These characters are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.
She was the Fox, chasing Her Rabbit, the Prince-of-a-Thousand-Enemies. She ran through the forest, hot on his heels. She caught a brief glimpse of him as he disappeared into some brush. She veered off to her right, moving to intercept him; he had tried this maneuver before.
She came into a small clearing and stopped. He always came here when he ducked in those bushes, she thought to herself, where was he now?
She jumped and squealed in surprise when he crept up behind her and gave her a hard pinch on her butt. She whirled around to smack him one good, but he had danced back, a satisfied smirk on his face.
"Ooo, you're going to get it when I catch you, Odd!" Elizabeth Della Robbia shouted at her husband.
"I know, and I can't wait!" was his reply. He turned and disappeared back into the woods.
Odd did get it when she finally caught him, and they both enjoyed it.
Later, Elizabeth walked through the gate to the Hermitage, smiling.
Odd told her when she left that he had a couple of things to do back at his Studio before coming home. She said fine, and gave him one last long kiss before leaving.
"Hey, I'm back!" she shouted as she walked in the front door.
"Hi Liz, they're out back," came the reply from Aelita Belpois, somewhere in the house.
She walked through the house and out the back door. There, sitting at the picnic table, were Grace Belpois, Aelita's daughter, and her daughter, Cecilia.
"C'mon, Sissi, time to go," she said to the girl.
"Do I have to?" whined the teenager, "we were just getting started."
"Well, work faster next time," was her mother's reply.
Sissi made her goodbyes, and the two women left. They crossed the street and re-entered the woods, because Elizabeth had parked her car on the other side, by Kadic Academy.
"So, chasing Daddy in the woods again?" Sissi asked her mother with a smirk on her face.
"Not that it's any of your business, but yes. Why do you ask?" Elizabeth replied.
"Because you've got that 'cat who ate the canary' look on your face you get whenever you've been chasing after Daddy. Even Aunt 'Lita has commented on it."
Elizabeth blushed at her daughter's remarks.
Cecilia then asked, "Mom, why do you chase Dad like that?"
Elizabeth paused a moment before replying, "honey, ask me again later, okay?"
Elizabeth thought about her daughter's question during the trip home.
Why do I do that? she asked herself. Until today, she never questioned why she and Odd did what they did, she just enjoyed doing it.
It seemed that she had been chasing after something all her life. In her grade school years, until she fell in love with Odd, she had spent nearly every waking moment chasing after Ulrich Stern, now married to one of her closest friends. When she first met him, Ulrich seemed willing enough to play the game, let her chase him, but when they came to Kadic Academy, he stopped for some reason. She had always thought it was because of Yumi, now his wife, but deep in the darkest portions of her memory, Elizabeth realized that Ulrich had really stopped long before Yumi came on the scene. Ulrich confirmed that years later, just before he married Yumi.
Then her husband entered her life. Oh, he had been around before, just an annoying little so and so that seemed to take special delight in poking fun at her. But the summer before her freshman year changed all that.
He not only entered her life, he entered her dreams as well. That's where it seemed like The Chase first started. In their dreams, they literally became The Rabbit and His Fox, chasing after each other like mad creatures, pulling off escapes and captures that would make cartoon capers pale in comparison. Those were wonderful times.
The first time she chased him in the real world was that fall, after the Autumn Harvest Dance. Along with Odd entering her life, High Strangeness entered too, and that Dance was an example of it, for it seemed to set events in motion that defined the rest of the school year.
She remembered preparing for that evening like she was preparing for a major battle. She fixed her hair and put on her makeup that evening with special care, then put on an outfit that would knock a normal man right off his feet. And it worked; Odd was flabbergasted when he saw her. All through the evening, as they danced and talked, she felt something build in both her and him. When the dance ended, the two of them rushed out of the gym. She had thought they were going to go someplace quiet and private, but he suddenly turned to her and grinned, then tore out into the woods. She took off after him.
Even after all these years, Elizabeth still couldn't believe they didn't break their necks that night. Neither of them were dressed for the woods. She in particular, was ill prepared, with her dress and high heeled shoes. But they ran like madmen into the trees. They ran through brush and down trails laden with foot-tripping branches and ankle spraining roots, but never misplaced a step. Finally, she caught him in a clearing, hitting him with a flying tackle that would have done a rugby player proud. They both hit the ground and rolled, totally ruining their clothes, Elizabeth winding up on top of Odd. She smiled in triumph as she stared into his eyes, the Fox finally cornering her Rabbit. Then they kissed.
They didn't make love in the woods that night, it was too cool. But they rushed back to Elizabeth's room and spent the rest of the night together there.
Since that night, they would play their game of Fox and Rabbit whenever the mood came over them. Most of the time, it was in the woods close to Kadic Academy, where they went to school. Later in life, they pursued each other in other forests, other places. Once, they even played their game in New York City, and not in the parks. That had been a memorable romp. Elizabeth always considered Cecilia her 'souvenir' of that trip.
As she played the memories back in her mind, Elizabeth could only find one common thread in all of the times she chased Odd, besides Odd himself.
No matter where they played, no matter the outcome, someone was always running with her. In her dreams, it was Trickster the Coyote, or Mr. Coyote as she always called him. But, in the real world, it was someone else.
Elizabeth finally had an answer for her daughter.
When they got home, Odd was waiting for them. He had a serious look on his face.
"Liz, I just got a call," he began, "we've got to go tonight."
"Damn, are you sure?" Elizabeth replied.
"Yeah, Jeremie confirmed it. They've dropped out of sight, and there's a lot of activity going on at the Belgium location. Aelita's already packing Grace off to Jeremie's parents, and I've called Jean-Pierre."
"When do you have to go, daddy?" Cecilia asked.
"About as quick as we can, but not right this instant," Odd replied, "your grandfather will be here in an hour. I've already got your mom and I packed for the trip, so we can spend a little more time together."
Cecilia noticed the bags sitting inside the house, next to the bottom of the stairs. She also noticed that some of the bags that came from the 'special' closet they kept in their bedroom, the one that stored their guns.
The family went into the kitchen, where Odd had set out some sandwich fixings. The girls sat down and Odd began making sandwiches.
"Sissi, I want to answer your question now, if I may," Elizabeth began, "Odd, just so you know, she asked me earlier why I'm always going off chasing you in the woods."
"Well, that's obvious! So you can catch me!" he replied, smiling.
She chuckled at that, then continued, "you know, Cecilia, I never really thought about the why of what your father and I do until you asked. I could give you the smart aleck answer, like your father just did, or 'because we love each other very much,' or 'it's a game we play to spice up our love lives.' All of those answers are true, but there's more. And it wasn't until today that I realized it. Do you remember the movie 'Chariots Of Fire?'"
"Yeah," Sissi replied, "why?"
"Do you remember what Eric Liddell said when asked why he ran? Someone asked him because they were afraid he was going to turn away from missionary work to become an athlete. He reassured that he was going to be a missionary, but he was going to run, too. Do you remember what he said?"
"No."
"He said, 'because, when I run, I feel His Pleasure.' That's why I chase after your father."
Cecilia Della Robbia always remembered that conversation, the last she ever had with her mother. That night, they left with Jeremie and Aelita Belpois, and never returned.
Cecilia never fully understood what her parents did when they disappeared, until Uncle Jeremie had to tell her of their death. He explained everything, the organization they worked for, the people they were fighting, and what happened in Belgium.
It was a long time before she forgave Jeremie and Aelita for taking her parents away from her, a long time before she forgave her parents for leaving her all alone in the world.
But, from that night, and throughout the rest of her life, she dreamed of the Rabbit being chased through the forest by His Fox; and running with them were the Coyote and the Lamb.