Chapter 16:
The Young 4 Meet Lucky Jack
A few hours have passed until it was right now morning, the rains have stopped, and the floodwaters have receded and The Young 4 are still sleeping with Yona snoring and cuddling with Sandbar and Smolder. Yona was having a good dream which then became a nightmare as she started chewing on Smolder's tail in her sleep as Smolder woke up and turned to her.
"Yona. Yona. Yona. Wake up," Smolder said, trying to wake Yona up. She didn't like having her tail chewed on.
"Check Please!" Yona yelled with Smolder's tail in her mouth as she abruptly wakes up along with Sandbar, who was startled by her yelling.
Yona blinked a few times and turns to Smolder, who was borrowing her eyes at her.
"Uh, why Smolder looking at Yona like that?" Yona asked, muffling since Smolder's tail was still in her mouth.
Sandbar cleared his throat and gestured with his hand to tell Yona that she has something in her mouth. Yona looked at what Sandbar was gesturing to and finally sees that she has Smolder's tail in her mouth. So Yona placed it down and wiped the drool off it, along with playing with Smolder's face trying to make her smile even though Smolder wasn't buying it.
"Smolder's tail tastes better in Yona's sleep," Yona commented.
"Well, I guess, Gallus is long gone now, huh?" Smolder said, noticing that Gallus is still gone.
"Mmmm-hmmm," Yona said as she nodded. But she wasn't happy about it.
"Guess I was being too hard on him, wasn't I?" Smolder asked, feeling a little guilty and sad about the event that happened the other day. She was beginning to realize how much her words actually hurt Gallus.
"Well, to be fair. You did say that we were better off without him," Sandbar said, shrugging his shoulder.
Then Smolder started looking around, realized someone else is missing and said, "Hey, wait a minute. Where's Ocellus?".
"Hey, guys!" Ocellus said suddenly as the group jumped in surprise as they turned to her. Where had she been?
"Boy, am I glad you're up. You guys gotta take a look at this," Ocellus said as she appeared from behind the rock they were resting under.
Smolder, Yona, and Sandbar followed Ocellus and saw a fire pit and a few bowls of food in front of them.
"What in the world? Where did all this come from?" Smolder asked, looking at the small campsite in confusion.
"Mmmm, Yona not know, but the food is delicious," Yona said, already eating out of her bowl.
The Jackrabbit with a peg leg that Gallus saw before his arrival came rushing in while rolling a wagon wheel and said, "Good morning, kiddos. I see you already tucked in your appetizer,".
"Never knew any kiddos like you four that didn't have an appetite," the Jackrabbit said, noticing as he placed the wheel over a bucket as if he was setting up a table.
"Whoa! Hey, slow down, will you?" Smolder said.
"Hey, go easy on him, Smolder. He's just trying to help us get plenty of stuff to eat. Plus, he's like our very own desert shaman," Ocellus said, defending the Jackrabbit as the Jackrabbit removed his peg leg and starts working on a fire.
The Jackrabbit got the fire started as he placed his peg leg back on and said, "Oh, I'm more than a shaman. I'm a shaman, chef, chief cook, and bottle washer. I'm a Jackrabbit of all trades and at your service,".
"Folks around these parts call me Lucky Jack. Yep, they used to come from miles around just to get one rub of my lucky rabbit's foot," Lucky Jack said, introducing himself as he walks up to the Young 4 while being unaware that his peg leg is burning as he held it up.
But then his eyes widened for he has finally noticed his peg leg is on fire.
"Whoo! Dagnabit!" Lucky Jack exclaimed as he stamped his peg leg on the sand.
Then he removes it and blows on it. That's when Lucky Jack placed it in his mouth as smoke spurred out his ears and they flopped down.
"This happens all the time. Now, where was I?" Lucky Jack said, placing his peg leg back on.
Then he went over to the Young 4 as he reached into his bag and pulled out a scorpion as he said, "Ah. Voilà,".
Ocellus, Yona, Sandbar, and Smolder then had disgusted looks on their faces.
"Now let me just get this in the fire and it'll be ready directly," Lucky Jack said, slicing and dicing the scorpion into several pieces before tossing two pieces into the air.
"Mm-huh. Ow! Yow!" Lucky Jack said for he manages to catch the head section with his ears, but the stinger and tail hit his left eye.
"Uh, Yona and friends no eat meat. It's against our herbivory diet," Yona commented.
"Um, what Yona is trying to say is that we'll dine with you another time. See my friends and Ocellus are returning to our home to say our last goodbye," Smolder explained to Lucky Jack.
"Yeah, we needed shelter and we lost our friend," Ocellus said, nodding sadly.
"Well, I can sympathize with that, kids, I surely can. Until recently like you guys, I, too, had a home. Echo Mine it was called," Lucky Jack said, feeling bad for them losing a home while recalling that he too had a home.
Lucky Jack then turned to face the horizon as he continued his story, "Us Jackrabbits lived there from generation after generation. Till some land-grabbing bandit moved in and flushed us out like yesterday's oatmeal,".
"Yona starting to feel bad for Lucky Jack," Yona said, turning to her friends while feeling sympathy for the jackrabbit. She didn't really want to leave him alone if he had no home, friends, or family.
"I am too. But we better be on our way, I guess," Smolder said, clearing her throat.
"WAIT! There he is!" Lucky Jack exclaimed pointing at something in the distance.
Nearby, there's a cactus with a wanted poster of Slim not too far from them. Ocellus and Smolder glanced at each other while Sandbar and Yona smile as Lucky Jack growled and rushed towards the cactus with Yona and Sandbar following behind him, and kicks it with his real foot, only for it to end up covered in cactus spines.
"SLIM!" Sandbar exclaimed.
"Wait, is Lucky Jack saying no-good varmint hiding at Echo Mine right now?" Yona asked hopefully.
"Without a doubt," Lucky Jack replied with a nod of his head. He was absolutely certain of this fact.
"That must be where Gallus is heading, right now," Sandbar said, realizing where Gallus is heading to on his own.
"Wait a minute, Sandbar, what are you thinking?" Smolder asked, thinking Sandbar is going to do something crazy like Gallus did.
"Look, I'm going to help Gallus settle a score with that rhinestone fat boy and got nothing to lose," Sandbar said, turning to the others with a newfound determination.
"But Sandbar it'll be dangerous for you to help Gallus go after Slim by yourself," Ocellus stated, telling Sandbar that it's suicide to venture after Gallus by himself.
"Hey, I got the rabbit to help me," Sandbar said, not feeling alone as he held Lucky Jack close to him.
"Yona helps Sandbar and Lucky Jack also," Yona said, joining Sandbar's side ready to help as well.
Ocellus looked between them and Smolder and has came to her decision, "Well, if you three are gonna go help Gallus then I'm going too," Ocellus said as she heads over to them.
As she joins them, they all looked at Smolder who was denying it and shaking her head as she started stepping away and said, "Oh, no. Absolutely no. Listen, you guys can go and help Gallus, but I'm sticking to my plans and going home,".
As Smolder was beginning to walk off, Sandbar got in her way and said, "Whoa there Smolder, as much crazy this adventure has been, I think I know why Gallus decided to do this adventure,".
"Wait, you do?" Ocellus asked, raising a brow in confusion.
"What are you saying, Sandbar?" Smolder asked, wanting to know where Sandbar is going with this.
"Don't you see, Smolder? You want the money and Gallus wants to get even with Slim," Sandbar said, explaining what he is saying with his speech.
"You know Sandbar's right. We are all after the same thing. Smolder, I know you and Gallus don't see eye to eye, but maybe if we work together and help Gallus in bringing Slim to justice, we will not only get the reward but also prove that even kids can become bounty hunters," Ocellus said as she walks up to Smolder, who narrowing her eyes, while getting Sandbar's point.
"So, Smolder in?" Yona asked.
Lucky Jack remained silent throughout the whole conversation as he watched to see what Smolder has to say. He wanted to know what was going happen.
Smolder thought about it before she sighed in defeat and said, "Well, I can't risk Gallus getting hurt out there alone. I'm in,".
"Ha! Kid Griffon Bounty Hunters! Now I've seen everything," Lucky Jack said, surprised to see the Young 4 ready to continue on their quest.
Then he heads off before turning back and said, "Let's get movin' kiddos. Time for an underground smackdown,".
"Yee-haw!" Ocellus exclaimed as they headed out into the countryside.
"Hang on, Gallus, we're comin'!" Smolder shouted, and the Young 4 started making their way to where Slim is hiding out and help their friend Gallus.
The Young 4 followed Lucky Jack through the desert as you hear a male chorus singing a reprise in the background…
Male Chorus { Singing }: Out In The Land Where The Heroes Meet Their Makers…
Out In The Land Where The Hail And Hearty Fall…
Sometimes, further in the day, the Young 4 passed over many terrains as they followed Lucky Jacks' guidance towards the mine and walked across a fallen tree over a ridge with Lucky Jack riding on Yona's back.
Meanwhile, miles ahead of the Young 4, Silverstream was still on the run for she has picked up the trail again and started running along the new trail and flew over a gap before she continued running as she whinnies in determination.
Male Chorus { Singing }: Birds Of A Feather Flock Together….
No Matter How Bad Is The Weather….
Yee-Haw!
The Young 6 Are Walkin' Tall!
As the last lyrics were sung, the Young 4 and Lucky Jack continued following the trail even with the sun setting and continuing on the next day. Sometimes, Lucky Jack needed to get his bearings as he had his ears on the ground listening and then he points ahead as the Young 4 followed him.
Coming down a hill, Lucky Jack, Sandbar, Yona, and Ocellus made it down fine. But Smolder came sliding down comically before coming to a stop on her belly. She shook the dirt off herself with a glare before following her friends.
Further away, in another part of the Wild West, ahead of the group and Silverstream, Gallus was sliding down a hill of his own before running off through the forest after he reached the bottom.
Male Chorus { Singing }: Griffons, Griffons…
This Ain't It Pal.
Griffons, Griffons,
Griffons On The Range.
Griffons, Griffons.
Better Go Git Pal.
Griffons, Griffons.
Griffons On The Range!
Farther behind Gallus and Silverstream, Smolder, Yona, Ocellus, Sandbar, and Lucky Jack hiked through the small forest and they still pressed on their quest…
