Chapter 3: A Bandit in the Forest?
Many months have passed and Rick has fully recovered from his injuries. He revealed what he never got to say to Heather as soon as he regained consciousness from passing out during the operation that had saved him.
Rick: "I didn't want you to lose your mate. I mean, the two of you just got married a week ago."
Heather: "I really appreciate that Rick…Thank you."
Rick: "What're families for, eh?"
The hug following afterwords is what sealed the deal.
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Back in the present, De'Ausha is playing tag with Hammy, Roger and Tyler; the latter 2 have, like all brothers, developed a sibling rivalry. As soon as Tyler is tagged by Roger they break into an argument rather than just keep playing.
Tyler: "Hey watch it there. It's called 'tag' not 'punch as hard as you can!' "
Roger: "Ah, quit complaining you wuss!"
Tyler: "What makes you think you can tell me what to do?"
Roger: "Because I'm older than you, stronger than you, smarter than you, and better looking than you!"
Tyler: "Yeah right, by how much? Three and a half minutes. That doesn't mean a lot!"
Hammy (Matter-of-factly): "A-hem! We're waiting to be chased by whoever is it!"
De'Ausha: "Come on, quit staling you two!"
The two raccoons look at each other. Then at Hammy and De'Ausha who are tapping their feet impatiently and looking at the twins with faces as if saying "What're you waiting for already?"
Tyler bolts at Hammy whose speed easily puts distance between him and the young raccoon.
Roger: "Oh come on Hammy. That's not—"
Ty: "Fair how you can run so fast and—"
Roger: "None of us can."
Ty: "Hey, quit stealing my words!"
Roger: "You quit stealing MY words!"
De'Ausha (Ignores the arguing siblings and calls out loudly): "They've got a point y'know Hammy. Whenever you're It, it takes you about two seconds to tag someone else! At least give us a fair chance to tag you!"
Up ahead Hammy is trying to run and listen to what the others were saying by turning his head around in the direction of the voices. He trips over something and falls. While the fall is not hard, Hammy then sees what it was he had tripped over. His eyes widen to the size of golf balls and his eyes twitch. He lets out a scream so loud that every bird in the El Rancho Camelot Estates is scared off.
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By now the family is all gathered in a circle in the Pad area and are listening intently.
Verne: "Alrighty everyone, now that we're all here there's some urgent matters that have caught Hammy's attention recently.
Hammy (Zooms up): "Not only have all the peanut butter cookies been eaten, but the supply of peanut butter has been running low again. And we got some just yesterday."
Verne: "Which means someone has been sneaking off and eating it."
RJ: "Now look, we're all a family so anyone who's been having midnight snacks on the peanut butter supplies can just admit they did it and no one will do anything bad to you."
Crickets chirp as no one opens his or her mouth.
Penny: "Jeepers, maybe the um…'peanut butter bandit' isn't one of us, but someone else."
Ozzie: "Someone besides us! We're not alone! Uhhh." (Faints)
Heather merely sighs and smiles thinly.
Verne: "We'll just have to post guards to watch over the peanut butter supply while we sleep."
Heather: "I'll take first watch."
Hammy (Whining): "Darn it all, I wanted first watch."
Heather: "Well, if you really want it Hammy you can have it."
Hammy: "Really, you mean it?"
Heather: "Of course."
Hammy (While jumping up in the air many times): "Yippee! Yahoo! Alright! I get to take first watch!" (Talking very fast) "Ooh, it'll be like a spy movie except I won't be the spy, I'll be the guard."
Verne: "Hammy…"
Hammy (Ignores Verne and keeps talking quickly): "But unlike the guard in the movies I'll be watchful and vigilant. Not even a fly will be able to get past my sight.
RJ: "Hammy…"
Hammy: "Ooooo, no spy or bandit is gonna steal ANYTHING on my watch! I'll even set up booby traps like a hole in the ground hidden by leaves, a tripwire that'll drop a heavy crate to trap the bandit inside."
Lou: "Hammy…"
Hammy: "Then I'll get some surveillance cameras covering every inch of the food pile with no blind spots! Oh, not to mention motion-activated floodlights!"
Stella: "Hammy…"
Hammy: "And if I have enough time I can even dig a moat and fill it with man-eating sharks, crocodiles, piranhas, electric eels, giant squids, and alligators…"
Ozzie: "Hammy…"
Emma (Whispering to her siblings): "Heather REALLY should have taken first watch…"
Emily and Rachael in unison: "Heard that."
Marilyn (To the female porcupine triplets): "He's been watching too many Saturday morning animal shows again…"
Hammy: "And on land I'll have tigers, lions, wolves, coyotes, ostriches, badgers, and—Whoa! Badgers? Badgers?! We don't need no stinking badgers! Ah, I got it: wolverines instead of badgers, yeah!"
The whole family: "HAMMY!"
Hammy (Screams in terror as if no one had been there all along and suddenly showed up): "AHHH! W-what?"
The whole family: "Please be quiet!"
Hammy (Pouting): "But I was just about to tell you about the eagles, hawks, falcons, vultures, and owls I was gonna have patrolling in the air…"
Penny: "Jeepers Hammy, all you have to do is stay up a while after your normal bedtime and keep an eye on the food stash."
Rick: "Yeah, none of that other mumbo jumbo is necessary or even possible."
Hammy: "It would be possible if I drank 12 cans of energy drinks!"
The whole family (As urgent as if the world was going to end in a matter of seconds): "NOOOOO!"
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As night falsl—accompanied by a small rain storm—the family makes their way into the log to sleep. Hammy is over at the other end where most of the food stash is. The good thing is that if he did spot the so-called peanut butter bandit, he could quickly wake everyone else up.
Hours passed and there is still no sign of the bandit, and Hammy is having a hard time keeping his eyes open. Needing to ensure he stays alert, Hammy carefully walks over to a dead tree stump where he kept some secret supply of energy drinks. He only had one, but that's all it took to give him the energy to make him fast enough to run at the speed of light…which he did.
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As the forest family wakes up, they discover two odd things: some peanut butter, nutter butters, and Reese's are gone; and Hammy is high up in a tree with luggage tags on his body labeled "Africa," "Brazil," "The Mediterranean," "Australia," and "Canada"—obviously destinations he either attempted to travel (or actually traveled to; we may never know) in order to get the guard animals for his wacky plan.
But no animals he had talked about are present, the energy drink had run its course, and now Hammy was out like a light from the crash that followed after the caffeine high.
After gaining some more of the lost items, the family lets Heather take the watch that night. But the next morning, more peanut butter-related items had disappeared nonetheless. Heather is currently explaining how it happened.
Heather: "I thought I saw a shadowy figure a little ways off from the log and went to investigate, but by the time I got back the stash was gone."
Tiger: "We could be dealing with a duo of bandits."
Stella: "Or maybe even a whole group…"
Simon: "How about my mate and I take the watch tonight? After all, bats are nocturnal and our hearing won't deceive us like eyes would."
Verne: "That's actually a very good idea."
Ty: "Well I think I know who the peanut butter bandit is." (Points) "My brother!"
Roger: "That's a lie! Besides, you weigh more than I do, so I say that YOU'RE the peanut butter bandit!"
Ty: "Am not!"
Roger: "Are too!"
Ty: "AM NOT!"
Roger: "ARE TOO!"
De'Ausha: "Both of you stop blamin' each other before I gas you!"
The raccoon twins immediately look over and see De'Ausha's tail raised. That's all it took to silence them.
From that day on the hedgies realized De'Ausha inherited her mother's skunk spray and short temper.
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But in the morning, more peanut butter had been stolen and Simon and Celine were recapping what had happened.
Celine: "We heard some footsteps and turned the direction to confront the bandit."
Simon: "But in the next instant our ears were covered with earmuffs."
Celine: "Without our primary sense working we panicked and frantically tried to remove our earmuffs."
Simon: "We also couldn't hear anything else in order to prevent the bandit from stealing anything and forgot all about using our sense of smell in that ruckus. And when we figured out how to take off the earmuffs, some peanut butter products were gone."
Lou: "Looks like we're dealing with some pretty crafty thieves here…"
Velma: "I suggest we sleep on top of the peanut butter stash, that way the bandits would have to wake us all up in order to get what they want."
The family agrees. And in the morning, no peanut butter was stolen, but the family knew it is too soon to drop their guard. RJ volunteers to take watch while the others continued to sleep on top of the peanut butter foods tonight.
In the afternoon, everyone was busy with something. And Heather gets her mate's attention.
Heather: "RJ? There's something you need to know.
RJ: "Okay. I'm listening."
Heather (Grabs RJ's paw): "Not here. Follow me."
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Heather leads RJ back to their favorite spot. RJ wonders why Heather would want them so far out.
RJ: "So…What is it?"
Heather: "RJ…..I…."
RJ: "What?"
Heather: "Well…First things first."
Heather immediately moves close and passionately kisses her mate. RJ is surprised by the sudden action, but returns it when he understands what's going on.
Heather (Breaks away from kiss slowly): "I love you, RJ."
RJ: "I love you too, Heather. So, what'dya wanna tell me?"
Heather: "Close your eyes."
RJ: "Ahh. This is gonna be interesting."
Heather: "No peeking."
RJ: "Don't worry, I won't."
RJ closes his eyes with his paws and keeps them there, and Heather silently slips away. After a full minute or so passes by, RJ begins to wonder what in the world is holding Heather up. As if she could read his mind, she speaks.
Heather: "Okay, open your eyes."
RJ opens his eyes, but Heather's nowhere to be seen.
RJ: "Heather? Where are you—?"
RJ hears Heather giggling coming from above and looks up to see Heather hanging from a tree branch using her tail.
Heather: "Up here silly!"
RJ (Chuckles a bit): "Silly? You're the silly one who's hanging around up there."
Heather: "Sorry…I couldn't resist."
RJ (Opens his arms up): "C'mon. I'll catch ya."
Heather: "Coming down!"
Heather loosens her tail and falls right into RJ's arms. She gives him a quick kiss on the lips.
RJ: "So the point of that was…?"
Heather: "I was just having a little fun..."
RJ (Grins): "I know Heather…You always have had a sense of humor with our romance."
RJ lets Heather down and they stare into each other's eyes briefly.
RJ: "So…What d'ya wanna tell me…?"
Heather: "RJ..."
RJ (Begins to smile): "Yes?"
Heather immediately hugs her mate.
Heather: "Hold me."
RJ returns the hug to Heather, but is getting a little impatient.
Heather (In a whisper): "…Hold me…"
RJ hugs his beloved mate even more, his impatience replaced with his love.
Heather (In a very soft voice): "…...Hold me…..."
RJ (Also in a soft voice): "I am, love….I'm holding you…..I'll never let go if you want me to."
Heather smiles and nuzzles her head against RJ's left shoulder. RJ strokes Heather's head fur in their tender, loving moment. RJ smiles too, and lightly kisses Heather on the head.
Heather (Whispering): "No matter what happens, you'll always be by my side?"
RJ (Whispering): "Of course Heather, dear. We took our vows. 'Till death do you part' remember?"
Heather: "I'll never forget the vows we made either…"
Tears start to come out of Heather's eyes and RJ's a little concerned when he feels them on his shoulder.
RJ: "Are you ok?"
Heather (Smiles): "I'm just so happy with you…And for you! For us both!"
RJ: "For me?—Oh! That's right! What do wanna tell me…?"
Heather: "…...RJ…..."
RJ's face brightens with joyful anticipation. Heather gently grabs RJ's paws.
Heather: "Give me your paws."
RJ lets out a brief and disappointed sigh as Heather puts her left paw on top of his and brings it to her cheek. Heather takes RJ's right paw and places it on her body. They pause and stare into each other's eyes once again.
Heather: "I love you, RJ…"
RJ: "And there is no word to describe how deeply I love you too, Heather…But please. You're driving me a little nuts here. Please tell me what you wanted to tell me…
"Now don't get me wrong. I really liked the kiss, and the 'hanging around' thing, and the 'hold me' thing, and the holding each other's paw thing you're doing, but pretty please with whipped cream, sprinkles, and a chocolate-covered cherry on top, PLEASE tell me what you wanted to say…"
Heather (Closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, lets it out, and slowly meets with RJ's eyes): "RJ…"
RJ warily smiles and nods head, anxious with anticipation.
Heather: "I'm pregnant."
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Oh snap, cliffhanger ending!
Surprised? Well, in a way some of you probably saw it coming since Soul Mates Part 2 had two female characters having kids…And I did allude to RJ and Heather working on having kids in the first chapter of Part 3.
But I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Bye!
