by Tom Jones
The human decided that he should probably try to ask for the final bit of information he needed, “For a tall fox such as yourself, you don’t look like you weigh all that much.” Arcades talked himself directly into the information the human wanted, “Being just one hundred and thirty pounds, it’s not always easy. However, I’ve grown to be fine with my weight.” The human now had all of the information he needed, so he only entertained the fox’s conversation until it wouldn’t be too suspicious for him to outright end the conversation, “That’s nice. I’m glad you’ve developed a better self-image.” Arcades’ mind began to trail off, but he suddenly remembered that this human had walked into his store, “So, are you looking for anything to buy?” The human knew what his own intentions were, but he also knew that Arcades did not know what he was planning to do. The human decided that Arcades should help him fulfill his intentions to a degree, “Yeah, do you have any good rifle scopes?” The fox decided to ask the human for the caliber of his rifle, “What action is your rifle, and what is it chambered in?” The human replied with both of the details Arcades requested, “It’s a bolt action rifle chambered in .308 Winchester.” Arcades took the details into consideration, but he did have another question he wanted to ask the human, “What’s your budget, and what’s the purpose you have in mind?” The human knew that the first question would not be a problem for him to answer, but he decided to give a rather sly answer for the second question, “Money ain’t an issue for me. I’m just looking to do some hunting.” The fox smiled and shrugged, “Good thing deer and bears aren’t anthros.” The human did not want to correct the fox that he was actually planning on hunting an anthro fox, “Yeah. How about you show me what you’ve got?”
Arcades showed the human several rifle scopes which he had for sale, and he also showed the human a few more costly options since the human basically told Arcades that budget was not a problem. The fox showed the human a Trijicon AccuPower sight, “This might be what you’re looking for. It magnifies from four times all the way up to sixteen times. Weighing in at about a pound and a half, it shouldn’t be that much more mass to add for your rifle. What sight do you have on it currently?” The human shook his head as he looked at the rifle scope which Arcades was showing him, “Oh, I don’t have one yet. How much does this one cost?” The fox replied to the human, “That one costs one thousand dollars.” The human knew that the money he was spending was provided to him by the organization he came in behalf of, “Sure. I’ll take it.” Arcades decided that he was satisfied enough with the human’s decision, “Alright. I’ll ring it up for you.” The fox approached the counter while holding the sight in his hand, and he placed it on the desk next to the register. After entering a few buttons into the register, he was able to ring up the item.
The human reached into his pocket, and Arcades was somewhat surprised to see the human pull out one thousand dollars in cash. The fox’s eyes lit up, “Have you been carrying that around all day?” The human nodded, “Yeah. I would’ve used a card if I had to pay more.” The fox did not know that the human was actually not carrying a credit card of any sort. After the human paid for the scope, Arcades reached under his desk to retrieve the box that the AccuPower came in. Before the fox showed himself to the human, he placed a gospel tract in the middle of the instruction manual for the sight. After placing the tract, he stood up, and he handed the human the boxed sight. The human retrieved the sight along with the receipt which Arcades had just printed out and handed to him. As the human planned to take his leave, the fox had a couple things to say, “Make sure you check out that instruction manual. It’s got a lot of important information in there.” The human nodded as he began to turn away and leave Arcades’ store. Right as the human began to leave, Arcades had one last thing to say, “Hey, real quick. If I ever see you in here again, what do you want me to call you?” The human walked away, but he did slightly turn his head so that the fox would be able to see a very small part of his face, “Say mark.” The fox did not understand what the human was telling him, “Mark? Your name is Mark?” The human did not answer the fox, and he left the store without saying another word.
Within a minute of the human leaving the store, Arcades heard the back door open, and he saw a gray wolf enter while holding a hefty-looking duffel bag, “G’day. Well… G’afternoon Kurt. How’s it goin’, mate?” Arcades turned to face the gray wolf, “Hey Jason. You got all of the airsoft pistols in that bag?” Jason nodded, “Yeah, that’s right. Those little ankle-biters bugged off after we ran out of CO2 for the mags.” Kurt shrugged, “What can I say? Those airsoft guns are still pretty fun to shoot.” Jason lifted the duffel bag and placed it on the table, “Blimey. They sure weren’t planning on quitting.” Arcades’ face formed a smile, “It’s nice that humans take their children for shooting lessons from anthros. I think that’ll do some good for race relations. Right?” Jason looked at the fox as he removed his Oakley SI M Frame 3.0 glasses and placed them right next to where Arcades had left his own Oakley glasses. The wolf replied, “I’d really hope so, but honestly, I don’t think that we’re making too much of a big difference in the long run.” Arcades frowned, “You don’t think we’re doing any good? At least those humans trust their children enough in our care, and I’m a fox.” Jason could see Arcades’ point, but he did have an objection, “They’re only with us for about an hour and a half.” The fox took a deep breath before sighing, “Well…” Before Arcades could say anything else, Jason spoke, “Don’t take it personal, Kurt. I thought you knew not to take what humans say and do personally when we were being taken to the Foundation.”
It would now be the second time within thirty minutes that Arcades was reminded of the Foundation, “Jason. That was a year and a half ago. You know that I don’t really like to think about that.” The wolf placed his right hand on the fox’s shoulder, “It wasn’t a pleasant experience for me either, mate. At least be glad that we made it out in one piece.” The fox frowned and remembered that many other anthros were not as lucky as they had been. Jason thought to shift the conversation up a bit, “Say, it’s been about half a year since I think I’ve last asked you this: Have you heard from Bobby or Jim?” Arcades shook his head, “I sure have not. Jim never really thought of us as friends. He was with us because he knew that the Foundation shouldn’t be allowed to continue their operations.” Jason was curious as to why Arcades mentioned Jim rather than Bobby, “What about Bobby? You’ve known him longer than you’ve known me.” Arcades nodded in agreement, “Yeah, I met you in ‘27, but I first met Bobby in person during 2021. We cofounded Fox Security together not too long after we met. Before that, I had a government job that I held for about a year and a half. People pulled some strings to get me in that job. I’ve never even been to college before. I quit because I knew I wasn’t even in that job legitimately. I wasn’t really cut out for that job in the first place, either.”
Jason could tell that Arcades did not really want to bring up Bobby Bocchino and his whereabouts, so he decided to shift the conversation to something else, “Are you ready to turn thirty next month?” Arcades sighed and shook his head, “It’s getting close to April already?” Jason chuckled, “Hah, yeah, it sure is, mate.” Arcades placed his hand on his head, “Time sure flies by, doesn’t it?” Jason gave a confident nod, “You could say that again, Kurt. It felt like it was yesterday when my brother decided that we had to leave New South Wales.” Arcades asked the wolf a related question, but not one involving Jason Barter’s brother, Jack, “Do you plan on ever returning to Australia?” The wolf was quite hesitant to reply, “Well, you see… I mean, I would kinda like to go back, but -- Gosh, there’s just some things that I don’t miss. I’ve been fine so far staying here with you.” Arcades perked up a small smile, “I’m glad I’ve been making your stay in the United States a pleasant one. Minus the Foundation, that is.” Jason smiled back at the fox, “You’re my true brother, Kurt. I should’ve grown up with you instead of Jack. You’re so much of a better anth
ro than he was.”
The fox took a moment to reply, “I appreciate the compliment, but I can’t really accept it.” Jason frowned as the fox took a step back, “Why not?” Arcades’ green eyes met Jason’s blue eyes, “This isn’t about me, and it never was. You shouldn’t make it about me.” The wolf replied, “But Kurt, I love you like you’re my brother.” Arcades gave a quick nod and said, “I love you too, Jason, but I should not be your main focus. I don’t want you to think of me as a savior; I can’t save anybody. Only the Lord is capable of saving anybody. The last time I checked, I did not die and rise again on the Cross.” Jason fell silent, and the fox waited for a moment to see if the wolf had anything else to say to him. Arcades felt that what he said was rather blunt, “Look, Jason. I love you and all, and I’m not trying to dispute that or anything. I just want to make sure that you know to put your trust in who matters the most. What I’m saying is that the Lord is greater than I am. I am no better than anybody.”
The wolf knew what the fox was telling him, “I know, Kurt --” Jason stopped talking as if he had something else to say to the fox, but he seemed to abruptly stop before saying anything beyond his acknowledgement. Given that the wolf began to look down at the ground and away from the fox, Arcades could tell that Jason looked rather upset due to what he had just said. Arcades placed his hand on the wolf’s shoulder and spoke softly, “Jason. All I ask of you is that you place your trust in someone who cannot let you down. You can love me if you want, but by no means should I be the center of thought or attention.” The wolf looked up at the fox again, but he still did not have anything else to say. Arcades waited a few more seconds to see if Jason wanted to tell him something, and he began to speak again once the wolf remained silent, “I may have rescued you a couple times, but that doesn’t mean I’ll always be able to help you out.”
As Arcades waited once again to see if Jason wanted to say anything, the fox looked up at a clock he had on the wall and saw that it was about ten minutes past his closing time. Arcades looked at Jason and said, “Wait here, I’ve got to shut the doors. Hold on.” The wolf turned as he saw the fox walking towards the doors to lock them. While Arcades checked both of the entrances to his establishment, he briefly looked out the door’s windows to see if he had left anything of importance outside. The fox looked back over to Jason and asked, “Did you get everything from out back?” The wolf replied with only a nod. Arcades saw that Jason’s face still appeared rather upset, so he knew that he had to make sure to address the wolf once he was finished with his current task. Once Arcades gave the doors one last tug to make sure they were locked, he turned back around to see that Jason was still looking at him.
Arcades walked behind the front desk, and he then stepped close to the door that led to their shared quarters and living space, “Come here.” The wolf initially appeared rather hesitant, but he then decided to do what the fox had requested him to do. Jason began to approach where Arcades was standing, but the fox stood his ground until the wolf was just a few feet away from him. Once the fox felt that the wolf would follow him, he moved further past the storefront and into their shared living space. Arcades did not go too far before he turned back around again to make sure that Jason was still following him, and he saw that the wolf was only behind him by about two yards. The fox entered their shared quarters, and he then waited until Jason followed him into the room. Arcades looked over to his own bed and pointed at it before looking at the wolf, “Take a seat here.” Jason listened to Arcades and took a seat on his bed. As the wolf sat down, he looked up at the fox who moved his tail out of his way with his hand before kneeling on the floor.
After the fox got comfortable enough on the floor, he looked up at Jason who was now looking down at him. Arcades exhaled and waited for a moment just to see if the wolf had anything to say. After the fox concluded that the wolf was not planning on speaking, he decided to speak for himself, “Look, Jason. I just want you to remember that I am by no means better than anybody.” After Arcades finished speaking, Jason sat in silence for a moment before finally speaking himself, “You never hurt me, Kurt. Jack used to hurt me.” Kurt inhaled before responding, “Just because I haven’t done anything like that against you doesn’t mean that makes me better than anybody.” The wolf looked as if he was about to say something back to Arcades, but he fell silent rather than replying. Arcades said, “We are all sinners. We all have sin in our lives, and we can’t just compare our sins to another’s. Sure, some sins may not be as severe when compared to somebody else’s, but to the Lord, any sin is worthy of damnation. We can’t save ourselves, and we can’t be good enough. That simply can’t happen.” Arcades took a pause to see if Jason had a question or comment that the wolf would like to add. After determining that the wolf was still choosing to remain silent, he continued, “What is important to remember is that the Lord loves us enough that He is willing to forgive us for whatever that we’ve done in our lives. You’re my brother in the Lord, Jason. I’m not saying that you aren’t, but it’s not worth comparing me to others. The Lord loves all of His creation, and He loved both humans and anthros enough that He put on human flesh and died on the Cross for our salvation.”
Arcades adjusted his kneeling position when he felt that he was putting too much pressure on his heels, and he continued speaking after he moved into a more comfortable position, “I know that it may be easy to forget that the Lord is out here with us sometimes, and I get it. We’ve seen the Foundation together and everything, but we still made it out in the end. People don’t get saved because they’ve done more good or less bad than another person. People get saved because they choose to accept the Lord’s free gift of salvation. It’s by God’s grace that we are born again and given a new heart with new desires. We can’t do that ourselves.” The fox’s words only seemed to make the wolf feel guilty, and Arcades could tell that Jason was appearing more upset. Arcades continued to speak after waiting about a few more seconds, “When Paul said that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom he was chief, he wasn’t lying. Paul used to persecute and kill Christians before the Lord gave him a new heart with new desires. You can’t keep holding on to what people in the past have done. Not even what you’ve done yourself. Within the salvation of Jesus, you don’t have to be ashamed of anything. You’ve already been forgiven. You don’t have to feel guilty about anything, and I can promise you that.”
When the fox spoke his last sentence, he could now see that Jason could no longer hold in his emotions. A few tears began to roll down the wolf’s cheeks, and Arcades sat up on his knees as he scooted a bit closer to Jason. The fox held out his very thin arms to embrace the wolf, “Here. It’s alright, Jason. I love you, and Jesus loves you as well.” Jason was rather quick to give himself to Arcades’ embrace, and he definitely held on to the fox rather tightly. Arcades was not expecting Jason to grab him so tightly, “Heh, easy now.” As the wolf buried his face into the fox’s chest, Arcades could hear the wolf say, “I’m sorry for what I tried to do to you, Kurt.” Knowing what the wolf was mentioning, Arcades replied, “You don’t have to feel guilty about that. You’ve already been forgiven for it by both me and the Lord. Why let it bother you?” After Jason was able to sound coherent enough, he said, “Because you don’t deserve to have that happen to you.” Arcades placed his hands on the wolf’s shoulders and brought the wolf up to look directly at his face, “What I deserve doesn’t matter. What does matter is that the Lord would’ve still forgiven you even if you did what you wanted.” When Jason heard the fox, he only began to weep more, and Arcades let the wolf return his face into his chest. Arcades thought that it would be best for the wolf to let his emotions out, so he continued to embrace Jason while comforting him.
The agent sat inside of his car which he had now moved a decent bit away from Arcades’ building, but he was still close enough to be able to see the entrance to the building. Since he was off the road and out of general view of the public, he would be able to set up a spot
in order to see if Arcades would be leaving the building. The agent exited his vehicle and walked to the back seat of his 2019 Ford Taurus in order to retrieve a polymer rifle case. The human pulled the rifle case out, and he made sure that nobody was watching him before removing a Haenel Defence RS8 Subsonic from his vehicle. The human looked at the top of the rifle, and he could see that he still needed to install the scope which he just bought. He then realized that he would not be able to shoot Arcades with the rifle until he had it properly sighted in with the scope. The agent figured that he would install the scope now and only watch to see where Arcades would go. He would eventually come back and shoot him at a later date once he had a pattern determined as to where the fox would be.
The agent went back into the front seat of his vehicle, and he grabbed the Trijicon AccuPower from the box it was held in. Luckily for the agent, the scope came included with a quick-detach mount for use on Picatinny rails. The agent flipped the two latched into the open position before seating the scope on the rifle. After making sure that placed the scope in the proper place on the rifle, he closed the two latches and cycled the bolt to ensure that the handle on the manual bolt would not collide with the sight. The human looked down the scope a couple times to see if he was satisfied with the eye relief that the scope provided from the distance he looked at it from. After deeming the eye relief and sight placement to be satisfactory, the human placed the rifle back into the polymer case and checked the front door of the fox’s building once more to see if he had left the building yet. The human did not see any change since he had last looked, and he was starting to wonder when the fox would leave since he had been waiting for a good thirty minutes after the business’ closing time. The agent did not even see any vehicles parked outside.