"Mind if I come along, old chap?"
There was a pause before the reply came. "I don't see why not. Mind the upholstery," Andy commented absently as Fluffy hopped in to the back seat of Slappy's car and lay down. All told, the fox's nervous claws on the steering wheel did more damage to the car than the large rabbit's gentle paws.
The fox had had a sleepless night, tossing and turning as the words from Lady Amber played over and over in his mind: "You have reached your heritage crossroads, my friend. It's a true sign that the callings have been received, but as you will soon discover--you are a stranger only in spirit."
Wile E. yawned casually as he walked up the steps of Acme Looniversity. The hallways were still quiet, the morning rush of students still a quarter of an hour away. He stopped at his office door, noticing that it was unlocked. He entered to see Andy sitting at his desk working.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Wile E. scoffed. "I thought this was my office."
"Uh huh," Andy mumbled, busily paging through the results of the Tiny Toons' Nel-Shada session from the previous day.
Wile E. nodded and waved a paw to the rabbit sitting quietly next to the desk. Fluffy smiled and nodded back, his pendent sparking slightly as it caught the rays of morning sunlight coming through the office window.
"Sleepless night?" Wile E. asked.
"Not really," Andy sighed, "just busy."
"Ah ha." Wile E. strolled over to a file cabinet and rummaged through some files. "And how are Lady Amber and Fern these days?" he asked, smiling.
The fox still didn't look up, but scowled slightly at the papers in front of him. Wile E. chuckled softly, selecting a file from the cabinet and setting it on his desk. "Not a bad price to pay to have a friend of the animals like that."
This time Andy did look up from his papers. He glared hard at Wile E. The coyote raised a paw in quiet defense. "I don't speak Ferret, Andy, and I don't pry. I'm just a concerned friend who happens to have a psychic connection to you."
Andy's expression softened slightly. He took Wile E.'s paw and shook it warmly. "Indeed. Though perhaps it would be better for our link to be blocked for a period of time. I think..."
Wile E. cut Andy off. "I understand, Fox."
The two toons smiled knowingly to each other, and for a brief second a glow emitted from where their paws met.
"So what are you going to do around here once the Tiny Toons graduate?" Andy asked, releasing the coyote's paw.
Wile E. shrugged. "Same thing I've always done--same as the rest. We'll all staying on here for an indefinite time. Have to educate those young minds you know. There will always be young toons who want to have a career in cartoons."
Andy smiled. "That's good to hear. I think the Tiny Toons are a good bunch. I think they will make you all proud."
"They already have, Andy," Wile E. said, "more than you can imagine. These Nel-Shada results will confirm what we have always felt: they truly share the same toony spark we Looney Tunes have."
Andy nodded. He selected a paper from his stack on the desk and passed it to Wile E. "Care to see your young prot‚g‚'s Nel-Shada index?"
Wile E. glanced at the paper, his face going through a series of different expressions before he gave satisfied grunt. "Rotten little imp."
Andy smiled. "Well, he does wag his tail more than you do. I don't think I've seen you to one blessed thing with yours on camera--other than get it lit on fire."
"Hey!" Wile E. protested crossly. "I'll have you know that takes great skill!"
"Sure," Andy smirked.
The coyote grunted and handed the paper back to Andy. "Good to see the little scamp excelling so well. Now, if you don't mind, may I have my desk back?"
Andy rose and stepped aside, motioning to the desk with a sweep of his paws as if he were displaying some prize on a game show. "Your desk, Sir."
Wile E. reclaimed his piece of office furniture and began penciling in items for the day's schedule. Collecting his papers from the Desk, Andy walked over to a window and gazed out at the stream of students now entering the Looniversity. "Guess I'd better get ready for first period," he muttered.
Wile E. looked up from a student roster. "I'll see you there in about ten minutes, Fox."
Without turning from the window, the fox laid a paw warmly on the coyote's shoulder. Wile E. looked blankly ahead for a brief second, before silently nodding to himself.
Andy dropped his paw and turned to Fluffy. "Fluffy--I'll be little more than an hour. You are welcome to wait here or wander about the campus. Just take care not to get into trouble. There are a couple of toons here who are a bit... em... well they might... Just avoid any little girls with red hair."
At that, Wile E. broke into a snicker. "Indeed."
Fluffy nodded. "See you later, Andy."
Taking his papers, Andy disappeared down the hall. Wile E. returned to his roster, placing check marks next to specific students' names.
"Does it ever bother you that he commands you like that?" Wile E. asked, not turning to Fluffy.
The carousel rabbit shook his head. "Andy does not command me. I do what he says because it is my choice. He does not own me."
Wile E. turned and pointed his pencil at Fluffy. "But he makes you carry him around."
Again Fluffy shook his head. "No, he asks me to, and I am happy to do so. I do not serve him."
"Even when he wears spurs?" Wile E. asked coyly.
Fluffy gave a small chuckle. "Well, they do tickle, but yes." Then he added a bit rigidly, "still, he is the only one I allow to use spurs with me."
Wile E. sighed and returned his attention to his work. "Well, I suppose you could always buck him off if you wanted to. You seem to do that rather well," he added, thinking back to the previous morning.
Fluffy coughed awkwardly. "Well, actually, I..."
"Oh, right," Wile E. muttered. "Him being your guardian and all I guess it would be a bit rude."
"Well," Fluffy said, looking over to the clock, "that is true, but the simple fact is he's just too large and too skilled a rider for me to toss off."
"Oh, come now," The coyote said gruffly.
"It's true," Fluffy shrugged innocently.
"You mean you couldn't even if you wanted to?"
Fluffy only smiled and shook his head. "Not unless I tricked him, and I will not do that."
"Does he know?" the coyote asked.
Fluffy gazed up at the ceiling for a moment and nodded. "Oh, I think he suspects."
"And that doesn't bother you? You still tote the fur ball around?"
Again, Fluffy smiled and nodded. "That fur ball is quite special to me. I'd never have reason to buck him off anyhow. I owe a great deal to him."
"You are a curious fellow," Wile E. commented, patting the rabbit's back.
"More than you could imagine," Fluffy agreed.
The Tiny Toons assembled in the Acme Looniversity's junior auditorium for their first period session of the day: the conclusion to the previous day's special events. The rest of the Looney Tunes were also once again present, this time including Wile E., as well as Thomas T. Wolf. The two carnivores exchanged smug glances with each other, conveying their own admiration for each other.
The junior auditorium was little more than a very large classroom, but designed with better acoustics to allow a speaker's voice to carry to all corners of the room. It could accommodate perhaps 50 students, seated in rows rising up to the back wall, and it had a small, elevated platform at the front. Andy's voice spoke up above the quite din of the auditorium. "Good morning, everyone. Hope you all got a good night's sleep."
"Are you kidding?" Plucky piped up. "I was up all night tryin' to guess what that animal stuff was all about yesterday." Sitting next to him, Shirley The Loon whomped Plucky on the head with her history book for his outburst, but his spoken feelings were not unique. Many of the toons had been curious about the previous day's proceedings.
Andy held up the evaluation results. "All of your questions will be answered now. These are the results from yesterday's session in the gym." He began passing out the evaluations to the toons. Scowls and confusion appeared on their faces as they tried to interpret the numbers and scientific jargon written on their evaluations.
"Contrary to the rumors you might have heard," Andy continued as he handed out the papers, "this was not a psychiatric evaluation. There are no shrinks with couches here to tell you what to feel. As I explained before, the Nel- Shada evaluation is given to a great number of toon animals each year near the end of their primary education, like CAT's or career placement evaluations, but the Nel-Shada is given for your benefit only, and has nothing to do with your careers."
"Then why is it given?" Buster asked.
"It varies between toons," Andy explained. "Each reason is unique. The evaluation is requested by a sponsor: the toon's parent, mentor, or guardian, who feels that the toon has a special gift or unique heritage which should be explored and nourished.
"So..." Buster shrugged, "we're special?"
Andy smiled. "Yes you are."
"How come my parents didn't say anything about taking this test?" Hamton asked.
"Because your evaluations were not requested by your parents."
Andy handed Hamton his paper. "The results of Nel-Shada evaluation are meant to be shared between the toon and his or her sponsor, in your case..." Andy made a sweeping motion with his paw. "...your mentors. Only they and I can see them. Now, you are completely free to share your results with each other, but it is not required."
"Hey--how come you got to look at all of them?" Babs asked.
Andy answered curtly, "Because I'm En-nest'alida to all of you, so don't worry."
"What's En-..." Babs started, but the fox silenced her with a sly look.
"Ask your mentor," he whispered.
"But... why did our mentors do this?" Buster asked, confused.
A familiar voice cut in to answer the question. "Because you kids are da future for us." All the toons turned to see Bugs standing up on the platform at the front of the room. "You toons are da next generation of our family of toons. You're our legacy, and I ain't talking about makin' cartoons with Warner Brothers and actin'."
"We all toon the Nel-shada years ago just like you kids did yesterday," he explained. "It ain't no test, and it ain't got nuttin' ta do with Warner Brothers or da Looniversity; we just did it here because it was convenient with you all tagether here anyhow. Dis is about us toons and a new generation which will one day take our place in da world of toons and cartoon comedy. Last t'ing we want is to pass on our torch to a bunch of Disney-style animal toons who don't even realize dey are animals." At this the Tiny Toons broke into stifled laughter.
"You kids have always made us very proud," Bugs finished, his voice filled with stern pride and admiration. "And you always will, no matter what you do with your lives. We just wanted you to discover how special you are inside, and to find out a little about da proud family of animals each of you comes from."
Andy returned to the front of the room while Bugs went back to his seat next to Buster. "Okay, kids," the fox spoke up. "We're going to go through these evaluations and explain what they say, but first, there is one little thing you weren't told yesterday. Only one of the two animals you saw yesterday was real." A wave of murmurs passed among the Tiny Toons. Andy went on. "One of the animals you saw was a wild, natural toon animal, brought in as a volunteer to help you with your Nel-Shada evaluations. The second one was created from your own mind. It was the physical manifestation of the animal self inside of you--the animal that you perceive yourself, or your species, as. The purpose yesterday's evaluation was to let you see how different, or how similar, you see yourself compared to your animal counterparts."
Buster again raised his paw. "You mean that white rabbit in with me was... from my own mind?"
Andy nodded. "The rabbit from your inner self--the rabbit you are inside. On your papers, that animal is marked as "Self Animal." The other, wild animal is marked, obviously, "Wild Animal."
"He was so nice and friendly to be with," Buster thought aloud, "not like that other rabbit."
"The actions of the wild rabbit dictated how you would be perceived by animals out in the wild," Andy explained. "The more positive their reactions, the closer you are to your animal roots. As for the rabbit from your mind, the 'Self Animal', it's a bit more complex. It's reactions can show internal conflict inside you towards your animal side, or it can show how at ease or comfortable you are with your own perception of your species of animal. Based on the reactions of both animals, we can determine where you fall within the Nel-Shada indexes, and help you understand more about your own inner animal heritage. Again, this was not a psych. test. This is about your animal heritage. You may think you are in tune with your animal sides, but a Nel-Shada evaluation can show you that you might not be so keen after all."
Sweetie nudged Furrball. "Did what he just said make any sense to you?" Furrball half-nodded, half-shrugged, and meowed.
Andy stepped down from the platform at the front. "For the rest of the period, your mentors and I will help you understand your results. Feel free to ask us anything you wish. We are here for your benefit."
For the next forty-five minutes, the Tiny Toons sat with their mentors as their results were explained to them. Now and then a hand would pop up or Andy would hear his name called as he went from toon to toon, aiding in their education.
Calamity sat boxed in by Wile E. and Thomas T. Wolf, sharing his results with the two scruffy carnivores. A barrage of signage and canine barking was exchanged between the three toons.
Out of all the Tiny Toons, the one who shined the most in his animal heritage was Furrball, the pitiful blue alley cat who lived his life 100% natural, and roaming the alleys (when not temporarily living with a toon as a pet). Driven by his animal instincts and natural feline urges, his actions showed very little human influence, and there had been virtually no difference between the Wild Animal and Self Animal that he had interacted with.
Sylvester ruffled Furrball's head fur proudly. "Us cats have always been superior!" he boasted as Andy gave Furrball a brief pet and a congratulatory nod.
Plucky and Daffy's squabbling was causing a minor uproar in one section of the auditorium. Andy gravitated over to the spittle storm as his name was called.
"What?" he asked, poking his head through the argument.
Plucky waved his paper furiously. "This sanna-frazzin' thing says I failed to communicate with my animal brothers!"
Daffy was trying to calm the green mallard down. "That's not what it means, kid. It just means you didn't pick up on some of the body language."
"I'll show you body language!" Plucky declared, about to form a rather lewd gesture with his wing. Andy quickly grabbed Plucky's wing and smacked the mallard's head with it. "Stop hittin' yourself," he smiled. Plucky collapsed into a huff. Andy and Daffy exchanged a smug glance and Andy gave Plucky a friendly chuck on the shoulder. "I donno what you're all bent out of shape for, Plucky. You got a 24.8 out of a possible 30. That is a very high score. Just because you missed a few things doesn't mean you aren't a true mallard."
"Yeah?" Plucky asked, quickly changing moods and looking eager.
"Yeah," Andy agreed.
Plucky jumped up into the air. "Woo-hoo! Eat your heart out, bunnies! Make way for Plucky Duck: brother to the mallard, friend of the waterfowl!"
"Sheesh," Daffy commented dryly. "Where does he get this stuff?"
Andy shrugged, eyeing Daffy. "I have no idea, duck."
Despite his minor confrontation with his wild rabbit, Buster scored the second highest score. Though his "Self Animal" resembled a domesticated rabbit, he was able to understand how to associate with the wild rabbit.
"You did real good, kid," Bugs told him. "You got a lot of rabbit in ya."
"Thanks, prof.," Buster said sheepishly. Bugs took the young rabbit's paw. "You was able to connect with the wild part of yourself. Dis part here," he said, pointing to a section on Buster's evaluation, "says you were able to actually hear da voice of the rabbit. Dat ain't no little achievement, kid."
Buster shrugged casually. "Eh, just call me Dr. Dolittle Rabbit!"
Fifi's eyes lowered as her results were explained to her. "Eet eez not your fault, Cherie`," Pepe said, trying to comfort her. "Eef you would have been any higher in your score, zat male wild skunk would have tried to... 'ave eez way with you. Sometimes, eet eez good not to be too animal-like, yes?" Pepe patted the purple skunkette's shoulder. "You have many skunk traits which zee others do not have, like your scent. Zat is a beeg plus in your animal heritage. Zer eez no pass or fail, Cherie`. You are a fine female skunk, and you are very special."
Fifi shrugged. "I just thought I would 'ave scored higher."
Although her inherent ability to make flowers wilt from her presence, Fifi was second only to one other Tiny Toon at having the lowest score: the toon who lived in conventional housing, and had taken on a great deal of human traits and beliefs--Hamton.
"I don't need to speak Boar to understand what a pig says," he said with satisfaction, seeming to be quite content with his results. "And, if I want to live in a nice clean house instead of wallow around in the mud, that's my choice, and I don't think it makes me any less of a pig."
"N-n-no one is saying that, Hamton," Porky assured him. "Th-the-th-the Nel-Shada evaluation is just a way of showing how human you've become."
"And what's wrong with humans?" Hamton snapped.
"N-ne-n-nothing, Hamton. You can be whoever you we-w-want to be. And w-we- w-what you are right now is one s-s-se-super kid!"
"Aw, Thanks, Professor Pig."
Despite Hamton's low score, however, there was one toon that had received one lower, and that toon's eyes fell with a heavy sigh the previous day when he was handed the evaluations and the disheartening truth of his own results had hit home. Now, the red vulpine sat quietly by himself, mulling his results over and over in his mind.
It wasn't that his score showed that he failed, necessarily. It was that his score showed nothing at all. It was as if he was missing something inside: an empty hole where a toon animal heart and core should have been. He had believed that the fox that had spoken to him in the cubicle was his Self Animal: the fox from his mind, but as he scowled at the paper he held in his paw he saw that he had been mistaken. That fox had been the real, wild one all along. This only served to confuse him further. Where had the other fox, the terrified ghost of an animal, come from? The results showed something very peculiar, almost as if that second fox had not been generated from Andy's mind at all, but had came from some very far and distant place.
At ten minutes to the end of the period, and the Tiny Toons now understanding their Nel-Shada scores, Andy returned to the front of the class. "Each of you is a unique and wonderful toon. It is up to you how you wish to interpret what you have learned here today. Now are there any remaining questions?"
"So, like, is any of this going to show up on our final grades, or some junk?" Shirley asked.
Andy shook his head. "Not at all, though if you are interested in learning more about the Nel-Shada and animal heritage, there are books on it in the library. The more you know about the animal you are, the more you will learn about yourself. It may not seem like it, but you would be surprised how your animal traits can be useful to you. Perhaps, someday, some of you may even partake in the toon heritage ritual of the Animal Rite of Passage to become more 'whole' in your animal spirit. It is all up to you."
Babs' paw went up. "Okay, Mr. Know-it-all," she said, sarcastically, "if natural animal tendencies are so important to you, then how come you're living with a squirrel and a rabbit? They are your natural enemies!"
Andy fell silent for a few moments at the directness of the pink bunny's question. "Natural enemies, yes," he eventually concluded calmly. "However, here in the toon world, nature is not the same as on Earth. There are exceptions everywhere--even our wild animals follow different rules. It can be easy to miss, being around humans all the time, but the exceptions are all around you."
Andy motioned to Calamity. "For example, it can be easy to overlook the fact that you have a natural carnivorous predator amongst you." Calamity wasn't sure to look proud or hide behind Wile E. at his being singled out. "A carnivore who wouldn't mind a rabbit sandwich," Andy continued, eyeing Buster and Babs, who were squirming a bit nervously.
"Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind one my..."
"Settle down, Fox!" Bugs called out.
Andy grumbled with mock annoyance and stuffed his paws in his fur in a huff. A few giggles escaped from the assembled toons.
"Me want rabbit sammich too!" Dizzy spoke up, waving his paws. "Dizzy no eat breakfast today!" Andy produced a box of Acme pizza rolls and tossed them to Dizzy who devoured them, box and all, in one satisfied munch.
"Anyhow," he finished, returning his attention to the class, "we all are intelligent animals, and that's why it can be so easy to forget these things. But, just because you have intelligent minds does not mean you should deny what feels natural to you. I honestly admit that it was a true conflict for me to fall in love with a squirrel--a natural victim of foxes. However, here in Toonity, exceptions in matters of the heart are not necessarily forbidden, or uncommon."
The fox had clearly been unsettled by the rabbit's observation, and wiped his brow with a paw.
"Would you, like, call that a sign of human influence?" Shirley asked.
"I'd call it a sign of intelligence," Andy answered. "Human influence is what can drive you away from your animal sides. It takes animals away from their homes, makes them wear clothes and drive cars, and worst of all it can make the animal forget he is an animal. It can bombard them with so much civilization and the modern buzz of the workplace that the animal becomes nothing more than a human in an animal costume, and the toon doesn't even realize it. This is the final outcome that I truly hope none of you will ever encounter."
Andy paused for a moment. "There is a DVD over in the anime section of the film library which tells the story of a band of shape-shifting raccoons who, in order to survive, had to abandon their natural way of life and live and work as humans in the human world. It is a truly tragic story. I suggest those who are interested, check it out. It's called, 'Pom Poko.'"
"Hey, wait!" Babs started. "Isn't that the movie where the raccoons use their te..."
"Yes it is," Andy cut in quickly, giving the rabbit a warning look.
There were a few seconds of quiet before the next question. "Em... Mr. Fox?" Foulmouth asked. "You mentioned this Animal Rite of Passage thing before. Em... so what is it?"
"It is a very old and ancient piece of toon animal heritage, Foulmouth," Andy responded. "It's a very private and spiritual method of exploring your animal heritage. A toon goes off into the wild to seek their true selves, and whatever they may feel they are missing from themselves. The ritual changes you--takes your mind to a more simple state. You become a wild version of yourself, and you do not return until you have found that which you sought."
"Sounds mega-creepy," Foulmouth quipped.
"Like, don't those rituals involve, like, mondo-mystical magic, or some junk?" Shirley asked.
"It calls upon the forces of nature and the world around us. It can indeed seem creepy," Andy said, "but the ritual is not evil, nor can it harm you. It is there to help toon animals who have lost their ways."
As the fox concluded his answer, the dismissal bell sounded, signaling that the hour was over. The fox raised a paw and the bell's ringing was suddenly cut off, the clock on the wall behind him freezing at 3 seconds after nine O'clock. "Are there any more questions?" Andy asked, as if nothing had happened.
"This ritual," Buster asked. "Does everybody take it? I mean, do all animals take it?"
"No," Andy shook his head. "Most wild animals never take it, as they are already as animal-like as they can be. A fair number of toons like us take it-- maybe one toon out of ten. It's really hard to say."
"Does it actually work?" Buster asked.
Andy scowled. "The ritual will not work if the toon taking it has nothing in his heart of his own heritage. The toon must be true and honest and have a longing for his or her animal spirituality."
The room went silent and again Andy asked if there were any more questions. There were none, and the bell's ringing again filled the room with sound, the clock on the wall returning to its operation.
"Remember, kids," Andy said as the Tiny Toons prepared to leave, "your mentors will always be here for you if you want to know more about anything we talked about today. Have a good rest of the day."
The Tiny Toons filed out of the room, some waving goodbye to the fox as they headed out to continue on with their school day. The Looney Tunes followed them, all except for one, who stayed behind.
Walking over to Andy, he spoke. "Well, weren't we a bit morose?"
Andy shrugged at Wile E. "Guess I wasn't the best choice to give this lecture. It's not been a good time."
The two left the auditorium and made their way back to Wile E.'s office. "Well, what do you expect?" Wile E. said a bit smugly, "You're an alien, Fox--an energy being living as a toon. It's little wonder you're conflicted."
Andy gave a contemptuous grumble. "Thanks for reminding me," he glared at Wile E, then looked down and sighed.
"I'm serious, Fox," Wile E. continued, oddly casual about the matter, as if he was discussing the weather. "You were welcomed into the toon brotherhood and given the toon spirit and essence. Now the toon fox in you is reaching out--trying to find your own heritage, trying to become whole... to become complete. In a sense, you seem to be spurning your alien-ness in an attempt to become a true toon of this world. That's why I sponsored you for the Nel-Shada session. I figured I owed you the chance to explore your own animal heritage. Afterwards, there are toons that feel the call to take the Rite of Passage. Yours is no different, but the rite is a very serious thing, Fox. What toons get from it..." Wile E. broke off suddenly, and eyed the fox cautiously. "well, some never find out. And some..."
"So, you know?" Andy asked, not noticing the concern on his friend's face.
The coyote nodded. "Don't have to sense your thoughts to know you've decided to take the Rite of Passage."
Andy shrugged. "I still don't know, Wile. I'm worried what this might do to Slappy. I'm worried about leaving her to pursue my own callings."
"If she really loves you, Fox, she will wait."
"That sounds rather clich‚," Andy signed.
The coyote waved a paw. "Take it as you see fit, Fox, but she will wait."
Andy eyed the coyote, and saw that the coyote had begun to look rather dreary in the last few moments. "Is there something you're not telling me?" he asked, earnestly.
Wile E. shook his head slowly. "Perhaps one day, you will find that out for yourself, Fox." He laid a paw on Andy's shoulder. "Then, you'll know."
Standing in the hallway outside of Wile E.'s office, the two toons were greeted by a scene of general disorder and chaos as Fluffy came bounding down the hallway carrying a large mouse and a young skunk on his back. The rabbit barreled past Andy and Wile E. while a dozen other students cheered at the scene. Fluffy turned and raced past the two again, eyeing the fox as he swept by. The mouse's ponytail streamed out behind him as he rode past, clutching Fluffy's collar tightly and looking a bit uneasy.
"Who's the mouse?" Andy asked, gesturing. The toon in question was roughly 2 and a half feet tall, and sported a gaudy, blue flowered tropical- style shirt and a pair of glasses.
"He teaches one of our newer programs, 'Toons Behind The Scenes'. You know, all those geeky-type toons working behind the camera."
"Really?" Andy sounded surprised. "We have a program for that?"
"Well," Wile E. laughed. "Not everyone can be an actor. Some toon has to run the cameras and set up the lighting, work the booms, and add all those fancy, computer-generated special effects."
"Oh, I see," Andy nodded. "That's neat."
"I think the skunk is one of his students."
As Wile E. spoke, Fluffy raced passed again, the mouse nearly falling off from the rabbit's energetic playfulness.
Wile E. scowled at Andy. "You know I could insight you for causing a public disturbance and a fire hazard by not having your pet under control."
"Yes," Andy muttered, finding himself enjoying the mayhem in the hallway.
Fluffy came to a stop down the hallway and his two riders dismounted, the mouse gracefully falling off and landing with a *THUD*. A dozen or so pens and pencils fell from the mouse's shirt pocket, clattering to the floor and rolling about. The skunk smoothly slid off Fluffy and helped his professor up.
"Professor Thorne! You okay?"
"Never better," the mouse mumbled, rubbing his behind.
Dropping off his two passengers, Fluffy hopped over to Andy. "Pardon me, mast... Andy. Just got caught up in the moment, don't you know. Lovely little youngsters around here!" He exclaimed happily. "Em... hope I didn't cause any trouble."
"Apparently," Andy smiled. "Some youngsters around here seem to be a lot bigger than others."
"I thought you were more discriminating on your choice of riders," Wile E. said, eyeing Fluffy.
"Well, I did let you on, didn't I?" The rabbit said, chuckling.
Wile E. turned to Andy. "You know I do believe your rabbit has once again snubbed me."
"Oh?" Andy asked, pretending he hadn't heard.