A Bear and His Husky Chapter 4

By: Cervantes Aldetore & C.L.Coon

 
 "Court is in session, Mr.Ted, you are charged with acts of kidnapping and pedophilia. How do you plead?" I said nothing, "My client pleads not guilty to both charges your honor." My lawyer said, he was a sleek and stern looking avain fellow, with feathers of red.
   My lawyer straightened his tie as he gulped in air to continue, "And he goes further tells me good reasons as to why he did the kidnapping, he tells me it was more of a freeing of little Izzy. Furthermore, he tells me that Izzy here told him that he was put on the street every night to make money for the family who raises him, and if he didn’t do as they told him, they would abuse and beat him."
  "THATS A FLAT OUT LIE!" Fredrick said loudly, interrupting my lawyer as he spoke. "As I was saying, I, Wilson Phoenix, believe without a doubt that my client is not in any shape or form guilty for anything, and what he did was saving the child in question, this should be a case of custody, not of kidnapping." The crowd of spectators became slightly roudy as they spoke amongst one another, the judge soon banged his gavel, "I SHALL HAVE ORDER!....Now, Mr.Ted, is this true? Are you really prepared to prove your accusations? Without evidence? You may just dig yourself a bigger hole....But alright."
  The Prosecutor, an old cat, mean looking, "I would like to call the first to the stand please." The judge nodded. "Would Mr.Ted please come to the stand?" I got up, tottered a bit to my feet and got to the stand, time seemed to slow down as all the crowd, Izzy's Parent's, and Izzy himself stared at me.
The prosecutor started the assault on me, "Please state your name for the record." I stared for a moment then got to replying. "My name is Ted." the prosecutor gave me a look like he knew my case, he could see right through me, "Now can you tell the court you side of this story? Why do you plead not guilty?" I hesitated, the judge stared, "It’s alright, everyone gets a fair trial, you can tell us anything."
"Alright your honor, I will start my testimony. It was about a year ago a couple of days ago. I was driving from my new home to go see a movie with a few of my old college buddies. I drove through the smaller part of the neighborhood, and found Izzy sitting alone under a street light, crying to himself quietly, I couldn’t help but ask what was wrong. He never said anything. He was dirty, skinny, and in need of new clothes. I abliged, I asked if he wanted those things, food, clothes, a new home? I asked nicely, he abliged."
  "Is that so? you know that only solidifies their case and you basically admitted to a crime you claimed not guilty to." the judge said with a sigh under his breath. "No further questions from the prosecution your honor." The judge nodded. "Any cross-examination from the Defense?" Wilson stood, "Not at this time your honor, but I do have a witness to this claim if I may." The judge nodded, "Alright, who may that be?" Wilson snickered, "Why its Izzy himself." Izzy flinched, "You can’t put my son up on the stand! IT’S UNETHICAL!!!" Fredrick snapped, the Judge snapped back, "The court has the right to call anyone! Do not cause any trouble sir!" Fredrick lowered his head.
  Izzy soon stood up as I returned to my seat, he slowly pattered to the stand, one small tear welling from his eye in fear. "Alright little one, for the record, could you tell us your name." Izzy gulped, "I-Izzy, my name is Izzy...Sir." he stuttered, the judge comforted him, "It’s alright little one, like your friend Ted, you can say whatever it is that is the truth, we just want to see if it all adds up alright?" Izzy nodded, shy and blushing deeply, showing much fear upon the stand, like many before him.
  "It is true what Teddie over there said." 
The prosecutor interrupted, "Teddie?" Fredrick and Melanie sneered at me again, showing distaste in the little pet name that Izzy gave me.

  "It was true, I was sitting under that streetlight that night a year ago, and I did get into his van, but..." Izzy glanced at his parents, both of them egging him on with their ace to tell them the lies they probably made him reherse. "But I didn’t want to go...He made me, he took me to his home and put me in a room full of things, things that he put in my butt, and other places." the croud was all a hum again. The gavel fell again, "ORDER!....That is quite turnabout development. Is that true Izzy?" the judge asked in a more quiet, but still stern voice, Izzy nodded and stared at his parents again. I could only put my head on the table in front of me in grief.
  "Now just to be professional, You have to stay there just a little longer, just so Teddie's lawyer friend can talk to you." The judge said, seldom and calm. "Mr. Phoenix, your cross examination.", "Thank you, your honor." Wilson stood up quick and walked quicker to the stand, and to Izzy.

  "Okay little Izzy. My client, your friend Teddie, told me that you told him the night before his arrest, that he wasn’t the first person to ever pick you up and take you away, is that true?" Izzy realized that Wilson was about to turn this around, but he needed to comply with his questions.
"Y-Yes sir...That happened." Wilson smiled, "Okay, now tell me. How long were you gone that time?" Izzy gave Wilson a 'now let me think' look. "About....2 years." The croud began speaking again in their own little groups. The gavel fell again. "Order! Order!....What happened in those two years Izzy?", "I was in a house with these wolves...And they did things to me, worse things than what Teddie did...I love Teddie, he did all he could for me out of love, nothing wrong with that." Wilson looked to him, eyes sharp as a blade. "If you really feel that way why did you say that Teddie did bad things to you?" Izzy flinched. I saw that Wilson got to the bottom of the lies and the truth.
Izzy gulped in air before he replied, "Because...He didn’t do anything bad, he just wanted to be a better daddy than that one over there." 
  The prosecutor rose up quick in anger. "OBJECTION YOUR HONOR! Mr. Wilson Phoenix here is badgering little Izzy." The judge disagreed, "I see no badgering at all here, he is being sincere and calm, not too many questions at all. Are there any further questions Mr. Phoenix?" Wilson stood up straight, "none at this time your honor." He won us some points. Fredrick and Melanie were on the ropes. For now.
  "Izzy, you can go sit with your family now, were done with you for now okay?" Izzy looked up at the judge, who was smiling back, "Okay..."
The prosecutor slumped into his seat in stress. 
"Now we have come to the final deal in this case, it seems that Izzy has given us the last pieces of our puzzle, so the jury shall...." Wilson stood up, "Wait your honor!" the judge stopped in mid-sentence, "I have yet to bring up one last thing that Mr.Ted here has brought up with me in his case." Everyone looked perplexed, and soon the judge was convinced, "Fine, let us hear this last part shall we?"
  Wilson straightened his tie, "May I call Izzy to the stand one last time please?" the judge nodded, "I do not know where you’re going with this, but I'll play along."
Izzy stood up, and came close to Wilson, he pulled on his pant leg, asking for his ear, "If I were to speak the truth....would they hurt me in front of those people..." Wilson whispered back smiling, "no, in fact if you spoke the truth, they can’t do anything about it." Izzy smiled a sincere smile of relief.
  Izzy got up to the stand with a newer seam of confidence and happiness.
The prosecutor was confused as much as the judge. Confused he may have been, but he still spoke. "Alright, now let’s hear something’s your parents have done for you. Anything?" Izzy held his nose up, "nope." that’s what he said, it was all he had to say. His parents looked to him in surprise, as did the judge, the prosecutor, the jury, and the croud. Wilson and I only stared.
  "I want to tell the real story, the real reason I left with Teddie, and yes, I left cuz I wanted to, not because he made me! I wanted away from them, they hurt me, they put me out on the streets for yiff, and they do not love me! They never loved me! And they never will!"
Wilson smiled, Melanie and Fredrick were angry beyond comprehension.
  "Objection!" the prosecutor said, "There is no way you can believe an easily impressionable child your honor!" the judge nodded in agreement, "indeed, I’m sorry Izzy, but this is not an abuse case, and I do not think you can show any kind of proof of that." The judge was right, the bruises I found him with were all healed. "Could you please step down Izzy? Wilson made a bad call just to buy time." Izzy looked sad again, Fredrick smiled in triumph.
  "Alright, will the jury please go and take yourselves to the available room please, the court shall reconvene once they have reached a verdict." We were all on edge, no more last ditch efforts, no more chances, I was hopeless, but I could bare the pain of thinking about what those dysfunctional parents will do to him.
Then it happened, but in just a second. A loud yell of pain, a scream of rage, a squeal of terror....and a thwack of a large paw on a little cub muzzle.
  The jury, prosecutor, judge, onlookers, Wilson, I, and even Melanie were in shock and awe as we saw Fredrick hit Izzy as hard as he could in painful anger.
"You little fucking brat, you step on my toe one more time....and I'll fucking GUT YOU!", "You'll WHAT?!" the judge asked in pure ecstatic anger. Fredrick flinched, soon he looked on to the furs who all looked back at him with anger, even Melanie did.
The judge banged his gavel loudly, "It seems my mind has been changed for me....There is no need for the jury to retire, the case of his abuse has been both opened and closed, the kidnapping and pedophilia have both been proved wrong. By the very accusers who said it." Fredrick and the prosecutor looked to the judge, both wide eyed and angry.
  "Mr. Fredrick and Mrs. Melanie are under arrest for cub abuse and cub whoreing. baliff take them away from my court, and read them their rights, they are going to need them."
The baliff smiled as he cuffed the two husky parents and shoved them to the door.
"Wait....We won?" Wilson asked in confusion. I looked to him teary eyed, "Yes we won...We lucked out and won." I hugged him with joy, "You fought for my freedom Wilson, but more or less, you fought for Izzy’s freedom. For that I thank you with more than just cash, I thank you with my life." I say into his ear. "No worries, I knew from the very beginning that you were a good person, you didn’t seem to be kidnapping for any other reason than to save him.
"Now it seems we need solve one more little problem...Who will take custody of Izzy. That is something for the jury to retire for, if you please, do some research while you are in there and find any kind of relative." My heart sank when he said that. "But, I think I know who would make a better father than anyone else here, Mr.Ted, I would put my hat for you anytime, you fought to help that husky cub, he deserves better than what he was given. Especially the swollen jaw he is bound to have." I gave an awkward but sincere smirk.
  I walked to Izzy, picked him up from the ground, he was unconscious.
I hugged him with tears rolling down my eyes, still in unbelievable shock that I won the case.
The baliff came and told the judge as to why Fredrick hit Izzy so hard. "It seems throughout that entire case, when Izzy was not up on the stands, he was literally stepping on the toes of his father, hard from what he told me, and when he walked out to the stands he made sure to pull his tail just as hard. This must have set him off enough to show his true colors." The judge nodded. "It makes sense, that Fredrick fellow didn't seem to good in my eyes, so when I saw that I could not contain my gavel."
  As the jury finally came reconvened, Izzy was finally waking up, I still held him in my arms.
"Teddie?....What...What happened?" I looked down at him surprised, tears welling up. "Izzy! Im glad your awake!" I brought him into a hug.
"Where are mom and dad?" I snickered, "They got arrested little friend. and the court is about to announce something that you will probably love to hear." I teared up again, anticipating the verdict. 
  The judge cleared his throat, "So.....Has the jury reached a verdict?" one jurer stood, "We find the Defendant, Ted, to be, not guilty of any charges against him. And on the case of abuse and custody, we could not find any worthy or even alive family members who are capable of care for Izzy. So this jury unaminously decide that Ted, the defendant, who was found with Izzy, and who has cared for him for the year he was missing, to take him under custody, and to keep giving him the same care he has been since before his arrest."
  Izzy's eyes widened as he heard that, a large smile growing on his muzzle as he heard the good news, as the jurer finished, Izzy's eyes began to water as he rained tears of joy and relief. "TEDDIE! YOU SAVED ME AGAIN!" Izzy jumped at me for a hug. I kindly accepted it as I cried with him. "You know it wasn’t me who fought the most Izzy, you gotta thank the real hero! It was Wilson Phoenix who did it, if it weren’t for him, you would still be with your parents and I would be cuffed."
Izzy pulled off me as fast as he pounced Wilson soon after, "Thank you too! If there’s anything I can do, you name it I owe it to you!" Wilson blushed, "That won’t be necessary Izzy....."
  "...But Ted.", "Yeah Wilson?" I replied. "We can talk cash at a much later date, this case has left me tired.....Oh and if you don’t mind I want to pay for a celebration for Izzy with some of that cash." my ears perked up, "That’s a great idea! Sound good Izzy? We can call up our friends and yours."
Izzy looked up, "But I never got to have friends, and my parents’ home schooled me too." I thought for a moment. "well I got friends with cubs, I'll call them up for the party and ask them to bring any willing cubs for the party!" Izzy smiled as he let out a happy puppy bark.
  As we held paws, Izzy and I walked out of the court doors, knowing nothing like this would ever happen again. We stared into each other's eyes as we walked out the doors of the court building to a taxi, when we got in Izzy said one thing that insured that this would never happen again.
"I love you Teddie" As he put his head in my lap, a tired pup, but a relieved and saved pup.