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Abandonment                                I

looked at the older fox and glanced between him and the captain flicking my

tail.  My stomach was still churning from

being empty and battling withdrawals. 

"It's been a long time since I've seen you this ill.  I'm surprised you haven't tried running away

like you did years ago, after all that is what has led you to this point in

your life.  Running away and blaming the

world for your issues."  His words stung,

I stood up from the bed, and nearly collapsed as a dizzy spell overtook

me.  "Strong words coming from a dog

barking at a wounded fox.  I doubt you'd

say if I was fully healed and had my senses." 

I shot back at him, I wasn't about to let him insult me, he might have

been my foster father at one point in time, but now he was just another fox,

barking at me.  "Maybe you need to sit

down; you look like you are not very light on your feet."  I took a step towards him and bared my teeth

at him.  "If I was light on my feet, I

would knock your Viking teeth out right now!"  He took two long strides and was muzzle to

muzzle, nose to nose, and eye to eye with me. "That's enough!"  The Captain called out and made his way

between us to keep the peace.  "You're

lucky."  I smirked still baring my teeth

to him and the last thing I remember was getting knocked to the floor as my

head hit the side of the bed, knocking me out cold...                Three

weeks had passed since my fever and I took care to avoid my father and mother

the best I could and spent my time alone in the family library with Nanny as

she taught me reading, writing, arithmetic, history, science, and Latin.  I was reviewing my history and frowned,

"Nanny, why do I need to study history?" 

She looked at me and adjusted her Maid smock while adjusting her glasses

and eyeballed me.  "History is very

important, if you do not take to heart the lessons, history is bound to repeat

itself."  I glanced up over the book and

looked over at a book entitled Military Defeats and Heroes of War I

stood up from my small desk and walked over to it and was immediately intrigued

by it.  I skimmed through the pages, and

then I saw it.  "Horatio Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar" I immediately sat down

and began reading about how Viscount Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson defeated

Napoléon's forces at Trafalgar and his other military victories. "I see you

found a book you're very interested in." 

Nanny smiled seeing my enjoyment and flicked her tail from side to side.

I read the chapter within thirty minutes and went back to my other lessons.                 I

enjoyed Saturdays with Nanny, they were a chance for her to provide extra

tutoring for me and spend a whole day with her and Monday would be the day my

parents were heading to France.  I smiled

warmly to her as I finished my lessons. It was still early in the afternoon and

I wanted to go to town, she had rewarded me for my hard work the previous week

by giving me a few pounds and silver coins. 

"Nanny, could we go to town? I'd like to buy a sword."  She smiled and glanced at the clock on the

wall, but that smile faded as my mother walked in and glanced around nervously

and closed the door behind her quickly she bent over a little and patted her

thighs.  "Alexzander, come here my

son."  I hadn't heard her call me that in

a long time and held her arms out for me, and I immediately hurried over to her

arms and nuzzled her gently. "Mother, what's wrong?"  My voice was cracking from nervousness. "I

have something for you, and I want you to know that I love you with all my

heart, I wish I could say the same for your father. I'm so sorry for how I've

been treating you my son. I hope you can forgive me."  Tears filled my eyes as she handed me a small

envelope, and tears filled her eyes as she held me tight and then looked over

at Nanny.  "I'm leaving you some money to

take care of him and yourself.  I don't

want John knowing about this.  I'm sorry

for this Ms. Vivica."  She gave me a

small kiss on the forehead and composed herself to a point where she was now

frowning and walked back outside of the library adjusting her dress.  "Take the runt to town and do what you will

with him," Mother said as she took my father's arm and walked into the parlor

where two other gentlemen were I didn't recognize them at the time, and it

wasn't until later that I discovered they were the Judge and Mayor of London.                 I woke

up in a cold damp cell, my paw was bandaged up heavily and I could feel a heavy

bandage on my head that wrapped around my left ear and forehead.  I opened my eyes to the sight of steel bars,

and that's when it hit me I was in the brig. "If you would control your temper,

you wouldn't be in there right now."  It

was Mr. Thompson, the gentlemen I stood toe to toe with earlier.  "You're lucky I was sobering up." I said as I

got to a knee grimacing in pain, I must have been flogged, or it could have

still been the withdrawals I was suffering on top of the headache or a

combination of my busted hand and everything else piled up.  "Just as defiant as ever, what happened to

the bushytailed fox I took in years ago? 

The young fox that was always yes sir no sir and followed the rules.  I took you in when no one else would and this

is how you repay me?" I gritted my teeth and stood up slowly making my way

slowly to the bars, the dizziness had faded away, but my ears were ringing as I

flicked my tail.  "I did what I had to

do.  I had to leave."  I looked at him as I rested my arms on the

crosslink bars holding myself up.  "And

you see where running away has led you. 

Here you are an exile now from England." He flicked his tail rather

upset.  "I did the best I could to raise

you, for the brief period of time you lived with me, but something happened,

and you never told me what though that would cause you to leave my home and my

care." I looked down at the ground and closed my eyes. I wasn't about to break

down in tears, I had held onto my resolve for a long time, and I focused my

tears into anger thought back to that day. 

"It's not what happened, it's what didn't happen." I said and looked

back at him. "I'm going to tell you what it was and you tell me who was wrong

and who was right."                Two

years had passed since that day in the library, and matters between my parents

and I had deteriorated to a point there was no reconciliation.  I had become angry and bitter at them for not

supporting me enough and I was tired of it. I also took to avoiding them at all

costs and if any words were spoken, I made to keep them short and did my best

to not cross them.  I might have been

eight years old, but my mindset was that of a teenager.  I had already jumped several grades and was

on the verge of skipping a few more.  I

was a fast learner and took everything to heart and applied it to life and

found simple solutions to complex equations through shortcuts and was beginning

to take a liking to chemistry and found myself in front of my father's

chemistry set.  "What do you think you're

doing?"  It was father's voice and he

wasn't very happy with me. "I'm working on a chemistry solution." He walked

over and roughly grabbed my tail pulling me off the small box I was standing

on.  I grimaced in pain, but didn't allow

tears to form ever since he told that "only vixens cried" I narrowed my eyes as

I fell back and quickly regained my balance when he released my tail landing

with both feet on the ground.  "Did I

give you permission to use my chemistry set?" 

"No sir."  I replied as I started

to breathe heavily and flicked my tail as I pinned my ears back.  "Leave the fox alone, John if he wants to

burn the house down, then let him." It was the voice of my mother's.  She walked into the room and over to my

father she had small bump developing in her midsection and had been showing for

a few weeks now even though she did her best to hide it.  "Things are changing, boy.  You're no longer going to be the only child

here and it would be in your best interest to start following my rules, unless

you'd prefer to live on the streets."  I

glanced over my shoulder towards the door and did my best to keep from

retracting my claws, the ultimate sign of defiance and a sure way of getting thrown

out into the streets. "I've been thrown out more times than I can count, and

I'm sure I could survive on my own."  I

said defiantly as I turned back to face him and quickly found myself being

lifted up by my shirt and vest to look my father in the eyes.  I didn't turn my head at all and stared right

back into his unlike I had in the past. 

"You little cuss! I could break you in half if I wanted to and I

wouldn't have any regret about it!"  I stared straight back and

something inside of me snapped. All I remember was being dropped to my feet as

I felt blood on my paw and my father holding the side of his face in pain as he

smiled evilly as he stood up and I felt my blood turn cold as I watched the

cuts on his face heal almost instantly, and his eyes were burning a bright red

as if there was a flame in the middle of his pupil. My eyes went wide in horror

at what I had done and what I had just witnessed.  "Foolish boy, I think it's time for you learn

a valuable lesson."  I started to back up

towards the door, but stopped in my tracks as I saw my father grab a leather

whip from a small wicker basket and bent it to where the end was at the handle

and cracked it a few times looking at me. 

"Remove your vest, shirt, and tie, boy!" 

I couldn't move I was frozen in fear and horror.  "Elizabeth, leave us and lock the door on

your way out.  We're not leaving this

room, till he learns his place."  My

mother nodded to him as she walked past me, and I could have sworn I saw a tear

form in the corner of her eye as I didn't budge from my spot and heard the door

lock behind me as she left.  His fur was

on end as he released the end of the whip and cracked it over my head forcing

me to lower my head a bit to keep from getting caught with it and still I

didn't budge.  "Remove your garments boy,

before I beat you to death!" My father half yelled, half shouted as his ears

flattened and cracked the whip again this time catching my shoulder forcing me

to grab it and cry out in pain as I put a paw it, I felt the whip crack again

this time catching my arm.  "Father, please

stop!"  My cries fell on deaf ears as he

proceeded to whip me, not caring that he was destroying my clothes as his eyes

burned in fury. This went on for what felt like

hours, he had beaten me to a point I was lying face down on the floor, my voice

gone from crying out and pain wrecking my body as blood was beginning to seep

through my tattered and torn clothes, when finally he stopped and walked over

picking me up roughly by the scruff of my neck forcing me to my knees looking

me in the eyes with the fire still there "Have you learned your place boy?" He

backed slapped me when I didn't answer. I was drifting in and out of

consciousness. "Y-yes s-sir." I muttered on the verge of passing out. He let go

of the scruff of my neck as I fell to the floor at his feet.  "Foolish, foolish boy! You will spend the

night out on the streets tonight, and if you don't return tomorrow, it wouldn't

break my heart at all!  I have another

child on the way that would take your place, and perhaps have a bit more worth,

you worthless little cuss!" He proceeded to drag my body by the throat to the

door and knocked on it with the whip once he wiped the blood off the whip onto

my pants, the only part of my clothes that didn't get destroyed. Mother opened

the door and Nanny almost fainted seeing me, but was able to land in a nearby

chair.  "Save your tears for this foolish

dog, ladies, he's a lost cause and has been a thorn in my side for far too

long."  He dragged me to the door as I

opened my eyes and did my best to stand up but he roughly slammed me against it

knocking the air out of my lungs as I started to gasp for air and my eyes went

wide in pain from the lashes on my back hitting the door at the same time.  I felt my vision start to blur and watched as

mother stood beside Nanny not really showing any concern at all for me, while

Nanny buried her face in her paws crying. The last thing I remember before I

blacked out was hearing the door open and landing on the cold wet pavement as

rain began to pour down.  "You will soon

be on the streets for good, boy!"When I came to I let out a loud cry

of pain feeling a liquid being poured on my back as I did my best to fight back

the tears.  "Easy lad, easy does

it."  It was Ray's voice, and I weakly

turned my head to him as he put a paw to the back of my head as I watched Ms.

Rosetta tend to my wounds.  "Do I even

want to know what happened?" Ms. Rosetta asked me as a tear rolled down my

cheek. The pain was unbearable, but I was thinking about the anger I had for my

father and my mother at this point and weakly flicked my tail feeling my fur

start to stand on end. "Ray, I'd like a word with you."  It was Mr. Shade.  I felt Ray's hand leave my head and watched

as he walked out of the room leaving me and Ms. Rosetta, but soon the pain and

torment overtook me as I blacked out once more."You still haven't answered my

question. What happened that would cause you run away like you did?" I looked

at Mr. Thompson my anger growing as I glanced up from the bars.  "My father nearly beat me to death, and all

you care about is what happened?"  He

walked over and grabbed my muzzle making me look into his eyes. "Tell what

happened between us, I'm not concerned with what your father did to you.  What did I do wrong that would make you run

away?" He looked into my eyes trying to see what I was thinking, but I was a

brick at times and other times I was granite. I had been returned home and even

though I moved from the nursery to a room of my now, it was anything but the

same not sense the beating I received from my father.  I focused more on my grades than anything

putting the incident behind me and never really spoke to anyone about it.  I was at a breaking point with my parents and

I had enough.  One night, my parents

spoke to me "Alexzander, tell me what you learned from that beating?"  My father asked as he wickedly smiled at me,

I had just walked past my parents on the way to the stairwell leading to my

room when he stopped. "You're master of this house." I said as I started to

head up the stairs.  "What do you think

of your mother and me?" I felt my blood boil, and my fur stand on end as I

stood at the base of the steps and quickly hurried back into the room with my

parents, the anger and hatred showing in my eyes as I looked at my father and

mother. "I hate you."  I said softly

lowering my head to him afraid of what he would say or do.  "What did you say?"  My mother put down her stitching and looked

at me with a confused look on her face. 

I started to breath heavily and in a fit of anger and rage I cried out

as I looked at them both "I hate you and wish you were dead!" I stormed out of

the room. "You know the rest of the

story."  I said, I wasn't about to relive

the nightmare of finding them both dead a few days later in the street and

found myself locked up for their deaths. "I spent days in that prison waiting

for my trial and knew I was innocent, but the judge said I was not guilty,

instead of an innocent verdict."  I

looked at Mr. Thompson and turned my head away as my ears flattened in shame as

I felt my tail wrap around my leg and tap against the bars just a little.

"After my trial I was sent to a work house and spent time in and out of

boarding schools.  More nightmares and

they continued until we crossed paths." 

I looked at Mr. Thompson as I said that, and he smiled weakly at me and

flicked his tail as he brushed at a fly that was hovering over his ear. "How

could I forget the day we met, it was very eventful." I said and flicked my

tail as I looked up at him.I had found myself digging around

garbage looking for food and I felt rain start to fall on me as I let out a

small growl of disgust as I crawled under a small awning trying to get some

shelter from the rain.  A few minutes

later, Mr. Thompson was making his way down the cobblestone path way holding an

umbrella and spotted me under the awning, he stopped in his tracks and was

standing a good three feet from me when he flicked his tail and motioned for me

to come over.  "Come here lad," He had a

rather friendly tone in his voice, but I had been tricked by several other

foxes before and led to either a boarding school or workhouse and I wasn't

about to be tricked again, I just stood my ground and tried to play dumb as I

glanced around while he took a step closer and immediately recognized me.  "You wouldn't happen to be Alexzander Monroe

now would you lad?" "Yes Sir."  I

responded, still very leery to approach him and backed myself against the wall

behind me, before a cold drop of water landed on my tail making me jump. "How

would you like a hot meal and a warm roof over your head, and I'm not talking

about a work house or boarding school. I'm asking if you would like to come

home with me, My Prince."  I didn't know what to think and was very

cautious of walking towards him at first, but when he referred to me as "My

Prince" I didn't think twice and immediately hurried over to his side.  My clothes were worn out and torn and my

shoes were being held to by pieces of string and yarn that were tied around the

soles and over the top.  He pulled me

close to his side and put an arm around me as he led down the street.  I flicked my tail nervously holding on

tightly to his arm and as we passed by a nearby workhouse, I let out a small

growl of anger and betrayal.  "It is okay

lad, you're not going here."  No sooner

did he say that, the gates to the workhouse opened as a grey wolf with white

streaks over his ears and face approached us. 

He wore a dark black suit with a grey vest and held a slender cane.  "Thank you for returning this runaway fox."  I started to pull away from Mr. Thompson, but

he held onto me tightly and smirked at me as he looked at the wolf.  "Who are you my good sir?" Mr. Thompson asked

flicking his tail as I continued to pull away. 

"I am Mr. William Brinkley, the owner of this establishment, and that

fox is a runaway."  Mr. Thompson pulled me

to his side as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder pulling me as close to him

as possible and held onto me tightly wrapping his tail around me taking a

protective stance as I calmed down some. 

"I am Mr. Harold Thompson, owner of Thompson Textiles and Fabrics, and

this young fox has ties to the throne."  "That's

nice and everything Mr. Thompson, but I'm afraid you're going to have to return

that runaway to me regardless of his dealings with the throne."  Mr. Brinkley took a step forward towards me

and as he did, Mr. Thompson caught him with a strong left knocking him to the

ground.  "Maybe you didn't hear me Mr.

Brinkley, this young fox just happens to have ties to the throne, in other

words, mess with him, you mess with me." 

We continued on our path as I looked back over shoulder seeing him pick

himself up slowly.  "For King and

Country!" Mr. Thompson called out as he took his hat off seeing a Union Jack

fly overhead and glanced at me, trying to get me to finish our country's

motto.  "God Save the Queen!" I chirped out

as we made our way to his home."Do you remember me introducing you

to your family members?"  I nodded and looked

up to face him.  "Odd that you mention

that, because it's what you proposed that caused me to run away from your care."  He quirked an eyebrow intrigued by my

comment.  "What did I do that would cause

you to run away?"  I flicked my tail

against the bars getting a little irritated and slammed the pads of my paws

against the bars in anguish.  "You were

going to give me away to someone I had just met, when I wanted to stay with

you!"  He approached the bars, but made

sure to keep his distance.  "They were

your family and after you ran away, you were almost killed had it not been for

your Uncle Edgar and Aunt Margaret!"  I

bit my lip and turned my back to him as I turned my back to him retreating to

the corner of my cell away from him and away from the light.  "Run away like you always do and have you

coward!"  I didn't respond, for a moment.

He struck a nerve forcing me to remember my Uncle Edgar and Aunt Margaret;

after all they were ones who helped me find my footing and started me on my

path of redemption after living through nightmare after nightmare.  "I'm not the one who didn't have the guts to

be a father!" I yelled out at him and I watched as he lowered his head in shame

and shook his head.  "I was only doing

what I felt was best for you, Alexzander, I never meant for this to happen."  I watched him walk off in sorrow from the

brig and back up to the stairs to the deck, leaving me to face the consequences

of my past actions and sins as I proceeded to rest my head back against wall of

the physical and mental confines of my cell...