THE MOTIVE REVOLUTION
A story about everyone's favorite neglected character.
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Oxnard was the best friend.
Each of the hamsters in the clubhouse had their own very distinct personality and each of them was a part of the the puzzle that defined who the ham-hams was the leader, Hamtaro, the naive yet lovable one, Bijou the beautiful french lass ... the list went on. Oxnard was Hamtaro's best friend since they day he had seen the orange and white hamster outside his house. He was always there for him, and rarely a moment passed (outside of the house, that is) when they weren't together. Oxnard was also one of the most polite hamsters you would ever meet, with an affinity for food of all kinds.
Oxnard was also one of the most overlooked hamsters.
Even though Hamtaro and Oxnard were a pair, Hamtaro always got the limelight. Whenever the ham-hams got themselves into danger, Hamtaro was always the one to step forth and save the day. Everyone praised him and looked up to him. Even his owner, Laura, got all the attention from the ham-hams. Oxnard always found himself in Hamtaro's shadow. He had always found himself to be on the shy side, even cowardly. When danger struck poor Oxnard was the first to cover his head and hide. No one ever praised him for saving the day. It was the same old thing every time. He would never admit it, but one might say he had grown jealous of Hamtaro.
It was another typical day at the clubhouse. Unlike some days, all the ham-hams had actually managed to show up. Each of them sat in their reserved spot at the round table with their cups of tea in front of them. The group was chatting amongst themselves. Oxnard was in his usual seat next to Hamtaro and absentmindedly fiddled with his spoon, his head leaning on his other paw. Hamtaro had taken the reins of the conversation.
"... and so Laura said to me, 'Maybe Travis will like it if I bring him a new soccer ball!' I think I might go help her. Any of you guys in with me?" Many of the ham-hams nodded.
"Of course! You know we'd never turn you down," Boss assured him. Hamtaro smiled.
"Hamtastic! But it might not be for a few more days. I still need to get all the details!" Hamtaro said.
Oxnard sighed next to him, and Hamtaro took notice. The others had gone into conversations of their own and not paid attention. "Hey, what's up buddy?" Hamtaro said in his usual cheerful voice. "You look a little down. Is anything the matter?"
Oxnard glanced up at him without moving his head. "No, just thinking about things. Kinda hungry."
"Oh, okay! You're always hungry, aren't you?" Hamtaro said jokingly. "I could go for some sunflower seed cookies right now, if you ask me. I think Boss has some in his cupboard."
"Seed cookies?" Oxnard completely forgot what he was thinking about earlier. Sunflower seed cookies were one of his favorites. "Ohh! Can you ask Boss if we can have any?" His mouth was already watering at the thought.
"Sure thing!" Hamtaro said. He got out of his stool and walked over to where Boss was. Just then, Oxnard scolded himself for losing his train of thought.
Stupid, stupid, stupid! I need to stop being so distracted by food! I need to CHANGE! But seed cookies are so good...
When Hamtaro came back with the platter Oxnard was hesitant at first to take any. But feeling awkward if he didn't he happily munched on one of them. One turned into two, two turned into three, and you can probably infer that the whole plate of cookies was gone in a heartbeat.
Meanwhile, Boss had been discussing ideas with the others as to what to do with the day. After all, it was the end of spring and summer was very quickly approaching. The days had become warm and beautiful, and today was no exception. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and it was even hot out.
"How about we take a hike into the mountains? It would be a perfect opportunity for us to get some fresh air and exercise," Boss said.
Cappy agreed. "Yeah! I think we should all get outside!"
"Sounds radical!"
"Let's do it!"
"Then it's settled!" Boss stated. "To the mountains we go! We'll head up there and return by sundown. Everyone pack your bags and we can have a picnic while we're at it."
The ham-hams cheered and got busy getting ready. Everyone wanted to get out to the mountain as soon as they could so they had the chance to spend more time outside. None of them had been up there since last fall because it was generally too dangerous and slippery during the winter. Oxnard fumbled around for his bag and shoved in as many sunflower seeds as he could carry. Hamtaro came up beside him.
"Hamha! You ready?"
"I sure am!" Oxnard smiled.
Boss led the troop of hamsters out the door and out onto the grass. From there, they made their way to the towering mountains off in the distance. It would be a long walk, but it would be good for them. The ham-hams started off single file but eventually dissolved into some sort of amoeba. Boss, Hamtaro, Stan, Sandy, the more in-shape hamsters, were at the front of the group, while Maxwell, Dexter, Oxnard, and the like lagged behind. It didn't help that Oxnard ate a full plate of cookies before he left. He began to feel a cramp in his side just under his ribs. He clutched at it to try and make the pain go away.
"Let's up the pace, guys! We'll never make it at this rate!" Boss said from the front of the group. Oxnard groaned audibly.
It wasn't long before the noon hour came and the ham-hams settled down for something to eat. It was the perfect place for a picnic, a circular clearing with some trees surrounding it for privacy. Warm sunlight filtered through the leaves. There were even some acorns scattered about, but unfortunately they were all old from last fall and no good. A few of the ham-hams laid down a picnic blanket for them all to sit on. Each of them laid out the food they brought to share with the others.
"So much food! Great job so far, hams!" Hamtaro said.
"Looks delicious, everyone!" Bijou exclaimed. "Let's eat!"
The ham-hams all helped themselves to generous portions of food. Oxnard tried to limit himself, knowing if he ate too much he would only cramp up down the trail. Nonetheless, it all looked too good. Oxnard crammed his mouth full of food.
"We'd have some dessert, too, if Oxnard didn't eat all the cookies!" Boss joked. Everyone laughed at Oxnard with his cheeks full of food. He couldn't help but feel mildly offended at Boss's comment, but was too polite to say anything.
After eating, the ham-hams played some games together before working their way up the mountain again. They packed everything back into their bags and started up the trail again. This time they kept a leisurely pace as they proceeded.
As they continued, a rustling noise was heard in the bushes. Everyone stopped and glanced nervously in the direction it came from. Oxnard gulped nervously. I'm not gonna be afraid ... I'm not gonna be afraid ...
Suddenly a brown shape exploded out of the bush and flew upwards in a flurry of squaking. Oxnard nearly doubled over. "GAHHH!!" The others were startled, but Oxnard had been quite legitimately scared.
"It was just a robin, Oxy! Come on out!" Hamtaro walked over to Oxnard and prodded him, as he had rolled into a tight ball. "Let's keep moving."
Oxnard looked up, rather embarrassed of himself for acting like such a coward. It happened every time, and he couldn't help it. He grew frustrated and angry with himself and with Hamtaro for no particular reason. I'll show you next time! I will!
The ham-hams kept moving. Sunset was nearing, and the air had grown cooler as the night approached. They had made it quite a ways up the mountain and had just made it to an overlook with a spectacular view of the wilderness. The pine trees formed a green carpet all around in the distance. It was there that they decided to take a break.
"We'll hang out here for a while and then head back to the clubhouse. Sound alright with you guys?" Boss asked. Everyone nodded their heads. "Just be careful, okay?"
Oxnard was taking in the view from the cliff when Hamtaro ran over by him in a hurry. "Hey! Wanna play tag with us? Everyone's gonna join!" Oxnard agreed to without hesitation.
Cappy was the first to be "it". The ham-hams all ran circles around him, shouting gleefully and teasing him. Finally, Cappy got a paw on Howdy and now everyone was running from the red-aproned ham. Everyone was having so much fun, including Oxnard, that he had forgotten about even being angry about anything that day. He took in the sights, the sounds, the smells of summer approaching, and the joy of being with all his friends. The sky had turned a stunning golden orange color as the sun began to sink behind the mountaintops. The ham-hams looked to be enjoying themselves, as well. He truly loved their company.
Suddenly the serenity of the scene was obliterating with a piercing yell. "Aaahhhh!!" The sound of tumbling pebbles accompanied it. The scream was heard by every ham-ham, who looked over to see Hamtaro had disappeared over the edge of the cliff.
"Hamtaro! Hamtaro!" Bijou yelled. She sprinted to the edge of the cliff as fast as she could muster, careful not to go over herself, with the rest of the ham-hams close behind. More pebbles slid off the edge as she skidded to a halt. Peering over the side, all they could see was an orange ball grasping onto a small branch about a foot below. Hamtaro was alive, but he wouldn't be much longer if they didn't get to him quickly. The weak twig would not hold for very long. Awaiting below him was a 40 foot drop into the abyss.
"We'll get you Hamtaro!" Bijou called down to him. She had tears in her eyes.
"Don't panic, ham-hams! We can do this! We've always overcome in the past!" Boss reassured everyone. "We need a volunteer to go down there and help him up!" he barked. No one answered him,
Oxnard had broken into sweats out of anxiety. He couldn't just let Hamtaro fall. He had to be brave. I can do this! Just this once!
"Me," Oxnard said, stepping towards Boss. "Let me rescue him." None of the ham-hams had expected him to come forward.
"You sure?" Boss asked. "Someone else can do it. It's no big deal." Oxnard nodded and gulped.
"You're awfully brave, Oxy!" Maxwell said.
Boss gave Oxnard the orders. "We just need you to climb down slowly to lift him up off the branch and help him climb up to the edge. Be very careful, but hurry! We may not have much more time ..."
Oxnard took no hesitation and climbed over the edge of the cliff. His paws shook when he saw the drop, but refused to give up. His friend was in trouble, and he was going to save the day. When he finally reached the small branch Hamtaro was hanging off of, he could see that it was beginning to fail. "Thank you so much, Oxy! You're wonderful!" Hamtaro said gratefully.
"No time! We need to get you back up there!" Oxnard grabbed his friend's paw and lifted with all his might, careful not to lose his own balance. When he was sure he had a firm grip on Hamtaro, he hooked his paws back onto the rocks and began ascending the cliff. All of the ham-hams were watching nervously.
Oxnard's paw reached the top, and Hamtaro jumped off and towards the ham-hams. Everyone cheered. "Yeah, Oxnard! You're the ham!"
He was overtaken by pride. Oxnard had finally saved the day, and now he was the hero! Yeah! I did it! I really did it! I really ...
The rocks crumbled beneath his paw. Oxnard did not even have the chance to regain his grip, and he tumbled backwards in a final moment of glory. The ham-hams watched as his body flipped in midair as he plummeted onto the unforgiving ground below, a sick thud heard as he made contact. Crimson red ichor poured from his mouth and nose, his head twisted sharply to the side. His arms lay next to him and unnatural angles, his body broken. Streams of blood made their way through the pebbles he rested on.
Oxnard was dead.