Independence
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A/N: I'M BACK! It's been a long time (at least it feels like it). I've wanted to write more JackRabbit but I couldn't think of anything that others haven't already. A lot of people wanted to see my OC July again, too. This story will feature a new OC as well as July and Bunny and Jack doing nasty things together. It's a sequel to Almighty Therianthropy, so I suggest you read that first. It's going to be a lot!
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Chapter 1
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April, 1776
"Mother! Father!" A young woman called through the burning streets of her town. She was beautiful, blonde and 21 under the ash that smudged her face, but her forehead wrinkled in worry as she desperately looked for her parents in the burning town with big blue eyes.
The British had invaded her once peaceful home, setting it aflame. The fire spread quickly, killing so many innocent people. The British soldiers just laughed as they watched people burn alive. Did her friends and parents also share the same fate? She had left home for only a half an hour to get some game for dinner, until she smelled smoke that wasn't coming from her rifle.
"AH! Shit!" She cursed, a burning piece of wood fell in front of her, blocking her path. She was scared, but she needed to find her parents so they could leave together.
"Mama! Papa!" She turned around, hearing voices that her also calling for their loved ones. She saw four children huddled together in the middle of the street, crying and coughing. They needed help, but her own parents…
"Hey, kids!" She ran to them. For some reason, the young woman didn't think twice about helping them. It would have been hopeless anyway. There was no way she could get to her house without getting burned or running into British soldiers. "Come with me! This way!" She picked up the smallest child and ran ahead of the other three into the woods.
"But… mama and papa…" The youngest said between sniffles.
"You just need to believe they'll be alright." The woman tried reassuring the children, as well as herself. They ran and ran further into the woods, the woman becoming more and more lost. She stopped, wondering which way to go.
BANG
The young woman dropped the child as she was shot in the shoulder from behind. The children screamed in fright. "Keep running! Hurry!" She pushed the kids with her words. They reluctantly agreed, silently thanking her and running away. The woman heard galloping and turned around, seeing what looked like a British general and two other soldiers. They stopped in front of her.
"Where do you think you're going, young lady?" A lewd British accent escaped the general's big, ugly lips.
"You bastards aren't going to win. This land is its own now!" She barked, standing tall even after being shot. The soldiers just laughed.
"Such a brave girl to say that to me." He mocked her. "Now, where did those children go?"
"Don't you dare hurt them!" She growled. "They did nothing!"
"Oh? And what are you going to do about it?" The general asked. "In case you haven't realized, we outnumber and outgun you."
"I don't care." She felt lightheaded due to blood loss. "I won't let you pass."
"Well, in that case…" The general lowered the tip of his bayonet to her chest and stabbed through her heart. She gasped and coughed up blood, but never broke eye contact with the general. "My, my, you're a feisty little freedom-fighter. An attitude wasted on a young woman. If you were George Washington, you might have stood a chance." He pulled the bayonet out of her body and she fell to her knees, but kept glaring at him. She would show him and every man her fighting spirit, even facing death, even in the afterlife! The general just scoffed and galloped away with his men, leaving her to die.
"Freedom…" She whispered, accepting death, looking up at the Moon. She fell over and died quickly, silently asking the Moon if her soul would help others find freedom.
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June 30th, 2026
"Ah!" July sat straight up in her bed, waking up from a nightmare. Realizing it was just a dream, she fell back into bed again, groaning. "Haven't had that nightmare in eons. Guess I'm just nervous for the big celebration." It was almost the 4th of July, Independence Day, but it wasn't going to be just like any other year. This year, America is celebrating her 250th birthday, and it needed to be a big party all over the country.
"Or maybe… it was just me." July's red eyes shot open and grabbed her gun that she kept on her nightstand, pointing it between two gold eyes staring down at her.
"Pitch." She growled. "It's been a while." She slowly got out of bed and turned on the light, seeing the Nightmare King across the bed.
"Ah yes, the Great Depression." He pondered. "Those were fun times, were they not?"
"Alright, seriously." She groaned again. "Why are you here, you perv? Shouldn't you be, like, underground for another 600 years or so? It's only been what, 13 or 14 years since the Guardians handed you your beaten ass? You're not even that powerful right now."
"So many questions." He purred. "I just came to visit."
"It's two in the morning." July deadpanned.
"I merely came to congratulate you." Pitch smiled nonchalantly. "250 years of a reigning country is quite an achievement. After all, I've seen so many empires fall in my lifetime."
"Including yours." She quipped.
"But I have always risen again. I can't die." He glared. "But if your empire was to fall… well, you know what would happen."
"Is that why you're here and giving me nightmares of my past life, to threaten me?" She tightened her finger on the trigger. "You're not even powerful enough…"
"I always have power." Pitch interrupted. "It might not be Guardian-level power, but it's still there. Especially in this country. People still have fear, people still have nightmares. If I recall, you're the one who told me that fear is necessary to live."
"You obviously took it the wrong way." She gritted her teeth. "And now you've taken it too far. Get out of my house."
"Of course. Have a happy 4th of July." He laughed and disappeared in the shadows.
"British twat." She fell back into bed. "There's nothing he can do to me." She went back to sleep, dreaming of happier times before she died with her parents and friends.
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A/N: Okay, kind of an intro chapter here. I guess you don't have to read AT, but it helps. No Jack and Bunny in this one, but the next one will totally! Also, this story takes place 13 years in the future, in case you haven't figured that out. Bye!
Taru-chan