Meanwhile, on the road to Botany Bay, Kelley began singing a children's tune. In a way, he didn't hide the fact that he had never been to Botany Bay, and that he was excited. "Singin' Too-Oo-El-Ay-Attity…..Singin' Too-Oo-El-Ay….Singin' Too-Oo-El-Ay- Attity …and we're bou-ound for Botany Bay. So come on, you young duchesses and dukies…Take heed from what I say…what's my own is mine to touch, not yours…or you'll find us in Botany Bay.." B.F tried holding his ears shut, before he teased his cousin, "Hey, Tex. Did you run over something? You're a decent shot, but I wouldn't let you sing Amazin' Grace to a toad wi' no hearin'." Kelley huffed before turning his head. "Trust me, I'm a Galah compared to my dad's voice. He could blow the ears from a drunk rabbit with his singing." B.F chuckled before he stopped his horse. Kelley curiously turned his head before asking B.F, "What's th' matter, cobber?" when B.F placed a finger to his mouth. "Shush, kid. Look over there." Kelley squinted his eyes before spotting an object in the distance. Cautiously, he drew his rifle before aiming down the sight. But all of a sudden, a savage roar filled the air. Kelley nervously stood his ground, whilst B.F cautiously loaded his revolver. When the mist subsided, a large shape began forming into a group of feral silhouettes. The echo of several paws sprinting the ground caused Kelley to lose his nerve. "Feral dogs! Dozens of the mangy bastards, coming this way!" B.F cocked his pistol, his horse braying nervously as he gritted his teeth.
All of a sudden, a pack of large dogs burst out from the mist. The pack quickly gained an advantage over the two Coopers, surrounding them in a circle. B.F took potshots at the feral hounds, but all his efforts did was angering the Alpha pack leader. Kelley aimed down the rifle, before closing his eyes in terror. As much as he held his pride in high regard, the sight of the dogs made him feel uncomfortable. Still closing his eyes, he fired a couple of shots into the circle, only managing to graze one of them despite his best efforts. B.F in the meantime found himself kicking pack members off his saddle. "Yah! Take it, ya flea-bitten mutts! Yah!" One of the mutts managed to bite B.F's leg, but B.F fired a shot, managing to blind it just before he kicked again, this time flooring the bloodthirsty beast with a single kick. Holding his leg in pain, B.F called out, "Kelley! We gotta ride outta here! There's too many o' them!" Kelley opened his eyes before finding himself backed into a corner. With no choice, Kelley fired away at the dogs with his rifle. Two of them were wounded, but by the time Kelley managed to force his way out from the voracious pack, Kelley tried in vain to retain his usual bravado, calling out to B.F "Kelley MacCooper scarpers from no-beast!" Suddenly, a third dog pounced on him, flooring him with seemingly no effort. Now, Kelley felt terrified. He didn't want to die. Quickly, he grabbed his rifle before firing away wildly. "Get back! Ya hear me, ya mongrels! Get away from me!" Suddenly, Kelley accidentally managed to shoot the mongrel that savaged him in the eye. A loud gunshot echoed throughout the Wasteland, frightening the hounds. But it wasn't from Kelley's gun, even as Kelley stood motionless over the corpse of the hound that almost tried to kill him. He didn't understand; he saved himself and B.F. He proved himself to be as good as he said. But why wasn't he gloating? Why, indeed, didn't he utter a word?
Understandably shaken, Kelley curled up into a ball. B.F carefully approached Kelley, limping towards him before he asked, "Kid, you alright?" Kelley nodded, before standing up. Even as he walked back to his horse, he tried desperately to hide the effects of his near-death experience. He mounted the horse before B.F followed close behind. "Look, kiddo, I know how ya feel. Look, could you stop your horse fer just a minute-" Suddenly, Kelley snapped at B.F, still maintaining a false veneer of self-importance. Even as his voice began trembling. "I didn't bungle up back there, alright?! I just-tripped, that's all. Yeah, that's it-tripped. 'Cause, one o' those mangy mutts actually trying to kill me? I'm too handsome an' skilled to lose that easily in a scrap!" He turned back to the road ahead. "After all….that doesn't matter. C'mon, let's keep riding ahead." B.F showed some concern, calling out, "Kid, mayhaps we should take some R&R…." Suddenly, Kelley fired a shot at B.F. Breathing hoarsely, Kelley looked agitated. He kept his rifle on B.F. "You think I'm some weak ankle biter, don't you?! You think I can't take care o' myself! Don't you?! Answer me, ya two-faced whacker! I bet you don't even need me. The minute I turn my back, you'll steal the book, won't ya?! Pry it from my cold, dead paws because you're afraid I'm better than you in every conceivable way, and you don't want that, do you? Do you?!" B.F's ears folded, the pain from his leg making his tone feel weaker even as he tried calming his panicked cousin down. "No, no that ain't so. You're a Cooper, like me. You're family. Why in Goota would I bite ya in the back? Tell me, why would I want to take something that belongs to you?" Kelley took the Theivius Raccoonus from its' case before holding the book tightly with one paw, gun aimed at B.F's head as he stuttered, "Rack off, you raw-prawn spewin' ratbag! Just try to follow me, cousin. Just try. Because like it or not, yank, I know you're not thick enough t'chase me. And even then, I'll blow your rooting head off if you do!" Kelley bucked his horse, causing it to charge ahead on the path, even as B.F called out, "Kelley! Come back here, kid! It's not like that at all! Kelley, don't leave! KEEEEELLLLLEEEEEEYYYY!"
Not too far away, June saw Kelley riding away, before she silently curses herself. Casually, she reloaded her rifle before climbing atop her horse. Bucking the straps, June rode after Kelley from the safety of the rock formation, unaware that B.F had spotted her. Gritting his teeth in frustration, B.F decided to follow the cloaked stranger, almost certain he was being stalked-but that she would lead him to Botany Bay.