“Whoa!" I froze in my tracks.

So did Lance. “Do ya' see that?" he asked.

Beside the carriage stood two creatures I thought I'd never see. Both had the skin color of a pig, yet walked on two straight legs. Their muzzles were squished flat, and they had small, stubby ears covered by wool hats. They wore coats and gloves, probably made out of wool from feral sheep. One looked older and the other was me and Lance's age. They both carried bulky luggage cases while a large puma in a thick coat helped them.

“That's the last of it," the elder creature handed coins to the puma. “Thank you for your help, sir. Have a wonderful day!"

The big feline eagerly took the money and went away with his carriage, yet the onlookers to me and Lance's left stood curious and cautious at the sight.

“Gosh…" Lance gasped. “Are those…?"

“Humans?" I nodded, still staring. I'd heard of them, but had never seen two this close. “What else could they be?"

Humans were a very strange species, having no fur or tail as a distinct feature to the bodies, nor any claws or large fangs to hunt. Their short, angular noses didn't smell as good compared to wolves or bloodhounds. I remember once reading in a newspaper that humans were scattered across the planet and often thrived in bands like packs, keeping together. Others preferred the cities over countryside, but humans were kept far below the Furren in the food chain everywhere. Always under the Furren, especially the carnivores.

It wasn't until decades ago that they were freed from the chains of slavery in America, thanks to a powerful wolf in the White House. Some, mainly canines, still look down on them as dirtier than sooty snow, but I chose not to. As long as they had a stove and coal, any human was a friend of mine.

Lance and I inched closer until the young one saw us approaching. Turning to us, my blue canid eyes noticed the human's younger brown eyes looking back. We stared at each other for seconds, then a smile brightened his face.

“Hello uh…Mr. Wolf…" he greeted, pausing. I tried to hide my snicker. Then he called out, “Dad, are they…our neighbors?"

The older human glanced at us, and paused from carrying his luggage. He looked surprised to see us, his eyes the same as the young human's. Milky-brown.

“Not sure, sonny," he grunted, then gave that same cautious glance the boy had given us. “Wolf, raccoon, are you with them over there? Over here to see if we're trouble?"

I could tell he was talking about the crowd of adults gathering on the other end of the street.

They think a freak show rolled into Manhattan. While Lance was hypnotized by seeing a human up close, I decided to be more of a social cub.

“Nah, I'm not with that lot," I formed my muzzle into a smile. “My friend here, though, lives next door to ya'."

The raccoon still stood speechless like an idiot. “Hey Lancie, wake up!" I snapped my fingers and he dazed out of his dreams.

“Oh—Oh, hello, sir." He walked next to me, keeping his eyes on the humans. “Do…do you need any…help?"

The young boy grunted as he carried a box to the top step, then set it down next to the older human.

“I was about to ask the same thing for your friend," the father asked, concerned. “You look like you're a frozen statue, lad."

He must've been referring to me.

“As obvious as my tail, huh?" I chuckled, curling said tail around my left leg for lingering warmth. “It's freezing out and I'm turning into the Hudson River."

The son raised an eyebrow. “Don't wolves have thick fur?" he asked, poorly hiding his amusement.

“Hey, having fur doesn't make me a fireplace." I said. “And mine is thick."

The father lifted another piece of luggage and grinned. “Would you like to come inside?" he asked. “I'm sure my wife has already started up the stove to warm us up. You could get sick staying out in this cold."

My eyes lit up and a smile formed across my muzzle. “Oh God bless ya', sir! Thank you to the ends of the Earth, sir!"

With a wagging tail, I happily strolled over to the man, and extended a paw to shake his…what was the word…hand? “I'm Peter, sir. Peter Gray. The raccoon that's staring at you two is Lance Turner."

“I wasn't staring!" Lance quipped, embarrassed with downturned ears. “It's just… Well, I've never seen a human this close before."

The elder human laughed. “It's okay; I can say the same about you two. I'm Henry Lawton," he said, and shook my paw.

It felt weird shaking the hand of a human, but his felt firm in my grip. “The younger version of myself is my son, James. James, say hello to Peter and Lance."

“Hello, Peter. Hello, Lance." James' face lit up as he climbed the stone stairs to the door. “Uh, little help, please?"

Lance quickly moved up the stairs and opened the door for James, I, and Mr. Lawton. Then we went up a flight of stairs to the third floor. Minutes later, Mr. Lawton gave Lance the key and he opened the door for Mr. Lawton while they brought the last of their luggage inside. 

~*~*~*~*~

If this small excerpt (as well as the previous chapter preview) convinces you, "The Adventures of Peter Gray" is now available on the Written Dreams Store here: https://t.co/4Lo40MyzIe

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