I'm back! :) I come with some good news and bad news.
Bad news first, I will be going away for a while again soon. Next week I'll be going away due to medical reasons. I have bad knees in real life and I need to go have a 'Lateral Patellar Release' done. So, if any of you have had something like that done because its apparently quiet common or know anyone who had it done I'd love to hear from you! If all goes to plan I shall be back on Sunday, so the update next week will be late again. Sorry!
Good news, it's almost time for Mamori to meet Chopper! I can see that most of you are holding onto the edge of your seats waiting for it, so rest at ease. It is coming soon.
Anyway, enjoy and May the Fourth be with you all!
Vivi's voice rang out over the deck, "I have a request to ask of you all."
I looked up to Nami as she pushed off the railing she was resting on with a sigh and walked forward so that she could see Vivi. Again, I followed right at her heels as she moved across the deck.
"I know that it's not my place to make such demands since you've already let me on this boat and all…." She began to explain as everyone watched her in silence. "But with the emerging crisis in my country, I want to go back there as soon as possible. Not even a single moment can be spared anymore! That's why, I ask for this ship to head for Alabasta at the fastest speed!"
"Of course!" Nami said with some effort as the rest of us kept our eyes on Vivi, silently waiting for her next words. "Just like we promised!"
"… Thus we need to find an island with a doctor immediately!" She added. "We have to see that Nami gets better as fast as possible, and then head for Alabasta! That'll be the only way this ship can sail at the fastest speed, right!"
"You bet!" Luffy called out as he cracked a smile. "Can't get any faster than that!"
"You sure?" Usopp asked. "Aren't you worried about the lives of a million Alabastans, being a Princess and all?"
"Exactly!" Vivi said. "That's why we need to get Nami to a doctor as quickly as possible."
"Well said Vivi!" Sanji called out to her as winked. "I've fallen for you all over again!"
"… I like your guts…" Zoro admitted.
"I'm sorry for making you worry. But please don't overexert yourself Nami!" Vivi addressed Nami.
"Sorry… Vivi… But I think…" Nami started to say as she leant again the railing and hunched over it. I whined as I hovered by her side. Was she going to faint again? "I'm really…"
"AAHH!" Suddenly Luffy called out, cutting Nami off as we all look at him and then to what he was pointing at. "WHAT IS THAAAT!"
"IT'S… IT'S A CYCLONE!" Someone from the lower deck called out but I ignored them as Nami collapsed next to me. She slumped to the ground, leaning against the railing. I let out a few loud barks to get someone's attention as I slipped behind her back so she could lean against me to keep herself up.
"AH!" Vivi cried as she saw us. "NAMI, HANG IN THERE!"
"IT'S HUGE!" Luffy cried from the lower deck as Vivi rushed over and helped lift Nami up from the ground. She slung Nami's arm over her shoulder and I helped her lift Nami up by pushing on her.
"WAIT A MINTUE!" Vivi called out over the wind. "That direction is…"
"That's exactly where we were heading just until a moment ago…" Sanji said as he gaped at the size of the cyclone.
"It we had sailed straight we'd have crashed into it by now!" Luffy yelped. "Talk about a close call!"
"I've never seen such a navigator…" Vivi mumbled to herself where only I could hear. I was getting a bit impatient, we need to get Nami back inside! I reached forward as I poked Vivi's leg with my nose, letting out an impatient whine.
The next day Nami was back in her bed with a fever and the boat was just wandering around looking for an island that might have a doctor. I was lying on Nami's bed, resting against her side with the wall on the other side of me. I had stayed there all night as well; I was keeping a constant eye on her condition.
"Vivi, what do we do!" Sanji cried from the other side of the room as he stamped his feet, Carue quacking. "Nami's fever isn't going down!"
"Sanji! Carue! You have to be quiet!" Vivi scolded them. I lifted up my head, staring at them as I growled somewhat loudly. Vivi, Sanji, and Carue stopped what they were doing and looked at me. I sent Sanji and Carue a dark look, clearly letting them know to be quiet before I cut off the growl and dropped my head down again. These pirates have no bedside manners whatsoever!
My head shot up yet again when the ship was rocked violently, the bed Nami and I were laying on flying up in the air. Sanji quickly jumped forward and latched onto the bed to keep it somewhat anchored as I threw myself on top of Nami to keep her pinned to the bed.
"What's all this shaking!" Vivi yelped.
Sanji quickly got the bed settled on the ground again and I rolled off Nami, landing on the floor. I quickly scrambled to my feet and Sanji called out, "Vivi, I'll leave her with you for now!"
He then took off running out the door and left Vivi, Carue, and I in the room. I looked at the door and then back at Vivi. I saw her watching me before she said, "Go. I can look after her."
I hesitated for another second before I bolted out the door after Sanji. If I stayed near the door and guarded it, I could stop anyone from going in the room. That would be less stress on Nami.
As I dashed out the door way I skidded to a stop on the slippery snow covered deck next to Sanji, my paws sliding across the ground. As soon as I came to stop I had a gun shoved in my face and several pointed at my sides causing me to freeze.
"Well?" Sanji asked them as he lit a smoke. My eyes noted a huge ship that was in front of the Going-Merry. It was sailing a pirate flag too, causing me to automatically go on the defense. Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji all had lots of gun pointed at them, lots of men covering our decks with weirdly matching uniforms. "What's going on?"
"We were ambushed," Luffy answered somewhat calmly.
"Yeah, that's what I figured from the looks of this," Sanji sighed also in a calm manner. I was growling softly with all my hackles on end. How were they all so calm?
"We're in a real hurry you know," Luffy told them as if he thought it would cause them to suddenly just slap our backs laughing and walk off. He wasn't that naïve was he?
"Hmm… That makes four people in total…" On odd voice said from the side of the boat. I flicked my eyes in that direction, not game enough to move my head because of the gun, and I saw an odd, hippo looking man eating meat off a knife as he talked. "There can't be only four people on this ship…"
'No,' I snarled mentally as yet again I was overlooked. 'There are four and one fucking dog! See, me? Yes me! I am a dog and I'd like to be counted as well damn it!'
After he had finished eating the meat off the knife he bit straight into the blade of the knife, breaking it off in his teeth and chewing it. My eyes widened a bit at this display.
"Well, whatever…" The hippo man said. "Let me ask you something."
"The hell!" Luffy asked. "He ate through that knife!"
"Ack!" Usopp cried out as he stuck his tongue out. "It hurts just looking at it!"
I was somewhat inclined to agree with Usopp. No normal human could eat knives!
The hippo man chucked the hilt of the knife into his mouth as chewed on it as he started talking again. "We wish to head for Drum Kingdom. Do you happen to have an Eternal Pose or even a Log Pose on you?"
"No," Sanji answered simply as he turned his head to face the hippo guy that was standing on the railing next to us. "And we've never even heard of that place before…"
"If you're done asking, hurry up and go away," Luffy reprimanded him rudely.
"Oh there's no need to rush through life like that," The hippo man waved Luffy off. "Well, if you don't have it then I might as well take all your treasures and your ship instead."
"What!" Luffy yelped at the same time my growling picked up a notch. Like hell he was taking the ship! I juggled my weight nervously on my paws, my sore leg was almost fully better. I could walk on it now; I just shouldn't put too much of a strain on it and I would be fine.
"But hold on…" He said as he turned around and leant down, grabbing onto the railing with his teeth as his mouth expanded greatly. "I'm feeling a bit peckish."
CRACK
And with that said he pulled back, snapping off a large part of our ship's rail as he began to eat it. I actually took a step back, ignoring the guns that were pointed at me now. How the hell could he do that!
"WHA!" Sanji yelped next to me.
"WHAT THE HELL," Usopp screeched as the hippo man continued to chew the wood. "IS WITH THIS DUDE!"
"DON'T EAT OUR SHIP!" Luffy cried at the same time the hippo man stepped down from the railing and picked up the anchor rope. He put it up to his mouth and began to chew on it.
"Ohh!" He called. "You even have an anchor rope for me!"
I looked up at Luffy to see what he was going to do about this. I needed orders soon!
"Don't you dare move!" One of the men with a gun cried as he pointed his gun at Luffy. "His highness is in the middle of a meal!"
"SHUT UP!" Luffy cried as he stretched his arm to punch the guy on the top of the head, effectively knocking him down.
"HE'S RESISTING!" Another of the armed men called as more guns were pointed at Luffy, some of the men putting away their guns and pulling out swords.
"SHOOT!" Another man ordered.
"Should've done this from the beginning," Zoro's voice called out as I saw him pulling his swords out.
Sanji grinned next to me as he asked, "So can I beat their asses now?"
"WAIT!" Usopp yelped as he jumped off the railing and scurried for cover as guns were shot at him. "I'M SURE WE CAN TALK THIS OUT!"
I quickly whipped my knife out from its holster and ducked low to the ground as Sanji did a sweeping kicked that managed to knock over most of the gun holders that had guns pointed at us.
Seeing that Sanji had the door covered really well himself, I sprung into the fray, my eyes zeroing in on my first victim. I charged through a maze of legs, dancing across the decking smoothly considering how slippery the snow and ice made the deck. As I reached my first victim I launched myself off the ground and at straight at his chest. My paws connected with his chest as he cried out and began to fall over backwards. My knife flashed out to connect with the side of temple causing his eyes to roll back into his head. He hit the decking with a thump in a dead faint with me standing balanced on his chest.
'That… Was easy…' I thought mentally to myself and I jumped off his chest and charged at my next victim. 'These guys are weaklings.'
I heard more gun shots echo around me but I tuned them out, the guys could take care of themselves. I don't know about Usopp, I just hoped he had found cover, and Vivi, Carue, and Nami were below decks safely.
I slipped my knife away as I ran seeing that these guys weren't even worth it. I snapped my jaws around the leg of the next man as I run past, yanking his leg out from under him. With a cry he fell forwards, taking several other men with him to the ground with him. I jumped away from them, smashing my head into the crotch of another man before he could step away. With a breathless gasp he fell to the ground, clutching at his crotch. It seemed that in such a crowded small space, it was hard for the people to notice a dog darting around. That was a plus for me.
I could hear my own heartbeat echoing in my ears as I moved now. The sounds around me became muffled and distant as adrenaline flowed through my veins. My body felt jittery as I danced across the decking, my legs and paws and spinning and twisting my body with the beat of my heart.
Thump
Thump
Thump
Duck. Dodge. Weave. Twist. There! I jumped, smacking into the chest of another man that had his gun pointed at one of my friends. I snapped my jaws around his wrist with a 'crunch' causing him to cry and drop his gun to drop his gun.
Thump
Thump
I quickly let go of his arm as we dropped the ground, pushing myself up his chest. I jumped forward, slapping my two fore paws against his forehead. The force behind that forced his head to smack into the decking first with an oddly loud crunch as bone smacked into wood.
Thump
Thump
My heart felt like it was ready to burst out of my chest but some part of me loved every moment of this. This wasn't a struggle for my life like the other times I had fought. This wasn't me using my brains and what I learnt to take down enemies. This was so different to what I felt any of the other times I fought. My mind was crystal clear and tranquil; not even bothering to run through my battle plans for me. I had no need for thought. This was a dance that didn't need any thought; I just needed to let my body and mind work as one without each other's instincts fight each other. This was what fighting was about. Not blood. Not glory. Not pain. Not revenge. Not entertainment. It was that moment where your body and mind moved together, that time when you felt like one. That moment where instead of sluggish moves you try to plaster together, it feels like a flowing dance.
Thump
Thump
A sword arched down towards my side so I slipped to the side as the wielder embedded it in the ground where I had been more moments ago. I slipped around the sword and threw my head into his gut causing him to let go of his sword as he fell backwards. I threw my head up so that it smacked into his chin, causing him to pass out. I pushed off him as he fell to the ground, my paws landing lightly on the ground.
Thump…
….Thump
…Thump…
I suddenly snapped back to attention as the odd trance I had been in shattered around me, shoving me back to my normal mental state. I blinked owlishly as I glanced around, my chest heaving with my breaths. The deck was littered with the bodies of our enemy, obviously having all been beaten.
"LUFFY!" I heard Usopp's voice cry out and angled myself just in time to see that hippo man eat Luffy. I held myself back from charging at the hippo when I saw Luffy's arms still hanging outta the hippo man's mouth.
"Hm? What's that long thing hanging out?" The hippo man wondered.
Suddenly the door that Sanji was guarding smashed open and Vivi burst out.
"Oh hey, Vivi. How's Nami doing?" Sanji asked her casually.
"She's…" Vivi stated to say but she trailed off when she saw the scene around us. "What's going on!"
"Hmm… A tough one to chew through aren't you…" The hippo man mumbled as I slipped over to Vivi's side.
"Why you…." Called out a voice from in the hippo man's mouth.
Vivi gasped but I couldn't help smirking as the thing that was 'hanging out of his mouth' came back to smash into the hippo man's face. He went flying off the ship as Luffy came flying out of his mouth, covered in slobber.
"GET OFF MY SHIP!" Luffy yelled at him as he landed back on the deck.
"You think if we dumped a bucket of water on her, her fever might go down?" Luffy asked.
BANG
Sanji and Vivi had both swung around to smack and kicked Luffy over to the other side of the room.
"ARE YOU RETARDED!" Sanji screamed at him.
'You're being too loud!' I snapped mentally, glaring at them from my place next to Nami again. We had cleaned up the deck of all those idiots and had sailed on again.
"Damn it… The sun's already going down for the day, Vivi," Sanji pointed out.
"Right… I guess we better drop the anchor for the night then," Vivi sighed in reply. "Without Nami's navigational sense, sailing in the night is too dangerous…"
I let a soft sound rumbled in my chest in agreement, my eyes watching Nami once more for any change of condition.
"LAND AHOY!" A voice called out from on the deck causing my ears to perk up curiously. I sent a glance at Luffy and Zoro who were also in the room with me to watch Nami.
"Land! Nami, did you hear that! It's an island! Now we can get you better!" Luffy started to blabber excitedly. I lifted up my head to stare at him oddly. Silence seemed to echo in the room as Zoro and I stared at Luffy.
"Just go outside and look…" Zoro sighed as he ordered Luffy out of the room. I shook my head, sharing a look with Zoro.
"Watch her, I'm going out to look," Zoro told me before getting up and walking out after Luffy. I stared owlishly after them, blinking. I then sighed and crawled off the bed, jumping onto the floor. I sat down in front of the bed, my body facing the door in a guarding manner.
My ears were folded back against my skull, my eyebrows furrowed and jaw clenched tightly shut. I could hear loud voices out of the deck and from around the boat, it sounded like they were arguing.
I jumped violently when I heard a shot go off, the fur on the back of my neck prickling up. After a few seconds there was another shot, lots of loud voices, and then silence. I was shifting my weight nervously back and forth on my fore paws as I waited to see what would happen. I was so tempted to run out there and see what had gone on, but I had to guard Nami.
"This country has no name," The apparent leader of this island told us as we walked along through the snow. After all the commotion that had gone on the deck Sanji had come back in to collect Nami and we set off to the village to get Nami a doctor. We were currently trudging through the snow with some village people, Vivi, Usopp, Luffy, Sanji, Nami, and I. Snow was blanketing the ground and it was at least half way up my leg as I leapt through it. Everyone else had to wear thick clothes and looked cold but I was feeling fine. My thick fur was keeping me perfectly warm.
"A nameless country?" Vivi questioned him. "Is that even possible?"
"GYAAAAAAA! IT'S A BEAAAAAR!" Usopp suddenly screamed as my head shot around to see a giant bear walking casually past us. "EVERYONE PLAY DEAD!"
Usopp dove into the snow, playing dead as I flittered nervously behind Sanji who was carrying Nami.
"It's just a hiking bear," The guy who was leading us explained. "It poses no danger but mind your hiking manners and don't forget to bow."
We all did as he said, me included. The bear bowed back and kept walking leaving me staring after it in confusion.
Once we had reached the town, the man, Dalton, had taken everyone to his house to talk to them. I had posted myself by the door, carefully watching anyone that walked by. By the way they greeted us, we could gather that some of them weren't friendly towards pirates so I had chosen to sit outside to give them warning in case some mob with pitchforks and torches came to hunt us down. Not that they probably would.
Out of the corner of my eyes I watched as Usopp and Luffy built huge snowmen right in front of the window of Dalton's house. A smirk slowly crept onto my muzzle as I heard someone open to the curtains of the window.
"Look at my Mr. Hyper-Snowman!" Luffy called out.
"And my Snow-Zilla!" Usopp added.
"THAT'S IT!" I heard Sanji's voice roar from side the house. "I'M KICKING BOTH YOUR ASSES!"
A let a laugh rumble in my chest as I shook my head. Idiots. But lovable idiots nevertheless.
"I'll stay behind here," Vivi told them. "I'd only drag you down if I came along."
"Me too!" Usopp agreed.
We were all standing outside the house now and from what I'd managed to gather from the snippets of conversation it seemed that we had to go visit and old witch at the top of the mountain. Luffy was going to carry Nami, and Sanji was going with him. And, since I wasn't about let those two idiots look after Nami themselves, I was going with them.
"Alright!" Luffy called out as he started to walk. "Hang on tight Nami!"
"Okay…" I heard her wheeze softly.
"If you're serious about this, I won't stop you but you should at least climb up from the other side…" Dalton told us. "The route to the top from here is full of lapins! They're extremely violent and carnivorous rabbits. If you come across a pack of them, there'll be no escaping alive!"
"Rabbits?" Luffy asked as he turned to Sanji. "But we're in a hurry… I'm sure it'll be fine. Right?"
"Yeah," Sanji shrugged it off. "I'll kick any that get in our way."
"Then let's go Sanji, Mamori!" Luffy said as he bolted forward at a run. "Before Nami dies!"
"DON'T SAY THAT, YOU IDIOT!" Sanji snapped at him as he ran with Luffy.
I followed at a jogging pace behind the two, guarding Nami's back. My head was lowered to brace myself against the wind, my bandanna flapping against my shoulder. Why did I have feeling that it was going to be another long day?
"It's getting pretty cold with all this wind," Luffy pointed out as we continued to jog through the snow and up the mountain.
"Why the hell are you wearing sandals in this weather?" Sanji asked him. "Just looking at them is making me feel cold!"
"That's just my police!" Luffy argued. "Plus Mamori isn't wearing anything at all!"
I choked, spluttering as I sent Luffy a wide eyed look. That… That just sounded so wrong! But it is so true! I haven't worn anything at all the whole time I had been in the One Piece world. Unless you count my bandanna as clothing… Oh my.
"It's called 'policy'," Sanji pointed out. "And Mamori is a dog, she has fur."
"Oh is it?" Luffy said. "In any case, did ya know that people in snowy countries don't sleep?"
"And why is that?" Sanji asked him with a sigh.
"Because they'll die if they do," Was Luffy's simple reply.
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!" Sanji snapped at him. In the corner of my eye I noticed a tiny white rabbit lunging at us and I quickly slipped up so that I ran in-between Luffy and the rabbit with Sanji on my other side.
"It's true!" Luffy argued with him. "That's what a guy once told me!"
"RAAWWR!" The bunny cried as it threw itself at Sanji.
"Who, Usopp?" Sanji snorted as he jumped over the lunging rabbit. I watched him curiously as I ran. He wasn't going to fight it? Even if it was just a cute, fluffy bunny…
"Nope, from a guy in a bar," Luffy informed him as he also ignored the rabbit.
"GRR!" The rabbit cried as it lunged at Sanji again.
"Then why was there a bed in that Dalton dude's house?" Sanji argued with him as he ducked and the rabbit went sailing over his head.
"Ah!" Luffy cried. "You're right! Then that must be when it's time for him to die…"
"That's even more ridiculous!" Sanji snapped back as he ducked to avoid the rabbit's lunge again. Instead the rabbit bit onto a tree causing it snap right in half. My eyes widened as the tree fell towards us. I ducked under it, just managing to avoid getting squished by it. Luffy and Sanji just jumped over it like nothing happened and kept running.
"Well, let me ask you this," Sanji sighed. "Did you know that the women of snowy countries all have beautiful smooth skin?"
"Why's that?" Luffy asked in confusion.
"Isn't that obvious?" Sanji snorted as they continued running along. I was still running in-between them, my blue eye curiously watching the rabbit that had been trying to eat us this whole time. Why hadn't they done anything about it…? Should I do something? Not that I wanted to hurt the cute little bunny…
"You know how when it's cold, you rub your skin together?" Sanji asked him as he began to explain. "Well that's why. Having smooth white skin is the trademark of women in snowy countries."
"RAWR!" The rabbit cried as it kept lunging at us but we all just kept ducking and jumping over it.
"Why white?" Luffy asked him.
"RAWR!" The rabbit cried in frustration.
"That's because the color of snow seeps inside their skin!" Sanji cooed.
"You're pretty stupid, you know," Luffy pointed out as he jumped over the bunny's lunge.
"You're the last person I want to hear that from!" Sanji snapped at him as I slid to the side to avoid the rabbit.
"In any case," Sanji snarled as the rabbit tried to bite him. He swung around a landed a solid kick on the rabbit, sending it soaring far off into the sky. "WOULD YOU FREAKIN' KNOCK IT OFF ALREADY!"
I watched curiously as the rabbit went flying before I slipped back into my place behind them. At least I didn't have to bite the cute little thing. I may not always be a girly girl but that thing was too damn cute to hurt.
"What's up with that rabbit?" Luffy finally thought to ask.
"Don't know," Sanji shrugged it off as we kept walking.
A few minutes seemed to pass and the wind seem to be picking up, snow flying through the air. I was still not feeling the cold, I was so glad to be a dog right now.
"Hang in there Nami. We'll get you to a doctor soon," Luffy said, breaking the silence that had been hanging over us for a few minutes. "The snow's real thick around here."
I barked at his comment as I trudged through the snow. I had a lot shorter legs then them so it was twice as difficult for me. I knew wolves were good at walking on snow, so why wasn't I?
"Hey, Luffy! Be more careful when running or Nami's body won't hold up!" Sanji scolded him.
"Hm?" Luffy grunted as we all stopped walking. I quickly dashed past them, putting myself in front Luffy who was holding Nami.
"The hell!" Sanji mumbled as we all stared at the giant white rabbits. They were at least three times our size and they were everywhere in front of our path. I couldn't even count the amount because the snow covered some in the background. Oh damn…"What are these things…"
"They're white and big so they gotta be polar bears!" Luffy concluded.
'No,' I mentally growled. 'I think they're lapins… The man-eating bunnies with a bad attitude case. And that little bunny from before must have been a baby one 'cause these adults definitely aren't cute.'
"IT JUMPED!" Both Luffy and Sanji cried as one of the lapins jumped towards us, flashing its needle sharp claws. We all dove to the side as it slammed its fists down in the snow right where I was seconds ago.
"What in the world…" Sanji muttered as he landed. "How can it jump like that! It's like a gorilla!"
"No! It's a polar bear!" Luffy argued.
"NO! IT'S A GODDAMN RABBIT!" Sanji bellowed at him.
"But didn't you say it was a gorilla?" Luffy asked in confusion. Now was not the time!
"This must be the lapin that Dalton was talking about!" Sanji pointed out. Took them long enough to realize.
"There's so many of them!" Luff pointed out over the wind. I growled softly walking up to his side as we stared at the pack of giants rabbits. We were in for some shit now.
"I guess it's expected of a snow creature to able to move this swiftly over thick snow," Sanji admitted as he gritted his teeth. "We're at a disadvantage here."
Luffy went to move forward but I snarled and shifted in front of him to block his path at the same time Sanji put his arm out and said, "Luffy! Don't lay a hand on any of them!"
"Why not?" Luffy complained. And we left him in charge of Nami why?
"You may be unaffected but the impact of every blow you deliver or receive will be transferred over to Nami as well!" Sanji pointed out him. "So if that happens she'll die for sure!"
"RAWR!" One of the bunnies cried it's challenge to us. I picked up my snarl, my gums pulling back to flash my teeth at the rabbit. I shifted my stance slightly so that my head was lowered and covering my neck and chest protectively, my tail held up in the air. My tongue ran over my teeth warningly as the air in front of my face fogged up with condensation.
'Bring it ugly bunny,' I challenged it mockingly.
"G-Got it…" Luffy said in frustration. "I swear not to fight."
"GRR!" A lapin snarled as it lunged and swung its huge paw at Luffy and I. We both managed to duck under and I dove to the side. I then pivoted around on my front paws, snow flying around me.
"Then what should I do?" I heard Luffy call out to Sanji as my body lunged forward, my paws slapping down on the rabbits arm.
"Just dodge for now! Dodge and run away!" Sanji said as I ran straight up its arm, heading straight towards its head. Now that my feet were out of the snow I could move twice as fast as before and I chose to use that to my advantage. When I was out of the snow I was just as fast the rabbits, if not faster. "But don't run too fast!"
"That's way too hard!" Luffy snapped at him from the background. I jumped forward, snapping my jaws around the lapin's ear, using it to swing me around and to yank the rabbit backwards. It roared as it began to fall forward back into the snow. I used it to swing back from the ear to launch myself back up into the air, slamming my paws down on the rabbits face and it fell. Its head was stomped back into the snow as I jumped off it in time to see Sanji take a swing at another rabbit.
"FLANCHET SHOT*!"
The rabbit went soaring back into the snow, flying past its friends. Oh damn… Now we made them angry!
"Damn it... Hard to get any good kicks in with both my feet stuck in the deep snow!" Sanji complained.
I saw a few of the rabbits twitch before they jumped for us all at the same time. We all took off running into the trees as soon as they moved, Sanji yelling, "THEY'RE ALL COMING AT ONCE! WE'LL COVER YOU SO RUN TO THE FOREST!"
I heard the ground shake from behind us as all the lapins missed us with their attacks, my ears pressed back against my head as we pushed through the snowy wind.
"We have to shake them somehow! If we were to seriously fight all of them we'd be stuck until the sun went down!" Sanji yelled to both of us.
"DAMN!" Luffy yelled as he ran in front of us.
"RAWR!" One of the rabbits cried as it jumped through a tree, aiming for Luffy.
"AH!" Luffy yelped as he swung his leg back, ready to hit it.
"STOP!" Sanji order as he blocked Luffy's leg and pushed him to keep running. "I told you to leave them to us! This is a matter of life and death!"
I saw Sanji kick another rabbit out of the corner of my eye as I shifted up to shadow Luffy's heels in case something attempted to attack him again.
"Hey Sanji, we can climb up from here!" Luffy pointed out as I noticed a slight ledge just in front of us.
"Alright! You two go on ahead!" Sanji called to us.
How did he plan to get up there?
I watched, mentally deadpanning as Luffy ran up to a rabbit and used it as a stepping to stone so that he could jump us to the ledge. I sighed and quickly followed him, my paws slapping down on the rabbit's shoulder before I pushed off. I went sailing through the air, sinking into the snow as I hit the ground again. I quickly popped back up out of the snow as Sanji landed next to me. We shared a quick look before we started running with Luffy again, the rabbits were quick to follow us.
"THEY'RE STILL AFTER US!" Sanji yelped.
"JUST KEEP RUNNING ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP!" Luffy ordered us and we kept running for a few minutes before we noticed that the lapins had stopped. We all slowly came to a stop, turning around.
"The heck are they doing now?" Luffy asked in confusion. "They stopped chasing after us."
"But now they're up to something else…" Sanji noted.
I furrowed my brows as I stared at the giants bunnies as they all jumped up and down on the spot. The hell were they doing? It was almost like they were trying to make an earthquake… Or an… Av… Avalanche… Fuck.
"W-Wait…" Sanji gaped at the same time I figured it out and we spun around to see a mist of snow rising at the top of the mountain. "It can't be! They couldn't possibly be trying to…!"
The mist of snow slowly grew bigger and bigger as it got closer to us, causing the ground to shake.
"Those damn rabbits really did it…" Sanji cried. "Please tell me I'm dreaming…"
"What is it Sanji!" Luffy asked Sanji as I sprang into action. I nudged Luffy's leg, trying to get him to start moving again.
'Come on, come on, come on!' I snapped at him. 'LET'S GO!'
"LUFFY!" Sanji snapped at him. "START RUNNING!"
"Run? Run where?" Luffy asked so I shoved him harder causing him to stumble away a few steps. "Mamori!"
"Anywhere's fine! Just as long as it's far away from here!" Sanji yelled at him. "BECAUSE THERE'S AN AVALANCHE HEADED RIGHT FOR US!"
*Belly Shot