Chapter 8
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Spike was running through the smoking forest, panting as he tried to outrun his foe behind him right on his tail.
Scar Snout had found him in his territory a few minutes ago and had ambushed him, hoping to catch the house-pet off-guard.
But Spike was too smart for that. He had dodged the wolf's attack and was now running for his life, or so it seemed to Scar Snout. Spike had a few tricks up his paw to loose him.
Up ahead, Spike spotted a fallen log near the side of a steep hill. Then he got an idea. He ran for the log, crawled inside and waited. Sure enough, Scar Snout followed right after him, snarling. Spike quickly dashed out, went around the back of the log, and pushed it as hard as he could. Before Scar Snout could react or even try to get out, he felt himself beginning to roll. Then he felt a sickening drop as he rolled even faster.
Spike watched as the log and Scar Snout rolled faster down, down, and down the hill until he heard the wolf yowling. The log slammed right into a tree, exploded into pieces, and Scar Snout got to his feet and stumbled around in a dizzying stupor.
Smiling, Spike turned, scratched his back legs in the dirt, and ran off into the woods.
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Scar Snout shook himself multiple times to get rid of his dizziness, but that only made it worse. "Oh, my head," he groaned. "I don't feel so well. Oh, wait till I get my paws on you, you mangy house... oh, I don't feel so well."
Scar Snout then opened his mouth and barfed, splattering the ground in wolf chunks. He spat angrily, growled, and turned to snarl up at the hill. "I'll get you for this you mutt!"
Meanwhile, Tobi and Tommy were still crawling their way down the tunnel. Buckroot and Twigfoot had joined them as soon as they had reached the tunnel's intersection. They all hurried along.
Tommy crawled as fast he could but the bear cub was moving a little too fast for him to keep up. Once or twice his diaper and shirt got caught on a low-hanging root. He was covered in dirt and his skin was scratched from many twigs that he had to crawl through. But the worst part was that it was dark in the tunnel. Tommy had to feel his way must of the time. His head would often bump into the bear cub's furry rear, much to the others annoyance.
Finally, after a lot of bumping and annoyed growls, they all finally reached the end of the tunnel.
Twigfoot and Buckroot went out first to check if the coast was clear. Tobi waited in the tunnel entrance. But Tommy was impatient. He wanted out of dark and dank tunnels now.
He pushed past the bear cub and crawled out, stood up, and promptly felt a sharp tug on the back of his shirt. He turned a saw that the cub had gruffly snagged his shirt in his mouth. Tommy didn't understand why. Then his nose caught a whiff of something. It smelled like smoke. And Tommy knew that where there was the smell of smoke, there was usually fire.
But the four of them couldn't see any fire.
"Buckroot," Tobi whimpered. "Is that fire? It can't be in the forest."
Twigfoot sniffed the air and recoiled with a shudder. Her ears twitched and perked up to listen. Birds in the nearby trees around them twittered in fright and flew away.
Buckroot's nose twitched as he sniffed the air too. "It is fire," he said. "And its coming from the human campsites."
"We'll need to head down to the lake," said Twigfoot.
"We can't do that!" Tobi protested. "The fire is between us and the lake. We need to head to the human's camp."
Buckroot shook his head. "We cant go into where the humans are, Tobi. You're better off finding your mom at the lake. She'll know what to do."
Tobi knew that this was true. His mother often told him that if ever there was a problem in the park, he and she would go down to the lake and wait it out. But his mother was not here. It was up to him to get his friends and the little human to safety.
"You guys can go to the lake if you want," said Tobi as he headed in the direction of the camp. "But I'm taking this little human home. I'll meet you later if I can. Tell my mother, if you see her, that I'm at the human campsite."
Twigfoot and Buckroot looked at each other, and then back at Tobi.
Buckroot shrugged his shoulders. "All right," he said. "We'll head to the lake."
"Be careful, Tobi," added Twigfoot. "And don't worry. We'll tell your mom where you are."
Tobi nodded his thanks, gestured for Tommy to follow him, and took off down the trial. Buckroot and Twigfoot dashed away into the brush.
….
Meanwhile, the rangers and Pickles were informed of the forest fire. Teams were sent out to tackle the fire while others were sent out to evacuate the campsites.
Didi was still worried about Tommy. And Stu was doing his best to ease her concerns.
From outside the station window they could see the smoke rising from the trees. Didi didn't want to even think for a moment that her son was out there during a forest fire.
Stu wanted to go out there and search for Tommy but the rangers told him to stay at the station with Didi and Dil. There was nothing the parents could do, and they'd only be in the way by putting themselves in danger.
A ranger, on the request of the parents, had gone to retrieve Grandpa Lou from their campsite. He had not come back yet. And the fire seem to be getting worse.
Back at the Pickles campsite, Lou was hastily packing up the tent and cooking gear. The fire and smoke were getting closer. Lou knew that the winds had shifted drastically over the last minute, turning the fire back towards the directions of the camping areas.
Lou wanted get out of there fast with the RV but couldn't bring himself to leave just yet. He wanted to find Tommy and Spike. If he left the camp now and didn't find them, then the poor sprout and dog would be lost for good.
Suddenly, there was a pounding on the camper's door which made Lou jump a bit out of his skin. It sounded like little fists knocking. Who would be knocking at a time like this, another ranger?
He opened the door but saw no one standing in front of him. But then he looked down and saw...
"Tommy!" he cried.
Indeed, it was Tommy. He was smiling up at grandpa with his arms outstretched, wanting to be picked up. And that's what Lou did. He hugged his grandson close to him, and Tommy hugged him back.
Grandpa Lou was overjoyed. "I can't believe it sprout!" he cried. "You found your way back here. How? Oh, it doesn't matter. You're here now and everything is going to be alright."
And indeed it was. Tommy was soon changed into a fresh diaper, clean shirt, and fed a full bottle of warm milk. Grandpa Lou had radioed the ranger station soon after.
"Pop? What is it?" came Stu's voice.
"Stu, I have Tommy here at the RV," said Lou. "The little sprout is all right."
"Thank goodness!" said Stu. "Didi! Grandpa found him!"
Then Didi's voice rang out of the speaker crying, "Oh, Grandpa thank you! Is Tommy all right?"
Lou smiled as he got behind the wheel of the RV. "The little sprout is fine, Didi. He was a little dirty and hungry, but he's safe now. I'll see you all at the ranger station as soon as I locate Spike. That blasted dog ran off into the woods a few hours ago. He probably tried to look for Tommy."
"Don't worry," reassured Stu. "Spike's a smart dog. He'll find his way back on his own, he always has. Just get yourself and Tommy back here. I just heard from the rangers that the fire has gotten worse!"
Grandpa didn't need to be told because he could see the flames getting closer to the camp. He started the RV, backed up and maneuvered, and drove out of there just as the fire engulfed the campsite.
Above, watching on a ridge, was Tobi. The young cub had done what he had come here to do. He had helped Tommy, now it was time to head down to the lake and find his mother... before the fire trapped him.
Elsewhere, Scar Snout was still pursuing Spike. Even with the towering flames threatening to burn his fur, the wolf was not going to be denied his revenge. And that dog was right within his sight. One way or another, he was going to get his revenge.
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You all know the disclaimer; Any Rugrats characters belong to Klasky-Csuporugrats/(C) Nickelodeon
Neewa the black and her cub belong to me as well as the new characters.