GANG of HOPPERS

My brothers and I in the ZooKzin War

by Dori Hopps

Written by Dan Rush

(c) Zootopia 2016 Walt Disney Cooperation

(c) Alex Gray from Harmarist Sheath & Knife comics

Chapter 30

Operation Hailstorm

The Invasion of The Outback Islands

Part 2

1052 Hours? (I think) July 21st 2043

"L-plus 3 hours 52 Minutes?

Fox Mundy Island, The Outback Islands

1 mile inland from Orobadoo Beach

"Hash Hare Run" Lt. Owen Hopps commanding.

"STOP! THIS IS CLOSE ENOUGH!" Ori screamed as he pulled his "8-ball" shooter off his back, dropped his carbine and tried to steady the weapon over his left shoulder….

The Kzinti got to him first….His helmet shattered and I mean it shattered into pieces and Ori's head was snapped back violently...his body flew backwards and crashed into the dirt behind me...

For a moment….everything seemed to freeze. I'd just watched my brother get shot to death.

Instinctive reaction….Jump for Ori as he slumped against the shell hole as PFC Blackavar snatched up the fallen "8-ball" shooter and exposed himself to a storm of flying lead as he struggled to aim the weapon at the distant spot we hoped was the infantry command post of the enemy…

Blackavar fell over dead as the last round cleared the tube. Corporal Pipkin used the wafting smoke cloud from the first shot as cover for his own shot, he falling backwards and tossing the spent weapon away from himself once his grenades had left the tube!

"GET THE FRICK BACK AND KEEP SHOOTING BEAR, BEAR!" I snarled as I threw my terrified brother off my back…

Ori's face was cut up from his helmet flying apart but I didn't see his head turned to Jello….a good thing. I was worried his neck was broken but a quick check of his breathing with a pocket mirror and the fog being produced on it gave me a hopeful optimism as I rummaged through my backpack for a neck cushion….

"IS HE DEAD?!" Nori screamed out!

"WE'LL ALL BE DEAD IF YOU DON'T STICK TO SHOOTING AND LET ME DO MY JOB NORI!" I growled back.

I ran a little pack of smelling salts under Ori's nose..."DID WE HIT THE TARGET?!" I yelled out!

Pipkin waved back..."YEAH! WE KISSED IT GOOD AND DEEP! NOW CAN WE ALL GET THE HELL BACK TO OUR LINE?! THESE TIGERS ARE A LITTLE UPSET!"

Ori's face twitched and his eyes slowly opened….good….good sign…..I wrapped the neck cushion around his neck and clip locked it snug..."WE CAN'T JUST SIT HERE DAMN IT!" I screamed in frustration, grabbed my carbine and cut OFF a whole magazine….not like I was going to hit anything….just dealing with my frustrations and trying to keep my head in the game.

"COMING THROUGH! HEADS UP!" A scream to my right hit my ears and someone rolled around my back, which annoyed the hell out of me…

"GET OFF ASS WIPE!" I screamed as I punched the back of a wolf, who turned and growled in my face…

"Is that any way to thank your savior?!" Alex Gray said as he patted my head and barked orders to a few other wolves dropping around our shell hole…

"GET THAT THIRTY CAL BARKING! WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK THIS IS A FRICKEN COFFEE BREAK?!" Alex screamed at his fellow wolves. He then looked down at Ori…

"Is he ok?" Alex asked me.

"I think he's concussed…." I replied. I rubbed Ori's chest as his eyes stopped fluttering…

"Ori? If you understand me? Kick your legs." I asked. Ori's legs jumped...good, good….

"Who am I Ori? Who am I?" I asked my brother.

"Doc." The wise tail returned with a grin.

I turned to Alex..."His helmet took a direct hit and shattered. I think he may have a neck injury….Trauma….or he's faking it but he can't stay here!"

Alex put out his paws..."Give him to me!"

I looked at Nori then let Alex pick Ori up and cradle him in his arms..."YON! SNAGGLE! ON ME! CRUTCHY! BLOCKHEAD! KEEP UP THAT THIRTY CAL!" Alex then looked at me..."You guys might want to get out of here? You're seventy yards beyond the line and the Kzinti are pouring down like rain from the cliffs!"

Alex took off with Ori while the rest of us beat a fighting retreat back to our own line. Nori had the presence of mind to pop off a green flare showing that we were successful in blowing up the command cave.

Noon July 21st 2043

"L-plus 6 hours

Fox Mundy Island, The Outback Islands

1 mile inland from Orobadoo Beach

We were ordered to stand and hold where we were at off our landing beach. From the bits and pieces I was able to gather from other Marines along our line...our Division got it easier than the 2nd division did on the Southern invasion beach where the Kzinti were far better organized with their defenses…

2nd division got mauled….their commanding officer calling our division for more ammunition and a shift in basic priorities like extra tanks and artillery guns. Apparently...one real nasty defensive position called "Brisket Hill" turned multiple landing craft into flaming junks and flying pieces of meat. Two battalions of rabbits and wolves assaulted that nasty little mud mound with an appalling casualty amount before "bazooka bunnies" all but committed suicide to destroy the thing with point blank rocket shots.

We all worried about Ori and I was getting sick and tired of the every minute request for information I had no privy to. We hadn't seen Alex Gray since he ran Ori back to the beach and you don't get strait reliable "squawk" anyway about casualties. I was being kept busy enough running around with Nori on my rump treating Marines along the line and sending bad cases to the rear. I was tired, I was upset, I was totally fricken pissed. I stank bad, my fur was all clumpy and matty...I was understandably miserable.

Then it started raining again…."Fruck!"…..I snapped as I sat in the mud. As always, my "comfort bear" was close at hand…

"Tired I bet?" Nori said to me as he wiped mud and dirt from my face with a wash cloth…"

"And how." I replied as I rubbed my head with a paw over and over because of all the crud. I was worried about that because I was now doing that excessively as were other bunnies around me. Clinically? That could be considered a sign of "shell shock" with rabbits if I didn't have that habit before the war, which I did. When your mother is a "clean freak"...you tend to become one and develop this little constant paw to head "twitch". I was really longing for some baby wipes though.

Nori looked around with a pointed finger and confirmed with a nod where our other two brothers were along the line...then he sat back down and pulled a bag of dehydrated carrots from his backpack….

"Come on?" he said…."Nibble, nibble." He waved a Carrot chip before my nose till I "chomped it" off his fingers…

"I hate dehydrated snit." I groaned.

"Well I'm sorry, the kitchen is closed for renovation." Nori replied as he sat and snuggled close..."This is much worse than Roya was." He said.

"Yeah…" I replied as I chewed on the carrot chip.

Nori rested his head on his knees…."Do you think all these Tigers we're fighting come from Kzin? How can that be "Door, Door"? How big is the Kzin home island they say? Uh?….."

Nori started blurting out facts and figures and doing finger math and trig…."Let's see….size of land, size of usable land, how many tigers can live on oh...twenty square yards a piece…." Then he snorted…."Freeking damn impossible. We must have killed at least a good thousand around here alone, no Frith damn way in hell there's all these Tigers in one place."

Till I reminded Nori how big Tiger litters can be, how fast they can mature and how quick females can be ready to go back "into full production". Still he groaned about it…" I bet they invented clones….or they could be recruiting them from some other big land of Tigers we've never discovered yet? There you go "Door, Door"! At-freeking-lantis!"

"Atlantis has been a proven myth for years Nori. Well...When you listen to Daddy's daily gossip reports of course you'll believe in Atlantis too." I said...Then I realized how sensitive anything about our Father was and we didn't talk for a while.

We sat for a while not talking until Nori patted my shoulder..."Hey?! Remember YRMA? (Young Rabbits Maturity Camp)

"Hmm….Camp "Carrotsweettoeatah"." I replied with a chuckle.

"We tried to make that camp fire after we came home?" Nori said chuckling.

"Oh Frith!" I replied laughing. "That five alarm disaster in the wood lot?!"

"Yeah!" Nori replied…."The fire Chief came to our warren door?! "Ah hemm… Mrs. Hopps? Two of your youngins were seen fleeing the scene." And Momma said "Not my darlings! My children are the example of upright responsibility!"

I giggled…."Momma saw our burnt up sneakers. Then she came into the bathroom and there we were in black water because of all the smoke soot?"

"And you ratted me out you little dick face!" Nori huffed!

"It was YOUR idea!" I replied!

"You were the one giving the instructions dufus?!" Nori growled! "I need to pay you back for the ass whoopin I took!"

And it was on! Full on rabbit butt-kicking until Owen showed up….

"WHAT IN FRITH DAMN NAME ARE YOU TWO IDIOTS DOING?!" Owen snapped!

Nori Popped up to attention. "SIR! WE WERE JUST SETTLING A LONG HELD DISPUTE SIR!"

"Oh fruck off Nori." Owen huffed. "The fire was YOUR idea, you told me it was YOUR idea and shame on you for trying to get Dori spanked for it now stop "larking around" and pay attention. We're sure to get a counterattack before the morning so one stays awake, the other sleeps."

I quickly pulled a coin from my shirt pocket, flipped it and flicked Nori off the nose…."Tails I won...you stand first watch!"

Nori looked up at Owen. "Let me beat his ass?"

"Denied." Owen snorted back. "And I'll be making rounds so don't even think of trying to catch winks Nori." Owen wagged his finger at Nori then walked off down the line of quickly dug shallow foxholes. Good thing we had a good shell hole since the island we were on was mostly coral and limestone with a shallow blanket of dirt. You can't dig foxholes in rock.

I slept as best as I could for three hours in grime and muck till Nori kicked me awake..."Your turn." He said as he guided my sleepy butt to a spot where he'd set up his B.A.R. on the lip of our hole…

"Um? I can't handle this big thing?" I said as I pointed to the B.A.R.

"Non-sense "Door, Door", any rabbit can handle my B.A.R." Nori said as he pushed me to grip the auto-rifle..."Now? You see any big cats? You cut them in half. Short burst ok? Remember….this beast has only two settings….slow fire auto and rapid fire auto. Easy way to use it is pull trigger…..one two…..release trigger." Nori kissed my cheek..."Night, night sweaty face."

"Yeah…..Love you too "Bear, Bear." I huffed back.

"You do love me, Admit it." Nori chuckled. Of course I did...I grabbed onto his paw until he fell asleep beside me."

2am July 22st 2043

Fox Mundy Island, The Outback Islands

1 mile inland from Orobadoo Beach

1st Marine Division, Hash Hare Battalion.

"Snit! Snit! Snit!" I cursed myself as I woke up and blindly scrambled to grab a hold of Nori's B.A.R. rifle...I'd fallen asleep! Cheesh Owen would have blistered me good, I was out for a good hour or more. Got up way to quick...puke'd up that dried carrot from earlier...totally felt like turd soup after that…

Still no counter-attack? I kicked Nori awake and grabbed my magnum carbine as he took up his B.A.R. rifle….

"Yaaaaawn….You let me sleep an extra hour." Nori said to me.

"Thought you needed the rest more than me." I replied. "There's been no counter-move by them...I don't like this at all."

Nori looked around in the dark..."Doesn't look like the line moved at all." He called to the fox hole next to us..."Hey?! We have plenty of room in this hole, come on over!"

A rabbit named Corporal Oburi and a Wolverine named PFC Bai slid into our shell hole…

"You know what the latest digs are?" Nori asked Oburi.

"We're moving forwards around three. The officer in charge thinks the "Zints" cleared out and moved North to form a new holding line." Oburi replied.

"Well?" Nori pondered. "They certainly haven't shown any spirit like usual."

"Maybe they wised up?" I replied. "Their suicide charges have been costly."

You know at some point..."Spoke too soon."….would have entered into the conversation because right on time….The Zints dropped mortars on us all across the line and right after that came the roars and screams of Tigers looking to enter heaven!

"BULLETS AND ROUNDS FOR HEAVEN ON ISLE TEN YOU MOTHER FLUCKERS!" Nori screamed as he cut loose with his B.A.R. into the darkness! "FRITH DAMN IT OWEN! CALL FOR FLARES!"

Turns out it wasn't a large charge...just a feint to keep us all in our holes so that the bulk of the enemy could pull away for new "digs" inland. By the morning we counted only 68 fresh Kzinti dead in front of our holes…

8am July 22st 2043

Fox Mundy Island, The Outback Islands

1 mile inland from Orobadoo Beach

1st Marine Division, Hash Hare Battalion.

Finally the poor 2nd Division had advanced off their murderous beach position and had pushed their way North and East to newly established lines just South of the Jandamarra Penninsula, our first prime objective. Our own division was going to split with half hitting Jandamarra and half going North to hold a line farther up the island to keep the Kzinti there from helping their fellows trying to hold the Jandamarra Penninsula. The intel "squab" rolling through the division was that 3,000 Kzinti were sharpening their swords on that island "pimple" and these were seriously battle-hard cats not prone to suicide charges.

Myself, Nori, Powen and Owen were not going there...thank Frith. That part of the campaign was a serious blood bath for both sides.

Finally we got word from Owen on Ori's condition...A "Stressed" neck and a concussion which meant convalescent leave or non-combat reassignment. You know any of my brothers..."Just give me a cute toony kiddy band-aid and call it good." Except Owen was considering pushing Ori out the door and back home. I would agree with him, even Powen with some nudging would accept that but Nori? He was inconsolable…

"Why won't he tell us what Ori thinks?!" Nori growled as I chased him while he stomped towards Owen's "pup tent"….

"Bear, Bear!" I warned. "Keep in mind that Owen has rank! Will you stop?!"

"Fluck his rank!" Nori fumed. "I want to know if Ori wants to go home and I damn well bet he's upset! You don't break up the Brood, it's bad luck!"

Owen must have heard Nori was coming because he came out of his tent waving a finger…."Now you stop and shush right now Nori Hopps!"

Thank Frith...Nori stopped cold or I swear Owen would have slugged him for good measure…."What does Ori think of you wanting to send him home?!" Nori asked as I rubbed his back…

"What do you think? He's as pissy as you." Owen groaned. "But if he doesn't go home, he'll be in "Con-vee" for months to a year maybe and that will really kill him. But I'm not letting him back into combat this soon Nori! Sooner or later you'll bitch about that too….I know you….you big floppy couch sack."

Nori stood rubbing his arms..."It's just that? You know Owen! It's really bad luck to break up a brood like ours yah know? Something bad's gonna happen if Ori's sent home."

"And?" Owen replied. "It's your job to make sure it doesn't right? Top Sargent…assistant senior leader of 2nd Battalion?"

Nori frowned…."Now wait the frick damn Frith in hell Owen!"

"Too late...decision made….I outrank you remember?" Owen snickered then smiled as he played with a cheek. "Congratulations there "Top Sargent"

Nori was so dumbfounded that he didn't respond as Owen went back into his pup tent.

"Congrats Nori! Top Sargent?! Momma's gonna beam and brag about you to the whole family!" I was happy….but Nori was steaming….

"Ugh! That bossy dick face!" My brother huffed as he threw his paws over his head and stomped off…

"What?!" I asked..."Come on Bear, Bear! You're perfect for "Top"!"

Nori stopped. "Is that supposed to be funny?!" He growled.

"Oh Frith in hell you big baby...get your brain out of the gutter?!" I said as I punched Nori in his chest. "You'll do ok."

"I'm not big on "extra duty"." Nori huffed at me as he sat in our hole. "Son of a Frith in damn hell...Battalion Top Sargent? Paperwork, babysitting and excessive bull crap!"

I rubbed a paw through Nori's head tuft…."Come on Bear, Bear...extra stripes? Extra pay? No snitty ass duties like the lower ranks? Look at you! A big burly beast of a bunny! Naturally commanding and totally aggressive!" I faked looking around. "You do realize that bunnies like you will be so swimming in "ready to mate" Doe's? Gotta pass on them glorious genes for the good of all bunny-dom.

Nori sort of chuckle huffed at me..."You know what? I haven't eaten a waffer in a month. No wonder why I'm bitchy. But? I'm not having cravings."

I pulled out a bag and waved it before Nori's snoot. "Sheesh! Get that away from me! Damn! Do you want me to become worthless?" Nori complained. He them rubbed a paw on my shoulder..."Door, door? I'm seriously scared...we lost Ori...something bad's gonna happen to one of us, I know it."

"Something bad WILL happan if you drop into a funk." I replied frowning. "We need to get you occupied quick so you'll set your brain right."

I snatched Nori by his arm and dragged him behind me. "Let's go see Owen again. There's bound to be replacements coming up for all the wounded, which will give you plenty of responsibility to occupy your mind."

1pm July 22st 2043

Fox Mundy Island, The Outback Islands

1 mile inland from Orobadoo Beach

1st Marine Division, 2nd Battalion.

From: Division Command

To: Command 2nd Battalion

MSG: Advance two miles North to the village of Agana. Hold and establish line upon arrival. Hold until peninsula deemed secure then await new orders. You will have limited artillery support...be sparing.

Stop

Of course I had my own duties to attend to before we started our jump off to the north but I hovered around Nori to see how he was taking on his new rank. He was standing amid a "gag" of new replacements...a mix of rabbits, foxes, Tanuki, wolves and bears…"

"Now a lot of us have been through the snit with these maniac tigers already." Nori told the "fresh-ees" My advice to every one of you is to find a veteran and glue yourself to their hips! If anyone gives you a ration of bull? You come tell me and I will set their humps back into calibration! These tigers don't give a frick what species you are...a greasy bear will taste just as good as a one snap rabbit! They want to kill you! You can't surrender to them, you can't beg for mercy, you can't make friends with them and for sure they are lousy in bed!"

That got some recruits laughing.

"Did I ask any of you "little snacks" to fricken laugh!" Nori screamed! He singled one bunny out for a little question session…

"You know what the Kzinti do to cowards?" Nori asked. "Didn't they tell you anything useful in boot camp?!"

The shivering bunny shook his head…

"Well?" Nori said with a raised paw finger. "Allow me to enlighten all of you so you will be properly motivated to not hesitate to blow the brains out of these seven foot tall killing machines. They do all kinds of terrible things to cowards...you will not die fast nor pleasant. You don't even get the honor of a covering sauce on your body. You will linger as they "de-ball" you….then skin you of your fur….They relish in severing body parts. and if you're lucky to still be live? They might cut your throat...if they feel like doing it fast…."

"Surrender is death...cowardice is death…..begging is death. It will be better for you if you die sinking your teeth into their hide….yes….even we bunnies have bite. It will be better for you to die fighting than being a coward. At least they'll give you mercy. If you're lucky to be really super insane and brave and they catch you alive? They'll return you in one piece. Kzinti do not eat courageous prey….they've even been known to put them on an alter and do them worship before returning them to us alive."

"Have some fear of them? But respect them always and give them no quarter. You'll live longer." Nori finished his rousing tome and dismissed the new-bees….who seem to quickly scramble to find a veteran ass to snatch teeth into.

"Well?" Nori asked me as he saw me and walked up.

"I smelled piss…..perfect." I replied smirking. I really did smell pee among the "new-bees"….which means the talk had good effect.

"Hmph….I thought I'd be a lousy "Top""? Nori said with a smile, he then caught me giggling…

"Get the sick porn out of your head you doof!" Nori snarled as he bopped me off my head.

Just then a "fresh" rabbit walked up..."Begging the Sargent's pardon?" He asked. "Do you need an amo carrier for your BAR Sargent?"

Nori nodded back. "You know? I really could use a "Beast-eee". More amo is good amo. So where you from?"

The young rabbit answered back…."PFC Peter Cotton Tail from Dearbrook County."

"Are you serious?" Nori asked with a smirk..."That's your real name?"

"Yeah...I know." Peter replied. "My parents have a sick sense of humor. Believe me Sarge, I've lived with all the egg jokes and then some."

I didn't have the heart to ask the PFC for an Easter Egg. How could any rabbit parent subject their kitten to such cruelty? Then again….we knew plenty of "Tails" as kittens who had the same dilemma. Yet….Peter came up to my brother without a lick of fear, that amounted to a lot of respect off the bat.

Nori gave Peter an arm punch..."I don't give a damn what your name is...just as long as you shoot true, run yourself into cramps and kill drooling Tigers….all I give a flying fludge about right now ok?"

"Yes Sarge!" Peter said with a salute...which Nori quickly batted down…

"Lesson one, don't salute, it could get me killed. Don't salute me any ways because I don't have a luxury tent with servants...plus? I have a brain. Now go over to the supply gaggle over there and draw some BAR magnum magazines for me and some more amo for yourself along with six grenades for each of us." Nori commanded. Peter took off like a bullet.

"I like him." Nori said smiling.

"Take care of him." I warned. "And don't take too much advantage of him?"

"Are you accusing me?" Nori snorted. "For shame "Door, Door". For shame."

"Yeah right….blow it out your tail hole." I huffed. "How many times did I do your chores as a kitten?"

"I always paid you back." Nori replied as he rubbed my head.

2pm July 22st 2043

Fox Mundy Island, The Outback Islands

1st Marine Division, 2nd Battalion.

Moving north of the northern invasion beach.

Once again, medics were bunched up into small squads to cover each two-platoon group as they "inched" their way forward after "topping" the crest of the "bowl" we had been parked in for a day and a half. I had with me two rabbits (Corporal Whitter and Corporal Gaz) Two foxes (Corporal Nutria and Corporal Kani) and two "Pits" (Pill Bulls) (Corporal Moylan and Corporal Wonpat)

Higher up, the Island was mostly long bladed elephant grass and scrub trees, like you'd find back home in Savanna Central, with patchworks of thick jungle splotches among the rolling landscape of small bumps and hills. Of course the conditions favored the enemy, there was more soil on the island base rock up here than down on the coast lines so the Kzinti could dig themselves trench and gun works among the tall grass.

Trying to burn away the grass and scrub was judged a waste of materials for it was all to well fed with water, constantly moist and could not have retained a good fire. The whole battalion went forward in a "Horse shoe U" formation with light machine guns on the tips and heavy machine guns and "quick Morts" (40mm rapid fire mortars) at the bottom of the "U". There were also two-platoon "Flankers" extending out and a little forwards of the "U tips" in extended lines so as to not let the Kzinti sneak around to chew our butts.

I kept my squad with the crew Nori was leading on the right leg of the "shoe". At one point, Nori raised a fist and put everyone to a stop..."Pete? Go pass the word...watch out for mines and trip wires...Lieutenant Hopps forgot to say that before we took off."

"Got it Top!" Pete replied as he passed his BAR magazine pouches to my brother and then slowly moved from Marine to Marine giving the word…

"Radio!" Nori called to a radio badger and grabbed the paw set..."Right leg to ditch, ears on Owen."

"What's up?" Owen replied.

"Hold the advance a little bit. Make sure everyone keeps spots on for mines and wires...we've been going "wall balls" and we kinda left that detail in the wind." Nori told Owen.

"Got it." Owen replied. "Hold for ten, Top. Also pass the word to keep everyone out of any natural water supplies they come across….no doubt the 'Zints" probably "spiked" them with some snit."

"Well I hope the beach "Gunga Din's" us some water." Nori snorted. "It's hot like two bulls in a rut and our balls are in a vice grip."

Owen chuckled. "You do realize this is sort of an open channel?"

"I'm very sure General Bugs is monitoring the radio for "proper usage" Owen." Nori snorted.

As if by prediction..."Nnnnaaaaaah…..I could be listening in…...Doc?" Came that familiar voice everyone in the Corps knew…."And it's not as hot as two bulls in a rutt, it's as hot as hassenfeffer soup and your balls are providing all the liquid. Go easy on the non-official chatter there buddy."

Nori nodded back…."Mmmm yes Sir."

"By the way Top?" Bugs asked. "What's yer Zip?" (Zip = situation)

"Stopped Sir...caution over possible traps and mines." Nori replied.

"Don't go settin up a pastrami shop up there." Bugs snorted. "Better yet? Go ahead and do that….I love Pastrami."

Nori shook his head. "That big March Hare is a genius but he's got too many screws missing from his radio."

With the humidity and the heat, there's the temptation to start issuing "salt pills" to help keep a mammal's electrolyte count up so they don't get sluggish. Problem being? Salt pills react differently with different mammals and that can make thirst worse and dehydration even worse. We had planned for the need for water on this campaign, three ships dedicated to producing fresh water were built and assigned to the task force…..

Except….two got torpedoed on our two time attempts to get here.

The remaining one….wasn't as good as three. You can't replace these ships fast enough even with half a million bunnies "screw-balling" over each other at the shipyard.

Suddenly as we're getting up to move again…."CRACK!" then "CRACK, CRACK!" then "CRACKETY, CRACK, CRACK, CRACK!" And I see a tiger's, one of ours, head explode in a red mist!

Everyone unloads! Every rifle, BAR gun and machine gun is plowing grass! "CEASE FIRE!" CEASE FIRE! STOP THE FRICKEN SHOOTING!" Nori snarls! He snatches the radio paw set….

"Right leg to Ditch" He said quietly as my group tended to several wounded. Couldn't help that tiger of course.

"Contact front?" Owen asked.

"I think we got sharp-shooters, not a major front. Where's Powen?" Nori asked Owen.

"He's in the cup." Owen replied...which meant that "Pow Pow" was sitting inside the horse shoe dip.

"What's he doing? Playing Farkle?" Nori asked.

"Give him a bit." Owen replied. "Just tell everyone to sit tight and stay quiet."

Nori grabbed Peter..."Go around...no body shoots, no body bleats, no body growls, no body better be thinking of taking a piss, and keep the breathing quiet."

Now….my brother Powen is a natural with a rifle, he's been a "plink" shot since Dad first taught him as a pre-school kitten to shoot twenty two's. If a rifle could cook, clean house and have sex? He'd probably marry it. Among us in the brood, Powen has the sharpest "in tune'd" senses….good hearing, excellent eyes and….what he calls "high performance whisker bumps"….I don't even try to explain him, when he's got a rifle in his paws? He's in another universe.

Nori wasn't kidding about sound….everyone needed to shut up, stay still, not move and not breath heavy...the less distractions pestering Powen? The worse it was going to be for the Kzinti in front of us.

At this moment...Powen was sitting in the tall grass. His eyes closed, his ears perked all the way up and moving around like a set of radar towers. His snoot would be twitching, his lips softly pressing against the barrel of his M-14 and his paws caressing the wood stock as if he was making ready to perform some wild act of "Carrot-Sutra" upon the "piece"

His spotter was probably backing up by now, getting spooked out by Powen's bizaro behavior. He would be "testing" the scent in the air. There's something different about Kzinti than our own tigers...they "stink" different. Powen said it was probably their food diet because Kzinti enjoyed spice on their meat and their sweat was...as Powen would call it..."Bottle worthy dinner sauce."

I started counting seconds to the first shot…."BOOM!"…..Took twenty five seconds. "BOOM!" Took fifteen seconds. "Boom!" Seven seconds. Then Powen's M-14 rifle barked in a steady cadence till he'd spent a magazine….

"CLEAR! MOVE UP!" Powen screamed loudly and the whole "Horse shoe" started to forward again. Corperal Kani pulled on my shirt..."The only casualty was that Tiger. How can your brother be so sure he killed them all?"

I twitched my nose..."I never ask him that question. I don't want to throw off his concentration. Trust me Kani...my brothers a dead good shot."

As if proof were needed...we slowly went by a dead Kzinti prop'd up against a tree. Must have taken the bullet right into the mouth because his brain stem was a hanging mess behind his neck…

"Cheese and crackers." Kanzi snorted.

"Told you my brother has keen senses." I replied. "He could be blindfolded and still could have nailed that poor bastard in the throat at 500 yards."

A reminder that the heat was fricken oppressive…."MEDIC!"….A scream ahead sent Corporal Moylan running from our group up to where the right wing pickets were advancing. Soon Nutria and Kani were also bolting for the wing...I joined them as soon as the horse-shoe came to a stop.

The poor black bear was passed out on the ground with Nutria and Kani working to clear his mouth and throat of "gross upchuck" while Moylan was "hooking" an IV bag of fluids and beckoning for a stretcher.

"We're going to see more of this unless we hurry up and get to where we need to be." I said as I motioned for another Marine..."Go tell Lieutenant Hopps we need to hurry up or we need to stop and hunker down or we're going to have Marines passing out all over the place."

I turned to Nutria..."Is he bad?"

"Well his fat stores and this thick fur coat isn't doing him wonders." Nutria replied as he pulled out a chemical bag, broke the ampules inside and placed it onto the bear's head. Nice little invention...the "Fragiria" bag. You break the ampules inside and it turns into an instant block of ice. Good for bringing down the core temperature of a heat trauma victim.

The word came back to us quick. We stopped less than 900 yards from our assigned blocking point...best that Owen could do with the situation. Everyone was ordered to pound stakes and spread canvases and ponchos to block the broiling sun over our heads.

Now normally? Rabbits would just dig a nice deep warren hole and cover themselves with dirt to keep cool….cept here? No dice. All you could do was stay still and miserable with everyone else. At least the "Gunga Din's" caught up to us eventually! a company strength unit of bull elephants came up behind us carrying big rubber water bladders in backpacks. Soon we were all feeling a bit more comfortable...amid whatever was around or in front of us.

4pm July 22st 2043

Fox Mundy Island, The Outback Islands

1st Marine Division, 2nd Battalion.

Holding 2.7 miles north of the northern invasion beach.

A runner from my brother Owen came up to a group of us on the holding line as we all heard the heavy thumps vibrating the air around us…

"General Bugs has started preparatory artillery fire against the peninsula. The Lieutenant says get ready because the Kzinti are probably going to be "super pissy" about that."

"Super duper kitty litter aye!" I replied. I told my fellows to spread out lest we all get nailed in a bunch by some crazy banzai charge. Moylan and Wonpat pulled out their K-Bar knives and clicked them onto the end of their carbines…

"Don't you think everyone should fix bayonets?" Wonpat asked.

'Fursonal comfort." I replied. I wasn't going to because of the stupid ground clutter. The last thing I needed was my own knife getting "foul'd" in the tall grass and stubble around me. Besides...too dangerous with everyone so close together in the line. I'd end up stabbing one of our own out of panic.

Suddenly! A bugle sounded in front of us and the whole line cut loose on the direction until screaming Sargents' cursed and slapped mammals to stop!

"DO NOT FIRE UNTIL WE ORDER YOU FRITH DAM IT!" Nori snarled at the mammals around him!

Pricks! The Kzinti played these "head games" on Roya Island and on Madagascar. They'd blow bugles or roar or taunt us in piss poor Zootopian and they wouldn't jump or do snit for hours or how ever short or long it took for them to "get a stiff" to charge us.

One of them screamed at us real close…."YOU DIE MARINES! WE SKIN YOU ALIVE! WE CUT OFF YOUR LIMBS AND ROAST THEM! WE'LL FEED YOU YOUR OWN FLESH! YOU DIE BUNNIES! FILTHY DOGS! ALL OF YOU DIE!"

And….Marines would get jumpy, cut loose and get their puss smacked out by Nori! "YOU FIRE AGAIN MARINE AND I SWEAR I'LL FRICKEN DE-TAIL YOU! EVERYONE KEEP YOUR FRICKEN DISCIPLINE!"

Nori quickly ran up to me…."You all right?"

"Yes! Get back to your job!" I snapped back. "I'm very impressed "Bear, Bear" grrr… chew ass!" I encouraged my brother.

"BOOM!"

"BOOM!"

"BOOM!"

"Pow Pow" was again about his deadly work ahead of the line…

"YOU DIE MAR…...BOOM….."SHUT UP KITTY LITTER CHEWER!"

"Who's keeping score for the killer bunny?!" A Marine shouted!

Now the Tigers were blowing whistles all over the place! "DIE ZOOTOPIAN FILTH! DIE MARINES!" They screamed!

A lone wolf Marine cut off a volley from his M-1 and as predicted...Nori butt stroked him hard in the stomach with his BAR rifle..."DO YOU THINK I'M FRICKING KIDDING FRITH DAMN YOU?!" Nori screamed as he had two tiger Marines snatch up the wolf and slam him onto his back!

"MEDIC UP!" Nori screamed, causing me to run to his side..."Sargent Hopps?! I want you to de-tail this stupid dumb fluck right the fluck now!"

On command….tho two tigers pulled the wolf's legs apart! "NO!" The poor Canid screamed! "NO!"

"I'M NOT BLOWING SMOKE! WHEN YOU DON'T LISTEN?! YOU LEARN!"

I was shocked! I didn't think Nori would ever do such a thing to another mammal. "Sargent Hopps! I ordered you to cut this stupid mother fluckers tail off! DO IT!"

I pulled out a big scalpel from my back pack and the poor wolf fainted…

"Desired effect achieved." Nori said with a nod as he ordered the poor wolf Marine laid onto the grass. "BUT NEXT TIME?! IF ANYONE FIRES WITHOUT ORDERS?! I WILL CUT YOUR DAMN TAIL OFF! NOW KEEP YOUR DISCIPLINE! LET THE STUPID KZINTI PULL THEIR CRAP AND DIE!"

I relaxed my worry as Nori patted my head…."I'm not that heartless…"

7pm July 22st 2043

Fox Mundy Island, The Outback Islands

1st Marine Division, 2nd Battalion.

Holding 2.7 miles north of the northern invasion beach.

"YOU DIE ZOOTOPIAN VERMIN!" Whistles, bells, gongs, bugles….

"COME AND GET IT OVER WITH YOU STUPID CLOCK SUCKERS!" A Marine screamed back!

A bull elephant named "Plini" sat among us with an elephant sized shotgun that looked more like a hand howitzer…

"Sheesh!" I remarked. "I hope you're not thinking of getting a tail as a trophy?"

"I wasn't thinking of having any trophies." The elephant replied. "One round of this and I could probably wipe out half a company with buck-shot."

Not too far off...a deer Marine showed his sensitive side…."Do you mind not calling it "Buck-shot" please?"

The elephant replied. "Forgive me...I forgot that term is reserved for a deer hoping he has adequate sexual prowess."

A laugh to break the tension as the Kzinti continued to taunt us. The sun was just starting to disappear over the horizon….dimming the light around the scrub brush and causing every body among us to tense up…

Nori cried out..."EVERYONE KEEP YOUR EYES AND EARS OPEN! RIFLES FRONT!"

I tapped Whitter and Gaz on their shoulders…."Go to "Top" Nori, stay close on him! The rest of you stay sharp! Weapons front!"

The Kzinti were going to hit us the moment the sun dropped below the horizen or they would chose their time in the dark for a massed frontal banzai assault. Once again, you can't dig deep enough to protect yourself. All you could do was to dig as much of a depression as possible to flatten yourself to the earth.

That deer who complained about the "buck shot" remark flopped next to me with a B.A.R. rifle in his hoof hands..."I'm covering you "Docs"...My name is Dasher."

"Dori Hopps. Glad for the company." I looked at Dasher's antlers and the buck had razor steel tips fixed to them..."Gored anyone with those things?"

"Hoping too." Dasher snarled. "I want fricken payback. I didn't have anything left of my Mother to bury after they rocket'd our home."

I gave Dasher a rub on his snoot..."We all have tons of payback to give. Don't lose your fricken head ok?'

"I'm tactical." Dasher replied.

Just as you'd think…..the moment the sun dropped below the horizen?!

"TENNO HEIKA! BANZAI!" A scream came from in front of us and then that scream turned into a huge symphony of tiger roars and Kzinti cusses!

First...our machine guns and BAR rifles opened up and then everyone opened up as the screaming and rampaging sounds reached their zennith and a whole surge of yellow came upon us! Drunk on booze and crazed with death, the tigers came upon us in their feral forms and their anthro forms looking to slaughter and murder as many of us as they could!

"KILL THESE MOTHER FLUCKERS!" Nori screamed as he unloaded his BAR rifle and the whole of our line exploded with violence!

The surge of Tigers attacked one point in the defensive line commanded by a tiger named "Stormy Sexton". I watched the Lieutenant from a distance...utterly fearless to the hail of bullets flying around him! He snatched a Kzinti on the charge..sank his teeth into the crazed tiger's neck and ripped his throat open before pushing him away and shooting him in the face with his pistol! He grabbed another in his feral form, broke his jaw with a mighty swipe of his big paw then shot him through the eye!

The line bent backwards but did not break from the crazed assault yet above the chaos of shooting, screaming and murder...I heard screams of terror! The attack wasn't to break our lines...That attack was to snatch bodies...I heard rabbits screaming and screeching for help as they were carried off! Deer and wolves crying for help as they were dragged across the ground! I saw Marines of all species trying to give chase as more senior Marines ran to stop their frantic persuit! "HALT! HALT! THEY WANT US TO FOLLOW THEM! STOP! STOP! REFORM THE LINE! REFORM THE LINE!"

Helplessness! Utter helplessness as we heard pleas and screams from the "snatched up" victims! You can't do anything for them, you can't go chasing after them, I'd seen that very tactic on Roya Island, suckering my poor fellow Zootopians desperate to save their comrades raked and slaughtered by hidden machine guns, mines and booby traps. We all sat pounding our paws and hooves in a rage knowing that those the Kzinti took from us would all end up dead save any who displayed a will to fight enough that the Kzinti might let them go.

I called out to the names that had been assigned to me….Whitter? Still with us. Gaz? Still with us. Nutria and Kani? Kani….Oh no….Kani. Moylan and Wonpat? Still with us. Nori came running up to me…."Are you missing anyone?" He asked.

"Corperal Kani." I answered. "A Sable Fox."

"The mother fluckers got seventeen Marines…." Nori snarled. "I called Owen. We can't do anything for them. I'm about ready to call in a missile barrage from the fleet on our whole damn front going two miles back their way."

I gasped…."We can't just give up on them!"

Nori replied. "We can't afford to lose any more of us. At least they won't suffer."

"Nori?!" I beckoned. "You can't fricken do it!"

Bear, bears face screwed in pain...trying to bomb those bastards would be worthless at best, a futile waste of better used amo. With the darkness now upon us? The advantage would be with the Kzinti. You'd think with Zootopia being so advanced in "high tech" that someone would come up with night vision stuff right? Guess there was more money in making video games like Micropawft's "Rabbity Rascals" than making sure your ground pounders could see in the dark better than a tiger.

1am July 23st 2043

Fox Mundy Island, The Outback Islands

1st Marine Division, 2nd Battalion.

Holding 2.7 miles north of the northern invasion beach.

Whistles and gongs going off again! I wake up in a fright fumbling for my rifle as that roar fills the air again!

"TENNO HEIKA…..BANAZI!"

Our whole line erupts in flashes of hot muzzle flashes then quickly dies down as Nori and other Sergeants realize we've been "punke'd!

"Laughter!"…..STUPID MARINES! STUPID BUNNIES! ARE YOU SLEEPING?! YOU ALL DIE! WE GIVE YOU GIFT!

From out of the darkness...something comes flying through the air! It sails over our line and smacks into the dirt with a sickening impact of soft flesh….

"MEDIC UP!" Comes a scream and I'm up and flying as is every medic on the line. We almost crash together into a scene of abject horror…

At first….you don't know what you're looking at...it's just a bloody mass of flesh with eyes. It's a bloody mass because all the fur and supporting skin layers have been flayed off. Black burn clumps on the head seared by heat suggest there were once ears. The big vegetarian teeth have been ripped from the mouth. The rabbit tail was brutally saw'd off.

I watch a medic remove a red ampule from his medical belt, pop off the cap and deliver the merciful end to this suffering bunny…

"YOU LIKE THAT MARINES! WE LIKE RABBIT PELTS! WE SKIN YOU ALL! YOU ALL DIE MARINES! YOU ALL DIE!"

One Marine cuts off and then the whole line explodes with gun fire before they're all punched and kicked back into silence…

"AWWWW….ARE WE GETTING TO YOU MARINES?! WE'RE COOKING YOUR FRIENDS! RABBIT MEAT IS GOOD WITH SPICY SAUCE! WE'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

It goes on the rest of the night….then around 3am? It rained. It rained hard. It rained so hard that my feeble attempt at a bunny ditch filled with water and I'm sitting in mud with crazy Kzinti taunting us….I was not having a fun time. Around 4am...I simply passed out from exhaustion. Lucky for me Corperal Wonpat pulled me from my muddy mess of a ditch hole and wrapped me up in his own poncho. I woke up again around 7am, I couldn't believe I was allowed to sleep that late.

Coffee? Sure enough, someone had brought a battery powered coffee maker in their pack and soon small cups of hot goodness were flowing around our line with Wompat waking me up with a good helping and a block of carrot cake…

"Rise and shine." The Pit bull said as he stood slapping the water and dried dirt off his poncho. Rain...though hard on these outback islands...never falls for long and in their wake things just get hotter, and muggier and more miserable.

"What's the story?" I asked. "What happened when I was asleep?"

Wompat sighed..."We got Kani back."

I was filled with horrible dread…."No!"

"Oh no…" Wompat replied shaking a paw. "Got him back in one piece thankfully, tail and all! He escaped...knife two of those fluckers dead! The Gawdess Vulpix was watching over him, that's for sure."

Sure enough….here came Kani strutting up none worse for wear..."Morning Dori!" He said to me as if nothing happened at all!

"Are you all right?!" I begged.

"Yeah….oh they were fricken amazed." Kani replied. "My older brother told me to tape a set of short knives to the base "butt side" of my tail. I know it makes going "number two" a little difficult out here but the Kzinti didn't bother to do a tail check as they ripped our uniforms off. Out they came and I went "stab-ah-reno" on the tiger that was holding me, both his eyes! Then I threw myself off his chest and planted them right into the neck of another one and then I hauled ass, tail and elbows through the brush! Then I chucked a rock at one that was chasing me? Nailed him right in the snoot, I was absolutely fricken pissed! I guess? They decided to let me go home after I went all feral and bowed up on their asses!?"

I threw myself around Kani and hugged him for all it was worth..."Wow….this is a first. I've never been love hugged by a bunny in my life."

I pulled on Kani's cheeks…."You crazy fricken Hombrah! I feel less tired now than before!"

"Have they attacked all night?" Kani asked.

"That and kept us awake." I replied growling. "Look at me? Gonna have to be shaved bare ass all over again after this crap."

Powen came up..."Do you ever not complain?"

I noticed the bandage tapped to my brother's head..."You got wounded?!"

"No." Powen replied. "I face planted tripping over a stupid rock after slipping in the damn mud."

I giggled. "You never were good on your feet."

"Oh frick you Dori." Powen replied. "I got a feeling the "pussy box chewers" pulled back from us. Owen's with Nori now so we'll probably bomb the snit out of the front and advance a mile or two." Powen regarded Kani..."Good to see you back. We can't afford to lose "Docs".

Powen tightened his grip on his rifle..."Did you see any of the others?"

Kani shook his head..."I saw "them" skin two of them when they were pleading for their lives…." The fox sank into grief..."They carried the rest crying and screaming…"

I grimaced at Powen..."Please don't tell me you're going to do something stupid?"

"Fire discipline isn't stupid." He growled back at me. "I'm going to go talk to Owen. We can't go forward unless we know the way is clear of their crap. And DON'T you DARE stick your snoot into it Dori!"

"Whatever you're planning?! You'll need a medic with you!" I growled back.

Very rarely do my brothers hit each other but in that case? Powen gave me a real hard slap on the snoot! "Sit!" That's all he warned me. It was "That" or a serious ass kicking, which Powen was more than expert enough to win.

End of Chapter 30