The Bitter and the Sweet
Author's Note: I never thought I'd be writing an Animaniacs fan fic in my life, but that was until I re-watched the show on the SUPER sweet DVD pack they just released, Animaniacs Volume 1.
I've never realized how loveable and enjoyable Rita and Runt's cartoons were until I saw them at an older age. I really like these two and I just couldn't help but write a story about them.
This is my first chance at an Animaniacs story, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy Rita and Runt!
And now on with the show!
Chapter 1: The Bitter
"Get out……get out……GET OUT"
Clattering pans and pots smashed through windows and hallways as a loud, savage voice shouted with a furious howl of anger and hatred. A pair of scampering furry creatures could be seen fumbling, and bouncing their snow white paws across the wooden floors of the local restaurant, in the kitchen to be precise.
"Boy, there are lots of yummy foods in here Rita, don't you think? I like yummy foods don't you, don't you like yummy foods?" Runt chirped.
Rita gulped "Less yakking more tracking".
The cat and dog duo frantically pumped their furry limbs towards the door as the enraged waiter screamed and hurled a sauce soaked, stirring spoon at the scrap scarfing strays. Rita and Runt howled as they ducked into the deepest, darkest, most secluded alleyway they could find and buried themselves in a rusty, tombstone colored trash can.
The black haired waiter snarled under his long, snooty moustache "Where in blazes did those filthy little flea ridden creatures go?".
Rita and Runt huddled deep under the trash can, holding their small noses in revulsion at the fowl smelling contents of their metallic hiding place. The waiter's loud, clicking shoes could be heard farther and farther away. The street smart cat sighed as she finally poked her head out of the filthy can.
"Hey Runt, I think we gave him the slip" Rita said.
Runt smiled "Hey Rita, there's some fish down here. Real tasty too, it's all bony and it tastes like mud, definitely mud……I like mud don't you?".
The silver colored cat simply sighed and hanged her soft, half cut cat ears down at the rim of the garbage can in surrender. Rita had never fully accepted Runt's simple minded view of the world, but then again, she knows he can't help the way he is.
The cat sighed "Mud……that's what our life has been reduced to……mud. Day after day, night after night, home after home, we get booted out on our cold furry rear ends. It's a really annoying routine if you ask me".
The husky, slobbering dog poked his brown, furry head out from below the can and stared at the sad and sorrowful Rita. Runt frowned and shamefully stared down at his twiddling paws.
"Boy, I sure hate seeing Rita like this" Runt thought to himself.
The female cat stared at the sky, the heavens, the stars, anywhere to escape the cold, fowl smelling world that she regretfully called reality.
Runt whimpered "I did a bad thing again didn't I Rita, definitely, definitely bad. I'm sorry, yeah, definitely sorry".
Rita half smiled "Hey, it was a sweet gig while it lasted, forget about it. Besides, the hiding under the old table cloth bit was getting stale".
The cat hopped off the can and pranced her curved, gentle framed arms and legs down the alleyway. Runt smiled and slobbered over the fishbone dangling from his drooling jaws as he followed his female, feline friend.
Rita grinned "The dream home of a lifetime is just around the corner Runt, I can smell it".
Runt nodded "Yeah me too, smells like cheese, cheese tastes good".
Rita groaned "Why do I even bother? Now that our dinner plans have gone kaput, I think it's time we moved onto dessert, what do you say Runt?".
The massive dog nodded and smiled a cheery grin, painted always with that dopey red tongue, dangling from his toothy, furry cheeks. Rita suddenly stopped and pressed one of her paws up against Runt's white chest fur. The cat gently signaled for Runt to bend down as she looked into his eyes.
"Now you gotta listen up Runt because I'm serious this time, we have GOT to get something to eat. My hunger's eating away at my 9 lives over here. You've got to promise me you'll try to be cool and follow my lead" Rita said.
Runt smiled "Okie doke Rita".
The cat wrapped her paws over Runt's ears and repeated herself "I mean it buddy, my stomach can't take anymore. Just this once, please, please, PLEASE, do as I tell you to do".
The dog raised up one of his paws and nodded "Definitely Rita, I definitely promise I will definitely try".
A few minutes later……
"OOF"
The orange haired, pimply faced teen grunted as the staggering stack of pizza boxes was hurled into his fumbling hands. Red sneakers with white stars flexed under the man's foot as he wobbled his way over to his pizza scooter. Rita watched with a sparkling twinkle in her lime colored eyes as the boxes were stacked onto the back cart of the scooter, she practically drooled. The teen hopped onto the scooter and jammed the keys into it.
Puffs of sputtering smoke spewed from the exhaust valve as the tiny, brick colored scooter started wheeling off to it's destination. The teen yawned as his yellow colored eyes closed for the briefest of moments.
WHAM!
"Whoa, dude, what was that?" the teen blinked.
Runt rolled on the ground and howled, whimpering and moaning his famous "play dead" act. The teen hopped off the scooted and gasped, thinking he had actually struck the dog, a crowd immediately started to gather.
Rita smiled "Runt, you're beautiful".
The silver stray cat climbed up the back of the scooter, her small white paws clasping over the warm metal backside of the mini bike. Powerful scents of fresh pepperoni and cheese flowed deliciously into the pink nostrils of the female feline.
"Dude, I am SO going to get fired for this" the teen protested.
Runt remained lifeless on the street, people and children reacting in horror at sight of the deceased canine. Rita carefully wrapped her small arms around the bottom of the pizza boxes and started to lift them. Runt blinked a bit as he noticed a human was coming towards him, he quickly shut his eyes and resumed his dead like state. The human stared down curiously at Runt and scratched his chin in confusion, the man couldn't find any wounds on Runt.
No bruises, no cuts, no bleeding, the dark haired man rubbed his half shaven chin in wonder. Someone shouted to check for the dog's heartbeat. Runt gulped as the man started to feel around the furry animal's chest, Runt bit his lip as he started to giggle.
"Is he breathing, I hope the poor thing's not in any pain" a worried woman said.
Rita froze in fear "Oh no, not now".
The man continued to feel around Runt's furry chest, searching for his heartbeat or any open wounds. The dog started to turn blue as he was trying to hold in his laughter. Sweat dripped down from Runt's floppy ears, he could barely hold it in any longer. Rita frantically shook her head no.
"NO, NO, you big goof, not yet, don't do it" Rita whispered.
Runt suddenly burst "HA, HA, HA, HA".
The people gasped as the dog started rolling in tears, his body thrashing around at the uncontrollable tickling sensations. The teen sighed in relief and turned back to his scooter.
"HEY, get your paws off my pizzas you stinking cat" The teen shouted.
Rita gasped and screamed as she fell off the scooter, small yellow stars circling her throbbing head.
CRASH!
The mountainous stack of pizza boxes crushed the gray cat like an accordion, Rita groaned in pain as she squeezed herself out. Runt leapt past the two humans and scooped Rita up by the back of her neck. The cat's gray fur wetly lodged between Runt's slobbering jaws as he raced away from the confused humans. The two skidded to a halt inside another run down alleyway.
Runt panted "Boy Rita that was a close one, definitely a close one".
Rita growled "You……you……DOG. What's the matter with you?"
The over sized mutt blinked a bit "What do you mean Rita?".
"Are you DEAF, did you even hear a single word I said? I said DON'T SCREW THIS UP. All you had to do was suck in your funny bone for 5 lousy minutes, and we would have been stuffing our faces full of stuffed crust by now" Rita shouted.
Runt pouted "Gee, sorry Rita I".
Rita angrily cut him off "NO, no more excuses. I'm sick of it Runt, look at me, I'm skin and bones as it is. Your screw ups have been costing us dinner for 2 weeks and I've had it up to my whiskers with it".
Runt tried to speak but the small cat easily frightened him, he weakly collapsed on his back and stared wide eyed at his friend's enraged ranting.
Rita continued "My stomach may be empty, but it's not nearly as empty as your head. I trusted you, I counted on you to support me this just one time and you blew it. Even after you promised me you could take it, you still blew it. My 9 lives have had it up to here with you and so have I Runt".
"But Rita, I tried, really I definitely, definitely tried" Runt protested.
The cat grabbed her small ears and angrily tried to yank them out, but she sighed with defeat and simply rubbed her frazzled whiskers.
Rita groaned "Just forget it, let's try and get some sleep. Maybe if were lucky we can suck some chewing gum off the sidewalk for breakfast or something".
The two strays stared away from each other before they curled up together and went to sleep. Bitter, hate filled eyes were closed tightly behind enchanting, star like eyelids on Rita's sweet but bitter stained face. Runt sighed as he nuzzled his head near Rita's, she growled and jerked her head back. The dog whimpered and slowly went to sleep, whispering softly to her.
"I'm sorry"
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To be continued……