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Chapter Twenty Four

"Mending"

By

Furry Sith Lord

"Hey look, it's Bear!" Lyon shouted. We were in the living room watching television. I was more lost in thought as I kept thinking about father that I wasn't paying attention. Ben was sitting next to me on the couch while Lyon sat on the rug.

We turned and saw a news cast that showed a picture of Bear on the television. I shushed my brother and leaned in so I could hear the report.

"We go to Marge with this breaking story," A red colored squirrel said as the scene changed and a female gray colored squirrel stood on a street wearing a dark green suit. She smiled as she faced the cameraman recording her.

"Thanks Phil, I'm standing outside the city courthouse where Bear Ursidea-P, and his lawyer, have filed a lawsuit versus Mellody Ursidea-P. The charges range from False accusations of rape and slander. He states that he was accused falsely and has proof to prove his innocence. Bear Ursidea-P, can you share with us what happened?" Marge said and the angle changed to show Bear was standing patiently by her. He waited solemnly then smiled at her when she addressed him.

"Thank you Marge," he replied informally. "I was shocked and dismayed when I had heard that my costar, Mellody Ursidea-P, had reported that she had been sexually assaulted while filming our feature film North of the North. Those feelings turned to confusion when she claimed that I had been the assailant.

While I deeply respect Mellody, the evidence that my lawyer has in his possession shows that it was physically impossible that I was the attacker. Her assistant verifies that at the time Mellody was with the assistant giving directions in the care of her cubs. My own assistant verifies that he was in my trailer with me as we rehearsed lines for the upcoming scenes we were preparing to shoot. Camera footage from the studio also confirms that at no point during the entire filming of the film we were ever alone together.

I don't doubt that she may have been attacked but she was wrong about myself being the attacker. I want to find whom the attacker may be and am offering a $50,000 dollar reward for any information that can lead us to the identity of the actual attacker."

"Mr. Ursidea-P, if that is true then why are you filing the lawsuit?" Marge asked sternly. She seemed unconvinced even though he followed the script his lawyer gave him in addressing the reporter.

"Unfortunately, her accusations have hurt my career and myself deeply. I'm now forced to prove my innocence. When the accusations came out I was immediately fired as spokes bear for The Soda Coke company.

I am now forced to bring this to the public to clear my name and prevent further damage to my career. I understand this may be a trying time for her but if she is mistaken, as the evidence shows, then she needs to do the right thing and publicly apologize then perhaps we can work together to find the real assailant. " Bear stated calmly. He was hoping his nervousness was not getting the better of him.

"He's still wearing his collar," I replied softly and the others turned to look at me. "Remember? Father put a collar on him and changed his memory so he wouldn't try to rebuild The White Citadel."

"So?" Lyon asked .

"When the master dies and the slave knows about it then ownership gets passed unto the next master... if another master was choosen." Ben explained.

"Does that mean father is alive?" Lyon asked and I saw the glimmer of hope in his eyes. I wished it was true also but I knew I couldn't hide the truth from him.

"Not if he doesn't know father has died. I don't know if father gave him a new master should he die but once it becomes public that father passed then we'll know." I replied.

"Wait, so Bear may become himself again?" Ben asked and his face shared my look of concern.

I jumped to my feet and ran to find dad as the others shouted after me. I waved them off because I had to talk to him before he made a huge mistake. I ran to my father's office because dad had been spending a lot of time there lately.

"Dad," I said as he held up a finger telling me to wait a minute as he was in the middle of a phone call.

"Uh huh, yeah.... Don't worry about it. I got you covered.... OK bye." he said and abruptly hung up the phone. I heard him sigh then he turned to look at me and I felt my resolve draining. I realized he had a lot on his plate and I hated to add more but this also seemed important.

"Yes?" he asked as I stood there hesitating.

"Um... I was watching the news and Bear was on it." I hesitated as he calmly watched me. His demeanor had changed since father died and he was no longer the happy go lucky wolf he once was. His mirth was gone and a strict solidarity was all that remained.

"He had a movie that just came out, are you asking to see it?" Dad asked calmly and for a moment it felt as if he was trying to be like father.

"No. Father put a collar on him and I'm wondering what will happen when you publicly declare that Father has... passed away." I lowered my ears as He looked at me blankly. I was afraid that he'd start yelling and screaming like father would but he just sat there silently.

"The same thing that will happen to our security force. The collars will unlock and they will be set free. I plan to tell them personally and offer them jobs once they are set free. I believe we have treated them fairly and if they wish to remain they may and if they want to go they are free to." Dad said.

"But won't Bear be set free also?"

"Yes," Dad replied.

"But he could go and try to restart The White Citadel!." I exclaimed.

"He might, but that is his choice. We need to end slavery! It was your father's wish and it's mine. The first step to ending it is to set all slaves free. Not all slaves will be freed once the news of your father's death but it is a small stepping stone and hopefully others will join in and we can set all slaves free." Dad explained.

"But what about bad furs and criminals?" I asked.

"I... dunno. I think society needs to find a way to deal with them. Slavery is not the answer! Remember when your father publicly released The White Dilima book? It was hard for everyone to realize that the hatred they had for rare white fur species was false. It took some time but soon everyone came to learn and society was made better. I think we'll be facing the same thing again."

"But what about BH and his pets? If you start this process it may give him the upper paw and allow him to carry out his plans." I countered.

"I've been thinking about that and I may need to plan something in order to prevent that. I'm just not entirely sure who to talk to."

"Probably someone from the government so they can plan ahead about what to do with bad furs." I said. Dad scratched his chin as he was thinking it over and I was feeling a little better, more confident now. I saw dad look behind me and Ben was standing in the doorway. He waited silently as he watched us.

"We have kinda a situation that I thought you should know about. Dash came over and Lyon threw him out. I thought you might want to handle it because he's your brother." Ben said shyly.

"Go take care of your brother," My dad said to me. "Oh, which reminds me. I plan on visiting that research thingie tomorrow in your grandfather's letter. Since he mentions you I thought you might want to come along to see what it's about.

Also make sure you guys are packed and ready for the new semester because I gotta get you guys back there in a couple of days.

I looked at dad and he gestured for me to go and I swiftly followed Ben.With father dying I had forgotten all about school and was surprised dad was sending us off. We had not even had the funeral yet and he was sending us back to school?! Did that mean we were not invited to the funeral?

Lyon sat on the floor holding himself angrily. He looked ready to cry but was trying to force himself not to. I looked at Ben and he shrugged silently waiting for me to decide what to do. I walked in normally and as I got close to Lyon I expected him to lash out at me but I seemed to be ignored.

"Did something happen?" I asked him as I sat next to him on the floor and put my arm around his shoulders.

"Dash is a jerk!" He whined.

"What happened?" I asked softly and saw Ben sit on the couch and lean in watching silently. I could tell he wanted to say something but the look on his face said that he was afraid he should remain out of it. It was good in a way because Lyon needed some tough brotherly love at the moment.

"Lyon came in right after you left and he was like 'I'm glad your father's dead and you get all his money now... and." Lyon said as his voice was breaking. I looked at Ben and he bobbed his head back and forth telling me it was only half true.

I kissed my brother on the head and walked outside to call Dash. But before I left I couldn't help but play with the small portion of his lion mane that was growing in. It made him look like he had a mohawk on his head. Probably another reason the girls loved him so much. That and his sweet nature.

"Yeah, What?!" Dash said angrily as he answered my call.

"Who do you think you're talking to?!" I asked just to set him straight that I wasn't to be spoken to like that.

"Sorry," He replied bashfully.

"So Lyon tells me you said you were glad our father died and something about money." I said calmly.

"That's not true! He's a filthy liar!!! I said I'm sorry your father died because he's done so much for me with his money. Then I asked if you guys were gonna get an inheritance or not." Dash replied.

"Why did you ask that?" I asked him calmly but I could see why Lyon got upset.

"Honestly, I was wondering what rich species, like you guys, do when you have someone die. In my family we just pass the clothes and stuff on to everyone else. I had a couple of older brothers that died and my parents gave me their clothes. How do you think I feel knowing I have shirts and undies that belonged to my dead brother. I wear them to keep him close even though he's gone but I also hate every minute of it too." Dash replied and I heard his voice breaking up just as Lyon's did.

"Get back here and we'll straighten it all out."

"No! Lyon said we're not friends anymore and he never wants to see me again." Dash cried.

"Get your fluffy white tail back here or so help me, if I have to track you by scent, I'll pick you up by your ears and drag you back here." I replied firmly and a bit of anger in my voice only to prove I was serious although I doubted I could carry him only lifting him by his ears.

"...OK." He replied after a long pause and I ended the call. I then went inside and grabbed Lyon by one of his ears and dragged him outside as we waited for Dash to return.

Will carefully crept through the forest dressed in camouflage. He held his riffel next to his body and he carefully shifted his gaze to make sure he was aware of his surroundings. He moved at a snail's pace because he was afraid of making any kind of noise that could alert the hairless apes. He also figured that the hunters would be hidden waiting to pounce on any intruder.

He felt as if a giant tornado was inside of him because he tried to stay careful and patient but his anger and rage was mounting. He came on his own to get justice for them killing Lou but his rage was making himself feel as if he was about to lose control at any second. He had to deliberately force himself to remain calm in order to complete his mission.

He knew of the consequences of letting one's anger go unchecked and allowing himself to get careless would make it easy for the hairless apes to capture him. He knew they would not hesitate to kill and eat him just as they did to Lou. He marveled at how savage they were and how they would eat anything placed in front of them. He had thought about bringing backup but he didn't want to pay for extra bodies on something he was convinced he could do himself.

He neared the village and the scent of fading smoke filled the air. He cautiously crept in and saw that the place was deserted. A large pile of ashes was in the center and it seemed to be the source of the fading smoke. A soft moan caught his attention.

He saw one of the hairless apes laying in the ash pile and it camouflaged her presents as the soot changed her skin color. He went over to examine her and saw that her hair was matted. Her eyes seemed to be trying to roll into the back of her head. He could smell that she was dying and he wondered if that was why they left her behind.

"Hey, hey!" He whisper shouted to her but she was barely responsive. "Can you hear me?" He continued but her eyelids fluttered and he readied his gun in case there were any hunters getting ready to attack.

"Hueman... Hueman." He heard her whisper as he carefully stalked away from her. He had no idea what she was saying in her own language. He wished she spoke the common language so he could make sense of her mumblings.

He could only wonder what it was she wanted. Was it food or water? Was she asking for help? It just sounded like the same word over and over again. Once he was satisfied that the two of them were alone he made his way back to her.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked her. He no longer quieted his voice now that he was sure the area was secure. He lifted her head and saw that she was unconscious then he pressed his ear next to her chest and heard a very faint heartbeat.

He doubted that she would wake and he gently placed her head back on the ash pile. He wondered why they had left her like this. Was she a warning to anyone coming after them? Was she being punished for some reason? He had wished she could tell him but even when she was lucid her mumblings seemed incoherent to him.

He attempted to use his sense of smell to see if he could smell the rest of her people and possibly give him an idea where they had gone. The smoke made it a little difficult but luckily he had seen a few footprints and something else he had no idea what it was. He was not a good tracker so other than the footprints he could not tell what they were but if he had to guess it was something being dragged.

He searched a few of the houses and noticed that they were almost completely empty Other than a few pieces of large furniture. From what he saw the entire place had been packed up and abandoned. He guessed that the white wolf had planned on someone coming to get revenge and had everyone leave.

Will sniffed around to try and get a sense of what the hairless ape's scents were so he could follow them. Unfortunately, the smoke made it difficult to pinpoint their scent. It took a while but he found a faint trail that he thought he could follow. He took a step then stopped as he looked towards the female.

He could not see any movement and he crept closer and pressed his ear to her chest to see if he could hear her heartbeat. He thought he heard a very faint sound and then tried to lightly slap her face again. She still remained unresponsive and he debated on what to do next.

He took out his canteen and used it to give her some water. He had to adjust her head so that the water would go down her throat without making her choke. It took a few seconds then he saw her begin to swallow on her own. He gave her as much as he could afford and gently let her head lay back on the ash pile. She moaned unintelligently but he could not see if it had accomplished anything.

Maybe it gave her a little more time but it seemed obvious that she had lost the will to live. That was probably why she just lay here waiting to die. Leggo had mentioned that the white wolf had killed the hairless ape cub, or whatever they called their young, and wondered if she was the boy's parent.

Among his own species of tigers, the parenthood role was solely on the female giving birth. Fathers may occasionally visit and in some cases they even tie paws and become like a regular family. His own family never really showed up except for holidays and special events. He spoke to his father a few times but it felt like talking to a stranger rather than a parent.

He wondered if the hairless apes did the same and why didn't the female's partner fight to get her to live. He wondered if hairless apes had boys that liked boys and girls that liked girls. The hairless ones seemed so primitive, who knew what they thought. The other question was how had the white wolf changed their culture since he arrived?

I stood patiently on our porch and Lyon sulked nearby. We were waiting for Dash to return and I figured he had walked, which he usually did, and we'd have to wait for him to get back here. Plus, I figured he was intentionally dragging his feet as he sulked like my brother did.

I saw Dash slowly making his way up our driveway and I lightly punched my brother's arm to get his attention. He flinched then looked at Dash and folded his arms across his chest. I could tell he was trying to be hard and unsympathetic but I knew it was all an act. My brother wanted this as much as Dash did.

"Hello Dash," I replied cheerfully, breaking the awkwardness as he stood in front of us.

"Petey," My brother replied, his voice cold and emotionless. Dash flinched at being called by his hated first name. I grabbed my brother by his ear and dragged him to stand in front of his best friend.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," My brother whined. I made Dash repeat what he told me when I called and I released my brother's ear but kept a paw on his shoulder to make sure he didn't try to run away. I then told Dash how my brother described the situation to me. Dash's face turned almost completely white as he heard me describe it.

"Look man, I'm sorry I never meant it like that. I'm grateful for everything your father has done for me. I want him to be proud and not be like I wasted my money on a worthless rabbit." Dash said bashfully.

"My father would never say that!" Lyon said angrily but his voice seemed a little shaky so I knew he was losing his resolve. He only did not want to appear weak in front of everyone but I knew how my brother really felt.

"But don't you know me enough that I would never in a million years say something like I'm glad your father died?! How could you even think that? How many times did I tell you that I wanted to make him proud for getting me into Bearly Academy? Remember how hard I worked to get bumped up to the same grade as you? Look I know I'm not as smart as you two are but we're friends... were friends and I'd do anything to be with you. I know you don't know this but you protect me!

When we first started to play I used to get bullied but when I had an awesome white lion by my side, the other species stopped picking on me. I saw that you were like me and you didn't have any friends either. I thought we'd be perfect for each other and I thought you'd always have my back like I had yours." Dash explained. I slowly edged away from them to let them talk privately and made my way to stand next to Ben. I was ready to step in if they started fighting but I was pretty confident that that would not happen.

"We... are friends," My brother replied and I saw the look on Dash's face brighten. Dash stretched out his paws and they hugged then I felt Ben put his paw around my waist along my back. I leaned in and rested against him.

Bear's agent sat at his desk reading emails when his phone rang. He quickly answered hoping he had a new job for one of his clients.

"Hello? Ultimate Talent Agency. This is Guz, how can I help you?"

"Hello," Bear said gently and Guz leaned back in his chair.

"Hey baby, I was just thinking about you. Quite a news conference you put on the other day." Guz replied.

"That's why I'm calling. I have given it some thought and decided I need new representation." Bear said solemnly. Guz's chair squealed as he sat upright.

"New representation? You're not saying..."

"Yes I am. I need an agent that believes in me and won't try and sell me out the first chance he gets." Bear interrupted.

"Baby listen," Guz tried to explain.

"And don't call me baby! I'm not a cub you can make sit on your lap." Bear shouted.

"You know baby is a technical term used in the business. Look I'm sorry I called you that and won't do it again. However, you are making a big mistake here because I was only looking out for your best interest." Guz said and Bear sniffed loudly dismissing his argument. "I do have a question for you. Since you appeared on TV has the Soda Coke company contacted you?"

"No but I doubt they would after ending the contract we had."

"NO is right! When that broadcast first came out there was a lot of pressure for Soda Coke to reverse their decision. Much like their soda that soon fell flat because the actress doubled down and claimed you falsified the information you presented. Claims you paid off workers to hide what you did. The whole thing has backfired, like we told you it would if you went ahead. So now without any sources of income you want to fire me... OK I told you I'd go quietly if you told me to.

Good luck paying for your lawyer once this goes to trial because all the donations have been going to her. You basically committed suicide to your career that even I can't find you any work." Guz shouted back at Bear. He stood listening to Guz thinking the whole matter over when a strange idea came to him.

"What if I had an idea for a movie where I could be the villain and a producer of it? A guaranteed box office hit that will have everyone lining up to see it."

"Go on," Guz asked as the idea piqued his interest.

"Remember about a year ago there was a thing called The White Citadel? What if we made a movie about it. One where I'm the bad fur and some super hero species have to stop me.

"Could be a hit if the story is good enough..." Guz replied.

To Be Continued...