After a while, he fell back to drive at her side. "I never knew ya were from the Poconos." He remarked, and she nodded.
"Yeah. It gets wayyyy too cold there, especially for me. I'd always have to sleep by the fireplace in winter because my room was freezing." She replied with a grin. "Not like here. All I've got to do is wear a scarf, mittens and my sweatshirt, then it's better then sleeping by the fire."
Strip chuckled, then asked how high the snow had gotten.
"I'd say two feet, maybe three if I remember correctly. You know, nothing blizzard-y, but still with plenty of snow to make a snowman." Foxy grinned sheepishly, and he nodded.
"Sounds like a lotta snow."
"Yeah, especially as a kid."
He laughed, then nudged her. "I think everyone woulda said that, Foxy."
She giggled, then nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."
They made it back to town, and Foxy gave him a smile. "Thanks for keeping me company, Strip. I think I needed it."
He dipped his hood in a nod, then nudged her. "Looked like ya coulda used some."
The two looked up as a far off rumble of thunder sounded, and they noticed that the skies were filling with gray clouds. "Better get goin', Foxy."
"Yeah, I guess we should. See you tomorrow, Strip."
He gave her a smile, dipped his hood in another nod, then the two parted ways, Foxy heading to Fillmore's empty dome.
She tried hiding under her bean bag chair, to no avail. At an especially loud crack of thunder, she yelped, then bolted outside, into the pouring rain. She went to the first place she could think of, which was Doc's clinic. She entered just as another crack of thunder echoed around her. With a yelp, she hid under the lift.
Bus, who was watching her curiously when she burst into the doors, dripping wet with a crazed look in her eye, now pulled her out from underneath the lift, in case it lowered and crushed her. "Foxy, what's the matter?" Another bolt of lightning lit up the skies, followed by an enormous clap of thunder, making her yelp again and scramble underneath Bus' front bumper. "Hey, come out of there. I don't want to crush you."
She just uttered a whine and began shaking.
"Foxy, come on. You've gotta come out." He told her more firmly, reaching a tire underneath his bumper, trying to fish her out.
She clung to his tire frantically, catching him by surprise.
"Okayyy, that worked…" He muttered, and began slowly pulling his tire out. When he had her out in the open, he pinned her to his fender with the same tire. "Foxy, what's the matter? I've never seen you like this." Just then, a booming, rolling bout of thunder echoed across the skies, and she nearly shot into the air. He looked up, then back down at Foxy. "It's the thunder, isn't it?"
She nearly dove underneath his bumper again when another roar of thunder let loose.
"Okay, that answers that…" He pulled her back out again, and was about to order her to go back to Fillmore's when he caught a glance of her expression. She not only looked crazed, but terrified. In fact, she looked terrified out of her mind, and desperate.
He really didn't want her bunking with him for another night, but she seemed to have nowhere else to go. He sighed, then nodded slightly. "Tonight only. Then it's back over to your boyfriend's home." With that, he settled down in the corner of the clinic, curling a tire around her awkwardly, like a child hugging an oversized stuffed animal.
She whimpered softly, and he adjusted his near-death grip on her, loosening it slightly. He draped the blanket over her after draping it over his roof.
Snuggled up to his side, Foxy was out in fifteen minutes, curled up and sleeping quietly.
Bus looked down at her, then nudged against her a little more before resting his bumper on the floor and falling asleep as well. Outside, the storm raged on, but the the two were sleeping quietly.
The next morning, the storm had rolled northeast, so was nowhere to be found. Foxy blinked her eyes open sleepily, finding a tire draped across her waist, as usual. She thought nothing of it, curled back up, and slept on.
Bus however, was awake, and chuckled quietly at Foxy's sleepy reaction. He decided that it was time to get up and dropped the blanket over her, smiling as it fanned out mid-air to cover her entire body, including her face. All that there was to see was the tip of her tail and the tips of her ears. He rolled outside, heading for Flo's and some coffee.
As he settled into his newfound spot, he heard a yelp coming from the clinic. He pulled out, then headed back, only to find Foxy rolled up in the giant blanket like a burrito, and wrestling with it.
"Did chu do this?" She slurred, looking straight up at him.
He chuckled, shaking his front and grinning. He grabbed a hold of the end of the blanket, and tugged on it sharply. She was sent spinning away, straight into the lift and toppling over onto the floor. As she wobbled upright again, her knees gave out and she sank down to the floor again.
"Oh, Foxy. What're we going to do with you?"
She mumbled an answer, and he picked her up.
"You wanna go for a camping trip?" She asked finally, and he shrugged.
"Sure. It'll give us something to do while we wait for the group to get back." He replied, and Foxy went over to Fillmore's.
She grabbed her bag, then the two departed, telling them that they were going camping, and would be back within four days.
They got up into the wilderness of Tailfin Pass, and set up the tent Foxy kept packed in her bag. She also pulled out something, tightly rolled up.
He watched in shock as she undid the knot tying it together, and it flew open into a dog bed. "Why've you got one of those?" He asked, and she grinned.
"For emergencies." Was all she said before settling down in it with a sigh, exhausted from their hike.
"Don't you need a blanket?" He asked, and she shook her head.
"Got it covered." She replied, and pulled out a blanket, tossing it over herself. She looked like she was about to pull something out, but hesitated. "Don't laugh, all right?"
"Why would I?"
She hesitated a bit more, then slowly drew out her horse.
He looked at it with curiosity, much to her surprise. "What is it?"
"You're kidding, right? It's a stuffed animal. Something that only five-year-olds normally sleep with."
"Then why do you have one?"
Her ears went back, and an angry expression passed over her face.
He thought she was going to attack him, for one frightening moment, then it passed and she sighed wearily.
"Separation issues."
He nodded his front in understanding, and didn't say a word about it. She seemed to relax after that.
The two fell asleep quickly, Foxy curled up, actually looking like a dog, in a way. Bus had settled low on his tires, and he was snoring quietly, something Foxy would've found adorable, if she had been awake. There was the sound of something small hitting the tent, then another time. Soon, it sounded like it was being pelted by tiny rocks. Rain. It was beginning to pour, and to make it worse, a loud crack of thunder sounded overhead.
At once, Foxy was awake and had bolted out of the tent in a blind panic.
"Foxy, wait! Come back!" Bus called frantically after her disappearing red-and-yellow form. It was no use, as she was gone in the blink of an eye. Bus didn't know whether to go after her, or stay with the tent. His choice was quickly made, and he began packing up the tent and Foxy's things to go and find her. He finished as quickly as possible, then set off in her general direction, calling for her and hoping that she would come when called. He finally collapsed from exhaustion and diminishing hope, and didn't even realize that he had fallen asleep until he jerked awake.
It was just nearing dawn, and he got up, feeling the achy stiffness from being cold and wet for so long, not to mention not moving while in said state. He tried his best to shake off the moisture and cold, and continued on looking for Foxy. He kept moving deeper and deeper into the twisting maze of cliffs and boulders, hoping that there was an easier way out of the mess they were in.
Finally, he spotted a splash of red and yellow through the drizzle that was slowly turning into a regular rain. "Foxy?" He asked, sure that she'd either respond or move towards him and cling to his tire. When she didn't do either, he rolled closer, unsure if she was even awake.
With a startled gasp, he leapt backwards, almost about to drive off a cliff that had seemingly come out of nowhere. Now that he looked though, he could see Foxy was on a ledge below him, actually in the cliffs. He had no idea that she was afraid of heights, and had no idea how to get to her. "Foxy, can you hear me?" Still no response, and he tried not to think the worst.
He looked back, and saw that it was a straight passageway, perfect for gaining speed. He reversed back as far as he could go, only stopping when his rear end hit the cliff that signalled a bend in the path. He roared forwards with every ounce of speed and strength he could muster, and soon he took a blind leap, unsure if he would make it across, or if gravity would catch up with him and send him plummeting to what was surely his death. Luck was on his side, however, and his front wheels cleared the gap. His back wheels were another story. He had forgotten how long he was, and had miscalculated the distance. As he revved his engine ferociously, he was clawing with his front tires, his teeth gritted and bared, huffing like a bull through them.
Finally, with a great spin of his front tires, he scrambled upwards, and turned around with an air of triumphance. He looked down, trying to see Foxy, and was thankful for once for not having an extremely long hood. He looked straight down, and his oil ran cold.
Foxy's face was extremely pale, her eyes were shut tightly, and she wasn't moving. There was something running down her forehead, something that looked dark red. Whatever it was, there was a great stain in the dirt below her that the liquid seemed to connect to.
Somehow, he know that she was unconscious, and he tried to grab at her with his tires.
He could just barely reach her hair, and grabbed a huge tireful. He began pulling her up by the hair, wincing and imagining that it was extremely painful. What horrified him the most was the fact that her arm was bent at a completely unnatural angle. He had never seen it like that, and shuddered as he looked at it. It horrified him, but he just couldn't seem to look away. Her breathing was shallow and rapid, her chest barely moving with each breath. He tried to wake her up, but to no avail.
Finally, he shouted out in frustration, and realized too late what he had done.
He quickly grabbed her, and shoved her underneath his frame, hoping that she wouldn't get squashed. His thoughts gave him away, and he quickly shoved her back towards a cliff wall, hoping that she was under a stable ledge as the rocks began raining down upon the two. He tried not to scream in agony as the rocks crushed his roof and sides, but still let loose a few strangled yells of pain.
He heard a small scream of pain, and felt some relief. At least she was awake. "Foxy?" A pained whimper told him that he'd been heard, and he continued. "Can you come find me?"
"N-No, I c-can't. My foot's stuck under a rock, and I think it's broken." She replied in a wavering tone, and he could tell that she was trying not to cry from the pain she was in.
He gave her points for that, because there were involuntary tears dripping from his windshield at the moment. "All right, just hold on. I'll see if I can get out of this." He tried to be comforting, but his teeth were gritted tightly against the pain that was building and throbbing along his entire form.
She whimpered again, and he began dragging himself through the rocks, sometimes pushing them aside so he could get to where she was.
When he saw her, he gasped. "Oh, we've got to get this off of you, Foxy!" He exclaimed quietly in horror, seeing the rock that was as big as she was firmly planted on her right ankle.
She inhaled sharply, shut her eyes, and bit her lip. Hard.
He pushed it as hard as possible, and slowly, it began rolling off her.
She whimpered quietly, and he grunted. "I know, almost there." He replied breathlessly, and continued pushing. With a loud THUMP, it fell to the ground at her side. "Okay, I don't think you'll be able to walk, much less get up."
She shook her head with another whimper, and he nuzzled her gently, his expression growing sadder with each passing minute.
His eyes widened as he heard a growl, followed by another. "Oh, god no. No, no, no…" He murmured in horror, looking around frantically for the bodies that matched the growls. Of course, they blended in with the rock walls around them, so it was impossible to see them. "Foxy, you've got to get up, now. Otherwise, you'll be cat food. Literally." He hissed, and she nodded, having heard the growls also.
She started to rise, but whimpered, shook her head, and slid back down, her face paling even more.
"Look, I'll help you." He got her standing, and the two began moving slowly towards the exit. Foxy shuddered in pain every time her foot hit the ground, and Bus would wince every time. Finally, they were within a few feet of the exit, but a tawny shape leaped in front of them with a snarl. "Foxy, give me your hand." Bus muttered, and she did. He used it to toss her onto his aching roof. "Now hold on tight. I've never done something like this before, so I don't know what's going to happen." He felt her get a good grip on the edges, and charged towards the cat, not slowing.
The cat was too stunned to move, and he kept speeding along. He rammed into the cat, and sent it flying. It landed on the ground, in his path once more, and didn't get up. He didn't slow, just ran straight over the cat. When he was sure that he had cleared it, he turned around to look. He wished he hadn't. He knew that he had felt something hit his axle, bruising it severely, and discovered that what it had been was the cat's head.
He shuddered as he looked upon the scene, and Foxy looked weakly at it.
Suddenly, she slid down his side, yelping in pain as she hit her bad ankle but not slowing in her hurried, hobbled gait, heading for the nearest bush.
Bus knew what she was going for, personally because he wanted to do it so very much himself.
In no time at all, the retching sounds came from behind the bush, along with something splattering as it hit the ground. He swallowed hard, forcing himself to block out the sounds and not vomit himself.
Thankfully, the sounds stopped after a while, and when he was sure it was safe, he slowly rolled over to Foxy. "Let's try and get back to town." He told her quietly, and she nodded soundlessly, laying over the bush and panting weakly, her eyes shut tightly once more.
Everything was beginning to ache and throb, and she just wanted to go home.
He nudged her good ankle gently, and offered a tire for assistance.
She reached behind her, trying to find it. The two connected, and she tried to haul herself upright. She felt weak, and especially dizzy, but knew that there were more mountain lions behind them. So she kept on hobbling, even when Bus asked if she wanted a ride. She just shook her head soundlessly.
Suddenly, Bus yelped and jumped. Behind him was a snarling mountain lion, and it wasn't backing down. He placed Foxy on his roof once more, and charged at the lion. He hit it, but it rolled and got up, then charged for him. He hit it again, but not before it landed a good swipe across his front end, making him inhale sharply and moan slightly. He continued rolling it over and crushing it even more, until he was sure it was dead.
Finally, his front wheels covered in blood, he pulled away to look numbly at the bloodied mess. He hadn't thought that there was that much blood in anything, especially not in an animal. He pulled away from it, and continued on through the winding paths, hobbling slightly. The lion had definitely injured his axle, he was sure of it.
He managed to hobble his way to a small clearing, and decided that they would set up the tent again. He unpacked everything by himself, and when he had finished setting things up, he gingerly set Foxy in her bed, setting her horse by her side, finding himself hoping that it would bring her some small comfort.
She instantly wrapped her arm around the raggedy-maned pony, cuddling the old-looking toy close.
He found himself wishing for something to cuddle, just to take the stress of everything away for a while. To his surprise, Foxy opened her eyes weakly, seemed to recognize his expression, and nodded her head weakly to the bag she had packed. It still looked like there was something in it, and he reached a tire in, coming out with a large, plush teddy bear.
It was a chocolate brown, nearly black, with caramel markings for its pads on its paws and its muzzle. It was amazingly soft and fuzzy, and he looked at her incredulously.
She just gave him a faint, weary smile, which he returned. "I had wanted a pillow, so I made him. Right now though, I think you need him more than I do." She explained, and he thanked her, snuggling his battered bumper into the bear's soft belly. It was incredibly plush, not being too hard, but seeming to be stuffed full of stuffing.
"How'd you know to bring him?"
"I'm not sure. It was just like something was nagging me to bring him."
"You made him? As in, stuffed him and everything?"
"Sure did. I remember my cousin had a bear smaller than this one, and I wanted to make a big bear, just like it. Turns out I made it a little too big."
"No, he turned out perfect." Bus replied, stifling a yawn as he snuggled the bear, glad to have some comfort.
Foxy smiled weakly, then inhaled sharply, cringing as she tried to move into a more comfortable position.
"What's wrong? You didn't hurt anything else, did you?"
"No, I don't think so. It's just that everything hurts from that fall, and the rocks." She whimpered, and he rolled closer, cringing at the pain in his axle, roof, and front. "You?"
"Pretty much the same."
"Look at us. It's so expected that we'd manage to even screw up camping for a few nights and get ourselves nearly killed."
Bus chuckled weakly, and gently laid a tire over her, wincing as he did so. He had the bear in one tire, her in another, and his battered body was finally able to get some sleep.
Foxy soon followed suit, and the two were able to achieve relief, at least for a few hours.
Yeah... bit of a wake-up to those of you who thought that this chapter was gonna be all sweet and happy. XD
I will say that the reason it's so... extreme... is because I was trying out the 'lost in the wilderness, end up testing their limits' scenario, and that's why it's sectioned weird. :/
Anyway, I'm glad you guys like this one, and did you see the little 'Easter egg' I put in about Foxy's having a dog bed for emergencies? That's from another one of my stories, if you remember which one and who gave it to her you'll get an Internet Cookie. ^^
About that bear: Yeah, my cousin has one just like it, and it's huge, and I love it. ^^ I want to know where my cousin got it, because it's the perfect wrestling partner, or lounge chair! It's like four feet tall, and it's in a sitting position, and it looks just like the one Bus pulls out of Foxy's magic bag. XD
