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The Right Thing To Do?

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Chapter 5:

Contrasts

Written by: Seliron (Sel)

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Disclaimer:

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This story is purely fictional and does not depict any existing person, living or dead, or any real event. The characters are not human.

This story will not contain sexual interactions at all. NEVER. I'm sorry. I just don't want these two characters to do things like that, for personal reasons.

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Characters:

• Seliron "Sel" Lynch - Male black leopard (panther), 28 years old

• Leon, called "Leo" - Male eurasian lynx, about 8 years old

• Sam - Male fox, 7 years old

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With every single step the small lynx cub made, he got a little more nervous. The boy did his best to tell himself that everything would be fine, that everything would turn out good. But he didn't stand a chance against all the fears and worries that bothered him.

Will they like me? What if... what if everyone hates me?

Thoughts like that bugged him for a few days now, but he was always able to push them away, hide them deep in the depths of his head. At least until today. Today was the day he feared, and he couldn't escape from his bad thoughts anymore. It was his first day of school.

"Leo?"

A familiar voice woke him up from his thoughts and pulled him back into reality. He shook his head and glanced up to his companion, an adult black panther. As their eyes met, Leo tried to hide his feelings, but it was hopeless. Sel always seemed to notice when something wasn't alright.

"What's wrong, little guy?"

"Nothin'..."

"Are you sure? You're really quiet since we left."

"It's just..."

Leo hesitated as he tried to find the right words, words that would convince Sel that everything was alright. But on the other hand, he remembered that Sel had told him that he could talk about anything to him. As he realized that there wasn't really any use in lying, he sighed.

"They'll probably hate me..."

"Why should they? They don't even know you, Leo." Sel said, smiling encouragingly. "I'm sure you'll fit in your new class."

"But what if... what if nobody likes me?"

"Hmm... On my first day of school, I was just as afraid as you. Even more, to be honest, I almost peed my pants..."

As Leo heard that, his expression quickly changed from worried to disbelieving. He never thought that Sel could be afraid of something, too.

"R-really?" the boy said.

"Yeah... almost. But it's much more important that I still made friends. Good friends. And I'm sure you will, too."

As the two cats walked around the next corner, the school building came in sight. Leo felt a bit better now, and even some hope found its way through his overwhelming worries.

"We're almost there." Sel said as they got closer and closer to the school. "Look! It seems like you're not the only new kid today."

Leo looked up and followed Sel's gaze. He could see a group of furs standing beside the front entrance of the school. As he got closer, he could determine that there were two adults, a female mouse and a male fox, and a small fox cub. It was a boy, about Leo's age.

Just as Leo and Sel got in sight, the small fox waved at the approaching cats. A second later, he scooted out of the group and ran towards them.

"Hi!" the fox said excitedly as he stopped in front of Leo. "I'm Sam, what's your name?"

"Hi... I... I'm Leo..."

"You don't have to be nervous. I'm not a meanie!" the fox said, now walking besides Leo and Sel. "How old are you?"

"Eight... I think."

"Aww, I'm only seven..."

In the meantime the three had reached the adult furs waiting in front of the school. The fox boy immediately ran over to the older fox and hugged him.

"That's my daddy!" the fox explained.

Now as they where standing there, waiting for something to happen, Leo's nervousness slowly came back. He started to shuffle his feet as his thoughts slowly wandered off to the same worries that had stressed him before. But in this moment, he suddenly felt a paw on his shoulder. He looked up to see Sel glancing down at him, smiling warmly. Right now, the cub was immensely grateful to Sel, as his soft, comforting touch was able to calm him down.

That moment didn't last for long, though, as the female mouse broke the silence.

"Good morning! My name is Ms. Evans, and I'm your teacher for this year. Please come over here for a moment, boys."

Leo hesitated, but with a soft squeeze of Sel's paw he quickly followed Sam and walked up to her.

"That's your class schedule." she explained as she handed them both a sheet of paper. "It tells you which class you have next. Don't lose it, alright?"

Both boys nodded shyly and glanced at each other. Leo had no idea what would happen next, and by the look on Sam's face, neither did the fox.

"Don't worry, your classmates or the teachers will help you with your schedule. Just ask them, you don't have to be scared. And for today, I'll show you your classroom and introduce you to your new classmates." she tried to calm them down. "Speaking of that... we should hurry up. Do you want to say goodbye to your daddies?"

Leo slowly walked back to Sel, while Sam ran towards his father like a flash and almost threw him on the ground while hugging him. The lynx boy tried to say something, but he had absolutely no idea what to say. Sel must have noticed that, as he knelt down and placed both paws on the boy's shoulders.

"Don't worry, Leo." he said, smiling encouragingly. "You can do that, little guy."

Leo hesitated for a moment, but then he wrapped his arms around Sel's neck and hugged him. None of them wanted to break the hug, and so they stayed like that until Sam's voice interrupted them.

"Come on, Leo!"

Leo let go of Sel and walked over to the fox boy. Their new teacher was waiting for them, and as they were finally ready, the three furs entered the building. Leo looked back at Sel for a last time, before the door closed shut behind him.

A minute later the trio stopped in front of a door with a big number written on it. Leo tried his best to determine which number it was, but it was hopeless, he was too nervous to think clearly now. In the last weeks, Sel had spent a lot of time teaching him how to read. Now it bothered him that he couldn't even remember the numbers anymore.

"Well, boys. That's your classroom." the mouse explained.

Leo glanced over to Sam, and to his surprise the small fox's face had turned pale. Sam looked back at Leo, and his eyes told him that he was just as nervous as he was himself.

"Don't worry." the mouse said as she noticed the frightened look on the boy's faces. "You don't have to talk much."

But the prospect of having to talk something at all didn't calm Leo down. The boys looked into each other's eyes again, before Sam took a deep breath, then stepped forward and grabbed Leo's arm. He pulled the lynx with him, right through the door the mouse had opened for them.

Absolute silence awaited them as they entered the room. About thirty cubs, boys and girls from many different species, where sitting behind their tables. Every single one was staring at the two new students as they stopped in front of the blackboard.

"Good morning, class!" the mouse said with a loud voice.

"Good morning, Ms. Evans!" the cubs answered her.

"It's an exciting day today. As I told you before, two new classmates will join our class - please welcome Leon and Sam!"

A chorus of cubs welcomed them, but Leo didn't hear anything. The blood rushed through his body, and he started to tremble slightly.

"Well, Sam - why don't you tell us something about yourself?" the mouse asked.

The fox boy gulped and turned his head towards the class, before he answered.

"I-I'm Sam, and... I'm seven years old..."

"Good job! What do you like to do in your free time, Sam?"

"I... I like swimming and... sometimes I play games on my computer, too."

"Swimming is great! Just talk to the other cubs, I'm sure there are many who like swimming, too." Ms. Evans said. "Now, what about you, Leon?"

The lynx cub turned his head towards the crowd of cubs, but as he realized that all these faces were watching him, he froze. He tried to open his muzzle, tried his best to form words, but it didn't work. He didn't know what to do, and in his panic, he glanced over to Sam. The fox boy looked worried, as if he had noticed the cry for help in Leo's eyes.

"You're older than me, aren't ya, Leo?" the small fox asked.

That question, somehow, loosened the lump that blocked his throat.

"I-I'm eight..." the lynx boy said, kneading his paws nervously.

"Do you like swimming, too?"

"N-no, I'm... I... I don't really like sports."

"Aww, that's fine. What about video games?"

"S-sometimes..." Leo replied and gulped. "And I... I like to draw"

"That's awesome! Can ya show me what you draw, pleeaassee?"

"I... I guess. Maybe sometimes..."

Leo lifted his head and glanced over to Sam. The fox boy was smiling brightly, and Leo couldn't help himself and smiled, too.

In the meantime, the other cubs were chatting quietly as the welcoming was over. Ms. Evans led the two boys to an empty table, and they sat down together, starting the first class in their lives.

~Later~

As the bell rang, a horde of cubs scampered out of the building, flooding the schoolyard. The lynx cub remained a bit behind the others, as he didn't really know where to go. He didn't know most of the other cubs in his class, and so he looked around the yard for a place where he wouldn't disturb anyone.

He noticed a few benches that seemed perfect for him, as there was nobody else around. Hungry like he was, he hurried to reach them and opened his lunch box as soon as he sat down. As he saw what was inside, his face lit up immediately: he could see cheese, crackers, and even a bag of his favorite food, potato chips!

In his excitement, he almost didn't notice the note that stuck out between the food:

Only because it's your first day!

Leo had difficulties to read it, as he didn't have much practice in reading. But as he finally understood what it said, he smiled, even though it meant that he wouldn't have a lunch as awesome as that every day.

But the smile vanished quickly as he suddenly heard quiet sniffles, coming from a dark corner not very far away. He got up, curious who was making that sound, and walked towards the corner. As he approached slowly, he noticed a small fox sitting on the ground. His arms were wrapped around his legs and he was weeping quietly.

"Sam?"

"Go away..." the fox cub mumbled without even looking up.

"It's me, Leo..." the lynx said as he got on his knees. "Why are you crying?"

Sam now lifted his head and glanced at Leo with tear-stained eyes.

"Hey Leo..." the fox said, wiping away his tears. "It's... nothin'..."

"Are you sure?" Leo said as he sat down beside Sam.

After a few moments of silence, the fox boy sighed.

"It's... m-my mom." he mumbled.

Tears were building up in his eyes, and the cub wrapped his arms around his legs again and hid his face in between them.

"She d-died a few weeks ago."

"What... what happened?"

"I... I was staying over at a friend's house. We were playing the whole day, and we had lots of fun..." Sam said, sniffling slightly. "But in the evening his mom brought me home. I knew something wasn't alright when my daddy opened the door. He looked very sad and his eyes were red, just like mine are when I cry... he hugged me really tight... and then... then he told me that mommy had an accident with her car, and that she won't come back home anymore..."

Both boys sat in silence for a moment, before Sam continued.

"I couldn't believe it... I got really angry at dad, I... I even screamed at him... and then... then I hid in my room..."

Leo suddenly felt horribly sorry for the boy. He really wanted to help the poor fox, cheer him up somehow, but at first he didn't have any clue how he could do that. But then he remembered what Sel had done to calm him down: Hesitantly, he reached out to place a paw on Sam's shoulder. The fox boy shuddered as Leo touched him, and he looked up to see where that paw came from. He glanced at Leo, and a shy smile flashed over his face.

"Thanks..." he mumbled. "What about you? Where's... where's your mom?"

That was, indeed, a question that Leo hadn't expected. Talking about his past made him feel uncomfortable, but somehow he felt like he could trust the fox. He told me about his mom, too...

"She's... my parents are..." he stuttered. "I mean... Sel isn't..."

"He's not your dad, is he?" Sam asked.

"Y-yeah... how... how do you know?"

"It's not that difficult to know, silly!" Sam said, grinning. "You're a lynx, and he's a panther."

"Oh..."

Leo didn't actually think about that at all, at least until now. Now that Sam mentioned it, he realized that it must be very obvious to everyone that Sel couldn't be his dad.

"He... kinda... adopted me."

"Really?" the fox said, his jaw dropping slightly in surprise. "But... what about your parents?"

"I don't... they were really mean, so I... I ran away."

"You're kidding! How did you..."

~RIIIIINNNNNG~

In this moment, Leo was more than happy that the school bell interrupted them. Talking about what his parents did to him was the last thing he wanted to do now.

"Aww, we better get inside..." Sam said, a disappointed look on his face. "You can tell me the rest after school!"

"Yeah..." Leo said as they both got up and headed back to the school building.

"You're really kind, Leo..." Sam said, blushing brightly. "Do 'ya... maybe... wanna be friends?"

As Leo heard that, his heart skipped a beat. He had wished for that, had hoped that it happened, but he didn't really believe it would. A friend...

As the two boys joined the crowd of cubs that entered the building, Leo looked shyly over at Sam and nodded.

~ Even later ~

Staring at the huge pile of paperwork in front of him, the black cat sighed and buried the face in his paws. He had already filled out most of the letters and forms, but the pile didn't seem to get noticeably smaller. This will take at least another hour...

_ _

He was just about to adjust his glasses and continue working, as the sound of the doorbell interrupted him.

~RIIIINNNNG~

_Leo! h_e thought as he jumped off of his chair and rushed to the door, pushing the button to open the building's main entrance. Sel could hear Leo's small feet padding upwards step by step, and a minute later, the cub appeared in front of the door.

"Hey Leo." Sel greeted the boy warmly as he stepped inside the flat. "How was your first day of school?"

The boy didn't say anything, he just sighed tiredly and put down his backpack.

"Pretty tired, hmm? How about a big mug of hot chocolate?"

Leo lifted his head as his face lit up, every sign of tiredness disappearing quickly. He smiled and nodded eagerly as he scampered into the kitchen and hopped onto one of the chairs.

"What's all that stuff?" he asked as he noticed the pile of letters and forms on the table.

"I'll tell you in a minute, but first it's your turn to tell me about your day." Sel said as he prepared the hot chocolate.

"Umm... it was okay, I guess. I mean... the other cubs are nice, and the teachers, too - but it's soooo difficult to pay attention for so long..."

"Yeah, school can be pretty exhausting in the first days." Sel said. "But it will get better soon."

"I hope you're right..."

"Don't worry, it will... Did you make any friends yet?" Sel said as he placed the mug full of hot chocolate in front of Leo.

"YES! I did..." he piped up. "Do 'ya remember the fox boy, Sam? He's really nice and kind, and he asked me to be his friend!"

"That's great, little guy!" Sel said, ruffling Leo's headfur. "He seems like a nice boy. I'm glad that you found someone who likes you."

"Mhmm!" the boy replied. "So, I told you about my day, now it's your turn! What's all that stuff?"

"Well, it's... I..." Sel stuttered, kinda surprised by the sudden topic change. "Mr. Aram called today."

Leo's jaw dropped in surprise. He stared at Sel, and a worried, almost frightened look crept onto his face.

"What... what did he say?"

"Well... at first he told me... umm, I don't know if you'll like that..."

"I... I don't have to go back, do I?" Leo said, now clearly frightened.

"No, no... don't worry. It's just... it's just that your parents are in jail, Leo."

"Really? Why?"

"Well, mostly because of what they did to you. Mr. Aram visited them, accompanied by the police, and talked to them about you."

"But why are they in jail?"

"They... they confessed everything they did, they where... even proud that they hurt you. And... well, your dad got really angry, I don't even know why, and punched one of the policemen... so they arrested him, and your mom, too."

Silence settled down after Sel stopped talking. The small lynx didn't say a word, and after some time, Sel slowly started to worry about him.

"What do you think, Leo?" he asked him carefully.

"I... I don't know..." the boy said, clearly confused.

"Don't worry. Give it some time, and you'll know how to feel about it... and I'm always there if you want to talk."

"Thank you..."

"Do you need some time, Leo? There's more news, but I could tell you that later, if you want."

"No... tell me, please."

"Well... now that you can't stay with your parents anymore, you need a place to live..."

"I wanna stay with you..."

Sel sighed, as he had expected that reaction.

"Please, Leo, listen to me first... You've got a few other options now, you know? You could live with a foster family, or live in an orphanage..."

"I want to live with you!" the cub exclaimed upset.

"Calm down, Leo. I know that you don't want to leave at the moment... but please... think carefully about that. You can't take that decision back, you have to live here 'till you're an adult."

"I want to stay... please..." the boy said with a pleading look on his face. "You're the only one I trust... I don't wanna live with anyone else, I don't know if I could trust them..."

"You really want to live with me, hmm?"

"Please... I'd do anything..."

"Well, I won't stop you... are you absolutely sure?"

Without any hesitation, Leo looked Sel straight in the eyes and nodded.

"Fine, then..." Sel said as he grabbed a pen. "Let's do this."

With one swift motion, the panther wrote his scrawly signature on the end of the last sheet of paper. He sighed, not even fully realizing what a huge decision he just made. Some details were missing, but he would fill them in later. The signature was there, and with that the contract was legit. He glanced over at Leo, who had a questioning look on his face.

"What... what now?" he asked.

"Nothing. It's done..."

"R-really?"

"Yeah... that's all. I just... adopted you."

Leo didn't reply, he just sat on his chair, staring steadily at Sel. The panther was just about to ask him what was wrong, but just in this moment Leo slipped off of his chair, walked over to Sel and jumped onto his lap. The panther was caught a bit by surprise, but as he felt the cub's arms wrapping tightly around his neck, he knew what to do. He pulled Leo closer and hugged him back.