Hey guys Price here and welcome to Chapter 2 of Wonder Bunny: Lance's Story! I hope you guys enjoyed last Chapter, because I sure did. Apparently Judith did too, which is cool. Kinda worried she'd be iffy about it, but I'm glad she liked it. It means a lot, honestly. Please don't hesitate to leave a Review if you like it or think that I need some pointers, as I'm still not done enough research on the era to be confident. This Chapter mainly covers Lance during the first two Chapters of Wonder Bunny, but the ending sets up a several Chapter flashback. The flashback will serve to give the more important bits of Lance's history and how he and Nick got left on the streets. It's very traumatic to Lance, and it's teased what happened this Chapter. Plays a large part in the Angst for this story. Also, last thing, but I might write some Chapter that intersect with Wonder Bunny, but no promises on that. It depends on if Judith is okay with that as well as if it plays an important part on Lance's character. Anyway, that's enough of that, I think it's time to get...onto the story!
Lance lay in his cot, lazily tossing a combat knife into the air and catching it. He'd found the perfect amount of strength at which to toss it in order to catch it exactly the same every time, so it was more routine at this point. He didn't even have to look at it at this point.
The sound of the tent flaps opening made him twitch his ear, but he otherwise didn't react.
"Sir, I have news." Lance caught the knife one last time, his grip on the handle noticeable tight. He didn't like the sound of the mammal's tone.
Lance sat up and turned, standing from his cot and sheathing his knife in the specialized sheath at the small of his back.
"Speak, Private..." Lance looked at the mammal's name tag. "Stone." The Vixen snapped to a salute, Lance grimacing visibly.
"Sir, you requested to be informed if anything were to go wrong on the mission Lieutenant Wilde was sent on and, well..." the Vixen trailed off, clearly hesitant.
"Private Stone, tell me what happened." Lance ordered, mustering his best authoritative voice.
"Sir! Lieutenant Wilde went down on the return trip, sir!" Private Stone said, snapping to attention once more. Lance was silent for a long moment, his gaze slowly lowering.
"Where?" He asked, the Vixen swallowing at his voice. He sounded...lost.
"He went down near an unknown island, sir, but there's a rescue mission on the way already. There was a ship passing by and they've dispatched boats and soldiers to rescue him. We're awaiting feedback now." Private Stone answered, Lance nodding. He turned slightly, rubbing his eyes with his paw as if in annoyance.
"Nick you idiot. This is what happens when you don't take me with you." He muttered, shaking his head as he turned back to Private Stone. "Thank you, Private. That'll be all." He said, the Vixen snapping to attention.
"Sir, I've been asked to bring you to the Captain's tent." She said, Lance sighing.
"I'm just a Lieutenant, Private Stone. I have no business there." He said bitterly, the Vixen remaining silent for a long moment.
"The Captain disagrees, sir. He asked for you personally." Private Stone said, Lance pausing. He turned to face her slowly, his eyes widened a small amount in shock. He scoffed after a moment.
"Of course. Wants nothing to do with me until I might be useful." Lance remarked to himself, nodding his head and approaching her. She stared into his eyes, clearly surprised by how close he was. His unnatural height and her unnatural lack of height served as a large contrast, and he arched an eyebrow after a moment. "Well? We going or not?"
"Oh, right, sorry sir. This way." Private Stone said, turning and walking with her paws clasped together behind the small of her back. She turned her head slightly to make sure he was following and cleared her throat when she saw Lance's eyes were low, clearly thinking he was looking at something else. "Sir, with all due respect, my eyes are up here."
"I'm looking at your paws, Private. With how they're behind your back mammals would think you're pawcuffed." Lance said, Private Stone blinking. She looked embarrassed to have been mistaken, bringing her paws from behind her and allowing them to swing ever so slightly.
"Apologies, sir. I shouldn't have assumed." She said, Lance chuckling.
"Don't worry about it, Private. I shouldn't have been looking in that direction anyway. It's inappropriate of me." The Todd said, Private Stone turning her head in surprise at that. She smiled faintly.
"Well, if I may be so forward, it's nice meeting somebody who doesn't just view me as a sexy piece of tail." Private Stone said, Lance arching an eyebrow at her...eloquent wording.
"You don't come from a family, do you, Private Stone?" Lance asked after a moment, the Vixen freezing in shock. She turned hesitantly, almost like she was afraid.
"What gives you that impression, sir?" She asked, her politeness now false.
"Well, it isn't exactly a difficult guess. You're phrasing is more like how a male talks, your demeanor is all wrong, and, quite frankly, I know that look in your eyes. You must think this is the best thing for you, being in the military. Beats living on the streets, hustling, stealing, playing to the species stereotypes. Am I wrong? Please, correct me if so." Lance said, the Vixen swallowing as she took a deep breath.
"The Captain is waiting, sir. Best not to keep him so." She said after a moment, Lance huffing as the Vixen turned and resumed walking, following her with a chuckle. He liked the Vixen already.
The pair stopped at the Captain's tent, Lance glancing at Private Stone as she stood off to the side. Lance pulled the flap open.
"After you." Lance said, the Vixen glaring at him even as she turned and walked in, Lance following and letting the flap fall.
"Ah, Lieutenant Whitney. It's nice to see you again." Captain Bogo said, Lance huffing.
"Well, that's nice." He remarked, Private Stone stiffening next to him at his rather dismissive tone. Captain Bogo looked at her.
"You can go, Private." He said, the Vixen snapping to attention and turning to leave. She stopped when Lance grabbed her by the upper arm, clearly more surprised than actually being forced to stopping.
"She'll stay." Lance said, Captain Bogo remaining silent as he undoubtedly imagined Lance either being court martialed or dying painfully. They didn't really like each other.
"Very well. She'll stay." The Bovine said, Lance releasing Private Stone as the Vixen turned and mved back to being by his side. He cleared his throat and caught her attention gesturing for her to move over and to his left side. She appeared confused but complied, Lance dipping his head in thanks. "If you two are done, there's important information we need to discuss. I really shouldn't be telling you this, but the nature of Lieutenant Wilde's mission-"
"Sir, with all due respect, I am more than aware of the nature of my fellow Todd's mission. Get information on, uh, what was it again? Ah, yes, that's right. Get information on Doctor Poison and whatever it was they were researching." There was silence for a long moment and Lance glanced around. "Oh, sorry, am I wrong?" He asked, appearing to be surprised, frowning in thought.
"No, you were right. And...how, exactly, did you get this information?" Captain Bogo asked, Lance chuckling.
"Well, that was rather easy, honestly. You really shouldn't use a courier with no experience resisting pain compliance." Lance answered, Captain Bogo blinking in surprise. "Which is what I would say, if I wanted to rile you up for no reason. No, actually they just thought I was Lieutenant Wilde and told me before I could correct them."
"To be fair, sir, you and Lieutenant Wilde do have slightly similar eyes, and you look a lot alike, save for the height differences." Private Stone commented, Lance glancing at her in surprise.
"Really? Well thank you, Private Stone." He said, smiling faintly. He was waiting for the unflattering addition, though.
"You're just as insufferable, though."
Yeah, there it was.
"Private!" Captain Bogo said loudly, his tone reprimanding.
"It's quite alright, sir. I was waiting for it." Lance said, the Bovine grunting.
"She should still show the proper respect that is demanded by your rank, Lieutenant Whitney." He said, Lance scoffing.
"To be fair, sir, I haven't exactly given her much to respect." He said, shaking his head. "Anyway, is there a reason you wanted to see me? Last I checked you would rather find enough evidence to get me out of here."
"Yes, well, I need you to do something for me." Captain Bogo answered, Lance letting out a surprised noise. Was the Bovine actually asking for his assistance with something? That was new.
It was also slightly worrying.
"What is it you require of me, sir?" Lance asked, the Water Buffalo sighing. He clearly didn't like what he was about to say.
"Under normal circumstances, I'd send somebody I trusted more, but I need you to deliver something for me." Captain Bogo said, Lance's eye twitching slightly. He let out a little huff.
"Well, for that specific little jab, you can find somebody else." Lance said with obviosuly fake politeness, snapping off a mock salute and turning. He walked out of the tent, leaving a shocked Water Buffalo and Vixen behind. He ignored the sound of rushing pawsteps as they approached at a rapid pace, continuing to walk even as Private Stone moved in front of him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Lieutenant!?" She asked angrily, Lance arching an eyebrow. He glanced left and right, then jerked his head towards a tent. He approached, the obviously very angry Vixen following him. He stepped inside and turned, grapsing the front of Private Stone's uniform and pulling her close. Her eyes went wide in shock as he stared into the round orbs, a snarl on his lips.
"What I am doing, Private Stone, is refusing to do a side job for somebody who refuses to respect the work I put into getting where I am today. Nick and I have had to work harder than anybody to get where we are in this military, and yet there are bastards like Captain Bogo who refuse to respect us because of what we were born as. So there's your answer, Private. I refuse to do anything more than what I am required to if my commanding officer refuses to respect me as a fellow mammal, let alone a fellow soldier." Lance snarled, Private Stone's expression hardening in anger.
"You think you and Lieutenant Wilde have had it bad? You have no idea what I had to do to even be accepted here. I figured a fellow Fox might understand the issues I've had gtting here. Seems I was wrong. You're no better than the others after all. You have no respect for your commanders, and you expect to be trusted?"
"I respect others who respect me, Private Stone. If they refuse to show me respect, then I shall respond in kind. I don't care who they are." Lance snapped, Private Stone opening her muzzle to retort, but Lance beat her to it. "And don't you dare assume you understand me. The only thing you've had to lose from birth is your life. I only have Nick. He is the only thing I have left from before I was forced onto the streets. I have lost everything except for him, and now that we're at war I might just lose him as well. So don't you dare assume you understand anything about me, or there won't be a single god with enough power to save you. Do I make myself clear?" Private Stone was silent for a log moment, refusing to bend. Lance could respect that, at least.
"Yes sir." The Vixen finally said, Lance staring at her for a long moment before shifting to a smile and overall friendly demeanor.
"Good. I look forward to working with you in the future." He said cheerfully, Private Stone blinking at the complete reversal of his personality. It was frightening.
Lance dropped her and she landed on her feet, though stumbled slightly, and the Todd turned and walked out, whistling cheerfully all the way.
"W-where are you going?" Private Stone asked, Lance turning with a surprised hum.
"I'm gonna take a short trip into town. Maybe get something to drink." He answered casually, the Vixen blinking in surprise at the answer. "You wanna come?" Lance asked, Private Stone furrowing her brow in confusion. What was he doing? Only a few seconds ago he had threatened to kill her, and now he was offering her a drink. This switch was disorientating.
"Uh, I think I'm good. Thank you, though. Sir." Lance chuckled at her answer.
"Alright. Well, have fun doing nothing, then." He said, giving her a brief wave in farewell before turning and walking off.
'...I am so confused.' Private Stone shook her head with an exasperated sigh, then walked out of the tent as well and began walking back to where her tent was.
Lance walked through the town, humming softly to himself as he did, with a popular watering hole his destination. He passed a few mammals that sat on the sidewalk, looking to be asleep – though he suspected the second one he passed was just fresh – and ignored them with ease. Before, he would have considered giving them some money or something, since he could relate, but after a while he'd gotten used to it and knew they'd just buy booze with it anyway.
Lance's rather decent day was interrupted by a rather familiar crackling sound, and he felt his heart skip a beat at the memories that conjured up. He froze, right there in the middle of the street, as the sound of a fire going tok him back to that horrible day. The day he and Nick had been forced onto the streets.
The day he'd gained his fear of fire, and what made him smell the burning flesh all over again.
And that does it with Chapter 2 of Wonder Bunny: Lance's Story! I hope you guys liked it, because I certainly did. So yes, the next two or three Chapters will be flashbacks that all take place on the same day, and then when they end, that Chapter will converge with Chapter 5 of Wonder Bunny, at least slightly. At least that's what I plan. After that, I guess we'll see. Might end it there, might write a few more Chapters from Lance's POV that coincide with or take place between certain Chapters of Wonder Bunny. That is, if Judith is okay with that. So this Chapter and Chapter Five of Wonder Bunny go up on the same day, at least hopefully, so you guys can see what happens from Nick and Judy's POV there. Lance appears in the new Chapter of Wonder Bunny that goes up alongside this one, so I'm excited to see how Judith handles him. He's a rather complex character, as his many appearances in various other stories of mine will attest to. Anyway, this is getting long enough, I will see you guys...next update. Word Count: 2,654