Surly's Love for Others
This story takes place either after the events of the Nut Job 2. And it's about Surly and how powerful his love for his friends truly is. Especially two specific friends who hold such a dear place in his heart he cannot bare the sight of them being harmed. Enjoy!
Surly woke up in an unfamiliar dark place. He looked around to see if anyone was there and he jumped when a light suddenly turned on from above him as if from out of no where. What was going on? How did he get here? And why did he have a bad feeling something wasn't right.
He blinked a few times and turned to see a sight that completely shocked him. It was Andie and Buddy, sprawled across the floor, not moving an inch.
Surly became worried as he reached out and touched his rat friend's face, his horror upon realizing that it was ice cold. That was never a good sign. He knelt down and shook his friend but Buddy didn't wake up.
'No... no he can't be... he can't be!' Surly thought as tears began to fall from his eyes.
Surly went over to Andie next and gently placed his paw on her face, gently caressing her cheek and just like the rat, her cheek was ice cold and no matter how many times Surly shook her, she didn't wake up.
"Guys, Guys! Wake up!" Surly begged, his fear growing more and more as he continued to beg even thought he knew it was useless "Andie! Buddy! Don't leave me like this! You can't leave me like this!"
Surly finally broke down as he covered his eyes with his paws and began to sob for as hard as his heart was breaking. How did this happen? How could he let it happen? Andie and Buddy were the closest friends he ever had in his life! What will he do now?
As he continued crying, he felt as if the whole world was crashing all around him. Buddy was more then just his sidekick, he was his best friend, his little brother... the only family he ever had left since the pair were little kids going about on their own. Surly felt sorry about all those times he treated Buddy badly and wished so badly that he could apologize for every single one just to get his best friend back. And Andie... oh poor Andie, she was too young to die... she didn't deserve to die... she was compassionate, loving, thoughtful and loved nothing more then to make someone she cared about happy... how he wished he could've told her so many things, like how much in love he was with her... now he'd never get the chance.
As he continued crying, he thought he felt movement and took a peek to see if Andie or Buddy were the ones causing the movement, but he screamed when he saw a big, ugly savage looking rat in front of him and it snarled before it lunged at him, causing him to scream...
Surly snapped awake as he sat up, took a deep breath and looked around. He was in his knothole, in his nest with the early morning sun just starting to raise into the sky and next to him was Buddy and Andie, deep in sleep. He remembered how it had rained last night and Andie, who couldn't reach her own knothole in time, asked for shelter with the boys, to which they agreed.
Surly sighed in deep relief. What a relief it was all just a bad dream! But... but what if it did happen for real? He didn't want to lose his best friends like that. Surly knew he had to make sure they mean the world to him. But how? Then he got an idea and left the pair to sleep in peace.
Hours later when they woke up, Andie and Buddy both realized Surly was missing and had no idea where he could have gone. They were about to go out looking for him but that proved no need when they found him passed out on a large spread of nuts and sawing logs as he mumbled something in his sleep.
"Surly?" Andie asked softly "Are you alright?"
"A...Andie... Buddy... please don't leave me." Surly mumbled in his sleep, a tear escaped his closed eye and was falling down his face as he began to sob a little "Please... Andie... Buddy... please come back."
"Surly, wake up, you're having a bad dream!" Andie said, grabbing Surly's shoulder and shaking it gently.
Surly snapped awake and sat up as he looked around saying "What happened?! What?" then he noticed Andie and Buddy and sighed "Oh, uh... Hi guys... sleep well?"
"Surly... what is this?" Andie asked, motioning to all the nuts Surly had gotten.
"Uh, a head start in food gathering. I'll be enough to feed me and Buddy for a day." Surly said
"This looks more like it'll fell you up in a week." Andie said "And why are you jittering?"
"J-Jittering? Who said I was jittering?" Surly asked, his arms shaking as he tried to think of something to say "I'm the least jittery person anyone can meet. It's not like I've been up for hours taking nuts from everyone else just so you guys have to go out and get your own nuts and possibly get hurt or taken away or... "
"This is about Buddy being in a coma isn't it?" Andie asked
Surly let out a sigh and hung his head. He had never fully forgiven himself for letting such a terrible thing happen to his best pal, his little buddy... he never wanted it to happen again. Feeling defeated, Surly laid back on the nuts and said "It's about losing both you and Buddy, Andie... ever since I almost lost you guys to those animal control chumps... or lost Buddy... I've been having nightmares about losing you both. You two are so special to me... you have no idea how... I... I just don't know what to do if I ever lost you guys... and never got you back."
Andie sat down next to him and said "Surly, no matter what happens in life, Buddy and I will never be apart from you. You'll always have us here," she pointed to his chest and Surly placed his paw on top of hers "In your heart. No matter what happens you will always have us in your heart."
"But... I love you guys." Surly said sadly.
"And we love you too." Andie said as she pulled up Surly before giving him a great big kiss on his lips.
Surly stood there, dazed and smiling before Buddy pulled him close and gave him a kiss too, on his cheek. That snapped Surly out of it and he groaned "Ew! Buddy! Don't go and act like our slobber monster pals on a good day again."
"Speaking of, isn't it about time they came here for a visit?" Andie asked "You sure do love the way those adorable little darlings lick you after all."
"I do not!" Surly responded.
"Oh yes you do," Andie said with a smile "You love it just as much as this!"
She pounced on top of Surly and began to tickle him with Surly begging her to stop before Buddy joined in and make him laugh even louder. After a moment of the tickling, Surly managed to grab Andie and tickle her back, making her laugh uncontrollably as sweet revenge for making him laugh. Once they have calmed down, Andie got back on her feet and said "Well, we better go put those nuts back and apologize for taking them. And by that, I mean Surly will apologize."
"Nobody's gonna pound me in the face, will they?" Surly asked
"If they do, they'll answer to me." Andie said with a grin.
Buddy nodded as well before he puffed out his cheeks and flexed his mussels. Surly smiled before he pull his two closest friends in for a hug and said "Thanks guys... I love you."
"And we love you two." Andie said "For always, and no matter what we're always going to be right..."
"Here." Surly finished, placing his paw on his heart "I get it... now can someone help me with these nuts before those Bruisers notice half their food supply is missing?"
The pair nodded and the two squirrels and the rat began work returning the nuts back to where they belong and Surly knew that his friends were always going to be by his side and support him no matter what. Looking back he realized he had it all; a wonderful home in the park, a great best friend in Buddy, a extraordinary girlfriend in Andie and is even the uncle of three over energized little puppies.
And he would never trade it for anything in the world.