Another submission for the weekly  Thursday_Prompt, with the word this week being arrogant. I wanted to try and go in a bit of a different direction when using this word, and I hope it worked out. If you have any feedback, let me know, and to those who read this, I hope you enjoy it!


A Needed Boost
By Rando Shywoulfe


Morgan stifled a yawn that threatened to escape as she stood in line outside the local bookstore. The skunk was waiting to talk to Pamela Foxschild in the early morning hours of the day. The popular author had set up a book signing event here and even though she had gotten there close to opening, a line out the door had already formed. She’d been waiting for almost an hour and every minute, her nervousness increased. This was an author who sold out during pre-orders and whose books had won all sorts of awards. She was one of the biggest stars in the literature world.

However, maybe, as a result, she was also known for being arrogant and self-centered. She didn’t take kindly to most furs, and she brushed off most attempts to talk to her. She seemed to hate events like this and only did ones that were expected of her. This gave her a reputation that earned her both respect and scorn.

Standing there, Morgan began to question once again why she’d woken up early to stand in line with Foxschild’s newest book in her paw. She wasn’t what others would call a hardcore fan, and she wasn’t a starstudded beginner writer who thought Foxschild held all of the universe's writing secrets. She sometimes posted short stories on an online site that garnered a couple of views every so often, but she was fine with that with how her writing was. Plus, Pamela’s reputation made it kind of terrifying to even risk being in the same room as her. Yet her niece Hannah was getting into writing herself, and Pamela Foxschild was her biggest inspiration. Morgan felt she had to get the book signed or risk being slapped with the bad aunt label. So there she was, standing in line, trying not to run out of the store in a panic as her niece stood beside her with uncontained excitement.

As she got closer to the front, she could see the table where Pamela was set up. As furs approached, they would try and talk to her, though they were unsuccessful in their endeavors. Most of the time it looked like she would say a few words in response and then consider the conversation over. For those who tried to continue talking, they got a curt wave of a paw before leaving in a huff. Morgan saw many drooped ears and trailing tails pass by her on their way out of the store, and it did not help her anxiety one bit.

Soon enough, it was her turn to approach the table and when she did, she was immediately intimidated by Pamela Foxschild. The vixen was wearing a cream-colored blouse with a dark brown blazer over it and designer denim jeans that seemed to bring out the colors of her fur. Her eyes were hidden behind designer sunglasses and made her seem serious and important to those around her. A pearl-studded earring was in her left ear and she had on a floral perfume that was strong, but not overpowering. A black pen with gold accents was clutched in her right paw as she looked at the new arrival. Morgan looked down at her plain red t-shirt and jeans with a hole in the knee and felt like a peasant talking to the princess.

Realizing she had been staring, Morgan put the book on the table and tried to appear cool and collected. The last thing she wanted was to start shaking in fear in front of everyone.

“Who do I have the pleasure of signing this book for?” Pamela asked, not bothering to look up as she flipped to the front cover, pen hovering.

“It’s for my niece Hannah.” She indicated her niece beside her and Hannah smiled. The words sounded small and hollow as Morgan said them like she was playing a recording of herself. However, if Pamela thought that as well, she hid it well. She looked up and Morgan could see herself reflected in the lens of Pamela Foxschild’s sunglasses.

“Is that all you want to be written?” she asked, her tone indicating she was about ready to sign and move on to the next fur in line.

Knowing that message wouldn’t be enough for Hannah, Morgan struggled to come up with something quick to add as a message. However, before she could say anything, Hannah piped up.

“Ms. Foxschild, I know you hear this all the time, but I’m a huge fan of your work! You’re one of the two furs who have inspired me to start writing.”

Pamela gave her a smile that Morgan was surprised to see was genuine. “That’s very lovely Hannah. May I ask who the other fur is who inspired you?”

Hannah smiled, then pointed towards Morgan. “You’re looking at her right now!”

Shocked, Morgan looked to see Pamela regard her with a head tilt. “Oh? You write do you?”

Shaking her head, Morgan held her paws up, and she could feel her face growing hot. “Oh no no no. I wouldn’t call what I do writing. I’ve just posted a couple of stupid short stories online for like ten furs to read. They’re nowhere near good. You’d realize that if you ever read them.”

These words seemed to have a strange effect on Pamela, as she set the pen down and looked at Morgan, a frown visible on her face.

“Let me tell you something,” she said, her tone growing serious, “Never, and I repeat, never, let yourself believe that what you’ve done is worthless.”

Caught off guard by this statement, Morgan realized that the room had quieted down and everyone was staring at her. Turning her attention back to the table, she started to interrupt, but Pamela held up a paw to stop her. “No, you don’t get to speak during this. You need to hear this from someone with authority or you’re going to just brush it off. That kind of talk right there is going to destroy you. If you let yourself think your stuff isn’t good, then not only is it not going to be good, but it’s going to feed those negative feelings in your brain and you’re just going to feel miserable.”

Feeling embarrassed that this award-winning author was lecturing her about something like this, she couldn’t help but ask what was on her mind, “Why are you telling me this?”

A couple of seconds passed in which there was an awkward silence that filled the entire room. Morgan thought that Pamela had had enough of her and was waiting for her to leave. But just as Mogan was about to head out the door, she noticed Pamela raise a paw to her sunglasses, which she removed and set down on the table next to her. When she looked back up at Morgan, the skunk was shocked upon seeing Pamela’s eyes. The ice-blue eyes were clouded with a vulnerability that Morgan was used to seeing in the mirror when she woke up every day. It was as if all the worries and fears that Pamela experienced in her life were contained in those eyes, hidden behind the protective cover of her sunglasses.

“Because it’s something I’m still dealing with even today. Everyone says I’m the best author, that I am an award winner who everyone aspires to be and looks up to. What they don’t realize is there’s one fur who doesn’t see it the same way, myself. I tell myself every day that my writing is amazing and superb, but there’s that little voice in the back of my head that spreads doubt. I can recall at least ten different things I hate about my past works and there have been many nights where I’ve wanted to throw away drafts because they weren’t up to the standards I believed they could be.” She smiled a small smile at Morgan. “But even with those dark days, I still have that knowledge that I’m doing my best, and the knowledge that even one fur is reading my work would be enough to tell me I’m doing something right at least.”

Putting her sunglasses back on, Pamela grabbed her pen and wrote a message in the book. Morgan, however, could only stare in shock. She hadn’t expected Pamela to open herself up that much or to say anything relatable. Hannah meanwhile, was smiling and looking up at her aunt, seeming pleased with what had just transpired.

It took Morgan a minute to come up with something to say in response. "Wow. I didn't expect to hear that from you." As soon as the words left her mouth though, she realized how bad that sounded. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

Handing the book back to Morgan, Pamela gave her a smirk. “Don't worry. I wouldn’t expect you to think otherwise. Most people think I'm just full of myself. That's why I hate talking to most people. I feel like they're always judging me, and a lot of people mistake my attempts at boosting my confidence for being arrogant. Just remember my advice,” she said one last time before turning her attention back to the line that was behind them.

As Morgan and Hannah made their way towards the exit, the former noticed that everyone was staring at her with expressions ranging from shock to pity to confusion. She couldn’t blame them; after all, she’d spent more time talking with Pamela Foxschild than all of the furs before her. She could feel her face grow hot and her fur bristle as she hurried the two of them out of the store and into the car.

Once inside the safety of their vehicle, Morgan let out the breath she had been holding. Having all those eyes on her was not fun to experience at all, and she was glad it was over. Now she could drop Hannah back at her house and then Morgan would head home and decompress with a nice relaxing bath. She considered what Pamela Foxschild had told her about not letting her doubts overwhelm her, and it was hard to imagine an author like her having the same struggles that she had. It still seemed a bit surreal.

Just as she was about to reverse out of the parking spot, she felt a paw on her arm and turned to see Hannah in the passenger seat with her recently signed book open to the cover.

“I think you should read this.”

Handing the book over to Morgan, she looked down at what Pamela Foxschild had written. She noticed the author wrote in cursive, so it took a minute to figure out what she’d written.

“To Morgan and her niece Hannah. You are your biggest critic, and while that voice can help you, do not let it overshadow anything you can accomplish in life. If you think you are destined for great things, then pursue them to the best of your ability.”

After she finished reading Pamela’s words, Morgan couldn’t help but smile as a couple of tears slid down her cheeks. After composing herself, she handed the book back to Hannah and reversed the car out of the parking spot. As she drove away, she had a different plan for what she would do after she had gotten home from dropping Hannah off.

She’d sit down at her computer, and write a new story.