A Week's Worth of Growth, Chapter One
KC wasn't exactly what you'd call an outdoorsman, but on any given night, it wasn't a surprise to see him taking a stroll around the park.
Though he lived in the hustle, bustle and concrete of a sprawling downtown area, the heads of the city were smart enough to plan for a large, centralized park when they planned out the topography. Entrances could be found at the cardinal directions on each wall of the park, and within, nicely kept paths paved the way to baseball fields, basketball courts, nature trails, and a host of open meadows to sit and enjoy the shade of the trees. Sprawling greenery and colorful flowers made the park a favorite of photographers, as well, and common cityfolk hardly needed a reason to go for a walk through the trails.
It was the kind of park that any city would be lucky to call their own, but, of course, such friendly and welcoming areas attracted trouble, from time to time.
Standing out against the viridian green of the bushes, thanks to the bright, cyan blue of his overcoat and a pair of khaki shorts, KC the echidna was doing his usual laps around the park, having found it a great way to help keep the extra fat from his belly without having to go through the pain and difficulty of high-intensity cardio. He was always generous to the people that he shared the park with, and often, he'd grant a smile and adjust his glasses upon the bridge of his muzzle whenever someone went walking or jogging past him.
Even the homeless furs that occasionally looked for a bench to sleep under, or sat upon the edges of the paths with a mostly empty cup received a smile from KC, but sometimes, that level of generosity simply didn't cut it.
"Spare change?"
The words were uttered at the friendly echidna so much that he was to the point of tuning them out, and it wasn't until he actually felt a tug against the cuff of his shorts that he finally registered the words. "S-sir, spare change?"
KC would have happily put a coin in the cup if he had anything, but he knew he wasn't carrying any cash. "Sorry, pal. I don't have any."
"Got a big ol' bulge in your pocket there, feller."
Another tug on the end of KC's shorts pushed him to the end of his patience, and his gentle smile began fading into a scowl as he swatted at the dirty, unwashed paw of the homeless fur on the edge of the path. "That's my cell phone! I'm not just gonna give you that!"
"Yeh, but you can use that there to give me money, right? You young fellers got that Paybuddy or Moneyguy app to send money to friends, right? Just send me some! I just need a sandwich!"
"If you've got enough money for a cell phone, I doubt you're that homeless," KC turned his nose up at the supposedly maligned mouse on the path and began walking again, but he felt another tug, this time at the end of his tail.
"Feller, please. I haven't had a meal in days! I'm wastin' away here!"
Though the mouse was dirty, and his beard was gray and unkempt, KC was having trouble believing that he was in any real distress. "That little pooch belly says otherwise, feller. I don't think so."
Shaking the end of his short, sharp tail free, KC kept walking along the path, and this time, when he felt another tug, he simply kept on his pace, sure that the ragged, old mouse would give up on his pursuit sooner or later.
"So you think I've got a big belly, do ya? Huh?"
"Sure do," KC replied, without even turning back over his shoulder to look.
The mouse took a few steps forth, but refused to move too far from the bench that he was occupying. "We'll just see how you like it when you're the one with the big belly, stranger! I wish that your whole body was every bit as big as that damned, over-inflated attitude of yours!"
In his own mind, KC felt that he was more than polite to the supposedly homeless stranger, and after giving him so many chances to just shut his mouth, the echidna was growing tempted to turn and take a swing at the old fool, but when the man returned to the side of his bench and stopped his pursuit, KC let out a heavy sigh and kept on walking.
Can't just have one nice walk through the park without some stupid hobo messing the whole thing up, can I? He wondered, and as he continued to walk, the sun passed behind a wall of delicate, fluffy clouds, and the momentary respite from the light went past a pleasant cool off, wrapping right around to an eerie chill that ran down the length of KC's spine.
Gazing back over his shoulder and seeing a wicked grin on the mouse, KC tried to shrug off the sensation, but it was as if an icicle was riding his spine like a water slide, and running back up to the top with all of the excitement of a giddy child.
"Y-you...you got something to say, old man?" KC called back, and in doing so, he drew the ire of a few other parkgoers, looking like he was the villain in everything, just as the mouse likely intended. "I see you grinning over there!"
The mouse just sat against the side of the bench, resting his elbows upon his knees and allowing his head to dip in between his legs. He snickered and looked down at the ground, shaking his head slowly from side to side, as if he was torn between regret for something he'd done, and enjoyment of the sin, itself.
You'll know soon enough, boy, the mouse kept his thoughts to himself, before he picked up his cup once more and shook it at the other park patrons, hoping that he might be able to milk a coin or two from them.
Able to feel those eyes of judgment on his skin, KC rubbed his shoulder nervously and started heading for his apartment, hoping that a warm, home-cooked meal might shake the spooky, awkward chill from his lower back.