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Chapter 4 Escape           "Mama? Papa?"          I awoke with a startled gasp, me brain more scrambled than

a drunken sailor's eyes. Next thing I knew, me ears rang from the sound of an

elevated train car passing by me place. With a quick rub of me eyes, I lifted

me body off of the bed and blinked awake.           I was in me hideaway, the one place I felt safe in New

York. It was an old and abandoned tenant room with windows dirtier than dust

and floors with creaks and cracks galore. Me very nose twitched as dust from

the ceiling fell on me muzzle. In the room were the creaky bed along the middle

wall, one table, a chair neighbored to it, and a wall with water stains painted

along it.          But the one thing that me heart treasured was the bookshelf

next to the door. On it were a variety of things I loved, things I treasured

like memories and tales of old. On the first shelf rested several shiny glass

bottles, maybe one of them worth a nickel or two. On the second shelf was a

porcelain wolf doll I gathered offs the street near the Hudson. And on the last

shelf, the tallest of the tall, was a box of... honestly I didn't know at the

time yet. It was there when me eyes spotted this place last summer during a

storm. It wasn't a fancy mansion, but me fur stayed dry as timber.          I stretched meself and dragged me footpaws across the

wooden floor. It was a Saturday today, which meant me friends James and Lance

were free outta the cages they called school. I grabbed me cap and father's

watch; it was half past nine, meaning either both or none of them were up for

the day.          I turned to the mirror and smiled at how handsome me face

looked. Save a few dirt stains on me shirt and fur, I was a handsome wolf that

woulda made that foxy Casanova jealous.           "Alright then," I smoothed out me headfur and placed me cap

on. "Time to start the day!" With a greet of me cap in the mirror, I traveled

down the stairs and crawled underneath the wood nailed to the door that opens

on the inside.          It was misty in New York, almost like a blanket of wet dust.

The abandoned building me hideaway owned was home to many tenements, some of

them either rotted away or locked, but the outside of the building had grown

grass and ivy covering its boarded windows and walls. Even its yard was

overgrown. The street along it was filled with other tenement houses, some with

shops and families awakening.            For several minutes I

walked along the road, me ears perking at the sounds of people awakening and

New York City coming back to life. It was a pretty boring morning, save for me

taking a small trip to the market for a small breakfast.           It was a quaint road not too far from the Five Points, a

small street called Pearl packed with fancies and food of intense taste to me

muzzle. Some cart sellers and shops sold fruits, bread rolls, grain, sugar

bags, and even several places that sold meat and cans.           I felt me stomach roar inside, and I groaned. Ever since last

Sunday, Joseph had banned me from his bakery until I could pay off me tab of

$4.82. In me opinion, he shoulda been hung for starving a poor wolf like me.A

whiff of fresh bread teased me nose, causing me to stop in me tracks beside a

meat shop. Oh Lord, even the meat made me tail and tongue twitch. I could just

taste them in me mouth, the morsels of food sliding down me throat. It was

torturous."Vhat

ya doing, volfy?" a Russian human bumped into me. "Get outda me vay!" I

stumbled on me feet and glared at the coated man and his fancy bags. I

sighed. There was one way to end me hunger, but I absolutely didn't want to do it. However, God Himself gave me no

choice. Taking a deep breath, I looked over to the human and saw him stand by a

street lamp with his coat and bags. In the Lower East Side, it was now usual to

see a human or few. Just several days ago some humans from Europe arrived to me

fair city on a boat to escape something called a 'pogrom'. It really tore me to do this, but I had to

get food until me tab was paid.Sneakily,

I went behind the human and saw his bag was open. From a can's throw away I

smelled some fruit, a pound of meat, and a few cans of something else. Three,

two, one, I went for it. "Hey!

Stop thief!"I

stumbled with the bag, bumping into another person before grabbing the closest

thing I could catch from it. It was a can of food, but me eyes didn't catch

what it was, mainly because two coppers whistled and ran after me. "After

him!""Aye

dang it!" I

ran like a cheetah, down the busy street and past everyone in me way. I heard

the shuffling of footpaws behind me. "Stop that cub!" a copper shouted. I

placed the can into me vest and kept running. "Stop thief!" another shout from

the policeman. From what I could tell, it had to be a wolf. "Make way! Move

it!" As I

turned a corner, I ran past a policeman who heard the cry. "Oi, stop running,

kid!" he shouted while wailing his stick. "Stop now!"'ell no! I

took a turn into a nearby alley, excusing me way past lovely ladies and

ungenerous gents. I made a right, then a left, yet their shouts kept coming. I

came to a larger alley that ended at the small hill that went toward Lance's

neighborhood. But before I ran for it, I heard whistles around the corner. Me

eyes met one familiar vixen that called herself 'Fine Fiona', sitting on a

wooden bx by the entrance. "Getting

into trouble again, boy?" she asked me. She motioned behind her toward a

barrel. "Hide in here!" Fine Fiona hissed quietly to me, and me fur jumped at

nearby shouts. "Hurry, dumb boy." I

didn't hesitate to go into the barrel, but soon regretted it as I felt some

broken glass inside. I muffled me complaints when I heard quick shuffling

outside me smelly wooden container. "Excuse

me, but have you seen a small wolf boy run through here, ma'am?" the officer's

voice sounded raspy from running after little ol' me. "He's about ten or twelve

and stole a can of olives.""Never

seen him, officer." I

gasped. A can of olives?! I asked.

Carefully, while still keeping an eye through a small eye hole, I grabbed the

tin can and put it under a light. I made out the words 'Southern' and 'olives'.

I whispered, "damn it." All that was for nothing. I hated olives.All

of a sudden, I heard it become quiet outside, and a pair of legs was in front

of the small hole. Nervously, I lifted me muzzle up and saw a middle-aged wolf

wearing an officer's cap."Busted,

you little brat," he sneered. I

grinned. "Here's ya damn olives!" I tossed

them up to him and knocked the barrel over. And without thinking twice, I

shifted meself and felt the world turn into a circle as the barrel rolled outta

the alley and down the hill. From there, I was in pure 'ell. And pure bliss.Until

I hit something hard. "Blimey!"

I shook me noggin and ears while lifting me muzzle. "W-What a r-ride!" I

attempted to laugh, but felt me ribs sore all over.By the

time I crawled outta the barrel, me world was spinning and I felt more drunk

than a sailor on Monday. Me fur was covered in glass pieces and I shook them

off of me while trying to stand.The

whole thing flashed before me spinning eyes. I remember everything going in

circles; the streets, the startled gents and ladies passing down the empty road,

the distant shouts of the policeman. Knowing them, and since they had the

blasted olives they wanted, they'd probably not go after me. Especially since a

loon like me did something like that."What

the hell happened to you, Peter?!" Someone

younger giggled. "Doggie!" Laughing

like a loon, I spun me head around to see... "James! Lancie!" I smiled, me head

falling on the ground while I giggled. I didn't even realize a crowd of

pedestrians were staring at me. Lance,

dressed even as a schoolboy on a Saturday, helped me up. "Are you hurt?" the

raccoon asked. "And why the heck were you rolling down a hill in a barrel, Peter?!"I

tried to stand with his help. "Well, let's just say..." I breathed in while

flicking me tail. "Let's say that if ya steal a can of bloody olives, the dang

city'll send an army after ya." I managed to get up, and asked, "Now, can ya

all tell me why you're hanging upside down?" I howled with laughter. Lance

sighed. "Peter, have you gotten drunk again?" he asked.I giggled

while letting go of Lance. "I'm not drunk, I just got a little ditzy here,

Lance," I coughed while unfolding my right ear. "If I were drunk, me eyes would

be seeing more attractive vixens here and there." I laughed through me muzzle's

nose and put a paw to me head. "Ow. What a ride." "Wait

a minute," James asked. "Did you say you stole a can of olives?" He looked to

Lance. "I thought the 'Great and Powerful' Peter Gray wasn't a thief?" "He isn't."

Lance stared at me, then whispered. "Is it true?"          I tried to collect me thoughts among me scrambled brain. "You

and I both know I never steals something..." I grinned slightly, "...unless

absolutely necessary."           While I finally got on me footpaws, Lance knocked me down.

"I told you to stop doing that!" he growled at me. "Me mum is already hating the

sight of you, and the last thing she needs to know is that you've been stealing

food."          "Trying to steal,

Lance," I corrected the raccoon while standing up. "I was trying to steal the olives, but I gave them back." I shuddered. "I

hate olives anyways.""You're

one crazy wolf, Peter," James laughed. "May you never change."I

grabbed me tail and tried to pick the dirt out while seeing it was only me,

Lance, and James with me, and the thing me barrel crashed into was a stone wall

next to some buildings. And down the next street, were some kits and cubs looking

at us, like they were with the trio."So

what were ya three doing before I rolled in?" I grinned while wagging my tail.

"You playing 'kick-the-can' over there? Mind if I join?"James

smiled. "Sure thing," he said. "Lance here has to go back to his mum though.

Something about brushing his tail." Sighing,

Lance began to wave as he ran toward the tenement building nearby. "I gotta

go!" he shouted. "Try not to get in trouble Peter, again. I mean it!" Chuckling,

I waved me paw. "I loves ya too!" I replied, then turned to me human friend

with the brown hair, only to see him running off to the teams. "Hey, wait up!"