Max blinks and slowly opens his eyes as his vision blurs back in place. Max looked at himself and saw he was the age of 5. As he looked around him, he was in a huge courtyard filled with nice sceneary of flowers, hedge like grass statues, it all appeared rich. Max walked down to the middle of the courtyard and saw a huge tower and a big door with a shield with a "W" on it. It all appeared clear towards where Max was. He was in his own home...The Wicked Mansion...In each corner, lay a tower to a room which lead to many. There was a lounge room, tower watch room, armory room and even a classroom made specially for Max's homeschooling! "Wow...No matter how much I walk around home, it always feels like the first time with its amazing scenery...Never getting dull....Ever." Max thought to himself. Suddenly...Max looked above the sky as he heard thunder storms coming in...Also a familiar kind of quake shook the ground slightly. Max saw a somewhat smart looking wolf run towards him with glasses and a shady tuxedo. Running with a panicked look on his face. "Y-Y-Young Master Max! Its not safe for you to be out in the courtyard! I must escort you to your room immadiately!" said the wolf. The wolf's name was Mark. A wolf that was put on special duties to watch over Max on his actions, behavior and also to keep him in good company. Without a single answer twice, Max nodded and made a run up the stairs into the main tower which lead to huge stairways on Max's left and right. In front of him down was the exit/entrance. As Max begin running up the stairs, he saw a fox with a more darker fur colour to Max's fur. He was also wearing red robes with small parts of armor inside whilst holding a staff made with golden and red imprints and a red jewel on the top lay there. It was Max's father, Duke. "Max, my son! Stay in your room and don't come out until one of your servants come to tell you to or I do! Understand?" Duke said with a tone that had to be obeyed. Max nodded to his father as he hurriedly ran up the stairs before running straight into his room and slamming it shut and locking it tightly. Max panted at a fast rate before letting out a long sigh of relief and hope. Max looked out the window slowly to see the golden gates to his home being attacked by demons and shadows and bandits as few of the servants and training Wicked knights stood leaped over the gate as they fought them. Max watched with a burning tension growing inside of him. It looked all hopeless...All of the knights were brutally beaten by the attackers before the gate broke at one point. Max knew drastic measures needed to be taken. So, he crawls under his bed. Panting faster and faster and kept saying to himself in his head "Father, please be okay!" Max soon heard battle and fire and explosions occour inside of the mansion with a big quake...Until suddenly, Max heard his door go with a big SMASH! Panicked and frozen solid as well as breathless, Max stopped breathing only to see fire gases filling up in his room as a few of the leading attackers with dark armor on who looked to be a panther saying as he looked around the room "Well, well, wellz. This must be the room of the young Wicked Duke's huh?" He turned his head around to the other attackers and said was a commanding tone "Search teh room and don't let the puny kit run away!" Max couldn't hold his breath for much longer! His lungs were starting to hurt and he started to feel sick. Very sick. Max knew that if somebody didn't show up soon, Max would be a goner. The panther looks under Max's bed as he sees a bit of a tearily panicked fox shaking and quivering with fear... He reached out his large paws at Max and picked him up from the back of his hoodie as well as catching a bit of fur as pain and fear shook through Max "Hey guyz! I found a wussy wittle kit over here!" The attackers laughed as Max whimpered silently with fear. The panther, using his other paw pulls out a small dark dagger and puts the side to it on Max's throat "Hm...What shall we do with this wussy of a fox? Maybe cut his tail off...?" said The Panther with a cocky tone. Max shook worriedly as his tail shook fearfully trying to get the grip loose as from the panther. The panther began to growl as he suddenly places Max towards a wall and stabs a dagger through his hoodie as Max hung with wide fear. "That shouldz keeps ya still ya twerp!" Max soon saw from the door a bright blast knock down the three attackers guarding by the door. Max also saw The Panther turn back looking surprised as he gets hit with a explosion. Max's father, Duke marches into the room and yells at them with a mad tone "KEEP OFF OF MY SON, YOU BASTARDS!" Duke pulled the dagger from Max's hoodie. Max dropped to the floor but was frozen with fear as frightened tears rolled down his eyes and nothing could be done or said. Duke hugged his son and whispered to him, saying "Everything's gonna be alright, boy...Stand strong. That's one of the ways of the Wickeds. You should know that from the encyclopedia by now, son...Now hush..." Max looked from behind his father and saw The Panther slowly rising up as he begins to draw his dagger. But Duke could already sense it as he knocks him back and soon enough, the attackers get back up. Growling ferociously at Duke. Duke quickly whispered "Son...I'm sorry about doing this, but...You deserve to live a life of peace and freedom...Not this. I know that someday, you'll become famous and may even become a hero someday...I want you to do your best and never...Ever..Give up...Make sure you do your mother proud as well...I'll be seeing her soon enough...Goodbye...My dearly beloved son...I know you'll do me proud...." Without a chance to reply, Duke used a power and put Max in a bubble as it transported him away. But as Max watched from the window, he saw Duke fight them off....Until a fatal blow is struck in the chest as Duke falls from sight. Max, frozen with fear as well as a lot of tears falling from his face and coming out his eyes, he reached out a paw reaching to the window as he is pulled away and yells "NOOO!!!!!!" As he yells, Duke lets out a final power before falling to his fateful, heroic death, Duke makes the whole mansion blow up with the attackers. Max blinked as more tears rolled down from his eyes. Once he slowly opened them, he saw he was by a wooden gate in the middle of nowhere as a rain storm starts to come down. Max fell to his knees and bellowed out his tears loudly. "WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS!" It was official...Max was now an orphan. With no home to turn to and also no friends to turn to either...Life looked very blunt for Max. Later, Max stood up whilst crying and also breathing tearfully. Max walked through the woods, towns, countrysides...Until at one point, Max was hungry and thirsty and was getting very dizzy as he felt his vision blur a bit before it started getting more worse and worse...As Max's tears continued, he had just made it into a city before falling to his knees as his vision blurs completely out and Max coughed as he slowly says "F-Father....Why..." Before going out cold. A raccoon villager looked down at the distance and saw Max as he dashed towards him. Turning him around. The raccoon touched his forehead and looked around him looking very worried. "This young kit has got a fever! I need a doctor! Now!" The raccoon also looked at the tear stains and also sees the slightly crying ill Max lay in his arms. The raccoon picks him up and takes him back home. Once he made it back, he kicked open the door gently to be careful nobody gets hurt if they are by the door. A raccoon lady wearing a standard villager kind of clothing stood up and looked at the raccoon surprised. "J-John?! What's going on...?!" The raccoon who's name was John, looked at his wife and says "This poor kit is ill, Maria! He's even crying and he really dosen't look well!" Maria opened the cupboards and pulled out some healing contents before leaning to her left to turn to John to say "Get that kit into bed. I'll get some medicine and food ready. This poor kit looks like it hasn't ate or drank for days!" John walked into the bedroom of the two and lay Max in the covers and felt his forehead again. "*Sigh* My, my...What have you gotten yourself into? You poor, young fox...?" Maria slowly walks into the room and places everything down where it would be needed as the two sat in wait for Max to reawaken. As they talked, about what could have happened, they hear Max cough multiple times and say to himself "....F-Father...M-Mother...Please don't...Leave me...Please...I'll be a good fox..." The couples looked at the fox with a worried look. "Say...You don't think his parents...." John says and then leans in towards Maria "...Got involved in a accident do you...?" Maria sighed with a worried face. Looking a bit tearful from how sorry she felt for the young kit "I-I certainly hope not..." A few days pass...And not even once did the two leave Max. They wiped his tear stained face with tissues and gave him medicine and a bit of soup half of the time. Along with a bit of water. All of this eventually did what they were supposed to do as Max slowly opens his eyes and sees two smiling raccoons in front of him. Maria leans in and says "Hello there young one...I see you have woken up." Max leaned back from the bed. Terrified...Mumbling words out that he didn't even know he was saying due to how traumatized he was. Maria and John slowly look at Max with a comforting attitude...Almost like Max's father... "Its okay...There is nothing to be scared of, little one...Now, if you could please give us your name and maybe we can help you..." Max, still very ill and terrified...Sighs a bit "M-M-M-My name is Maxy....You can just call me M-Max...." Maria gives a looks of surprise but tries to hide it if possible. "That's such a lovely name..." She said with a small smile to Max. "He couldn't be from...That Wicked Family could he...?" She thought to herself. Maria slowly says peacefully to the fox "I'm Maria and my husband here is John. He was the one who saved you when you fell asleep a few days back when you got to the village" Max remembered it all now...Tears started running down his eyes again as he sniffed as well. Maria reached out a paw as she stroke Max's hair and inbetween the ears "W-What's...Wrong?" Once Max had calmed down and told them his horrible story, the couple were frozen solid. Maria started getting a bit teary as she hugged the fox tightly against her chest "Oh, you poor, poor fox...! You having no home and no food or anything!" John went ahead and hugged Max as well. But wasn't as teary. As the day passed and Max fell asleep, John and Maria talked to one another "We can't just leave him out there! The poor little thing will surely die out there alone!" Maria said with a worried tone "But what other choice do we have..? Do we honestly wanna get ourselves in trouble?" John said. "This young man has no place to turn to! What other choice DO we have...?!" After a long night discussion and later that morning, Maria sat by Max's bed. As Max slowly was driftly sleeping but was soon going to wake up. Max could smell cooked food by Maria as he slowly opened his eyes and said with a straight face "G-Good morning..." Maria gives Max the plate of food and says "Once you are done eating, we need to have a bit of a talk." Max thought to himself. "A talk...?" Once Max had finished eating his food in a matter of time, Maria sighs and says "Max, boy...Listen...John and I have been talking about...The recent things that have been going on lately...And...Max. Since we've enjoyed your company here with your warm manners and since you have no where else to go...You poor little thing...Max...Would you like me to be your foster Mother?...?" Then John was at the other side as well and said "And do you wish for me to be your father as well, Max?" Max's heart skipped beats. Max trembled and slowly had tears coming down his face. As a smile comes on his face. "I....I....I would love that!" Max said as he jumped and hugged Maria tightly as a big grin comes to his face as he cries. *A matter of 16 years pass since Max was adopted and schooled and taught techniques by the two raccoons. Almost as if his normal life was the same once more...* Max stood out in the farm. Busy doing chores. Placing the last few stacks of hay in. Before swiping his paws and saying "Phew...! That's the last of them done. Now to head on home." As Max opens the door once he finally came home, Maria smiled happily at the sweating fox with a bare body showing and only his camo jeans on. "Ah, welcome home Max!" Max smiled and said "Its good to be back, Maria. Where's John?" Maria gave a grin and said "Well...We've been talking to one another about how you are getting old enough to travel on your own now, so...We have booked you a room at that recently opened place called The Sweet Furry Hotel. Max gave a bright smile "Ah, yes! I heard about that place! Thank you so much, Maria and John!" Max hugged the two with a smile. John smiled "Anytime, kiddo! Wanna know when you go...?" Max looked at his bed and saw a huge bag placed with all his clothes and stuff set. Max nods. John and Maria say at the same time "You can go now!" A coach stops by the building and a pelican escort "Ah, good evening you three! I am here to pick up a fox by the name of...." says the Pelican as he looks at the ticket intently before pointing at Max "Max the fox...?" Max nods and grabs his bag "Yeah I'm the one." Max turned behind and gave the two a hug and a kiss as Max was very grateful Maria hugged Max as she cried "So hard to believe how much you have grown, Max! You are one of the most nicest foxes I have ever met in my entire life!" John was just the same as he snuggled Max and rubbed Max's head. Max smiled "I know this isn't farewell...I will come back again someday...You'll see." Max makes his way to the door and looks at the two crying raccoons. "Well...Goodbye...Mother...Father..." Max said as the door closed. The pelican wiped a tear from his eye "Oh, such happy families! Next stop! Sweet Furry Hotel!" After a hour's travel and taking his bag, Max sighs as he leaves the coach and looks at the hotel. "Well, this is it...Time to start a new life! I wonder what will be in offer for me...?" Max says as he walks into the lobby. *THE END*