The Enforcer - Chapter 1

Sounds of the splashing waves. They were almost sickening after so long of listening to them. The gentle movements of the boat were locked in young legs. The monochrome creature stepping on to land for the first time in what felt like years. Days spent on that boat, sitting quietly, side to side with the others from his home land. His legs felt weak, his eyes half lidded, the sky blue irises flicking from person to person as he walked with the crowd. Rather, being pushed with it, to the immigration office.

He didn't mind though. He wanted it done and over with. At twelve years old, the young hybrid stepped in line. He couldn't smell anything but sweat, oil, and ocean. It would take some time for the scent of the city to overcome the stains in his mind. Another step. Constant yammering of people around him. It was awful. Another step forward. The skox grunted as he was bumped forward into another man, making him growl and look back at the people behind him. He was short. He knew that. Barely four and a half feet tall, and far too skinny. But he stood out in the crowd.

Black fur, white stripe, messy, spiked up hair, a natural mohawk. His tail was thick, and slightly curled. Many would say he was a skunk, but that would just upset him. His mother was a skunk, yes, but his father was a fox. He looked ahead, his mood already ruined by the constant talking of the people around him. His ears fell slowly as he breathed out, coughing once. He wasn't sick, at least, he didn't think he was as he finally stepped up to the desk.

"Name?" asked the canine behind the desk, his eyes only flicking up at the young boy, then back down at the papers. The boy didn't respond for a moment, as if thinking, "..Seiku." he said simply. He didn't remember his last name. Though his accent was obvious. It was thick. Southern Irish. The man sighed out, bringing up a stamp, and stamping the paper, "Spell it?"

"...." The skox went silent again, "..Uh.. Ess.. Ee.. Aye.. Kay.. You." he spelled it out. The canine smirked, "Oh, good, you're not illiterate, eh? That's a bonus.. Makes my job easier.." he said with a roll of his eyes and a snarky chuckle in his throat, "..You're in Group Seventeen, young man." he said, "..Please don't stink up the place." he chuckled again, a grin sliding over his face. That wasn't funny. It wasn't funny at all, but this DOG thought it was?

"...I am not a skunk." Seiku responded after a moment, reaching up and snatching the paper and tag off the desk, a scowl spread across his face as he stepped away. He walked to his assigned group, able to tell from the number badges, the big "17" on peoples' chests. He reached up, adjusting his hide coat, before he slowly sat down in the group, awaiting his medical examination. He wasn't sick. True being he'd gotten sick on the boat, but he'd never been at sea before. Let alone for so long. The constant movement, and the disgusting smell of salt, sweat, and booze all around him.

He reached up, rubbing the side of his head at the mere thought. Even being just twelve years old, the hybrid wasn't dumb. He got himself on the boat. He left his home, and his family. If one could even call it that. "Next!" a voice yelled out. He watched another person walk off towards the medical center. He hadn't gotten more than a glimpse of the city he was in. New York City.. He saw the Statue of Liberty before being shoved back in to the crowd of awe-stricken idiots.

"Next!" Another gone. He shook his head slowly and leaned forward. He didn't have anything. Just his coat. Not even a shirt. A pair of homemade pants, patched up with different fabrics from the wear and tear. He owned nothing. He had nothing. He didn't need anything. He wasn't going to outgrow his pants any time soon, or the overly large brown coat. He squeezed his paper and sunk down a bit. Regret. Sure, he had regret. But he wasn't scared. But in his rush to escape his life prior.. It was only dawning on him that he had absolutely nothing.

"Next!" It was finally him, after what felt like hours. He stood up, and pushed past the ever growing crowd of stink, before he stepped through a door. He looked up at the kind looking woman who took his now crumpled paper from him, "Hello, Young Man. You speak English, right?" she asked with such a gentle tone. A pretty Doberman in a nurse outfit. He smirked softly, and just looked down, "A-..Aye.." he squeaked, "I-I.. I uh.." he stammered. He slowly looked up, but his head quickly jerked back down when he felt her hand delicately press against his back, leading him to the cheaply paid medical examiner.

He stepped forward, going quiet once more, looking at the older male. A husky? Some sort of canine. There were a lot of them here, it seemed. He was fluffy, with a white coat on, and a pair of black pants. Aged, the fur of the male had grayed slightly, but other than that, he still looked young, "..Nationality?" he asked, pulling up a stethoscope, and pulling it over his neck for the upcoming examination.

"M'from.. Ireland." the boy responded, "M'from Cork.. Jus' outside of it.." a simple explanation. He went quiet, and cringed at the feel of the cold metal pressing against his chest, and under the white fur there, "Ghk.." he hissed uncomfortably. "Breathe, please. Deep inhale.." The skox did just that, taking a slow, deep breath.., then exhaled. "..Cough twice for me.." the doctor requested. He did just that.

The doctor pulled the stethoscope away, and let it hang on his neck as he reached down, starting to write, "Lungs and heart sound fine.. But you look like you need to eat.. so you should get to that.." he nodded slowly, and smirked, "...Take these papers to the man behind us.., you'll get your card, and I'm sure you'll meet your parents back there as well." he said with a nod, leaning back, and folding the paper in half. He extended his arm, and placed the paper in the Skox's hand, "Welcome to America, young man."

It didn't take but another half hour of standing and waiting around, his hands in his pockets, eyes locked to the floor as people passed him before he finally got everything processed. He kicked his bare feet against the concrete after stepping outside, looking around at the bustling street, people cheering and already announcing and gloating their plans in the new land. The big city in the land of opportunity. It made the Skox clench his teeth. He didn't have any plans. He didn't need plans. He was hungry, yeah, he'd find a way to make some money. He started to step away only for a rather large male, a bear, to grip the boy's shoulder, "Pardon me, young man." he spoke.

The large man was wearing a blue uniform, and had a strange cap on. The Skox's confusion was evident on his face, scrunching the side of it up, before his eyes fell on the badge on the bear's chest, "...A-Aye..?" he finally said after a moment of shock. The bear gave a friendly smile, closing one eye, "Where are your parents? You looked like you were about to leave on your own.." He spoke with a calm tone. Friendly and upbeat. There was no ill-intention here, but it still seemed to upset the boy. A scowl..

Turning his head, Seiku shrugged, "M'parents aren't 'ere.." he said. Straight to the point. They weren't, "..I was jus' goin' t'.. Y'know, find.. a place to live.." The skox nodded at that, reaching up to attempt to push the large hand off of him. It was a silly attempt. The Bear didn't move his meaty paw. He did, however, look confused. It wasn't exactly the easiest thing in the world to cross an ocean, but to do so by yourself, surrounded by strangers?

"No parents?" the bear asked after a moment, leaning down a bit on to his knee, "...Mh.." he reached up with a free paw, rubbing at his chin, eyeing Seiku as he thought. One could almost hear the clockworks ticking and grinding away inside the officer's head. See the bewilderment and worry in his eyes. A young boy out on the streets? Not on his watch, no. He nodded, before he pat Seiku's shoulder, "Come along." he said as he stood up straight. With a firm push, he began leading Seiku down the road, walking with him.

Much to the boy's dismay, of course. He had no idea where this man was leading him. He wasn't scared, it was an officer, yeah? But the fact remained that he wasn't going where he wanted to go. He stared at the ground, walking along. He could see the compact, yet bulky cars driving next to them on the bricked road. He cocked his head a bit. There were two lines in the middle of the main road. Guiding tracks for a trolley. He watched it pass as they walked along the side of the road. The bell on it made his ear twitch. White on top, Red on the bottom, packed to the brim with men in suits. Working men, undoubtedly, nothing like what he was use to in his hometown. Farmers, some suits and business men, but farmers were what made up his home.

Another bell ringing, loud enough it caused him to flick an ear and turn his head, raising his attention up to the large clock tower... Six in the afternoon. He looked down and shook his head slowly, walking next to the officer.., What a long day.., and it was only going to get longer. Before long, the officer walked the boy up to a large, run down building. Under kept, The brick chipped away from the weather, windows looking filthy on the second floor. The dark black tar shingles looking as if they'd withstood many a typhoon; but not well. He looked around at the fence, small, chain-linked, with a decent looking gate.

As they stepped past it, a child ran past, a young panther, looking back, "Get that thing away from he!" he shouted as he booked it, nearly bumping in to the officer and the skox. The panther, who was a sleek black from head to toe, with bright green eyes and a pink nose, was dressed in a long sleeved shirt and scarf. Blue denim pants that went down past his ankles. A bit too big for him, but he made it work, it seemed, was being chased by another boy, carrying a stick with a spider dangling from it, "Look, look! It's waving at you! Haha!" the second boy, a similarly dressed chocolate retriever. The only true defining feature of that boy besides that dopey, childlike grin, were his floppy ears that bounced with every stomp.

"Well, young man.. Here we are.." the Bear spoke up after a moment, raising his paw to the large sign hanging over the doorway, a large brown plaque with golden lettering. St. John's Home for Boys. A home for the homeless boys of the area, both fresh off the boat, and given up. Seiku didn't say a word as he stared up at it, his tail flicking back and forth as his mind raced. He was brought here? Why?! He didn't have a family here, sure, but he didn't want to be in a home full of other children who didn't have families. Many of them wouldn't know their families, or their parents were killed or some other sob story he was sure he would have to eventually endure. He breathed out slowly and let his blue eyes drop to the ground in frustration, curling his fingers, a scowl spreading across his snout as a man of the cloth slowly stepped out with a broad smile.

Dressed in black with white around his neck, green scales that covered the back half of his body, peppered with black and brown blotches, white covered the lower, starting from his chin down. "Welcome, Welcome! To what do we owe the pleasure?" he spoke in a loud, but overly friendly tone. Seiku refused to raise his eyes, to show his anger, to let them see how he felt about the situation. The Officer and the Salamander both walked a few steps from the boy, and had a quiet conversation. The officer explained the situation to the man, telling him why he'd brought the boy here. The clergyman nodded, his his smile plastered on his face as he looked back at the skox. He turned towards him, and stepped back to his side, "Welcome home." the man said, placing his scaled hand on Seiku's shoulder.