Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Wings of Fire or the story of Home on the Range, only how the story goes. The characters of Wings of Fire belongs to Tui T. Sutherland and Home on the Range belongs to Disney. I apologize for any errors in grammar and/or if I was not accurate in reference to something.
A/N: Our girls meet up with one of the funniest rabbits in the west.
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Chapter Nine: New Deal
A few hours passed until the rain finally stopped and the flood waters receded. The insects started buzzing and the only other sounds that could be heard was the sound of some loud snoring. Sometime during the storm, Tsunami had ended up cuddling against Kinkajou and Kestrel. She had a forelimb wrapped around the older dragoness and seemed to be having a pretty good dream. But that dream turned into Kestrel's nightmare when Tsunami started chewing on her hat. Kestrel's eyes shot open and she looked to the Seawing clinging to her back with an annoyed look. Pulling herself from Tsunami's grasp she said, "Tsunami. Tsunami.
"Tsunami. Wake up!" She shouted when the younger dragon started gripping the hat with her forepaws. Tsunami shot up into a sitting position and held up a talon when she shouted with the hat in her teeth, "Check, please!"
She then noticed the look coming from Kestrel before noticing the hat still in her teeth. In one fluid motion, Tsunami placed the hat back onto Kestrel's head. When it was covering her eyes, Tsunami tried to make it look right but it ended up just falling down again. Then Tsunami tried to make the Skywing look more happy by pulling her lips into a smile. When her attempts didn't work, Tsunami released the older dragon and commented about the hat, "It sure tasted a lot better in my sleep."
With a snort, Kestrel got her hat to look right again. Both of them looked a little sad as they thought about the events of the past couple of days and Kestrel deeply inhaled before asking, "Well, I suppose that you'll be off now."
"Uh, yeah." Tsunami nodded as she still had her mind made up. Kestrel glanced back and asked, "Where will you end up going?"
"Oh, probably go and check out the Grand Canyon." Tsunami shrugged while thinking about it. She chuckled when she added, "See Utah before I die of old age."
"Wait a minute. Wait a minute." Kestrel said as she looked about. She grew worried when she asked, "Where has Kinkajou gone?"
"Hi, there." Kinkajou's voice said from the side and it startled them both. Both the Seawing and the Skywing to see Kinkajou at the edge of their shelter. The Rainwing had a smile on her face when she said, "Boy, am I glad that you guys are up now.
"Hey, you gotta check this out." She said and waved her talons from them to follow her. They came out of the rocky outcrop and were surprised when they saw a small campsite. This confused Kestrel as she looked at the setup and asked, "What on earth? Where did all of these things come from?"
"Hey, there's free food available. So shut up and eat." Tsunami commented while digging into a small salad in a cactus bowl. Kestrel and Tsunami were both startled again for the second time when a rabbit with a peg leg came running in with a broken wagon wheel and shouted, "Eh, good morning, mademoiselle.
"I see that you've already dug into your appetizers." He noticed when he made the wheel stop over an old pot. He leaned against the makeshift table and grinned when he said, "I never knew of a pretty lady that didn't have an appetite."
"Now see here, you little-" Kestrel started to say. But Kinkajou cut her off by defending the rabbit, "Easy there, Kestrel. He's a genuine desert shaman-" She seemed excited when she added, "Our very own wise man." She shrugged when she put in, "Or wise rabbit."
"Shaman, chef, chief cook and a master bottle washer if I do say so myself." The rabbit listed his feats while using his peg leg to start a fire. When he stopped he stood up and proudly proclaimed, "I'm a jackrabbit of all trades and your service, ladies."
The rabbit placed the smoking peg leg back into its place as the flames started to grow. He walked up to the three dragonesses and said, "Folks around these here parts call me Big Bugs Bunny.
"Yep, they used to come from miles around just to get one rub of my lucky rabbit's foot." He said when he held up the burning beg leg. Kinkajou started to say, "Uh, BB Bunny…"
But she didn't have to say anymore when the rabbit cried out from the burning coming from his peg leg and frantically moved about to try and put it out. When stamping it didn't seem to work, he quickly removed the thing and stuck it in his mouth. He sighed as the flame was put out and steam erupted from his ears. When he removed the burnt piece of wood and shrugged, "Eh, happens all the time.
"Now, where was I?" He said after reattaching the thing. Then he looked about before spotting a bag on the other side of the fire. He quickly grabbed it before rushing back to the makeshift table. They watched in anticipation as he reached in before pulling out a dead scorpion. All three dragonesses were a little disappointed with the miniscule meal and Tsunami commented, "Uh, don't suppose you have any fish?"
"Or fruits?" Kinkajou asked, feeling a little queasy about eating something like that. But Bugs shook his head, "Nope. Sorry, girls. But this what the land has to offer.
"I mean, I haven't had a decent carrot in the past few days." He sighed. Kestrel then cut in by saying, "And as much as we appreciate the offer, perhaps we'll try dining with you at some other time.
"Because right now, Kinkajou and I are need to return to our farm to say our last good-byes." She explained to the rabbit. Kinkajou nodded and said, "Yeah. We need closure during a time of crisis."
"Well, I sure can sympathize with you there, sister. I truly can." Bugs nodded as he too felt sad about losing a home. Then he told them, "Until recently, I, too, once had a place to call home.
"Echo Mine it was called." He added before looking out into the desert. He sat on the old wheel with his hands behind his back and said, "Us rabbits, my family and I, had lived there for generation after generation. Till some land-grabbing bandit moved in and flushed us out like yesterday's oatmeal."
The three dragonesses looked to each other as they did feel sympathetic towards the rabbit. But Kestrel was the first to break the sorrowful situation and keep Bugs from crying by clearing her throat and saying, "Excuse us. Little bunny rabbit, but me must be on our way."
"Wait!" Bugs shouted when he noticed something in the distance. Standing up, he pointed to something, "There he is!"
They all looked to see a wanted poster of Alameda Slim attached to a cactus not too far away from them. While Kinkajou and Kestrel glanced to each other, Tsunami smiled and Bugs let out a comical dog-like growl before rushing towards the wanted poster. Bugs ran right up to the cactus with the poster on it and gave it a pretty good kick. Only to realize that it was a bad idea when he clutched his needled foot in pain and let out a pained scream that belonged to another cartoon character, "Aah!"
"Slim! You mean that this no-good varmint is hiding out in Echo Mine right now? As we speak?" A hopefully Tsunami asked while Bugs was picking the needles out of his foot. Bugs looked to her and nodded, "Without a doubt."
"Tsunami, just what are you thinking?" Kestrel asked, thinking that the Seawing was gonna do something crazy. Tsunami turned to the other two and said, "Look, I've got myself a score to settle with that rhinestone fat boy and his posse and I got nothing to lose."
"But it'll be really dangerous going after Slim and the Willies all by yourself." Kinkajou argued. But Tsunami didn't feel alone when she wrapped a wing around Bugs and said, "Hey, I've got the rabbit with me on this."
"Darn tootin'." Bugs agreed with a grin, wanting to get Slim out of his ancestral home. Kinkajou looked between them and Kestrel before coming to a decision. She shook her head, "That's not all you've got, Tsunami." She stepped closer to the Kestrel and added, "You've got us by you too."
"Oh, no. No, no, no. No." Kestrel quickly shook her head and stepped away from the Rainwing. With a determined look she walked around Kinkajou before grabbing the younger dragoness by the horns and saying, "We are sticking to our plan and going straight home."
"Now, hold on a moment, you two." Tsunami said, stopping them from going any further. Kestrel and Kinkajou looked to her and Tsunami said, "As strange as this is gonna sound, Kinkajou is actually making some sense here."
"Thank you." Kinkajou nodded to her. Tsunami then pointed out, "You guys want to get the money, and Bugs and I want to get even with Slim after all he's done.
"If the three of us go after him together, then we're sure to get him." Tsunami said. She saw Kestrel narrowing her eyes and Tsunami decided to sweeten the deal, "And once you collect that reward, I'll walk out of your front gate and I'll stay out of it forever.
"Deal?" She asked and extended her talons to Kestrel. Kinkajou and Bugs watched to see what the older dragoness had to say. She thought it over and came to a decision and said, "Your powers of persuasion are quite uncanny. But fine.
"Deal." She accepted and grasped Tsunami's talons with her own. With a firm shake between the two, the deal was made. This seemed to surprise Bugs when he slapped his knee, "Ha! Dragon bounty hunter! Now I've gone and seen everything.
"Come on, girls. Let's get a move on." He said before they all started heading out into the countryside. He looked back to them and punched a furry fist into his palm and said, "It's time for an underground smackdown."
The four started making there way to where Slim was hiding out. They each had new resolve to see their mission through…
Cowboys: Out in the land where the heroes meet their makers
Out in the land where the hale and hearty fall
The four companions passed over many a terrain as they followed Bugs' guidance towards the mine. Elsewhere, Spirit had picked up the trail again when he started running along a new trail and jumped over a gap before continuing on…
Cowboys: Out where the fearless get the shudders
Justice is here, and it's wearing udders
The four continued following the trail even well after the sun had set and even continued on during the next day. Sometimes, Bugs needed to get his bearings and placed an ear to the ground. When he had something he pointed in a certain direction.
Cowboys: Yee-haw! The cows are walkin' tall
Home, home, this ain't it, pal
Coming down one hill, Bugs, Tsunami and Kinkajou made it down fine. It was Kestrel who came comically sliding down before coming to a stop on her belly. She adjusted her hat with a glare before following after her companions. In another part of the Wild West, Spirit was sliding down his own hill before running off when he reached the bottom. Soon the girls and Bugs found themselves in a small forest as they pressed on…
Cowboys: Home, home, home on the range
Home, home, better go git, pal
Home, home, home on the range
It wasn't until night fall when they made it back out into the desert and on the final leg of their journey.
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Author's Note: I'll give the next chapter to the villains of the story. I don't really seem the harm in that. Also, just a heads up, anyone else see the trailer for the Hocus Pocus 2 movie. I'm a little bummed that it's only going to be on Disney Plus, but I'm sure there'll be a way for me to. I look forward to reading your reviews. Be sure to leave a comment either about if I've done something wrong or if you want something specifically to happen. See you next time.