Spring Showers

Chapter Three: Morning Regrets

A bright and shining sun, the sweet songs of birds, a fresh morning breeze, all this greeted the Hedgies as they woke up from a good night's sleep.

"Ugh… it's too bright." Verne shielded his eyes, the early morning rays of the sun blinding him. And the headache that was now ravaging his head did not help things. "This stuff is poison, I'm sure of it." Verne was convinced of what this 'beer' was.

"Verne, are you okay?" Ozzie was the first to see their family leader on the ground, seeming to be in pain for some unknown reason to him. "You don't look so good." Heather soon followed along with the rest of the family.

"I'm sure you wouldn't feel so good after losing your dinner last night." Verne groaned. "Ozzie, get me some water, will you? I'm so thirsty." Verne asked. Ozzie nodded and looked to Heather. Heather, begrudgingly, went off to fetch some water.

"What happened?" Lou wondered how Verne ended up like this.

"This, this, this thing, this beer…" Verne hissed slightly, his head pounding incessantly. "We have to get rid of it. This is one thing I know is not good for us." Verne said.

"What in the world is going on here?" Stella appeared with Tiger alongside her.

"Oh no, that's not what I think it is, is it?" Tiger noticed the familiar aluminum cans that Verne rested against.

"Oh, so you know of this stuff?" Lou said, hoping that Tiger would know exactly what this stuff was.

"I think you remember those commercials where those female human beings go strutting around in skimpy clothing?" Tiger hoped that his description would jar everyone's memories. "And I believe, in the end, they show you a tall, brown bottle, maybe a glass of an amber-colored drink, yes?" Tiger continued. Everyone nodded. "That 'commercial' was trying to sell the same… same poison that you have there now." Tiger's fur rose slightly, bristling up. Stella noted his reaction and understood the severity of emotion that this 'beer' evoked on him.

"Jeepers. How bad is this, this 'beer'?" Penny asked, worried about what this substance was that was among them.

"This same 'beer,' along with other drinks that have this 'alcohol' has been a bane on the human race. A little of the stuff doesn't hurt you, but too much can cause much trouble." Tiger's voice grew more serious, a slight growl now noticeable in his tone. "Humans have hurt themselves and others when they abuse this 'alcohol.' Some humans can't control themselves and they become reliant on this drink. It has broken many lives and forced many to wallow in a pit of self-loathing and despair." Tiger lowered his voice, remembering many humans that he knew that fell to the influence of the bottle. "It has no place among us. It will do us no good. It will only hurt us." Tiger warned sternly.

"Well, let's get rid of this stuff!" Stella, blood rushing from her lover's speech, was motivated to rid this stuff from their family. The rest of the Hedgies nodded and agreed with Verne's and Tiger's warning. The 'beer' had no place with them.

"Stella, can you, Tiger, and Ozzie go get rid of this stuff?" Verne asked. Heather came back, rolling a pint of water with her for Verne. "Just go do something, throw it away, give it back to the humans, anything!" Verne felt like throwing up again.

"Has anyone seen RJ?" Heather asked, looking around for the raccoon.

"Ugh. He should be at his place, most likely with Hammy." Verne reached for the bottle of water Heather had brought. Lou opened it up for him with a simple twist, removing the white cap and placing it aside as Verne downed some of the water.

"They had drunk some of this stuff too, more than I did, and I think they may be in worse shape than I am." Verne added, though he wondered how much worse they could feel compared to how he felt now. "Why don't you check on them, Lou, Heather?" Verne asked.

"Sure thing. We'll see if they're okay." Lou replied. "Honey, can you watch the boys for sec while I check on RJ and Verne?" Lou asked his loving wife.

"No problem, dear. Just make sure that they are all right." Penny affirmed.

"Heather, can you show me where you got that bottle of water? I think we should bring some with us when we find RJ and Hammy." Lou asked.

"Sure, follow me. It's this way." Heather nodded and the two set off. Ozzie, Tiger, and Stella began their work to get rid of the remaining beer, while Penny, along with her three sons, tended to Verne.

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"Mmmph." A groan emanated from the child-booster seat/modified easy chair where a grey and white mammal slowly emerged from his disturbed sleep. A small, metal container petered on the edge of the seat. The mammal squirmed a bit, adjusting himself into a more comfortable position, and finally, after settling on a position, swept his tail and brushed the metal container off the seat and down to the ground.

CLUNK! The metal container fell against the body of another mammal, smacking him out of his sleep.

"Ouch." Hammy said weakly as he slowly awakened into the realm of life. A dull ache pervaded his head, as well as a thousand sound, sights, and smells, threatening to overload his sense. But slowly and surely, he was coming to. And one particular memory came to dominate his thoughts.

"Oh no." Hammy squeaked, remembering what he had done last night. He had come on to RJ and he had been rejected. The little, red squirrel fought hard to keep tears from coming to his eyes. He had hoped that it was all just a bad dream, a nightmare. But, he knew in his heart that what was playing out in his memory, played out exactly the same last night. The same flattery, the same playing with RJ's face, the same tight, arousing hug, the same lick… had RJ not stopped him, he may have done something unforgivable.

But what he had done last night, Hammy considered, was already unforgivable. And he hated himself for it. He hated everything he had done, everything he was feeling, even now! "How could I do such a thing?" He asked himself. How could he do that to RJ, his best friend in the whole wide world?

Hammy looked up and fell deeper into his funk. RJ was sleeping on his seat, his back to him, sleeping the night off as it was nothing. RJ had left him to sleep off the night on the cold, hard ground, alone with no comfort. His last words from last night hurt enough, but now, in Hammy's already muddled and confused mind, he took it as further proof that RJ had rejected him, that he didn't want anything to do with him anymore.

"Why?" Hammy asked himself. He found it harder to fight back the tears that threatened to flood his eyes, to stop from breaking down and bawling like a needy baby. And the last thing he wanted was to wake up RJ and find him in such a pathetic state.

"He probably already hates me anyways." Hammy resigned, shivering.

He had to get away from there. He didn't care where he went to; he just needed to get away from there. He picked himself up slowly, trying to get his bearings, and started to run. Still wobbly from the after-effects of the alcohol, his arm was gashed as he nearly ran into a nearby thorn bush. He disappeared into the forest, with only the small droplets of blood marking his path into dense foliage.

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