Sunshine Days - Chapter 31
Vince was not yet done with his rampage. He stormed out of the Pastor's office, fuming and already plotting his next plan without bothering to stop. He'd worked up a good lather of anger during his discussion with the elder fox and he felt he was on a roll. He charged full steam ahead, knowing exactly who his next target was.
David and Jonathan, who'd been waiting anxiously outside, gave each other a worried look before following Vince.
"What'd he say?" David said, trying to keep up with the older feline's pace. "Is the Shindig still on?"
"Yeah." Vince said plainly, still focused ahead.
"We're not gonna get in trouble?" Jonathan asked.
"Nope." Vince said, still charging ahead.
Jonathan felt an odd mixture of relief and worry. He was reassured by Vince's response but the look of quiet fury and determination in his expression told him that things were not yet over.
"What...Where are you going?" David asked, sounding as worried as Jonathan felt.
"I've got another score to settle." Vince said through gritted teeth.
David and Jonathan exchanged another worried glance while following close behind Vince.
They went around the Main Lodge and cut through the Commons towards the cabins on the west side of camp. They made a few loops around the boy's cabins, making almost a figure 8 pattern as they weaved between the small buildings. Jonathan was beginning to wonder if Vince actually knew where he was going when they finally arrived at their destination.
Avery and his little brother were hanging around the back of Cabin A, hunched down and heads nearly pressed together as they starred at the small screen of a Gameboy color.
They both looked up in shock when Vince barked. "You!"
Avery got to his feet, still holding his video game. He seemed aggravated until he saw the look on Vince's face, which turned to a pale shock. Joey was on his feet too, scowling. Though they stood their ground, neither expected what happened next.
Vince shoved Avery as hard as he could, knocking him back against the wall of the cabin with a thud. The Gameboy went flying from his paws and he bounced off the wooded wall with a teeth-rattling impact. "Hey!" Avery shouted, slightly winded and bewildered. His eyes went wide with fear when Vince grabbed him by his collar and held him up to the wall.
Joey, who had watched this happen with the stupor of an idiot trying to comprehend a difficult word problem, suddenly sprang into action once the shock had worn off. He began kicking at Vince's ankles and legs until David leaped in and pulled the younger rottweiler off. He slung around and threw Joey by his shoulders right onto the dusty ground.
Joey rolled over, covered in dust and looking very hurt. His face scrunched up and he scrambled to his feet, shouting, "I'm telling on you!" He bolted off in the direction of the Main Lodge, leaving his brother behind to fend for himself.
Avery, suddenly realizing he was now alone and having no one to defend him, looked very afraid.
Vince seemed to take note of this as he leaned down until his nose was nearly touching the pup's. "Yeah. Not so big without your buddies, are ya?"
Jonathan, meanwhile, was looking very stunned by everything that was happening. Much like many of the prior events of the one and a half weeks he'd been at camp, everything was happening very fast. He knew he should be reveling in Avery's comeuppance but he mostly just wanted it all to be over.
Avery made to struggle and squirm away but Vince held tight, picking him up by his collar again so that his feet were barely touching the ground.
"G'off me, you fag!" Avery snarled through malice and fear.
Vince pulled Avery back, them slammed him back against the cabin so hard that the back of his head ricocheted off the wall with a loud thump. Avery yelped in pain.
Jonathan stepped forward, feeling like maybe he should tell Vince to cool down. Vince looked like he was ready to kill, something that Jonathan had never seen before in his cousin. The fur on the back of his neck was bristled and his tail was rigid, pointing down. Seeing him like that actually scared him pretty bad.
"Listen here you little shit," Vince spat in his face, "If you ever lay a paw on my little cousin, I will fucking kill you." His voice was level, yet steeped in venom.
Tears of pain and fury brimmed Avery's eyes as he tried to look menacing. It quickly changed back to fear when Vince dragged his claws down the side of Avery's head, combing through fur and letting his skin feel how sharp they could be.
"I will skin you alive, Avery. I will fucking put you in the goddamn ground. Do you understand me?" Vince growled. "Don't you ever...EVER...touch my little cousin again!"
Avery was trembling now. It seemed like all the strength had gone out of him by that point as he realized that Vince was for real. He knew, like all cubs knew, that threats like those were empty and he wasn't really going to be killed. But for a moment as he felt those claws drag across his cheek, it seemed like a possibility. He knew it was best not to call the teen's bluff. He nodded shakily, breathing shallowly as the feline still had him by his collar.
Vince let him drop back down. Avery paused for a moment before making to bolt. Vince caught him by the back of his shirt just in time and said, "I'm not done with you!"
Avery whimpered as he was slung back and made to face Vince again.
"Give me your phone."
"Wh-what?"
"Give me your phone, shithead." Vince said, heckles raised again.
Avery fished his phone out of his pocket as quickly as he could and handed it to him.
Vince took the cell phone and opened it, then spent about a minute searching through the device. The silence was long and awkward as Avery looked between David and Jonathan, who flanked the sides of Vince as if to prevent his escape. He figured he could try and take Jonathan but again, he didn't want to face any more of Vince's wrath.
Vince found what he was looking for. The pictures Joey had taken of David and Jonathan having sex in the cabin. He deleted them from the phone's memory and from the texts they came with.
"Who else has these pictures?" Vince growled.
After a couple seconds, Avery figured out what Vince was talking about and said, "J-just me and Joey. Promise."
Vince held the flip phone, looking very tempted to snap the device in front of Avery's face but decided it was better not to damage Avery's private property. He pushed the phone back at the pup and said, "I suggest you get it and delete any pictures he has. You sure he's the only other one who has them?"
Avery nodded shakily.
Vince lowered his gaze at the pup, looking very intensely at the pup. "Good. Because you know what I'll do to you if I find out that picture's gotten around to other people?"
"You'll kill me?" Avery said, sniffing sullenly.
"No, fuckstick," Vince sneered, "I'm going to call the cops. You know what'll happen to you if you get caught with cub porn? You'll go to jail. Then you'll be made a sex offender for the rest of your life. You want that?"
The reality of those words brought Avery back down to earth with an unpleasant lurch in his belly. It seemed like a much worse prospect of having his ass kicked.
Vince leaned back in, making Avery shrink back against the wall. "You get rid of those pictures. Every last one. Got it?"
Avery nodded, not breaking eye contact with the feline's glare.
This seemed a good enough answer for Vince. He let go of Avery and stormed away, leaving him be. David and Jonathan looked back at Avery silently wiping tears from his eyes as they followed Vince around the cabin.
Jonathan was wondering the same thing as David as they kept close to Vince's heel, namely did Vince have another score he needed to settle? Was the ordeal not over yet? The horrible possibility of going up against Henry crossed Jonathan's mind and he considered telling Vince to cool down. But thankfully, Vince didn't have any other targets for that day. Though he stormed around the cabin and back through the Commons, his rampage was over.
They followed him up to the Helper's cabin where Vince slammed the door on David and Jonathan's faces. They both looked at one another with concern and confusion before deciding that maybe Vince needed more than a couple minutes to cool down.
~ ~ ~
The two had gone back to their cabin and spent most of the evening in silence, each still taking a while to absorb the events of the last few days. Jonathan seemed to be the one who was the most in shock as he'd never been in an altercation like this in his entire life. He could have easily gone his whole life too without ever getting involved in something like this. A fight, a love affair, a conspiracy. This was easily the most exciting summer vacation he'd ever had but at the same time, he looked forward to going back home in a few days where he could finally rest somewhat easier.
They each laid on their respective beds until the sun began to set outside. They went down to the Main Lodge for dinner where there was no sight of Vince. Pastor Durham and Leader Eddie were also absent from the meal but Vince was obviously the one they were most worried about.
After dinner, Jonathan went looking for Vince. He was relieved to still find him in the Helper's cabin, sitting hunched over on the edge of his bed. He saw that Vince's head was also hung down, pressed into the palms of his paws. He went over silently and said in a quiet voice, "Everything okay, Vince?"
Vince looked up, nodding his head. He looked very tired, very drained by everything that had happened.
Jonathan sat down beside his older cousin on the bed. Vince put an arm around him and leaned lightly against him.
"I'm so sorry, Johnny boy," Vince said quietly. "I'm sorry I got you mixed up in all this..."
"It's okay," Jonathan whispered back.
Vince shook his head and sighed. "It's not...I should've been there to protect you."
Jonathan gently pressed his head against his older cousin's face. Vince pressed back and kissed the side of Jonathan's muzzle.
After a long silence, Vince said, "You've always been like a little brother to me... I'd kill to protect you, John." He sighed. "I'm going to make sure that this all blows over. I'm going to make sure you don't get punished, okay?"
Jonathan nodded. He knew he could trust Vince in what he said. Vince always came through on his word.
"I love you, little cuz." Vince said, holding Jonathan close.
"I love you too, Vince..." Jonathan whispered.
~ ~ ~
The rest of the night remained relatively uneventful.