Opening Statement: The next story and a new premise! Well sort of, think of this as a "Homeward Bound" scenario, where the characters, in this case Ashley Stevenson, has gotten lost and must make her way home... well that may just be the best summary I've made for a story possible, anyway let's get to the good part... the the veritable paragraph of a disclaimer I have to type out now... oh boy.
Disclaimer: AATC belongs to Ross B. and Fox Studios, and the OC's of (wait for it), Nathan, Cleo, Julian, Amani, Kris, Zack, Silas, Sandra, Luke, Michael, Gwen, Danny, Kevin, Amy, Jade, Kendra, Alex, Brianna, Lucas, Vanessa, Anne, Lily, David, Simone, Sandy, Karen, Julie, Ashley, Vincent, Bryan and Oscar belong to me... HOLY FUCK THAT'S A LOT OF NAMES!
I'm Coming Home.
"Are we there yet? We've been walking for miles!" Ashley shouted, Oscar flicking out his forked tongue and chuckling a bit, "Actually, we are just about there, only a couple more feet... and I wouldn't sit there, that's a fire ant nest." Oscar replied, Ashley yelping and leaping away from the small mound of dirt. After a few more feet of walking, Oscar finally nodded and turned to Ashley, finding her on the ground face first, "Get up Ashley, we're here now." Oscar says, the black furred chipette groaning into the dirt and slowly getting herself up, only to see a cave opening and this making her shoot Oscar a glare, "You never mentioned that I'd have to do some spelunking in order to get help!" Ashley said, the lizard rolling his eyes and flicking his tongue out, "We aren't going spelunking, the cave is just a landmark... the guy we're looking for is right around... HERE!" Oscar said, dashing into a small hole in the ground, only to be flung back out, "OI! You scaly arsed varmint! Don't you know how to knock!?" a male voice asked, as a Desert Kangaroo Rat climbed out of the hole, wearing a set of clothing made from old rags and tattered fabric, Ashley giving the rat a skeptical look before glancing to Oscar, "You really expect this guy to guide me home?" Ashley asked, the rat in question glancing towards Ashley and tilting his head a bit, "Wait a minute... Oscar! You know I don't do tracking anymore!-"
"I'm aware of that Gideon, but I had no other choice, she's far from home and you're the only one I know of that can guide her to a more civilized area." Oscar explained, Gideon grumbling to himself and regarding the black furred chipette, noting her choice of clothing, a paisley skirt with pink and red stripped shirt and a denim jacket, what appeared to be a sword of some sort strapped to her back along with a blanket, "What's your name... and being as civilized as you are why haven't you just called home yet?" Gideon asked, Ashley rolling her blue eyes and offering a sarcastic smile, "Oh gee... why haven't I thought of that... oh yeah! I HAVE NO SERVICE OUT HERE!... as for my name, it's Ashley Stevenson," Ashley replied, Gideon shaking his head before he turned and dashed back into his burrow, returning shortly after with a travel pack of sorts, "Okay, let's get moving, the sooner we get you home or at least within a mobile service area, the better." Gideon said, Ashley balking before simply flopping face first into the ground, "I need to rest! I can wait to get home for a few hours... okay!" Ashley screamed, her voice muffled by the ground itself before Gideon sighed and nodded his head, "Fine, we leave at daybreak then, and Oscar, you're coming along," Gideon said, Oscar face-palming before he responded, "Why are you dragging me into this-" "Because you dragged me back into guide work!" Gideon said, before helping Ashley up and guiding her into his burrow.
(Back home, one month later)
Sandra was devastated with the revelation, surely her own mother lever lost any of them while raising her and her siblings, and Sandra had no voice which made keeping track of her a challenge at best! But Sandra had only been a mother for a year and already lost one of her children... in the Mojave Desert of all places, and for this reason the voiceless chipette was in her room, alone and silently crying her eyes out. She soon felt a presence near her, turning to find her father in the room, a look between hurt and sadness on his face, "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry for what happened, I never lost anyone close to me like you have, and believe me if it weren't for your mother and grandfather telling me otherwise I'd be rushing out there to find her myself... I just wanted to let you know that beating yourself up like this... isn't going to bring Ashley home any sooner." Alvin explained, his eldest daughter wiping her eyes a bit on her sleeve before gesturing her response, "I know that... but Dad, I lost one of my pups! I should've been more careful. I'm a mother to fourteen and I can barely keep track of them all, let alone make sure they all get home safely from a family vacation... what kind of mother am I if-" Sandra was cut off by her father pulling her into a hug, gently easing her onto his lap and stroking her hair, in much the same way as when she was a pup and had a nightmare during the night, "Shh... calm down, Daddy's here... and no matter what everyone else thinks, I know Ashley will make it home safely... I just know it." Alvin said, all the while his daughter crying into his shoulder.
Meanwhile, Luke was on the front porch, lightly banging his head on one of the support beams holding the roof up, "I'm a horrible dad, I didn't even do a headcount to make sure our kids were all present... I AM AN ABSOLUTE CUNT!" Luke shouted to himself, Brittany hopping onto the banister with her son-in-law and rolling her eyes, "Luke, you are not a horrible dad-" "HOW AREN'T I! I FORGOT ONE OF MY PUPS IN A HOSTILE WASTELAND!" Luke shouted, no sooner receiving a slap to his face, "Okay young man, I can understand you're upset, trust me if anything like this happened to my kids I'd be in your place too... but speak to me in that tone of voice again and a slap will be what you wish was happening to you!" Brittany screamed, Luke rubbing his sore cheek and nodding, "Okay, sorry Bri- I mean Mom, it's just that I can't believe that we left her behind... what are you staring at?" Luke asked, noticing the look on his mother-in-law's face having changed from one of anger to one of shock and joy, her right arm raising and making Luke turn around, the green eyed chipmunk going silent at the sight that beheld his eyes... there was Ashley, a little worse for wear in regards to her outfit, and accompanied by what looked like a kangaroo rat and... was that Oscar, no matter the point is that Luke soon found himself rushing forward and pulling his daughter into his arms, Ashley going stiff for a moment before she returned the gesture.
It wasn't long before the rest of the family heard the news, everyone gathering to greet Ashley and her two guides, and even invited Gideon and Oscar to stay for a couple days, the lizard taking the offer without much fuss but Gideon was more stubborn, "Look, I have to get back home, my burrow in the Mojave doesn't have anything to guard it from other varmints... most stay away from it, but if I'm not inside it I end up having to evict some squatters- OKAY, WHAT IS SHE DOING?!" Gideon shouted, referring to Sandra's hand gestures, having never seen them before he didn't understand this was something that was considered a wee bit rude, no sooner having said it Silas appearing out of a puff of smoke, "Son, it's called "Sign Language"... see Sandra here was born without a voice of her own, and therefore speaks through hand gestures... just to warn you, making comments like that may land you with a few angered family members on your tail... including me!" Silas explained, flicking his wrist and engulfing his right paw in blue, almost ethereal flames, Gideon chuckling a bit and backing up, "Sorry then... I didn't know okay, but to completely answer- what's the green one doing?" Gideon asked, once again cutting himself off by causing everyone to turn to see Theodore on his knee before Eleanor, a black box in his paws, a gold ring with an emerald set into it within the box, "Ellie, will you marry me?" Theodore asked, then glanced around and folded his ears back, "Sorry, should I have waited-" "Yes, of course I'll marry you... Theodorable." Eleanor said, taking the ring and slipping it onto her finger before tackling her boyfriend, and now fiancé to the floor with a kiss.
"Hold on, did I just witness Theodore beating me to proposing?... FUCK!" Simon shouted, Alvin blinking a couple times before he simply walked over and congratulated his younger brother. Meanwhile, Ashley was being closely examined in the washroom by Jeanette, "So... how was your little road trip?" Jeanette asked, Ashley giving her great aunt a look of confusion, "What do you mean? It sucked... sure I'm alive and well but... at the same time this was something I could've done without, and I had to sleep outside all the time! Only once were we all lucky enough to find a place to stay and most of the time they were already being lived in by other things-"
"Whoa there Ash honey, I was just trying to make light of the situation... you know your parents have been beating themselves up over this, sure they had you and your thirteen siblings at a young age but they still felt as if they'd just killed you themselves, NOT that they thought you were dead mind you... but in all likelihood you'd have probably not made it back in your current condition- WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR BACK!?" Jeanette asked, Ashley grimacing as her crudely bandaged wounds were once again exposed, they'd healed a bit since that moment when they happened, but at the same time they hurt a bit, "I got attacked by a rattlesnake, luckily Gideon knew how to neutralize the venom but only long enough for us to get to a nearby ranger station that had Anti-Venom on hand, I'm fine now really I- OW!" Ashley screamed, as her aunt swabbed the area with a cotton ball soaked in peroxide, the chemical foaming up upon contact with the slightly infected wound, "Jesus, you need medical attention right now!" Jeanette said, calling out to Dave for a drive to the vet clinic.
(later, in the vet clinic, Oscar's POV)
Good lord, the way these people reacted when I entered the building was a bit much, I mean sure I'm a lizard but the moment I started to speak they freaked out! I mean there's a large group of talking rodents, one of which has voodoo magic, and nobody cares, but the moment a reptile utters a word and humans start thinking it's an alien... no seriously one lady tried to squish me with her purse because she thought I was going to abduct her, can you believe that? Anyways, we managed to get Ashley to the vet clinic, and after a few tests they found that we apparently caught what could have become an abscess right in the nick of time, and to prevent any further damage being done they shot Ashley up with something called penicillin, along with a general anaesthetic to knock her out, apparently they also had to remove a small portion of tissue from the area so that they could allow the wound to heal properly without any complications.
"I hope she's okay," I heard Gideon say, not to anyone at all though rather he was thinking out loud, something he only did when he cared for someone or at least felt concern for them. "Gideon, you alright? A few minutes ago you were planning on just leaving for the Mojave, now you want to stay?" I asked, Gideon shaking his head a moment before realizing that I'd overheard his outward thought, "I don't know... I'd just like to know that I didn't bring this family their daughter back just for her to die-" "Gideon, relax... the doctor told Sandra and Luke that they caught this before it got too bad, she's got a strong immune system and a large dose of antibiotics... you did good." I explained, Gideon sighing before he got up and hopped over to the bed, "I know that... but there's always the chance that she'll not make it, and I can't stand that thought." Gideon replied, looking down at the currently sleeping form of Ashley, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was giving her a similar look as Sandra did to Luke, or Alvin to Brittany, he was looking at her as if his whole world was laid out before him.
"Gideon, it's okay to let someone new into your heart," I said, immediately causing Gideon to turn and glare at me, "Let me get this clear... I DON'T love Ashley, I am simply wanting her not to die before I leave. The moment she wakes up and is given a clean bill of health I'm gone faster than ants under a magnifying glass!" Gideon growled, causing me to sigh and shake my head, "You know as well as I do that she wouldn't want you to live like this, always brooding over how things could've been... I understand the why of it, you don't want to lost her... but eventually everyone moves on, and I think she'd be glad to know you were happy- GACK!" I ended up being pinned against the wall, Gideon's paw around my neck and holding me in place, the desert kangaroo rat glaring daggers into my eyes, "Listen here lizard! I. Don't. Care! Get it? I do not feel anything outside of concern for a living being. When Ashley wakes up I am gone... and mention HER again, and I'll strangle you with your own tail!" Gideon growled, dropping me to the seat and allowing me to breathe... and to contemplate my next statement. Before I could however, both myself and Gideon heard Ashley groaning from the bed, "Fuck me, what happened?" she asked, and before I could blink Gideon was by her side.
(regular POV)
"The doctors had to do a small bit of surgery, you had the beginnings of an abscess on your back... nothing major but you'll probably have some bare skinned patches on your back when the area heals." Gideon explained, Ashley groaning and trying to sit up, only to be gently pushed back into the bed by the rat over her, "Don't move too much, you might open the stitches on your back, and that could be really bad," Gideon stated, Ashley laying back down and sighing, "Fine... didn't know you cared," Ashley said, this causing Gideon's eyes to widen a bit, Oscar grinning while watching for his friend's reaction, "I don't... just didn't want to know I got you home, just for you to die moments after." Gideon replied, the lizard next to him face-palming while Ashley made a hurt face, though that could've been because the drugs were wearing off, "Gee, well in that case why not leave huh? Go ahead I won't stop you... not like I need you around anymore anyway." Ashley said, Gideon now backing away a bit, though Ashley's voice was raspy from her drug induced sleep, she was still able to convey her emotions through her words, and this struck Gideon in a way he wasn't comfortable with.
"Gladly... good bye Ashley," Gideon replied, Oscar noticing a single drop of moisture forming in his eye before the rat turned and dashed out of the room, "Ashley... I'm sorry about that-" "What's there to be sorry about? It's not like I... like I love him or anything, it's just a brief infatuation with someone who saved my life is all..." Ashley replied, Oscar sighing and sitting himself next to Ashley on her bed, "Look... a long time ago, Gideon had a mate named Catherine... they were inseparable, and complimented each other perfectly, Gideon was, and in some ways still is very closed minded, Catherine was open to everything, at first glance these two were as different as chalk and cheese... they'd argue and bicker over small things, but in the end he loved her, and she him." Oscar explained, Ashley groaning a bit from discomfort in her back.
"What happened then? To Catherine?" Ashley asked, Oscar flicking his tongue out a bit and sighing again, "Well, these two were with the Mojave Rangers, hence why they knew Gideon when we stopped for the snake bite, and they would help by searching the desert for missing people, then guiding them to the nearest Ranger Station... one day though, almost a parallel to what happened to you, Catherine was trying to protect a young girl from a Diamond Back... she succeeded, but not without taking a bite herself." Oscar explained, Ashley's eyes going wide as she took in this info, Oscar smiling a bit before he continued with the story, "She knew she was a goner, no matter how hard Gideon tried to save her, she had accepted her fate... her final words to him were "Don't forget me, but always love."... she meant for Gideon to remember her but not forget loving, he misunderstood it though. He figured she meant to never let her go, and always love her, never letting anyone else into his heart." Oscar explained, Ashley sighing and attempting to get up, only for a new paw to hold her down, this one belonging to Silas, "Conserve your strength child, he'll come back... trust me." Silas said, Ashley struggling weakly before nodding her head, a single tear rolling from her right eye.
(Three months later, Gideon's POV)
Finally, I was home... and as I suspected the time I was gone allowed something to move into my burrow, "Well, time to get them out..." I said to myself, glancing over my shoulder and sighing, half expecting to see someone there. Well after I got my burrow cleared out and moved myself back in, I took a long rest in my bed... or at least I tried, though there were other creatures in my home for a long while, I could still smell Ashley on the bedding, sending me back to a moment during my travelling with her...
(Flashback, Snake Attack, Gideon's POV)
"So, how much further do you think we are from a Ranger Station?" Ashley asked, holding her necklace and letting the glowing compass star point the direction, "About a half mile, give or take a few feet, to the north-west." I replied, just as a young jack rabbit bounded past us, a pair of red marks on the side facing us, and tipping me off to the presence of my most hated desert creature... a Diamond Back. The typical rattling sound was heard first, this making my charge draw her sword, and deciding to follow her lead I drew my machete, the serpent slithering from the brush. Though the eyesight wasn't a strong suit, it had two pits around the nose that could detect our body heat, so when it lunged for me I was certain that I was able to dodge by leaping away, though when Ashley chopped the head off of the snake I was surprised, "Wow... how sharp is that thing- LOOK OUT!" I shouted, Ashley turning around and ending up getting hit in the back by the still living snake head, see a common misconception about chopping the head off of something is that it dies right away, but I've seen it happen too many times where a beheaded rattlesnake still manages to bite someone, in this case Ashley.
"Ow! Fuck... Oh crap! I got bitten by a rattler!" Ashley started to panic, though I shook my head and hushed her, "Calm down, panicking will only make whatever venom you got in you spread faster, now let's see... Oscar! Get me some agave and mesquite, I need to neutralize the venom!" I shouted, my reptilian friend rushing off to gather the things I requested.
(A/N: I have no idea if that would work, let alone even help, I'm just using brain farts at this point)
(Back with Ashley, Regular POV)
Three months and Ashley was fully healed, though she had lost a decent amount of her previous mobility in the surgery, her muscles were still healthy but she seemed to be unable to make proper leaps yet, "Ashley, you alright?" Brianna asked, Ashley sighing and nodding her head, "It aches a little, but I can work through it... I think." Ashley replied, Brianna rolling her eyes and shaking her head, "Is that because you stopped taking your pain meds? The doctor told you that you'd be achy for a while, so why not-" "I'm not using those drugs okay... they make me feel so stoned that I can't even think, between those pills and the pain, I'll happily deal with the- OW FUCK!" Ashley shouted, having taken a short leap up to a chair and landing on the seat. Brianna was quickly up with her sister and keeping her from falling, the black furred chipmunk sighing and accepting the aid... though secretly wishing that Gideon was there to help her instead, though she'd never admit it openly, Ashley's been thinking about the desert rat more and more, especially about how he had accidentally let her into his heart, only to leave her at the vet clinic a few months ago.
"Ashley, you have to be careful, sure you're skin is healed, but your muscles and stuff aren't... you need to take it easy... maybe give up the swordplay until it doesn't hurt you to leap around like the little ninja you are." Brianna said, Ashley letting a laugh slip from her mouth and shaking her head, "Sure, because a ninja is able to feel pain right?" Ashley asked, before getting a boost up to the table top from her sister and finally getting something to eat. Oscar then entered the room, that reptile feeling it was easier to live with the Seville's than in the desert, and climbed up to the table top himself, "Good morning ladies, good to see that you're feeling better Ashley, and Brianna... is that a new outfit?" he asked, Brianna blushing a bit and shaking her head, "No... just one of my grandmother's old outfits, thanks for asking though," Brianna replied, Ashley catching on quickly and shaking her head, "Never thought my sister would fall for a reptile... no offence or anything, just thinking out loud," Ashley said, Oscar ad Brianna chuckling a bit, "What can I say Ash... I just have a thing for scales... plus he's just a sweetheart." Brianna replied, Ashley rolling her eyes, "So long as we don't end up with freakish lizard/chipmunk hybrids," Ashley said, Oscar coughing a bit and rubbing the back of his neck, "Don't think it works like that... and if it did then that would be weird..." Oscar said, even while Ashley got a banana and peeled it, biting into the fruit and sighing, "If only my spark was here... Gideon why did you leave?" Ashley thought, even while she ate her fruit and eventually made her way to the living room to watch some TV.
And there we have it, the first chapter! I know this seems weird, you guys are probably asking yourselves "Wait a minute, I thought we were going to see the journey" and trust me, you are... I'm just taking a different style with this. Chapter 2 should clear some confusion when I post it, but if you noticed that things seemed a bit forced... I'm not gonna lie, I had a brief moment of writers block where no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get the damn story onto the digitized paper, until I clicked on the current writing style I'm gonna use. Hope you guys enjoyed, leave your thoughts below in the comment/review box, and I'll catch you guys and girls out there on the flip side, PEACE!
And now, a random moment in the Seville home:
*Alvin and Miles messing around with Face Swap on their phones*
Alvin: Whoa, this is weird... your face on my body looks so wrong man!
Miles: Hey, not really doing well with my own body there Alvin, I mean look at me!
*Brittany walks into the room, right into the line between Miles and the camera, and her and Alvin's faces end up swapped*
Brittany: ALVIN! What are you doing with my body!?
Alvin: It's Face Swap dear, just look at your face on my head for a moment.
*Brittany looks and then makes a grin*
Brittany: "I'm Alvin Seville, the awesomest chipmunk around!"
Alvin: *chuckling* "And I'm his wife Brittany, aren't we a beautiful couple?"