A young possum develops an unexpected friendship with two raccoons following a chance meeting at a small coffee shop.

Raccoon Encounter

Young Lars Simins stands directly behind the counter of the cafe, unable to make up his mind on what he wanted. All he was looking for was something to drink, but he barely had enough to buy what he wanted. Being 17 years old, the possum likely wanted to buy some coffee but he is secretly shaking in his tracks, unaware that nobody is behind him. The wolf manning the register patiently waits for the possum to select something when he directs his attention to the menu above, “Sir, why not start off with something that is your first choice? There is no one behind you.”

“N-no one behind me??” This realization makes Lars take a breather to reset where he digs into his pocket to retrieve his wallet, only to find some loose change inside. The possum deflates, “Aww man!”

While the wolf stares at the possum with a head tilt, the brown canine notices a customer wandering over to meet him - it is an albino white raccoon and he agrees to pay for what Lars wants to get, “I'll cover you. Get whatever you want, homie.”

When Lars turns around to see who it is acknowledging him, he nearly recoils upon discovering the bystander to be an albino raccoon, yet his red eyes aren't holding any sort of malice, only an inviting presence. Before the possum can open his mouth, the raccoon claims, “I get those reactions a lot. It makes me no different. Now are we going to just stand here all day or do I have to actually babysit you?”

Nervous laughter comes from the possum followed by a nervous gulp. “Uh s-sorry. It's just I've never seen a white mammal like you before. Who are you?”

“I'm Ulrich Hayward - freelance mercenary, professional racer, vehicle mechanic. Who are you?” Lars blinks at Ulrich's introduction of himself, thinking the raccoon has grown a second head as regarding some sort of wealthy status. Lars can only whimper upon introducing himself in return. “Lars Simins… I'm a nobody. No one even likes me!”

“Ey holmes, don't say that!” Ulrich countered in reason. “I’m sure there's someone out there that doesn't care what you are. Look, why don't you sit down with us and hang for a bit?”

Lars blinks at the invitation. This is further emphasized when Ulrich points over to a table located to their left, between the counter and a nearby window where another raccoon is sitting and staring out the window while waiting for Ulrich to return.

The possum later accepts Ulrich's invitation to sit with him where they sit across from the second raccoon, who addresses the albino with a thick Greek accent, “I see you return with a friend, Ulrich! Who is the possum next to you?”

Ulrich smirks at Lars while the possum blushes pink. The albino raccoon introduces the two simultaneously with a chuckle, “Okay Tak, this is Lars - a new guy fresh on the scene. He is an upcoming rookie in the making. Lars, this is Tak Armstrong, a local street fighter and aspiring model.”

“A street fighter??” Lars’ eyebrows incline at mention of Tak’s profession as a street fighter. “Are those common in Greece? That's where the first Olympics came from!”

Tak only shrugs and waves off the claim from the possum, claiming, “Eh, street fighting is more common in South America, I think. But you can find it anywhere. As for my hometown, yes, the first Olympics were held in Greece. You know your history well, Lars.”

“Thank you.” Lars blushes while he gazes directly at Tak. The possum seems to be enamored of the raccoon's purple eyes. Suddenly, Ulrich nudges Lars and whispers, “Hey, when we're done, mind if we take a ride throughout the city, maybe run a few delivery jobs?”

Lars nearly jumps from the nudge, snapping completely out of his daydream. He nervously replies with a chuckle, “Uh yeah, yeah. Sure, I’ll tag along…”

Lars begins to chuckle nervously and he takes a swig from his beverage to relax. While Tak eyes the possum warily, Ulrich leans over to whisper in Lars’ ear, “Are you okay, man? You're very jittery.”

Lars stares down at the table, feeling anxious and ashamed. The possum sighs, “There is nothing going on for me. I came here under the impression that I would strike something big out of this. I hardly have any friends and I'm not an interesting person. What does anyone see in me?”

“Honestly, man, that is a good question to think about.” Ulrich considered while staring at Lars. “But you’ll be making something worthwhile out of yourself that you’ll feel good about. Don't worry.”

“Okay, if you say so.” Lars sighed, having no choice. Then again, he cracks a small smile, “Actually, hanging out with you guys wouldn't be a bad thing. Means I have more opportunities to branch out.”

~~~~~

Following their little coffee break, Tak, Lars, and Ulrich later went out for a casual ride. The interior of Tak’s Mercedes A 45 AMG is quite roomy for a sporty hatchback of the W176 lineup.

“So, where are we headed to? Anywhere in particular we're going?” Lars inquired around to find out where they're going.

“A trip to the mall and then we can crash at my place for the time being.” Ulrich reported. “You get a chance to meet my brother too.”

Lars brightens up when Ulrich clutches his shoulder gently. The possum then remarks, “I still can't get over how handsome you look for an albino raccoon, Ulrich. You're quite dashing!”

“Ah, I was born this way - literally. My brother has regular coloring while I'm all white.” The albino raccoon reminded him. Then he adds, “And like Tak here, my brother also has the normal markings you see on an average raccoon too.”

“I can make out the difference, y’know. I'm not a colorblind idiot.” Lars replied, annoyed mildly.

Even Tak throws his two cents in on the conversation. “You have two raccoon figures - one is street fighter, the other is racer. He is professional racing.”

Unfortunately, Lars is unable to comprehend Tak’s broken English due to his Greek accent, so he looks to Ulrich for translation. The albino, however, confirms what Tak has said. “He’s right, homes. Tak is a street fighter, while my brother and I are in the professional racing field, though we dabble a little bit in mercenary work. If you ever see our rides, we can give you a lift.”

“Do you guys race a lot?” Lars asked. It is a simple question that should have a simple answer, but Ulrich waves his hand in a so-so manner, claiming, “It's kinda tricky to answer but it depends on how busy or free we are at the time.”

“I see…” Lars whispered softly. “I'd love to meet your brother, Ulrich! He sounds like a pretty cool guy!”

~~~~~

Following a short trip to the mall where the trio spent a day of exploring and buying new clothes, Lars, Ulrich, and Tak later crashed at Ulrich’s place. After pulling into the driveway, the trio emerge from the W176 when Lars suddenly spots a pair of Type 42 Audi R8 LMS ultra cars in the driveway, one black and one red. The possum dashes up to the two race cars, drooling in excitement where he excitedly squeals, “Are these yours?!”

“The black one is mine and the red one is my brother's. As I said earlier, Clinton and I are race car drivers, but we're both on and off the track.” Ulrich reminded him.

“Can you take me for a ride?? PLEASE??” Lars is practically bouncing on his pawfeet at this point, eager to take a ride in one of the Audi race cars. When Ulrich chuckles at Lars' bouncing energy, a new voice emerges from the shadows.

“We’ll go for a ride - unless you have a helmet.” Enter Clinton Hayward, Ulrich's younger brother. He is a normal colored raccoon, like Tak, but he has yellow eyes instead. And he takes particular interest in the possum’s bouncy mood.

Clinton relates, “I just heard you guys pulling up and I was working on my 86. I had just left to wash my hands when I heard some squealing. I thought it was something wrong when it was just another excited fan. So, who are you?”

“Lars Simins!” The possum answered, still gleefully.

“I’m Clinton Hayward, Ulrich's younger brother. Nice to know we have another fan who adores us!” Clinton remarked, impressed. “Now, let's get some helmets and go for a fun ride!”

~~~~~

Lars’ eyes are wide in intense excitement while riding shotgun with Ulrich in his black Audi R8 LMS ultra, racing down a local highway with Clinton and Tak close behind in the red R8 LMS ultra behind them. The buzzing acceleration from the 5.2L V10 engines from both cars send them hurtling along the highway at speeds in excess of 120 mph and climbing - fortunately, both drivers and passengers are wearing helmets.

Lars whoops in cheer, “This is awesome! I wish I had my license so I can drive one of these things! I am loving this!”

“There's more where this came from but there are no races being held here! You may have a better shot watching us race and getting yourself a permit so you can actually learn how to drive!” Ulrich radiated back in return. “That way you'll experience racing in and out the driver seat!”

“I am kinda nervous about actually driving, though! I can barely read and write as it is!” Lars slipped. Realizing what he just said, he covers his mouth quickly. But Ulrich brushes off the comment and insists, “We’ll help you out, homes! Trust me! You won't be by yourself!”

After taking a tight high-speed left curve, Ulrich slows down to balance his car, with Clinton and Tak directly behind him on his tail. While Lars clutches the passenger seat, the albino raccoon driver increases his braking pressure before finally pulling off the highway and into a small parking lot, followed by Clinton parking next to him on his right. The parking lot, coincidentally, was a Denny's, which Lars has never heard of.

~~~~~

“So Denny's is a restaurant? I have never heard of a name for a restaurant like that.” Sitting between Clinton and Tak on a sofa, Lars has been filled in by the raccoon trio on what Denny's is, and the possum found it to be rather strange. Sitting below the trio on the floor, Ulrich is resting on a mat and together, the four boys are just watching some TV. Suddenly, Clinton switches the TV to the ‘Video’ setting where he announces, “How about we have a game night? Nothing like some good ol’ Need For Speed!”

“Yeah, I wouldn't mind taking turns.” Ulrich agreed. Tak also nodded in agreement, satisfied with the idea of a game night. Even Lars is ecstatic to play.

“I’d love to play some Need For Speed! Now that I think about it, I do actually have a friend that introduced me to cars and racing games. I think I’ll feel completely at home here!” Lars commented in heartfelt warmth.

The quartet of friends play a few rounds of Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2, each of them taking turns - some playing one player sessions and others playing split screen / co-op. Eventually, after many sessions, everyone is tuckered out, where the game and the TV are turned off with everyone falling asleep in the living room. A peaceful, calm ending to a beginning, coming-of-age scene.

~~~~~

Lars Simins belongs to Sunnahal from ToyHouse; Ulrich Hayward, Tak Armstrong, and Clinton Hayward belong to me!