The Adventures of Peter Gray chapter 11: Ah...Easter
Chapter 11 Ah, Easter... God decided to be me best friend and placed Easter Day the day after April Fools. Obviously, He cared for me happiness and making me tail wag. But now, I doubted that with me fur that was covered in hardening honey yesterday. After sleeping in a barrel outta an alleyway near Union Square (which smelled like dead rats and grimy pickles, ugh), no one who knew me muzzle looked at me without a grin of some kind. One wolf couple that lived as tenants in a tenement by Pearl Street acted like they could still smell the dang honey on me fur. In truth, I did smell sweet now, but the embarrassment of how made me wanna give Gavin a blinker. I can see that smug grin on his smug muzzle already..., I thought bitterly to meself. I sighed with a curled tail as I strolled down an empty and cobblestone alley toward the Lawton residence. Oh well, it's Easter Day. I might as well make the best of it for meself. I made it to a small park alongside a bustling street, one with several trees made into a weird square shape with growing leaves and laughing cubs. Some of them were with humans, but some mothers and fathers told their wolf cubs to not play with the 'pinkies'. I scowled at their backs, but smiled like an innocent little boy when one mother turned to me with a flicking tail. Ever since the last boat arrived with more humans from Europe (some rumor seeing some from Africa too; some sort of civil war is going on there), I seen more wolves and felines looking at them like street rats. Kinda like how many people outside of Five Points viewed me. I was in a narrow street now, and it was quiet, almost as quiet as any street on New York was on Sunday, especially on a holy event such as Easter Day. There were still other fursons like raccoons and mice and foxes and a couple of humans. Either they didn't care for Sunday Mass, were too busy with their jobs, or preferred the idea of celebrating by Easter egg hunts in Central Park. Though I kept telling meself it was a bad idea, I went to Lance and James' neighborhood and strolled down the empty cobblestone road with nothing but the nice clothes Laura gave me, and me papa's pocket watch. Luckily, since Lance's family was more religious than a priest, I didn't hafta face Lance's annoying twin brothers from yesterday. No, instead, James gave me the best greeting a friend coulda given me. "Hey Peter! You have any sweet dreams since yesterday?" he smirked his annoying lips at me from the stairs. Though he didn't have a tail, I knew he was scared of me reaction. I smirked back with a wagging tail as I bowed. "Nice to see ya too, Jamie," I said. "Though I wonder why yer dressed like a schoolboy on Sunday?" Like that, the human boy frowned as he walked down the stairs and brushed his hair back. "So ya heard about what Gavin...did to me, huh?" James beamed a smile at me nd laughed with a shaking head. "Are you kidding, Peter?" he said highly. "Everyone knows about it around here, and it's hilarious!" The human boy clutched his bare hands at his leotard stomach and didn't stop laughing. "I have...I haven't laughed this much since that time Lance told me about that time ya saw Mrs. Turner naked in the tub!" Again, he didn't stop laughing, and I thought his skin was beginning to turn red. "And they said I don't let things go..." I mumbled. Ever since last November when Mrs. Turner was bathing and I innocently went upstairs when going in the tub, there has been this divide between me and the religious raccoon. And I hated being reminded of it. Still, James managed to calm down and told me he and the family were dressed for Sunday Service at 9:00, and Mr. Lawton promised Annabelle and him that if they behaved, he and Laura would take them out to have a treat and visit Central Park. "Problem is, Annabelle always got easily bored with Sunday Service back in Buffalo," James sat on the stone ledge of the staircase and looked at me. I raised me eyebrows and flicked me tail. "Ya don't say?" I was intrigued with a grin. "So she's one of those kits, or kids, who can't stand church?" An older she-wolf looked at us funny, but I kept meself innocent as she was probably heading to the church right now. "Mind if I tag along then? Maybe I can get meself a treat?" "Only if you can help me keep Annabelle from being too giddy, and I'll throw in a nice apple pie baked by my mother," James proposed like an auctioneer by a port. "And I'll do it if ya don't go upstairs and look at me mama in the tub." "Are ya kidding?" I asked him dumbfounded. "Mrs. Lawton's old enough to be me-" "Watch it, wolf-boy..." I jumped at Laura's voice coming from the stairway. In the sunlight of Sunday morning, Laura and her husband were dressed in their best attire, wearing clothes similar to mine and simple shirts and dresses just like James was. And while Annabelle was giggling while holding Mr. Lawton's hand, him and Laura were looking at me like a cub whose paw was caught in the cookie jar. "-sister no older than twenty who I knows is out there!" I laughed nervously with folded ears. "Still, it was mighty kind of ya to gimme these yesterday, Laura. Thanks." She smiled that motherly smile again, and walked down. "That's what I thought as well, Peter," Mr. Lawton chuckled before turning to Annabelle. "So, you ready for church honey?" She shook her head, and clutched at his leg like a boat mast. "Peter was wondering if he could come along, dad," James cut in. Stepping down in front of the human, the boy smiled. "Please? He's dressed decently, and smells good from yesterday." I caught Laura struggling to keep her laughter in, and Mr. Lawton eyed me, causing me tail to curl slightly outta nervousness. "Alright son, but," he pointed a finger at me, "please behave yourself." I happily obliged and we merrily waltzed through the awakening city. Mr. Lawton was awkward talking to me at first, but I believed I opened up to him when we talked about the weather, the city, and everything else. "So how's work at the factory, Mr. Lawton? Working hard as always," I pointed at the bulging arms of his and he chuckled. "Yeah, my arms are sore every night I come home, but the money's worth it to put food on the table," he coughed, scratching his matted hair back. "Oh, here we are." I had a feeling he was nervous with me and him being different species. The Little Church Around the Corner, or as I liked calling it, the Corner Church. It wasn't that St. John's upstate, but me eyes were glued to its exterior as well as the inside. Even the service was good, despite me being one of few wolves in the church of humans. The one on the podium preaching the Gospel and Jesus' second coming was a human male as well, but one with darker skin and a brighter personality than any other Father or Sister I knew from me orphanage. Honestly though, me fur tingled at the idea of being in a church mainly with humans. The moment I stepped inside, the eyes of a dozen humans, poor and moderate, looked at me like a crow among doves. I was in their sanctuary, a place they called their own, but the few open to fursons welcomed me with an imaginary wag of their tail. Meanwhile, Annabelle sit next to me and randomly went from sleeping, to giggling, to crying and back and forth like an opera singer. I did me best to keep her calm, and reluctantly let her stroke me tail and play with it like a feather duster in the pew we sat in. Again, God decided to be me friend and not let the Lawtons gimme fancy looks. After a few hours, James stretched his limp arms out and groaned like a lion. "Finally, that was so long!" he sighed loudly. Thank God we were far from the attendees and down the street. "How the heck did you keep yourself together, Peter? I was about to snap after an hour..." I flicked me tail away from Annabelle's clutch and smirked at him. "I spent the first several years of me life in a religious orphanage, me human friend. I learned how to zone out and also listen at age seven," I explained proudly. I turned to a chuckling Mr. Lawton holding Lura's hands in his. "So how was it for you two?" "It was just wonderful, Peter," Laura patted me headfur. "I'm sorry about throwing out your news cap, again." I shrugged and continued walking. Outta the clothes that Laura threw into her stove, the human woman also threw me cap in because it was full of dirt and honey. I remember finding it in an alley the moment i stepped in New York with Edward and Hansel, and have kept it with me over the years. Still, I forgave her for it, and thought luckily that it wasn't me papa's pocket watch she threw in. After a bit of walking and flicking me tail at the ground, the Mr. and Mrs. kept their promise and brought us to Central Park, where the leaves shone pink and green and the glass glittered like an emerald in a fancy museum. "So what do you wanna do for fun, boys?" Mr. Lawton laughed at Annabelle's giggling to go play, and she ran off to Sheep meadow nearby. We followed, and I couldn't help but laugh at her toddler body swinging with each step. A group of kits and cubs ran and chased each other out in the field, along with some around the young human toddler's age. Surprisingly, she was easily welcomed, and I saw down at a nearby bench with James and his parents while we watched from afar. I eyed a couple of canine mothers telling their cubs to come over to them, and it nearly ruined the moment when I saw the distain in their eyes glance at the humans beside me. Still, I didn't care, and neither did Laura or Mr. Lawton. The air was so warm out, the breeze and leaves so lively, and the glow of the Park felt almost like another world. And suddenly, I was taken aback when me eyes spotted someone across the Sheep Meadow. I lowly growled. Gavin, you 'yote... Annabelle and James were out playing in the field while Laura and her husband were talking quietly to each other nearby. Without a grand finale, I got up and walked around the tree line toward the 'yote and his howling friends. As they were walking, I noticed pigeons fluttering at the ground nearby, and a raccoon vendor selling birdseeds. Bingo. "So ya got Peter covered in honey?!" Carl gawked like a bird and howled like a hyena, struggling to keep up with him and another 'yote named Ben. "Have ya seen the poor wolf, ya know to give him an apology?" As I hid behind a tree, struggling to keep me tail from wagging, I glanced at Gavin's face, and the more howled chuckling. "Gotcha." "Nah, I haven't seen the street rat since yesterday. Must be scared of me like a mutt," the 'yote's ears folded as he laughed. "I still can't get that look on his muzzle outta my head yet!" Just they wait. Surprisingly, I dodged their sights like a Civil War soldier and flanked to the vendor without the 'yotes spotting me hide. I gave him a dime, got a cup of bird seeds, and wagged me tail devilishly at them passing the pigeons, now pecking the ground for worms. After taking a few steps, I gripped me paw around the cup, and threw it on Gavin and his goons! "What the 'ell?!" A cloud of feathers appeared around them, swirling like a drain and pecking and chirping, followed by the sounds of yelling, gasping, and me running and howling loud as a lunatic released from the loony bin, tail wagging and grin too widened. I casually made it back to the Lawtons, with Mr. Lawton playfully chasing and wrestling with Annabelle on the green grass while James played kick-the-can with two fursons on a path nearby. I couldn't smell them, but i believed one to be either a fox or a raccoon (dang honey from yesterday. I'm glad that that 'yote got his just desserts.) But it was Laura who look bewildered at me, like I grew another ear or tail like in an Oriental legend. "Peter what did you do? Go chase some poor birds?" she pointed to me ears, and the twitching in them allowed a pigeon feather to land on me nose. I heard shuffling behind me, and I turned to see- "Peter, I'll kill ya for this!"
Laughing, I turned to the feathered 'yote and his goons, shouting, "That's revenge for honeying me yesterday, ya wolf-wannabe!" I turned quickly to Mr. Lawton and Laura, smiling innocently at them. "Sorry, but I ain't that much of a saint." I saw a slight smirk on Mr. Lawton's lips, a frown from Laura, a wry chuckle from James, and a giggle from Annabelle, and laughter on me muzzle as I charged down the street. I dodged some gentlewolves, jumped across a small creek by the bridge, and unfortunately missed the best part. "You mutt!" Gavin flew down into the water and barked like a 'yote. "Mutt!" Yep, I wasn't a saint. I put me paws close to me muzzle and shouted, "Happy Easter, ya dog! Hope ya had a nice trip, see ya next fall, and-" I tripped and fell on me bottom, yelping as I hit the stone ground. After a moment of collecting meself, I felt me fur turn white as I saw three very familiar wet 'yotes charging at me like bulls in a china store. "Uh oh." I ran for it, but laughter still spewed outta me throughout the chase.