A Goofy Heart CH. 1

A Goofy Heart

'Pete royally screwed up, hah, royally being the operative word here. It seemed that Queen Minnie finally got tired of him, and banished him from Disney Town. For most of us it was like a million dreams came true. But …for Ms. Pete, P.J., and Pistol, a million dreams shattered. It's not easy being the family of a banished person.'
“Wait! Please!” Peg yelled reaching out to one of the men forcing her out of her home. It had been a hard few months for her. The real-estate business fell through, her husband’s reputation before his banishment made clients hard to find. Now, it was impossible. No one wanted anything to do with her and the bills kept piling up. Goofy and Max helped a little bit but they only delayed the inevitable. The man who's arm she grabbed forcibly tore it away from her and threw Peg to the ground.
“Get off me lady!” With that the repo man went back into the house. His partner surveyed the scene uneasily but made no move to help Peg.
“Was that really necessary?”
“I didn't want her touching me. Why are you complaining anyway? It's not like you tried to stop me.” Outside, P.J. rushed over and helped his mother up with one arm, the other was busy holding Pistol to his hip.
“Are you okay Mom?” Peg nodded as she pulled herself up off the ground. Her son stepped back a little bit as he looked up into his mother's eyes. In all of his short life P.J saw his mother as an unbeatable force of nature. But now? The fire was out. Peg had nothing left, and it showed as she staggered down the crosswalk. Her son adjusted his hold on Pistol before stumbling after her. “Hang on Mom! Max said to wait for him and his dad to pick us up!” The now single mother just laughed bitterly.
“Goofy has enough on his plate looking after Max and being the King's Captain. He won't come.” As if sympathetic to her plight, the sky opened up to flakes of frozen water. Pistol started to cry as the snow hit her face. P.J quickly shrugged off his own jacket to cover her. Shuddering slightly P.J. raced to catch up to his mother. The family walked aimlessly around the neighborhood before stumbling into the city.
“Mom? Where are we going?” P.J asked nervously. He didn't receive an answer as the woman just kept walking. Peg didn't make a sound even as she was roughly shoved by a passerby. Everything was numb to her now. The tension agitated Pistol to the point that she started crying in P.J's arms. Her brother frantically tried to calm her down while looking around nervously. He learned from experience that not many people could tolerate a crying baby. “Mom? We need to stop somewhere, Pistol's getting tired.” It was then when Peg finally responded. She silently nodded her head and turned towards the closest alley. As soon as she was out of sight from the main road, Peg collapsed against the wall of a building.
“A nap sounds real good right now...” Blank eyes looked up into the sky and a broken smile split the woman's face. She didn't seem to mind the snow as it fell on her. But her son grew nervous.
“Mom?” She glanced towards him. Another broken smile settled on her face before Peg raised her arm, gesturing for her kids to nestle against her. P.J snuggled as close as he could, keeping his sister between him and their mother. As her arm settled around them, the fight left the tired boy's body. Mother and son watched the sky, neither acknowledging what exactly that they were waiting for. And in the shadows cast by their bodies and their grief, something moved.
But as hope is easily lost, it is also easily recovered. Back in the suburbs of Spoonerville, a red jeep pulled to a stop in front of Peg's old house. The doors opened and out stepped two dogs. Goofy Goof and his son Max. Max looked around worriedly for any sign of P.J and his family.
“Dad... I don't see them...” Goofy was solemn as he watched the repo men take things out of the house and toss them in the yard. One of the men noticed them.
“There's nothing to see here!” Goofy leaned down and whispered into his son's ear.
“See if anyone saw Peg and the others leave.” The boy nodded and ran off. Goofy straightened up just in time to come face to face with the man from before.
“I said-”
“When did they leave?” The cut off threw the other man into a bit of a loop.
“Excuse me?” Goofy took a step forward, getting up close and personal. There was another reason that led to Goof sending Max away. His son didn't need to see this.
“I ASKED when did they LEAVE?” The repo man took a step back. Everyone had heard of Goofy Goof and how he was kind to everyone. But this guy couldn't be him.
“M-mr. Goof-”
“CAPTAIN Goof.” Oh. Oh crap. Each step forward that Goofy took gave the black dog an advantage over the other. By the time Goofy herded him to the door, the jerk was breaking out in a sweat.
“Hey dude! What's taking you so long? Whoa!” It must have been quite the sight to walk in on. A tall hound is towering over your partner. His lip is curled up, revealing an abnormally long FANG. “W-what's going on?” A sharp smile almost split Goofy's face in half. It seemed that these two gentlemen needed to be reminded as to why Goofy was the Captain, and it wasn't because he was friends with Mickey.
Max was getting frustrated. Eight houses! Eight houses where, as soon as he made some mention to the Petes, the door was slammed in his face. What was the deal with these people? Did they think that the Petes had cooties? The boy was thrown from his musings when the door opened to the form of a little red head girl.
“May I help you?”
“Who is it Roxanne?” A voice called from deeper inside the house.
“A boy!”
“WHAT?!” Stomping could be heard as a large man came into view. He moved in front of his daughter before staring the boy down. “Can I help you?” Max gulped and hiccuped a little bit but found his nerve.
“Yeah! Do you know where the Petes went? Sir?” He added as an afterthought when the man's face grew darker. Max held his ground until the man brought up a finger and pointed to the city. “The city huh? Do you know-” SLAM! The black dog jolted a bit as the door slammed shut. Max blinked. “Well then … at least he pointed me in a general direction before slamming the door in my face.” The beeping of a car horn made him turn towards the street. There was Goofy leaning out of the Jeep.
“C'mon Maxie! They left about a half hour ago!” Max ran and got in. “Did you find out anything?”
“Yeah, the guy in the house there told me that they were headed to the city.” Goofy nodded as he pulled out.
“They have a head start on us but we should be able to find them real quick.” The older dog looked up to the sky as the snow started to come down harder. “I hope...”
When they arrived to the city it was clear that Goofy and Max were going to have to split up again. Max turned to his father.
“I'll get out here and see if I can find them.”
“All right Maxie! Meet me in front of that coffee shop over there in half an hour. Okay?”
“Kay.” With that Max ran off into the crowd.
Things weren't looking so good twenty minutes into the search. The young dog knew that he wouldn't be able to go door to door in the city like he did in Spoonerville. Just as Max was about to  turn around the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He looked around and that's when the boy saw him.
He wasn't a guy who would stand out very much; he wore a dark blue cloak over a red uniform. But it wasn't the uniform that made him stand out to Max. It was his muzzle. It protruded out from the shade of the man's hood. A tan muzzle with two long canines revealed in an over bite. Only one family had that facial feature: the Goof family. But Max didn't think he had any relatives working in Spoonerville, nor any with a scared up muzzle. The man was looking at something across the street but he must of noticed the stare because suddenly he turned and looked straight at Max. His eyes were dark brown with a tint of rust. Something about him was so familiar to Max but the boy couldn't place his finger on it. Max was startled out of his musings when the older dog knelt in front of him.
“Are you lost?” The voice was soft, younger than what Max thought it would be. Max shook his head. “Then you better go home. This storm's only going to get worse.” He watched as Max sighed. Then he smirked a bit when the younger dog looked determinedly at him.
“I can't. I need to find my friend and his family.” The boy cocked his head. “But not his dad; he's a jerk.” The cloak shuddered as the man snickered.
“This is a big city. How are you going to find them?” At this Max lowered his head.
“I don't know...” Everything was quiet for a moment. Then the man slowly rose to his feet.
“Nothing for it then. I'll help you.” Max looked up at the man, hope sparking in his eyes.
“Really?” The stranger nodded, a smile on his lips.
“Really, really. But I'm not doing it all by myself.” Calloused hands gentle took hold of Max's. He turned them so that the palms faced the sky.
“What can I do?”
“Think of them. Picture the people you are looking for in your mind. I'll handle the rest.” Max took the words to heart. As he thought of P.J and his family the stranger started to chant.
“I call upon the wind; help us find whom this boy seeks. See what he desires and lead us there.” Max, at first, thought that the guy was pulling his leg. But then the wind picked up around them, pushing away nearby pedestrians. The wind carried up snow, dirt, and ice and centered it in Max's hands. There the matter twisted and pulled on itself until a blue and white butterfly formed. The younger dog giggled a bit when it crawled across his hand.
“A butterfly?” The good Samaritan shrugged.
“What form the spell takes depends on a lot of things.” Suddenly the insect took flight! A noticeable blue glow making it stand out against the cloudy sky. “Time to go.” Max grabbed the man's hand.
“C'mon!” The two dogs weaved in and out of the crowd as they chased the spell. It flew deep into the city before veering suddenly towards an alleyway.
“P.J!!” Max cried. His friend jolted a bit, snow falling from his head. Blank eyes looked at them, before a spark of recognition lit them up.
“Max!” The cat croaked. “Who...?” P.J asked as he finally noticed the older dog with his friend.
“I'm just a bystander. Now let's get you guys out of here.” He gently pulled the boy, who was still holding his sister, to his feet. Then he knelt by Peg. The woman made no motion of acknowledgment. He shook her gently but still there was no sign. A glance to her shadow made him curse under his breath. “Damn.” Turning to the kids he gestured to Pistol. “How's your sister doing?” P.J looked down.
“She's not moving.” He said worriedly.
“Alright.” The man shrugged off his cloak and the boys' eyes went wide. Black, long, and shaggy hair  fell to his shoulders. His ears looked shredded and the scratches on his muzzle carried up to his face. The stranger held the cloak in his hands. “Hand your sister to me.” P.J and Max looked wary at that. But instead of getting mad the elder smirked and nodded. “Good. You shouldn't blindly trust a person. But right now you need to trust me. Your sister depends on it.” The boys shared a look before passing Pistol into the dog's cloth covered hands. He quickly wrapped her in the cloak. Within moments color returned to the girl's face.
“What?” P.J asked as he was handed back Pistol.
“That's a special cloak, I would like it back when you're done.” To exaggerate his point, the elder rubbed his arms and shivered. “Hurry now.”
“Where?” Max asked.
“You didn't decide to search this big city by yourself, did you?” The pup's eyes widened.
“Dad!” A hesitant grin creased P.J.'s face.
“Dude, your dad can warm us up in his Jeep.” The stranger nodded.
“That's sound thinking. You three go and get your dad to bring his Jeep here.” That made the boys pause.
“B-but... what about Mom?” They turned to look at the cat. Peg had not moved one muscle throughout the exchange.
“Your mother is in no condition to be moved. I'll do what I can for her while you get his dad. I promise, but you have to leave now.” Max gently tugged on P.J.'s arm.
“C'mon P.J., lets find my dad.”
Goofy searched high and low for Peg and her children. He leaned against the side of the building to take a breather.
“I hope Maxie is having more luck than I am.” The dog heaved a great sigh as he stared off into space. “Where did it all go wrong?” Memories of happier times filled his vision. He remembered when Max and P.J first met. They were so little! He remembered a cook out they had not too long ago. Peg managed to get Pete to behave. No one knew that right around the corner would be a devastating event. Goofy remembered coming home from escorting the king to find Peg, P.J and Pistol waiting outside his door. Through tears Peg told him of the fate of her husband. He couldn't believe it. But banishment was a serious punishment and one that Minnie was not willing to lift. Goofy was knocked from his musings by a sudden gust of wind. To most people that's all it would be; a gust of wind. But the Captain had spent enough time around Donald to know the truth. Someone was using some powerful magic.
Goofy briefly curled his lip. He didn't have time for this. But twenty minutes later Goofy had no sign of Peg or the others, and his thirty minutes were up. The dog turned back towards the meeting place. As he made his way to the coffee shop Goofy spotted Max. And he had P.J and Pistol with him! But where was Peg?
“Dad!”
“Mr.G!” Both Max and P.J yelled. Goofy knelt and gathered the children to him.
“I'm glad to see you guys.” He leaned back to look at the cat. “But where's your mother?” Goofy's heart dropped as the kids wouldn't look at him.
“They were all together when we found them but Ms. P wouldn't move.” Wait...Who's 'we'?
“Pistol's not moving much either, but she got better after he wrapped his cloak around her.” This time P.J chimed in. It was then that Goofy noticed the blue cloak wrapped around Pistol.
“Can I see her?” P.J nodded and readily handed his sister over. “A Flurry Robe...” Max tilted his head.
“What's a Flurry Robe?” Goofy shook his head.
“I'll tell you later Max. We have to find Peg. Lets head to the Jeep and you two tell me everything about who gave this robe to you.”
Inside the Jeep Max revealed how he met his good Samaritan. As he did that, P.J gave Goofy directions to where they had left Peg. Goofy listened quietly as he navigated the city streets.
“And then he cast a spell to find P.J and the others. It turned into a butterfly.” P.J glanced behind him.
“The spell?” Max nodded.
“A tracking spell.” Goofy imputed. The boys looked to him. He looked tense.
“Dad? Are you mad?”
“No son. It's just that I don't recognize the man you described and I should.” Max cocked his head.
“Why would you know him?” But before Goofy could say anything P.J pointed out in front of them.
“There they are! And Mom's o.k!” Sure enough there was Peg. She was leaning heavily on the stray but her eyes had that spark again. The cat and dog waved as the Jeep pulled up.
“Stay in the car you guys. Max, scoot over a little bit for Peg.” Max nodded as Goofy got out.
“Goofy!” Peg exclaimed weakly.
“Guess the cavalry’s here.” The stranger said. “What did I tell you?” He looked to Goofy. “Do you need any help?” Goofy shook his head.
“No but if you wait a moment I can give you your cloak back.” The other nodded and stepped back. Peg was gently placed in the jeep. Almost immediately she held out her hands for Pistol. Goofy took her from P.J, gently unwrapping her from the cloak. Pistol didn't need it anymore. By the combination of the Flurry Robe and the Jeep's heating unit restored the two year old's energy. The sight of the little girl and mother reaching for each other warmed the captain's heart. “I'll be back.” The group nodded as he shut the door. Max and P.J watched through the window.
“What's Dad doing?” The young dog asked his friend. P.J shrugged.
“Saying thank you and returning the cloak? The guy said he wanted it back.” They watched as the stranger put the coat back on. He nodded his head and replied to something Goofy said.
“That was kind of rude though, wasn't it?” P.J shook his head.
“I don't think so. It's better than him thinking that we somehow tainted the cloak.” Max winced, being forcibly reminded on how his friend and his family had been treated by people.
“That's true.” Max said as Goofy headed back to the driver's side of the Jeep.
“Lets go home guys.” The Captain said as he put the vehicle in drive. As he pulled away Max rolled down his window and waved to the stranger.
“THANK YOU!!!” A laugh and a wave was his reply. Rolling back up his window, Max smiled. “Hey Dad?”
“Yes Maxie?” Goofy called up.
“I wanna be a mage when I grow up!”
The stranger brought his arm down as the Jeep left.
“Oh kid... I wish you the best of luck, you'll need it.”