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Wakko picked up the small, jagged piece of concrete sitting beside him and twiddled it between his fingers. Growing bored with staring at the rough, scratchy surface, he tossed it and watched it plop into a puddle with a splash. He was almost always able to find something mildly interesting to keep him from feeling bored, but nothing seemed to be able to distract him from the dullness and tension that had simultaneously plagued him for the past day.

They had ended up at the edge of Toontown, and while Yakko had wanted to cross over into the closest district, Bugs had decided it would be too risky. He said that if they were able to be found by toons in the human world, then it would be practically suicidal to go into an area completely populated by toons. Especially with ones like Tango.

They were currently in a back alley behind a seedy Chinese food restaurant. Just about every person who had gone in the front door had their head down and hands in their pocket, and every person who came out was either counting money, holding some sort of questionable bag, or drunk. Dot was convinced that it was a gambling ring and Yakko swore it was a stop for drug trafficking, while Bugs had disagreed and said that it was a mob spot. Wakko thought it could be a combination of all three.

He wished they had stayed in the park where they were hiding a few hours ago. Although an occasional skunk would walk by the bush they were behind and they had almost sat in a patch of poison ivy, it had been much more pleasant than this alley that reeked of alcohol, marijuana, and some other indistinguishable but equally disgusting smell. But a little boy with his mother had quickly spotted them in the park and asked for their autographs, so he could see why the spot wasn't ideal.

Now they sat in a poorly constructed shack left behind by some homeless person or another. They couldn't talk very loud or else the people in the restaurant's kitchen would hear them, so they sat quietly against the rotting plywood. Dot had pulled Muffin out of her hammerspace and was combing through its coarse, matted fur with a plastic comb Bugs had given her. Bugs was sitting next to her doing a book of crossword puzzles, while Yakko was reading Dot's three month old copy of the "Toontown Telescope."

Yakko claimed that the only reason he was reading it was because he needed something to do, and laughing at the baloney the paparazzi came up with was at least mildly entertaining. Wakko could only smirk when he saw him hungrily staring at a picture of Cindy Crawford posing in a bikini with Chip and Dale at some Disney pool party promo.

Wakko, however, was stuck with nothing more than a blue bouncing ball that he found rolling in the bottom of his hammerspace to entertain him. He was cleaning it out the night before the rats broke in and had left most of what was in there on top of the dresser in his and Yakko's room.

Other than the photo album, his mallet, and a few other valuable items, he could only find the ball and a worn comic book to pull out and look at in an attempt to keep himself somewhat entertained. The story was dull and he had flipped through the pages so many times that he could recite every speech bubble from memory. Tossing it aside, he looked out onto the street through a crooked hole in the wood and watched people walk by the entrance to the alley.

One of the people traveling down the sidewalk was a woman who was yelling into her cell phone and animatedly waving her hands in the air. Another was an old man who was slowly strolling with his wife, taking caution with each step. Wakko stared at each person, wondering what their name was and why they were walking in the direction they were headed. Maybe it was somewhere important, maybe not. Who knew.

He was looking at a blue Mercedes that had pulled up in front of a convenient store across the street when an old duck toon caught his attention. He was wearing disheveled clothes and his tiny glasses sat askew on his beak. His gray hair was puffed out and sticking up in different directions as it clung to his balding head, and he was stumbling down the sidewalk, practically running into every pole and person in his path. Although Wakko couldn't hear what he was saying, he could see that he was muttering to himself.

"Who's that guy? He looks familiar." Wakko whispered and pointed to the duck through the mock window. Yakko, Bugs, and Dot looked up.

"That's Ludwig Von Drake, Donald's uncle," Bugs sighed. "He's one of the biggest nuts in Toontown."

"He looks lost." Dot said, concerned.

"He always does. Mickey said he's hell to work with. The guy knows string theory inside out like it's day old news, but couldn't remember a line to save his life." Bugs shook his head.

They watched him wander down the street until a large, white truck blocked their view. "I guess that's it for the show." Bugs said and pulled out his phone, which he'd found at the bottom of his hammerspace a few hours ago. He turned it on and stared at the screen.

"Any messages from Daffy and Foghorn yet?" Yakko asked.

"No. Nothing. This is probably going to die soon, too," Bugs said and looked down at the ground in front of him. "Even though they're probably the reason why I have so many migraines, I hope we find them soon. They keep things interesting, you know?" he chuckled with a sad smile.

"I'm sure we'll find them." Dot said and put a hand on his arm.

Wakko admired her optimism but was sad to say he didn't feel as hopeful. Everything he ever knew had been flipped upside down and he was forced to face things he never even wanted to imagine. Hopefully Foghorn's cell phone was only dead. Those things never really worked right, anyway.

"I hope you're right, kid." Bugs said and patted her hand before opening his crossword puzzle book again. He looked back down at the checkered page and started scratching in answers in red ink.

Wakko, annoyed that the truck was still blocking his view of the street, absentmindedly tossed the rubber ball in his hand up and down. He blocked out the worries that were poking at his mind and focused all of his attention on the ball. He never understood how he was usually able to clear his mind so easily, but was glad he could do it practically on command.

He had watched Yakko constantly stress out when they were younger and made a promise to himself that he would never be like that. Yakko had gotten better at masking his stress as he got older, and most of it was practically gone once the signed onto Warner Brothers, but Wakko still saw it come out every now and then.

Of course, Yakko had legitimate reasons to be so stressed and Wakko had his fair share of it, too, but he was usually able to escape it for a few minutes at the very least. He would just take a deep breath and his mind would be clear of all worries. Montana Max said it was because he was empty headed anyway. Dot said he was just weird like that.

He heard men's voices shouting as he continued to follow the movement of the ball. Probably just another bar fight, he thought. Why anyone would want to get shitfaced drunk at three in the afternoon, he didn't know.

"I really hate people," Yakko mumbled as the yelling got louder and looked up. He went to look back down at the magazine in his hands but did a double take and stared out the hole in the wall. "Wait, I think we have a code red."

Bugs shot up and looked outside, careful not to make any noise. Dot and Wakko crouched next to the window and stared out at the alley. Wakko's stomach sank when he saw a hoard of rats standing near the entrance.

"What are they doing here?" he asked.

"I don't know, but I don't think I want to find out." Dot responded.

"There! That's the girl and her dumb brother!" one of the rats yelled. He didn't realize how close they had gotten to the window and swore under his breath when he noticed the bright sunlight pouring over them. The rats started charging down the alley and Wakko took a step back, unsure of what to do.

"Wakko's not dumb!" Dot said with both fear and anger painted across her face.

"Ehh, you're right Dot, but I don't think I'd argue with them right now," Yakko said hesitantly and pulled her and Wakko next to him. He looked up at Bugs. "What's the plan, captain?"

"Ahh- I guess... up?" Bugs said and looked up at the ceiling. He looked up at the building next to them through the opening in the shack where the roof was supposed to be, since a skinny piece of soggy cardboard only covered half of it. "You kids can jump pretty high, right?"

"We live in a water tower." Wakko said flatly.

"Point taken, now c'mon!" Bugs said and motioned for them to jump.

All three of them coiled their tails and sprung into the air. Bugs followed them and just as they were flying through the air, the rats ran into the shack and shouted up at them. They landed on the roof of the building next to the Chinese restaurant and Bugs pushed them forward.

"Keep going over the rooftops and don't stop until I say to." he called out as his feet pounded against the shingles. Wakko didn't think he heard anyone behind them but didn't dare to turn around and check.

Wakko kept running as fast as he could. He jumped over one roof, then the next, but slipped when his foot got caught on a drain pipe. In one swift motion, Bugs swooped down and brought him to his feet again, nudging him forward and calling out to them to hop down onto the roof of a porch once the rows of buildings started to dwindle.

He followed Bugs, landing on the porch roof and then the sidewalk with a thud. They leaned against the side of a boarded up building and Bugs peered out into the street.

"Do you see them?" Dot said through heavy breaths.

"No, I think we're okay. I'm pretty sure they weren't even on the roofs." Bugs said.

"Why can't they just leave us alone? I'm pretty sure I've never even met this Smokey guy, let alone tick him off to the point where he wants to kill me." Yakko shook his head.

"What can I say? Those guys are deranged," Bugs sighed. "C'mon, I don't want to hang around here."

They hastily walked down the sidewalk under a long line of trees that casted dark shadows over their bodies, helping them fade in with the dull surroundings. Wakko put his hands in his pockets and kept a vigilant eye on the area around them.

"Where are we going?" Dot whispered to Bugs.

"I'm still trying to figure that out, doc. Though I think I have a friend that lives around the corner who could help us."

They continued to move down the street quietly and quickly, and Wakko was thankful that it was practically deserted. Other than a muttering old man with long stringy hair in tattered pajama pants pushing a carriage full of bottles and cans, he was the only person around.

"So who's this guy we're going to see?" Wakko asked.

"His name's Frank. I used to work with him years ago. He was in a lot of Looney Tunes shorts before he left to join the Navy. I visit him and his wife every now and then. Nice couple." Bugs said. "I think his house is-" he turned the corner and stopped when he saw a group of about ten or twelve rats staring at him from only a few feet away.

Wakko's heart nearly lept out of his throat as he stared at them. They all looked bigger and tougher than the last rats they had dealt with, and a few were chuckling in deep, disconcerting rumbles once their gazes landed on them.

The fur on the back of his neck stood up when he saw Tango standing in the middle. He seemed to have a black eye, and his body was littered with bruises and scrapes that showed through his light fur. More rats came from behind and circled around them. Wakko gulped.

"There they are. And I thought they were gonna give me a show like last time," Tango said with a sly grin. "I have to say, you get less and less impressive every time I see you. I think you're losing some of your spark there, rabbit."

Wakko stood still, waiting to hear Bugs's response. When he looked up at him, he was surprised to find him looking practically frozen. The only thing that moved were his eyes, which were glancing around like he was trying to find an escape route they all knew didn't exist.

"Hey Tango, can I tie 'em up? I have some extra rope in my hammerspace." one of the toons asked.

"Wait, I wanna do it! He said I could, remember?" another rat said. Wakko saw Bugs nudge Yakko's arm as they started squabbling.

"When I start digging, you grab them and follow me as fast as you can, alright?" he said so quietly that even Wakko, who was next to him, could barely hear him.

Yakko responded with a small nod. Wakko felt Yakko put an arm around him. Before he knew what had happened, Bugs dove into the ground and plowed through it so fast that he was nothing more than a blur. Yakko pulled him and Dot into it, moving as fast as he could to keep with the rabbit.

He heard the rats shouting and coughed as clouds of dirt filled his lungs. They had followed them into the hole and were becoming increasingly harder to see as the day light streaming in from the hole Bugs made became farther away.

Once it had become too dark to see anything at all, he felt Bugs and Yakko take a sharp turn and smiled when he heard the speeding rats crash into the side of the tunnel.

Bugs started to make a steady incline and broke through the ground. Pulling Yakko up by the collar of his shirt, he took Dot from him to help lighten his load and they tore off down the street, leaving mounds of broken pavement and scattered earth behind. Wakko was impressed by how well his brother was keeping up, but wished he could help him and Bugs in some way. He pretty much felt like dead weight at the moment.

They kept running down the deserted street at full force. The rats that had followed them into the tunnel were still behind them, but Bugs and Yakko continued to increase their speed and widen the gap between them and the rodents.

They were just about to lose them when Wakko looked back and saw Bugs on the ground next to a large pothole with one arm still around a frightened Dot and the other clutching his ankle. Yakko must not have seen it happen, since he was still running at full speed.

"Yakko, stop! Something's wrong with Bugs!" he called to his brother just as they were about to turn a corner.

He made a sudden halt, panting and sweating profusely as he looked back. His eyes widened when he saw that the rats were almost next to Bugs and Dot, and took off towards them. But Wakko noticed his stamina was starting to drain, since he wasn't going as fast as he was a few moments ago, and was praying that he'd be able to get them in time. He didn't know what they would do once they got to them, but they'd figure it out. They had to.

His heart sank when a group of rats led by Tango came to a halt beside Bugs and Dot. Tango and one of the bigger rats roughly grabbed Bugs so that he couldn't break free of their grip, while another ripped Dot away from Bugs by the scruff of her neck and held her under his arm. Wakko could tell that Yakko was doing his best to keep up, but his panting had turned to heaving and he was struggling to maintain his speed, let alone go faster.

"Yakko, put me down! You'll go faster that way." Wakko shouted.

"Good- thinking. Just- stay- here." Yakko said between breaths and let go of him.

As soon as Wakko's feet hit the ground he took off, ignoring Yakko's protests coming from behind him. While he couldn't toonspeed nearly as fast as Yakko, he pumped his legs as hard as he could and sprinted toward Dot and Bugs.

He was tired of running away, tired of hiding. If those jerks wanted to take his sister away from him, they'd have to deal with him first. He'd be damned if his family was separated again.

A truck screeched around a corner and stopped next to Tango and his gang. Wakko was getting closer and sped up, ignoring the burning pain in his legs.

He watched the rats throw Dot and Bugs into the back of the van. Just as they were about to close the doors, Wakko jumped up and held onto the bumper of the van. He was about to pull himself up into the back when a large foot shot out of the van and kicked him in the face, sending him to the ground.

"What are ya doing!" he heard one of the voices call out from inside the van.

"Just drive! We don't got all day." the rat scowled at him and slammed the doors shut.

Wakko clutched his head and sat up, but before he could do anything to stop them, the van sped away around a corner and headed down a labyrinth of side streets. Yakko came up beside him and dropped down to his knees, grabbing his shoulder. He didn't say anything for a moment, only staring at the spot where the van had just been. Finally, with a devastated expression, he turned to Wakko.

"Are you alright?" he said through a strained and scratchy throat. Wakko shook his head slowly and Yakko pulled him in for a tight hug.

He was so angry and upset that he didn't know what to do. He had been so close to catching up to them that he was kicking himself for not going faster. He wanted to be mad at Yakko for getting tired and mad at Bugs for falling. But in the end, he couldn't blame either of them. Bugs and Yakko did the best they could and so did he.

He wanted Dot and Bugs to be next to him so badly that it hurt. But no one was there to guide them, and no one was there for them to protect. He and Yakko were alone again.


Tango had been gone for about two days, and Bosko was tempted to kill him the moment he came back.

What idiot would let that goddamn bunny get away, yet alone call his boss and tell him what had happened? Bosko was going to lay it into him over the phone, but Smokey had gotten to him first. The rat had been so mad that he demanded that Mozes, Shorty, and the rest of those dumbass kids come back to base immediately and sent more experienced guys in their place.

Smokey had thought they could handle a mission like that, but obviously he had been wrong. Bosko was surprised he had even let them go in the first place. Those kids were some of the biggest idiots he knew.

He almost felt bad for what Smokey did to them, but he was so angry that he was almost pleased they had to spend a month in the boiler room. No one wanted to be where they made the Ink, since the vats sometimes exploded and the job was extremely physically demanding and dangerous. Thirty guys had gotten inked when a vat overflowed last week, and already seven toons had accidentally been exposed to the Ink while making it this week.

Although it reacted best through injection, the new type of Ink that they had recently developed made it so that any kind of physical contact with the Ink would eventually result in the same effects as injections. With no antidote to the Ink, no one wanted to take the risk and be stuck down there. That and the room was hot as hell.

Bosko was glad he was given more important tasks than making Ink, since he was one of Smokey's right hand toons, after all. But he was annoyed that Smokey didn't send him to catch the bunny, since that was the main reason why he was here.

Every mission he had gone on had been successful, his last one especially. He, Oswald, Pete, and several other toons had broken into what was left of Clampett and helped some of Toontown's most notorious criminals break out, along with anyone willing to join them. If he could do that without anything going wrong, why the hell wouldn't the rat assign him to catch that damned bunny?

He tried to tell that to Smokey, but he insisted that he was more suited for other assignments. When he told him was going to Clampett, Bosko said that he wasn't too keen on going back there; that it wasn't a place he wanted to remember. The rat insisted, and Bosko didn't want to make him any angrier than he already was.

It was odd being back. The place he had been stuck in for almost forty years was growing into a distant memory in his mind. Going back to the walls that had once scoffed at him and the guards who had laughed at him for so long was unsettling.

For a split second, he almost thought about turning around when he saw the damaged jail appear over the hilltops, but remembering the reason that was keeping him out of there made him push forward.

The quicker he got that rabbit, and the quicker Smokey got what he wanted, the quicker he'd truly be a free man.

He picked up the newspaper at his feet and flipped through its pages. Most of "The Toontown Times" now consisted of stories about missing people, runaways, and Smokey's growing role in the city. Just yesterday, the paper reported that the mayor and most of the city council had fled to the human world, leaving more room for Smokey to spread his influence.

Bosko was just about to turn to the sports section when he heard a knock at his door. Standing up, he placed the paper on his bed and opened the door. Oswald was standing there with several other toons standing behind him.

"We got them." he said with a breath.

A crooked smile stretched across his face as he processed the news. For the first time in a very, very long time, he felt decades' worth of aggravation, depression, and anger roll off his shoulders. Smiling, he followed Oswald out the door.

Things could only go up from here.