The parents saw the dejected look on their son's face. They felt miserable for it. Until the segregation was no longer normalized in this society, there would never be any other creature who would respect or care for their son unless he bought them with money, or climbed the ranks in some mind-numbing company after decades of being wasted away. It wasn't a fair society for them, not yet. Would it ever be? That was a difficult, and unfair question.

"Hey bud, how about we go out for ice cream?" The alligator knelt down. He smiled at his son. Tyrone didn't answer, just nodded while he toyed with the sand. It felt scratchy at the sensitive webbing between his claws. "Come on, baby. We'll get your favorite flavor, too." The crocodile helped her son up, and the small family walked to the ice cream truck. Fortunately, there was a small line. It became even smaller when they approached.

"Thanks mommy and daddy." The hybrid child guzzled down his ice cream. He had pink all over his long face, but he didn't mind. Neither did his parents. They were both just pleased that he was focused on something else. The smile on his face was all they needed to feel better themselves.

"You need to finish it all up before we get in the car, Tyrone." His mother dug through her purse for the keys while the family approached the car. His father, on the other claw, was focused on something in between the shops near them.

"Hold on. Something's happening over there." He whispered to his wife. "Daddy'll be back in a moment, okay?" The alligator's friendly expression and tone of voice indicated no problem. But his wife's face said just the opposite. Tyrone stood confused, but ate his ice cream, ever-clueless.

His mother peered over the top of the car. Her brows furrowed in concern. She watched her husband approach the alleyway. Tyrone lowered himself to his belly, and crawled under the car to watch.

Daddy gator spoke to someone. Some sort of canine, Tyrone was sure, because of the ears and tail, and the fangs. Those were really big fangs. Then there was the smell. Any carnivore nearby would be able to smell it. Maybe not the herbivores, but Tyrone found himself salivating. It didn't make sense, because the smell was blood. It reeked of metal and fear. He knew that whenever he scraped a knee, he hated the way it smelled. So why salivate this time?

On the ground near the canine, there was a lump. Tyrone couldn't make out what it was in the dark. He didn't have time to focus on it, for a more pressing matter stole his attention. The canine charged his father.

"Daddy!" The young hybrid yelped. He stared in horror when the jaws of the canine latched onto his father's throat. Then he screamed. From underneath the car, he watched a crocodile rush in from the street, and sink her fangs into the canine's tail.

Tyrone scrambled out from beneath the vehicle, going back the way he came. His heart pounded violently in his chest. His eyes were wide with panic. He realized the world was fuzzy. What happened to his glasses? The little croc crawled once more under the car, reaching for the lens. He stopped when he looked out at the alley, and saw his parents. They stood there. They panted. They stared at the ground. Now the blood smelled different. It was sour, and disgusting. It was like mold fused with a painful scratch. Then there were sirens.

The next thing Tyrone knew, he was sat in a chair at the police station. He had a blanket over him, and a cup of orange juice. His legs beneath the seat. He was nervous. At least he had his drink.

"When am I gonna see my mommy and daddy again?" The croc asked the woman who sat beside him. She was supposed to keep an eye on him, or something. She had a uniform on, almost like the cops did, but not quite. She was an alpaca with beautiful fur, and a large pregnant belly. She looked like she would explode soon! "You'll see them soon, honey. Don't worry." She smiled.

There was no judgement in her eyes, no hatred for what he was. It was the first time Tyrone had ever seen an herbivore look at him like he was an innocent child, and not the scary dragon. He started to cry.

The alpaca woman comforted him as best she could. Fortunately for them both, Tyrone was more curious than sad when her hoof touched his arm. Hooves were strange. They had no claws or wiggly toes, so how did they grab things? And her fur, it was the softest thing he'd ever felt. Tyrone pet her arm, and though she thought it was strange, she allowed it.

They talked about the baby she would have. Tyrone was old enough to know that she had a baby in her stomach, and wasn't just fat. He'd come from an egg his mother had laid. This alpaca woman taught him about something called 'by-oolgy'. It was a science, she said. So, that day, Tyrone learned all about alpaca's, and mammals in general. They didn't lay eggs like reptiles did. They had fur, and wool, and hair, depending on what kind of animal it was. There were so many kinds of them, too. Some of them had paws, some of them had hooves, and there were different kinds of hooves, too. Some of them could glide along the trees, and others could dig for their entire lives and never get tired. Some could sleep standing up, and others could locate food with just their voice in the darkest night. It created a spark of excitement in him, an eagerness to learn. Especially being a hybrid creature, knowing his own 'by-oolgy' was different from even the other reptiles... he felt unique, instead of different. It was so much better than school.

"Maybe he'll be a cop one day and we'll be best friends!" Tyrone placed his claws on the woman. She didn't flinch away like the others. She didn't yell at him, or swat at him. Even with the precious cargo she carried, she wasn't afraid.

She laughed. "They don't let small herbivores be cops yet! I'm definitely going to raise him around here, though. I want him to have an appreciation for the justice system." She rubbed her swollen belly. The baby inside would eventually grow up to be an officer, once certain laws changed. In fact, he would grow up to arrest the small child who was so interested in him before he was born. But the future was a long way from the present, and Tyrone had no need to fear the future.

Until he did.

(Uh-oh! Poor baby Tyrone. It's all making sense why he is the way he is now, right? It's not just his stereotype, he used to be a nerd, honest! Is he still a nerd secretly?

I dunno, have a blessed day my dearest!)