2-

Verne found himself being washed away in the midst of a raging river. He tried yelling but no sound came out. There was a bright flash, and he was rocking around on his shell, sputtering and spewing water. His vision cleared to the sight of RJ kneeling over him, with Stella to the side, holding a large gourd that looked like it had just been emptied.

"Verne?" RJ ventured, good-humoredly, "You okay?"

"That was fun," Stella grinned, swinging the gourd casually in her left paw as she sauntered away.

"No. I'm not okay, RJ. I am miles away from the state of okay." Verne sat up, flecking water away from his eyes with both front feet as he continued. "I'm not even a distant RELATIVE of okay. You've brought a MOOSE...only YOU would bring a MOOSE, to...to a human housing development..." Verne sputtered gibberish for a moment.

"Verne, you always make a big deal out of everything."

"Well, you make that very easy!"

"Gimmie some credit! The raccoon is the man with the plan! Think of it as another heist!"

Hammie bounded up like a playful puppy. "Another heist?!"

"We're not stealing cookies this time, RJ!" Verne retorted.

Hammie's face fell. "But...but I like the cookies..."

Verne turned to the squirrel. "Hammie, no...that was a figure of speech."

Hammie glared for two seconds with a dumbfounded look.

"Um, never mind," Verne groaned.

Hammie immediately brightened again. "So, we're gettin' cookies?"

RJ grinned. "Even better, Hams. We're bringing a new friend into our fold!"

Spike, Bucky, and Quillo scampered up, leading their parents to the scene. "A new friend?" They chimed all together.

"Oooh, company! Do I look alright?" Penny fussed.

"You're beautiful, dear. Like always," Lou noted.

"Finally, maybe someone with some fashion sense," Heather added, checking her claws for unsightly dirt.

"Some new blood would do us good!" said Stella.

"Yes, perhaps someone who appreciates theatre," Ozzie exclaimed so dramatically that Heather placed a paw over her eyes and dreamed of being elsewhere.

"No, no, no! There's no new blood, no friends, there's no one! RJ, tell them!"

"That's right, folks! A new friend! I'll be glad to introduce him, as soon as we get him down here..."

"RJ! We CAN'T do this..."

"I see Mr. Turtle's optimism has not diminished," said an accented voice from behind Verne, who responded by retracting into his shell faster than a blink. A familiar cat appeared behind the still shell.

"Tiger, honey!" exclaimed Stella. "What brings you?"

"Mon Cherie" trolled Tiger, kissing Stella's paw. "I cannot ever stay away from you for too long."

Behind them, Verne's head popped out of his shell to glare venomously at the cat. "Hey! Don't do that, okay? It's creepy!"

"A thousand pardons, young turtle person. The courage of my beautiful Stella has inspired me to assist in one of your crusades. This is, if you would have me, no?"

"No," Verne said flatly.

"Aw, c'mon Verne. The more the merrier, big guy," RJ piped. "You came at just the right time, too! This, my friends, is gonna be the caper to end all capers!"

"Ngh. I give up." resigned Verne.

"Verne, you are gonna kick yourself while saying, 'How could I have doubted RJ?' when you meet Richard."

"Richard?"

"The moose. He's a great guy--soft-spoken, got these great built-in pliers, perfect for getting into the toughest vending machine! Wait 'till you meet him!"

"Why wait?" said a deep voice.

Everyone scattered, except for RJ, who just whirled around, mouth gaping for a second. "Richard! Pal! I'm impressed! How'd you do it?" RJ exclaimed as everyone slowly emerged from hiding.

Quickly, Hammie popped up from behind Richard's antlers. "Ooooh, I helped! I helped!"

Before Verne could faint again, Stella grabbed his beak. "You want another drink?"