Here's an idea- how about I wrap this chapter up? Sound good? Great.

It feels like I'm getting my writing spirit back, and I think it shows at some parts during this update. That being said, I both love and hate the end of this chapter. You'll see why. Without further ado, here's the conclusion to chapter 6.

Disclaimer: If I owned Hamtaro, I would have an unlimited stash of sunflower seeds hidden under the tree in my front yard.

"You told Hamtaro WHAT?"

Boss recoiled a few paces as Sandy's explosive response echoed through the clubhouse, her gaze seeming to alight.

Maxwell merely looked on and blinked, too stunned to do much else. "Boss…" the bookworm managed, "are you serious?"

"W-well yeah," confirmed the field hamster.

Stan chimed in: "Wow, Boss-man. That's… really harsh."

"Like, I can't believe you'd do something like that!" Sandy took a step forwards, causing the field ham to stumble backward an inch. "Hamtaro's been our friend for a VERY long time, and you just decide to, like… UGH!" The tiger-striped girlham was earning her stripes as she continued backing Boss into a corner. "He's always there, ready to lend a paw, and he never minds. Like, how many times has he helped you out?"

Maxwell set his book down and got up. "She's right, Boss. Think of all the great times you've had together."

Boss' continence grew reflective as memories flashed through his mind. He remembered visiting that massive sunflower field with the cream and orange ham and how they brought everybody back fresh seeds. Then there was building the Ham-Ham fun park… not to mention hunting for treasure, playing soccer, and countless other adventures. The more the field hamster thought about it, the more he realized what a big mistake he had made. Hamtaro really was a great friend, and in return Boss had allowed his emotions to get the better of him. The poor little guy was probably broken-hearted—the field hamster knew he would be.

Boss felt rotten.

"… You guys are right. I feel terrible," Boss replied, hanging his head. "But what am I suppose to do now?"

Stan casually threw out, in the most uninterested voice a hamster could muster: "Apologize?"

Sandy shot her brother a look, then let out a deep sigh. "Like, Stan's right, rude or not. You have to find Hamtaro and apologize, right now. He's gotta be feeling pretty bummed."

"You're right!" The field hamster's head shot up, his paw clenched in dedicated resolve. Then, in a more delicate tone, "But… what if he's mad and doesn't want to see me?"

"There's only one way to find out," Sandy stated.

Boss pondered it for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."

Sandy displayed a small smile. "Great. I'll, like, come with you."

"We ALL will," added Maxwell as Stan gave a sigh and shrugged off any ideas of protest. "The others should already be at Hamtaro's house by now. How are we going to catch up?"

"Not a problem!" Boss replied. "I just happen to know a shortcut that'll cut the time in half." And with that, the field ham straightened his yellow hardhat, grabbed his shovel, and pulled open the door, Sandy, Maxwell and Stan right behind.

"Hamtaro!" Panda cried in distress, "Slow down up there!"

"Sorry, Panda, but I want to get there as soon as possible."

The two hamsters were scurrying across Oak Tree Park, scampering through tall grass and dodging around tree trunks as they made their way from Panda's home to the clubhouse. This would be unremarkable but for the rectangular frame of a door held above their heads.

In fact, it was the same door that the two friends had built along with Oxnard and Cappy a couple days previous. However, the wood had now been painted a rich olive color, just recently dried, so that the project looked neat and new. Even as they ran, Hamtaro smiled to himself. After seeing the new door they had for the clubhouse, there was no way Boss could stay mad at him.

Behind the cream and orange boyham, Panda let out a gasp. "Where are we going, Hamtaro?"

The two hams were weaving between towering blades of grass. "Don't worry, this is a shortcut! It'll get us to the clubhouse faster."

The carpenter-ham had never been this way before, but Hamtaro confidently pressed ahead. Panda's ears began to twitch as the sound of running water became clear, and he turned with worry to his friend. "Wait! Won't we have to cross the creek if we go this way?" Near the middle of the park, not too far from the Ham-Ham clubhouse, ran a creek, and while it wasn't particularly deep, it had a swift and strong current and Panda liked to avoid it whenever possible.

"Yeah," Hamtaro confirmed while panting, "but Boss and I went exploring down here before, and there's plenty of ways to get across."

"If you say so…"

Sure enough, not even a minute later, the grass parted into a small clearing, the creek flowing a foot in front of them. "Be careful," Panda instructed as they set the new door down to rest. Hamtaro wiped his brow as he looked up and down the running water, searching for a place to cross.

"Over there!" he declared suddenly, startling Panda. The black and white Ham-Ham looked in the direction his friend was pointing. A few feet up the bank, a generous amount of debris—from leaves to branches and even a small log—had been carried by the current, bogging and entangling together until it made a type of natural bridge across the water.

Over the years, Panda had developed a habit of rubbing the back of his arm whenever he felt unsure of something. This was exactly what the boyham was now doing. The carpenter-ham had been a builder almost his entire life, and his years of experience were now questioning the durability of the so-called "bridge."

"Hamtaro," he spoke up, "are you sure it's… sturdy?"

The two Ham-Hams picked up the door and trudged over to the crossing. Hamtaro delicately set his paw on the bridge and pressed down. It gave a slight bounce in response, but otherwise remained perfectly intact. "It seems fine…" Hamtaro speculated.

Panda remained unsure. "Ok, but let's cross carefully. Just in case."

The two hams nodded at each other, hoisted the door back over their heads, and gingerly began taking steps onto the makeshift bridge. Their progress was slow and attentive, and they listened after each footfall checking for unusual creaking or groining. Bit by bit, Hamtaro and Panda made their way across the water.

Boss grunted as he swiped at a towering blade of grass with his trusty shovel. Behind him trotted Sandy, Stan, and Maxwell, each one looking slightly unsure.

"Hey, Boss-man?" Stan piped up. "Are you sure this is a shortcut?"

"Of course. When have I ever gotten lost?"

"Well…" Sandy began.

The field ham shot her a look and continued pushing through. "Actually, Hamtaro and I discovered it together."

Maxwell stopped, his ears twitching. "Wait… is that… water I hear?"

"You got it," Boss confirmed as he swung at another stem of tall grass, "there's a creek that runs through the park, and we're going to have to cross to the other side."

"A creek?! Like, we can't swim, Boss!"

"Don't worry! There's always some debris pilled up we can use to cross. Ya won't even have to get your paws wet." The field hamster continued leading the way, silently remarking under his breath, "Bunch of scaredy-cats…"

Boss stood on his toes listening, ears twitching; they were near the water now. He reached up to part the wall of vegetation to reveal the creek, it's gushing water flowing not a foot in front of them.

"Dude! How are we supposed to cross this?"

Boss turned to address his friend's disquiet, but was cut off as Maxwell eagerly declared, "Look over there, you guys!" The Ham-Hams' gaze followed the bookworm's pointing paw upstream where there stood a clear bridge of flotsam and jetsam, and upon that bridge were…

"Hamtaro! Panda!" the four Ham-Hams cried out as they ran towards their friends.

The cream and orange ham was the first to look, and after a second his face lit up as he declared, "Hey guys!" Panda also smiled, but seemed more concerned with crossing to the far bank than greeting his friends.

Boss cuffed his paws around his mouth and called, "What are you two doing out there?"

"Sorry, Boss!" Hamtaro began. "I know you didn't want to see me again, but Panda and I have a new door for the clubhouse and—"

"Don't worry about it," Boss cut off with a smile. "Just get over here!"

The cream and orange ham smiled back. However, when he looked again, Hamtaro realized that Boss' lighthearted countenance had suddenly changed to one of dread. Panda picked up on the change too, for now all four of their friends had similar looks on their faces, eyes wide and bodies static and still. "What's wrong, guy?"

Maxwell swallowed hard. "Behind you..."

The two Ham-Hams turned their heads, their hearts stopping. Lazily sitting on the bank behind them, piercing yellow eyes looking quite amused, perched a gray cat. It's silver tail brushed back and forth, smug mouth grinning wickedly. "Well, well…" it stated in a clear, elegant basso of a voice, "what have we here?"

Hamtaro couldn't feel his legs. What could they do? They were only about halfway across. The cat was resting right beside the edge of the bridge, but maybe if Panda and him could move fast enough…

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," warned the feline, noticing the cream and orange hamster glancing at the far bank. "I'm far faster than you'd think." The cat stood up and stretched, purring softly and deeply. "I won't eat you," it confirmed. "I'm not all that hungry." The feline eyes narrowed behind its whiskers. "However, I will admit that following you two around has been somewhat entertaining. Nonetheless, I really should be going, so I'm afraid we must cut our fun off here."

With that, the feline sluggishly placed a paw upon the bridge of debris and pressed down with surprising strength. There was a resounding crack. Then, another.

Panda's eyes widened. "Hamtaro! We have to get to the other side!"

The twigs and leaves which the two Ham-Hams stood upon cracked and began to split away from each other. The hamsters managed three steps before the floating bridge gave out beneath them.

With a yell, they pair let go of the door as they fell into the swift creek. Reaching out, Hamtaro miraculously grabbed hold of one of the still-intact logs with his left paw while Panda managed to take a hold of his right. The cream and orange hamster felt the sudden pull and tug of the current and struggled to keep his grip.

"Have fun," taunted the yellow-eyed feline, and with that it tiptoed back into the grass, its body swaying to and fro contentedly.

"Hang on, Hamtaro!" Panda cried, as he felt his paw slip a little. The cream and orange Ham-Ham strained, his teeth clenched.

Boss ran up as close as he could get. "We're going to get you out of there!" As the field hamster took a step onto the log, Maxwell stopped him.

"Boss, wait! If we're not careful, we'll knock the other log free."

Sandy put her paws to her mouth with worry. "There has to be, like, something we can do!"

"Guys! Hurry!" Hamtaro shouted. The log was slick, and the boyham forced himself to keep a hold, despite the odds.

Boss grabbed his shovel and turned to Stan. "Come on! Help me with this." The tiger-stripped boyham rushed over and began helping the field ham scoot out as far as he safely could, reaching out with the handle of his shovel. "Grab on you two!"

Panda reached out, his paw just a few inches away. "A little closer!"

Suddenly, Hamtaro let out a yell. "I can't hold on much longer!"

At that instant, time seemed to slow. Hamtaro saw and felt his weary paw slip away from the log. He felt the rapid creek quickly push him farther and farther away, despite his desperate attempt to grab back on. He felt Panda also slip from his grasp. Hamtaro could make out, for a brief second, Boss and his friends running alongside the water, calling their names as if it would bring them back. The last thing the cream and orange hamster remembered was his world going black as Boss' voice reverberated through the still, summer air.

"Hamtaro!"

This is how it feels to be Bijou, right now:

After returning to the clubhouse to find Boss, Sandy, Stan, and Maxwell missing, your friends and you decide to sit down, play, joke and laugh. Everything's normal.

Suddenly, the door opens, and framed in the opening is Boss. He looks… upset. More upset then you've ever seen him. He stumbles through the doorway, followed by Sandy, Maxwell and Stan, and slumps down upon the floor of the clubhouse, his head hung low and downcast.

"G-guys?" inquires Oxnard next to you, "What's wrong?"

Maxwell shuffles uneasily and slowly begins telling the tale, but the funny thing is you can't remember or recall exactly what he said.

You remember something about Boss being upset with Hamtaro, about Boss feeling guilty and going to apologize to him.

Of course, you remember the part about the creek.

You remember the sudden gasps as everyone heard about the cat, and a feeling of shock sweeps your body as you hear what happened next.

You're unable to move as Maxwell tells everybody that they had been out scouring the creek bank for any signs of their two friends, but had found nothing.

There's the woeful look on Sandy and Stan's faces, the broken tone in Maxwell's voice, and Boss upon the ground looking defeated.

And you feel warmth—the warmth and wetness of tears running down your cheeks. You do your best to hold them back, but some get through your attempt and glitter and sparkle down your face.

Pashmina reaches out and hugs you, and Penelope too, the small hamgirl crying most openingly. Some of the guys begin talking about mounting a more thorough search, and you want to join, but for some reason your legs still won't move. Pashmina manages to help you to a seat at the table. Sandy comes over and gives you a hug, her voice cracking.

"I'm so sorry, Bij..."

Next Chapter: The Ham-Hams mount a massive search for their friends, but the creek is very long and fast. Where are Hamtaro and Panda? What's happened to them?

Thank you for reading.

~Macarov