Midsummer Crises

by starwars4life

Many changes have happened in the lives of the hedgies in the span of 5 years: marriages, parenthood, and a new sense of identity. However, not all changes are good and have given rise to conflicts among many hedgies, which impact the whole family. What sort of life challenges face the hedgies now, and will the love of family and friendship be enough to solve the dilemmas?

13. Confrontations

Chapter 13: Confrontations

Bernard has just finished drying himself after bathing in the pond, the process making him feel rejuvenated after such as stressful day. When he gets back to the log he discovers, to his horror, that RJ, Heather, and Mary are throwing away all of his stuff. Bernard runs toward them while asking, "Hey, what's going on?!"

RJ: "Isn't it obvious? We're kicking you out! We're through of your mistakes during heists, and how you're not getting better fast enough!"

Heather: "It's bad enough that you got me injured, but you almost got your father and Uncle Hammy killed when you didn't climb down from the tree yesterday on your own! I just lost Ozzie, I cannot—and will not—lose my mate!"

RJ: "Things would be better for all of us if you were never born. But since that's unfortunately impossible, we're doing the next best thing: disowning you! As of now, you are no longer a part of this family!"

Heather: "As far as we're concerned, RJ and I never had a son, only a daughter!"

Bernard (pleading): "But you can't disown me! I'm your son!"

RJ: "Which is a fact that I'm constantly embarrassed with! All the other animals in the forest keep asking 'When is your son Bernard going to act like a true raccoon?' Since the answer will always be 'never', I've decided to kick you out! Good riddance."

Heather: "Besides, your father and I always loved Mary better. Not to mention we only wanted one child, not two."

Mary: "And because I came out before you did, that meant mommy and daddy only wanted ME!"

RJ: "So true, Mary. So, very, true..."

Unlike the other times, Bernard, who has learned so much, won't go without a fight. He plants his feet on the ground and says, "I'm not gonna move. You're not making me leave."

RJ: "We figured you'd say that, which is why we hired some help."

RJ snaps his fingers and Bernard turns around when the sound of heavy footsteps and breathing comes from behind him. He screams when he sees all of the predators he had looked at on a cell phone standing there giving him angry and hungry stares while snarling and drooling.

Bernard: "Mommy! Daddy! Mary! HEEELLLLLLLLP!"

But they have vanished into thin air, leaving Bernard alone with a bear, wolf, coyote, fox, bobcat, puma, wolverine, and vulture. The opossacoon screams as each predator moves in simultaneously.

---

Bernard wakes up with a yelp and soaking in sweat. "Another nightmare..." he says in his mind. But for once, Bernard is thankful of the bad dream because he might have overslept had it not happened. He surveys the log's interior and sees that everyone is sleeping soundly. "Just what I need them to be doing," muses Bernard. He has to go do what he decided on yesterday after the heist and be back for breakfast to surprise RJ like it's Christmas morning. And with what he intends to do and bring back to prove that he's a true raccoon, it'll certainly be like the greatest Christmas present of all for RJ.

Bernard carefully walks around the sleeping animals and leaves the log. He looks up in the trees where the bat family normally sleeps, but lucky for him that they are not there.

Bernard thinking: "They're probably out getting food or on an exercise flight that they've been doing lately to help Christine lose weight, and make sure the rest of them are in shape...Even better."

Once again it's like Mother Nature is smiling on him, giving him good luck. "Just don't mess things up this time too," says a cynical voice in Bernard's head, to which he retorts with, "Shut up!" There can be no mistakes this time, because if he can't accomplish this feat, then he will be officially worthless. That would mean he would free everyone else from the curse of his very own existence.

Bernard thinking: "I can't let that happen, so I'm gonna do it right this time."

He grabs his golf bag and passes through the hedge. He travels to a house across the empty street. Since he is by himself, there's no one to help him reach any of the doors to unlock using a lock pick. But that was neither Bernard's plan to get inside, nor would it make RJ impressed enough if he did enter the house that way. Back when the family had a remote control drone, Bernard had surveyed this house and discovered that they have a doggie door that unlocks with the collar around the dog's neck. Bernard cautiously makes his way to the backyard where he sees an empty doghouse which causes him to sigh in dismay. The dog is obviously sleeping inside, which means Bernard will have to get its attention and risk getting mauled.

Bernard thinking: "But that's a chance I'll just have to take. A true raccoon would take risks."

He peeks through the double, side-opening glass door and sees the dog—a purebred male corgi—in the den sleeping on a dog bed. Bernard whispers "Yes!" while pumping his fist. It would be a problem if the dog was sleeping in the owners' bedroom, but now Bernard can wake up the corgi without waking up the humans too. To do this, he remembers that everyone knows dogs hate cats, both in cartoons and in real life, so Bernard makes a bunch of loud meows and purrs while scratching the glass door. When the dog lifts its head up, Bernard gets clear. The corgi thinks it was just hearing things and lays its head back down, and that's when Bernard meows, purrs, and scratches the door again. Bernard hides from view when the dog lifts its head, but this time the opossacoon continues to make a cat-sounding racket and beats on the metal trashcan for good measure. The corgi gets out of bed and runs to go outside, making the doggie door go Ba-Beep! as it reads the collar and unlocks. As soon as the dog clears the doggie door's exterior side, Bernard leaps down from his hiding spot on top of the trashcan, and slips inside before the doggie door can lock back.

Bernard finds the dinner table, climbs on top of it and lays down flat. He had already used scent-ridding spray on himself, so he can't be picked up by the dog's nose when it re-enters, grumbling, "Ah, stupid alley cats, ruining my beauty sleep..." The corgi goes back to the dog bed, and Bernard waits 15 minutes for the dog to start snoring before the opossacoon gets up. Bernard carefully climbs down and locates the pantry, always glancing over his shoulder whenever necessary to make sure the corgi is still asleep. Because his golf bag would be too bulky, risk knocking things to the floor, and make it hard to move in tight spaces, Bernard sets it down on the floor and climbs into the pantry. He has to move a number of items during his search, and takes the time to place them quietly in the trashcan located under all the food shelves. But then he finds what he was looking for: spuddies. He grabs not one but two tubes of the delectable chips and flawlessly drops them into his golf bag like a basketball goal.

He climbs back down, puts his golf bag around himself, and then goes to do the hardest part of this heist, which he states in his head, "Getting the collar off the sleeping dog and using it to exit."

The corgi is still asleep and snoring, but now Bernard's overthinking threatens to cloud his mind with pessimistic thoughts of what could go wrong and how bad things will be if the dog wakes up. "If I wake up the dog, I'd have to make him chase me and get him near the door, which would trap me if he doesn't back down. And what if his barking wakes up the humans too?" Before anymore of such thoughts can make him doubt himself more, Bernard says firmly in his mind, "Don't focus on that. Focus on getting the collar."

Bernard gets close to the snoring corgi and, remembering his father's story of Vincent's cave, Bernard claps with two fingers on his opposite palm. The dog continues sleeping, so the opossacoon carefully places a paw on the canine's neck. The corgi is still asleep, which means it's safe enough for Bernard to find the clip buckle that will unlock the collar from the dog's neck. He finds it, and the instant he unbuckles it—and similar to what happened to RJ in Vincent's cave—the corgi wakes up.

Corgi: "What the—?!"

With no time to think, Bernard stammers out, "Um, uh, you're j-just dreaming, go back to bed."

Corgi: "Like heck I am! Filthy, wild animals do not belong in human houses!"

Bernard: "Then I'll leave. I just need your collar to get out."

By now the corgi has put two and two together and says in a rhetorical and aggressive tone, "Leave? After you woke me up with your cat sounds, and *sniff* are stealing food from my master's pantry?! Oh, there's only one way you're leaving this house: in a body bag!"

The corgi starts chasing Bernard, loudly barking a shrill bark that echoes throughout the whole house. Bernard climbs on top of the dinner table again and stays there, feeling trapped like a rat. The dog keeps barking and soon a woman in her mid-30s comes into the kitchen and says, "Hush, Duke! I'm trying to sleep! Gah, I can't catch a break from your endless barking! If it weren't for my husband and kids, you'd have been sent to the pound a long time ago! What're you yapping about this time?!"

She looks in the direction Duke is barking and sees Bernard on the table. And unlike most homeowners, this woman isn't afraid of wild animals, as her tone is one of surprise instead of panic when she says, "What the?! Is that a possum or a raccoon? Meh, doesn't matter—" (Grabs a broom propped up against the nearby wall) "—'Cuz you're going back to where you came from!"

Bernard leaps to the ground to dodge her broom swing and starts running for the doggie door, but the corgi bites down on the opossacoon's golf bag and yanks him back. His adrenaline kicking in, Bernard starts a tug-of-war match. Sadly, the fully grown corgi is stronger than the 11-year-old opossacoon, and to make matters worse the woman hits Bernard with a downward swing from the broom. He is fazed, which allows her to make a side-swipe. Duke gets clear and Bernard is sent flying from the kitchen to the den like a toy. His golf bag remains on him, but the spuddies fall out. Before Bernard can get to his feet, Duke bites his arm and the woman hits him with the broom again. Out of options, Bernard does the only thing he can: play possum. He does so instantly and intensely; not moving a muscle emitting the smell of dead, rotten meat even as the dog and human keep attacking.

Once the woman notices Bernard isn't moving anymore (not to mention the foul smell) she stops swinging her broom, and lightly pushes Duke away. She raises an eyebrow and says, "So it's a possum after all...Well, since you are natural tick control for my husband's precious Duke, I'll let you live. But if you ever show your rat-face around here again, I won't be so 'nice' to you."

She goes to the pantry closet to grab a large dust pan, puts on some rubber gloves, and uses both to place Bernard in and walks him outside. She places him beyond the fence of the back yard and heads back inside, satisfied with her actions and now having a little understanding of why her husband likes such a yapping dog like Duke so much.

Bernard regains consciousness but remains motionless, his mind ranting out insults to himself for messing up again. He broods, "No matter how hard I try or how much progress I make during my training sessions, I'm just too much of a possum...I'll never be a true raccoon...Daddy will always be constantly disappointed in me..."

Bernard loathingly considers just staying there on the ground and not getting back up, but then remembers there is one more thing he must do. He has failed for the last time, so he's dead anyway. He will need to rid the world of himself so his parents will never be disappointed in him ever again. And this time, Rebecca isn't around to stop him. He gets out the Swiss army knife from his bag and opens up the knife blade. Two cuts is all it will take, and he will pass out from blood loss before dying, so it'll be just like going to sleep. He takes the blade to his left wrist and ponders, "I'm only dead weight, holding the family back from doing anything short of perfection...Best if I cut myself loose...literally."

He touches the blade to his wrist and slides it—

—Going up so that it cuts nothing except air. For Bernard had an epiphany just as he was about to cut himself. He says it out loud, "Even if I'm dead weight, mommy and daddy will still love me. Even if I never become as good as Mary, mommy and daddy will still love me. I don't have to be a true raccoon to be loved by mommy and daddy. They'll love me if I'm more like a possum instead." (Rhetorically) "What am I saying? They'll love me even if I'm too pathetic to be a true possum. All I have to do is low-key things on heists, and let others do the harder things that requires the courage I don't possess. I will get better, but I don't have to be just like daddy to be loved by him and mommy."

With a smile on his face, he gets to his feet and heads back home, finally understanding that his actions ever since coming home from the playground area have been under false impressions that RJ would be ashamed if his only son wasn't more like a raccoon like his father is. But like his parents have said time and time again, there is nothing Bernard can say or do that will ever make them stop loving him. As he passes through the hedge, Bernard starts feeling better about himself and is going to tell RJ that he has decided to live his life in a balance of raccoon and possum ways, like he's been doing.

That's when Bernard hears his parents talking. They can't pick up his scent with the spray he had put on himself, so he might as well be invisible.

RJ's voice: "He couldn't even climb on my back to ride to safety without me getting mad at him. I had the hard part, and he was still too afraid to take action on his own..."

Bernard's eyes widen. Wanting to hear more, he drops his bag and creeps forward.

Heather's voice: "He was really scared, RJ."

RJ's voice: "But what happens if he gets 'really scared' when one of the family member's life is on the line? His inability to be more like a raccoon could be dangerous."

Heather's voice: "Well...I guess you have a good point there. I mean, it is a problem if he won't be able to defend his loved ones."

Bernard gasps. This conversation he is overhearing is turning out exactly like the one from the nightmare he had the night after Tabitha and her gang attacked him. He pinches himself to make sure he isn't dreaming, and the pain he feels confirms that he is wide awake; that this is really happening—some déjà vu disappointment.

RJ's voice: "Where did I go wrong? I taught him everything that I taught Mary. I've been patient, understanding, loving, stern, and encouraging, but nothing seems to work..."

Heather's voice: "Maybe he will—"

RJ's voice: "Face it, Heather. I know he's been trying hard, but I just have to accept that our son, Bernard, will never be a true raccoon."

As RJ lets out a long sigh of disappointment, Bernard can feel his heart breaking wide open. His worst fears have become a reality. His parents won't love him unless he is a true raccoon, which they just admitted they know he will never achieve. Even worse, he knows he will never achieve it either. His eyes start burning and before he can burst out in crying, he quietly runs away to be somewhere all by himself.

But had he stayed for a few seconds longer, he would have discovered that things aren't as bad as they seem, for RJ continues once his sigh is finished.

RJ (positive attitude): "And that's ok. As long as he's the guy he wants to be, there is nothing wrong with it."

Heather (positive attitude): "My thoughts exactly. We're going to tell him that he doesn't have to keep pushing himself too hard, and give him easier jobs to do on heists until he overcomes his fears—no matter how long it will take."

RJ: "Because we love him for who he is, both the upsides and the downsides."

Heather: "We just need to find wherever he is and give him the good news."

RJ: "I'm sure he's at his downtime spot, training hard to get better. That's where I'll start."

Heather: "And I'll tell some of the others to look around his friends' homes, while the rest search near here."

The couple nods and sets out to do their search.

Meanwhile, Bernard is crying his eyes out inside his golf bag where the noise can be muffled. He stops and considers cutting his wrists again, since apparently it doesn't matter what he does, he will always be an embarrassment to his parents. But as he thinks about his blotched heist from earlier it makes him think of one more way out of this mess he is in. He turns his sorrow into rage as he fumes in his head, "They want a real raccoon, I'll give 'em a real raccoon! I've gotta go bigger than I ever have before! Then they will love me!"

He crawls out of his bag, puts it around himself, tightens the strap, and runs back into the suburbs. Since he had been in the direction of his downtime spot, RJ arrives just as Bernard rushes off. He thinks about calling out to his son, but after noticing how fast and hard he is running, it can only mean that Bernard has a mission and isn't going to stop until he has accomplished it. Curious to see what it could be, RJ decides to follow along, but keeps out of eyesight.

---

Six minutes later, Bernard has arrived back in the suburbs, has already crossed two streets, and keeps on going like a person possessed. RJ hasn't said or done anything yet because he is so impressed with Bernard's speed and dedication; not once did his son let out a single yelp or hesitate out of fear. Similarly, Bernard is so focused on accomplishing his goal that he hasn't picked up his father's scent.

When the opossacoon arrives at his destination—a three-story, brown house with a garage—he proceeds through the front yard instead of the back. Now RJ is concerned as doing this will attract more attention. Needing to keep an eye on Bernard in case the need to help his son comes, RJ climbs in a tree in the front yard and lies prone to a branch, hiding his white ventral fur so that his brown fur perfectly blends in with the bark. RJ's timing is perfect, as Bernard turns around to look behind himself, checking for any humans who might be on the road to their morning work commute. Seeing nothing (including his father), Bernard hides in some bushes next to the garage and waits. Ten minutes later, the garage door opens and a car backs out into the driveway. Knowing that a closing garage door will stop and reverse if the sensors detect something below, Bernard rushes into the garage before the human in the car hits the garage door opener again. Bernard makes it inside without being seen by the driver, and RJ has to wait for the car to leave before moving closer to the house too, but he doesn't try to get inside for two reasons. First, he knows he can't just walk in which would give himself away to Bernard, who is doing so well most likely because he doesn't know RJ is watching. And second, the garage door is fully closed before he finishes climbing down the tree.

Thankfully, the house is just the right shade of brown for RJ to climb on a window sill and lie down to camouflage himself just like he did in the tree. But as he peers through the window he sees something that puts his paternal instincts on edge. There is a boy toddler watching something on an iPad in the den, which is the only way to get into the kitchen from the inside of the house. All the kid would have to do is look away from the screen and he will see Bernard, panic at the sight of a wild animal, and cause the other parent to come in. RJ can't see the parent, but knows that no one, human or animal, would leave a toddler home alone. If that wasn't enough, there is some scratching and knocking at the door that connects the garage to the rest of the house. The toddler puts down the iPad and goes to investigate, but RJ knows who is making the noise.

RJ thinking: "It's like Bernard wants to be discovered! What's he thinking?!"

RJ climbs down the window sill and goes over to the one on the side closest to the garage. He plans on tapping the glass to divert the toddler's attention, but is too late by the time he climbs up. RJ gasps as the toddler opens the door leading to the garage, but the toddler sees nothing. Knowing that he had heard something, the kid steps down three steps, gets on the garage floor, and walks forward to survey for a few more seconds—buying Bernard the time he needs to slip into the house unnoticed. RJ lets out a sigh of relief as he lies back down, and watches Bernard run through the den and into the kitchen. The toddler returns when RJ is back on the window sill looking into the den, and the father raccoon is back to feeling tense again because any sound louder than the iPad will make the kid come investigate the kitchen. Not only that, but RJ can no longer see Bernard because the pantry isn't in the open doorway connecting the den to the kitchen. But since he can't do much more than watch and wait, RJ decides to have faith in his son's skills and be optimistic that Bernard will succeed in whatever it is he is doing.

Just as RJ confirms that decision in his mind, the human mother comes into the den saying, "Okay Hayden, your baby sister is finally asleep for her nap, so we need to be quiet and not wake her up."

Hayden: "Okay mommy."

Mother: "How about we go into the playroom and read books?"

Hayden: "Yeah!"

The mother puts a finger to her lips and goes "Shhh."

Hayden (whispering): "Yeah."

RJ relaxes when both humans go in the opposite direction of the kitchen—then stresses out when the mother comes back saying, "Oops, forgot that I left your favorite book in the kitchen."

RJ angrily asks in his mind, "Who builds a three-story house with only one way in or out of the kitchen?!"

Fortunately, RJ notices the book is on the kitchen table which is a straight shot through the doorway, meaning if Bernard stays hidden, the mother won't have to look to the side and notice the opossacoon. But this woman is ultra-observant as she notices the pantry door is halfway open on her way back with the book in her hand.

Mother (mumbling in disdain): "Hayden snuck into the pantry and got a snack when I told him not to. *Sigh* kids..." She is about to close it when she sees something that's off and whispers, "Wuzzat?" Suddenly, her eyes widen and she screams.

Bernard comes running out of the kitchen carrying a giant picnic pack family fun-size of spuddies in both hands, causing RJ to muse "Why would he get something that needs both paws to hold instead of something that would fit in his golf bag?!" He decides to worry about that later, as the mother yells "Hayden, there's a wild animal in here! Close the door and don't come out until I say so!"

After the sound of the door slamming shut, there is crying coming from upstairs, which causes the mother to become angry and chase after Bernard yelling, "Stupid fleabag! You woke up the baby!"

Unlike earlier, there are no pet doors for Bernard to exit through, meaning the only way he can get out is if the humans somehow open it. Since that won't happen, RJ hops down from the window sill, pulls out his golf club from his bag, climbs back up, and starts hitting the window as hard as he can to attract the human's attention, as well as create an exit. His plan works as the mother stops chasing Bernard and lets out another scream. She pulls her cell phone out of her pocket, speed dials a number, and wastes no time in speaking when a masculine voice answers.

Man's voice: "Hello, this is—"

Mother: "There's a raccoon with a golf club trying to invade my home, and another vermin running amok inside! I live on 8722 Elysian Fields Drive! Get over here, ASAP!"

Man's voice: "Unlock your front door, go hide somewhere, and don't come out. I'll be there in two minutes."

RJ recognizes Pierre's voice, which makes him put more strength behind his hits to shatter the window and get inside to help Bernard. The woman unlocks the front door, goes upstairs to be with her infant, and slams the nursery door shut. Five more swings and the glass shatters. RJ leaps in and calls out, "Bernard! It's me! Let's get out of here!"

Bernard's voice: "Daddy?! What're you doing here?"

RJ: "I'll ask you the same question later, but we need to leave before Pierre comes!" When RJ sees Bernard come running into the den still carrying the spuddies, the raccoon says, "Drops those, they'll slow us down."

Bernard: "NO! I have to have them!"

RJ: "Okay, but give 'em to me. It's easier if I carry them."

Bernard: "No, I've got this!"

RJ: "Dang it, Bernard, I'm your father! Do what I say!"

Bernard: "If I can't do this one thing right, I'll never be—"

The front door opens and in comes Pierre wielding a net gun. The verminator gives a demented smile when he recognizes RJ and Bernard.

Pierre: "We meet again," (cocks the net gun) "but this'll be for the last time!"

RJ knocks the spuddies pack out of Bernard's paws, grab his son by the right paw, and practically yanks Bernard while running away. While doing so RJ's mind yells "Does this guy live in his van?! He always gets here so fast!"

Pierre fire and misses when the two animals pass the far wall of the den opposite to the kitchen, but because the verminator will only keep pursing them they need to go with fight over flight. RJ sees an open door ten feet down the hallway that he and Bernard are currently running. It has a window because he notices the sunlight coming through, which gives him an idea. He also notices a small a hallway table directly in front of them.

RJ: "Bernard, help me knock the table over!"

Bernard: "Okay!"

The two topple it over, but Pierre takes aim again and this time has a clear shot.

RJ: "Take cover using the table!"

Bernard nods and the father and son dive forward, the table being the only thing stopping the net from wrapping around them.

RJ: "RUN NOW!"

Bernard dashes down the hallway—not noticing that RJ isn't with him—and is temporarily safe since Pierre has to cock his net gun again. Bernard panics when he sees that he is still too far from the open door ahead to be safe from Pierre's next shot. But all the opossacoon hears is the Thwack! of a golf ball being hit by a club, which is followed by Pierre yelling in pain. Bernard looks back and breathes a sigh of relief at RJ running toward him while Pierre has fallen on the ground and clutches his kneecap.

Bernard: "Awesome, daddy!"

RJ: "It's too early to celebrate. Get in the door, and after we close it I'll give you a boost to lock it."

The duo gets inside and does those things just as Pierre has gotten up and comes barreling toward them, mad with his wound. He bangs on the door repeatedly and shouts, "When I get this door open, I'm gonna skin you alive!"

RJ looks down at Bernard and says, "He really means it. We need to unlock the window and leave, now."

Bernard: "Yeah."

The two are in a restroom and see the window, which is easily accessible if they climb on top of the toilet, so they waste no time in making their way over there. In the hallway, Pierre kicks the door with his uninjured leg. Not only does the door refuse to budge, but he had to stand on his injured leg to kick it, which causes him to fall down on the hallway floor. RJ and Bernard are working on getting the window unlocked when Pierre starts bashing the door with his shoulder, causing the door to almost come open. The animals get the window open just in time because Pierre's next shoulder bash breaks the door off its hinges.

Pierre: "There you are you little—!"

But the raccoon and opossacoon have already leapt outside into a flower bed with pine straw around many large hydrangeas. Bernard is about to run in the direction of the hedge, when RJ grabs his son's paw and says, "If he gets in his van, he'll catch up to us. We need to knock him out."

Bernard: "But you got him in the knee."

RJ: "It's not broken, and the pain will wear off soon."

Bernard gulps but his voice doesn't tremble when he asks, "Okay, whadda we do?"

---

Following the smell of the raccoon and opossacoon like Dwayne "The Sniffer" would, Pierre limps down the front porch, looking like the father in that horror movie who went crazy while at a hotel during winter. His knee isn't hurting as much anymore, so he won't be hobbling for much longer which is something he is dearly going to enjoy. Because the animals didn't run off, it obviously means they intend to ambush him, so Pierre cautiously peers around the house's side that leads to the flower bed. Seeing nothing, he moves forward but checks his surroundings for anything that looks suspicious. He notices one of the hydrangeas' leaves move, gives a sniff, recognizes the opossacoon's scent (now recognizable after Bernard's sweat washed away the scent-ridding spray), and gets out a shock rod in one hand while holding his net gun in the other. When Pierre jabs at the center of the hydrangea with the rod, Bernard runs out, goes in between the man's legs and hides in another hydrangea. Pierre smirks, presses a button on his shock rod, aims at the hydrangea, and then the prongs of the shock rod fire out like a taser. Bernard scurries away, avoiding the taser but gets caught in the net that Pierre's gun fires. Bernard struggles in a vain effort to break free while Pierre takes his time walking toward him, the latter feeling incredible satisfaction at the cowering sounds the former is making.

Pierre: "Normally I'd take you to Verm-Tech and dispose of you there...But I have two good friends living in El Rancho Camelot who have been wanting your hide for quite some time." He picks up Bernard in the net and slowly brings the opossacoon closer to his face while rhetorically asking, "What kind of friend would I be if I denied them some good ol' fashion revenge?"

Bernard surprises Pierre by letting out a hiss while biting. The bite misses when Pierre jerks his head away, but like the average verminator psycho, Pierre only seems thrilled—even aroused—by the danger he barely escapes.

Pierre: "Ooo-oooo! This coon-possum's got spunk! Daddy likey!"

Bernard makes a chitter-squeak noise which, unbeknown to Pierre, translates as "Speaking of 'daddy...' "

Pierre hears a grunt from above, but before he can even look up a rock lands flat on his head, courtesy of RJ who is on the house's roof. Pierre groans and falls on the ground, knocked out cold. RJ climbs down a nearby drainpipe to reach the ground and uses a knife from his bag to free his son from the net. Bernard instantly wraps his arms around his father and says, "Thank you, daddy. You saved me again."

RJ: "Any time, son. Now let's go home, we got a ways to travel to the woods and I don't wanna be anywhere near here when Pierre wakes up."

Bernard: "You're not going to ask what I was doing? Or punish me for doing something so reckless?"

RJ: "Don't worry, there will be plenty of time for that—after we pass through the hedge. Until then, you need to think of what you have to say for yourself."

Bernard says "Yes sir" in a sigh, knowing perfectly well that he does need to be held accountable for his foolish actions.

The two hurry and are back in the woods six minutes later. Once there, RJ puts his golf bag down, sits on it, and mimes Bernard to do the same on the opossacoon's own bag. Now looking like a school counselor meeting with a kid in an office (minus a desk) RJ says, "Okay Bernard, what were you doing at that house? Why did you risk your life? If I hadn't seen you leaving the woods like you were on a mission and followed you, you would be dead."

Bernard: "I wanted to steal that giant pack of spuddies...I had to steal them."

RJ: "Why?"

Bernard: "Because I heard you and mommy say how disappointed you were in me for not being more like a real raccoon. Ever since Tabitha attacked us, I've been feeling so weak, so cowardly, and so inferior, especially to Mary, that I needed to impress you. I needed to make you proud of me, and needed to prove that I am a true raccoon just like you...But you know what? I'm not! No matter how hard I try, or how hard I train, I just can't be a true raccoon! Before you woke up I had already tried to steal two tubes of spuddies from another house, and totally messed that up—like usual. I felt so worthless that I almost slit my wrists."

RJ's face has already shown a lot of surprised and sad looks throughout his son's explanation, but now he gasps in shock as he says, "What?"

Bernard: "It was to end my suffering and your disappointment in me, which you have been showing so much of this summer. But I didn't do it, because I thought you would still love me and be proud of me, even though I wasn't a true raccoon. Then I came back and overheard you and mommy...The last thing I heard you say was 'Face it, Heather. I know he's been trying hard, but I just have to accept that our son, Bernard, will never be a true raccoon.' "

RJ gets up, puts a paw on each of Bernard's shoulder, and looks and speaks to him earnest, "You didn't hear everything we said. Immediately after that, I told Heather you don't need to be a true raccoon like me. She and I agreed that we just want you to be the kind of guy you want to be. If that's more like a possum than a raccoon, then we're both proud of you all the same."

Bernard: "But all those times you've been disappointed in me, and so proud of Mary...?"

RJ sighs and slumps back down on his bag. His guilt-ridden words come out in a lump-in-the-throat voice. "You're right...I'm the reason for your low self-esteem, and the reason you felt the need to impress me. With all the hectic things that have been happening to our family lately, and the stress of being the co-leader, it's been hard for me to keep my emotions in check. I'm not the strong guy I used to be. I have been breaking too much. But that doesn't excuse me for the damage I have caused you..." RJ gets up and hugs his son. "I am SO sorry, Bernard. Forgive me. For everything. I never meant to make you think you are a disappointment, but I did. I haven't been a good father to you..."

The roles are reserved when Bernard has to comfort and console his crying father by saying, "No, daddy. You're the best daddy in the whole wide world. Don't beat yourself up. I still love you. I'll always love you, even if I may disappoint you."

RJ wipes away his tears and looks at Bernard with eyes full of resolution. He sits down, puts Bernard in his lap, and says in a voice full of constitution, "Let me make one thing perfectly clear, son: Despite all the times I've looked disappointed in you, know that you do not disappoint me. You do not make me ashamed in the slightest. You never had, have, or will need to do anything to impress me. I'm already proud of you for being just the way you are. And your mother and I don't want you to be something you're not. You don't have to be a raccoon, or a possum, or both a raccoon and a possum. We just want you to be you, and we'll be proud of you all the same. Your mother and I, we both love you for who you are, both the goods and the bads. And I'm going to become a better father as a result of this. I promise you, man to man, father to son, that I will never look or sound disappointed at you for not being more like a raccoon for the rest of my days. Do you understand me?"

Bernard sheds tears of joy and nuzzles RJ's chest and says, "Yes daddy. And thank you..."

RJ: "No, thank you for forgiving me."

Bernard: "But I still want to get better and braver than I am now."

RJ: "How I see it, you already are braver than you have been since Tabitha's gang hurt you."

Bernard: "How can you say that after I was too scared to hop on your back during the family's heist yesterday?"

RJ: "First, one of the flaws you inherited from me is that you're too hard on yourself. Second and most importantly, you're braver than you think, Bernard."

Bernard: "How so?"

RJ: "When you broke up with Patricia, and when you didn't succeed on your first raid today, you had the courage to almost commit suicide (1). That is by no means a good thing, and I am not trying to compliment you for that in the slightest, but it's something most people don't know; that taking your own life is very hard and requires courage that so few possess. You are one of the few who was brave enough...just like me."

Bernard gasps and asks, "You mean that you also—?!"

RJ gives a grim expression while nodding yes and then says, "You are one of three animals to know what I'm about to tell you, the others being your mother and Kale. Before I met Heather and this family, when I was living on my own and helping Vincent, I reached a breaking point and almost killed myself too because I was sick and tired of being alone and unloved. But I didn't do it when I realized that all I had to do to make the pain of being alone and unloved stop was to find somewhere and some people to make me feel loved and cherished."

Bernard: "Just like I stopped because I realized I didn't have to be a real raccoon to be happy with myself or to make you and mommy love me."

RJ: "Now that we're back to you, another way you are braver than you think is that on yesterday's heist, you may have gotten afraid of heights, but you didn't play possum like you did at the Quinceañera. And today, you were willing to be the bait for my trap for Pierre. If I had missed hitting him with that rock, you'd have been in grave danger. You also got aggressive with Pierre instead of panicking or going out without an ounce of defiance. So you have been getting braver and stronger, Bernard, you just haven't noticed it."

Bernard: "You're right...But can I ask you a serious question?"

RJ: "Of course."

Bernard: "Do you love Mary more than me?"

RJ's eyes widen and he can feel his soul being torn in two. It is the question that every parent with more than one child dreads the most and should never have to answer. Worst of all, it breaks RJ's heart that he created the situations that made his son ask him the question, because he knows why his son thinks this way even before Bernard continues.

Bernard: "I ask because you're so much closer to her than me, and she's so much more like a raccoon than me, and you give her so much praise for it, even when you get onto her. She's also braver, smarter, and more daring than me, and gets things right the first time. I know I'll probably never surpass her, even if I try my hardest to improve my abilities. I don't blame you if you and mommy do love her more than me. I just need to know the truth because I had a nightmare last night where you and mommy said you do love her more than me, and only wanted one child instead of two. Is it true?"

RJ thinking: "My god, not only does he feel like I love Mary more, he is actually okay with it if I am...What have I done to my son?" Before he can internally mope some more, his subconscious tells him, "Time to make things right." Out loud, he says, "Bernard...look in my eyes." When their eyes meet RJ continues with, "If you truly want to improve your abilities, the best thing for you to do is to not compare yourself to your sister, because it makes it sound like I prefer her over you, which is 200 percent NOT true. I love you each equally, both the upsides and downsides. And Mary may get things right the first time, but you have a bigger heart than any of us. You try harder than anyone I've ever known, and your will to keep trying and never give up is what makes you better than all of us. You push yourself to the limit and don't stop. That kind of determination will be rewarded, maybe not instantly, but it will certainly happen some day."

Bernard: "You really think so?"

RJ: "I know so."

Bernard: "But all I do is make mistakes on heists, big ones that put everyone's lives at risk."

RJ: "We all make big mistakes that put our loved ones in jeopardy. You've got to stop fretting over what you can't do, and start focusing on what you CAN do. For too long you've been telling yourself that you're not a raccoon and not a possum. If all you know is what you are not, you'll never be who you are."

Bernard: "But I want to make you happy with how great I am at heists."

RJ: "You need to do things that make you happy, Bernard. And you have the greatest potential of doing that because out of everyone in our family, you have the strongest will to change and get better. You try your hardest to improve your abilities and overcome your fears, and even when your efforts backfire, you try again, harder than ever before (2). Now it is true that you're shy and an over-thinker, have low self-esteem, and are easily frightened, but when the situation is dire, you bravely do what needs to be done (2). There is more to you than making mistakes on heists, so me and everyone else in the family are rooting for you, and feel horrible for you when it doesn't work (2). But even when you make mistakes, we do not love you less for them."

Bernard hugs RJ tight and says, "Thank you, daddy, for everything you've said! I love you!"

RJ returns Bernard's hug and sheds tears of joy while saying, "I love you too, son!"

The two continuing hugging while tears fall from their eyes for almost a full minute. When neither one has any tears left to shed, Bernard says, "It's just been so hard for me to see any of life's good side lately with all that's happened to us after Tabitha attacked me."

RJ: "What you said is so true. Ever since that fateful day you came home from the playground zone, so many hardships have fallen on everyone in this family. But you and me, and the whole family, will win in the end because love is stronger than the mistakes we make. No matter what trials we face, our love will always be greater."

Father and son exemplify this by continuing to embrace, feeling closer and more loved by the other than ever before.

Note: (1)=I want to give a thanks to Delta23's review on Chapter 10 that inspired me to make the dialogue I used in that annotated section.

(2)=Based off Doug Walker's/Nostalgia Critic's commentary (property of Channel Awesome) of Bernard from The Rescuers: Down Under during the former's review of Frozen II. And now's as good a time as ever to admit that, yes, I based Bernard from my OTH stories on Bernard from The Rescuers: Down Under since the latter was the first time I ever felt so invested in a shy and socially-awkward character when I watched The Rescuers: Down Under as a six- or seven-year-old. Although that was long before Doug Walker/Nostalgia Critic said the words that I directly citied and paraphrased, he explained the reasoning for my basing my Bernard's personality on the personality of The Rescuer's Bernard at this point in the story better than I could myself, so I feel obligated to give Doug Walker/Nostalgia Critic all the credit he is due here.

---

Back at the log, the animals have woken up and are eating breakfast (so are the bats, but for them it's dinner). Heather has voiced her concern about RJ and Bernard having not returned yet, and the turtles and porcupines have agreed to form a search party, but need to have full stomachs for that.

Plushie is the first to finish and says, "All done. I'll start getting some weapons to defend ourselves from Pierre if we run into him during our search."

Velma, who is sitting next to him says, "You barely touched your food."

Plushie: "I'm, uh, not very hungry."

Verne whispers, "You're still troubled about what happened yesterday, aren't you?"

Plushie (whispering): "Yes...I'm tense and on-edge that the families of my former friends will come by and try to hurt us."

Velma (whispering): "That's not all that's on your mind, son. What's bothering you the most?"

After a sigh Plushie confesses, "I can't stop hearing the scream for help, the death threat, and Eliza calling me 'coward.' Call me crazy, but in a way, I want the families to come here so I can finally put the issue to bed for good."

Verne: "How I see it, your situation is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you should be careful what you wish for. But on the other hand, it's the only way to find closure."

Velma: "But no matter what, we'll be here to help you. All of us."

Plushie: "What about Kale?"

Verne: "Oh, I forgot, he's on his patrols. But don't worry, we drove away Vanesa the bear without his help five years ago. I'm sure we'll have little trouble making the families of your friends leave if they become too violent."

Plushie smirks and says, "You're more daring than you think, dad."

Verne mirrors Plushie's smirk, crosses his arms smugly, and says "Like I told you before, when my family—biological or otherwise—is in danger, I can be very forceful if the occasion arises."

Velma: "If you're ready to change the subject, son, we can help you pick out weapons to use against Pierre. I believe the stun gun would be a great starting point."

Plushie smiles more as he and his newfound parents continue to brainstorm ideas.

Elsewhere, Rogan, Sarah, and Rebecca have finished eating. Rebecca stands up and says, "Delicious like always. I'm gonna get up in a tree and see if I can spot RJ and Bernard. They may be on their way back."

Sarah: "Before you do, we need to have a private talk, Becca."

Rogan helps Sarah up and he and Rebecca assist her in going to a secluded spot away from food and items, where no one has to be right now. After a look over his shoulder to confirm no one is coming their way, Rogan keeps his voice low (as do the others) when he starts with, "We want to know how your 'identity crisis' is coming along, especially since you and Garrett have been seeing each other more often lately."

Sarah: "Have there been any changes in your 'personal preferences'? We're not trying to rush you to do what we want, we just need to know if things are turning out how you want to be."

Rebecca silently praises her parents' use of code words just in case someone else might come waltzing in or overhear them. She responds, "It's like the more I see him, the less 'conflicted' I feel. We have been getting pretty physical, and it feels amazing when he does it. It's like a fetish, but I like it when he invades my personal space and gets so...forceful. It used to bother me, but now I don't want he and I to go a single encounter without it."

Sarah smiles and says, "That's how your father and I are. Like mother, like daughter."

Rebecca: "Yeah I know."

Rogan: "So do you feel 100 percent 'resolved'?"

Rebecca's sigh already gives the parents an answer before any words come out. "I'm sorry, but there's still a part of me that craves the feelings of female physique and pheromones. It's not as big as it used to be, but it's still there. Even worse, Garrett says he needs me to love him fully in order for him to marry me."

Rogan: "That's how all marriages are, Rebecca."

Sarah nods and says, "If you have even the slightest desire for someone or something else, it risks feeling that your mate isn't enough to satisfy you. And if your mate finds that out the hard way, you will break his heart."

Rebecca: "Well, Garrett already knows about my feelings toward females, ever since Kale blurted out my secret to him and his whole family one day in retaliation for them insulting him. But before you get angry at Kale, know that Garrett and I have become closer ever since that moment. Heck even before that, since I spent some up-close-and-personal-time with him before Kale came by his home."

Rogan: "It seems you have already found the perfect mate if he's willing to love you after learning that."

Sarah: "Aside from him proposing to you, I would say the only other thing that needs to happen is for you to get rid of your feelings for ladies before they become internal and harder to break. But we already know it's been internal for a while, so I hope you have thanked Garrett for wanting to remain with you even after he found out about you."

Rebecca: "Don't worry, mom, I have. Big time. And now that he doesn't feel as mad at Kale anymore since I talked to him yesterday, he's become a nicer guy who I want to be with more often."

Rogan: "Heh, I knew that's what you'd two talk about yesterday."

Rebecca: "We did more than talk, we made out too. I just...still feel those 'conflicted' desires every now and then. All I need is more time to settle my issue for good."

Rogan: "The good news is that you and Garrett have got your youth to sort out everything until this issue of your ends. If you end up marrying him, you're young enough to have kits."

Sarah: "And if you end up marrying a female, he has time to find someone else to fall in love with and have kits with her. But we've already stated how we feel about that outcome."

Rogan: "But despite our beliefs about the subject, just remember that no matter how you turn out, we will always love you as much as we do now."

Sarah nods and adds, "We may dislike you more if you choose a lady instead of Garrett, but never ever will we stop loving you."

After the talk she had with her biological family on the night all the troubles began, Rebecca expected such feelings from her parents to remain. She would prefer for her parents to continue to like her (not just love her) as much as they do now if she turns out gay, but if they are willing to keep loving her if that happens, then she can cut them some slack for wanting to dislike her more. She wraps her arms around Rogan and Sarah and says, "Thank you, mom and dad. I love you."

Rogan and Sarah put a paw on her shoulder, kiss the top of her head, and say, "We love you too," in unison.

Rebecca: "How about we get back to finding RJ and Bernard?"

Some commotion from the direction the family is located, followed by Rick saying, "There you are!" and Heather asking, "Where have you two been?" lets the three raccoons know that the search can be canceled. They head back to be with the others as they overhear answers.

RJ's voice: "We've been having some father-son bonding time."

Bernard's voice: "And there's something I want to tell everyone once they all get back."

Eager to hear this, Rogan, Sarah, and Rebecca quicken their pace back to the main living area.

Bernard: "Is Kale on his patrols?"

Roger: "Yep."

Bernard: "I hate to leave him out, but I really need to get this off my chest, so we'll fill him in later."

By now Rogan, Sarah, and Rebecca join the group around Bernard.

Heather: "What is it you wanna say, Bernard?"

Bernard tells the whole family what he has been through and why he did what he thought was necessary. Many feel guilty for unknowingly causing Bernard to think he had to risk his life to demonstrate his worth for being in the family, but no one could be happier for the opossacoon and what his new outlook on life is.

Quillo: "I think I speak for all of us when we say we're so proud of you, Bernard."

Ty: "We need to stop being hard on you if you ever make a mistake."

Bernard: "Well, I want you to be hard when you need to, just not too hard is all. Because if you're not hard on me at all I might not improve. And I also have to stop being so sensitive and learn to take criticism better."

Luby: "Yeah, because one way to become more courageous is to not be afraid of criticisms."

Tiger: "And just so you know, Bernard, it took a lot of courage to say these things in front of the whole family. Props to you."

The cheering and clapping subside and that's when a different commotion now sounds from somewhere a little ways off. Numerous footsteps crunch on the forest ground and voices murmur. The voices don't sound too friendly, either, so Verne and RJ give the signal for everyone to prepare for a defensive fight. The first one to come into view is Eliza who points and says, "There he is! There's the coward who got your kids captured!"

True to her word, Eliza has rallied her parents—Tim and Nancy—along with the families of Anthony, Alfred, Lacey, and Wilbur. The armadillos of Anthony's family consist of parents Danny and Susan and the older sister Kiara. The minks of Alfred's family include parents Victor and Helen along with a younger son Bruce and daughter Robin. The opossums of Lacey's family include parents Macy and Broderick, three sons—Harvey, Alex, and John—and four daughters named Denise, Amanda, Sandy, and Ashley. The raccoons of Wilbur's family are made up of parents Orville and Brandy, and two younger brothers named Cedric and Tosh. To say all relatives are itching for a reckoning is an understatement, but Verne and Velma intend to be true to their word as well. And after a glance at the family, the others are on the reptiles' side—like always.

Danny: "Eliza has told us everything, Plushie. You gave away our kids' hiding spot and got our son killed!"

Helen: "And when our son tried to fight against the verminator Plushie, Albert, and Caleb ran away and left them for dead!"

Tim: "Our daughter tried to make them stay and help, but they grabbed her and forced her to run away with them!"

Plushie wants to yell how much of a liar Eliza is and even takes a step forward while taking a breath to do just that, but is stopped by Velma's hand and her shaking her head in disapproval. Just as the parents of the other families so far have been doing all the talking, Velma and Verne will do the same and hope their words will get through the deceit that has been fed to them.

Verne: "Didn't the birds we sent to your families explain to you what really happened?"

Orville: "They were a bunch of feather-headed, bird-brained, liars full of guano!"

Tosh: "Yeah! My ma and pa said y'all sent them to try and trick us into thinking what Plushie did to my big brother was right!"

Like the three turtles, the rest of the hedgies now realize that, like many who lose a family member as a result of another's actions, these families have given into their anger and lust for vengeance. In a way, it's only natural that the grieving animals would be more willing to accept an explanation of the events that gives them someone to clearly blame, but the adult hedgies are disappointed in parents' willingness to do that so quickly.

Lou: "All of you should be ashamed of yourselves for believing only one side of a story that was told by a girl," (points at Eliza) "who does nothing but lie to everyone. None of the boys forced her to abandon Anthony, Alfred, Lacey, and Wilbur; she ran away as well to save herself, which was the right thing to do given the situation."

Tim: "Don't talk to my daughter like that! She never lies to me or her mother."

Verne: "I would like to give you and your mate some parenting advice, but that's not the main issue here. What matters is to set the record straight once and for all, which, yes, involves saying that your daughter Eliza told all of you a big story to avoid taking her proper share of the blame. Did she tell you what she and her friends were doing yesterday?"

Broderick: "They were having a walk in the suburbs, about to play on some swing sets when your nephew hollered and got a yard full of humans to chase after them. The humans called a verminator and that's when all heck broke loose!"

Velma: "Wrong. Your kids and our nephew were about to attack a bunch of toddler humans just for the heck of it. Plushie knew how terrible that was and tried to make them not do it. When they refused to listen, he did what he had to stop the madness before it happened. And when he and the other survivors got away he felt terrible and guilty for what he had done. The deaths of his friends will haunt him for the rest of his life, but he did nothing wrong!"

Susan: "You say that there was 'nothing wrong' with getting my son killed and three more captured and taken to Verm-Tech—which is basically a death sentence?!"

Verne: "You tell me what's right or wrong. My nephew refused to beat up little children for fun, and warned his friends of how dangerous Pierre the verminator was, but they just laughed at him. And when Anthony tragically died, Alfred wanted everyone else to avenge the death instead of running away to safety. It wasn't Plushie's fault what happened to them, it was their fault. You have to realize that."

Macy: "But he could've tried to save them."

Rick: "If he did that he would have gotten captured too. There was nothing he could've done at that point, except escape. And that's what Albert, Caleb, and Eliza chose to do on their own."

RJ: "Doing what is right isn't always pleasant; it can be painful and cause irreparable damage. But even when it's easier to do the wrong thing—when it's quicker and will avoid repercussions—we should always try to do what's right, in all situations."

Celine: "It's heartbreaking what happened to all of you, and there will always be an empty hole in your hearts from the loss of your kids, but what your kids were about to do was low and unethical. It's terrible that Anthony got killed and Alfred, Lacey, and Wilbur were sent to Verm-Tech, but they did bring it on themselves."

Heather: "All of us have experienced emotional hardships as well, especially when my father died a few days ago. Now I am not going to say 'I know how you feel' because I don't. I am fully aware that our pain of losing Ozzie to old age is nothing compared to the pain you're all feeling. Your kids didn't deserve what happened to them, and all of us wish things had turned out differently than they did, but hating and wanting revenge for that isn't the way to make yourselves feel better."

Stella: " 'Cuz even if y'all do get revenge, it won't bring yo kids back."

The other families finally stop tensing their stances and muscles and look calmer. Macy looks at her mate, then at her kids, and finally all the other animals who give her nods. She then steps forward and says, "You're right. Vengeance won't change what happened, or make things right..."

The hedgies relax too, having successfully gotten through to the others and avoided a nasty situation.

"But it's a start!" says Macy with the anger and rage returning to her voice. The other families of the lost kids also start walking toward the hedgies, their eyes and posture full of aggression.

The hedgies pull out several items to use as weapons and hold their ground. RJ tries one last thing to dissuade the others from attacking by saying, "Our family is bigger than all of yours, and has far more experience of taking down the most dangerous predators in North America—even without Kale here. So leave." (Brings up his golf club like a sword) "Don't make us force you to go."

Brandy: "We know, which is why we didn't come alone."

Before the hedgies can react to how Brandy looks behind all of them and shouts, "Now!", a multitude of other animals jumps out from behind trees located to the rear of the hedgies and starts hitting those in the back of the group with sticks. And the new group of animals are ones that Mary, Bernard, Sam, and Aaron recognize all too well: it's Tabitha and her gang of bullies. Only now, the male and female armadillo named Susie and Johnny, female raccoon named Beatrice, male weasel named Tommy, male and female mole named Charlie and Marley, female gray squirrel named Isabelle, female possum named Josephine, male gopher named Cyril, and male badger named Reuben have brought their parents and siblings with them—all wanting some payback for their loved ones that Kale and his ex-pack had killed.

All the adult raccoons in the hedgie family silently commend the relatives of Eliza, Anthony, Alfred, Lacey, and Wilbur for distracting the hedgies while the newcomers snuck behind them, but that's the only compliment they'll give them. As sagacious as they had been to do that, the hedgies are smarter as instantly exemplified when Sarah, Heather, and Rebecca move to the middle of the family since their injuries make them the most vulnerable. The newcomers also don't do much damage to those they attacked because they had swatted their sticks at Bucky, Rachel, and Spike. The former aimed for the porcupines' heads and got in their hits, but the latter instantly retaliate with swats from their quill-filled tails. The sticks also get stuck in the porcupines' quills, leaving the first attackers of Tabitha's group without weapons. The hedgies in the front are also having no problem defending themselves from the families of the former-Extremes, until the commotion makes Drake and Annie start to cry from inside the log.

Tabitha's father Morty turns his head in the direction of the infant porcupine cries, smiles sadistically, and tells the adults of Tabitha's gang, "Dispose of the youngest ones first!"

Tabitha's mother Tiffany explains why by saying, "That way there won't be a new generation to finish what the parents started!"

All the hedgies, and especially Bucky and Emily, fight with everything they have to break through the bullies and their families—no matter how young the siblings are—to reach their two kids before the attackers do. Ever since Tiffany finished, the other hedgies are disgusted but not surprised at how evil Tabitha's parents are. As bad as Tabitha is, her parents were always worse and had become the Bone-Chomper Pack's first paisanos after being mesmerized with the Bone-Chomper Pack's massacre of prey animals that led to the wolves' domination of the woods five years ago; mainly because one of the wolves tried to kill Richie's father Eric. Apparently, the shrews' continuing of being the Bone-Chompers' paisanos has only made them more diabolical. But like all villainous individuals their vanity made them announce their intentions, which gives the hedgies a really good reason to reach Annie and Drake.

Once there is a gap in the enemy line, Hammy and Aaron zoom into the log, grab the baby porcupines, and zoom away to take Annie and Drake to the nearest family friend's home. Because that means the hedgies won't have those two squirrels' speed for some time, Roger believes some magic is needed to cause confusion. Having armed himself with his top hat Roger pulls out his wand, lights it up, sticks the sparkling tip inside the hat, flips the hat upside down, takes aim, and tosses it. It spews out fireworks as it travels in a circle around the entire group of aggressors like a boomerang. The firework explosions are small but loud, and get the job done of making the attackers retreat.

Rick: "Atta boy, Roger! You sent them packin'!"

De'Ausha: "Les go aft'a 'em while they on the run!"

Verne: "No! That's exactly what they want us to do; to separate."

RJ: "Verne's right. They're not retreating, they're just regrouping. So we stay here and let them come to us."

Penny: "We should probably get our injured family members to safety up in the trees."

Luby: "That's the worst thing to do because there's climbing animals among our enemies too."

Sarah: "You're right. We need to end this on the ground."

Immediately after the others nod in affirmation animal noises start coming from behind the hedgies who turn around, only to turn to the left when more animal noises come from that direction, and then to the right when the same happens there. Each time the family turns, they hear the telltale sound of paws moving around in the leaves and grass, claws climbing up trees, and catch brief glimpses of the fur of their attackers who dart this way and that before disappearing behind a tree or in a bush. Soon it sounds like number of animal noises seem to come out of every direction. Despite the fact that the hedgies are not fighting animals as dangerous as the Bone-Chomper Wolf Pack, they already know that this fight will be much harder. For starters, the wolves back then had been big enough to keep an eye on. The Bone-Chompers were also too proud and cocky to hide and sneak, preferring to meet their prey in the open to battle. And finally, the hedgies had the entire forest population to help them out, but this time they're on their own.

To make matters worse, Bernard starts having one of his fear-induced panic attacks, as he says "Wh-where are they coming from?!" in a terror-filled voice.

Mary: "Relax Bernard, they're just trying to confuse us."

Bernard doesn't take his sister's advice and yells even louder, "But they could be anywhere! And it's all the bullies from before, AND their families this time!"

Bernard had screamed so loud that the others wince and lose their concentration and turn to console or berate him. But no words can come out because a few of the unwanted guests score a hit with some rocks thrown at Lou, Velma, Tiger, and all the bats. An angered Tiger shouts out to the woods, "You dishonorable miscreants! What scoundrels hit blind animals?!"

There is no response, which makes RJ take the time to face Bernard and rhetorically ask, "See what happens when you panic in this kind of situation? Get ahold of yourself, son!"

Seeing that they have an exploitable weakness among those they intend to harm, some of the unseen attackers finally speak, each in a thug-life-tone of voice.

Tommy's voice: "Hey Bernard, bu-uudy. Did'ja miss us?"

Marline's: "How ya been doin'?"

Reuben's voice: "Been living in feeeeee-eeeeear?"

Beatrice's voice: "Still sniveling inside your mommy's pouch whenever you get sca-aaaared?"

Bernard fearfully groans and whines louder after each animal speaks. Ty stands up for him and retorts with, "Not on your life! He's been working out and training hard! He's three times stronger and braver than last time you faced him!"

Tabitha's voice: "We'll be the judges of that."

The voice of Katherine, the mother of the armadillo bullies, then says, "Enough small talk! Let's finish these rats!"

The families of Wilbur, Beatrice the raccoon, Lacey, and Josephine the possum come out from behind the tops of trees and make it rain stones and pebbles on the hedgies who are forced to separate to avoid getting hit. That is when all four minks from Alfred's family come out and gas the hedgies, sending most of them into fits of coughing and gagging. Even worse Annette, Rick, Rachel, Lou, Rogan, Emily, and Spike are hit in the eyes, causing temporary blindness and leaving them and those around them vulnerable to the animals on the ground coming in to rush them.

Although they were hit in the eyes, none of the bats are harmed by the spray, and the snarky Marilyn lets the minks know this by rhetorically asking, "Forget your seeing glasses at home? We're bats, we're unaffected by any attacks to our eyes!"

Celine: "Let's show 'em what we're made of, girls!"

The bats take flight and use their canes (gripped in their toes) to hit the family of Isabelle the gray squirrel. They then head to the tree tops, dodge the pebbles thrown at them, and hit the attackers in the trees as well.

At the exact same time right after the minks finished gassing the hedgies, only Stella, De'Ausha, and Tiger are unfazed by the smell of the minks' stink spray. Indeed, Stella and De'Ausha seem disappointed and let their sass do the talking.

Stella: "Is that all?"

De'Ausha: "We'll show y'all some real stink spray!"

Tiger: "Stella! Princess! Wait—!"

The mother and daughter ignore him and raise their tails, but nothing comes out when they try to gas the approaching attackers.

Tiger: "You both used up all your spray on yesterday's heist!"

Stella's eyes widen and she says in a monotone voice of shock, "Oh..."

De'Ausha (same tone as Stella's): "drat..."

Those two are tackled to the ground soon after, as are the others whose eyes are still burning from the minks' spray. The battle in the air also takes a dire turn when Christine's poor stamina makes her tired just as she is about to hit Cyril the gopher's family. Her struggle to stay in their air with her weight while also using her strength to attack the other animals makes her next blow to Cyril a soft one. Before she can fly away, the gopher grabs the cane and yanks her down to the ground, causing Christine to yell, "Help mom and dad!"

Distracted by their daughter's cry, the bats fly in a straight pattern to turn around to locate Christine's voice, which gives the animals in the trees the perfect targets to lead and hit with some larger stones. The bats fall to the ground whereby the minks start pummeling them.

The rest of the hedgies aren't doing too well either, as they had not fully recovered from the minks' spray by the time their adversaries on the ground start hitting them. That's when two creatures come zooming in, causing Scarlet to smile at the sound as she knows that it means Hammy and Aaron have returned. Hammy had seen the chaos from a good distance away and all he can think about is his mate and oldest son being in jeopardy, giving his speed a paternal instinct of edge to it. He also has thought of a way to fight back, and tells Aaron, "Squirrely tornado, son!"

Aaron: "Gotcha, daddy!"

The two create a vortex of whirlwind by running in a circle that clears the minks' spray from the area, and forces many of the attackers to shut their eyes, which lets a few of the hedgies hit them with their weapons. But just as it seems that the tide has turned, Charlie's and Marline's family, who are used to getting around with their eyes closed, stick out a leg and trip Hammy and Aaron who skid on the ground before coming to a stop at the feet of the badgers. Recognizing Aaron, Reuben smirks and says, "Time to finish what I started!" before hitting him.

Elsewhere, Bernard is grabbed and taken away from RJ and Mary who have been too busy fighting off some of their enemies. Heather notices and screams, "NO! Put my son down!"

RJ and Mary look behind themselves on instinct and see Bernard being carried away by Susie and Johnny, the armadillo bullies. RJ and Mary pay for their distraction by being hit in the gut, causing them to bend forward whereby hits to the head make them fall to the ground. Plushie tries to help by aiming his taser at the raccoon and opossacoon's attackers, but Eliza pushes him to the ground, which causes the prongs of the taser to hit Velma in the leg.

Plushie: "Ohmygah! Sorry Aunt Velma!"

Eliza fazes Plushie by hitting him in the face and her father Tim grabs his arms from behind and holds him while Eliza and Nancy hit him some more in the head.

Eliza: "That electrocution your aunt just received is probably what Lacey is going through at Verm-Tech! Payback's a cruel mistress, isn't it?!"

Verne tries to rush over to help his nephew, but is hit in the head with a stone from above which knocks him to the ground on his belly. He is forced to duck all his limbs into his shell when Anthony's family tries to kick him.

Danny: "Ha! You can't help anyone out without coming out of your shell!"

Susan: "We just took your greatest strength and used it against you!"

Kiara: "And given how weak, timid, and lame you are from the stories about you we heard from Anthony, you'll be too 'shell-shocked' to do anything!"

The sounds of Velma and Plushie grunting in pain makes Verne bring his head out to bite Kiara's foot and grab and flip Susan's foot, knocking the female turtle on her back. Danny gets in a kick to Verne's cheek, but the co-leader leaps forward which knocks Danny on top of him. Verne then hops to send Danny a few inches into the air and then moves forward. Unfortunately, Danny lands on Verne's hind legs and bites him in one of the feet. Kiara stomps her own foot on top of Verne's head and doesn't stop until he has been knocked unconscious.

As for the porcupines, they had initial success in hitting the attackers with their spikey tails, but then the enemies dodged the next attack and counter-attacked. Even the urge to save their spouses, along with Ike screaming from the hits, isn't overcoming the blows they are receiving once the animals in the trees come down and join the mosh pit.

Then the worst thing happens: the attackers break through and reach the injured animals. Rebecca fights as best as she can, but can't do any athletic moves with her back still hurting. She heroically stands in front of Sarah and Heather since the 22-year-old raccoon knows she is the most capable of all the injured to fight them off, but there are too many other animals and they overwhelm her. The next blow hits Rebecca in her wounded back and she is brought to her knees where more hits soon follow. Sarah is knocked to the ground and groans from her injured sciatic nerve even though she is not being hit near there. Heather gets knocked out of the doll stroller and is pinned to the ground by Helen. Seeing that the marsupial is looking down in despair, the mustelid grabs the top of Heather's head and makes her look at Mary who is being relentlessly hit by Wilbur's and Lacey's parents and siblings.

Helen: "She can't take much more abuse. She'll die soon." Remembering what Heather had said earlier to try and pathetically console her, Helen adds, "That's when you'll know exactly how I feel!"

There is a scream, but it is not Heather's. Rather, it is from Helen who is in the teeth of Clara, causing all eyes to turn toward the sight. The female wolf spits the mink out, leaving her dead on the ground. Now that the hedgies are looking at her harder than the attackers, Clara nonchalantly says, "I heard a ruckus and came by. How dare you's have a brawl without lil' ol' me!" (To the attackers) "One of ya's is dead, who's next?"

Tiffany: "You're not Kale! Why're you fighting for them?!" (Points at the hedgies)

Clara: "Name's Clara, I'm Kale's new friend. And if you's attackin' Kale's family, den you're my enemies too!"

The attackers start throwing stones with all their strength and Josephine and her family run up and hit Clara as hard as they can. But even when their attacks land on Clara's injured areas, she looks unharmed. And typical to her nature of feeling all the more superior to others due to her pain tolerance, Clara lets out a fake yawn of boredom and says, "Feels like a nibble from a toothless mouse." She backhand smacks the group of Tabitha's possums with one paw, sending them flying into the trunk of a nearby tree—five feet away!

Although they are intimidated by the female wolf's strength, Beatrice's mother and father (Amy and Larry) bite Clara's injured hind feet, making her grunt, but she quickly kicks them like a donkey. Clara looks at them over her shoulder and says, "That actually tickled me—a bit."

Reuben's father Roy runs toward her as fast as he can, leaps into the air, and hits her face claws-first at full speed and strength. The instant he lands back on the ground, Clara slams both forefeet on his back and holds him down tight. She huffs and says, "Ow. But dat's not how you hit someone in da face—THIS is how you hit someone in da face!" Her blow is like a sledgehammer; it cracks his skull, and instantly drops him on the ground, dead as a door nail. To avenge him, Roy's mate Eileen starts slashing Clara at the area where her bandaged ribs are, causing the wolfess to growl in pain and rage. In retaliation Clara lies flat on top of Eileen and pins her down tight. The badger's forepaws and face are under Clara whose weight starts to smother the mustelid. Clara sneers and says, "Slow and steady wins the race of death in my book."

Recognizing the biggest threat, most of the aggressors run toward Clara in an attempt to gang up on her. As soon as the former start to leave in Clara's direction, the hedgies don't hesitate to use the distracted onlookers' negligence to their advantage, hitting them with their weapons, bare paws, teeth, claws, and quills, and thus turning the tables on them. Upon seeing how easily Clara took care of her own attackers (animals that were their own size and larger), all of the hegdies collectively admit in their minds how thankful and fortunate they are to have Clara on their side.

---

Only Tabitha, Charlie, Marline, Isabelle, and Cyril run in the direction where Susie and Johnny took Bernard, which is turns out is in the hedgies' TV area. By the time the shrew, moles, squirrel, and gopher arrive, Bernard is still screaming, "Mommy, daddy, Mary, HEEELP MEEEEEE!"

Johnny hits Bernard in the head and says, "Shut up already, ya crybaby!"

Tabitha approaches and says, "Let's see if you really have gotten braver since we last met."

She nods at someone in the trees and Beatrice comes down carrying a struggling Sam. The latter notices Bernard and gives a pleading look while saying, "Elllll eeeee!"

Charlie: "That must be dummy-talk for" (ridiculing tone) " 'help me!' "

Bernard stands up, but is immediately shoved to the ground by Cyril.

Bernard grumbles in fear and then pleadingly asks, "Just let him go...Please! Attack me, not him!"

Tabitha and her gang are getting a sense of déjà vu, which causes the shrew to say, "Make us you wimp!"

Bernard notices his golf bag nearby, reaches into it, pulls out the wedge, and hits Cyril!

This causes all bullies to realize just how much they underestimated the opossacoon—until the gopher cracks up in laughter at how weak the hit is. After Cyril mockingly says, "He hits like a 'wittle' bay-bie!", his peers laugh too.

Tabitha says, "Give him some 'motivation,' maybe he'll hit us hard enough to ruffle our fur."

Isabelle noogies Sam hard, causing the red squirrel to squeal in pain. Susie (the female armadillo) also gets in between Bernard and Isabella. Bernard flails the golf club at Susie who effortlessly bats it away with her paw. She follows with a slap to the face, knocking Bernard on the ground. Bernard holds his cheek and seethes in pain, then gives into his despair and cries. He yells in lament, "I'm SO sorry Sa-am! No matter how hard I try I just can't do iiiiiit! I'm so weak, so worthless, so scared!" He curls into a fetal position and cries out, "I'm a coward, a disgrace, and a mistake of life!"

Tabitha and the bullies sigh and shake their heads side to side in annoyance. The shrew ringleader then says, "C'mon, this weak-freak can't even lift an ant." They all turn back in the direction of where the main fight is going on as Tabitha does the same while saying, "Let's finish off this doofus squirrel and go help our families fight that wolf—AIIEEGHHHH!"

Tabitha gets a perfect idea of a certain sports ball's point of view when Bernard hits her with his golf club with his real instead of pretend strength, causing her to smack gut- and face-first into a tree three feet to the left. Her wind is knocked out so hard that she can't even breathe for a painful 15 seconds. Her head injury also quickly sends her to sleep after that. The other bullies turn around and look at their fallen leader—which is a grave mistake as Bernard is able to hit Isabelle square in the eye with a rock from his slingshot without interruption. After that, the gray squirrel is too focused on the pain to do anything else. That's when all other eyes move to Bernard who gives a one-sided toothless grin and says, "Fooled you idiots with my performance. And how gullible are you to actually fall for it? I mean, I was so over-the-top, that even Sam noticed I was playing, didn't you?"

Sam gives a thumbs up and goes "Ey!"

Bernard: "He's no dummy, unlike all of you who are the dummies of dummies."

Their confusion replaced with rage, the moles and gopher come charging forward. Bernard simply steps on the toe and face of his golf club that is currently laying on the ground, which raises the handle up in the air that the Marline runs belly-first into, knocking her wind out too. He then quickly reaches into his bag, pulls out a can of silly string, sprays the charging Charlie in the eyes, and gets out of the way. His vision obstructed, the mole runs straight into a nearby tree. Beatrice has snuck behind Bernard on all fours and stands up with both fists raised, ready to hit him in the head. Without even turning or blinking, Bernard brings up the "business end" of his golf club and smacks her in the face, his hybrid strength inherited from both his parents being more than enough to make her feel like her head has been cracked in two from the hit.

With four of the seven animals down, Cyril, Susie, and Johnny have stopped moving, which makes Bernard smirk and silently tell himself, "They'll be more cautious now. Works for me."

Just as the opossacoon reaches into his golf bag, Cyril says, "Oh sure, pull out another one of your toys. The fact that you only overpowered us using weapons is still cowardly. How about you prove you're a real fighter by fighting like a man: without any weapons?!"

Bernard takes his paws out of his golf bag and tosses his golf club, silly string can, and slingshot away. Cyril grins and says, "You are so dead now!"

He runs forward with fists raised and yelling loudly, and Bernard simply side-steps out of the way. The gopher is about to turn, when he thinks a small snake has wrapped around his left foot, but it is in fact Bernard's prehensile tail. When it goes tight, the bully lands so hard that Bernard is dragged down too. Cyril gets up and bites on Bernard's tail, causing the opossacoon to yell and loosen his grip. But the gopher's teeth and bite strength are not enough to cause any real damage. Just as the bully throws a punch, Bernard answers with a bite to Cyril's outstretched arm. Although his short raccoon muzzle doesn't have as many teeth as an opossum, Bernard's mostly raccoon physiology enables him to have the bite force of a raccoon which is two times stronger than that of a possum's. That bite force and sharp teeth easily chomp through fur and skin, and breach muscle. If that's not enough, Bernard remembers what he has seen on animals documentaries about sharks and loosens his grip just enough so that when he starts shaking his head side to side his teeth saw into the gopher's arm. Cyril screams and brings up his uninjured arm to punch Bernard in the face, causing the opossacoon to let go. Fortunately, the gopher is more concerned about his injured arm than following up with another hit, and leaves himself wide open to attack. Bernard kicks the rodent in the gut, forcing Cyril to bend over involuntarily, whereby the opossacoon takes the gopher by the back of the head and shoves it down straight into Bernard's rising knee. The gopher falls over and doesn't get back up.

Bernard breathes heavily and his own muscles are starting to get tired, but he feels like the king of the world for fighting off his tormentors. Just as that amazing feeling is at its greatest, he remembers about the armadillos—who tackle him simultaneously from the front and back, knocking Bernard's own wind out. They punch and claw at him as he lies on the ground and take turns in completing the others' sentences.

Johnny: "You're definitely stronger than before—"

Susie: "Which is why we decided to let you—"

Johnny: "Tire yourself out by fighting our more headstrong friends—"

Susie: "Now you're weak and helpless!"

Even when Bernard tries to hit back, the armadillos' tough hides provide them the perfect protection. And the instant he moves his tail, Susie stands on top of it, preventing Bernard from being able to use it.

Johnny: "And for what you've done to our friends just now, We're not gonna knock you out!"

Susie: "Yeah, we're gonna kill ya!"

The bullies are so fixated on making that happen that they fail to smell the scent of a smoke bomb being lit until it's too late. A small purple circle lands in front of them and explodes, shrouding everything within a four foot sphere in purple smoke. Bernard had smelled the smoke bomb being lit as soon as it happened, and held his breath and closed his eyes before it exploded. The armadillos didn't do either, and now can't see and are coughing heavily. They lose their sense of direction and run into each other. Thinking that it's Bernard, they take a swing and hit their own sibling. A sudden breeze clears the smoke away, but the dasypodids still can't see or breathe. They expect Bernard to attack them while they are helpless, but it never happens. Only after they stop coughing and can open their eyes do they notice that all of their fellow allies have been brought next to each other and are starting to come to. They also see the opossacoon, who is brandishing his golf club and walking toward them. And beside him is the one who threw the smoke bomb and saved Bernard's life: Sam. The red squirrel is wielding a pocket knife which shines in the sun's light.

Johnny: "N-no! Leave us alone!"

Tabitha: "W-we're sorry! Don't hurt us! Have mercy!"

Bernard and Sam stop, tilt their heads in question, and then walk forward with a look of mayhem in their eyes. Bernard also starts lifting up his club with the paw around the handle and making its end lightly hit his other paw repeatedly with a menacing, Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

It's obvious that the opossacoon and red squirrel are all out of mercy, and now it's the bullies who cower and fear them.

Josephine: "Mooooom! Daaaaad! HEEEEELLLP!"

Beatrice: "We can't fight them! They're too strong!"

Cyril: "We're mostly bigger than them, and they can still beat us!"

Finally, Bernard speaks, "Look at yourselves: only strong when you can get the drop on someone, and until today you only won because you outnumbered others. Alone you were weak, together you're weaker! Now see what you really are: cowards who surround yourselves with other cowards because you're mommies and daddies aren't around to hold your paws." Remembering the exact words that had seared into his brain, Bernard puts the shoe on the other foot by saying, "Now go. All of you run back home crying to your" (condescension tone) "mo-mmies and da-ddies." (Normal tone) "They're waitin' for you!"

Sam: "Guuuh!"

The bullies flee in the direction of their parents, sniveling and sobbing the whole way. Bernard and Sam face each other with smiles, shake paws, and hug. But it is only briefly as they know they need to rejoin the rest of the family in fighting the others.

---

The instant Tabitha's gang gets back to the hedgies' main living area, they discover the situation here is worse than what they had just left. The hedgies have beaten all of their attackers who are on the ground groaning in pain and holding injured areas. No new dead have been added, which was something Clara highly opposed and was hard to convince her to relent. But she easily dispatched the few attackers who made their way over to her. She looks at the new arrivals and gives a toothy grin at them.

Clara: "Ooooo! More snacks for me to chow on!"

In a pathetic and tired tone, Tabitha says, "Retreat..."

When she and her friends turn around they see Bernard and Sam close by, still holding their weapons, which erases all hope for the former.

Bernard: "You're not getting away this time."

Clara: "C'mon RJ and Verne, lemme eat 'em all!"

RJ: "Like I said when I told you to not smother the badger, you are not to kill any more of them."

Verne: "And our minds haven't changed."

Clara: "Lame!"

Verne: "These folks are here because they are sad and miserable. They lost their kids and relatives, and that suffering will stay with them the rest of their lives. It was because of that that they were easily manipulated into becoming violent."

RJ: "Most of us don't know what they're going through, and I hope we never do, but the loss of their kids and relatives is more than enough punishment. And the beating they received from us today is a reminder that they can't take out their rage on us without consequences."

Clara: "If he was here ta see it for himself, even Kale would agree dat these animals are better off dead than alive. They'll wanna avenge their injuries and their dead."

Macey: "No we won't. We promise, you'll never see or hear from us again!"

Emma: "Liars!"

Clara: "I nev'a thought I'd agree with you after makin' deese shock collars, but you're speakin' my language, porcupine."

Lou: "I second that." (Points at the animals) "This group of degenerates tried to kill my grandchildren! That's proof of their evil, and evil shouldn't be allowed to live."

Penny: "Jeepers, hon...I couldn't agree with you more."

Verne: "Not everyone suggested that they attack Annie and Drake, Lou. They were motivated by one family who is evil and it's time we do stop them from doing any more harm." (Commanding tone) "Morty, Tiffany, and Tabitha, come forward."

RJ: "You too Eliza, Tim, and Nancy—your lies are what turned these mournful animals into vengeful animals."

Bernard shoves Tabitha forward with his golf club to make her join her parents, while Plushie and Velma do the same to the three box turtles. The rest of the hedgies go near the downed attackers to ensure they don't intervene, but still watch.

RJ: "We could have killed you all for what you did, we should kill you, but doing that would make us no different from you six."

Verne: "Even so, your actions will not go unpunished. You are too dangerous for our safety to have around here. You're also a threat to other animals' safety since you can corrupt them and turn them into something they are not, just to be pawns in your game."

RJ: "So you have two choices: leave to another state and never come back, or be eaten by Clara who does not share our reservations about killing you (1)."

Before hearing the second option, Clara was just about to write-off this group of prey animals as too weak-willed to do what is necessary. But she has underestimated the hedgies yet again, only this time she feels glad about it. Clara looks at the three shrews and three box turtles and smugly says, "I'm already tryin' ta decide whether I should eat ya's little by little, or swallow ya's whole and feel you writhe in my stomach till the acids dissolve you's." (1)

Tim looks at his mate and daughter who nod at him. He nods back and addresses the hedgies by saying, "Okay. We'll leave and never come back."

Nancy: "...For the sake of our daughter and ourselves."

Eliza: "I learned just how bad I am today...time to start over again with a blank slate."

Their tone had been genuine and full of loss, knowing that they will leave behind everyone they have ever known and be vulnerable to predators on their journey to one of the four states that surround Indiana. That is the only reason the hedgies know they will keep their word.

RJ: "Then go now. We'll never meet again."

The turtles nod and are allowed to walk away with their heads hanging in shame. Then everyone turns their attention to the three shrews. Morty, Tiffany, and Tabitha look at each other, then turn to face RJ and Verne, with anger in their eyes and voices.

Tabitha: "You can't make us leave!"

Tiffany: "And because we're the best paisanos of the Bone-Chomper Pack, if we die, they'll come to avenge us!"

Morty: "So if you want to live, you're just going to let us walk away and do whatever we want!"

Clara: "Paisanos are always replaceable. And when your wolf masters hear of ya's failure, it'll prove dat you're not da best paisanos after all."

The three shrews' eyes widen as they know that Clara is right, all paisanos are replaceable. They also remember how many ineffective paisanos had met their end during monthly meetings with the Bone-Chompers. Still, Tabitha acts on instinct by blurting out, "Y-your lying!"

Clara: "Your stutterin' betrayed you's."

Verne: "As did your inability to take the offer that would allow you to live. Your lives are fueled by selfish, childish revenge and evilness. You have proven yourselves truly and utterly unredeemable."

RJ: "Not only will our lives be safer when you're dead, but so will the lives of all the animals in the world! You brought this on yourselves...Clara."

Her paw injuries slow her down and the shrews try to flee, but are cut off by the hedgies.

Morty looks at the animals they had led here who are no longer being guarded by the hedgies and demands, "Help us you fools!"

Just as the other animals get to their feet Clara says, "Go ahead, it only means my belly will be fuller. You's have no idea how little shrews feed a wolf's stomach."

Having seen and felt the wolfess's strength, the families of the animals relent."

Tabitha: "You cowards! It's time to prove you're not as weak and worthless as Helen and Roy!"

Tiffany: "If you don't help us escape, we'll get you killed just like we got your relatives killed!"

Everyone lets out a collective, "Huh?!"

Isabelle's father, Harold says, "You told us that Kale helped the Bone-Chompers figure out our relatives were part of the prey animal resistance."

Morty: "We lied. We're the ones who told the Bone-Chompers where to find your relatives."

Tabitha: "We needed a bunch of gullible saps to take our revenge for Mary and Bernard choosing Richie and Brooke over me, so your misery served us well."

Tiffany: "We needed innocent blood to create our own animal army to kill the family of Mary and Bernard. And you'll all be next if you don't hold them off while we escape!"

Morty: "We will avenge your death, we swear. JUST HELP US OUT!"

The other animals now get up and rush over to the hedgies—and help them complete a circle that blocks off any escape for the shrews.

Outraged by this, Tabitha says, "What're y'all doing?! Let us pass!"

Reuben: "They're right about you."

Dana (Isabelle's mother) looks at the shrews and says, "You're lying, like you always do! You'll never avenge us, you just wanna save yourselves!"

Josephine: "You're not worth following if all you care about is your own lives."

Larry (Beatrice's father) yells, "You used us! For your own thirst for revenge over something so little as being un-friended?!"

Katherine (Susie and Johnny's mother) shouts, "The deaths of Helen and Roy, who came to fight with you today, meant nothing to you! They gave their lives for you, and they never knew it was all in vain! Talk about ungrateful!"

Nigel (Cyril's father): "We trusted you, we believed in you! We did everything you said without question, and you're okay getting more of us killed just for your revenge?!"

Eileen (Reuben's mother): "What you did is unforgivable! Not only did you three really cause our beloved relatives' deaths—along with my mate Roy today—but you made scapegoats out of an innocent family who spared our lives and even offered to spare yours!"

Cyril: "We're herbivores, but now that we know the truth, I swear we're gonna eat you no matter how much it'll hurt our digestive system!"

Hardy (Tommy the weasel's father): "Sorry, wolf-lady. Once we're done with these MONSTERS, you only get to eat the leftovers—if there's any left!"

The ex-allies of the shrews charge forward. A brick wall wouldn't even bother to heed the shrews' plea for mercy, forgiveness, as well as their offer to be the animals' servants in exchange for their lives. They take their time getting their revenge on Morty, Tiffany, and Tabitha; causing the hedgies look away and cover their younger children's ears for 15 long minutes. Only Clara watched the whole ordeal, and as the weasel had said, there was nothing left for Clara to eat.

The wolf isn't disappointed in the slightest and goes, "Kya-ha-ha-haaaaa! Dat's what I'm talkin' about! I love me some good old fashioned revenge! You's not so weak after all...for prey animals that is."

The laugh is still ear-gratingly annoying, but this time it is done for a truly just reason. Even so, Calvin, Cyril the gopher's father, makes his own clarification to Clara when he says, "Not revenge...justice."

Larry: "And on a deeper note, redemption." He and the other families and the ex-bullies looks sincerely at the hedgies. "We were so blinded by our pain and lust for revenge that we were willing to believe anything that was said to us like a bunch of saps."

Tommy: "If you still hate us, we don't blame you, but we hope you can accept our apology for everything we've put all of you through."

Clara: "Sayin' sorry isn't enough! You owe deese guys for life! And I think I speak for 'em all when I say you shouldn't leave here without punishment too!"

Verne: "You certainly do not speak for us all, Clara. Not by a longshot." (To the families of the ex-bullies) "You were deceived by three evil animals whose experience of manipulation ran deeper inside of them than blood. Given your circumstances and how much you loved your lost relatives, even an animal with a good heart could have been coerced by Morty, Tiffany, and Tabitha."

RJ: "Still, we need you to promise us two things, or we'll have Clara eat you right here and right now." (Holds up one finger) "One: that you will think twice before believing what others tell you." (Holds up two fingers) "And two: to never harm a single animal in our family for the rest of your lives." (Looks to the families of Anthony, Alfred, Lacey, and Wilbur) "That includes all of you too."

Velma (to the families of Anthony, Alfred, Lacey, and Wilbur): "You need to accept that what happened to your kids was their fault, not Plushie's."

Having no other option, the families nod their heads and say various words of agreement. Their tones show disappointment, but out of acceptance not ill-will. But someone else bears some of that, albeit for a different reason.

Victor: "But your wolf killed my mate. We demand her" (points aggressively at Clara) "to be punished too!"

RJ: "Helen almost killed my mate for something Heather never did to Alfred! I would normally say Clara did the wrong thing because violence begets more violence, but Helen was in the wrong twice over."

Clara: "And unless you's want ya's kids ta become orphans, you betta accept what RJ just said too!"

Victor looks desperately at RJ and Verne, hoping their authority will contradict the wolf like they did earlier.

RJ: "I will let her do it, or I'll kill you myself. I will do anything to protect my family from those who want to kill them."

Victor gulps, looks at Bruce and Robin, and decides that without a mother, his kids need a father more than ever now. He sighs in defeat and says, "Alright...I admit it: what happened to Alfred, Anthony, Lacey, and Wilbur was their fault, not Plushie's or your family's. And what happened to Helen was her fault. Right kids?"

Bruce and Robin in unison: "Right."

Eileen steps forward and tells RJ, "After hearing what you said to Victor, I won't hold Roy's death by the wolf against any of you. I'll just let it go." (Looks at Clara) "He chose to attack you, you reacted, and were more formidable than him or myself. I'll hate being a single mother, but it's what I'm going to do, as a reminder of what happened to my family out of revenge."

Harold: "And don't worry about us, we live in a whole different forest. We'll go there and stay there."

Lou: "Then leave, we forgive you."

Rebecca: "Just don't forget your promises."

Clara: " 'Cuz if any of you's do, I'll find ya's and kill ya's—nice and slowly." (To the families of Anthony, Alfred, Lacey, and Wilbur) "And get used ta seein' my pretty face around deese parts, 'cuz after my wounds heal, Kale is gonna have a partner ta help him patrol the woods."

The hedgies look at Clara in amazement while the families of the former-Extremes look at her in fear. The latter then leave which is good, because the hedge family has several things they want to discuss with Clara. Annette gets the conversation started by asking, "You meant it, about helping Kale?"

Clara: "Sure did."

Rachel: "But why did you help us? Especially after becoming our slave and all the electrocutions you received?"

Celine: "Did you do it to stop getting electrocuted, or because you truly meant everything you said?"

Rogan: "And as hard as it is for a wolf like you, you better tell the truth."

Clara: "Mostly the first reason. But there's other reasons too..."

She explains what she had told Kale yesterday: how she got the mark of shame; how she (and her superiority complex) can't take the humiliation of being subservient to prey animals; why she deserves to be hated, alone, and unloved; how much she wants those three feelings to end; and how she doesn't want to be separated from Kale who was the only wolf who truly understands her. She spoke with correct grammar and didn't use any "wolf slang." Despite this, once she is finished talking some look at her in empathy, others look indifferent, still others look shocked, and a few look disgusted at her more than ever.

Because this means more than half still view her in a negative way, Clara looks at them and goes, "Humph. Yeah, I figured that's how you'd feel about me. And the fact that you didn't agree with my actions and words today means that I'm still as bad as I ever was." (Lowers her head in despair) "Now that you know what I've done and said to you and other animals—along with the why—I don't expect you to forgive a creature like me. I don't deserve your mercy if I can't change. But I'll do anything for Kale, in return for what he has done for me. If any of you got killed, he would suffer big time, and I can't let that happen to him or he'll give up on me again." Her wolf slang returns when she says, "So looking back, I guess I helped you's for myself, not because I wanted ta save you's for the sake'a savin' you's...You's probably want me ta get outta ya sight, 'cuz you's can't stand ta look atta selfish monster like me. I'll go back to the pond ta be alone. It's what I'm best at."

Before she can even fully turn, Scarlet says "Wait. Just look at us."

Clara lifts up her head and sees the family giving her smiles and looking at her with appreciation in their eyes. Now it's her turn to feel surprised, as she says, "You's not mad at me?"

Tiger: "Kale was right about you after all."

Clara: "What about me did he say?"

Emily: "He talked to us about you when you were unwilling to do so yourself."

Clara likes that the hedgies are seeing her in a different light, but being the self-conscious wolf that she is, she can't help but instinctively think, "I am so gonna beat him upside the head for talkin' about me behind my back..." But she does so more in a joking tone than an angry tone.

RJ: "He said that, because of his coming back to you, he realizes that the reason he went easy on you despite your insufferableness—and told us to do the same—is because our kindness had rubbed off on him, which made him less like a wolf, and more like a good person. But mainly, it was because you were more alone than ever after getting the mark of shame."

Luby: "That you were truly left alone in a friendless, family-less world full of pain and death."

Penny: "That perhaps your hatred was all you had left."

Rick: "He had us to fall back on immediately after getting his mark of shame, and even he was a pain at times."

Luby: "But you had no one to go to when you got the mark of shame. No one to talk about your problems and feelings."

Sarah: "We thought Kale was just saying this to make us go easier on you because he likes you so much, especially after what RJ told us you said to him and Rebecca after Ozzie's funeral."

Stella: "But now we know he was tellin' the truth."

Verne: "We still think you're pretty messed up in the head for what you've done and said, and why you've done and said things to us and others. But because of your willingness to open up to us, we finally understand your reasons for being the way you are. Just like with Kale five years ago."

Spike: "And cut yourself some slack. No one is perfect, and we all have done and said things we regret."

Hammy: "But that's no reason not to put on a happy face whenever you're around us!"

Annette: "And you're wrong about your fear of being unable to change. You were willing to die for us today, even after all the abuse we've given you."

Heather: "Even if it was for yourself, you came to our aide, to fight for good. That means something in you is changing."

Clara pauses to take in what has been said to her. It gives way to a strange feeling that she thought she would never feel before: appreciation. But she needs more certainty before she allows herself to feel it to the fullest extent, so she quizzically asks, "You don't think it's too late for me ta change?"

Rogan and Sarah, formerly the most wolf-hating pair of the bunch, walk up to Clara, remove both shock collars, place a reassuring paw gently on her foreleg.

Rogan: "Never.

Sarah: "If Kale could change, anyone can."

Clara smiles, and if she had a tail she would be wagging it in glee. She's so unfamiliar to kindness being expressed to her by prey animals that she stutters out, "Uh, th-thanks, g-guys. I-I, dun-no what ta say."

Scarlet: "Then don't say anything. Like my mate says, just enjoy the moment."

Hammy: "Ya-huh!"

Mary: "And you like feeling superior, so here's something you're better at than Kale: you changed much quicker than he did. It took months after he returned to his pack for him to finally start doing the right thing."

Clara gives the first non-devious smirk she has ever done. It is full of fun and enjoyment which is something she can have more of if she is willing to commit to change. She expresses this desire by looking at the group and saying, "Y'know somethin'? Your belief dat I can change makes me believe I can too. And I'm not gonna just do it for myself, or for Kale. I'm doin' it for all of you's too."

RJ: "That's the spirit."

Bernard: "And she's not the only one who's been changing. I used my possum acting talent to trick Tabitha and her gang who abducted me and Sam into thinking I was too weak and helpless to fight back. But when they let their guard down I used my raccoon wits, golf bag weapons, and then my own paws and tail to beat them all. Well actually, Sam helped me when I was about to lose by reaching into my bag and throwing one of Roger's smoke bombs at them."

Mary: "Really?! You did that? Awesome!" (High-fours her brother)

Hammy: "We're so proud of you too, Sam!"

Aaron: "I wish I was there to see it!"

Roger: "Wait a minute. What was my smoke bomb doing in your bag, Bernard?"

Bernard (embarrassed): "Well I...remembered how you fought off Clara and um...I am part raccoon, and just did what raccoons do while you were asleep one night..."

Roger: "Don't feel too bad, I've stolen a few things from yours and Mary's golf bags too."

Mary and Bernard give an over-the-top and playful "WHAT?!" in unison. The two scream "AHHHH!" as they run toward Roger and tackle him to the ground causing all three to laugh and giggle as they have a tickle war that Roger quickly starts losing.

Roger: "Ah-ha-haaa! T-Ty! H-h-h-helllllp!"

Tyler is unable to contain his inner six-year-old and shouts, "Geronimo!" before getting on top of Mary and Bernard and tickling their backs while Roger tickles their bellies. RJ and Rick make eye contact and grin at how their kids' relationship is turning out just like the one the two adult raccoons share.

Scarlet looks at Hammy and her sons and says, "Let's show these amateurs how it's really done!"

Hammy: "ATAAAAAAAAAACK!"

Aaron: "ATAAAAACK!"

Sam: "AUGHHH!"

Scarlet: "Ah-ooo-ga!"

The squirrels' speed and agility enables them to easily gain the upper hand on all four raccoon-blooded animals. One family-within-the-family at a time, species by species, the rest of the hedgies throw themselves into the fray until it because a cluster-mess, free-for-all. Clara decides just to watch, not wanting to participate as she rolls her eyes and says, "Even you's adults are doin' it? You's all just a buncha kids in adult bodies. Tickle wars're for babies."

Everyone instantly stops and looks at Clara with annoyance. Then, slowly and surely, toothless grins form on their mouths and they look at each other in mischief. Seeing what her big, superior-claiming mouth has done again, Clara starts backing up and stammers out, "Oh, no nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nooooo. Don't you's dare!"

Everyone dashes over to the wolfess and tickles her with all their strength. Sadly for Clara, her tickle-tolerance isn't as good as her pain tolerance, causing her to cackle like a madwoman. All of her anger and annoyance is instantly replaced with excitement and hilarious bliss, and she feels more alive than she ever has in her whole life.

The afternoon had started with animals trying to kill them which forced them to fight for their lives, and almost lose. Now it has become a time to play, laugh, and grow closer as a family. Such is the life of this group of animals. There are a few more things that must be solved for a few of them, but that can wait later. Right now they take Hammy's advice and enjoy the moment.

Note: (1)=Based on Star Wars: Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor by Matthew Stover.

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Only one more chapter to go. And you'll never see a certain, last plot twist coming!