I can't believe it's been a year since I started this project... it literally feels like I only just started writing "Bow and Ears," and already we're at chapter 19. Thanks to everyone who has been here since the beginning, and to everyone who has joined in along the way. Hopefully you'll all still be here to see what I still have in store for you, since there's still more to come with this story!

And please keep dropping favorites, follows, and reviews! I love to hear what you guys have to say, even if it's just to say hi!


Yakko stood up and moved in front of his brother as the grunts grew louder. He put a hand on Wakko's shoulder and was just about to take off down the street when he heard two voices that made him freeze in his tracks.

"Stand up boy, you keep tripping over yourself," the voice boomed. "Though I can see why with those giant- I say- giant flippers you're wearing."

"Those are my feet!"

"No wonder why you keep tripping then." Yakko heard a chuckle.

"You're despicable."

Yakko looked down at Wakko with a raised eyebrow, who looked as equally confused and surprised as he did.

"Follow me." he whispered.

They crouched toward the voices and stopped behind a cracked cement wall. Slowly, Yakko poked his head out and grinned when he saw Foghorn hunched over a rusty dumpster with Daffy impatiently tapping his foot behind him, his arms crossed.

"What's taking you so long? Let's go see them!" Wakko whispered and nudged him forward.

"Wait a sec, Wak. I need a laugh." Yakko grinned and looked at the toons in front of them.

"You done yet, Big Bird?" Daffy said impatiently.

"Hold on, hold on. I think I found something... see, look here! Enough pizza for the both of us!" Foghorn whipped out of the bin and knocked into Daffy.

The duck jumped backwards with a yelp, his arms flailing in the air as he tried to stay balanced and avoid the flock of feathers that threatened to knock him down. He steadied himself and hesitantly peered into the soggy box Foghorn was holding.

"Uhh, I don't think that's pizza..."

"What do you mean? It's got crust and sauce, and the cheese looks real to me!" Foghorn exclaimed.

"Ok, maybe it is. But on a scale from barf to edible, how appetizing do you find this 'pizza' when there's a tail sprouting out of the pepperoni?" Daffy raised an eyebrow.

"It's food ain't it! I oughta- wait, hold on. You hear that?" Foghorn said when Wakko unsuccessfully tried to suppress a cough behind him.

"Hear what?" Daffy said.

"Just stay still, boy."

Figuring they should show themselves before Foghorn blew them up with the biggest stick of dynamite he could pull out of his hammerspace, Yakko started to shift his weight and motioned for Wakko to do the same. He stood up and was greeted with a face full of banana cream pie when he turned the corner. Shocked, he stumbled backwards and almost tipped over before a giant fist grabbed a handful of his shirt and lifted him in the air.

"Gotcha you damn rodent- wait, Yakko?" Foghorn said with wide eyes.

"Hey Foghorn." Yakko meekly waved.

"Daffy, look who's here! Where's the rest of you?"

"Hi." Wakko gave a small smile as he came out from where Yakko was standing, wiping off some of the cream that got on his shirt. Foghorn chuckled and scanned the area around them. Daffy was also craning his neck to see better around the ally.

"Glad to see you're still in one piece boys, but where are Bugs and your sister?" Foghorn asked.

"We sort of lost them." Wakko murmured and looked down as he picked at his gloves.

"Lost them? How did you lose them!" Daffy panicked.

"Calm down- I say- calm down," Foghorn nudged him. "What happened?"

"We were chased from Bugs's house and got away, but they- ah- were taken by a bunch of rats a few days later." Yakko stammered.

"What?" Daffy whispered. "No no no no... this can't be happening..." he grabbed his head and weakly looked at the ground like he was about to lose his stomach. Foghorn tensed up and looked straight ahead past their heads.

"We tried to call, but he wouldn't pick up his phone," Foghorn muttered. "I thought for sure we'd find you after we got out of Bugs' house. We tried- I say- tried but everywhere we went we saw the damn rodents. " Yakko nodded his head and picked at his gloves. They stayed quiet for a moment until Daffy solemnly spoke up.

"What are we gonna do?" he sighed. Yakko looked down at his feet. Any hope he had to get back Dot and Bugs after finding Daffy and Foghorn was quickly fading.

"Well, at least you boys are alright," Foghorn patted them both on the back and put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Though I wonder how we're gonna find the little lady and the bunny.

"Let's retrace our steps." Wakko offered. Yakko was pleasantly surprised to finally hear his brother speak, and gave him a small, reassuring smile.

"What? You mean go back into neighborhoods that are oozing with rodents?" Daffy said.

"Well how else do you s'pose we'll find them? By staying here and looking through a telescope? No thank- I say- no thank you."

"It's not like we're going to stumble upon them sitting on a park bench or something." Daffy sighed.

"I know that, but at least it's a start," said Yakko. "What else do we have to go on?"

"Why don't we just ask around where their hideout is? I'm sure somebody knows." Wakko said.

"Sure, because when you're hiding from someone the first thing you should do is go around and tell everyone what you're up to and where you are." Yakko said.

"I don't know about asking the first Joe Schmo on the street where they might be, but I guess we can go see what we can find. Though if I become some rat's dinner I'm coming back to haunt you." Daffy huffed and pointed at Foghorn.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Foghorn chuckled. "C'mon, let's get going."

"Ehh, before we do that do you happen to have a towel or a rag or something? I don't think I want to be stuck with pie filling all over my face for the rest of the day." Yakko asked.

"Sure, boy. Sorry again for the misunderstanding," Foghorn reached into his hammerspace and pulled out a wrinkled blue cloth. "Saw the black fur and thought you were one of them rats."

"It's alright, though I have to say that this pie thing is starting to become a cliche." Yakko said.

"We're toons, what do you expect? A bouquet of flowers shoved in your face or instead?" Foghorn chuckled.

"Preferably, yes." Daffy muttered.

"Where would the humor in that be? That would be no fun- I say- no fun at all." Foghorn shook his head. "Now, why don't we get going before a real rats finds us, hmm?"


Drip. Drip. Drip.

The drops of water plopped onto a pipe and echoed off of the cell's concrete walls as Dot slowly came to. A mouse squeaked in the corner and a metal door slammed somewhere off in the distance. She blinked open her eyes and her blurry vision came into focus.

Bugs was sitting against the wall beside her, his eyes still closed. She squinted her eyes to see through the dim light and was surprised to find a small man sitting across from her. His large under bite hanged low and his eyes were frozen on a spot above Dot's head. She sent him a small wave but he continued to stare at the wall in a trance-like state.

Dot put her hand down and raised an eyebrow. Along with seeming completely oblivious to everything, his entire body was gray.

She looked closer at him and thought that he might be Boris Badenov or Rocky due to his pale, tense features. She concluded the latter was correct when she saw the giant toon sitting next to him with a massive arm around his shoulders, and who was unmistakably Mugsy.

Unlike the smaller man, Mugsy had bright, colored features and was shifting restlessly in his sleep. But what surprised Dot the most was to find Porky and Plotz sitting against the wall on the other side of him.

Plotz sat curled up in a ball. His face was pulled into a tight frown and he was muttering a slur of words Dot couldn't understand. Porky sat motionless next to him, and like Rocky, his chubby pink features had been replaced by a dull gray shadow and his stare was also focused on the wall above Dot's head.

"Bugs?" she called through a scratchy voice as she started to panic at the state of the toons in front of her. He didn't answer. "Bugs!" she said louder and rattled her shackles. Finally, the rabbit slowly opened his eyes and turned towards her.

"Wha- what's wrong doc?" Bugs stammered, trying to find his voice and rubbing one of his eyes.

"Look!" she jerked her head towards the toons in front of them.

"Porky? Plotz?" Bugs croaked in a dry, strained voice, flabbergasted at who he saw. "When did they get here?"

"I don't know... but I think we're in a different cell. I'm pretty sure Rocky and Mugsy are here too," Dot said slightly above a whisper. "But look at Porky and Rocky. What's wrong with them?"

"I'm not sure," Bugs coughed. "The only time I've seen a toon like this was when we were walking to my house from the bus. The guy we stopped to help was found on a park bench, and he looked, well- just like them." he nodded towards the toons on the other side of the cell.

He looked like he was about to say something else when he erupted into a fit of loud, hollow coughs that ricocheted off of the walls. Plotz's murmuring became louder as Bugs continued to cough until he abruptly sat up and stared at the rabbit with frightened, bloodshot eyes. The CEO gaped at them for a long moment before finally speaking up in a cracked, stressed voice.

"You're not supposed to be here."

"Nice to see you too, Mr. Plotz." Dot rolled her eyes.

"Are you alright doc? You look terrible- what did they do to you?" Bugs asked, concerned.

"No, you shouldn't be here... you- you need to go." he stammered and shakily shifted towards them.

"Well I'd love to just get up and waltz out of here, but it seems that prior plans might have tied us up for the evening." Bugs scoffed.

"Bosko is here- you can't let him see you! He'll kill you!" Plotz frantically waved his arms in the air; his shackles' rattling made Mugsy stir in his sleep.

"So I've been told," Bugs rolled his eyes. "Now, will you just calm down long enough to tell us if you're alright and how the hell you ended up here? Because last time I checked, this place isn't exactly your office."

"I'm fine, but Porky- there's something wrong with him. He won't eat, talk, or even move. He just sits there and doesn't even blink!"

"I can see that. What happened?" Bugs said.

"They were threatening us, saying that we'd regret it if we didn't do what they wanted and I couldn't take it. He wouldn't talk so I did, and- and well, that's how he ended up like that."

"What do you mean 'talked'?" Bugs raised an eyebrow.

"Bugs, I'm sorry! Really I am!" he started to sob.

"I'll ask again. What did you say?" Bugs' sore voice became even lower. Dot's heartbeat was rapidly pounding against her chest as she waited for Plotz's reply.

"I- I told them about the key I have to your back door in my office. I didn't think they'd actually catch you... They know things I thought only I knew, and I couldn't let it get out or else I'd be ruined."

"Ruined? You're ruined? Look at what you did! Because of you a six year old is locked up in a moldy old cell in God knows where with a bunch of deranged criminals who want to kill us!" Bugs yelled, making his voice become weaker. "And how did you get that key?"

"You left some paperwork we needed for a revision of your contract in your kitchen a few years ago. You said I could borrow one of Foghorn's keys. Remember? You were away and weren't going to be back in time to get everything in before the deadline."

"And I told you to give it back to him! Why did you keep it?"

"I don't know... I thought if there was an emergency the studio might need it," Plotz wailed. "I'm sorry!"

"Yeah, an emergency..." Bugs spat.

"Shh! Will yous keep it down! Rocky's tryin' ta sleep!" Mugsy shouted and Dot jumped. She hadn't realized he was awake.

"For the last time, he's not sleeping!" Plotz snapped. "He's practically a zombie, so stop trying to fix him!"

Mugsy glared at the CEO before his eyes welled up with tears and his lips started to tremble. He looked down at Rocky and a strangled sob erupted from his throat.

"Don't yell at him like that!" Dot growled at Plotz. She turned to Mugsy and softened her expression. "I'm sure he'll be OK." she said, not fully convinced that what she said was true. But she felt a little bit better when Mugsy gave her a small smile, making some of the darkness fade away from his features.

The door opened and she flinched when a stream of light poured over her face. She saw the dark forms of three rats through the blinding light and scooted closer to the wall when they came toward her and Bugs.

"Looks like sleeping beauty is finally awake," Tango's unmistakable voice filled the air as the rat smirked down at Bugs. "Like you're new room, rabbit?"

"Did you think the other cell was too nice?" Bugs snorted.

"You kiddin' me? This is one of our V.I.P. suites. Only the best for Looney- as always." Tango replied. Bugs rolled his eyes.

"Well, I have to say this isn't exactly five star service, and the aesthetic you have going here isn't the most welcoming I've seen."

"Cute. C'mon, get them up." Tango ordered the rats behind him.

Dot stared at the rat in front of her, her head still pounding and her throat even dryer than before. She looked around his sturdy form and saw Bugs being roughly pulled up from the ground and unshackled, only to have a rat swiftly clamp a pair of handcuffs on his wrists. Before she could register what was happening, the same was done to her.

"Move kid. We ain't got all day." he said and shoved her forward.

The rat kept a strong hold on her arm as he dragged her to the door of the cell. She looked back at Plotz, frowning at the blubbering mess he had become. She knew the CEO could be a bit selfish, but how could he give them up like that? He had always put their safety first, even if it was mostly because he needed them to make the studio money.

Then again, she wasn't sure what she would have done in his situation. The thought of ending up like Porky and Rocky was disturbing to say the least, and she didn't doubt that Smokey's methods of persuasion were anything short of terrifying.

"What's going on?" Bugs coughed through a cracked, quiet voice as they moved down the hall. The rat behind him roughly shoved him forward and his coughing became worse.

"Smokey needs you."

"For what?" Bugs asked.

"You'll see. Though you'd better cut the sick act. He ain't gonna be happy if your voice ain't soundin' right." the rat said.

"I told you, it's that damn anesthesia crap we keep givin' them. I say we just pop 'em. Works just as well." another rat added.

"Yeah, see how Smokey likes that idea and you'll get why it ain't ideal," Tango snorted. "C'mon bunny, we've gotta get goin'."