The Beginning
After some thinking about how to go about my story and try to get it in order and lay everything out, I decided to remove the first story and start from scratch. It's a work in progress and I hope with the right advice and suggestions I can develop it into what I would like for it to become. So without further ado here is the first chapter of The Legacy of Alexzander Monroe.Writer's note: This is the extended version of the beginning of my story. The Beginning I arrived at the docks to a chorus of jeers and hisses as I proceeded to step out of the carriage and was immediately met by several police officers who immediately put me in shekels and led me up the loading ramp to the large ocean liner. I was wearing a black suit with a matching hat that had a red band with an upside down spade on it. I wore a matching armband around my upper arm and a matching sash that was tied around my waist both items had the same logo on them. "Not a bad way to leave this country behind." I said quietly to myself drawing some angry stares from the police and passersby that were there to watch loved ones and friends set sail. I kept my head up knowing full well just how much trouble I had found myself in. It's amazing how a fox can go from having it all to finding himself sailing toward a new world with nothing more than the clothes on his back and his closest belongings. I had everything I could have asked for and now I'm being forced to leave the world I had known behind. How did this come to pass? Where did I go wrong? I guess it's best to start where all stories began and that's at the beginning... I was born into a seemingly nice household with a mother and a father who wanted me to be their little innocent angel. The only problem is, they ended up having more than what they bargained for. I was a little bit of a firecracker so to speak, always skinning my knees and messing up my trousers from playing outside in the dirt and running around the house even though it was forbidden. I was living the good life, my parents let me do whatever I wanted and not once did I get into trouble, unless I broke a vase or messed up my mother's flower bed, but other than that I was well-behaved. Most offspring of nobles tend to have the easy life, with soft satin sheets to cover up with at night and always had a nice fluffy pillow, but there comes a time when all good things come to an end. Little did I know that time would be so close. Several passengers were standing on the deck and I could feel them spit on me as we passed by while others called out and harassed me. "Traitor!" "Demon fox!" "How could you commit such a horrible crime!" I was led to the captain's quarters and glanced over my shoulder as I watched several large cargo boxes being loaded onto the ship. I smiled to myself seeing some of my treasured belongings loaded up and knew that my chest would be in my cabin waiting for me. This was a monumental plan I had worked on for years now, and it had finally reached the end of this stage. I watched as some deckhands carried my chest to my cabin that was located in the first class section of the ship, a very unusual location to house a "criminal", much less an exile, but then again I wasn't your average "criminal". "What do you think you are doing?" My father asked as I was trying to climb into his lap. "I just want to sit in your lap father." I looked as if a dagger had just pierced my heart; I was about six at the time of this and wanted to be like my father in every way possible. He looked at me with a snarl and without warning stood up and watched as I fell to the hardwood floor below me and fortunately I landed on all fours as tears filled my eyes and I slowly crawled toward my mother and was about to climb into her lap before I was met with a foot to the chest and pushed backwards. "Mother, why will you not let me sit in your lap?" She just sat there for a few seconds and knitted away ignoring my question. I proceeded to nudge her leg a little with my small head trying to get her attention. "No, you are too big to be sitting in my lap or your father's lap for that matter." She swished her tail as she said that and I was scared at what I was hearing. I couldn't believe it. All the time I was growing up I was their little angel and now there I was being told I was too big when I was much smaller than most of the other foxes my age. I soon started to feel the anger rise in me, a feeling I did not know about except when I was at grammar school and facing the bullies who picked on me because of my size. "You-you're just like the factory owners a-and those corrupt politicians." I stammered out on the verge of losing my temper and getting my tail into a lot of trouble with my parents. "Watch your tongue boy!" My father snapped at me. "One more comment like that from you and you will find yourself outside for the evening." I did not know what he meant by that, but at that particular time I was too upset to focus on controlling myself especially in front of my parents the way a noble's son should act. I was led to the captain's quarters and no sooner was I led in and over to a chair in front of the captain's desk, the officers removed my shekels and left leaving me and the captain alone. "I find it odd you are having most of your belongings brought with you." He was writing something in a ledger as he spoke. He was a coyote with brown and tan fur and wore a pair of navy blue pants and wore a navy blue blazer with medals on it. "I don't want to leave some things behind and let my enemies gain control of them." I said and crossed my legs watching him the whole time. "Then I will be very clear with you." He stopped writing and looked me in the eyes; I had my hat lowered to where the brim was covering mine. "Did your parents teach you any manners about wearing hats inside?" I scoffed hearing him and didn't budge. "Very well, this can be a very easy voyage for you, or it can be a very difficult voyage for you. All you have to do is follow the rules I set for you." I smiled tilted my head slightly nodding in agreement. "I can agree to those terms. "Rule number one, no alcohol." I frowned slightly "Bloody Hell!" "Language!" He retorted. "Rule number two, no fighting aboard my ship." I retracted my claws and wiped them on my coat trying to shine them a little bit. "Rule number three, you are to be in your cabin no later than eleven o'clock at night." I shook my head in disgust. "Rule number four, no vixens allowed in your cabin with a closed door." I let out a small chuckle. "I guess you're going to ensure no vixen arrives to New Britain late." He frowned and slammed his paws on his desk in anger as he stood up. "Rule number five, you are to show respect at all times to any and all passengers. Failure to follow any of these or break any of these rules and you will be thrown in the brig without a second thought and remain there until further notice." I sat there for a minute then stood up flicking my tail. "I can't promise anything." I said as I turned to walk out the door. "You should be thanking me for not throwing you in the brig for the entire trip." I flicked my tail and proceeded out the door thinking to myself, "I don't owe you anything." Before I knew it I yet out a small yip of displeasure and immediately found myself outside of my home on the front doorstep alone in the cold London air and one hour away from my bedtime. "What are you still doing here on my doorstep, go." My father pointed out toward the dimly lit cobblestone street. "Go where father?" I whimpered softly looking up at my father before he grabbed my small muzzle and made me stare into his eyes. Each time I looked down, he raised my muzzle back up to look him in the eyes until I looked away scared and terrified of my own father. "I said go." He picked me up by the back of my shirt collar and without thinking tossed me out into the streets. "Don't bother trying to come inside for three hours!" I got up slowly with tears running down my now mud covered face. I watched in shock as my father slammed the door and I could easily hear it lock as I wiped my nose with my sleeve and looked towards the road trying to figure out where to find shelter for those three hours. I thought I could go around to the side of the house and stay in the backyard, but the gate was locked and there was no way for me to climb the tall fence. I sat down on the front porch and leaned back against the door. No sooner did I get comfortable just sitting there the door flew open and I landed hard in doorway looking up at my father who had a fiery look in his eye as if flames were glowing and his lips were curled in fury as he looked down at me. "What are you doing here?" He half growled and half spoke. "I-I was just trying to stay close to home f-father." He swung his foot at me in a sweeping motion trying to get me out of the doorway. I was so scared I felt my claws dig into the floor trying to hold onto something as my fur was now on end. "I... said... OUT!" He shouted at me and very roughly picked me up by the front of my shirt and pulled me close to him where we were muzzle to muzzle. "If I had my way, you'd already be out of this house and in the streets." Tears were streaming down my face from fear and shame. "It's not manly for a fox to cry." My father said with no concern on his face and it was evident as I looked into his eyes he had a strong hatred for me for whatever reason. I didn't understand why he was acting like this as he carried me outside and set me at the bottom of the stairs he put his foot on my chest and pushed me to my back. "You pathetic little runt, I could crush you right here and get away with it. You are a thorn in my side, a waste of seed, and as worthless as they come!" His ears were pinned back as his tail shook with anger. I didn't respond or say anything. "Do you understand me?" I stayed quiet and let out a small yelp as he pushed his foot down harder onto my chest. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" He shouted. "Yes sir!" I half screamed half shouted at him and started to cry. "Good." He removed his foot and stormed inside leaving me there crying and alone on the streets for the first time in my life.
This would not be the last time I was thrown out into the streets. I had crossed my father that night and would often cross many times there after often without meaning too and it would always end in this same result. Eventually I began to hate him and my mother, but with their golden rule of "Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother, it was hard for me to show my hatred, so I bottled it up and let it simmer and die back down, but for nights my father and I argued, the hatred began boiling over and it was only a matter of time before something was said that set me off and it's never a good thing to say something to your parents in anger especially something that could come back to haunt you. I finally made it to my cabin and looked over at the chest and smiled to myself before I proceeded to take a key out of my pocket and unlock it. On the inside of the lid was a small latch that I undid opening a secret compartment and grabbed a bottle of scotch I had stored away and a black book that was bound beside it with a small strap and buckle and to the right was a small unopened envelope that I left untouched. I removed the spade pin from the band on my hat, along with the armband, and sash and folded them nicely placing the pin on the armband and stored them in small pocket on the bottom of the hidden compartment and grabbed a pencil that was hanging on small clip and quickly opened the book and flipped to a marked page with "England" on the top of the page that had a list of names with numbers beside them with numbers three to five with a line through them and marked out the number one and number two names, then flipped it to the next page looking at another list of names and at the top of the page had "New Britain" written on it. I was going to get my revenge and when I finished I returned the book back to its original location and took out a brown and black plaid suit. This was going to be a week-long trip, and I wanted to be as comfortable as possible. I redid the hidden compartment, and put the pencil back on the small clip that was on the side of the bottom part of the chest, and then proceeded to change into my other suit. Once I changed suits, I neatly folded my original suit and placed it inside my chest. I had another suit beside it, but I was going to save it for a later date. I closed and locked the chest up as I flicked my tail and took a sip of my scotch even though I was told that I was forbidden to drink on this trip. I was going to do everything I could to quell my thoughts of revenge, and at least try to relax on this week long voyage to New Britain as I opened my scotch and took a large sip from it. I remembered what the captain said and opened a drawer in my cabin's desk and stowing it away. It was going to be a long trip, and we weren't setting sail for a few more hours. I took the liberty of walking around the ship's deck for a good while and made my way down to the cargo hold to check on my cargo boxes that were very easily identified since they all had Monroe Enterprises branded on the sides. They were stacked neatly together in a corner of the room, and I knew one of them was very important. I grabbed a pry-bar from a nearby nail and opened the top of one grabbing a map of New Britain that was on top. I replaced the top of the box and knocked the lid back down. I returned to my cabin and placed the map in the same drawer as my scotch and walked over to the railing just outside my door as the ocean liner made a loud whistle signaling we were departing. I propped a foot up on the railing and looked out toward the horizon. I was leaving behind a country that no longer had any love nor care for me, and was heading toward a country, I knew very little about except for what I had read in the papers. There was a storm forming in the direction we were heading, but the sun was setting behind us. This was going to be a very interesting voyage and one that was supposed to change me, but at the moment I was as defiant as ever, but if it is one thing that I knew, it was things change in a heartbeat and the king and queen's words rang in my ears "You either change the way you are, or we can change them for you." I didn't know what they meant, but I knew I was leaving England on bad terms, and if I was going to change it wasn't going to happen in a week's time. I had caused way too much damage and had way too many sins to even remotely think about change anytime soon...