CHAPTER 15 – The Rescue: Part 2
"I don't know why I'm bothered," Woody grumbled. Despite Woody's emotions not being one hundred percent okay with rescuing Buzz, Woody had eventually followed Buttercup into the thicket next to the river. Woody, however, was also dragging his heels. "I don't see why I should rescue Buzz a second time. He's not even interested in my sister."
Buttercup laughed. "Woody, you don't know anything, you won't even let Buzz talk for five minutes. I think if you did you would realise a lot of things."
"Like what?" Woody turned to glare at the unicorn, stopping him in his tracks.
"You know those two toys are fond of each other?" Buttercup said simply, and Woody rolled his eyes.
"Buzz said..."
"Buzz said what?" Buttercup prompted with a smile.
"Buzz said what he said to Jessie wasn't true, and..."
"And?" Buttercup was still smiling.
Woody faltered. "And...nothing."
"Because...?" Buttercup prompted.
"Because there is nothing else for him to say. He doesn't like my sister, end of story. Doesn't matter that she's 'freaking out' or whatever he chose to call it." Woody was getting livid again, and Buttercup stepped closer.
"No. Because you wouldn't let him explain."
Woody folded his arms. "He doesn't have anything I want to hear."
"Because you don't want your sister to be with someone else?"
"No! That's not it at all! I want someone who is going to respect her."
"Buzz does." Buttercup chided.
"No he doesn't!" Woody snapped.
"How do you know?"
"I just know."
"Gut instinct?" Buttercup guessed. "And how's that working out for you?"
"What do you mean?"
"How do you feel right now?"
Woody considered this. "I feel okay."
"Really?" Buttercup still couldn't hide his grin.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing."
"Spit it out, Buttercup."
"You're like Trixie when she's talking to that Velociraptor down the street. She goes all quiet 'cos she doesn't have a point to argue."
"I do so have a point to make." Woody turned away.
"And your point is...?"
"I don't want my sister ending up with Buzz!" Woody said loudly.
"Because you don't want her to lose Buzz? Like you did Bo?" Buttercup said wistfully.
Woody shut his eyes. "No."
"I think that no means yes." Buttercup swished his tail, thought for a moment. "I'm going to follow Buzz and that fox. Feel free to catch me up - again."
'Argh, no, not again', thought Buzz, as the fox placed him gently in the shallow hole she had just dug, and nosed the earth around him lightly. He watched the fox scrabbling in the dirt nearby and then it disappeared, reappearing with something in its mouth. It padded over to Buzz and sat down, placing two fox cubs next to the surprised space toy.
The fox cubs were overjoyed with their new "toy" and began to lick Buzz fervently. The bigger fox was nestling against and licking her two cubs, and then licked Buzz in the exact same way. Buzz wiped his face, perturbed at the fact they were licking him. He hoped it stopped at the licking. He didn't want to be eaten. He simply wanted to get back home.
"Jessie." Her face floated in front of him for a second. He looked around. No Woody on the horizon. He sighed, and his shoulders slumped. He'd been so stupid over the whole thing. Why was he putting off telling everyone how he felt about Jessie? Even Jessie herself didn't really know, he realised.
He shut his eyes for a moment, savouring the memory when they were embracing in the bush after falling out of the window. It was one of the better times – one of two – when he'd fallen out of the window. He opened his eyes to something wet on his face and jumped - the mother fox was nosing him gently.
As he resisted the mother fox's attention, he leaned back a little and thought he caught a glimpse of something in the bushes. He disregarded it. 'He was stuck where he was,' he sighed.
Buttercup crouched. He had used his sense to follow the fox trail and smell to the riverbank. He was observing from the bushes, watching the fox with her cubs, and Buzz. He chuckled, watching the mother fox doting over Buzz.
From behind him he heard a noise, and turned to see Woody sneaking through the overgrowth. "So, came around to my way of thinking, eh?" Buttercup grinned.
"It wasn't that. It was true what you said," Woody admitted softly. "I only mentioned this once to Jessie...but, I do still have feelings for Bo. I just don't want Jessie to end up the way I am now. Alone." He looked so miserable Buttercup didn't know what to do.
"Well, rather than punishing Buzz for what you're going through, why not help him out? I think he has a true affection for Jessie, even if he won't voice it to anyone. Why else would he save her from the window ledge fiasco?"
Woody shrugged, "I don't know."
"Well, we need to get Buzz away from the fox so you can get it out of him, then!" Buttercup indicated the fox, who by now had gone into full "groom cubs" mode and was giving the first fox cub a good wash.
Woody's eyes widened at the sight of Buzz sitting with the little foxes, about to get washed. "That has to be the second funniest sight I have ever seen," he chuckled, but didn't elaborate even when Buttercup stared at him. "Never mind...come on, we need to find a distraction," he reaffirmed, jumping down to the bank of the river.