Sammy and Jessy found a happy looking bus stop, with pictures of Micky Mouse, a space shuttle, Free Willy, palm trees, and a set of keys drawn on it. There was also a picture of George Washington. There was a mix of nonsense numbers and emoticas next to each one that the raccoon and fox babies read without trouble.
Also, the bus stop had a roof and walls that double as a great jungle gym. And playing on it right now was an armadillo baby fur with a pink diaper.
On the bench was a pin backpack with lots of smilie face stickers on it.
"Hi! I'm Sammy The Fox!" "And I'm Jessy The Raccoon!" They both greeted without hesitation.
"My name is Amy! Amy the Armadillo!"
Sammy didn't even THINK about really asking her what her surname had been before she was a baby fur, in spite of his now toddler world view, Sammy's brain felt wired that Sammy could know a hundred armadillos all named Amy and they'd all still be unique individuals to him that he'd somehow instantly know WHICH Amy The Armadillo was being talked about it, it was so natural that Sammy didn't even question it, it was just... so natural.
Amy kept climbing up and down the jungle gym that doubled at the boss stop, being as angle as a spider monkey rather than armadillo. "Sooo! Where are you headed?" She smiled at them upside down.
"We're going to go see the First Fur!" Sammy said.
"Hmmm." Amy blinked, then still upside down looked closer at Sammy The Fox, then grinned. "Cool! ... you're one of those, I can see it in yer eyes."
She never once stopped her gymnastics routine for an audience of two on the monkey bars as she spoke, sometimes even speaking side ways as she constantly moved about.
"Like one of what?" Sammy asked. All Baby furs were Baby Furs, there WERE NO 'those', the very idea felt scan-dell-licious.
Amy smile and nodded and said politely. "You're like me. Did you really think you were the only one? Maybe it's because you've never seen a Not-Friend in person yet, but trust me, if you saw a Not-Friend, you'd want to make friends, on the spot, it's our nature. Oh I mean outside one of those cool space suits they wear whenever one wants to visit!
"But really, you want to go meet the First Fur, just like I did. And meet Cheetah, Bunny, and Horsey, those were the first friends she made by the way, and yeah, those the names they go by now. Sorta a badge of honor, or cause they were first baby fur born who were those animals, or like how some when they join a new faith change their names, who knows? But yeah, meet her, and find out way to make us all Not-Friends again. Or find a way to make all the Baby Furs just live in one spot away from the Not-Friends safe."
"I... I want a way so Not-Friends can become friends, without becoming friends."
"OH!" She grinned. "That's what I wanted too! I'll admit that's a rare one. You ARE like me!" She flipped onto the ground, then hugged Sammy, then flipped back onto the bars without missing a beat. Jessy didn't felt a flicker of jealous or alarm, after all, there was no rule that said you couldn't have more than one bestest friend.
"I traveled all the way to her big sand castle, and meet her... and I found out the truth." Amy shuddered in a very un-baby-fur way. "I made a promise not to tell... but if the lab-coat kids figure it out, they're free to tell everyfur I was told! ... But maybe they shouldn't... it might darken the reason we REALLY exist. And why it's important that everyone in the world becomes friends. The Not-Friends would never believe it. They won't believe it. They can't believe it. Cheetah, Bunny, and Horsie said they TRIED."
Sammy's eyes widened in awe. Amy was like him? But she met the Baby Fur and found something out? "What do you mean?"
"... Us becoming baby furs... wasn't an accident... and it wasn't because some lonely Not-Friend wanted everybody to be friends, or because some greedy Not-Friend wanted to rule the world, or some silly Not-Friend wanted to clean up all the litter and dirty water in the world. It's a lot lot bigger than that. SUPER DUPER BIGGER!"
"I... I still want to meet her."
"OF COURSE you do! You wouldn't come all this way if anything I could say would stop you! You HAVE come a long way right? Really? THAT FAR? Cool! Maybe I should visit Frankie Town! I can invite my grandpa!"
"I.. I just want Not-Friends to make the choice con-shelf-lee to be friends."
"I did too. Not she didn't wave a magic wand and make me agree with her, shame on you for thinking that. But I realized somethin'! Why aren't Not-Friends fleeing the cities? Or blowing up bridges? Can't change what's blown to pieces. Or laying down big walls in our way? Or writing shameful words from mommies and dropping leaflets on us? Not-Friends are foolish, not stupid. They already figured out that suit to deliver the latest movies after all. Even if it really makes no sense."
She stuck out her arms straight out in front of her and kicked her legs with her knees locked. "The zombies have come!" She then did a cartwheel. "But the 'make yourself go asleep and never wake up' around the world have been going DOWN, and even normal 'go to sleep and never wake up' have begun to go down. when with the panic and fear from the end of the world, it should be the opposite. Even if it's all the Not-Friends being sort-of-friends by have a really big 'not our friend' to think about, it doesn't make much sense."
"How do you know all that?" Sammy asked.
"Oh that's easy!" Amy said, and she pulled out of her backpack a plastic fisherprice like toy that looked vaguely like a lab top. But when she randomly pushed some of the toy buttons (resulting in rings, and squeaks, etc), a news site run by the Not-Friends popped up.
"Not-Friends screamed and panicked when the First Fur appeared... now... there's gotta be at least a hundred million of us at this point," She did the jingle from the Flintstone kids vitamin commercial, "and growing. Our magic is effecting things already just by us EXISTING, heck, once there gets to be billions of us, maybe Not-Friends will start turnin' into friends on their own."
This was news for Sammy... at least it meant he didn't have to worry as much as poor Not-Friends doing something foolish to themselves as they got more scared.
"So... you really promised not to tell?"
"I know the answer... I was told... but it would make your quest kinda pointless if I told you... but I will give you a hint. Trust me, it's not just some vague thing that you can use for anything later. I'd be reading a fortune cookie if that was the case. Our universe is a barrier. And we're all links in the chain. That's all I can say. Sorry I can't tell you more. I promise if you get to the first fur, she can give you answers."
A bus, driven by a cute little walrus boy in a purple diaper drove up headed 'up on the map.'
"This is my bus!" Amy said hopping on.
"Where are you going?" Sammy asked.
"I wanna see Washington!" She smiled.
Sammy smiled back, that sounded cool. "Please take a picture of you with Mr. Linchon's statue for me okay?"
"Okay!" Amy waved and nodded as the bush closed and drove off.
Immediately after, a bush going in the opposite direction arrived. "Hiii!" Said the lamb driving the bus. "Hop on board!"
Sammy and Jessy held each other's hands and skipped on board.