The Other Side of the Coin

[101 Scout1]

"No, Charles, it's not just about that... The reason we threw out the tea was that exact reason, too. It's everybody's tea, and everybody had to pay for the raised taxes. Your king placed that tax because we all drank it, and it's only another tact to keep the weak down. It's a message, and a strong one," He said genuinely. "I don't expect you to understand, Charles. You've always played on the safe side... I'm not going to change your mind, I only ask that you don't expect me to give up on this..." The rebel shook his head before his friend spoke again and his brow furrowed. "Charles, if either of us is delusional in this, it's you. Do not belittle my mental capacity because I believe in the goodness of people... I'm well aware that this may seem nearly impossible, but it's the hope for change that I believe in. That's all we need, and with the right planning, I think it could work... It will be a revolution for not only our small colony, but for the entire world... Think of it, Charles, a government which cannot control the people without their consent; a government that we control ourselves..." He said before shaking his head.

"But whatever..." He put his hands in his vest pockets again as they left the alley, looking back to his friend. "Alright, well... It was nice to see you again, Charles... Hopefully I'll see you around, keep an eye on the paper," he said with a farewell-nod, turning the other direction to walk away. He huffed tiredly, Nobody in England took me seriously... People here do, he doesn't get it... He thought to himself sadly, Charles was always so mature... so refined... I wasn't cut out for it, that doesn't make me any worse of a person... I hated that rules were always made for me... That I had no say in anything... Why is society so repressive? It's seventeen-seventy-three... In this day and age we should be so much more advanced... The wolf pulled a set of keys from his pocket as he approached a door. It led to the first floor of the location where the printing press was run, he lived in one of the upstairs apartments. The man shut the door behind him and began to ascend the staircases to the third floor, where his living space was located. The rent was a fair deal, as he worked in the building as one of the more popular writers in town.

The sun had been going down, but he wanted to get his thoughts down on parchment before he went to bed, so he readied his pen and began to scrawl across the paper material with intense focus. Of Jack's columns, the one which revolved around liberation and the philosophical analysis of oppression and class lines was the one that received the most attention, both positive and negative. It was truly inspiring... Jack was very intelligent and free-spirited, his mind worked on different levels all the time, and he always loved to break things down and look at how they'd affect the future... He was an amazing philosopher, but sometimes his views were overly liberal and even a little too open-minded for other rebels sometimes. However, they were rather accepting of him, as he was completely outcast by the conservatives and the loyalists. But there were other things about him, things that nobody knew... things he didn't care to share with the world, nor did he ever plan to.

As the wolf finished his column, he folded it in half and stood from his desk, blowing out the candle which had lit it before strippin gdown to his undergarments and climbing tiredly into bed. It had been a long day... The column for tomorrow would actually be quite big, as he detailed the significance of the Tea Party to their movement as well as a few things he'd discussed with Charles, without mentioning any names or specifically quoting the encounter.

[SebasChan]

Char held his head in his hands, still kneeling at the pew reserved for his family. To his right was his oldest surviving child, William, who was turning four just next week. Mary was on his left, barely two and still extremely wobbly on her paws. She was clinging to Char's jacket while sniffling. She couldn't understand why she couldn't wear her favorite yellow dress, or why Mama was sleeping all through Mass in her favorite dress that she only ever ever wore to Papa's army parties. Char didn't have the hear to tell her yet. William was being as strong as a three year old could. He had his small paws pressed together as his big, golden eyes were tilted toward the altar.

Mary was steadily becoming more and more bored as everyone else left the church to go home. They had paid their respects, but they truly did not know the tawny wolf. So petite, meant for a relaxing life. Not one full of tending to a home with little to no help from servants. A life of nursing her own children and teaching them all they must know. There had been no tutor just yet, Char had simply not had the time to find one he found proper for his family. He needed to. He needed to find someone to watch the children, and another to nurse the newest pup. The pup that his wife had died trying to give to him. His second living son, third son total: Jonathan James.

Standing, he popped Mary onto his hip and tucked her head against his shoulder. Walking out into the sunlight with William clutching his left hand. When they headed toward the carriage, William suddenly let go of Char's hand and began to run toward the graveyard. Fear gripped the eldest wolf by the gut and sent him reeling after his son while still cradling Mary to him, to keep her head from bobbing erratically.

"Uncle Jack! Uncle Jack!" The male pup laughed, throwing himself headlong at the far taller canine, clearly aiming to grab his knees like he would to Char when he came home from a day of working or hunting.

Seeing his old friend right in front of the newest grave made the father stop and blink a few times, adjusting his daughter. "May God be good... Johnathan?"

The graveyard was small, as after the war Char had his family move to the countryside. It was outside Boston, but he has to leave the city to escape he memories of old patrols with fallen brothers, of events that had started the awful war. Now he lived in the United States of America, and his children were American citizens unlike their parents. They would live and die in this small town of farmers and tradesmen, or move to their birth town, which was only thirty miles away. Two days by carriage and one day by horse if they pushed their mount. Char saw this as the best solution. It had been the best solution for three months, until his dear Anne had gotten milk fever. Had he not moved the family... Perhaps there would have been a doctor experienced enough to save her.

[101 Scout1]

A wolf stood before the fresh stone in the graveyard, wearing a dress uniform coloured in blue. It had been several years since the Tea Party, and when the war started, he and Charles had gone their separate ways. Now, upon his chest, were a few medals and badges; he'd fought in several battles and had even been at Valley Forge... The fight for what he believed in had changed him beyond understanding... The bright-eyed, excitable wolf he once was was difficult to see anymore. He was grizzled, and though he had no regrets, the wolf was somber now, matured... aged. He had watched his brothers die from starvation, plague, fighting, and cold; all of it altered him entirely, he pushed the memories away. It was a wonder he was still alive today, given all that he faced.

The name on the grave was that of his old friend's wife. When he'd found out that Charles was still alive after everything, he had come back to Boston to see him again, hoping that the war was not so devastating on him, seeing as he was part of the side that lost. It was difficult enough to find the man, so far from where they'd first seen each other in America, but to see him with a family was heart-warming... Johnathan couldn't help but be grateful that the man could live past everything and find a home, despite what he had been initially fighting for. They were still distant, however, and so they only met every now and then throughout the year. Jack had gone back to writing in Boston, and he loved living in the city. He released a novel which outlined the horrors of many different battles and events, much of it based on true events which he himself had witnessed, but much of his own story had been left out, as he chose to discard it from his mind.

His columns were still going quite well too, though they were slightly more spaced out. His book had been a moderate success, and the royalties were enough for him to relax in his life, but something in him just felt done... He was so tired of living how he had been after the war, he was ready to settle down. Quite honestly, before the revolution, had one told him that he would be tired of Bostonian life and would want to settle down would have been absolute blasphemy! But apart from everything in his life, he'd tried his best to keep in touch with Charles and Anne, watching their children grow... They were such nice children, but Jack did quite a bit of traveling, to New York and up and down the rest of the coast, he could only see them every couple of months, trying his best to keep around them. They had asked him a few times when he was going to stop, slow his life down, marry a girl, and start a family of his own; the wolf never directly answered, he only laughed it away. He couldn't bring himself to tell them who he was... Nay, what he was. There had only been one person that knew his secret, and he died at Valley Forge a short while after they'd grown close enough to share it.

Johnathan was snapped from his reflection, a tear rolling over his cheek for Anne... He had never expected her to be taken, they were such a happy family. They didn't have everything, but they loved one another, and were all happy together. A voice called out his name from behind him and he subtly brought a hand up to his eye, wiping away his tear as he cleared his throat, turning around with a smile to pick up the small boy. The smile was a mask, but the children wouldn't notice, he was so good at hiding his feelings by now that he had always been the fun "Uncle" Jack.

He hugged the boy comfortingly against his torso for a moment before lifting him up against himself, "Well hello, William," He said to the boy. "Where's your father at?"

His uniform was neatly pressed and he actually looked quite striking in it, but he did not bring his hat with him. The idea of Johnathan being caught dead in any kind of formal dress would have once been astonishing, especially a military one. However, it would not be surprising that he had decided to leave behind the cap, as his being would not allow him to conform completely, even if it was some small form of rebellion.

The wolf caught sight of his friend and turned his gaze to the man who was chasing after his son with a small smile... However, his eyes held apologetic reluctance and pity as he stepped forward. "Charles..." He said quietly, looking his friend up and down, "I'm..." The wolf shook his head, deciding not to speak about it in front of the children. "How are you, brother?"

[SebasChan]

Char gave a deep sigh of relief as he saw that his son had run toward someone, instead of simply away from him. Putting his daughter do so that she could run toward his friend as well. He took off his hat with one hand so that he could adjust his hair. It was clear he needed to bathe from his hair, but at the same time he hadn't had the time to haul the water. His children were clean and well presented, but he hadn't given himself the time of day. Putting his hat back on, to complete his dress uniform, he walked up to his old friend to pull him into a tight, one-armed hug.

"I am tired. Very tired," he sighed, stepping back after a moment to help Mary untangle the hem of her dress from a tangle of thistles that hand't been removed yet. "Being one parent to three is difficult. Very tiring, especially when the house is hardly even complete."

William was happy being the one off the ground for once, as lately Mary had been carried everywhere by their father. He looked up to his uncle then laughed and patted the top of the older wolf's head. "Uncle Jack, you left your hat! Why would you do that?" Laughing, the young boy ruffled his "uncle's" hair before swinging his legs a little, hugging himself to the lighter wolf. He had his father's black pelt, but also had his mother's tawny colors speckling his ears and completely covering his paws.

Mary, on the other hand, was a mirror image of her father. She was a little black ball of bouncing fur, except as of late. She had refused to leave her father's side since the night her mother was carried out of the house. Now, though, she was willing to hold onto the other male, at least for a little bit. With her dress finally untangled, she reached for Johnathan again with a bright smile painted on her muzzle. She charmed just about every creature she found, whether it be something she would beg Char to become a pet, or a caretaker.

"What brings you here after so long, Johnny? I didn't expect you for another month or so. Come, we should get in the carriage so we can go to our new home. I'm surprised you found us, as we only have just moved to this town. It's truly delightful, but it is still very new to us. I must get home at any case. Our neighbor said she could only watch the pup for two hours, and we are growing quite near to that mark. I wouldn't want her to refuse us at an inopportune time." With that, Char started to head back to the carriage, hoping that his friend would follow.

After waiting a month for the ground to soften so that his wife might be buried, Char was tired of waiting. He had waited for the funeral, waited for his house to be finished, for his son to get over his colic, for William to stop having nightmares... Still he was waiting on many things and he couldn't be bothered to wait for many other things. He didn't want to wait to stop being tired, but he knew he would have to. Perhaps he would have an opportunity to get some rest now that Johnathan was here... He could ask the other male to watch his children just long enough for him to finalize a few last matters concerning his wife's death and his son's birth.

[101 Scout1]

"Because, William, it makes my head itch," He stated teasingly to the cub, reaching down to the little girl and lifting her up in his other arm.

The children looked quite opposite to him, as he had lighter fur in grey and golden brown, while they were both quite similar to their father. His gaze shifted to their father sadly, sucking the inside of his cheek for a moment as he allowed his friend to speak. He had wondered where the baby was... The poor child would never see his mother's face... The other two would not be able to recall it after years to come, but at least they would have had time with her. Jack shook his head as he easily held the two little ones in his arms, though he noticed how heavy they'd been getting; soon enough, they would be too big to be carried about.

"Actually, Charles... That's what I came to talk to you about... After everything that's happened, I was hoping that I could find a place with you. We have been apart for some time and I would be more than happy to look after the children and help you with anything else you need... I brought some money with me and I sold my apartment in Boston," He explained. "I know that it seems very spur of the moment, but if you do not wish that I stay, I can find another home with the money, I was ready to move anyhow."

He walked after his friend toward the carriage, helping the children into it as they loaded up, "I can send for my things this afternoon or in the morn, I have a bag at the inn where I stayed last night for clothing... I would appreciate it greatly if you would allow me to stay with you for some time, while everything smooths over," He said, looking to his friend. "Besides, your neighbour will not always be available, nor will she be for long periods of time, but I can be... I could watch over the home while you are away," He stated with a small shrug, "I do not mind it, truly... I've been needing to relax for a while, actually."

Jack was being completely honest, he would love to stay with the children and spend some time with others again, as it had been quite some time since he had been able to do so. Of course, from time to time he would be around other adults, but with the end of the war came an inability for Johnathan to continue networking himself. Those of his friends who lived had started their own lives or moved away from Boston, he had grown to be quite alone, even in the most crowded of places.

[SebasChan]

Char moved Mary to his lap the second she was in the carriage, knowing she had a habit of trying to not only look out the window, but stick the majority of her upper body out it. He sat as he waited for the pups to be properly settled and for Johnathan to climb in as well. Once the door was securely closed, he cleared his throat. "I don't need money. I just need a woman to help take care of the children. The only reason that we haven't starved is because the army taught me how to cook through necessity," at that William wrinkled his nose and reflexively folded his arms across his chest, clearly in protest of the food, "and the same for having clean clothes."

He sat and listened to the rest of what Johnathan had to say, kissing Mary's paws when she pressed them into his face. Johnathan's proposal was an advantageous one, for him at least. Having another adult in the house would be helpful no matter who they were. The fact that it was his friend who was dying to settle down would only help the matter. Grinning, he leaned back and kicked his feet up onto the seat beside Johnathan. "Aha. Well... How could I say no to my oldest friend?" He chuckled, closing his eyes for the twenty minute ride home.

Once they reached their home, Char was the first one out of the carriage with his daughter on his hip. Entering his house, he was quick to add the infantile pup to his arms, as it would seem the neighbor was quick to leave the house for her own. This pup resembled its mother far more than the rest of them. He had the same tawny fur as his mother had, and her eyes. The only thing that removed the doubt of who it should call father were the black circles around its eyes, making the green orbs seem even brighter. As Char juggled his youngest pups, William came jogging in and grabbed onto his father's trousers.

"William Reginald please. Just let me set Jonathan down and then it will be your turn. He hasn't seen me all day." He sighed, setting his youngest child in a wooden cradle before also setting Mary down. Her being set free meant that she saw this as the best opportunity to run around. She would run from her father to his best friend, no matter where they were in the house. While Char was carrying William, she knew her father's hands were too full to stop her from doing much. "Now... Ah..." Shifting the four year old on his hip, he set his hat on a hatrack just beside the door. "Your bags. You will have to go collect them for yourself at the moment. The inn's only half a mile from here, though. Not too bad."

[101 Scout1]

William had found refuge in Johnathan's lap when they climbed into the carriage, and he leaned back in the seat somewhat tiredly as his friend accepted the offer. The wolf smiled contentedly, "Thank you, Charles, I'm happy to help." The man looked to the children, "Don't worry guys, I'll have time to cook," He consoled them with a laugh, though they seemed to become rather excited at the prospect.

Jack was surprised at how tame the small boy in his lap was as he rested his hands on the young canine's head, rubbing behind his ears. The former soldier climbed out of the carriage as they arrived at the house, and William shot inside after his father. Jack entered the home a few moments later to hear the father speaking to William, and he raised an eyebrow as he entered the room.

"Charles, for some reason, I doubt you could lift me, I'm okay, make time for Wil-" He started before his breath caught in his throat.

Charles was holding a very small pup; Jack knew that Anne had died giving birth, but what caught him unawares was its name... The two had really named their youngest pup after him, and he stood in shock, his eyes wide as a hand came to his mouth to cover it. He blinked a few times to keep a tear from coming to his eye, clearing his throat as he shifted his weight between his feet. When Charles mentioned the inn and his things, Jack cleared his throat and straightened his jacket, "R-right... I'll go get that in a few, if you don't mind me taking a horse, I can be back much sooner..."

The wolf grabbed his friend's arm from behind, before he had picked up William and leaned in to his ear, "Did you really... n-name him Johnathan?" He asked nervously, looking to his friend with wet eyes, still fighting the tears. He was touched, really, and he couldn't believe it... he had figured that Charles didn't care so much about him anymore... Of course they were friends, but after all they'd been through and their distance now... he would still name a child after him?

[SebasChan]

The children were laughing when their Uncle Jack said that their father couldn't lift him. William waved at his uncle as he came in, then hid his face in his father's neck. He was still only three, but tried to act like a man whenever he could. Someone new in the house did not fall under that timeframe, though. As the adults talked, he sucked at his thumb and watched his little sister tear about the house. She was very good at exhausting herself, which he heard Char thank God for every day. He didn't quite understand it, as he liked to play with his sister, and it was no good if she was always sleeping right after lunch, and then after dinner too!

"Of course I named him after you. I named my first pup Reginald, just like I had said I would, but..." he grimaced, and hid the expression by taking care of his oldest child, "You remember, he didn't make it past the cradle. Then we had William Reginald, after our first king and my dear friend. Then my little Mary Elizabeth, after two great queens of our home. It also helps that there is this wonderful university down in Virginia, which reminds them of the great Queen Mary and King William, who are forever honored by new generationsn learning about them in such a prodigious institute. Finally..." He turned to face the cradle, his expression far more sad now, and his tone more soft than matter-of-fact. "We had Jonathan James. After my dear friend, and my father."

Silent for a few moments, Char tucked his son's head against his own shoulder then kissed the top of the pup's head. "In any case, these are the three children, and I know you're well acquainted with two of them already." The ironic thing about that, was Mary had managed to grab onto Johnathan's leg and hold onto him, even as he walked. It caused her father's face to go crimson, but before he could safely stoop down to her level, without falling as he was still holding William, she darted under the family bed and into a back corner. The only reason anyone knew she was there was that you could hear her constantly giggling and occasionally sneaking out a paw to rock the cradle.

"Use any horse you like, just remember that Cincinnatus, the big thoroughbred, is still as tempermental now as he was when we met each other on the battlefield. He still prefers being at home than being at war, and I can't say that I blame him." Char was keeping a close eye on his two youngest children, barely making eye contact with his friend.

"Mary, stop rocking the cradle before you disturb Jon-" He paused, trying to find a way to differentiate between the prodigal friend, in his mind, and the pup in the cradle. "Before you disturb James. Why don't you go... Go find your doll, yes, and you and William can start bickering over what you want Uncle Jack, is it? to make for supper." Setting down William, the two of them tore off to the attic, where all the children's toys were kept. That way, when Char had company over, they were out of sight and not underfoot.