Hey guys Price here and welcome to the first Chapter of Wonder Bunny: Lance's Story! I know I said I was gonna work on Chapter 3 of Blind, but I read to Chapter 4 of the main story and I couldn't help myself. I got permission from Judith to write this, before you ask, and Lance isn't being forced into the story because he'd gonna be in Wonder Bunny. Yay! I highly recommend checking it out, because it's an absolutely awesome story. There are a few shortcomings with it, but that's fine. I respect the work that goes into it, really, and the shortcomings are extrmely minor. The Chapters to this story will likely be shorter than average (I say that, but I think Chapter 2 of my Whetstone: Mafia story is a prime example of why me saying that can't be trusted), and this is mainly because I don't have much, if any, knowledge on the era the story takes place in. I mean, I know there's a war, a lot of people died, and that's more or less it. History never was my best subject. Anyway, that's enough of that, I think it's time to get...onto the story!
A Red Fox Todd sat in an alley, his eyes closed and clearly sleeping. His stiff posture, however, made it clear he was used to waking up at the smallest noise. He opened his eyes as the sound of pawsteps reached him, making it look like he was simply bored instead of having been asleep.
"Well, Lance, I managed to get us some bread. It ain't much, but it's something, right?" A slightly younger Todd asked, the older one, Lance, chuckling as he caught the tossed offering.
"Yeah, we've got that going for us, at least. Good job, Nick." He said as he bit into the bread, blinking mid bite.
"Lance? What's wrong?" Nick asked, worry in his voice. Lance removed his jaws from the bread,.
"Nothing, just...what kind of bread did you buy?" He asked, Nick looking confused for a moment before he turned his head away slightly.
"Uh, the...slightly more expensive kind." He admitted sheepishly, Lance staring at him for a long moment before letting out a sigh.
"Nick, what have I told you about keeping our expenses as low as possible? You were supposed to buy the cheepest they had so we could save some money for if we needed it." He said with annoyance, the younger Todd looking ashamed. "But, I suppose there's no point crying over it. I know I'm sure tired of the cheeper kind. Might as well eat it." He added, Nick looking apologetic.
"Lance, I'm sorry. I knew I wasn't supposed to, but I just-"
"Nick, I already said there was no point in crying over it. I don't blame ya for wanting to get something better, honestly. Just sit down and eat. We'll discuss what we can do later." Lance interrupted, Nick blinking. He hesitantly nodded and sat down, the Todds biting into the bread. Lance kept his eyes on Nick as the Todd sat across from him, letting out a quiet hum of thought as he finished off the bread.
They sat there, silent for a long moment, before Nick seemed to gain a bit of courage and raised his head.
"We should sign up." He said, Lance's eyes snapping open from where they'd been starting to close. He stared into space for a long moment before he slowly turned his gaze to Nick.
"What?" He asked, Nick blinking. He waspretty sure he'd been clear when he'd spoken.
"We should sign up." He repeated, Lance closing his eyes as a sigh escaped him. He swallowed noticeably.
"Have you thought this through?" Lance asked, Nick nodding.
"I have. It's been on my mind since last week." He answered, Lance lowering his head as consideration swarmed over his mind. On one paw, they wouldn't have to continue hustling and stealing from mammals, which Lance absolutely hated having to do. On the other paw, they would be expected to fight and kill if some kind of conflict broke out. Lance wasn't sure if the benefits outweighed the losses. He didn't want Nick to suffer like he did, every night and day, but at the same time he wanted both of them off the streets.
There was no other choice.
"Alright. Sure thing." He said confidently, Nick blinking at how easy it seemed. He clearly didn't realize just what he was asking for by signing up. If conflict broke out, then who knew what the younger Todd would see and suffer through. It was a hard choice, but Lance suspected it was also the best choice.
Lance stood and stretched, Nick doing the same, before turning and walking out of the alley. Or at least, he intended to, before he saw two Wolves blocking the entrance.
"Uh, Lance?" Nick asked hesitantly, the older Todd sighing.
"Behind us too?" He asked, turning his hea dslightly to look at Nick.
"No." Nick answered, clearly scared.
"Then go. Hide somewhere safe." He ordered, Nick balking at him.
"I can't let you fight them alone!" He said, Lance chuckling.
"Hm, that's cute." He remarked, Nick blinking. "I'm serious, Nick. Go and hide, and whatever you do, don't leave that spot until I come for you. Won't be a minute." He said confidently, Nick hesitating for a moment before nodding. He turned and ran, Lance waiting for a moment before he turned back to the Wolves.
"Well, seems the Fox thinks he can take us alone. What do you say we teach him why Wolves are the superior Predator species, eh, Mark?" The Wolf on the left asked.
"Sure thing, Sean. He doesn't know what he's in for." The other Wolf said, Lance feeling a faint grin touch his muzzle. They charged Lance, clearly intending on overwhelming him, and Lance felt the grin grow larger. He ducked under an attempted swing and planted a paw straight into the first Wolf's groin, drawing a pained yelp from him as he came up and delivered a harsh knee to the larger Canid's head that sent him to the floor.
The second Wolf, undeterred by the obviously skilled Fox easily taking down his friend, tried to grab him. Lance dodged to the side and turned, slamming his elbow into the side of the Wolf's jaw, knocking a few teeth loose. He grabbed the back of the Wolf's shirt and pulled, turning and slamming him against the brick wall.
"You know, the funny thing about being a Fox is that you learn real quick to learn how to defend yourself from threats. You thought you'd found easy targets because we're smaller, but let it be known that I am no easy target. And if you come back and try to harm me or my friend again, I won't be so leniant next time." He punctuated his words by snapping one of the Wolf's digits, the canid howling in pain. Lance grimaced at the sound, then turned and threw him onto the ground. He turned to walk away casually, only to be stopped by the sound of clicking. He turned his head to see a revolver being pointed at him. "Oh you have got to be joking." He muttered, the Wolf chuckling.
"Who's the better one now, Fox?" The Wolf asked bitterly, Lance huffing.
"Well, still me. A gun doesn't make you better in a fight, it just gives you an advantage over the outcome. However..." Lance leaned slightly to the right. "You can't fire a gun with the safety on." He commented, the Wolf blinking in confusion. He tilted the gun away from Lance to observe it, Lance grinning as he rushed forward. He ducked under the arm and reached up, raising it towards the air as the Wolf panicked and pulled the trigger. The gun went off and the sound of panicked screaming from the streets told Lance he did not have much time. He tightened his grip on the Wolf's wrist until he heard the clear sound of a bone breaking, the Wolf howling in agony as he dropped the gun. Lance reached back and caught it, then turned and raised it up and towards the Wolf. He kept his digit resting on the trigger guard, making it clear he would only shoot if he had to, unlike the Wolf who'd kept his digit on the trigger.
Lance glanced towards the entrance at the sound of clicking, seeing a police officer pointing a revolver at him threatingly. The Wolf noticed him too.
"Oh thank god, officer, help!" He said in panic, Lance huffing and rolling his eyes. He backed away from the Wolf and placed the gun on the ground, keeping his paws raised as the officer approached.
"What's going on here?" He asked, Lance opening his muzzle before the Wolf could.
"Me and my friend were on our way to sign up at the military recruitment center when he were stopped by these two Wolves and threatened. I advised my friend to run so he would not be injured trying to help me, and I subdued the Wolves. That one drew a gun and I disarmed him." Lance answered, the cop glancing at the revolver on the ground.
"You can't trust his word! He's a Fox!" The Wolf said, the cop glancing at him.
"Really? I hadn't noticed." He remarked, the Wolf blinking. "Open your coat." The cop ordered, the Wolf staring in shock at the order. "Open your coat!"
"O-okay!" The Wolf said in panic, openign his coat slightly to show the holster at his waist. The cop scoffed and shook his head. He turned back to Lance.
"Are you uninjured?" He asked, Lance nodding.
"I am, sir. Thank you." He said, the cop dipping his head.
"W-wait, what?" The Wolf asked nervously, clearly confused. "What's going on?"
"Well, I think that's a bit obvious. You're under arrest for attempted assault." The cop answered, Lance feeling satisfaction wash through him as the Wolf gained a panicked expression.
"What!?" He asked loudly, the cop sighing.
"Do I need to repeat myself? I said that you're under arrest for attempted assault without provocation. Oh, and also attempted murder." He said, adding the last part like it should have been obvious. The Wolf began to struggle at the words. "Hey, stop struggling!" The cop ordered, tightening the cuffs slightly and making the Wolf yelp as pressure was put on his injured wrist.
"Oh, I should probably mention I injured his wrist disarming him." Lance remarked, the cop glancing at him, then at the cuffs. "Right one." The cop nodded and loosened the cuff once, then pushed the Wolf against the wall.
The second Wolf began to stir slowly, raising his head up as the cop raised him up and turned him around, cuffing him before the Wolf could process what had occurred. He turned to Lance.
"Under normal cirumstances, I would bring you in because that's protocol and we have to ask you questions, but I can already tell I'm gonna have my paws full with these two so I'll let you go. I suspect you'll wanna go find your friend as it is, let them know you weren't the one shot." He said, Lance dipping his head.
"Thank you, sir. I appreciate the fact you were willing to trust my word on this." Lance said, the cop chuckling.
"If I'm being honest, I think Foxes are okay mammals most of the time. Usually it's just because they've been forced to do shady things because nobody wants to hire them or anything. So I try and give them a chance, when I can, even if many others wouldn't agree." The cop said, Lance smiling.
"Well, you have my thanks, Officer..."
"Abberline."
"You have my thanks, Officer Abberline. I hope you live a long and joyful life." Lance said, the cop chuckling as he dipped his head in thanks. They both turned and began walking, Lance going to look for Nick and the cop leading the two Wolves.
It didn't take Lance long to find his friend, but what surprised him when he did was that the younger Todd pulled him into a hug.
"Oh thank God, Lance, I thought you were dead!" He cried, the older Todd chuckling.
"You are of little faith, Nick. I told you I'd be fine." He said reassuringly, the younger Todd chuckling as well at the words.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Nick said, Lance suddenly clearing his throat.
"Do you...do you think you can maybe let me go?" He asked, Nick blinking. He seemed to realize the contact had lasted longer than he'd intended, and he hurriedly let go and stepped back.
"Ah, right, sorry." He said apologetically, Lance huffing in amusement.
"That's okay. I know you're just relieved." He said, ruffling Nick's head between his ears with a chuckle. He glanced up, then back down to Nick. "Now, how about we go ahead and get the sign up out of the way?" Nick blinked, as if the thought had completely left his mind, before he remembered and grew visibly excited.
"Oh, yeah! Let's do that!" He said excitedly, Lance chuckling even as they began walking. They exited the alley and turned, making their way to where the recruitment center was.
They both paused at the doors, glancing at each other. They knew that what they were about to do could potentially spell disaster, but what other choice did they have? It was this or staying on the streets, and when Lance looked at Nick, he felt determined to make sure the Todd would never have to survive off scraps again.
The pair nodded to each other and walked in.
Neither knew that in only three years, everything would change. And four years after that, things would change even further.
And that does it for the first Chapter of Wonder Bunny: Lance's Story! I hope this story is entertaining, and I apologize my imagination and the like has traveled away from what I would have liked to write for you, but I'm honestly quite interested in writing this. I hope Judith is happy with this, as well, because it's really just serving as a buildup and expansion on Lance's character for her story. Again, go check it out, as some idea of the main story may be required. I The majority of this will be before the main story and in flashbacks. Also, for this story Lance is two years younger than Nick, instead of either slightly younger or much younger like he usually is. It's an interesting switch. Next Chapter will take place around the same time as the first and second Chapters of Wonder Bunny, though won't really impact anything. Anyway, this is getting long enough, I'll see you guys...next update. Word Count: 2,531