CHAPTER 3: TAKING A BREATHER… …FOR NOW

After the meeting about the poachers, Peppermint Patty and Zac went somewhere where they could talk in private about what had happened in the past few weeks with them, from Franco and Zac fighting, to Patty and Zac kissing and seemingly dating, to Franco's going home. Patty felt like she had led Zac on and wanted to let him know the truth about how she felt. They were back at the Grandin's home in the backyard. Snoopy, Gracie, Woodstock, Hops, and Snowflake were all having fun together. The two teens watched as they frolicked around.

"They seem to not have a care in the world," observed Patty.

"Yeah, must be nice t' be that way," agreed Zac. He looked over at Patty, with some concern. "Y' been pretty quiet today, kangaroo. What's on y' mind?"

"Well, it's been over a couple of weeks since Franco went home. I feel bad about what I did to him. And what I'm doing to you."

"Come again?"

"Zac, you are a wonderful guy. You are very sweet and caring. It's a surprise that no girl has tried to date you before. But I messed up with Franco. And I need to make things right with him. And I'm sorry if I led you on in any way. It was never my intention to hurt anyone; well maybe at first after the fight you and Franco had, but otherwise, no. It was wrong of me to lead you on like that and not try to fix things with Franco."

Zac sat for a moment. He was taking in what Patty was saying. Finally he said, "I totally understand, kangaroo. And I have to admit, I took advantage of th' situation myself. I didn't respect th' boundaries and I am as much at fault for this, if not more. And for that, I too apologize."

Patty shed a tear. "Thank you for understanding, Zac." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and hugged him. Marcie was watching from the window. She smiled, as Patty finally was making things right with everyone she had hurt. She still needed to talk to Franco, but she was actually trying to fix things. Frieda walked up to Marcie.

"Looks like Peppermint Patty had her talk with Zac," she observed.

"She did, Frieda," Marcie answered. "She still needs to fix things with Franco, but at least she's back on the right track."

"Well, we can only hope that things will work out smooth for her and Franco." And both girls went about their business.

Elsewhere, in a remote part of the country, a lone large building sat. It was the compound for the poachers. The leader was a large, intimidating man with a black beard with gray streaks in it. He wore a scarf on his head which had the Australian flag emblazed on it. He had about twelve men, and a couple of women on his crew. This particular night he was waiting for the word from his contact on when to start killing the kangaroos for their meat and pelt. They were ordered to take care of them and feed them until further notice. The conditions that the kangaroos lived in were unsanitary, to say the least.

Their pen was overcrowded and there were about hundreds upon hundreds of them. But the overcrowding was the least of their problems. Many of them were malnourished and hadn't gotten enough to eat. Consequently, only a select few would be used for meat. What the poachers didn't know was that the Calvary would arrive in a few days to free them. So the leader got to business about what would be happening.

"Mates," he began, "jus' got word from my contact. He told me that we could start the slaughter in a matter of days instead of weeks, as originally scheduled. His clients are looking for the fur and meat sooner than later, he told me."

"What about th' bloody cops, Jody?!" asked one of his henchmen.

"We're in a remote location, Niles," Jody replied. "Not even th' bloomin' game warden makes it out this way! We're as good as golden. Now remember th' plan, mates. In a few days, as soon as we get th' word, we start with the process." Little did they know that someone in their camp was undercover. It was an undercover detective who had infiltrated the poacher's hideout. He would report back to his captain once they were able to leave back for their homes. Also outside listening in was one of Jadan and Claire's friends, who was also helping them out with their own operation. This girl, named Lily, would report back to them about what she heard.

NEXT CHAPTER: PATTY AND FRANCO MAKE PEACE (FOR NOW)