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The Adventures of the Red Tiger and Sparrow

Chapter One: Change

6:00AM, the alarm clock next to me rings and with it, I awake. I stare at the slightly water damaged ceiling from my bed, laying and waiting until the alarm is too much for my ears to handle. Slamming the 'off' switch with an annoyed paw I sit up and gaze out from the window next to my bed, looking at the city through the slight reflection of my own face in the glass, the tall shapes in the distance, the clusters of business buildings and offices that populate the congested streets of this city.

Realizing I've been staring for a solid three minutes. I groan and slide myself out of bed, walking out of my small bedroom and into the bathroom down the hall. I strip out of my boxers and hop into the shower, fighting back the desire to just stay in the hot water all day and keeping it to about eight minutes. I get out and stare at the misted mirror over the sink as the six foot, one, lean tiger stares back. He always has the same expression as I do, its funny to have somebody who's so much like me around to greet me on these awful mornings.

Getting dressed in a button up shirt and some jeans and getting downstairs to the kitchen only reminds me of what day this is. Today marks the first day of my being an official upperclassmen. The big junior year is a strange thing to think about but I manage to put it out of my mind for now as I grab a big bowl of cereal and some toast. I'm content enough with my breakfast if it wasn't for a folded up note on the end of the table left by my father. Saying again how he's going be home late tonight, lots of numbers to crunch and money to be made. He's a big corporate guy who dresses up in the nice suits and closes business deals so he's usually always busy.

Grabbing my bag and keys I head out the door, the sun sucker punches my eyes with a pulse of radiating yellow and orange, nature's own alarm clock. My tail is twitching and I'm only half awake as I walk along the fast and congested streets, keeping to myself and looking straight ahead, the goal was to just be somewhat awake by the time I actually had to learn something.

I make it onto campus with a few minutes to kill, three and a half to be exact, looking at my wristwatch as I wait, my tail swishes back and fourth as a smile creeps up on my face, I feel the air shift behind me. Before I know it I have one hundred and twenty five pounds of red and black fox hanging on my back, pressing on my shoulders as he tries to hang on like a baby monkey or something. A huge grin on his muzzle as its infectious behavior worked on my muzzle as well "Cooonnnoorrrr Sieeettooo!! how ya been man!?" the fox said, I shake him off my shoulder and adjust my shirt a bit as I meet his eyes, we both went in for a big hug, separating as my tail was swishing with joy. I jab him on the chest and smirk "so what? mr.big-time-engineer is still going to public school?" teasing him a bit as he waves a paw at me, then curling that paw into a fist with his thumb sticking out, pointing at himself "I, Timothy McGrady will never see myself as 'beyond normal people'" as he jabs me back.

Tim is a genius, easily top of the class with a 4.34 GPA, but he's also my best friend. We have known each other sense pre-school and the reason for that whole 'overly friendly' display of, well, friendship, was because his father who is a chemist at a huge pharmaceutical company here in Empire City sent him to a camp for the 'gifted and talented' and I hadn't seen him all summer long. Tim has pretty much been my rock, the one guy I could always count on, sure I have a few other friends, but none as close as Tim. The world sees him as a 'mad scientist' or 'the weird kid who builds weird things, but just by looking at his face you can tell there's always something going on up in that head of his. Despite that he's a good friend and more impressively, a true achiever. In a side-by-side comparison between my achievements and his, I haven't done shit, he's won our schools science fair for like, four years in a row now, he's been acknowledged by the governor for his efforts in a big charity science ideas shop, he's even won a robotics tournament. He's getting scholarship offers to MIT and Harvard while Im getting by with a average GPA, he's got a way with words and people that I just don't have. It didn't matter that he was only five foot nine and a buck twenty-five soaking wet, he could easily talk himself out of any situation. I've been in a few fights, all for dumb reasons, all ending with a harsh scolding by my father and a ice pack on my jaw, I've sorta gathered the 'chip on his shoulder' reputation. Which, don't get me wrong, isn't a bad thing, but it does keep some people...distant.

After a quick round of stories and laughs we hear the bell ring, my ears flatten a bit as I was seriously dreading school, but Tim assures me that I'm gonna be ok and I believe him. We actually had first period together, which would be great if it wasn't math, I hate math, Tim loves it. After the first period bell rings my brain is stew from the sad fact that we already had homework, Tim tells me that he'll help me out with it and that at least calms my nerves for now. We separate to go to our other classes, he has honors physics and I have gym class, sounds appropriate. A few hours later the lunch bell rings and I head into the relatively big cafeteria our school has, several skylights let in beams of natural sunlight and plenty of windows help illuminate the rest of the room, there are a plethora of blue and black circular tables, they could easily seat ten to twelve students, which they do, in stereotypical high school clique fashion. As if straight out of a daytime sitcom theres the jocks table where all the football players where sitting, their season started up already and that meant it was their turn to run the school for two months while they drive another average season into the books. There was the nerds table, where they where reading comics and acting rather silly, good kids but awful communication skills, even the preppy-pretty kids with money and charisma had their own table, all of them wearing their latest styles and talking about how studious and thoughtful they think they are. I on the other paw don't really fit in all that well, father thought that because I didn't have that many friends that I was depressed or alone, I just told him that I'm happier being more invested in a few friends than hardly invested in a lot.

I spot Tim about halfway across the bustling space congested with hungry teens, he was actually talking to a sharp-dressed fox who did in fact look like he should be in Harvard. I had packed a lunch so I trotted over to the Tim and put a paw on his shoulder, he turns his head and gives a smile, jabbing me in the side gently as we both start to chuckle a bit. He tells his fox friend that he'll call him later and we both find a seat, sitting down on the plastic and metal benches, him facing me on the other side of the table as I set my brown paper bag down. He had brought a bagged lunch as well, pulling out a tuna sandwich, an apple and some crackers as he gave me a look, "so, what'cha got in the bag on this day of new beginnings?" I chuckle and just shrug as I pull out a ham sandwich and some sliced oranges with some carrots as well, the same thing I packed almost every day last year "oh, same old, health food and all that crap" I said, digging into the sandwich with a big bite as Tim does the same, its quiet for a the first few minutes, both of us being really hungry and making sure we had enough time to eat until Tim breaks the silence, swallowing a bite of sandwich as he gives a smirk "so how was your summer with the coolest friend you got gone for all of it?" giving one of his 'I already know but Im just teasing you about it' faces, I sigh and give a challenging smirk back "oh I made out just fine asshole" I said, chuckling as I try to think back a bit.

What had I done this summer? I went to the beach with some of my buddy's from this boxing club I joined a while back. Beyond that I know that my father hooked me up with a job at my uncles pawn shop, sweeping the seemingly always dusty floors and keeping track of all the junk, half my cloths still smell like dust and old people. I went out with my father a few times to go see some family, by a few times I mean twice, he had to work, a lot. So to answer the question my friend was still waiting on I just give him a nod and "not a whole lot went on" as I quietly go back to eating my food. Tim on the other paw shares with me all of his stories from this 'engineering camp for the gifted and talented'. Talking about how he and his group had built a working car engine from mere scraps in a little over half a day, how Tim had made all kinds of friends and even won yet another award for his 'insight and intuition', doesn't surprise me much though, he really is incredible and deserves every ounce of success he gets.

We laugh and joke about a list of the worst movies and games that came out over the summer, making small talk until the bell rings for us to head back to class. We get up out of our seats and flow along the mass of students, exchanging some jokes and quietly picking on the many awkward looking freshmen as we throw away our paper lunch bags into the trash can, Tim smiles at me with one of those happy-go-lucky grins of his pulling his backpack over one shoulder "back to the grindstone my friend" I sigh, pulling out my folded up class schedule, I had history and english, then I was home free for the day "yea, guess it is, hey you wanna hang out after school? dads not gonna be home again tonight.." I said, not realizing I had unintentionally let out some of the sadness that makes me feel until Tim frowns a bit and nods his head "sure thing buddy, come stop by the house around 4:30, we can hang out and I'm sure mom won't mind a guest tonight" thats good old Tim, always having my back, always making me feel like I have somewhere to go when I'm lost. I wave a paw at him and say goodbye, he had to go to his robotics club after school so he was busy until then. The rest of the day I actually feel pretty good, I sort of feel a good pep in my step going from my history class to my english class, it was the first day so I didn't get any homework. When that afternoon bell rings however, thats when my heart races. I frown thinking about it: I shouldn't be THIS happy to get out of school, I mean, where am I gonna go until I go to Tim's? my house is deserted as always, father won't be home till late again....

so when the bell rings for classes to end my heart sinks a bit, I take my time getting my books into my bag, slowly watching some of the students filter out of the room. I was actually pretty good at english, I liked reading as long as it was interesting and I'm good at writing papers so thats never a challenge, my english teacher, a tall grey panther in a tucked in blue dress shirt with his black pants, Mr. Henric was his name, he was my english teacher last year as well, good friend of my father. As I'm about ready to walk out the door he gives me a quick wave with a grey paw, he's about my fathers age so mid forties, great guy and a hell of a poet if you ask me. I put on a smile to hide all the thoughts that are going through my head but that doesn't hide my true feelings from the panthers sharp eyes, he smiles at me, flipping his laptop cover down "hello Connor, how've you been? had a good summer?" he said, trying to get some small talk out of me, I play along "yea, things are going good I guess, summer was..slow, pretty slow.

I repeated myself again, damn it I hate it when I do that, he caught me talking in circles as he raises an eye brow at me and gives me a look "you sure? you sat all the way in the back of the room today, you almost never do that....on top of that I didn't have to tell you to be quiet once...you ok?" yup, he's got me, he knows that when I'm in a good mood I'm much more talkative and he also knows how I usually sit near the front, I sigh and adjust my bag onto my shoulder "yea, honestly, I'm fine, no worries sir" I said, trying to perk my voice up, the panther gives a slow nod, as if digesting what I had just said "well ok, but if you wanna talk and your father isn't around, you know how to get in contact with me ok?" Mr. Henric was really nice, he was always looking out for me, he knew about my home life a bit but despite having three kids of his own he's been really good to me over the years. I nod, smile and shake his paw, thanking him as I leave the room and soon the school.

Walking home I had plenty to think about, it was a fresh new year, Tim had invited me to hang with him for the first time in months and I had a chance to really make this year a good one. I was getting myself up and into a better mood when I feel the shoulders of a few people brush mine, making me have to step aside after the first six or so people run past me, I was a bit confused as to what was going on, the shady electronics dealer at the corner of a huge intersection of sidewalks and traffic was where about a good thirty to forty people where huddling around a TV behind the glass display case, I was curious so I walked over, sifting through the people and getting a decent view. It was news coverage of a huge blazing fire engulfing a eight story apartment building, now that I thought about it, I did see some smoke in the air as I left class about five minutes ago. The news reporter on the screen, a female cougar was explaining the damages "we have reports of at least three people who are currently un-accounted for, one of which is six year old Samantha Lewis" as the camera pans to two panicking wolf parents, hugging each other tightly as the mother who looked covered in black ash was crying into the fathers shoulder. I couldn't keep my eyes off the screen, none of us in the crowd could, a few of them flocked over to the site, it was only a few blocks from here...maybe...no, absolutely not, never in a million years would I ever...

I curse at myself as I begin to run quickly towards the burning building, the large clouds of black smoke could be easily seen now that I knew what I was looking at. I sprinted through back alleyways, making swift leaps up and over some trash cans and quickly climbing over a tall metal fence, it was easy, I had learned how to navigate the streets after a little run-in with the cops a few years back.

I approach the burning building, staring at the incredible power of the fire, it looked like it had just started as the building still looked decent enough to stand, but I looked around franticly, seeing all the fire fighters yelling and barking commands at each other, spraying heavy jets of water into the windows and busted doors, some of the police where there too, pushing civilians back and away like they should. Thats when I notice the same mother and father wolves I saw on the TV, I jog over to them, ignoring the cop who's walking towards me as I place a paw on the mothers shoulder, not really sure what to say "man'm? i-is your daughter still in there?" I say with a clear voice, she looks at me, seemingly disappointed that I'm not a firefighter or even an adult "y-yes! somebody needs to save my baby!!" she cried, tears streaking down her face as I bite my lip, cursing myself in my head at this point as to what I volunteer to do next. The cops where busy pushing civilians back and the firefighters where incredibly short handed, who else was going to even try to save that little girl?

I silence my very worried conscience as I'm obviously being controlled by somebody so stupid they would jump into a burning building to save a total stranger....but I do "what floor are you guys on? where in the house is she?" I say, my grip tightening a bit on the mothers shoulder unintentionally as she seems to look at me with a combination of fear and a teaspoon of hope "s-she's...in her bedroom on the third floor..w-why?" I take a deep breath, set my bag on the ground and clear my voice "I'll be right back....with your daughter...." both parents look at me with a shocked look, they yelled after me but I had shut it out at this point...

Chapter 2: Small Time Heroics

I could only imagine how hard it would be to go through life without your daughter or son....god knows I wish my mother cared for me as much as that one does for her child...but still...this isn't about me...its about saving a family...

I sprint up past the police officers who quickly notice that I'm not a firefighter and run after me, they stop chasing after I hurdle through the broken front door, from the back of my hearing I could listen to them calling the firefighters and telling them that a crazy tiger had just ran into the home; I can't think of that right now though....

I run into the blaze, most of the first floor was unharmed, the fire must have been caused from higher up, but the scent of smoke burns my lungs and the sheer heat of the fire almost makes me want to turn back but I know I cant...

I don't know if you've ever seen the inside of a burning building before....but TV shows and movies don't do it justice... Despite it being incredibly dangerous and toxic to your health, it was beautiful... The bright red's dancing side-by-side with sun yellows as their destruction was beginning to make its mark on the first floor of the house, family pictures where burning, several of them where already singed...a family of tigers...go figure.

I find the stairs leading up to the second floor, coughing into my shirt as I use one paw to press it over my muzzle. The second floor was in much worse shape, the heat was incredible and my heart was bouncing out of my chest, fortunately the staircase up to the next floor was right beside the one going down so I sprinted my way up the stairs, skipping three steps at a time to hasten my trip.

Third floor.... I stop, cough more as my throat feels like I had inhaled a whole cigarette at once, my paws on my knees as I was coughing harder, I tried to breath with more control but it became harder and harder, I had to trek on though, that little girl was on this floor.

I cover my mouth with a rag I found on the floor, running from room to room, yelling her name "samantha!! hey samantha!!! come out!! please!!" no response, the blaze is making more noise than I am, then I remember that her mother said she was in her bedroom... I sprint through the narrow hallways, opening the doors to every room I can get into, some door-nobs too hot to touch so a sound kick would break in most of them. I get into a room that I at least would think of as a child's room, stuffed animals and toys scattered over the floor, pink bed comforters and pillows, crayons and printer paper with abstract drawings of animals on them. I search franticly, coughing more as I begin to feel light headed, shit, I cant pass out now....I cant die because of something stupid like this...

Trying my best to hang on I yell out again "s-samantha!! please! I'm here to help!!" thats when I hear a whimper out of the corner of my ear, a gasping cry for help, in the closet, fuck why didn't I think of that. I rush over and open the folding closet door to find a small wolf in a white t-shirt and pink shorts crying and huddling herself up against the wall. I cough as I reach a paw out, making sure she can see my face "s-samantha! h-here! please! we need to get outa here!!" I yelled through the sounds of the blaze, she was hugging a toy stuffed lion who was wearing a basketball jersey, she shuffled her body away from me, no surprise, she doesn't know me, to her I probably look scary. I take the rag off my muzzle and give her a calm smile, trying my best to not be as scared as she is, she whimpers out some words "w-wheres my mommy?" she said, obviously scared "she's outside, waiting for you, she sent me here to come get you....we need to hurry ok? both your mommy and daddy are outside..." I said, being careful to not sound rushed as she takes my paw with her's, her small one disappearing inside my much bigger one.

I give her a confirming smile as I finally get her out of the closet "hey now..we need to go ok? do you trust me? my name is Connor" this gets the child to smile a bit as she shows me her lion "my lions name is Connor!" I take her other paw and nod at her "thats great, lets let him help us get outa here ok?" playing along as if the lion was real, kids love that kind of stuff. I don't wait for her answer, she seemed ok with me now as I picked her up and held her light body in front my mine, holding her up with my arms and hugging her close to avoid any injuries to her as I start a mad dash towards the exits, I give her the rag "hey now, keep this over your mouth ok?" she does so, good, she listens well. Finding the way back downstairs is easy enough, rounding the stair-well making good progress until the stairs going down to the first floor collapse when my foot hits it, my body tenses up as we fall a solid ten feet down to the first floor.

The pain of the fall was excruciating, the hot wood on my legs and ankles felt like a fire brand, I had the wolf held in my arms as we hit the ground, my back hitting it first and breaking the fall for her. There was a quick moment in time where I couldn't move, everything hurt so much..I think I even yelled out in pain.... The wolf struggled out of my concussed grasp, the exit was only about forty feet away, but the red and yellow fire, the smoke I've inhaled, my eyes where getting heavy, the pain was just too much, I staggered onto my stomach where the young child was trying to pull my arms "get up mister Connor! get up! Please!!" tears running down her face but I couldn't move... I was done, in so much pain that everything from my hips down felt like it wasn't even there, I was too scared to look and see if it still was, I look up slowly, grasping the wolfs paw a little harder than I probably should have "y-you...need....to go....get your mom....your dad...get the firefighters....p-please..." she was still crying, this was defiantly not a situation I would want a six year old to be in. She obeys though, running through the destruction as fast as she could. I watch her exit the building, my eyes heavy as my arms felt like it had three hundred pound weights on them, my vision was going blurry, my heart racing like I was being chased by a mad man, my life flashing before my eyes as I hear something above me break, I hardly felt the hot wood flooring and heavy ceiling plaster fall on me from above.