Calicode: Chapter 6: Mule
#10 of Calicode
Paul Then
"Honey are you all ready?" Mommy asked from down stairs.
"Yes mommy, are you taking me to school now?" Paul asked scrambling to the front door his Catman backpack all packed and ready.
"Oh look at you, Pauliwog, you look so grown up," mommy said. She bent down licking the top of his head, and hugged him. Paul hugged her back while he shivered and thrashed his tail.
"Are you excited honey?" She asked.
"Yes, I had to wait, now it's my turn," Paul said proudly.
She tickled a claw behind his ear and tapped the colored spots along his neck, and asked, "You know what these brown and gold dots are right?"
"The marks of a true hunter," Paul said and giggled at her tickling paw.
"A hunter giggling I've never heard of such a thing, but laughing that's another story," she said then she tickled him till he had tears in his eyes.
He leapt away ready for another tickle attack but she knelt there.
"What's wrong mommy?" Paul asked she smelt scared.
"Oh, nothing honey, I'm just going to miss you while you're at school," she said.
Waves of terror grip Paul, he cried, "I don't want to go mommy!" Then ran to her.
"Oh it's ok, I don't want you to go either, Pauliwog, but it's time to be the big boy around here and that means going to school." She said and scooped him up.
"You know you may be one of the oldest in class, right," mommy asked.
"No, I'll be the second oldest Jill is starting today too," Paul said proud to know something mommy didn't.
"Good you'll keep Jill safe today, but do you remember the rules of a true hunter?" she asked, "Can you tell me it?"
"A true hunter knows how to protect what's theirs but knows when to run," he said.
"And when do you run?" She asked.
"When there is no hope of winning."
"And what is the family rule?"
"If you can't win change the game," Paul said.
"Good boy, ready to walk to school," She asked and led him out the door.
"Can we run?" he asked and dashed ahead before she could answer.
"You can run till we get to Jill's then we walk, Jill and her mommy need to be able to keep up ok," mommy said and jogged next to him.
"Why would Jill need protection, mommy?" Paul asked as they moved down the left curving street to Jill's house, wind rustling the trees freeing last night's rain and the dew to tickle his nose.
"Some people think that because they are bigger they can do what they want or make you do things you don't want to do," mommy said.
"Like parents," Paul asked.
She laughed, "No honey I mean big kids."
"But that's not fair," Paul said running faster to win.
"No, it isn't, which is why we would stand up for her," mommy said.
He reached Jill's mailbox first and jumped in celebration.
Jill came out with her mommy, Mrs. Greyhouse only a couple inches shorter than mommy. Jill came up to Paul's shoulder her goldenrod ribboned headband bobbed under his muzzle when she gave him a hug hello.
"You have a pretty dress," Paul said to be nice.
She spun in it. "My mommy made it for me, it's my new favorite, special for today, I got to pick out the ribbons and buttons." She said, "See they match my head band."
"There nice my mommy got me a Catman backpack, see," Paul said then showed her.
"Daddy got me a Ratwoman backpack now we match," Jill said.
"Ok you two lets walk to school now," Mommy said.
"Can't we go to the park," Paul said claws digging into his backpack straps.
"It's ok to be nervous little man."
"I'm not, I'm a big boy, are we going now?"
"Yes and stay where we can see you," Mrs. Greyhouse said.
"Mommy you can smell us out," Jill said with a pout.
"Where I can see you honey."
"Ok," Paul and Jill chorused.
Jill also wore yellow galoshes and held her dress up safe while she jumped from puddle to puddle next to the curb.
Paul walked on the sidewalk, shoulders hunched unable to put his feelings to words.
He was about to run home when Jill tagged him.
"I'm now Ratwoman your nemesis, and I just took your utility belt," Jill said with a cackle then ran off.
"Why don't you want to be on my side?" Paul asked running after her.
"Sometimes Ratwoman works with Catman if she wants too, but not today she is the terror of the store keeper and banks."
"I'll stop you."
He caught up at the corner of Hyland Way while she waited for their mommy's.
"Do you want to team up, there could be big villains at the school," Paul asked.
"Sure we can fight crime together," she said, and splashed in the big puddle.
"Honey watch the dress," Mrs Greyhouse said.
"I don't like starting them late like this, being a year or two older won't change things. We are smaller furs all this does is put them behind kits their own age," mommy said when she and Mrs. Greyhouse caught up.
"But what can we do about it, I wrote my congressmen it's not like they listen unless you can get them reelected," Mrs Greyhouse said.
"Oh look down there, are the Jenson's building an addition," Mommy asked, she and Mrs. Greyhouse stopped to talk about it.
Paul ran ahead up Hyland way, he said, "Ratwoman a crime is afoot."
"Oh No! Let's stop them Catman!" Jill giggled and ran after him.
They reached the curve in the road where the crosswalk leading to the school's field connected to a playground on their side of the street. There were some big kits hanging around the playground. A sheep around their age was in a terraced yard on the school side across the street from them. While we waited for our mommies to catch up Jill splashed in the puddles in the playgrounds pathway.
The tallest of the big kits was a paw shorter then mommy, they wandered over. It was a moose calf, a wolf pup and a young bison.
"Jill let's stay on the sidewalk," Paul said wary of the big kits.
"Look we have some runt starts," the bison said.
"I'm not a runt, I'm big for my age," Jill said still splashing merrily.
"I giant mouse? Cause she isn't a rat," the wolf said.
Jill kept splashing but her tail straighten, Paul knew she needed help.
"Oh, she must be a mule. You're not a mouse or a rat, are you?" The moose asked the three looming over her.
"Leave her alone," Paul said.
"I wasn't talking to you pussy," the wolf said.
Jill didn't answer stepping back towards Paul.
"Answer us mule," the bison said stepping closer to her.
"I said leave her alone, our mommies are going to be here then you'll be in trouble," Paul said.
"She must be a mute mule," the moose said shoving Jill.
Paul pushed the moose barely moving him.
Then the wolf punched Paul in the stomach making stars dance in his eyes.
"Leave us alone, mommy help!" Jill finally shrieked.
The Bison pushed Jill so hard she flew back splashing in the puddle covering her dress in filth.
A bleat came from behind them and the sheep from across the street rammed head first into the side of the moose just under the ribs. He bleated again in fear or it might have been intended as a warning.
The three bully's ran off when Mommy, Mrs. Greyhouse and a Grownup Sheep came running over.
Jill cried in the puddle, "Mohahommy, I, I ignored them like you said anhend they wouldn't go away."
"Come here honey, your nose is bleeding!" The Mommy sheep said, "That was brave of you baby, are you ok."
"Pauliwog did they hurt you," mommy asked picking Paul up. He shook his head and cried mutely.
"There there your safe honey I'm here," mommy said petting Paul's head while he held her tightly.
"I'm Alice Clark, we have a mud room that leads to the guest bathroom," the mommy sheep said, "You can wash off and even put the dress in the wash.
"Thank you, I'm Gloria this here is Jill I appreciate this," Mrs Greyhouse said.
"You're both welcome," Mrs Clark said.
"I'm Angela this is my son Paul, and thank you little man," mommy said to the little sheep.
"I'm Timmy, I'm a hero," Timmy said through the sleeve pressed to his nose.
"Yes you are little man," Mrs Greyhouse said while everyone crossed the street to the blue house with the terraced yard, going inside through the garage. Mrs Clark showed Mrs Greyhouse to the guest bathroom giving them some towels and got a first aid kit to fuss over Timmy.
"You ok honey," mommy asked.
"I couldn't protect Jill," Paul said nearing tears again.
"But you tried little man, that matters too."
"Why did they call her a mule?"
"They didn't did they! I am definitely talking with the principle," mommy said.
"What is it?"
"Jill is half mouse half rat, that's a hybrid, well some hybrids can't be a mommy by having their own baby," Mommy said
"What will she do mommy," Paul asked.
"Like I said some hybrids, if she can't she can adopt or find a surrogate, err, a mommy that will help her be a mommy."
"Mommy what do I do if I see those boys again?"
"Don't be scared or show your feelings, remember the code of true hunter and are family code are the answer?"
"Protect what's mine but know when to run and if I can't win change the game," Paul said wiping his nose with his wrist.
"Exactly honey if they can't see or smell how you feel you can still change the game because they won't know what to expect," Mommy said, "You understand?"
"No..."
"Someday you will honey."