A/N: *announcer voice* This short has been brought to you byyyyyyy...Vulaan Kulaas, a fellow author and good friend!
Vulaan Kulaas' review had me thinking of another short. This one's more serious than the last one, so it's been bumped up to T. Oh, and it takes place a month or two after the last one.
Disclaimer: I STILL don't own anything...
Story 9: Driven to the Edge
"Droop-a-Long? Are you-Droop, wake up!"
The coyote snapped to attention at hearing Ricochet's voice right behind him. He was so disoriented that the shotgun he'd been holding hit the floor with a loud clang. He turned towards the sheriff with bleary eyes. "W-What's the problem, Mr. Ricochet?" he asked.
Ricochet stood at the door with his hands on his hips, his face set into a serious expression. "You've been fallin' asleep while you're supposed to keep watch, that's the problem."
Droop-a-Long sighed sadly. "Sorry, Mr. Ricochet..."
Ricochet looked up at his friend, noticing that his eyes were bloodshot and were barely staying open. His irritation soon turned into concern. "Come to think of it, you look plum tuckered out, Droop-a-Long. You sure you've been gettin' enough sleep?"
"Well, I try to, but sometimes I wake up and can't sleep for hours. I keep thinkin' of the time you were almost killed, Mr. Ricochet," Droop-a-Long confessed.
Ricochet's frown deepened. He remembered that all too well. Although he had gotten justice for his deputy by bringing Sam Jose to prison, just thinking of what had happened to Droop-a-Long brought back memories he wanted to forget.
"...You have, huh?" Ricochet said finally.
"I don't wanna worry ya, Mr. Ricochet, but somethin' about that incident is buggin' me. It feels like it might happen again," Droop-a-Long said.
"It won't happen again, Droop. Thanks to you, I've learned to be much more observant," Ricochet said. "It'll do ya no good to keep worryin' over somethin' from two months ago."
"I guess you're right, Mr. Ricochet," Droop-a-Long said, before his mouth stretched open with a yawn.
"Now, I suggest you get some sleep," Ricochet said, patting his friend on the arm. "I'll stay up and keep watch."
"But I was supposed to-"
"Droop-a-Long, you've been overworkin' yourself to the point of exhaustion," Ricochet interrupted. "I'm not gonna have you pass out on me during a case. Now I mean it, off to bed."
Droop-a-Long wanted to argue some more, but one look at Ricochet's serious expression made up his mind. "Alright. Goodnight, Mr. Ricochet," he said, which was punctuated by another yawn. "I'll be back out in a little while..."
Ricochet watched Droop-a-Long head upstairs and sighed, shaking his head. "I doubt that."
"Is there anybody else out tonight?"
Jasper snickered as he surveyed the small sheriff's office. Ricochet was out on the porch, reclined in his chair and napping. "We're in luck. It's Ricochet Rabbit himself who's out tonight," he said.
"So, whaddya reckon we do?" one of his henchmen asked.
"I say we go in for the attack," Jasper said. "If we take out the sheriff, we'll be on easy street-not to mention the most famous outlaws around here. Nobody else can claim that they killed Ricochet Rabbit, eh?" He made his way around the office and motioned for his gang to spread out. He brought his voice down to a whisper. "Try not to be too loud. When you know you've got the drop on 'im, get 'im."
Everyone nodded, and stayed down as low as they could. Jasper was starting to creep closer when Ricochet stopped snoring. Jasper stopped and froze, remaining deathly still as Ricochet slowly opened his eyes. Rubbing them, he took a look around the area around his office as well as the shops around them.
"Hmm...no trouble about tonight," he said. He climbed down from the chair, and turned to enter to the office. "Better get some sleep. It's gonna be a busy day tomorrow."
Jasper smirked. Ricochet had his back turned. He turned to his men and nodded, then watched as two of his men sprang like coils over the fence and pounced on Ricochet.
Yelps filled the air moments later, and the rest of the men jumped up to help their members, who were struggling to keep a hold on a squirming Ricochet. Jasper got up a few moments later, and casually walked over to the outlaws, who were getting to their feet with Ricochet, who was trying to twist his way out.
"Urgh! Unhand me, you ruffians, in the name of the law! Don't you know who I am?!" Ricochet yelled.
"Oh, we all know who you are," Jasper said, stepping into the light. "And you're gonna know who I am soon enough."
Ricochet surveyed the tall, tan-skinned human. He wore a red and black plaid shirt with a matching black neckerchief and cowboy hat, which concealed his brown hair. Jasper surveyed his prey with dark green eyes.
"And who, pray tell, are you?" Ricochet asked.
"The name's Jasper," he said. "And I'm gonna go down in history for bein' the most dangerous outlaw who ever lived."
Ricochet snorted derisively. "A lot of outlaws have said that, and I've jailed every single one of 'em. So if I was you, I wouldn't make that boast."
Jasper's features turned into an even crueler smile. "Oh, I think you'll find that I can back up my boast pretty well." He turned to the rest of his gang. "Bring him in. And bring out that lumbering coyote he calls a deputy." Jasper smirked as he walked behind the other men. "He wouldn't want to miss this."
Droop-a-Long stirred awake at the sound of voices. He heard Ricochet's first, sarcastic and angry. The others he didn't quite know, but all he knew was that they were barking at Ricochet about something. Rubbing his eyes, Droop-a-Long walked over to the door and opened it.
"Mr. Ricochet?" he asked. "Is everythin' alri-"
His question was violently cut off when two people grabbed him by the arms. "What the-"
"You're comin' with us, Deputy," a man said and shoved him forwards. In his bleary state, Droop-a-Long was completely disoriented and fell flat on his face. The man's features curled with disgust. "Aw, come on. I heard he was slow on his feet, but this is ridiculous."
"Just grab him by the scruff of his neck, Dave. We don't have all night," another man said.
Dave groaned and roughly grabbed Droop-a-Long by the scruff of his neck. He practically dragged him down the stairs, sending his body jolting with pain. The voices downstairs quickly silenced, and Droop-a-Long heard Ricochet gasp.
"Droop-a-Long!"
"Howdy, Mr. Ricochet," he said, looking up to face the sheriff. He looked around to see the other outlaws surrounding them. "Who're all these people?"
"They're outlaws, Droop. I don't know what they want or what they're doin', but-"
"Keep quiet!" one of the men yelled, and punched Ricochet in the gut. He doubled over with a moan.
Droop-a-Long was suddenly wide awake, and his eyes widened. "Wha-what are y'all doin' to Mr. Ricochet?" he asked.
Jasper laughed. "Hmmm...well, we're plannin' on roughin' him up a bit, mostly so he can't use that big mouth of his. But after that, we're gonna finish him off, nice and slow. And you're gonna have a front row seat to the whole thing, Deputy."
Droop-a-Long felt a chill wash over him at the casualness of Jasper's tone. Ricochet looked just as terrified, his eyes wider than dinner plates. "You...you were bein' serious back there..." he said.
"But of course! And when I'm finished with you, I'll be the most feared outlaw in the whole West," Jasper said. "You really have no idea how many people want you dead, Ricochet."
Droop-a-Long shot to his feet and attempted to lunge at Jasper, only to be held back by Dave and the other man, who held him by his upper shoulders. The coyote's eyes were alight with fury, and he snarled at Jasper and the other outlaws, who were giving him mean smiles, although one or two jumped back in terror. Ricochet's eyes widened even more as he stared at his deputy in shock, having never seen this side of him before.
"D-Droop-a-Long?" he started.
"I...I won't let you do that to Mr. Ricochet!" Droop-a-Long snarled, glaring at Jasper.
"Oho, loyal aren't we? How nice to see you fighting for your master like a guard dog," Jasper taunted. "Well, it'll do ya no good to try and fight us, Droop-a-Long Coyote. We're gonna get rid of Ricochet Rabbit once and for all, and you're gonna be forced to watch us do it. And then, we'll finish you off."
Droop-a-Long growled angrily, and still attempted to twist free. Jasper turned towards Ricochet as he started rolling up his sleeves. If they kill 'im, I'll rip 'em limb from limb, those heartless monsters-
Jasper swung at Ricochet, landing a crushing blow that sent his head snapping upwards briefly. He slammed another fist into Ricochet's face, and then another, until his fists were practically flying with lightning speed. Blood flew freely from Ricochet's mouth, and he let a yell of pain as Jasper's punch collided with his tooth, chipping part of it off with the force.
The next punch sent Ricochet flying out of the other men's grip and crashing into the wall. Jasper stepped back, letting out a breath, and then motioned for the other men to join him. Ricochet struggled to sit up, but that was when Jasper lodged swung his foot out and hit him in the chest, sending him into the wall again. He shrieked in pain, and doubled over, clutching his ribs.
Jasper and the outlaws laughed at Ricochet's suffering. "It ends here, Sheriff!" Jasper said. He soon started to land punch after punch on Ricochet's face, and the rest of the outlaws followed suit, laughing cruelly as they continued to beat on the injured rabbit.
Droop-a-Long was growing more restless with every second, and he was twisting even more fiercely than before. His pupils were the size of tacks, and his fangs were bared. Deep growls came from his throat, and only deepened further when he heard Ricochet's scream of pain above the sounds of the outlaws' laughter and their fists meeting his face.
The men holding him laughed. "Aw, look. The guard dog's getting upset," Dave taunted. "I wonder what'll happen if we turn 'im loose, huh?"
"Not like he'll be much of a threat anyway," his partner said, watching as Jasper and the rest of his teammates continued to beat on Ricochet. The rabbit's screams became softer and softer as he was losing the strength to do so. "It won't be long now."
Those words were the last straw for Droop-a-Long. With a snarl that befit a tiger more than a coyote, he whirled around and sank his teeth directly into the other man's shoulder with a vicious grip. The man screamed, and Dave jumped back in utter fear. The man attempted to pull Droop-a-Long off of him, but it was no use. With another snarl, Droop-a-Long swung around and slammed the man into Dave, finally releasing him. The sudden release sent both of them crashing to the ground.
Jasper turned around to see what was going on. "What the-"
Droop-a-Long lunged at him, his paws outstretched. Before Jasper could say anything, they were around his neck in a crushing grip. Droop-a-Long dragged Jasper to the other side of the office and pushed him up against the wall. Jasper stared into the wrathful eyes of Droop-a-Long, who was baring his fangs and snarling. The blood of Dave's partner covered his mouth and his teeth.
Guns cocked from all directions, and Droop-a-Long turned to face the outlaws, who were surrounding the bloody and beaten Ricochet. His glare was murderous. A few looked unafraid of him, but most of them were scared out of their wits, their hands trembling.
"Don't...don't you even think of layin' another finger on Mr. Ricochet," Droop-a-Long growled.
"Or else what?" one of the outlaws asked.
"I'll break his neck," Droop-a-Long answered.
"You wouldn't-"
"Don't believe me?" Droop-a-Long tightened his grip for emphasis, and Jasper's gasp of agony made his whole gang flinch. "It'll be like snappin' a twig."
The whole room was silent, save for Jasper's gasping and Ricochet's ragged breathing. All eyes were on Droop-a-Long, who still had a death grip on Jasper, and who was still giving them that murderous glare.
And they had thought Ricochet was the one to be feared.
Slowly, they all dropped their guns and raised their hands in surrender, most of them white with fear. Once he made sure that they all had dropped their guns, Droop-a-Long released Jasper and let him drop to the floor. The leader of the outlaws grasped at his reddened throat, coughing and gulping down air.
When he had regained his breath, the coyote knelt down to his level and looked at him. For the first time all night, Jasper looked utterly terrified, something that Droop-a-Long almost relished.
"Now look here, Jasper," he started, "you should be glad that a stranglin's all you got. I could've torn you apart, like I almost tore off one of your men's arms with my teeth. But I ain't the violent type."
One of the outlaws scoffed. "Ain't the violent type my-"
Droop-a-Long turned to face the man, and his sharp glare stopped the other man cold. He then turned back to Jasper, who was shaking. "This'll be yer only warnin', Jasper. If you ever, ever lay a finger on Mr. Ricochet again, jus' so you can get your revenge, I will tear your throat out. And that'll be after I rip you limb from limb." He then turned towards the other men. "And that goes for y'all, too. I will kill you if you even think of hurtin' my friend." He faced Jasper again, his glare hard. "Are we clear on that?"
Jasper nodded fearfully, while everyone else immediately gave affirmatives.
Droop-a-Long got up and walked over to the outlaws. Everyone jumped back as he got the guns off of the floor. After putting them in the desk, he turned to face Ricochet, who was attempting to sit up. Walking over to the sheriff, he helped him get to a sitting position. He then looked at the men. "Now, get out, all of ya. And I don't wanna see any of y'all 'round here again," he said.
The order didn't have to be repeated. Everyone, including Jasper, took off running, whimpering in fear as they made their escape.
A hand gripped his arm, and Droop-a-Long turned back to face Ricochet, who cracked his right eye open. The other was turning purple, and his white fur was sticky and matted with blood, as was his muzzle and his tooth. "D-Droop-a-Long," he gasped, "wha-" He looked at the blood on his deputy's mouth, and his eye widened. "What did you do?"
Droop-a-Long rubbed his mouth and stared at the blood for a moment, the taste of it fresh on his tongue. The thought of what he'd just done sank in fully, and he sighed, feeling his ears droop down.
"Droop-a-Long," Ricochet repeated, this time a little more firmly. Droop-a-Long looked his friend in the eye. "What did you do?"
Droop-a-Long couldn't stop the tremors that were making his way down his arms. He stared at the blood in his palm for a long moment, remembering where it'd come from. "I...I got angry 'n lost control of myself, Mr. Ricochet," he said. His voice was just as shaky, and he felt as though he wanted to cry. "W-When they said they were gonna kill you, I jus' went berserk. I bit one guy in the shoulder and I almost strangled the leader to death. I...I-I'm so s-sorry, Mr. R-Ricochet..."
Ricochet looked at Droop-a-Long's bloodstained hands and then at his deputy, who buried face in them and started to sob. He wouldn't have believed if he hadn't seen his deputy's absolutely feral expression after Jasper had threatened to kill him. It was a sight that he'd never seen before and hoped to never see again.
He looked up at the sobbing Droop-a-Long and moved his arm to put it on his friend's upper arm. "Droop-"
Droop-a-Long pushed it away. "D-Don't touch me, Mr. Ricochet...I-I'm a monster...j-jus' like you said before, 'bout all coyotes bein' monsters.."
"No, you're not," Ricochet wheezed. "Don't even think that, Droop-a-Long."
Droop-a-Long's head snapped up to look at Ricochet, his expression incredulous. "B-B-But I threatened to kill people! I've never done that! I-I would never-"
"Droopy, if someone tried to kill you, I wouldn't be all polite with them. I wasn't all nice to Sam Jose when he shot you. I threatened to kill him, too, when he started mockin' ya," Ricochet interrupted.
"But...but you d-d-detest violence, Mr. Ricochet!"
"I do. But when it comes down to my loved ones and friends, I'll fight to the teeth for 'em," Ricochet said. "Jus' like how you fought to save me, Droop-a-Long."
Droop-a-Long wiped his eyes and sniffled. "But...I-I s-still went too far, Mr. Ricochet," he said. "I-I don't really get angry, but when I do, I...I lose control."
"Then you have to learn how to control your anger, as well as makin' sure that you deliver the right amount of force needed," Ricochet said. "Sometimes, when you get really angry, you just decide to beat the tar outta that person, 'cause that's what you feel like doin' at the moment. But that makes you no better than them, Droop, when ya do that. And in the end, you only feel guilty. Believe me, I know; I've done it. It's easier to get lost in anger than it is to control it."
"Y-You're right, Mr. Ricochet," Droop-a-Long said. He sighed. "But I did mean what I said to them outlaws; I'm gonna go after 'em and give 'em what for if they ever hurt you again."
"You said you were gonna rip 'em apart, Droop," Ricochet said. "I heard a little of what ya said to them."
Droop-a-Long blanched. "Y-You did?"
"I gotta admit, I was surprised, and a bit scared," Ricochet said. "I'll have to remind myself to never make you that mad."
"I just hope I never get that mad again. I scared myself scarin' them, too," Droop-a-Long said. "Now what do we do, Mr. Ricochet?"
"I'd recommend gettin' me to a doctor. I don't wanna end up stiff and unable to move tomorrow."
Droop-a-Long scooped Ricochet up as carefully as he could. "Right away, Sheriff."
A little while later...
"I can't believe this! Two months ago, it was Droop-a-Long, now it's you!" The doctor faced Ricochet with a stern glare. "Keep this up, Sheriff, and I'm gonna have to strap both of you in here."
Droop-a-Long chuckled nervously, while Ricochet simply shrugged. "Well, doc, I think that all comes with bein' a sheriff. We all have bad days and nights."
"And tonight was particularly awful," Droop-a-Long said.
The doctor looked at Ricochet's injuries and sighed. "I can tell. So, what happened to him this time? He looks like he got beat up by a gang or something."
"Funny you should say that, 'cause that's actually what happened."
"WHAT?!"
The End
This was pretty interesting to write, since we've never seen Droop-a-Long get angry in the show proper. You think he would, after all the stuff he has to go through on an episodic basis. But this short proves that it's not the aggressive people you've gotta watch out for (although I would recommend still doing so); it's always the calm, easygoing ones who have the most explosive bursts of anger...or turn out to be not so weak after all. Based on this, I think that Droop-a-Long's more dangerous than Ricochet when he's mad...but you still don't want to bring out either of their bad sides.
If I feel like it, I may do a short where one guy manages to do just that and learns the hard way that making a sheriff and his deputy angry is not smart. What do you think?
Oh, and that conversation Ricochet and Droop-a-Long have in learning how to tame his anger when he finally lets it loose was inspired by my first story "Super Readers' Biggest Adventure", where Super Why tells Wonder Red this after she goes berserk on the Evil Reader and kicked the tar out of him. Like Ricochet said, it's much easier to give into your anger than it is to rein it in, because you just want to let it all out so badly.
And to be honest, I think that if I were the doctor, I'd be kind of annoyed to see Droop-a-Long and Ricochet back and forth so frequently, too.
Next short might be a silly one to lighten up the mood left by this one...but if I get enough requests, I may do that idea that I have above.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and thanks, VK, for the idea! Constructive criticism's great as always!
God bless, iheartgod175
