identify yourself. We have a warrant.”
“Looks like nobody’s home,” the pine martin said quietly. The three of them went silent for a moment.
Hoffman’s ear twitched. There was definitely someone home. Repetitive, rapid noises were coming from down the hallway. Walking over a few feet, he glanced down. There were three doorways, and the one at the far end of the hallway was closed.
He raised one hand, pointing down the hallway. The crocodile nodded, unsnapping his holster and resting his hand on his pistol grip. Then he walked down the hallway, glancing in the other doors as he went. The floor creaked under him as he walked up to the door and put one massive hand around the doorknob.
The two other officers had their own hands on their guns as well, but didn’t draw them. You never knew what you might find, especially from someone who was hiding from the police. Both of them watched from halfway down the hallway as the crocodile twisted the doorknob.
The huge crocodile gently pushed the door open, staying back. After a second his shoulders relaxed and he stepped into the room. The room had everything that you would expect to see in a hormone-driven young male’s room. Posters from different movies and games, and the occasional near naked girl were tacked up on the walls. An unmade bed occupied one side of the room and across from it was a stand with a T.V. and a few gaming consoles. The floor was littered with dirty clothes, junk food wrappers, and even some dirty dishes.
Next to the T.V. stand, facing away from the door, was a computer desk. A small tufted deer sat at the desk, arm moving up and down rapidly as he watched pornography on the computer screen. The deer let out something that sounded like a squeak and closed his eyes as he threw his head back. The moment that he had leaned back, his noise-cancelling headphones fell off. “Fucking headphones,” he muttered as he reached for the box of kleenex on the corner of his desk to start cleaning up.
“Well, that explains why he didn’t hear us,” González said, glancing back at the pine marten who’d followed him into the room. Johansson saw what was playing on the computer monitor and immediately covered her mouth and darted back out of the room with a squeak of her own.
“Wait. What the fuck?” The tufted deer said, turning in his chair and quickly pulling at his boxers, trying to cover himself. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Tualatin Police Department. Are you Rabten Metok, aka Randy?” the crocodile asked in a rumbling voice.
“Yes, but... don’t you people need a warrant to break in on someone?” Randy asked, staring up at the officers.
“Yes, we do. We happen to have one for your arrest,” Officer Hoffman said, holding up the folded piece of legal documentation.
“I want a lawyer. Wait, don’t I at least get to put some pants on?” He said nervously watching the reptile walking up to him with a pair of handcuffs. “You can’t let a brother walk out in just his skivvies,” he protested.
“Actually, we can. But I think in your case it might be better if we don’t,” The german shepherd said, turning to the open closet and taking out a pair of clean-looking pants and a shirt and tossing them to the deer on the chair. “Put those on and be quick about it. We’ve got two of your friends to pick up as well.”
“Thanks,” the young deer said as he started getting dressed, his mind running a million miles a minute at this point. “What about that tiger? He had something to do with all this. It was just self defense-”
“Shi’s recovering from surgery at the moment,” the german shepherd said. “You’re the one who put hir in the hospital, remember?”
The crocodile waited until the kid had finished getting dressed before pulling him around and slapping the child-sized cuffs around the kid’s wrists. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law...” he began reciting.
__________________________________________________
Almost two hours after Alex had started the first test, shi folded the last one closed and set down hir pencil. “I'm done, Mrs. Eaglantine.”
“Excellent,” the bald eagle said, standing up and walking over to pick up the last test. “And you got a 39 out of 40 on that math test; you didn’t reduce the fraction all the way in question 12. Do you want to wait while I grade this one?”, the teacher asked, kneeling down next to the tiger cub.
“No,” Alex said, shaking hir head.
“Okay then. Give me a moment and I’ll go get your father,” the bald eagle said, standing back up and walking out of the classroom toward the library that occupied the center of the building.
“Kay,” Alex said, quietly. More than anything right now, shi wanted to go home and take a vicodin and fall back asleep. Hir side throbbed with pain, and the bare skin under the bandage itched, too.
Mrs. Eaglantine walked quickly through the darkened hallways until she reached the Library, which was now well lit with the mid-morning sunlight. She found Mr. Andreyev sitting at a table tapping away on a laptop.
“Mr. Andreyev? Alex is finished,” she said.
The white tiger glanced back over his shoulder and quickly shut the laptop, stuffing it back into his messenger satchel. He stood up and quickly walked over. “Thanks. And call me David,” he said.
“If we have the good fortune to cross paths once again, I’ll try to remember to do so,” the eagle replied.
“So how’d shi do?” he asked as they walked back to the classroom.
“Nearly perfect, except in social studies. You’ve got a frighteningly smart child, there,” she replied. “I expect great things of hir, provided you can keep hir motivated. That’s actually the hardest part of raising a smart kid; finding ways to keep them challenged and paying attention in school. I’ll be leaving a note in hir record advising the school put hir in the Talented and Gifted program next year.”
“Huh. Motivation is something that I’m afraid even I have trouble with,” David admitted.
“I’d highly suggest doing some serious reading on how to motivate children. It’s something every parent should know,” Mrs. Eaglantine advised, then switched topics as they reached the doorway. “I’ll have the last test graded and posted in the system in another ten minutes or so. Alex didn’t want to stick around though, so...”
“Yeah, shi probably wants to take some pain meds and go back to sleep. Seems like that’s all she’s done for the past four days. Then again, that’s what I’d do if I’d been beaten to a pulp and had two broken ribs,” he said, pulling a small orange bottle out of his messenger bag as he walked over to his daughter. “Here you go, Alex. You should have some juice in your lunch bag there,” he said, popping the lid off and handing hir a pill.
“Thanks, dad,” shi said, quickly sticking the pill in hir mouth and reaching over to the brown paper bag on the next desk and pulling out a small box of apple juice. A second later shi was sipping from the little plastic straw and swallowed the pill.
“Have a good summer, Alex. I hope to see you next year,” the bald eagle said, the corners of her beak turning up in a smile.
“Bye, Mrs. Eaglantine. I’ll miss you,” the tiger cub said, gingerly standing up and climbing into the wheelchair with the help of hir father.
“I’ll miss you too, Alex,” the teacher replied, holding her student’s last test to her chest as she watched the white tiger wheel his daughter out of the classroom. She sighed and turned around, walking back over to her desk to finish the last bit of work before she too left for summer vacation.
__________________________________________________
A rather rotund ring-tailed coati with russet fur walked over to the chair next to the tufted deer and sat down, panting slightly. “Mr. Metok, I’m Francisco Torrez. I’m your court-appointed attorney, since you requested one. Your parents have been notified of your arrest and are on their way over to the station-”
The lawyer trailed off as the door behind him swung open, and a harpy eagle and armadillo in police uniforms started to step into the small interrogation room.
“Hey, will you two get the hell out? I’m having a private meeting with my client here!” the coati turned around and yelled at the two cops. Both of them stopped, then backed out of the room, letting the door shut behind them.
“Where was I? Oh, right... As your court-appointed attorney, I advise you not to write or sign anything unless your parents or I are in the room. I also advise you to ask for your attorney if anyone attempts to question you. That prevents them from interrogating you unless I’m in the room. Have the police already read you your Miranda rights? Something about having the right to remain silent, that anything you say will be used against you...”
“They gave me the whole nine yards about rights and stuff, fingerprinted me and everything.” The tufted deer said, sitting up in his chair, at least trying to appear as something other than a hoodlum. “Just make sure you do your job, I don’t want to stay in jail,” He said rather flatly, going off what he’d seen on the few police procedurals he’d watched.
“Unfortunately, you probably will unless your parents can pay your bail. The district attorney’s got a bee up his butt or something over this,” the ring-tailed coati said, lifting a briefcase onto his lap and clicking the buttons on the front. The top opened up with a slight hiss as the hydraulics inside pushed the lid open. “I’ve already been given a copy of your case file, and normally I don’t get one for like a week,” he said, closing the briefcase again and setting the folder on top. “Give me a few moments to read this, okay?”
“I guess he just doesn’t like me or something,” the tufted deer said, shrugging. “It was all in self defense,” he said, sticking to the story he and his friends had cooked up while they sat in the principal's office after kicking the crap out of Sara’s target. He leaned back a little as he watched the coati reading through the papers. “I might have ran off at the muzzle a bit, but she attacked first!”
The attorney held up one paw, motioning for silence as he read over the first page, then flipped it over to the next page. After a second he flipped that over, and the next, and the next. He spent another minute reading the fifth page in the stack, the ticking of the clock above the door seemingly growing louder with every second.
Every little movement that the tufted deer made seemed to be louder than the ticking of the clock. He was sure that the rustle of his tail against the leather seat could be heard. His eyes glanced around the room as he waited, and the twitch in his ear was about to drive him crazy. His eyes went a little wide as he came to rest on the mirror in the room. Something told him that they could see him; that they could hear him, and it only fueled his paranoia.
Once the lawyer finished reading, he flipped the paper over, revealing a compact disc and a stack of grainy photos. Some of the photos were clearly video captures from YouTube, and one of them was of a tiger cub wearing a respirator, face and neck covered in dried blood. After flipping through the printouts, he found a set of video transcripts at the back. As he started reading through them, the coati began muttering under his breath.
“Well, kid, I can tell you right now, that story won’t hold water in court. Not with this video as evidence,” the attorney said, looking back up. “I left my laptop back at my desk, unfortunately, so I can’t watch it right now, but someone already did a transcript of it here,” he said, pushing the papers across the desk.
“Well that’s helpful,” the young deer said with a little huff, pulling the offered papers over. As he started to look at the papers, his eyes went wide as he saw some of the things that were highlighted. “I said some things to Alex, but I didn’t say anything about smearing the queer,” he said moving onto the grainy photos.
“Well, if you want, I can go get my laptop and we can watch whatever’s on this CD,” the russet-furred attorney said, looking up at the kid across the desk with a very serious expression. “Look at me, kid. This first page here lists some pretty serious charges. Obstruction of justice, aggravated assault, a federal hate crime, and attempted murder. If I’m going to defend you, you’re going to have to level with me so I can do my best to get you off with as light a sentence as possible. There’s no way you’re going to get off scot-free, not with a video showing you and two other kids kicking a cripple on the ground.”
“Fu-" he started, then stopped himself, taking a deep breath. “What is the obstruction of justice? And just where is the attempted murder charge coming from? I wouldn’t have killed her. I didn’t want to do anything like that... and it wasn’t hate, it was self defense! I’ve said that,” he said looking over the papers again, the ear twitch starting up in full force again.
“Obstruction of justice... well, that’s not quite what they call it here, but close enough... is when you’ve lied to investigators or tampered with evidence in such a way that it would have changed the outcome of the trial. That’s just a misdemeanor,” the attorney said, reaching up and loosening his tie a little before continuing.
“I’m guessing that this video’s sufficient evidence to contradict whatever you told the investigator. As for the attempted murder, I’m guessing they’re adding that charge to scare you or your accomplices. Though apparently this other kid... Alex? Alexandrea? Required surgery to keep her from dying. That’s why it’s aggravated assault... Sorry, I keep using the terms they use down in California... That’s why it’s Assault 2, which is a class B felony,” the coati said, setting the briefcase back on the table and standing up to take off his jacket. “Sorry; it’s a bit hot in here.”
“Ok,” Randy said, putting paws up to his face. “So I’m boned no matter what, just cause the other two got carried away... I was just kinda there in case something happened or something... I don’t want to end up in the pen, can I like... sell them out?”
“Kid, look at me,” the attorney said. “I’m not a cop. I’m here to keep you out of jail or spend as little time in it as possible. That’s my job, and I’m good at it. But I can’t help you if you don’t tell me the truth. If self defense is a viable legal defense, then that’s what we’ll use. But we’ve got to prove that this kid with a broken leg attacked you first, and that you had to kick her while she was down to keep her from further attacking you,” he said, leaning forward, his shirt straining over his large belly. “As for selling your accomplices out... That’s going to be up to the district attorney. If, and I do mean if, he offers a plea-bargain for reduced charges of some kind, then we can talk about that. I’ll bring it up when I talk with him, okay?”
“You just try to make that happen... and I will tell you what happened,” the tufted deer said, leaning forward and resting his hands on the table. “The three of us went over to her. Sara wanted to talk to her about the mess that went down between that stoat girl and her boyfriend,” he said, taking a deep breath. “They got to talking and-”
“Stop,” the coati interrupted, holding his hand up. “Is this when the incident occurred? You hadn’t met or talked to this tiger before this?”
“Yeah. I mean I passed her in the hall, but this is the first time that I got close to her, let alone talked to her,” he said, cocking an eyebrow a little. “She isn’t the kind of people that I hang out with.”
“Okay, go on.”
“Well I was just standing there, Jimmy picked up the crutches and started messing around with them and making fun of her. That’s when she got up and started to go after him and started it... and that’s when we stepped up... and the fight happened,” he said letting out a sigh as he rubbed the damp fur of his forehead.
“I’m going to have to watch the video with you then,” the overweight attorney said, leaning back. “So we can figure out how to spin this in the best light. The only thing I’m worried about is the hate crime charges. Those aren’t handled at the state level; they’re handled in federal court. If you did say something like what’s mentioned in that transcript... well, we can talk about that later. I’ll be back in a minute. I’ve got to go get my laptop,” he said, standing up with a wheeze.
“Okay,” the deer said as he leaned back in the seat, wishing that it was at the least a little more comfortable. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Fuck,” he muttered.
About fifteen seconds after the door closed behind the attorney, the door opened again as the harpy eagle and armadillo stepped in once again. The armadillo sat down on the chair where the attorney had been, moving it a bit closer to Randy. The eagle sat down on the chair directly opposite of the tufted deer, then brought his feet up and rested them on the table.
“So... Rabten... or do you prefer Randy?” the eagle started, pausing a moment for the deer to respond.
The deer’s head snapped forward, eyes darting open. “Randy is fine. But my attorney isn’t here. I have nothing to say.”
“Okay Randy. You don’t have to say anything. I just figured I’d let you know how everything’s going to go down,” the eagle said, holding his scaled hands out and inspecting his sharp, black talons. After a second he pulled out a small pad of some kind and began polishing them to a fine gloss as he talked. “You and your two friends made the mistake of going a bit too far while bullying someone this time. Picking on someone, I can understand. Kids pick on other kids, it’s natural. Kicking the shit out of a hermaphrodite with a broken leg though, breaking hir ribs so badly it punctured hir lung... that’s a bit excessive. Especially for someone who you’ve never met before, who didn’t do a damn thing to you three except try to get hir crutches back that your friend Jimmy stole from hir. Nice push you gave hir, by the way,” he added, inspecting his left hand and then switching to polishing the claws on his right.
“I didn’t think a kid your age could throw someone that far just by pushing them. I don’t think self-defense is going to work in your case, since it’s pretty obvious you started it with that push. Actually, I’m damn near certain it won’t, since Alexandrea never touched any of you at all. Didn’t insult you. Nothing,” the eagle said, pocketing the polishing pad.
“Anyway, back on topic. Pretty nice push. Brave of you, defending your thieving canine companion by throwing a crippled cat over half a dozen feet. But... What I want to know is why you deemed it necessary to kick the ever-loving shit out of hir after that, with hooves no less. Did you even realize that hooves count as a weapon, same as claws and fangs?” the eagle asked, tilting his head slightly.
For several seconds, the tufted deer didn’t say anything. The only proof that he was still alive was the fast rise and fall of his chest, and the twitching of his ear. “Don’t you two have something else to do? This is intimidating,” he said, glancing from one cop to the other.
The armadillo sitting next to him finally spoke. “Wrap it up already, Smith. Give him the charges already so I can get back to my desk. It’s hot in here.”
“Fine,” the bird said, his beak snapping shut with a clack. “Because you lied to officers about what happened, you’re being charged with Obstruction. Because you performed an unprovoked attack against one Alexandrea Andreyev with hooves, which are a weapon, you’re being charged with Assault 2. Because you spoke several clearly homophobic slurs during the attack, you’re being charged with a federal Hate Crime. Because Alexandrea Andreyev required immediate and heroic lifesaving measures to save hir life after the attack, you’re being charged with Attempted Murder,” the eagle said, pulling his feet down off the table and standing up, along with the armadillo.
Both of the officers stood up and walked to the door, the armadillo pulling it open and stepping out, followed by the eagle. “What the hell man, that kid’s like ten-” the armadillo started saying as they walked out. The door closed behind them with a metallic slam, like the sound of prison bars slamming shut.
After the door shut, jarring the deer, it took him a moment or two for things to sink in. It was then that the weight of his actions hit him like a ton of bricks. He knew that he messed up big, and that was an understatement. His mind racing at the mention of federal anything, he had heard horror stories from a member of his family about places like this. He wanted to get up and run, but he knew that it would do no good, that he would make it no more than a few feet out of the room. “Fuck,” he muttered once again, burying his face in his paws.
The clock above the door continued to tick, clicking loudly in the concrete-lined room. Another twenty seconds passed before the door opened again and the fat attorney waddled in, carrying his laptop this time. He sat down at the table and flipped the lid open. “Okay,” he said, picking up the CD lying on the table. “Let’s see what evidence they’ve got on this thing,” he said, sliding it into the slot on the side of his laptop. Then he glanced over at the tufted deer next to him. “You okay, kid?” he asked.
“Not really,” Randy muttered, looking at the screen. “The two cops came in again when you left and started trying to get me to talk, and then the one read me the charges.” He took a deep breath. “I’m fucked.”
“You’re a minor, and I’m sure they can’t get you with more than that assault charge at best,” he said, patting the deer on the back. “Now, let’s see what they actually have on this video...”
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Alex had been laying in bed for the last hour or so, trying to fall back asleep. Shi’d been dozing on and off since getting back from school and taking a vicodin, and it seemed like it had all worn off. For a moment shi debated calling for mom or dad, but shi was sick of lying in bed; the same thing shi had been doing, more or less, since getting back from the hospital three days ago.
The tiger cub threw back the covers with hir good arm, carefully swinging hir legs off the side of the bed, then tried to sit up. By the time shi was actually upright, shi was gritting hir teeth and a cold sweat had broken out on hir paws. Shi sat there for a moment as the pain faded, hoping shi hadn’t torn a stitch, then snagged one of the crutches propped against the wall next to the nightstand and used it to pull the wheelchair closer.
With a little effort and a few small gasps of pain, eventually Alex managed to get hirself into the child-sized wheelchair. Using the toe-claws on hir one good foot, shi turned the wheelchair around and slowly made hir way down the hallway to mom and dad’s room, where shi’d heard voices.
“Mom, dad?” shi asked when shi’d reached their doorway.
Both of them broke off the conversation they’d been having, mom sitting up while hir dad immediately rolled off the bed and stood up, walking over. “Alex... Love, you’re supposed to be in bed. I hope to God you didn’t injure yourself trying to get into this by yourself,” he said, pulling the wheelchair into the room and leaning down to inspect the bandages wrapped around hir side.
“I don’t think so,” shi said, lifting hir arm so he could see. “I couldn’t sleep; I think the vicodin wore off and I need to pee. Also... can I sleep with you two again? Please?”
David sighed. “Okay, kiddo. Raenne, can you get some warm milk and a vicodin tablet while I help Alex?” he asked, turning to ask.
Raenne nodded and stood up, walking past the two of them and out the room. “Brace yourself, love,” he said, reaching under hir legs and behind hir back, then lifting hir out of the chair and carrying hir into the master bathroom.
Since shi was only wearing panties, it was a simple matter to help hir out with the toilet. He stepped back out of the bathroom while shi did hir business, then stepped back in to help hir once shi was done, picking hir back up and carrying hir back out. He wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to let a kid with broken ribs sleep with them, but he and his wife didn’t really move much while they slept, so it probably wasn’t an issue.
Raenne walked back in just as he’d lay Alex down in the middle of the bed, propped against a couple of pillows. His wife handed their daughter the vicodin and a glass of warm milk, then sat down next to hir, glad that they had one of those high-quality mattresses that didn’t jiggle much when someone else on the bed moved.
Once Alex had drained the cup, Raenne took it and set it on her nightstand, then they both helped their daughter lay down before they did so themselves.
“So, before you came in, your dad and I were discussing what to do about school for you next year,” Raenne said after she was comfortable again.
“What do you mean? I’m just going into fifth grade, right?” Alex asked, puzzled.
“About that...” David started, “Your mom and I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be going back to Byrom. Not after what’s happened to both you and Charlotte in the past couple of weeks-”
“What does Charlotte have to do with this?” Alex interrupted, starting to get concerned.
“Hush, love; let me explain. Both you and Charlotte were bullied, and even though the school knew about it, they did nothing to protect you two. Because of that, you wound up with broken ribs and a punctured lung, and Charlotte wound up with a shattered muzzle and multiple broken teeth. Elizabeth’s family filed a case against the school district, hopefully to make sure that these sorts of things won’t happen again. We’ll be doing the same,” David explained.
“So... That’s good though, right?” Alex asked.
“Yes,” the white tiger confirmed. “The problem is that because we’re causing legal trouble for the school district, the people who are part of the school district, like the principal, might try to retaliate against us-”
“That’s not that likely,” Raenne said, rolling over to look at her daughter. “What I’m more worried about is if there’s any other friends of those three kids who attacked you. Even if the lawsuit’s successful and the school changed their policy, there’s no way they can protect you all the time. It would take a kid one second to stick a knife in your back while you’re in the hallway between classes. You could die, Alex.”
A shiver ran down Alex’s back as shi turned hir head to look at hir mom. “But.. that won’t happen... Will it?” shi asked, glancing back at hir father and then back to mom.
“I never thought you’d ever get beaten up, much less wind up in the hospital. But you did,” Raenne replied. “Love, I don’t want to risk you, and keeping you in Byrom is a risk that I don’t want to take.”
“But, mom-” Alex protested.
“Don’t ‘but mom’ me. I’m not going to let you get beaten up again, or worse,” Raenne said.
“Anyway, we were discussing taking you out of school and home-schooling you instead,” David interjected, hoping to move on before the heavens fell.
“Love, I hate to burst your bubble,” Raenne said to her husband. “But there’s no way I’ll be able to raise another cub and homeschool Alex. You remember how much work it was taking care of Alex when shi was an infant. We were both sleep deprived for months.”
“Well... I guess that’s true,” the white tiger grudgingly admitted.
“You guess? You were the one who swore we were never having another cub again,” Raenne pointed out.
“Well... Yeah, but it wasn’t that much actual work; it was the fact that shi kept waking up every three hours and mewling for milk...”
“Oh, I remember how much work it was, even if you don’t,” Raenne said. “No. I’m not homeschooling Alex until this cub is at least three years old. Period.”
David sighed. “That means we’ll need to put Alex in another school district then, and that means moving.”
“But... why?” Alex cried, terrified at the thought of moving. “It’s not fair! I don’t want to move; all my friends are here!”
“I’m well aware of that, love,” the tigress said, reaching over and stroking her daughter’s head-fur. “But life isn’t always fair. You just have to make the best of it.”
Tears formed in Alex’s eyes and began to drip down hir face. The room went silent, except for the sound of hir occasional sniffle.
Both hir parents felt utterly miserable about having to move, but there was really no way around it. They couldn’t risk Alex going back to Byrom, not with the enemies shi’d manage to inadvertently make through no fault of hir own.
__________________________________________________
Saturday, June 13th, 2015
“Set,” Julia called out, panting as she walked over to the side of the tennis net where her gear bag was sitting. The white and brown-furred stoat was dressed in a white sleeveless shirt with a matching pleated skirt and tennis shoes, carrying a metallic purple tennis racket.
“You’re kicking my tail, angel” Terrence replied, bent over with his mouth wide open as he gasped for breath. The sable-pattern taupe-furred ferret was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a white polo shirt and tennis shoes. His tennis racket hit the green surface of the tennis court with a metallic clink.
“I’m also ten years younger than you, Terry,” the stoat replied as she stuffed her tennis racked into the purple duffle bag, then slung it over her shoulder as she walked towards the row of trees at the rear of the backyard to retrieve the various tennis balls they had lost during the game.
“Do you believe that?” Terrence asked, turning his head towards the teenage doberman pinscher lying on one of the pool chairs. “Utterly heartless, that woman is. First she kicks my tail and then calls me old.”
“You just need more practice, Mr. Stouffer,” Charlotte replied, her sibilant sounds somewhat slurred due to her missing teeth. She was lying on her side, watching the Stouffer family’s daughter doing laps in the swimming pool that filled the other half of the backyard through a pair of polarized Oakley sunglasses. The early summer sun was pleasantly warm on her black and brown fur.
“Right. More practice,” the ferret replied, finally starting to get his breath back. “Maybe you can be my partner a few days a week after you get those plates out,” he said, referring to the metal plates that the surgeon had used to hold the bones of her muzzle together. Two weeks ago, she’d been knocked out cold by a boy she had turned down and her face had hit the tile floor first. She was scheduled to have the metal plates taken out and her broken teeth repaired or replaced in two months.
“Sure. In the meantime you can practice with Elizabeth. She’s probably closer to your skill level anyway,” Charlotte replied, using a purple-painted claw to scratch at an itch under the waist-line hem of her teal bikini bottoms.
“Ooof. Medic! Call an ambulance; I’ve been wounded!” he groaned theatrically, then reached out and picked up his tennis racket once again, walking over to his own duffle bag full of tennis gear. He slid the racket into the bag and slung it over his shoulder, walking around his side of the tennis court to pick up the bright green balls scattered at the edges of the court near the house.
Charlotte hit the button on the stop-watch she was holding as the little ferret-stoat crossbreed in the water reached the edge of the pool. “One minute seven point three seconds,” she called out as the young weasel poked her head out of the water.
Elizabeth didn’t say anything, instead swimming along the short edge of the pool towards the metal ladder near where Charlotte’s pool chair sat. A moment later she crawled out of the pool, turning around and sitting down, leaving her feet in the water as she lay backwards on the warm cement. Water spilled across the pale concrete, turning it dark grey.
If not for the white strings visible in the young weasel’s brown fur along her sides and back, an observer might have been fooled into believing she was naked. The bikini the nine-year-old was wearing was an almost perfect match for her fur, especially when wet.
“Thanks Charlotte,” the little stoat said quietly after a moment, sitting back up and grasping the metal bars of the ladder to help her stand up. She sighed in irritation that her lap times were so bad today, then wondered what in the world to do for the rest of the afternoon. It was rare that she didn't spend all day Saturday with her best friend Lexi. Unfortunately, the tiger was still recovering from surgery after being attacked by a bunch of bullies at school.
“You’re welcome, precious,” the doberman said, holding out the small black stopwatch.
The young stoat took the offered stopwatch and walked around the pool, perhaps fifteen feet away before shaking vigorously. Water droplets flew everywhere, splattering the concrete up to ten feet away.
“All done, princess?” the older ferret asked as he walked up, heading towards the sliding glass door on the back of the house that led into the kitchen. His wife was following close behind, both of them carrying their duffle bags.
“Yep,” the little stoat said, picking up the fluffy white towel sitting on one of the pool chairs and using it to wick some of the excess moisture out of her fur.
“Okay then. Charlotte, are you going to stay out here?” Terrence asked, stopping with his hand on the door handle and asking over his shoulder.
“Yes, Mr. Stouffer. I think I’ll take a nap,” the doberman replied.
“Okay then,” the ferret replied, pulling the door open. The members of the Stouffer family stepped one-by-one into the kitchen. Terrence closed the door behind them all, leaving it unlocked for their live-in maid lying on the pool chair outside.
A moment later the doberman rolled over on the pool chair, closing her eyes and relaxing under the summer sun, trying to ignore the dull ache in her muzzle.
__________________________________________________
Monday, June 15th, 2015
The door opened with a soft click, and a sea lion walked into the quiet meeting room where Randy, his parents, and attorney Torrez were sitting. Since neither of the tufted deer’s parents had been able to afford the listed bail of $10,000, the kid had spent the entire weekend in county jail. He was still wearing the orange jumpsuit they’d put him in.
“Sorry about taking so long,” the district attorney said, sitting down at the table across from the three tufted deer and their defense attorney. “I was meeting with the judge who’s going to handle the case at the state level. Mr. and Mrs. Metok. I’m District Attorney James Walford,” he said, reaching across the table with his right hand out, towards Randy’s father.
“It’s no trouble,” The father said reaching out and taking the sea lion’s paw and shaking it. “I just wish that it was on better, or at least different, terms.” He said, glancing at his son before sitting down.
“As do I,” the district attorney said, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table. “So... your son has indicated that he would be willing to testify against the other two children involved in this incident. After conferring with the judge, I believe that we’ve come to a conclusion regarding a potential plea bargain,” he said, waiting for a moment in case anyone wanted to speak up.
“I hope that it’s some good news,” the mother spoke up, worry filling her voice. She’d thought they’d raised their boy a better, and now was afraid that he’d spend his childhood in juvenile detention... or worse.
The sea lion sighed. “Yes, and no. The good news is that he’ll be charged at the state level as a minor and the judge and I have agreed that, if Randy here is willing to testify and plead guilty, he’ll only be charged for Assault 3, rather than Assault 2 and Attempted Murder, and we’ll drop the Obstruction charge as well, for cooperating. The bad news is that I can’t do anything at the federal level about the hate crime charge.”
The overweight defense attorney let a small grin creep across his muzzle. This was exactly what he’d predicted: trial as a minor for a simple assault charge with no mandatory minimum sentence. He said nothing though, listening carefully.
“Well... We’ll just have to deal with that when that comes up,” the father replied before turning to his son. “I thought that you would have known better. I thought that we raised you better,” he said, clearly distraught.
“I’m sorry dad,” Randy muttered, clearly trying not to cry and looking down at the table before looking up to the district attorney and taking a deep breath. “I’ll take it.”
The sea lion nodded. “Okay,” he said, pulling a folded up piece of paper and a pen out of his suit-pocket and handing them over to the defense attorney. “Then if you’re willing to sign this, once we have your testimony, we can have a court date set for the sentencing.”
Mr. Torrez carefully looked over the paper and a minute later he nodded. It was a pretty standard plea bargain agreement, and there was no fine print or buried legal traps. “Looks like everything’s in order. As your attorney, I’d advise you to accept, but that’s up to you,” he said, using a pen to sign his name before sliding the paper over in front of the young tufted deer.
“I am,” the young tufted deer said, reaching out and taking the offered paper and pen. “I know that I messed up, and I know that I’m deep in it, so...”
The young deer paused, looking at his father. “If dad has taught me anything, it’s to be a man. And it’s time that I man up,” he said, unfolding the paper and taking a breath. He lay the paper flat and signed his name on the last empty line.
“Very well then,” the sea lion said, reaching out and taking back the pen and paper. “From the footage, it looks like your friend Jimmy was the one who broke Alexandrea’s ribs, so you’ll only be looking at a Class C felony. That’s a maximum of 5 years and $125,000, though I suspect the judge will have you spend most of that on parole. Your two friends, on the other hand, are going to still be looking at the same charges you were since neither of them seem willing to talk,” he said, standing up as he slid the paper and pen into his suit pocket and turning back around, walking to the door.
The sea lion paused, hand on the doorknob and turned back around. “If I may... I recommend that you pick your friends more carefully, or you may wind up in jail, and for a lot longer than just five years next time. Also, you might want to be a bit more tolerant towards people who don’t fit the binary-gender, heterosexual norm. They’re a lot more common than you’d think,” he said. Without waiting for a response, the sea lion turned back around and stepped out of the room, leaving the three tufted deer and their attorney alone once again.",
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