Thank you everyone so much for your participation with my story. I was so happy to see all of your reviews!! They were all so uplifting and made me glad that I posted this story!!
So to reward all of you for your positiveness (is that even a word…well I'm making it one) here is the second chapter.
And just a little inside scope, you get to find out a small piece of what's going on in the jungle of Nool…that's all I'm saying ox !!
Enjoy!!
Horton took a long, deep breath before looking ahead with fierce determination. He felt his leg muscles tense as he readied himself, curious eyes following his every move.
"Okay Horton," he coaxed himself under his breath, "This is your moment, no looking back now…"
The warm air blew softly through the jungle's canopy, letting the sun raze dance across his grey colored body. The elephant stood for a couple of seconds in silence, as if waiting for the perfect moment. Just a little longer, just a little longer…
A small leaf from above floated across his vision, making something inside the elephant's mind ignite, sending off the command to push his legs forward and braking into a fast sprint.
"All Right Jungle of Nool! Get ready to feel the awesome might of Horton!!" He exclaimed as he ran at full speed towards the water, bunching his back legs together and leaping into the air.
"CANNON BALL!!"
The children watched in awe as the elephant cast a shadow above them, all scattering at the last minute as the large form came barreling towards them. Horton's body connected with the dark blue water, sending large waves crashing around the five smaller bodies, who screamed with excitement and surprise as it carried them away.
"That was awesome!" Tommy cheered shooting a fist up in the air, waves still lapping up against him.
"Yeah that carried me all the way to shore!" Jessica chirped, shaking water out of her feathers. Sadie nodded in agreement copying her friend.
"Hmm…." Morton said from a low hanging branch, his face scrunched up in thought, "I give that a...8.3." his friend's head shot up from the water, looking at the mouse with dramatic shock.
"8.3? 8.3!!" Horton cried, "You've got to be kidding me! Did you see my dismount? My landing? That was at least a 9.1!"
"I don't know," Rudy said dogpaddling towards them with a huge smile on his face. "The second to last cannon ball was way bigger than that one."
"And here I thought you were on my side!" Horton huffed in fake anger, causing the little kangaroo to laugh at his antics.
Morton smiled smugly. "Don't blame the kid for being smart Horton. It's very unsportsmanlike."
"Really?" he asked his friend innocently, "Well what about this?" The elephant shot water from his snot at the little mouse, propelling him backward into the bushes. The kids roared with laughter, Horton taking a small bow to show his gratitude.
Morton zoomed out of the bushes soaking wet, narrowing his eyes at his best friend. "Oh yeah, real mature dude. Let's all just pick on the little guy. Now my fur's going to get all matted…"
Sadie's turned her head from side to side, her brows knitting together with concern. "Speaking of small, where's Katie?"
"She's right here." Tommy said pointing down at a vacant space beside him. He raised an eyebrow. "Or she was."
The group glanced around the area, none of them seeing the yellow ball of fur in sight. Horton's stomach knotted up, worry seeping into his eyes. "Katie!" he shouted, craning his large ears to hear a response. He thought he heard her small voice, but it was very faint.
"OH!" Jessica hollered suddenly, pointing farther right, "I think I see her!"
Horton squinted down his eyes and felt relived as he saw a speck of yellow floating away from the pool and down the small stream. "How'd she get so far away?"
"I don't know, maybe your humungous waves had something to do with it!" Morton said causing Horton's cheeks to redden.
"Oops."
"Katie come back!! You're floating too far away!!" Sadie and Jessica hollered waving their arms to grab their friend's attention. The little creature waved a hoof back, taking no acting to stop the currents moving her forward.
"Something tells me she can't." Tommy said, his small ears drooping down.
Rudy's eyes went huge with realization, jumping up and down frantically in the shallow water, splashing everyone. "Oh no Horton!! She's going towards the boundary line!!"
Horton and Morton looked at each other with wide eyes, the elephant's stomach taking a severe jolt. The boundary line was established in the jungle of Nool months ago, protecting the animals of Nool from the carnivorous beasts that now inhabit the other side. As long as you stayed on the right side you were safe; but if you crossed the line, you were never heard from again.
And Katie was heading straight for that line.
With out a second thought Horton shot out of the water and sprinted down the shoreline.
"Morton! Watch over the kids!!"
"Are you insane?" he hollered to his friends fleeting form, "Horton you can't go that way!! If you pass the boundary your dead! HORTON!!"
The elephant paid little attention to the mouse's pleas keeping the yellow ball in his sights. His long, strong legs made it easy to catch up with Katie who was watching him blankly; bug eyed. He screeched to a halt as he passed her, racing into the water and stretching his trunk out. Horton wrapped it gently around the small creature with a relieved sigh, pulling her damp body out of the stream and plopped her down onto his back.
"Don't scare us like that Katie," he said with a sigh patting her gently on her head. She gave him a large grin, her eyes going sideways as she opened her mouth.
"Ahhh…"
"Ooookay then. Let's get out of here." Horton turned to step out of the cooling water, only to be stop as two haunting figures blocked his path.
"Kitty!" Katie said, Horton moving his trunk up and clamping it over the fur ball's mouth. His brows burrowed down, concentrating hard to stop his legs from shaking.
Standing in front of Horton and Katie were two Jaguars, smiley dangerously at them with toothy grins. One's fur was longed blue hair, purple stripes running down his back. The other's was golden colored with green spots matching the small patch of hair on his forehead.
"Well, well, well look at what we have here," the blue one said, stepping forward licking his lips, "Seems we got ourselves a couple of trespassers."
The green spotted one smile widen, Horton gulping at the size of his sharp teeth. "I think your right Claude," he said walking the opposite direction, both cats circling them, "and you know we don't take kindly to trespassers."
"Now come on fellas," Horton smiled nervously at the two felines, "We can be reasonable can't we? It was an accident. We didn't realize that we crossed the boundary."
"Ignorance for the law is no excuse for breaking it."
"Oh Jasper, that was absolutely bone chilling." Claude said to the other.
"Why thank you," Jasper stated proudly, "I've wanted to use that phrase for the longest time. I didn't over do it did I?"
"Not at all! You put just enough venom into the words with out having to raise your voice an inch. I must say if I were the elephant," he gestured towards where Horton was standing, "I would have-wait, where did he go?"
They snapped their heads around, seeing Horton tip toeing away on his hind legs, Katie being held in his trunk. As their eyes connected, Horton smiled sheepishly. The two Jaguars snarled.
"Okay time to go!!" Horton yelled as he sprinted up the river, Jasper and Claude racing after him. His breath was coming out in large gasp as he ran up the shore line, dodging on the blue hair one as he lunged for his leg. The cat tackled thin air, tumbling forward and into the water. He let out a cry of panic as he shot out of the stream, narrowing his eyes dangerously at Horton.
"You will regret that elephant." Claude hissed continuing the pursuit. Horton pumped his legs harder, begging them to go faster. A little ways ahead he spotted Morton and the other children standing by the boundary marker, yelling with fear and encouragement for their friends to make it over.
The two jaguars came up on both sides of him suddenly, running further ahead and cutting him off, only a few feet away from his friend. He stopped in his tracks, backing up slowly.
"That wasn't a very wise thing to do elephant," Claude smiled though his voice was anything but friendly. "Now you have gone and upset us."
"Nicely put." Jasper said out of the side of his mouth.
"Really? I thought it sounded a little cliché."
"Absolutely not! You nailed it perfectly."
"Why thank you" his eyes cut to Horton, "but enough distractions. I'm famished. And I do believe this morsel in front us is exactly what my stomach needs."
"I'm actually not too hungry," Jasper said, "though I think I can manage with the elephant's small companion."
Horton's eyes lingered away from the predators and onto Katie, who was absolutely oblivious to the serious danger they were in. He might not be able to get out of this predicament, but he was sure as day not going to let one of his little buddies suffer the same fate.
Horton looked back up with a new found courage, catching eyes with Tommy. In one quick movement he stood up, lifting up his left leg and throwing back his trunk.
"TOMMY GO LONG!!" He whipped his trunk forward, sending Katie soaring through the air, the puff ball grinning widely. Tommy back up a few feet, never letting the growing form leave his sight, and caught her as she descended to the ground.
"Score baby!!"
Jasper let out a fierce growl, silencing the boy's cheering. Smiley at their terrified forms he stalked towards them, "You know Claude, I take back what I said. I am actually starving."
"Don't you dare touch them!" Horton yelled angrily making the felines laugh.
"And what are you going to do about it elephant. In size you may over power us, but in strength and speed, you have no chance." Jasper continued towards the group of children, his claws surfacing from his paws.
"You can't hurt us!" Morton said standing on top of Rudy's head. "It's against the law if you cross the boundary line!!"
"It's only against the law if we get caught." Claude said keeping his eyes hungrily on Horton. "Now how about we get this party started shall we?"
"Fantastic sentence my friend!" Jasper said with a laugh, "We seem to be on a role today!"
Horton's mind went blank, his heart racing a mile a minute. How could this of happen? This was supposed to be a fun day at the watering hole, now he was minutes away from losing his life. And he dragged the kids and his best friend with him! Sure, he could help save a small civilization from disaster but he couldn't even help his friends from two bullies; two really scary, meat loving bullies.
Please, he pleaded as Claude scrunched down on all fours ready to pounce. Some one help me save them! Please!!
That's when he heard it. A scream; some one was screaming. For a moment he forgot about the trouble he was in, lifting his ear towards the sky. It was very faint, almost non-existent, but it was there. And the strangest part was it almost sounded familiar.
"You hear that?" Horton said out loud, causing every one to stop momentarily and listen. Not able to hear as well as Horton, Claude's eyes narrowed dangerously his lip sliding up in a snarl.
"If this is some kind of desperate attempt as a distraction, I'm afraid you fail-"
"Wait! Claude…I think I hear it." Jasper said stepping away from his prey and standing next to the cat. Horton realized the scream had gotten louder. And again he noticed how familiar it sounded. Why would a scream sound familiar?
A strange blue and green light highlighted the trees around them, the elephant turning around to see a bolt of color careening towards them. They all stood rooted in shock, unable to move as the scream and light came closer and closer.
"Morton! Kids!" Horton yelled, his voice shaking them out of there trance. "GO NOW!!" They nodded leaping out of the path and into the dense jungle trees.
Horton fell to the ground instantly and covered his head, feeling a warm sensation grazed across his back, the scream becoming more pronounced as it was tangled with Claude's and Jasper's, plowing them down.
Realization dawn on him, the elephant's eyes going huge as he gasped with surprise. He now knew why the voice sounded so familiar. Because it was the first thing he had heard come from the pink clover so many months ago.
00000
A loud popping noise burst threw the mayor's eardrums as he left Who-ville's atmosphere, causing the head ache that had been building up in the past moments to evolve all the way to a migraine.
Ned could feel his throat begin to burn as his chest was forced to let out a horrible scream. His limbs gave off a numb, tingling sensation as he climbed faster and faster into the sky, the air around him tightening to the point where the Who thought he might pass out. If he lived through this, he was going to inform his son that his calculations on no pain were way, way off.
A sudden bright light seeped through is closed eyelids as a cool breeze swarmed around his torso. The wind cut at his face and body, sending painful shivers down his spine. The mayor felt the speed die down and every paused around him, making him wonder it the ordeal was finally over. Ned found it untrue as his stomach dropped suddenly and he began to fall steadily out of the sky, his loud screams no longer forced.
Air currents swirled around his body like a barrier. The mayor's felt like his insides were on fire, his muscles stretching and his bones growing at a dramatic rate. Blood pounded in his ears as he descended quicker and quicker to the ground, Ned's heart caught in his throat.
He didn't no when it happen but the pressure around him evaporated into nothing as his body crashed into a hard, fur covered surface, sending the mayor of Who-ville and the mass he pile drive rolling on the ground before a tree acted as a brake, face planting into the trunk before slowly falling back onto the ground.
Horton winced as the bodies crashed to the nearby tree, Claude and Jasper collapsed on the ground in pain, the other figure falling on top of them shortly after wards. "That…looked painful." He thought mumbled out loud.
"Horton!" Morton shot out from the bushes with a relieved yell, the kids hot on his heels. They nearly took him down as they huddle against him, throwing their tiny arms around his legs affectionately. "Jeez we thought you were a goner! What happened back there?"
Horton didn't speak, his attention on the strange being that was stirring on top of the two jaguars. His heart drummed against his chest, not believing what his mind, his ears, were telling him. It couldn't be him, it just wasn't possible. Was it?
The kids and the mouse noticed their friend's stunned silence, "Horton?" all of them turned their heads slowly to follow his gaze; eyes falling on the strange figure that was starting to sit up, its shoulders flinching as if in pain.
Their unknowing savior rubbed his throbbing head in his hand, limbs aching from the impact. At least his landing wasn't so bad, luckily hitting something semi-soft. His other hand examined the ground below him, his finger patting the warm fur with curiosity.
"Huh, the ground seems to be very furry here." He mumbled to himself opening his eyes to make a closer inspection. Ned's face paled as he realized he wasn't sitting on the ground but on top of two semi conscious animals, moaning slightly.
"AH!" he yelled in surprise jumping to his feet, which connect with Claude's head, and backed quickly away from them. "Sorry! SORRY! I didn't mean to land on you guys! I just flew out of the sky and had no control what so ever of where I landed-"
"Mayor?" a familiar voice asked in a shocked whisper from behind him. Ned stopped his rambling, his body going still. Memories flooded his vision as the voice registered into his mind, his stomach starting to feel queasy. Slowly he turned around, the mayor's big eyes focusing on the elephant two feet away from him.
Horton could barely breathe as the figure responded to him, answering the impossible question. He couldn't believe it! It was him! His long lost friend, who lived on a speck, who he hadn't talked to for so long and missed terribly had somehow just saved him and his friends and was now standing two feet away.
Ned looked at the elephant that had a grin plastered on his face. He felt himself smiling back, disbelief and happiness in his eyes. "Horton? Is that really you?"
In an instant Horton jumped into the air with a loud cheer and barreled toward the Ned. He wrapped his trunk around the shocked Who, pulling him into a bear hug as he spun around, laughing with joy. "MAYOR! YOU'RE HERE!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!"
"Horton…" Ned said in a wheezy voice, "Horton…your crushing me!"
"Oh!" he said embarrassed stopping in mid twirl, noticing just how tight he was holding on to him. Horton pulled the mayor away setting him gently on the ground. "Sorry about that."
Ned laugh for the first time in a while a huge smile etched across his face. "It's fine. I remember how energetic you can get." He shook his head, still unable to believe he was face to face with the elephant. "It's so good to see you…for the first time."
Horton smiled back feeling the exact same way. "Yeah," then scrunched his brow in confusion, "but I don't understand. How are you here?"
The mayor blew his lips out, swatting his hand in the air with small irritation. "Oh Dr. LaRue and Jojo built this crazy transporter thing-a-ma- bob that sent me here. The stupid thing nearly killed me!"
"Jojo built it?"
"Yep!" the mayor said beaming with pride, "He's becoming quite the inventor. Building something new every week." his back creaked, causing a slight hiss to escape his lips as he rubbed the sore spot, "I just wish the one's I tested out wouldn't be so painful."
"Excuse me." Morton coughed rudely interrupting the conversation as he ran up Horton's nose, looking him in the eyes. "I hate to interrupt such a fascinating yet weird conversation, but who the heck is this guy?"
"I almost forgot!" Horton said hitting himself in the head with his trunk, "Morton," he glanced up at the mouse who was now on top of his head frowning, "Kids," he gestured to the five small bodies huddled around his legs. "I'd like to introduce you to my friend, The Mayor of Who-ville!"
The mouse's eyes were saucers, his tail falling. "You mean the guy from the speck world! Get out."
"Whoa! For real?" Tommy said the kids going wide eyed with excitement studying him curiously. Ned rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed.
"I have water in my ears." Katie frowned, swatting at them with her hoof. Every one slowly turned and looked at her strangely.
"Okay, that was a little different," he gave them a friendly smiled, "You can just call me Ned."
"More like dead man." Jasper snarled from behind them, the Who whipping around to see the two cats getting up on shaky legs, the green spotted jaguar glaring daggers at the Mayor. "You are going to pay dearly for interrupting our dinner."
Ned's eye brows burrowed glancing around. "Dinner? I don't see any food lying around."
"He's talking about us." Morton whispered, now perched on the Who's shoulder, who jumped back in surprise. "They were about to chow down before you zoomed out of the sky and nailed them."
"Oh." He gulped.
Horton wrapped his trunk around Rudy's body, lifting quickly him up onto this back. "I think it's time we vacate the area." He said grabbing Jessica next.
"That doesn't sound like a bad Idea." Ned laughed nervously, walking away from the snarling felines in front of him. Horton gathered the rest of the kids onto his back, looking at his friend with fear as the jungle cats began to circle him.
"Claude do you want to take the first bite out of him or shall I?" Jasper asked politely as the two cats surrounded the mayor, escape becoming impossible.
"Oh by all means after you."
"How about we don't take a bite out of anybody?" Ned pulled down on his tie, "That sounds like fun don't it?"
Jasper muscle tensed together as he lowered his body to the ground growling, salvia dripping from his long teeth. Ned guessed that meant no. The jaguar let out a ferocious hiss, leaping at the Who, his claw stretched out wards.
"DUCK MAYOR!!"
Ned did as he was instructed, dropping himself on all fours as the cat soared over him. Jasper looked back in surprise, accidentally ramming into Claude for the second time today, both falling hard to the ground.
The mayor sat up, looking at the tangled cats in mild surprise. "Wow. That actually worked." Horton was at his side in an instant, scooping him up with his trunk as he broke into a dead sprint.
"Sorry kitties but this meal's to go!!" Horton yelled in triumph, speeding into the dense jungle and out of sight, the mayor holding onto his trunk for dear life.
The two jungle cats struggled to break free from each other, Claude pushing the other roughly away, his eyes blazing brightly as his fur stood on end. "I will not let an elephant and some stupid...whatever that thing was…make a fool of me." Jasper stood as well, shaking with anger, his ears pinned to his head. "AFTER THEM!!"
"You two will stay exactly where you are." A voiced hissed from the shadows. They're bodies froze at the command as the owner of the voice slithered out form his hiding place, looking down on the two cats.
"Would you care to explain to me how two of my top men were made fools by an elephant and a group of children?" it asked dangerously calm.
"It wasn't our fault!" Jasper defended, trying not to flinch as piercing yellow eyes narrowed at him. "Some…creature shot out of the sky and ruined everything!"
"A yes….Who-ville it said." The voice was silent in thought, a smile creeping on its face. "Interesting. I shall ask kangaroo what she knows tonight at the meeting." It turned its back towards the two beckoning them to follow. "Come along boys, we have a lot to do before sunset."
"But what about-"
"You will leave your vendetta for another day." The voice snapped, the felines jumping back in fear. "For now, you have work that needs to be done."
They bowed their heads in defeat. "Yes Boss."
The plot thickens!! ;) hope you enjoy and every review you send me, an angel will recieve it's wings
Okay that's bull, but please do review! For Me!!