Chapter Eight

The next morning everyone in the park awoke to the sound of chirping birds, the bright light of the sun... and a marching band playing outside? When they heard trumpets, drums and other musical instruments playing outside the mill, Noah and the animals jumped from their nests in shock and screamed in terror while the music continued playing.

"Alright, who's the wise guy?" Surly asked as he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"What's going on outside?" Andie asked

The animals left the mill along with Noah and when they peered through the bushes to see what it was, their jaws dropped in shock. There was another party taking place, but the theme was all about Surly! Purple squirrel pictures were practically everywhere, on hats, on shirts, on practically everything! There were even pieces of art ranging from paintings and clay statues and balloons and streamers.

Surly rubbed his eyes in shock and said "This can't be happening. This can't be happening."

"Uh Surly, did you know there was a party for you?" Mole asked

"Hey guys!" a voice shouted.

Precious rushed into the bushes and skid to a halt and said "Hey guys! Guess what? Surly's become a celebrity! I heard from my owner Lana that some scientist declared Surly a rare kind of Squirrel and everyone in Oakton is already calling Surly a national treasure! Isn't that exciting?!"

"Say what? Since when?" Johnny asked in shock.

"No way, there's gotta be a mistake! Surly can't be rare!" Jimmy exclaimed.

"If he was rare and stuff, we'd have known for sure!" Jamie said "How come we never knew about this sooner?"

"I have no idea." Precious said "But there's a big party and a search party and everything!"

"Search Party?" Andie asked "Oh no! What if they look in the mill and discover Noah's nest? They'll know there's a human boy living here and come after him for sure! And then what will happen?"

"They'll take him back to the orphanage that's what!" Surly said with a frown "And then they'll send him to live with a nasty human and-"

"Noah!"

The animals screamed and ran away as Rose suddenly appeared out of no where and Surly getting dirt in his eyes, blinding him as he tried to get the dirt out while Rose pulled him and Noah out into the open as she picked up the bottom of her red dress and said "Noah, how do you like my new dress?"

"It's pretty." Noah said "But what is all this?"

"It's for the purple squirrel, everybody's looking for him so we can make him very famous." Rose said.

Noah noticed that Surly was in pain and picked him up as he said "Are you okay?"

"My eyes sting with dirt in them," Surly said "Help me!"

Before Noah could do anything Surly was snatched up in a cage by a man and he ran towards the crowd shouting "I caught the purple squirrel!"

"Surly!" Noah exclaimed as he ran after the man to save his friend.

The man pushed his way past the gathering hordes of onlookers as Surly covered his eyes, for once glad he couldn't see what was going on at the moment and felt the cage being hung in the air before he felt it being placed on a table and he huddled there in fear as people took pictures, shouted and loomed over him, trying to poke him or make him do tricks. It was a living nightmare.

Noah managed to reach the table and was about to open it when someone swatted his hand away from the cage. It was an elderly man in a safari uniform and he said "Don't you dare young man, we need do decide how our new prized treasure in the animal kingdom."

"Who are you?" Noah asked.

"I'm Dr. Campbell, leading zoologist who will put Oakton on the map for more then just another city in our fair nation. I organized this party and invited the entire city here so that they can marvel at this wonderful specimen." the man said.

"That's Surly, my friend and he's scared to death!" Noah exclaimed.

"Surly? Is that what you call him?" Dr. Campbell asked "What a foolish name!"

Surly growled in anger when he heard the human insult his own name and muttered "Just wait until I get out of here you oversized dodo bird."

"Just give me back Surly." Noah said in desperation.

"No, I'm going to take him to the Zoo where he will be sheltered and protected from the harshness of the world. And i'm going to name him Miles, that's more of an appropriate name for him." the doctor said.

"What?!" Surly and Noah exclaimed in shock.

"No way, he's coming with me!" said a man dressed in a long black coat, a matching hat and grey pants came out of the crowd.

"And who are you?" Dr. Campbell asked.

"I am Bernard Zhang." The man said "I'm the best hunter in the whole entire state. As soon as I heard about that purple guy I knew that he'd be perfect for me as a pet. I'm thinking of calling him Tramp on account of he looks like a tramp to me."

"This can't be happening." Surly said.

"No, he's mine!" said another voice. This time a woman wearing a long blue dress came out with long black hair and black eyes came out into the opening with a teenager next to her.

"And who are you?" Dr. Campbell asked.

"I am Mrs. Al-Assam, My husband is the principle of one of the best school in all of Oakton, and not only do I want that squirrel as a pet, I want him for our new mascot. My son Rick has always wanted a special pet of his own."

"Yeah, and what's more special then a purple squirrel?" Rick asked "And as one of the best school athletes i'm honored to keep him as my new pet, and I'm going to name him Chet."

"Somebody get me outta here!" Surly exclaimed.

While the three adults argued Noah saw his chance to sneak over to the cage and open it. Surly wasted no time in sneaking into the boy's clothes and Noah ran off while the adults kept fighting and by the time they realized what happened it was too late.

"Where's that little boy? He must've stolen the squirrel!" Dr. Campbell exclaimed in anger.

"I say first one to catch that squirrel keeps him!" Bernard exclaimed.

"I'll get him first!" Rick shouted.

Soon everyone stampeded across the park as they tore through bushes and looked down holes and other hiding places to find Surly, but no one had been able to find him because they never thought to look inside the mill.

Watching from the shadows Raccoon and some rats were watching the whole scene before one of the rats let out a laugh and said "A lot of commotion and fuss for one squirrel, right boss?"

"Yes." Raccoon said before an idea popped into his head "But maybe that can work to our advantage... I have a plan... and it involves that young boy Noah."

"What are you going to do boss?" The rat asked.

"I'm going to use Noah against the park... namely Surly... and then I will kill him and reclaim my place as leader of the park." Raccoon said with an evil grin.

"No way, how are you going to get that human to work for you?" another rat asked "Won't he realize that you're trying to kill Surly?"

"Not if all the boy is trying to do is protect his family." Raccoon said "And that is what I will use to take my revenge and become the leader again, by becoming Noah's new best friend... or should I say, new better best friend?"