"Well, what do you know," sneered Vincent, as he towered over Verne, Hammy, and the unconscious RJ, "I've finally found him."

"You leave him alone!" Hammy shouted in a squeaky voice, sounding no braver than he felt.

Vincent laughed. "Or what? You'll unleash your little buck teeth on me?" The bear leaned down to look Hammy in the eyes and grinned evilly. "Get out of here, you pathetic squirrel. This is between me and RJ."

"Oh, no it's not!" shouted Verne, coming to stand beside Hammy. "When you have a problem with RJ, you have a problem with all of us! Especially Hammy and me!"

"That's right!" said Hammy, sounding a tad braver now. "What do you want with him, anyway?"

"With him?" Vincent replied innocently. "Oh, nothing. It's just that he managed to burn off all my fur, trap me in a cage and send me to a mountain rage miles away. Now all that's left to do is ... settle the score, as it were."

"Yeah, well, you'll forgive us if we're a tad reluctant to move aside, then," said Verne, crossing his arms. "RJ's our leader — our friend — and we're not letting you get to him."

Vincent's leering smile vanished, and he stared murderously down at Hammy and Verne. "Oh, I haven't come all this way just to be stopped by the likes of you."

And without warning, the bear suddenly lunged forward and swiped a paw at the two of them. Verne and Hammy yelled out as they went flying; Verne popped into his shell instinctively as he landed in a clearing several yards away, while Hammy crashed into a tree and slid down the trunk. Dazed, but otherwise unhurt, Hammy shook his head and dashed back over to RJ, just in time to see Vincent lean over the raccoon and raise a massive paw.

"This is what you get when you back out of an agreement," the bear was saying, as he growled fiercely, before beginning to bring his paw down to strike the fatal blow. It was then that Hammy suddenly zipped in front of RJ, standing over the raccoon protectively with his arms spread. "GO AWAY!" Hammy shouted, with surprising force.

Vincent halted for a moment, surprised, and at that moment an enormous crashing sound echoed across the glade. Vexon's bulldozer emerged from behind a pair of trees, crushing them with its massive shovel. The yellow menace was headed straight for Vincent: with a roar the bear fell backward and landed in the Hedge, getting momentarily tangled in the leaves and branches. Vincent roared again, wrestling himself free of the Hedge, and with a glance around and another snarl, the bear bolted, running away from the bulldozer to another part of the glade.

Meanwhile, behind RJ and Hammy, the bulldozer rolled over the fallen trees; its tires were inches from the two of them when there came a whistling sound from the nearby clearing.

"Hey!" Verne was shouting at the bulldozer, hopping up and down. "Hey! Look! Over here! Remember me? I helped in the whole 'blowing up the lab' thing!"

In the driver's seat, Vexon took his foot off the gas pedal momentarily, eyeing Verne. "That's right!" the turtle called. "I helped land you in jail! Now come and get me!"

Vexon took the bait: With another battle cry the doctor started up the bulldozer again, shifting into reverse before turning and pursuing Verne. The turtle turned and ran, darting through the bushes and leaves, and soon disappeared among the foliage as the bulldozer gave chase.

Hammy watched the bulldozer go, listening to the receding sound of its engine, before turning back to the raccoon in front of him.

"...RJ?" Hammy said softly, laying a hand on the raccoon's shoulder. "RJ, please — we really need you to wake up." The squirrel's eyes were glistening, and his nose twitched briefly. "RJ, we can't do this without you! Please wake up?"

The raccoon still didn't move. And it was then that Hammy noticed something: RJ had stopped thrashing in his sleep. His chest was no longer rising and falling.

RJ was completely still.

"RJ," Hammy gasped, "RJ, no! NO!"

"WHAT?" shouted RJ, still struggling. "You mean I'm —"

"Your heart's stopped beating, and you're being called back," Rob repeated, looking downward and closing his eyes. "I'm sorry, RJ. I never meant for any of this to happen."

RJ was beginning to grow considerably panicked. "What does that —" he started, then stopped suddenly.

He had suddenly been bathed in a bright white glow shining above him, its light pure and pristine. RJ shielded his eyes as he looked into the blinding whiteness, out of which two figures were emerging.

RJ lowered his arm, his eyes widening. "...Mom?" he said finally, glancing back and forth between the two raccoons in front of him. "Dad?"

Jill and Tim smiled at him, sadness etched in their gazes. "Hello, RJ."

Jill held out her arms, and RJ fell wordlessly into her embrace. Tim rubbed RJ's shoulder before also joining the hug. Nothing was said for several moments; then Jill finally whispered, "We were hoping to see you here at a much later time."

RJ drew back from the hug, confused. "What ... what do you mean?"

"RJ," Tim sighed, "after everything that you've gone through, we'd say you more than deserve a normal life. But we don't run things, and so here you are now: You've been chased by vans, helicopters, bulldozers ... and you've been struck by lightning and fallen into a coma."

"But," Jill said finally, placing a paw on RJ's shoulder, "it's not without its reasons, RJ. It's like Rob was saying: You needed this."

RJ glanced backward, where Rob was still standing behind him, and the wolf nodded. RJ blinked, then turned back to his parents. "I ... needed to relive being bullied and blackmailed by Vincent?"

"Yes," said Tim, with a slight smile. "Because you know, RJ. You know how to handle Vincent now; you remember everything about him, and you can use that. You can find a weakness and defeat him. He and Dr. Vexon have placed your home under threat. It's up to you to lead your friends back to safety again."

RJ bit his lip. "But Mom ... Dad ... I'm dead."

Jill and Tim didn't respond immediately; they simply drew RJ into another hug, comforting him like he was a kit again. RJ rested his head against Jill's chest, listening to her heartbeat, listening to his father's steady breathing ... and wished, for a moment, that he could stay like that forever. Whenever he had been in the arms of his parents, he had always felt that he was safe from everything wicked and evil in the world.

However, Tim eventually broke the silence, his voice soft. "Not yet, you're not."

"It's always darkest before the dawn, RJ," said Jill quietly. "So," she added with a slight smile, "do us a favor now and wake up, because your heart's started beating again. Wake up, RJ. Wake up for real..."

And RJ's parents pulled back, away from him; and the swirling blue colors around the raccoon began to fade to black, his parents disappearing with the void. Their gazes, though still sad, also held a hint of hope for their son. RJ raised a paw in farewell — and slowly turned around again to see Rob, fading away with the others. Acting on an impulse, RJ suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Rob's front paw.

"Rob —" he gasped, "Come with me."

Rob's eyes widened and he looked down at the paw RJ was holding; he seemed very unsure of himself. The wolf looked up again to see RJ's parents nodding their approval. "Go, Rob," said Jill gently, her voice echoing now, "it isn't your time yet."

"Go on, shoo," said Tim, with a half-grin. "We'll see you both again, someday — though all of us remain hopeful it isn't soon."

"You ... you guys can't come too?" RJ asked his parents pleadingly, though already knowing what the answer would be.

"Our part in your life has ended, RJ," said Jill, still wearing that sad smile. "But you, Rob — you still have a fair amount of unfinished business."

Rob looked down again. RJ was growing nervous, as the void around him was getting blacker and blacker, meaning soon his parents — and Rob — would vanish entirely. Then Rob made his decision and tightened his grip on RJ's paw.

RJ's face broke out into a wide grin, and he looked back at his vanishing parents: They were also smiling. "We love you, RJ," Jill said, her voice distant.

"Never forget that," Tim added.

RJ shook his head. "No," he whispered, "never."

And around them, at last, the blue faded to pitch black and RJ's family vanished. Then suddenly RJ was spinning out of control, and he and Rob were falling ... down ... down ... down ...

Bitter tears coursed down Hammy's cheeks as he hugged the unmoving RJ. "No, no, no, no," he whispered to himself in choked sobs, over and over. "No, no, no, no, no —"

Another bear roar rang through the clearing, and Vincent stumbled back into view, brushing foliage off of himself and cursing the bulldozer and the hedge. "Stupid, scummy, vile animals," he breathed venomously, pulling a branch out of his muzzle. "Nasty little dirtbags who —" His gaze suddenly fixed on Hammy and RJ, and he stopped.

The bear's face split into a wide smirk, and he gave a deep, rumbling laugh. "Oh, ho, ho, this is priceless," he said, bending over and resting his forepaws on his knees. "What's the matter, little squirrel?" he asked in mock sympathy, slowly coming to stand in front of Hammy, who was gazing up at him with fearful, tear-soaked eyes. "Your little raccoon friend beat me to the punch, did he?"

"Get away!" Hammy shouted, and he gently released RJ before stepping towards Vincent, his paws clenched and shaking. "Don't you dare touch him!"

"Why bother?" Vincent yawned, and without warning he lunged downward, falling to all fours, and one of his forepaws shot toward Hammy and grabbed the squirrel, clutching him in a death grip. Hammy's paws scrabbled to his neck and he fought for breath, his eyes popping. "Well," said Vincent menacingly, leaning down to look Hammy square in the eye, "since I've apparently missed out on the opportunity to have my revenge on RJ ... it looks like you will have to do."

"LEAVE ... HIM ... ALONE!"

A brown blur suddenly darted between Hammy and Vincent, and a set of claws lashed out and hit the bear straight in the eyes. Vincent let out a wild howl, letting go of Hammy and rearing back up on his hind legs, scratching at his eyes blindly. Hammy took in a huge gulp of air and fell backward — and a familiar figure caught him as he fell.

Hammy looked up, gasping in surprise and relief. "RJ!" he shouted, scrambling to his feet and hugging the raccoon tightly. RJ smiled, patting Hammy on the back. "Hey there, Hamsquad."

"Oh, I just knew you weren't dead, I just knew it!" Hammy cooed, nuzzling RJ's chest-fur. "I told them all you'd get better and guess what? I was right!"

"You sure were, Hamsquad," RJ chuckled, "you sure were."

"And the best part is we're even now!" Hammy added, looking up at RJ with his innocent eyes and chipper smile. "We've both scared each other half to death and so now we don't have to do it anymore, right?"

"Whatever you say, Hammy," RJ laughed, and Hammy went back to hugging him. RJ returned the hug, glancing around the glade; save for Vincent's continued roars of agony, all was quiet. "Hey, Hamsquad?" RJ said at length. "Where are the others?"

"Huh? Oh!" Hammy said, releasing RJ. "Right! Well, Vexon apparently busted out of jail and he's trying to kill us. He says he's gonna clear away all of this stuff and build a mall or something. And then Vincent showed up too, and he's trying to kill us."

"Doesn't anybody drop by just to say hello anymore?" RJ muttered, casting a dark glare at the still-howling Vincent.

"Vexon's got a bulldozer," Hammy said matter-of-factly. Suddenly his gaze landed on something behind RJ, and his look grew panicked. "And there it is!" he shouted, pointing.

RJ whirled around: The bulldozer had managed to knock down another tree and now it made a sharp turn, chasing the entire gang of Hedgies now in front of it. The Hedgies, panicked, continued running, Verne in the lead. "Through the Hedge!" he was shouting to the rest of the gang, "everybody through Steve, now!"

RJ let out a growl and leaped upward, landing on the windshield of the bulldozer; through the glass, Vexon's eyes widened and he slammed on the brakes. The doctor let out another evil cackle, pointing maniacally at the raccoon. "You're first, you little menace!" he shouted.

"Verne! Hammy! Everybody!" RJ shouted over his shoulder. "Run! RUN!"

"RJ?" Verne gasped, spinning around, and the Hedgies started murmuring amongst themselves. They took his advice, however, and made for the Hedge as Verne and RJ had told them, Hammy darting forward to take the lead — then Vincent stumbled back in front of them and they skidded to a stop. One of the porcupine kids let out a squeal, but Vincent didn't pay the slightest bit of attention: He was still roaring in pain, grasping at his eyes. Verne took momentary advantage of the distraction and stuck out his foot, and Vincent ran into it and fell, shaking the glade with the force. Verne then jumped over the bear, padding over his back, and gestured for the others to quickly follow.

RJ saw all of this, but missed the rest because Vexon suddenly shot his fist through the windshield and shattered it, aiming to grab the raccoon. RJ yelled and flew backward, feeling himself getting cut by the glass, but Vexon had accomplished his goal: as he lunged forward, his hand grabbed RJ around the waist, and he clutched the raccoon tightly. "I told you that you'd be first!" the doctor giggled, and he brought RJ up to his eye level, chuckling madly all the while. "I don't care what I have to do to get to you, you little bastard. As far as I'm concerned, you're mine!"

RJ snarled and bit down on Vexon's hand. The doctor let out a yell, but didn't let go. "Is that all you got?" he snarled, his eye twitching, and he began clenching his fist; RJ was horribly reminded of his mother, trapped in Vincent's grasp. Tighter and tighter Vexon squeezed, and RJ felt all of the air being forced out of him. The raccoon let out a strangled gasp and clawed frantically at Vexon's hands. It had no effect: the doctor's grip continued to tighten. "Is that all you got?" he shouted again, right in RJ's face.

"No," came a snarl. "This is."

And a huge, furry blur suddenly leaped out of nowhere and knocked Dr. Vexon aside. The doctor let out a startled cry, releasing RJ, who fell back onto the hood of the bulldozer, taking in huge gulps of air. In front of him there came the sounds of a struggle: Vexon's yell, a terrible snarl, and then finally a fierce kick. RJ raised his head just in time to see Vexon sailing out of the side of the bulldozer, landing hard on the ground. The doctor shook his head to clear it and glared menacingly at the new driver of the bulldozer. RJ turned his head to see who it was.

"Hey there, RJ," said Rob with a friendly smile, waving a paw.

RJ grinned.

"Enough!" came Vexon's shout, and he struggled to his feet, lunging for the bulldozer. Rob yanked on a lever in the dashboard and the shovel swung around, hitting Vexon in the side of the head with a horrible CLANG. The doctor gibbered for a moment, stumbling around woozily, before his eyes focused on Rob and he lunged again.

"RJ!" came a fierce snarl, and the raccoon spun around again, pushing himself back on the hood of the bulldozer, toward Rob. Vincent was standing in front of him, tears trailing down his cheeks; his look was murderous. The bear roared again and leaped; RJ covered his eyes and ducked, and Vincent plowed right through the already destroyed windshield, right into the middle of the fight between Rob and Vexon.

Rob yelped and fell backward, landing on the floor of the driver's compartment; his movement pushed down the gas pedal of the bulldozer and with a roar of its engine the vehicle surged forward. RJ let out a shout as the massive wheels of the machine rolled over logs, bushes, fallen trees, plants — and then, finally, the Hedge itself. The bulldozer smashed right through the tangle of trees and branches, creating a large gap, and screeched into the backyard of the still-vacant house that used to belong to Gladys.

The tires squealed in protest as the bulldozer plunged down into the hole created so long ago by the De-Pelter Turbo; RJ, Rob, Vexon and Vincent all bounced up and down like yo-yos over the uneven ground. Finally the vehicle reached the other end of the hole and surged upward, climbing over the edge. RJ looked up and, with a gasp, saw the rest of the Hedgies, still running. They had just managed to make it through the remains of the house and were now bolting as fast as their feet could carry them across the streets of suburbia. If RJ didn't act soon, the bulldozer would soon be upon them.

Rob had a better idea, however, and he ducked and rolled out of the driver's compartment, landing in the grass next to the bulldozer, which screeched to a halt. Vexon and Vincent continued wrestling in the driver's seat; Vincent had lost all sense of reason and was snarling madly, lashing his claws out at anything and everything he could reach. Vexon, on the other hand, was simply trying to get the crushing weight of the bear off of him, letting out little yelps all the while.

Vincent's hateful eyes swiveled around, finally fixating on something: Rob. The wolf was just getting up, a bit woozy from the fight. Vincent howled and leaped for him, and Rob, yelling, fell again, pawing and scratching at the bear, trying to throw him off.

"GET OFF OF HIM!" RJ shouted, and he scrambled over the hood and windshield of the bulldozer, finally coming to the top. Without a second thought he jumped and landed on Vincent, pulling on his fur, clawing at him, biting him, doing everything he possibly could to get him away from Rob, away from his family, away from his life —

"RJ!" snarled Vincent again, and he scrabbled at his back, trying to nab the raccoon. Rob took advantage of the distraction, getting up. "RJ! JUMP!" he shouted, and he ran forward and headbutted Vincent in the stomach. Vincent let out a grunt and fell backward, and RJ leaped, landing on Rob's shoulders. The wolf checked him over, saw he was okay, and then bolted.

"COME BACK HERE!" shouted Vexon, struggling into the driver's seat again, and he started up the bulldozer once more, pushing it forward. Vincent let out another growl and followed, but Rob ignored them, concentrating on catching up to the Hedgies. "If the family — makes it to the forest —" he panted as he ran, "— then they can hide out there — until we manage to lose them."

The family in question had currently taken another turn, running quickly down a street indistinguishable from all the others. John and Snowy seemed to know where they were going, however, and so they were in the lead; being the fastest animals, they had also elected to carry some of the smaller ones (like the porcupine kids) to make the journey faster. Bucky, Quillo and Spike were currently playing patty-cake on John's back, completely immune to the danger surrounding them, while Katrina, Marissa, Frank and George clung to Snowy's fur for dear life. Rob and RJ managed to catch up to them as they turned yet another street corner; Verne, who was in the lead, cast a nervous glance over his shoulder.

"Hurry, everyone!" Lilly shouted, gesturing to the rest of the animals. "We don't have much time!"

Lilly was more right than she knew: Behind the Hedgies, Vexon had pressed down on the gas of the bulldozer, surging forward in front of Vincent. With a screech of tires and a blast of its horn, the yellow machine zoomed around the corner to catch up to Rob and RJ. "Having fun?" the doctor laughed, poking his head out the driver's side window, and Rob gulped.

Rather than stopping the vehicle, Vexon pulled a lever on the dashboard; and as the bulldozer moved, its shovel reached down, toward the gang of horrorstruck Hedgies. Vexon grunted, yanking on the lever again, and the shovel scooped all of the Hedgies up neatly, trapping them inside. The crowd cried out in panic, banging on the sides of the shovel. "Let us go!" Verne shouted, struggling out the top.

"I think these little guys need to be put down somewhere," Vexon was saying to himself, and the bulldozer turned one last corner before it zoomed through the gates of El Camelot, Rob and RJ hot on its heels. "OVER A CLIFF!" the doctor added with a maniacal laugh, and instead of turning toward the forest, the bulldozer spun on its wheels and went to the left, toward the large END sign plastered on the fence post.

"NO!" Rob growled, and he leaped as the bulldozer turned, sailing right into the driver's side and knocking Vexon over. The doctor let out a yell, his foot coming off the gas, and he fell backward, smashing against the other side of the driver's compartment. The bulldozer shuddered to a halt, and Vexon turned a hateful eye on Rob, lunging for the wolf.

Meanwhile, RJ scurried up the side of the vehicle and out on the arm of the bulldozer; soon he reached the end, where the Hedgies had begun to climb out. "Hey, guys," he said with a half-smile, and he offered a paw. "Need a little help?"

"RJ!" Ozzie gasped, taking the raccoon's paw, and RJ helped him out of the shovel. "How did you — we thought you were dead, or —"

"Another time, Ozzie," said Stella smoothly, cutting him off. "We gotta get out of here, first."

"Which won't be happening!" came a fierce snarl, and RJ turned around just in time to see Vincent lunge for him. RJ yelled and jumped, landing in the shovel with the rest of the Hedgies; Vincent's paw lashed out, and when RJ ducked it struck the side of the shovel and tilted it. All of the critters inside promptly tumbled out, landing in a heap on the ground. Vincent, meanwhile, gave another roar of pain as he clutched as his injured paw.

"Whoa!" said Marissa, who was the first to recover; she had darted under the fencepost and was now peering over the edge of the cliff, giving an impressive whistle. "That's a looooong way down."

"Marissa!" shouted Katrina, lunging for her sister. "Get away from there! You know better than that!"

"I'm fine, Katrina," said Marissa nonchalantly, turning around and rolling her eyes. "See?"

The rest of the Hedgies, meanwhile, had made their way out from under the wheels of the bulldozer and were now being moved along by Verne, who was pointing them toward the forest and counting them to make sure he had everyone. RJ, still not fully recovered, was the last to stand; as he glanced upward, he saw Rob fly through the hole where the windshield used to be, falling off the hood of the bulldozer and landing in front of it. RJ heard Hammy gasp, and couldn't blame him: There was a long gash above Rob's eye, trickling blood down his face, and the wolf's breathing was ragged.

"Ha haaaaa!" came Vexon's crazed laugh; he was waving a piece of glass from the shattered windshield in front of him — a piece that was covered with Rob's blood. "You see what you get when you mess with me??"

Rob gave another snarl, struggling to his feet. "I did not almost die and then come back to life just to get killed again," he growled, and he leaped for Vexon once more, landing back on the hood of the bulldozer. RJ missed the rest, however, because at that moment a massive black paw came down and swiped at him, and he flew to the side and crashed into Verne, sending the both of them sprawled on the ground. Rob whirled around and bit Vincent on the shoulder in retaliation, dragging him into the fight with Vexon and causing him to give another loud roar of pain.

"Sorry," RJ grunted, helping Verne up. "Did you get everybody to the forest?"

"Almost," said Verne nervously, and he pointed behind them. "All that's left is Hammy, me, Marissa and Katrina — oh, and you and Rob, of course."

At Verne's words, something stirred in RJ's memory, and his eyes widened. "No," he said abruptly, to Verne's surprise; "we're gonna need Marissa and Katrina to stay."

"RJ, they'll be killed!" gasped Verne, and he cast a nervous eye at the fight still going on.

"Not if this works," RJ smiled, flashing Verne his familiar cocky grin. "I have an idea..."

With that, he darted to the rats, who had been sheltered behind the fencepost some distance away. Marissa seemed transfixed by the ongoing battle. "Guys," said RJ, snapping them out of their revere. "I need your help."

"I heard you talkin' about us," said Marissa, finally tearing her eyes away. "What was it about?"

"Never mind that now," said RJ, shaking his head. "Look — I need you guys to go after Vincent."

"You want us to what?" shouted Katrina. The fear in her eyes was evident.

"Just trust me on this, all right?" said RJ, looking back and forth between them. "Just — just go after him, all right? He won't hurt you. I promise."

Marissa looked at him strangely. "That's an odd thing to promise," she said, and promptly turned back to Vincent. "Prepare to meet your maker, you filthy beast!" she shouted dramatically, leaping for him.

Katrina rolled her eyes. "Well, wherever she goes, I go." And she promptly followed suit.

Vincent had pulled himself away from the battle and was lumbering toward the forest, aiming to go after the Hedgies, but he turned around at the sound of the rats' voices; soon Marissa and Katrina were upon him, scratching at his stomach and chest. "RATS!" Vincent shouted, and for the first time there was real fear in his eyes, not just hatred. He growled and swiped at them, but they dodged and continued climbing upward, onto his shoulders and neck, scratching and biting all the while. "Get OFF, you disease-carrying ingrates, GET OFF!" Vincent shouted.

RJ smirked in satisfaction before leaping forward to join the battle himself. "Keep at it, you guys!" he shouted to Marissa and Katrina as he landed on Vincent's arm, doing his own fair share of biting and scratching. "Make him madder! Make him really mad! He doesn't think when he's mad!"

As if to prove this point, Vincent gave a wild howl, ceasing in his efforts to pull off Marissa and Katrina and instead just flailing his limbs and stumbling around, trying to shake the animals off. RJ dug his teeth into Vincent's arm and held firm; above him, he saw Marissa and Katrina do the same to the bear's shoulders.

Finally Vincent lost his balance and fell; Marissa and Katrina jumped off his shoulders and looked at RJ for their next cue. "GO!" RJ shouted, gesturing toward the forest, and they bolted. RJ himself backed away from Vincent before ending up at the wheels of the bulldozer, where Rob and Vexon were still battling. RJ hoisted himself upward, onto the hood of the vehicle, and Vexon shoved Rob so that he fell out the windshield and onto the ground next to the bulldozer. RJ retaliated by jabbing Vexon in the eyes, and the doctor howled in pain, falling over into the passenger's seat, causing RJ to lose balance and fall onto the driver's side seat.

Vincent pushed himself up off the ground, raising his head to glare hatefully at RJ. "You think this is over, RJ?" the bear snarled, lumbering forward on all fours. "Every single last one of your little family WILL die! It'll be just like old times, RJ — you, alone, with no one to call your friend, and everybody and anybody who you even remotely cared for will fall victim to ME! Because you know what, RJ? That's what you get when you mess with me!"

And he leaped for RJ, snarling with rage; RJ yelled and jumped off the car seat, onto the floor of the vehicle. Vincent, meanwhile, smashed into the side of the bulldozer, forcing his way into the driver's compartment.

Vincent's words had had a profound impact on RJ; he felt like he had been punched in the chest. All sound seemed to die away and the world seemed to slow down: Vexon, his eyes streaming, struggling to see; Vincent, in front of him, glaring at him with hatred in his eyes; and though he couldn't see them, RJ knew his family was still out there, still trying to run away, still unsafe.

He didn't remember pushing down on the gas pedal. He didn't remember feeling the bulldozer lurch forward for what was to be the last time, the fencepost with the END sign disappearing under the wheels of the vehicle. He didn't remember Hammy's yell of "Stop! RJ, STOP!" or the look of dawning horror on Vincent's face as the bulldozer suddenly groaned loudly and tilted forward. He didn't remember the horrible plummeting feeling in his stomach that meant they were slowly falling over the edge. All he remembered were Vincent's words, and a single, solitary thought, running through his own mind:

I have to make sure that nobody else gets hurt.

"RJ! RJ, NO!" Hammy shouted again. The vehicle was halfway over the side of the cliff, dipping dangerously. Vincent, furious and snarling, attempted to struggle out from his place under the seat, but as he shifted his paw he slipped and he fell downward again, causing the vehicle to lunge forward even farther. The bulldozers' tires squealed in protest as it tilted more and more, and Vexon lunged down and grabbed RJ off the gas pedal, bringing the raccoon up to his eye level. "You stupid raccoon, look what you've done!" he shouted, and with a senseless yell he threw RJ out the windshield. RJ felt himself flying through the air, bouncing off the hood of the bulldozer; the raccoon's paws, scrabbling for a grip, finally found something to grasp and he found himself hanging off the edge of the vehicle.

"You ... haven't ... won!" shouted Vincent, who had at last struggled to his feet and was glaring at RJ with pure, utter loathing, lashing out and trying to reach the raccoon. "You ... haven't!"

Every other sound seemed muffled; all RJ heard was the scrape of the bulldozer's tires.

"Maybe I haven't," he said, with a sad smile. "But neither have you."

And the bulldozer plunged over the edge.

RJ let go of the hood, spiraling to the right as he fell, losing himself in the rush of air and the sudden, unexpected silence. Vincent and Vexon were both yelling with rage and fury, but RJ barely heard them; his attention was focused on the sight above him, the grass-covered cliff against a blank, cloudless sky coated with the colors of the sunset — probably the last thing he would ever see.

Sorry, Mom and Dad, RJ thought as he fell. Looks like I'll be joining you a lot sooner than we thought.

But wait: There was a glimmer. A small speck of hope...

A fishing line cast out in the breeze, a glint of light against an otherwise pale sky, a small lure hurtling toward RJ as he fell. RJ's paw reached out automatically and he grabbed it; the lure pierced his skin, but he didn't even notice. His fall downward suddenly turned into a rushing, upward motion, and the grass of the cliff, what he thought would have been his last sight on Earth, was growing closer and closer by the second...

"OOF!" grunted RJ, and sound and feeling returned to his world with a bitter sting: the lure in his hand, and the wall of the cliff against his stomach, as the line had managed to only pull him halfway up the side. RJ shut his eyes and concentrated on climbing the rest, and he finally rolled over the edge and back onto the grass, coming to a stop in front of Verne and Hammy, who both looked incredibly shocked. RJ then opened his eyes and stood to his feet for the last time, casting confused glances at the both of them.

"I thought ... I thought we lost the fishing line," he said finally, a hint of confusion in his voice.

Verne shook his head. "That wasn't ours, RJ."

He pointed, and RJ slowly turned his head, his eyes coming to rest on the back of an animal that seemed ... incredibly familiar. That tan-colored fur, that long bushy tail — and as the critter turned to face him, he saw its last distinct feature — deep and intense blue eyes ... eyes that looked so much like RJ's own...

"Hey there, bro," said Raymond, and he smiled halfheartedly at RJ's astonished gaze.