Guuuuud Mernin... afternoon... night?
Oh who cares? (Psst... I don't)
I'm Baaaaaack. My hiatus is at its end (fur now) and I feel great. Recharged the mental batteries and went a little loopy in the process.
Ok fine... i'm always loopy but i ended up getting back into the writing groove and did a bunch of stuff. WOOHOO!
Ended up writing about 16k words on Tuesday alone and powered through another 5k ish today. Four chapter updates with a fifth one-shot underway and nearing completion.
Now then... Read, enjoy, fav, follow, review, and grab that strange snack. Mine today is just a ton of pizza. plain old boring pizza... with cream cheese and chocolate sprinkles on top... XD
The manor was a vigorous nexus of movement, with the entirety of their group making and enacting measures to rescue the gluttonous raccoon. The maps Honey brought back happened, by fortunate grace, to include a very detailed layout of the surrounding local. Those maps were laid out for all to examine, with the more scout worthy mammals setting off the find the mercenary camp. Huddled around it was Bogo, Nicholas, and Honey, with the last uncharacteristically silent.
The other two were exchanging information and notes with other members of the group, updating their search areas and trying to ascertain a means of zoning down where the mercenary camp lay. Thus far, it appeared that half the surrounding regions were scouted and eliminated from the likely places the camp would be.
"I should have fought with him…" the badger whispered more to herself than anyone else. Bogo sighed and her son looked in her direction. With a nod from the bull, the tod went back to his task.
"You couldn't have known it would end like it did," the buffalo tried to comfort her, walking closer to her and resting hoof on Honey's shoulder.
"But he asked me to stay behind for stupid reasons," she lamented. "I could've called him an idiot and tagged along anyways." Bogo snorted a laugh at the badger's still present sass.
"He had a valid point at the time," came the bull's retort. "I mean… the mercenaries and Lord Hopps have no Earthly clue who you and a few others in our group are. To have attacked their warriors would have given them another face to look for, further interfering with our ability to operate."
"And now I'm safe here while he's probably getting a crossbow bolt twisted in his shoulder to torture him into telling them where the rest of us are!" Honey exclaimed in a rising tone. A few mammals looked on, but none voiced any such inquiry or concerns. After several seconds, all of them resumed their previous tasks, not wanting to incur any more wrath from the angry badger.
"We'll find him…" came a soft voice from beside Honey. She whirled with a twisted expression, ready to unleash her fury…
Upon the kind and caring expression of the fox standing before her. Rose was grabbing her paw now, sky blue eyes staring gently into Honey's own brown amber ones. Her furious energies faded away before she could muster the will to cast them aside herself. Tears pricked at the edge of her vision like hot needles, the full weight of the guilt she felt bearing its prodigious load upon her finally reaching a point she could no longer support alone.
Doing what Rose does best, the vixen pulled Honey into a tight hug, not knowing what else she could do to help. It turned out that it was the best thing, considering the circumstances, with the badger returning the embrace in kind and weeping near silently into the fox's chest.
Bogo chose to turn his gaze away and refocus upon the map, his sight darting between the several possible locations for a camp to remain hidden but also provide enough space for a multitude of mammals. They still hadn't much a clue how many mercenaries were after them, with the scouts that were questioned that fortnight prior having only divulged that they had a few dozen at the time. That would have been deemed a rather definitive number, if not for the foreboding revelation that reinforcements were meant to join them, potentially doubling their numbers. 'Potentially' being the key word in that respect.
"Let not the pyre of the Blazes take you, my friend," the bull spoke softly to himself.
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A dull thud echoed within the chamber, underscored by the something that sounded like bone on bone crunching together but not breaking.
"Is that all ya got?" teased Meeko from his tied position to a pole, armor and padding removed, along with the bolt that was lodged in his shoulder. "My mother hits harder than you, even on a good day. Good for her that is." There was another hit as the mammal working him over went for the gut. Knowing to brace himself and exhaling slowly on the clenched hoof striking him, the raccoon was able to mitigate the pain to something tolerable.
"Tell us where your friends are and you go free," voiced the deer buck striking him, his voice far less friendly than his features might have said otherwise.
"Aw, but I like you guys too much," Meeko replied in a falsetto sweet tone. "Why would I ever want to leave?" The buck grumbled to himself as he rubbed his wrist, the last strike doing more to hurt himself than he would have figured. The raccoon was solidly built for his deceptively small size.
Leaving the alcove the raccoon was tied up in, a beam of light bleeding in from the assortment of breaches in the overhanging rock formations.
He was taken to a series of tall, cavernous, and craggy rocks near the outskirts of town. It was well hidden against intruders but very difficult to traverse. The uneven ground made it terribly uncomfortable to attempt such things as walking or sleeping upon it. From what he could see though, they had set up cots and a semblance of living conditions nonetheless. There was little chance anyone would think the region was worth checking out.
That made things problematic for Meeko. He huffed slightly in annoyance, trying to come up with a means of escape or at least a way to signal the others. Knowing Bogo, he would be scouting the area. Rescue measures aside, the bull would at least be figuring out a way to eliminate their mercenary problem once and for all. That potentially made his means of escape irrelevant and the idea of revealing these scoundrels position more prevalent, even if it cost him his life in the process.
Sourbelle.
He let out a short chuckle, wishing he got to use that endearing term as intended. The raccoon could only surmise the level of trouble he would be in for saying that under more normal circumstances. The tongue lashing he might have received would have been well worth the hopefully conflicted look he wished would appear on her muzzle.
If nothing else, Meeko thought to himself, I'll survive if only to call her that once more.
Cut short of his own internal musings, a large sheep ram ambled in, looking rather irate and exasperated, though not entirely focusing those energies upon him. Meeko assumed it was the 'inability' of the deer buck to extract useful information from him.
"I am Captain Douglas Ramses of the Prey Partisans Mercenary Corps," the ram needlessly explained. "I must know where your companions are so that I may apprehend our quarries and dispatch of the trespassers that Lord Hopps noted."
"Are I not on your list of quarries to dispatch as well?" inquired the raccoon. "Then again… I did knock him in the head pretty hard. Maybe he forgot." There was a chuckle that followed his murmured musings.
"Ah," came the sound of realization from Douglas, "you're the bulky raccoon he mentioned? To be honest I was expecting someone…"
"Bigger?" Meeko supplied.
"Fatter…" the ram corrected venomously.
"Yeah, my armor is a bit ill-fitting as of late, after losing some weight a few years back," the raccoon responded. "I never really cared to resize or replace it. Haven't the coin to spare, honestly."
"Indeed," was the ram's tepid answer, eyes scanning the mammal before him with lackluster interest. "What say you to my demand?"
Meeko tilted his head back and forth, pretending to mull over the thought.
"You have a foot right?" he said with a smile. The room was silent with unamused expressions bearing down upon him. "Yes? Well, shove it in your mouth and choke on it. Same goes for your 'demand', Craptain."
The ram attempted a semblance of a growl, spitting back, "It's Captain, you filthy cur."
"Really? What did I say?" the raccoon questioned with a sarcastic smirk. "I do hope I haven't offended."
Douglas walked up to Meeko and knelt down, using a hoof to lift his muzzle up to face the ram.
"By the order of our contract, we are to kill you and bring back proof of death," he began. "You will die, but the question remains… will you die after being slowly tortured until you give us what we want? Or will you tell us now and die quickly? Your choice." The ram flicked his wrist to the side, skewing the raccoon's line of sight as his head turned.
"Let me think on it…" he muttered in kind. The captain gave a curt nod with an upturned sneering grin of supposed victory. He quickly ushered the two guards with him from the area, allowing for solace.
"You have an hour."
At that, a large barrier of wood and steel was placed over the opening to the alcove, keeping him trapped. Meeko rolled his eyes at the redundancy, seeing as his paws were tied behind him, around a wood pole of a rather sturdy nature.
Making a few rustling noises, that were thankfully unheard, Meeko's paws were freed from the rope that bound them together. He grinned at his captor's lack of experience with dealing with raccoons. Unlike many mammals, raccoons had slim paws with slender, dexterous digits. When pressing their digits together, the overall thickness nearly became less than that of their wrists, depending on the raccoon. Suffice it to say, Meeko was able to writhe his paws from the ropes constricting his wrists with moderate ease.
He rubbed his paws where the rope bit into them, the process of wiggling free may have been simple but not exactly painless. Looking around, he found the triage of items he spotted earlier. A lantern, a bow, and a quiver with two arrows. Some idiot guard must have assumed it would be no consequence to leave it there, what with the prisoner being tied up and all.
It was too little for a proper defense, but enough for a means to signal any of the mammals he hoped were looking for him. Keeping an ear perked towards the door, Meeko ran quietly over to the aforementioned items and grabbed them.
The bow was a little too big for him, but he could work with it. Same with the arrows. Pulling the wick from the lantern and ripping a small portion of his now tattered clothing, Meeko poured some of the oil from the lantern on the cloth, wrapping it and tying it off near the arrowhead. Hiking up a pant leg, he then proceeded to pull a small pouch strapped to his shin. Inside were a couple of flint stones, likely missed in their lackluster search of his body after stripping his armor.
Brutal these mammals may be, but no geniuses they were either. At least it was working in his favor, for now. Then again, who looks up a mammal's pant leg for stones?
Striking the stones together, a stuttered spark spit out onto the soaked cloth. Nothing happened, making the raccoon try again. The same effect leading to the same problematic result. A few more strikes and the cloth finally flared up with the beautiful amber tendrils of heat that permeated the air.
Nocking the arrow as quickly as he could, Meeko braced himself as he steadied the larger bow, getting a good degree of aim out of the largest of the gaps in the ceiling of the craggy alcove. The pain in his shoulder spiked, but he gritted his teeth and bore the ache for the time being. He couldn't escape by conventional means…
But he could send a warning.
Loosing the arrow, it flew with fair accuracy, missing the edges of the opening by mere inches and launching into the twilight of the setting sun.
Come quickly, Meeko prayed silently.
He then placed the items back in their previous place, slipping his paws haphazardly back into the restraints, keeping them removed enough to escape or fight in immediate need.
Now…
He just had to play a waiting game. As if to spite him in the wake of his silent patience, Meeko's stomach decided in that moment to give a momentous growl of protest.
"Not now…" he muttered in frustration.
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With the sun setting below the viewable horizon, letting the light bleed into night, a mammal clad in mostly black to hide her brighter fur streaked across the landscape.
Penny had a knife drawn and sword at the ready, prepared to take on a foe of distance or close range in tandem or concurrently. The fading light was both a boon and a curse, given the circumstances. While she was a predator with excellent vision in the night, properly scouting the land for hideouts was made more difficult. Despite her ability to see well in low light, the strength of such an inherent skill was that moving things were easier to focus on. However, when it came to the land, everything would blend together for the most part unless one knew exactly where to focus.
The snow leopard stopped and scanned the area, trying to find some sign of a camp. Smoke trails from campfires, guards making their perimeter sweeps, or even a mammal making a trip to a nearby water source. She saw nothing except the seemingly infinite forest, a lake to the west, and a collection of rocky spires clumped up near the edge of the aforementioned lake.
With the sun now fully dipped below the horizon, the last dregs of light only painting the sky with warm colors, Penny could now see something odd lighting up a portion of the fading day.
Out of one of the lower collection of crags came a small beacon of flickering light, looking like a miniature flare of orange and red arching through the sky in a lazy high arc.
With her paws rising at the haunches, pads and claws the only thing touching the earth at this point, the feline powered forward as fast as her legs could carry her. Still falling slowly but surely, the beacon was headed for the bank of the lake.
It wasn't Penny's intention to catch or retrieve the light, but to ascertain whether it was what she thought it was.
Sure enough, she reached the location where it had struck the earth only seconds before she arrived. The fire she assumed that consumed the tip of the arrow she could now see appeared to have been extinguished by it being buried in the dirt. Looking around, she retrieved the arrow and darted off, coming to several possible conclusions and not wanting anyone else to see the arrow.
It appeared that there was no mammal that saw her or even noticed her traversing the landscape. Once she was a safe distance away, she sniffed the air for any sign of encroachers of her personal space and looked at the arrow. A charred piece of what could have only been cloth was attached to it, still partially drenched in a sappy oil. The arrow was lit on fire then fired with purpose. The mercenaries would NOT have done such a thing to risk revealing such an impromptu hiding place, thus leading her to assume it was hopefully Meeko who was sending off a way to find him.
Her face fell at the prospect of thinking that he might not be the only mammal held captive. News had rolled in from some frequenting town saying that a few random individuals had been detained for questioning. That made Penny temper her optimism that Meeko was still alive. Either way, it was clear that this was a place of interest to investigate. Given that there was no time to tarry though, Bogo would most likely make a quick plan and charge in.
Taking a few slow and deep breaths, the leopard sprinted at full speed away from the area, keeping low and to the shade of the trees. She had already sheathed her weapons for a more fluid and faster run back to the manor.
0000000
"We've searched the town, the river, the lake area, and even that foggy valley to the south," complained an irritated Bogo. "Why can't we find their blasted hideout?!" His hoof slammed into the table, shaking all the loose items on it and knocking a couple things over.
"Maybe, there are some caverns or crevices large enough to make camp in," Nicholas offered, crossing his paws in thought.
"No…" Honey interjected softly. "I've already thought of that and gone over all the maps. Anything the locals know and maps show are far too small for even a tiny group to comfortably use as an overnight means of shelter. We're missing something…"
A door opened and shut with surprising speed and force, to which a black clad mammal pulled down a cowl from their muzzle and stabbed a somewhat burnt arrow into the map.
"Not anymore," Penny boldly proclaimed. "I think we have our location. Call all the scouts back." the badger perked up with obvious hope, though trepidatious optimism furrowed her expression as well.
"Where is he?" she asked in a deadly low tone. The feline pointed to the lake, picking up a piece of charcoal to circle the markings for the craggy rock formations at the edge.
"I couldn't see anyone, but this arrow was fired as a signal from the gaps. It wouldn't take a genius to assume someone wanted to reveal their location."
"What if it's a trap?" Judith supplied, to which multiple mammals looked at her in realization she might be right.
The snow leopard's face remained rather determined as she continued, "Doubtful. If I hadn't been looking or in the area, the arrow would likely have gone unnoticed by any mammal. It was on fire when loosed and was put out when embedded within the ground. For all any passerby could tell, it was fired weeks prior when a fight broke out or hunter missed their mark."
"Hunter?" the bunny doe asked, clearly confused. The red fox patted her on the back, ready to explain.
"We may not hunt each other anymore, but some predators still go after things like ducks, turkeys, and chickens for sustenance." A silent 'Oh' formed from the rabbit's mouth in realization.
"Back to matter at paw," Penny resumed, "I'm very sure this isn't a trap and that Meeko is here, along with much of the current complement of mercenaries chasing us."
"Well then," the tod started in a rising tone, "what are we waiting for? Let's get going."
"We need a plan of action," the bull rhetorically stated. "We don't even know what the area in there is like, much less so what defense have been set up." The snow leopard raised a paw, bringing attention to bear upon her.
"I saw the crags myself," she began. "They are treacherous in appearance and I suspect no more comfortable for camp arrangements. My thinking is they would much rather fight outside than be caught in there. So, we draw them out."
"How in the blazes would we do that?" one of the tigers present remarked. Other mammals were nodding in silent agreement, at odds in their minds of how one would draw a force from a position of fortification, no matter its level of supposed comfort.
"Actually…" Nicholas spoke up, smiling, "I have a few ideas about that."
0000000
"Your hour is far from up," Douglas said in a low tone, his irritation rising as the barrier was removed from the alcove. The raccoon remained deathly still, looking as if he hadn't moved since leaving. "I gave you ample time to decide though, I honestly expected you to give me what I wanted within minutes of leaving you to yourself."
Along with his entourage, the Captain walked into the area, closing in on the raccoon. He made no moves to recognize there was anyone near him. He let a hoof drape under his snout, trying to feel if he was breathing.
There was nothing.
Letting out a sigh of exasperation, the ram gave the mammal a side long hit to the muzzle. He expected a shout of pain from having faked being unconscious. To the sheep's surprise, the raccoon merely limply swayed to the side, reacting more like a ragdoll than a mammal faking it and breaking under duress.
"Wonderful," he muttered. "Get him out of here. I don't want his corpse stinking up the place."
The two mammals accompanying Douglas hurried to his side and unbound the raccoon, beginning to drag him out of the chamber and out of sight.
"Right away, sir," one of them mumbled in response.
As the pair rounded the corner, a sudden scuffle sounded, drawing the ram's attention, causing him to turn abruptly.
In the entryway to the alcove stood a rather smug looking raccoon, holding a rope in a paw. The two mammals meant to accompany his 'body' were on the ground… bleeding. In the other paw, Meeko had the broken shaft of the second arrow braced firmly in his grasp, the arrowhead dripping periodically.
"Really?" the raccoon started with a wince as he shrugged for dramatic effect. "You couldn't bear the thought of checking whether my heart still beat, so you assume I was dead?" He clicked his tongue in admonishment, Douglas sputtering to rebuke him as he attempted to close in.
Meeko gave him no chance as he unwound the rope from its anchor and allowed the counterweight to rise, lowering the barrier over the door with the ram trapped inside.
Kneeling down, he took a dagger from the smaller of the two mammals, the goat unlikely having any true use for his small weapon anymore. It felt wrong in his grip but the raccoon would have to make do.
Annoying bleating sounded from the closed off chamber, with the ram captain making an attempt at warning the others about a prisoner escape. Knowing he didn't have time to find and don his own effects, Meeko made for a direction and committed to find a way out. Rounding a corner quickly, he locked gazes with two gazelle a few dozen paces away, their stunned looks only lasting a second as they went to draw swords.
The swords made it halfway from their sheaths before something bright shined from above, distracting the three mammals. Unlike the alcove he was trapped in, Meeko could see the rest of the layout of the crags was far more sporadic and with a vast array of openings in the upper tiers of the rocks.
Coming in from above and entering quite a few of the large openings was flaming baubles of sorts. One of them smashed into a craggy spire directly above the two gazelle and spilled out something black and tar like over them. The fire consumed it, snaking across the substance and turning it into a blazing inferno, to which the two screamed and flailed around.
Meeko took cover by ducking under an overhanging ledge, surmising the substance was hot pitch, poured into fragile containers, and lobbed into the crags with oil soaked rags wrapped around them. More screams and yells permeated and echoed within the rocks, pulling at the merciful part of the raccoon that could feel a bit of sympathy for them. Subsequently, he could smell an acrid stench filling the atmosphere. Meeko assumed it was the gazelle's bodies, but quickly cast that thought aside when he remembered that pitch usually smoked quite a prodigious amount when it burned.
"Those clever mammals," Meeko whispered to himself with a smile. He now realized they hadn't planned on invading the crags, but smoking out the mammals within. The battle would likely be more tilted in their group's favor that way. With the smoke obscuring their senses and the night hindering the all prey mercenaries already lacking sense of sight compared to more perceptive mammals in low light, they would be forced out into the open. An ambush was likely waiting for them all.
The raccoon wasted no more time and took off in another direction, the previous path being blocked by burning mammals and oozing pitch.
Thankfully, any other mammals he came across were dismissive or unaware of him, coughing and blinking away the acrid smoke as they stumbled, fumbled, and trampled their way out by any path or means available. A few other mammals were getting trodden under hoof and paw, the frantic prey trying to selfishly care only for themselves.
Knowing that following the largest crowds would mean getting caught up in whatever ambush was happening, Meeko took to following a couple of stragglers who appeared to know where an alternate route lay, instead of wandering aimlessly in the smoke.
He wasn't exactly sneaking behind them, but he wouldn't make his presence known so obviously if he could help it. The two the raccoon followed took a couple of jerky turns, as if remembering on the fly how to get out.
Finally, the uneven rocks and jagged paths opened up into the dim light of the stars painting the shore of the lake. The side exit they used appeared to go right into the shallow water a short ways from landfall.
Meeko paused, watching the two in front of him splash and wade their way to the shore. The taller one, a yak, suddenly clutched at his chest, falling limply into the water. The other mammal, a beaver, tossed and turned looking for the unseen source of his comrade's assailant.
He couldn't see it, but the raccoon saw it. A black shade against the dark scape. It closed in, barely making a ripple, then grabbed the beaver from the side and twisted his head, a sickening crunch echoed over the water.
Meeko was pretty sure he knew who the mammal was, kicking a stone to splash in the water. The mammal whirled around, two knives cutting through the air and whizzing by the raccoon, who barely flinched. He smiled, seeing that her skills were rather sharp. While missing him entirely, the mammal had been perfectly accurate, throwing the knives over the exact area where the stone hit the water.
"Relax Penny…" He chided gently. "It's me."
The figure stood straight up, looking perturbed.
"Oh... OH! My goodness… By the blazes, I am woefully sorry for my actions," came the fumbled words as she waded closer. Meeko let out a slightly pained chortle, his shoulder and lungs ablaze with dull pains.
"It was no consequence," he comforted. "I knew that might happen."
"How did you escape?" came her expected inquiry.
"I faked… you know what… later." Penny nodded in agreement and the two waded the way back to shore.
0000000
Honey stood with Judith, the two occupying a small bluff a safe distance from the resulting fight.
Using a spyglass, the badger surveyed the skirmish. The mercenaries were flooding out into the open, coughing and hacking from the smoke. With some knowing what was to come, they readied their arms and found cover, avoiding projectiles like arrows and knives.
Upon regrouping behind any rocks or cover and taking a breath that wasn't poisoned by smoking pitch, Honey could see that there was a good twenty or so mammals that weren't felled by arrows or burned by pitch.
"What do we do?" the doe asked. The badger turned to look at her shorter companion.
"In the dark, there is little you can do," Honey told her. "You would be at a disadvantage, though, to be sure, the mercenaries are as well, being all prey it would seem." Judith let out a sigh.
"I guess," was her languished response, a paw rubbing up and down her other arm.
"Hey…" the badger cooed as softly as her usually abrasive voice allowed, "don't get too down about it. Even Bogo has to sit this one out, for the most part. He's a pretty big target. He's actually throwing javelins from the rear of the group. Rose and Heather aren't fighting either, though they can barely wield a blade larger than those meant for food preparation." She waved a paw dismissively. "Nevermind, I'm making some terrible examples. Besides, the two of us are supposed to close in and help once we find Meeko. Last I saw of him, he had a bolt sticking out of his shoulder."
Honey gasped as her scan of the battlefield let her sights land on the darkly dressed Penny, guiding a shorter but still easily identifiable mammal.
"Speaking of, we gotta go," she quickly mentioned, darting off to the side and leaving the bunny to do a double take before bolting off to catch up to the badger.
"Woah… wait up, Honey," Judith called out, struggling to keep up with the slower but more deftly moving mammal in the downhill path to the shore. "How do you move that… smoothly?"
"Comes with years of experience in the wild, Sweetheart," the badger answered rather bluntly. The grey doe facepawed at the strikingly similar use of the word 'Sweetheart' that she used in reference to her mate.
"Everyday, I'm reminded how much those two are alike," the rabbit whispered to herself.
Few enough minutes later, the two reached a predetermined meeting spot to take care of Meeko, should he need assistance. Even before the battle started, a few things were talked about in correspondence to the raccoon's potential condition. If he were rescued or found in the course of the battle, it was agreed he would be escorted away for treatment. Another course was to clear the region of all hostiles, capture those who surrendered, and bring in any such mammals to tend to him.
Turns out the former was fortunately the case. The spot they chose was an enclosed thicket with a mossy forest floor. Small sacks were left there with poultices and salves, along with bandages and wooden splints.
They were quickly met by the approaching snow leopard and raccoon, the latter's face looking very relieved upon seeing Honey.
He sauntered over to her as well as he could, extending his arms in open expectation of an embrace.
The poor raccoon was met with a paw to the muzzle, making him upturn his nose to avoid hurting that sensitive flesh.
"Before we engage in pleasantries… a question," Honey fired off, to which Meeko rubbed his chin and nodded tentatively. "Besides the shoulder, how are you faring with injuries." The raccoon gave himself a once over and smiled.
"I think I'm mostly fine...OOFFF!"
A clenched paw made its way into Meeko's gut, with the concerned mammal doubling over and making a rather surprised sound of pain.
"That… was for calling me Sourbelle," Honey spoke, rubbing her paw as she hadn't expected the solid build of his abdomen to hurt her since she was the aggressor. Giving him a second or two to recover, the badger then grabbed his tunic's collar and pulled Meeko in to plant her lips on his. It was short, but rather passionate and electrifying. Unfortunately, it was also over before Meeko could have a proper chance to enjoy it, with him leaning further into the kiss, while Honey backed away, a blush evident on her cheeks, visible even beneath her fur.
"And that… was for everything else."
The stupefied look of satisfaction on the raccoon made the badger's eyes narrow at his inability to refocus. Judith and Penny, on the other paw, were rather slackjaw at the whole exchange, completely caught off guard by the display.
Tapping her foot now, Honey was getting impatient with Meeko's lack of recovering and pointed to the bedding that was made, shouting, "Get your tail over there right now so we can treat you! Or so help me… I'll put a bolt in the other shoulder."
The raccoon perked back up and rushed over to lay down and allow the stunned bunny to jar herself back from her previous state and begin taking a look at his wounds.
Meeko, smiling like an idiot, tilted his head towards Honey, giving her a wink and letting out a chuckle at her reaction of turning and grumbling to herself.
"I'm never gonna hear the end of this…"
I thank you all for your patience and understanding of my absence.
I am back now and feeling soooo much better. Rest and mental clarity now do not elude me, for I am now... oh screw it. I'm good now. simple. lol.
Anywho...
REVIEWS!:
Venomheart the Dreamer: Honey isn't taking part due to the fact that a few faces in their group are described in detail, meaning Meeko is already known. Honey joined the group after entering the forests and has had no such interaction with Lord Hopps directly. if she engaged the mercenaries and any escaped the conflict, it would give them another face to look for, therefore, Meeko asked her to stay out of sight while he dealt with the mercs. furthermore, defensive or no, killing people in a market of a city wouldnt be good in any such respect for them. people might misconstrue their intentions as murderous towards others.
Meeko thought he would win. the mercs thought they would win. it wasnt as if they fought knowing they would lose.
Guest: Thank you.
Jknight97: Thank you very much and I have a slew of stuff to release. mwahahahaha.
GUNSLINGER99: yes he is. XD
USA Patriot: Your comparison is good. I like it. and Nicholas is about 23. Judith is 20. Honey i dont necessarily name an age but I imply she's in her mid 40s. Oh and I'm a guy. no worries. I never really cared to specify. XD
TheGreatWaff: Hiatus is an extended leave or break meant to be something of a recovery time. at least that's what i used it for. ANd thank you. XD
akanomie1: Thank you and I feel so much better now.
DrummerMax64: Well I think Meeko did most of the work himself, but 'rescue' is still the right word. XD
And to tell you the truth, Meeko having a true interest in anyone was a joke i liked playing with, but i grew to like the guy and figured he needed love like everyone else.
Thank you for saying as much. I love writing all this stuff and I honestly lost track until posting the last chapter and wondered what my average was. I was very surprised and a little proud of myself. XD Suffice it to say... i'm back with the force of a great typhoon. wrote a total of about 22k words in the last couple days.
Leon Banz: Fluff Overlord. I love it. XD thank you for that.
ShadowRaven27: I'm glad you like him so much. I'm not huge on OCs but i'm liking being able to expand upon my own as much as i have thus far.
Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps: Thank you very much. Hope this gives more insight to his thinking and personality. XD
DONE!
Back in black and ready to quack!
wait... that doesn't sound right at all.
or left...
Meh... don't care. I'll address that problem later. with a steak knife... and bacon. not exactly in that order.
Until next time, It's been a hustle, Sweethearts.