A/N: You know, for a while I thought I wasn't going to get back to this story...or any of my other fics because of the stress I had with school and stuff at home. Thankfully, with help from my friends and family, I got my act together and I'm doing a lot better juggling my personal life, and I feel ready to start writing things again. And what better way to do that than to put up a new chapter of Blazin' Trails? This chapter's a romance that's not focused on Droopy for once. I figured that I'd write something a little lighthearted after putting up those last two shorts, although knowing how I write this is the warm-up to something saddening.
After putting up a small clip from "Rapid Romance", I saw a prompt on Tumblr and I immediately thought of Droop-a-Long, so I had to write it down. I posted this on my Google+ community, A Fistful of Carrots (which, as its name implies, is a fan community devoted to Ricochet Rabbit and Droop-a-Long stuff), but I figured it was good enough to share with y'all. :)
Disclaimer: I still don't own Ricochet and Droop-a-Long after all this time, folks.
Story 25: On Notice
"Be honest with me here, Droop. Does my fur look straight?" Ricochet asked.
"Yes, Mr. Ricochet," Droop-a-Long answered.
"An' my shirt? An' my badge, too, right?"
"Yessir, Mr. Ricochet."
"Hmm...you think I should dust my hat off? I haven't cleaned this thing in a month an' it's caked with dust!" Ricochet pulled off his hat to show it to his deputy. He paused, then took a whiff of it and shuddered. "An' it smells too."
"I'll take care of it before yer meetin', Mr. Ricochet," Droop-a-Long answered, taking the sheriff's hat. "Shouldn't take long, though."
"Thanks, Droop-a-Long. I'm-a probably hop in the bath, too. I sure don't wanna smell like somethin' awful when Bunny Hug-"
Droop-a-Long almost dropped the hat. "Y-You're meeting Bunny Hug?" he asked.
Ricochet's expression turned sheepish. Droop-a-Long's mouth curled into a frown. "Mr. Ricochet..."
"Well...I might've forgotten to tell ya," Ricochet answered finally, scratching the back of his head.
"More like ya didn't want to," Droop-a-Long grumbled.
"Droopy, don't be like that," Ricochet said. "It's jus'...well, she sent me a letter last week an' said she was comin' to see me 'bout somethin' important."
"But I thought she broke off all contact with you after she married that outlaw feller," Droop-a-Long said.
"She did, but somethin' must've come up for her to talk to me now," Ricochet said. "Either way, I couldn't turn down her request, Droop-a-Long, 'specially since she's a woman."
"Well, I wish you'd told me before so's I wouldn't get caught off-guard," Droop-a-Long said. "But I reckon I'll get the office tidy an' all. That way it'll look nice for when she comes over."
Ricochet smiled. "That's the spirit, Droopy," he said, clapping the coyote on the arm. "Now you do that whilst I finish gettin' ready."
Droop-a-Long nodded, but as soon as the sheriff left, he couldn't help but mutter, "It's like I always say: when there's perfume in the air, I can smell trouble."
And he knew there'd be nothing but that with Bunny Hug.
One hour later...
Bunny Hug had been told that there was no reason to fear Ricochet's deputy—compared to any other coyote in the west, he was the complete opposite of that. He was sweet, courteous, and a nice person to be around.
That niceness wasn't what she was seeing right now. For a few seconds, she couldn't help but feel unbridled terror as she locked eyes with him. He was sweeping around the office, taking care of the chores like Ricochet had asked him to earlier…and giving her the most chilling glare she'd ever received from anybody. In that glare was an unspoken vow: "If you do anything to hurt him, you're gonna deal with me."
"Bunny Hug?" Ricochet asked, looking over at her with unease in his eyes. "Everythin' okay?"
"O-Oh, sorry 'bout that, Ricky-poo," she answered. Finally tearing her eyes from Droop-a-Long, she turned to face him, forcing a smile onto her face. "I didn't mean to ignore ya."
Ricochet turned to face his deputy, who suddenly regained a keen interest in his work, sweeping furiously. "Uh-huh," he muttered. He turned back to his ex-girlfriend, who was trying her best to not fidget. "Well, now, regardin' our…relationship…" He looked up at her in surprise. "Do ya really wanna try this again? I mean, after what happened with Slapjack-"
"Oh, don't mention him, Ricky-poo," Bunny Hug replied. Her red eyes were full of disappointment. "I figured I'd be able to change him with my peaceful ways, but he ended up runnin' off with an outlaw queen. I haven't heard from 'im since."
"People like Slapjack don't change, Bunny Hug," he said.
Her ears fell. "For a moment, I thought he did," she said. "For a year, I was fine with bein' alone, as it helped me move on from him. But now I'm feelin' a little lonely…an' the first person I think of when I'm lonely is you." She smiled sadly. "Reckon I'm askin' for too much, askin' for a second chance. After all, I left you first."
"I admit, I was sore over that," Ricochet said. "But I've since gotten over it. What's in the past stays in the past, as I like to say." He paused and turned to face his deputy. "I don't hear ya sweepin' over thar, Droop-a-Long."
"O-Oh, uh, sorry, Mr. Ricochet," Droop-a-Long said, turning back around and sweeping again. "I got lost in my own thoughts."
"Uh-huh," Ricochet said. He turned back to Bunny Hug with a small smile on his face. "Sorry 'bout that; he's usually not this spacey."
"I see," Bunny Hug said. She stood up from her chair. "You don't mind if we take this outside, do ya?"
"Sure. We've been sittin' here for an hour or so," Ricochet said. "Jus' let me leave some instructions for my deputy first."
Good, 'cause I can't stand bein' in the same room with his deputy for another hour, Bunny Hug thought. "Alright, Ricky, I'll wait for ya outside on the porch." She sent him a smile before hurrying out of the office, not even looking at Droop-a-Long.
No sooner had she left the room than Ricochet turned towards Droop-a-Long with a small glare. "What is it with ya, Droop?"
"What're you talkin' about, Mr. Ricochet?"
"You know what I'm talkin' about! Why're you glarin' at her like that? Even I could feel it on my back!" he hissed. His front deepened. "I knew you weren't too happy about her comin' here earlier, but if you're gonna be hostile-"
"It ain't that, Mr. Ricochet," Droop-a-Long interrupted. "I'd never be hostile to a ladyfriend, 'specially if she's yers."
"Then what's with the attitude, Droop-a-Long?" Ricochet demanded.
"It's just...well, I was warnin' her."
"Warnin' her?"
"Yeah, makin' sure that she ain't gonna do somethin' like what she did before," Droop-a-Long replied. "I remember how sore ya were over her leavin' you to marry that Slapjack feller, an' seein' you like that makes me mad." A rare serious expression crossed the coyote's features as he looked at Ricochet. "I wouldn't tell 'er myself, since it's rude ta harm a lady, but if she even thinks of breakin' your heart again, I'll have some choice words for her."
Ricochet's frown disappeared and he stared at Droop-a-Long in surprise. "Droop-a-Long, ya don't have to do that-"
"Ricochet, you're like a brother ta me," Droop-a-Long said. "An' brothers look out for each other—'specially with relationships. I'm not against ya tryin' it again with Bunny Hug, but I don't want her doin' anything to hurt ya."
Ricochet sighed. It wasn't that he didn't see what Droop-a-Long was saying, and he was rather touched by the fact that the coyote was looking out for him, but on the other hand… "Droopy, I appreciate the thought, but ya know…jus' because I've had one bad romance-"
"One?" Droop-a-Long questioned.
"Okay, a few," Ricochet admitted. "But jus' because I've had several bad romances doesn't mean every single girl is bad. I'm willin' to give Bunny Hug another chance, an' besides, you yourself said that I need ta get out thar more."
"Well, that is true," Droop-a-Long said.
"I'd do the same for you, too, Droop, if you'd had the same amount of relationships that I've had," Ricochet said. "But right now, let me handle this. I'll decide if I wanna keep datin' her or not."
"Alright, Mr. Ricochet."
Ricochet turned to face the doorway, but then he paused, and turned back to Droop-a-Long. "Oh, and word of advice—ya may wanna tone down that glare, Droop," he said. "Otherwise, she'll be scared of ya."
"Got it, Mr. Ricochet," Droop-a-Long said. He gave the rabbit a small smile. "Good luck."
"Thanks, Droopy," Ricochet said as he made his way out. He couldn't help but mentally add, I'll need it, too, what with you around.
The End
Although this was a short story, I'm thinking of bringing Bunny Hug into the story for a bit...but don't be fooled, I haven't forgotten about Melissa. :) There are a few changes from the original short story I posted, but I didn't feel the need to add anything else, hence why this chapter's so short.
Oh, and protective Droop-a-Long is best Droop-a-Long. I figured Droop-a-Long wouldn't be too keen on ricochet going back with the girl who left him for an outlaw, so I think he'd warn her in his own way...although he ended up scaring Bunny Hug and making Ricochet mad in the process XD
I can't be sure which of my half-finished chapters is going to be the next one, since I have so many. And of course I don't have a specific order for how these are supposed to go yet. I'm still working on an official timeline for everyone, including characters who haven't even appeared yet. I won't post it on the wiki until it's done, but if you're interested I'll send you a link so you can see the histories for these guys.
Reviews would be awesome on this!
God bless, iheartgod175
