“So, you just told the prosecutor that you have to live in an animal shelter because Mr. Stilson’s family doesn’t believe you’re really him, correct?” Troy’s lawyer, Saviour, was saying.
Troy blinked, coming out of his recollections. Yeah, Terry had really sucked so much that even his family didn’t want him back. Despite the angle of attack his attorney was going to use to discredit the skunk, Troy had figured out the real reason Terry wasn’t allowed back. See, if his family acknowledged the skunk as Terry, they’d lose out on the sweet lawsuit they were planning on filing after the trial.
Terry started replying, voice more chittering noises, before the Mass telepathy kicked in. “How could I tell them who I am when I can’t even talk to them?”
“Why not write something out?”
The skunk held up its paws and made a big show of how difficult it was for him to hold a pen on the witness stand.
Troy knew that Terry was being a bit devious here. The skunk had written his name and ‘help me’ into the dirt, which was how animal control had managed to figure out who he was. Terry had been central to forming a case against Troy, since the restaurant’s camera had captured the incident.
“And besides, before this, I had perfect vision, but ever since I transformed, my eyesight is so bad I can barely make out what’s in front of me, much less read the words on a piece of paper. They tried making me glasses but it’s just…” The skunk trailed off, miming a shoulder shrug.
“Perfect vision? Mr. Stilson wore glasses in the video we just watched.”
“I was near sighted, which meant-”
“Please stick to the question. Did Mr. Stilson have perfect vision or not?”
“No.”
“Okay, fine. Let’s say Mr. Stilson had perfect vision for whatever was in front of him. You don’t. Are you claiming my client used the Book of Beast to give you bad eyesight?”
“No, like I was trying to say, they told me at the animal shelter that skunks just have bad-”
Christian cut him off. “Objection, hearsay, Your Honor.”
“Sustained.” The judge, an old bald white guy, said. “You can’t say what other people told you, Mr. Skunk, only what you, personally, know.”
“Aren’t they professionals?” The skunk asked.
“Then they’ll be called as expert witnesses. Continue, Mr. Saviour.”
“Thank you, Your Honor. The question stands. Are you blaming my client for your bad eyesight?”
“I don’t know what he did to me to make my eyesight bad, but I am Terry!” The skunk insisted.
“No further questions, Your Honor.” Mr. Saviour said, winking at the jury.
“The Prosecution calls for Mark Beardsley.” The Prosecutor said.
The skunk was picked up form the stand and carefully set back down in the animal witness box. Then, a large lion was led through the courtroom doors and up to the witness box. It growled as it passed by Troy’s desk.
Troy rolled his eyes. It was still under control. From the looks of it, he was one of the animals he’d sold as a trained animal to Hollywood. Troy really should have been a bit more precise with his commands, then he wouldn’t have these problems.