Breed The Secret Design To Maintain Racial Inequality Among The Despised Classes

by William Chasterson

  As I crossed the border into Fostoria, the air never smelled as sweet. Niccolo was pacing up and down impatiently. When he saw me walking up to him he stopped pacing and smiled warmly. “Christopher my boy! Its nice to see you again!” He extended his paws and embraced me. This unexpected display of emotion caught me off guard and eased my agitated mind. Nevertheless I was still greatly disconcerted. He said, “I’ve been hearing good things about you. Socrates is very pleased with your progress. So you’ve observed Lumpenproleteria. Tell me what are your thoughts?” “Marshal,” I declared. “We need to talk.” Sensing the seriousness of my tone, Niccolo changed his demeanor. His smile disappeared and he wrinkled his brow. With a look of concern he placed his paw on my shoulder but noticing my anxiety as I nervously flinched, he quickly removed it. “What’s on your mind Commander?” I didn’t even know where to begin. “Things are not unfolding as I expected them to,” I began awkwardly. “I think perhaps you’ve placed too much confidence in me. I don’t think I’m the right animal to lead the march of history toward animalism.” Niccolo interrupted, “Nonsense! You’re doing a fine job.” And he swiped his paw dismissing my concerns. Indignant I exclaimed, “But what if I don’t fully understand the animalist philosophy?” Niccolo wrinkled his brow and squinted his eyes. “What I mean is…” I stammered. “I definitely believe in the equality of all animals and I want for all animals to live together in peace but…” “Well!” interrupted Niccolo, “that’s all there is to understand!” He smiled and had a look of relief on his face. “You scared me a little. For a second there I thought you had gone over to the dark side.” “No,” I said. “But speaking of the dark side, something has been weighing very heavily upon my mind. I have been feeling very guilty about the way Fostoria joined the Union of Animals. They put all their trust in me and that is the only reason they did not put up a struggle.” “Would you have rather they struggled?” Niccolo asked sardonically. “No,” I said. “It’s not that. I just feel that if we would have told them about animalism and explained the virtues of such a society, they would have accepted it of their own accord. The way we did it feels almost like we deceived them.” Niccolo’s ears perked up. “And what if we did deceive them? Is that so dreadful? When you were a kitten did your mother have to explain everything to you in detail before you obeyed her? No. She knew what was best for you according to instinct and you accepted it. The same principle applies here.” I protested, “But the methods Truth and Justice have been using to purge Fostoria don’t seem to coincide with what we spoke about that first time in Kliev. I don’t understand why they need to be so brutal with our comrades. Do you know…” I was getting worked up. “Do you know what Justice said to me when I questioned him about his techniques? He actually said that suffering was necessary in order for us to accomplish our goals. He actually said that!” Niccolo peered at me for a long time thoughtfully. I observed that he wasn’t shocked by Justice’s remark. Finally he said, “I will look into it. Don’t worry.” He paused, meditated, then said, “At the same time Christopher you need to grow up and realize that we’re not running a popularity contest. In creating a perfect society we are liable to step on a few paws and stroke someone’s fur the wrong way. We needn’t apologize for that. Remember, the end justifies the means.” Exasperated I cried out, “Do the means include slavery? Are those means justified as well?” Puzzled Niccolo stared at me curiously. “Slavery? Who is justifying slavery?” He laughed. I declared, “The threshold guardian showed me the slave trade that goes on in Lumpenproleteria.” Niccolo protested, “That’s the Speciest’s doing. You can’t blame the Union of Animals for that.” “Yes,” I fired back. “But why should the Union participate in the bidding? Isn’t it a violation of our core principles?” Niccolo stared at me attentively. “That’s one way of looking at it,” he said. “But here’s another. Should the Union of Animals sit idly by while millions of our future comrades are shipped off to Cuyamonga as slaves? Of course eventually when we win the war all of them will be freed. But what about in the meantime? By bidding for slaves and later freeing them as comrades some would say we are gaining a victory for the cause.” I paused briefly to consider the Marshal’s viewpoint. Before I could develop a counter argument he seized on this opportunity to scold me. “Christopher!” He said, raising his voice. “You need to understand that the world is a whole lot more complicated than you imagine it to be. Now, you need to listen to those who have more experience than you. I have confidence in you but you need to get your head in the game. I’m not going to baby you. I need you to step up and do what needs to be done! Do we understand each other Commander?” I saluted and exclaimed, “Yes Marshal!” “Good. Now maybe we can get down to business. Socrates called you here because you have been chosen to represent the Union of Animals at the United Territories Conference to be held in Cuyamonga.” I stared at Niccolo apprehensively as I was unsure what this new development meant. Niccolo grinned widely baring his teeth. He then laughed heartily and said, “You should be happy. This is a great honor for you. You will not only be representing your territory of Fostoria but you will be representing all of the territories in the Union as our spokescat. I usually represent the Union as spokescat but this year Socrates decided that it should be you.” I wasn’t sure about how to feel about this new development, especially considering that I was having doubts about my faith. Nevertheless I smiled and said, “Thank you very much. I would be honored to represent the Union.” “Very well,” said Niccolo. He appeared satisfied that my faith in animalism was restored.

  “At midday tomorrow you are to meet in Kliev with the delegates from the other territories. There you will be briefed with everything you need to know for the conference. Take advantage of this opportunity Christopher. Being a leader is more than just making decisions and acting. You need to know how to maneuver diplomatically as well.” Niccolo looked me up and down then sighed. “And don’t worry,” he said reassuringly. “It gets a lot easier.” He then turned and walked away leaving me alone with my conflicting thoughts.

  It was late and I had endured a long day. My mind and body were exhausted but I couldn’t force my mind to rest. As I walked towards my bed, the wooden milk crate insulated with newspapers, I couldn’t help but try and reason out my mental conflict. “Maybe Niccolo’s right,” I thought. “The world does seem to be more complicated than I imagined. Perhaps I will need to make certain compromises. As long as my core principles remain in tact, that’s what is important. All animals are equal… Even Lumpens? I have to admit that I am disappointed by what I saw in Lumpenproleteria. Did I witness the true nature of animal or is there something missing from this equation? I must not act rashly. I still have much to learn. Niccolo and by extension Socrates is teaching me that.” Entering my sanctuary I stretched out my tired body and collapsed into the corner of the crate. The thoughts continued to flash through my mind at lightning speed. “But what about this feeling of imminent dread that has been emerging in me? Can all my instincts really be that off? No. There seems to be something significant about these feelings I have been having. I must know for sure whether I’m following the right path. Niccolo said, ‘the end justifies the means’ but do I really need to wait until the end before I judge the means? No. I must know. Tomorrow I’ll take Justice up on his offer. I’ll sit in on an interrogation and then we’ll see if all my instincts are off. Everything will be decided tomorrow.” Having made this decision I closed my eyes and finally went to sleep. My sleep however was not restful. I tossed and turned all night long as strange dreams plagued my mind. One dream in particular left me in a state of anxious confusion. I was sitting in judgment over a number of different animals. They would line up before my judgment seat and I would render a favorable or unfavorable judgment. Some were condemned while others were shown mercy and pardoned. They’re fate lay entirely in my paws. Certain details of the dream were vivid. I remember for example putting a great deal of mental effort into ensuring that each case was handled justly. Sud
denly in my dream Hannibal was the next in line to be judged. He walked up before me and unlike the other defendants who humbly stared at the ground; he boldly glared at me with those terrible arctic blue eyes. His gaze filled me with absolute terror. I tried to maintain my composure as I could feel everyone noticing my discomfort. But just as I was about to open my mouth to render judgment, Hannibal pointed at me sternly and proclaimed in a loud voice, “You are an imposter!” I drew back in alarm. Suddenly the ground was taken out from under my feet and I found myself falling into some sort of dark abyss. I fell for what seemed to be ages when finally and without warning my body struck something. The force of the impact woke me up. I found myself lying outside of the crate with my heart beating rapidly and my fur soaked with sweat.

  It was morning. The sun had just come up. Disoriented, I looked around myself. At first I didn’t know where I was. Then I remembered my dream. “What does all this mean? An imposter?” I thought. All at once I remembered my resolution. I stood up and determinedly set off to find Truth and Justice. Upon entering the purge site I could see Justice standing along side the tent with his back facing me as a groundhog exited. “Truth must be inside,” I thought. Approaching the tent I called out to him. “Justice! I need a word.” He turned around angrily and declared, “I’m not Justice. Thanks to you Justice is not here and I have a double work load.” I looked at Truth in amazement. “What do you mean ‘thanks to me’? Where is Justice?” Truth glanced to his side and a large Rottweiler was staring at him with a serious face. Truth looked at me and wrinkled his brow. “I’ve said too much already.” He pondered a moment then a look of irritation covered his face. “What do you want Commander?” he exclaimed. “I have a lot of work to do!” I responded, “That’s why I’m here. Justice said I could sit in on an interrogation.” “Did he?” asked Truth irritably. “Yes. That’s not going to be a problem is it?” I looked at the dog and he still had his eyes locked on Truth. Truth grinned. “No. No problem at all. Follow me.” We entered the tent and there was a small table with a chair at each end. There was a third chair set off to the side. That was no doubt where Justice would have been sitting. I sat down at the table and Truth sat across from me. He looked up at me and said, “Commander. I am aware that you do not approve of our techniques and possibly do not even understand the purpose of purging but believe it or not there are enemy combatants among us.” I smirked. Truth continued, “The purpose of the purge is to flush out these enemy combatants and detain them. Niccolo told you the history of Animalism? Remember the part of the story about the masters who enslave the poor animals? Well these enemy combatants are working for these same masters and are working to bring about that enslavement as soon as possible.” I objected, “Certainly there are no animals working for those cruel masters among Fostoria’s inhabitants.” Truth countered, “On the contrary, we have found many enemy combatants among Fostoria’s inhabitants. Animals that share the same master mentality as our enemies.” This was unbelievable. I had to see this with my own eyes. Truth continued, “You’ll see what I mean on the next interrogation. Now, first we’ll need to put the animal at ease. Once he feels comfortable he will speak naturally and if there are traces of master mentality in his mind it will come to the surface.” I didn’t quite follow him. “What exactly do you mean by master mentality?” Truth rolled his eyes and said irritably, “Let’s keep this as simple as possible. We believe in the equality of all animals. Right? Our enemies believe that some animals are superior to others. Those who believe in their own superiority are ingrained with a desire to have more than their comrades. If we identify the desire then we’ve identified the enemy. Is that fair?” I thought about it for moment. “If they believe that we are all equal then they wouldn’t desire to have more than us. Why would they? As long as everyone has enough for himself why would he care about having more than his comrade? That makes sense,” I thought. “All right,” I said. Truth motioned for the next animal to be sent in. A thin black and white cat walked in nervously and scanned the room. Truth smiled at him and motioned for him to have a seat. Truth arranged the seats so that he and I were sitting next to each other while the cat sat across the table from us. Truth shuffled some documents in front of him. “You are Bruno?” he asked, as he read one of the documents. Apprehensively the cat stuttered, “Y-yes.” Truth tossed the papers on the table. “How has your day been so far Bruno?” asked Truth. The cat just stared at him uncertainly. Truth continued, “Put your mind at ease. We just want to ask you a few questions. There’s nothing to worry about. You are not in any trouble. These interviews are standard procedure.” Bruno sighed deeply and a look of relief registered on his face. Truth picked up the papers and appeared to be reading them. “According to our records you have attended all of the elements of animalism classes and your test results are above average.” Bruno smiled. “Tell me,” continued Truth placing the documents on the table. “Do you like animalism?” The cat enthusiastically declared, “Oh very much so!” Truth smiled. “What in particular do you find appealing about the philosophy?” “Well,” stammered Bruno. “I like the part about equality.” Truth’s eyes opened a little wider. “What do you mean?” he asked. “I mean,” continued Bruno. “It’s not like that right now.” Truth wrinkled his brow and squinted his eyes a little. “You mean others have more than you?” “Yes,” responded Bruno. Truth continued, “And you would like to have more than what you have?” “Yes,” responded Bruno. Truth continued, “Let’s talk a little about this desire you have for more.” Bruno meditated and wrinkled his brow. He then looked up at Truth. The inquisitor’s smile had disappeared. Bruno stammered, “I wouldn’t call it a desire. It’s just sometimes I want…” “Well that’s what a desire is,” interrupted Truth. “It’s a want, a craving for more. Do you disagree?” Truth looked seriously at the cat. “No I suppose your right. It is a desire. But it’s harmless,” said Bruno smiling sympathetically. Truth’s eyes widened and a look of surprise registered on his face. “So it’s your contention that a desire for more is harmless?” Truth picked up one of the documents and began writing something down. Bruno’s eyes shot over to the documents and a look of worry registered on his face. Bruno looked over at me pleadingly. I didn’t know what I could say. I was as surprised as he was at the sudden change in direction the interview was taking. Truth stood up and began pacing in front of the table. Looking down at the floor he spoke in a subdued voice to Bruno. “Although this interview is a standard procedure, we do need to take its results very seriously because believe it or not there are enemies among us.” A look of absolute terror spread across Bruno’s face. “Sir,” he stammered. “I am a loyal comrade. I would never…” Truth raised his paw and motioned for silence. He then smiled. “Bruno we know you didn’t mean for this to happen but you need to understand that we are here to help you.” Truth walked over to his side of the table and placed his paws on the cat’s shoulders. “It starts with a desire but the desire grows into a world view. We are dealing with an epidemic here. When an animal gets sick do we blame the animal? No. It’s not his fault. It is just an unfortunate situation that he finds himself in. However that doesn’t make the sickness any less dangerous or the need for immediate action any less urgent.” Bruno’s eyes began to water. I was astonished at this turn of events. “Now we all want the same thing. Right?” With lips trembling Bruno nodded. “Good. Now before we can help you, you have to take the first step.” Truth walked around to the side of Bruno. Bruno looked up at him. “You must be honest with yourself Bruno. The desires that we identified earlier, you really do have them?” Bruno nodded slowly. “I need to hear it from you,” said Truth. Bruno blubbered, “I have a desire for more than what I now have.” The cat buried his face in his paws and began sobbing uncontrollably. “So,” continued Truth in a stern voice “You have been infected.” Truth walked back over to our side of the table and began pacing. All at once Truth turned towards Bruno and loudly slammed both paws on the table shouting, “Who have you been c
onspiring with? If you cooperate with us, things will go easier for you!” Bruno gave a start. “I… I have no co-conspirators.” Truth countered, “And this desire? Where did it come from? You must have been influenced by someone!” Bruno grimaced and began to ponder in anxious perplexity. He stuttered, “But… I don’t remember…” “So,” interrupted Truth. “You refuse to cooperate. Guards!” he shouted. At once two large dogs appeared. “We have another enemy combatant. Place this prisoner with the others. We’ll see if a little change in his environment won’t motivate him to talk.” Bruno was ushered out of the tent in a state of absolute confusion. Truth glanced at me victoriously. “Do you see what we’re up against? Many of these poor animals don’t even realize they are infected until it’s too late.” I wanted to make an objection but I couldn’t quite find the words. “Now are you satisfied?” asked Truth. Doubtfully I nodded my head. “Now if you will excuse me, I have a lot of work to do and I believe you have a conference to attend.”