Hey, guys. Dusk19 here. Sorry for the long wait. I'm back and this fanfic's still alive. This prologue was co-written for me by a friend, too. Credit also goes to him for his writing. Also, my friends White Hunter and StarlightFlower165 will be co-writing with me, too. So credit will also go to them for the story and their characters.

Though, to be honest, I really no longer like the idea of killing off a protagonist's parent(s) just for them to meet and have animal characters as their parent figures. It feels sorta dark and depressing now, and we all know that a child needs their father to be there for them. But to save my co-writer the hard work or trouble, I decided to just keep the story and Prologue as it is anyways. Hope you still enjoy it I suppose.

-Dusk19

The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfic. Over The Hedge(movie) belongs to Dreamworks Animation, distributed by Paramount Pictures, and based on the Over The Hedge comic series by Michael Fry and . Please support the official release.

Prologue: The Promise

It was snowing on a Christmas morning in December of 1998. A gentle breeze blew the flurries of snow through the air and into the streets. The people below scurried between buildings, shielding their faces from the crisp wind. It would not be long before a thin white sheet appeared over the dark pavement, glistening in the red-green glow of the decorated town.

The people paid little attention to winter's beauty. Nary a soul stopped to appreciate the glittering white blanket. Too many presents to buy and too little time before the roads grew dangerous.

But not everyone was out and about. Some were cozy in their homes by the fireplace. For as many as there were still out shopping, perhaps twice as many were instead cuddling loved ones or pets with a hot cup of cocoa or eggnog in hand.

There was no greater example of this than Basil Oakley. The six-year-old boy was sprawled out on a love seat in his favorite flannel, candy-cane pajamas. Tucked under a blanked and with hot chocolate in hand, the blue-eyed, brown-haired boy stared longingly at the stockings that hung over the fireplace. The light-colored fabric and sequins almost seemed to light up in the warm glow of the fire.

"Daddy's coming home soon, right?" he asked.

In a recliner next to Basil sat an older woman with the same blue eyes and black hair down to her shoulders. She was dressed lighter. She wore a pair of casual black flats that matched her Capri jeans near perfectly. On top, she wore a white, Christmas-themed V-neck with sleeves that fell just below the elbow. In the middle of her chest sat a beautiful heart-shaped gold locket hanging from an equally beautiful gold chain. And to finish off, she had a pearl earing for each ear. She was Olivia, Basil's mother.

"Yes. I know you miss him, but Daddy's trip got extended. There's just nothing we can do."

Basil sighed and turned his attention to the decorated Christmas tree. "Maybe I'll see Santa this year too."

Olivia looked up from her mug of alcoholic eggnog and smiled. "I bet you will, Honey."

She took a sip from her drink and was quiet for a time before she looked to her son again. "It's getting late. You should go to bed, Basil. If you don't get to sleep soon, Santa won't come."

"Oh yeah!" Basil said with a giggle. He hopped off the couch and ran up the stairs. By the end of the hour he was in bed, bedtime story read, and was sound asleep.

It was at six a.m. sharp when he woke up. Full of excitement, he ran to his mother's room and jumped on the bed. "Mom, wake up! Santa came! It's time for presents!"

With a subtle groan, Olivia rolled out of bed. "Okay, Hon. Wait by the stairs. I'll be ready in a moment."

Basil nodded and ran to the stairs to wait. He was back and forth between the stairs and his mother's room nearly a dozen times before she finally came out and he could run to the living room.

Armed with a loaded video camera, Olivia sat down to watch her son tear into his gifts. Shout after excited shout erupted from the small boy as he tore savagely into the wrapped up boxes. At the end, he laid out all his toys to admire them. Santa had brought him Ranger Rick Jr. magazines, a brand new Sony PlayStation with Spyro the Dragon and Rayman, a remote controlled car, and a huge chocolate bar.

Basil was beyond happy with his gifts. He was most excited for the magazines. He absolutely loved the wilderness, and he dreamed of one day becoming a wildlife expert like his hero, Ranger Rick the raccoon.

It was at the height of his excitement that the classic ringtone of his mother's Nokia 5110 cellphone played out.

"Hello?" she asked, picking up the receiver. There was unintelligible speech from the other side of the line as Olivia's face fell. She began pacing the room in distress. When the call ended, there was a long moment of silence. Olivia looked deeply pained.

Basil was suddenly overcome with nervousness and uncertainty. "M-Mom? What's going on?"

"Basil, come and sit down. Dad isn't going to make it home for Christmas."

"But he promised!" Basil shouted, on the verge of throwing a tantrum.

"I know! I know…" She paused to take a shaky breath. "Dad is in the hospital right now. He got into a car accident."

Basil's eyes began to water. "But he promised he'd be here! He can't be in the hospital!" He began sobbing.

"Go and get dressed, Hon. We're going to go see him."

Basil didn't fully understand what was going on. He only really understood that his father was not coming home. He went to his room to dress and returned to his mother who was waiting by the door. She ushered him through the garage and into his car seat before climbing into the driver's seat.

The entire ride was silent; no talking, no music. The only thing to complement Basil's thoughts was the somber environment.

In fifteen minutes, they were at the Chesterton hospital in the emergency room waiting area. Basil really wanted to see his father, but the doctors said they had to wait, that his father was in surgery. He could not sit still while they waited. When the doctors finally said they could see him, Basil jumped up from his chair and ran over. Before showing them in, the doctor spoke with his mother for a moment.

"I'm really sorry, Ma'am. The surgeons did everything they could, but he may not last the night."

Olivia breathed a shaky breath. "He's going to make it. I have faith."

Then the doctor showed them in.

Gordon was laying on his hospital bed, wrapped up in heavy bandages. A tube was sticking out of his chest and connected to some sort of machine that seemed to be helping it inflate and deflate. There were also several IVs connected to him. From one, a liquid was entering his body; from another, blue blood came up a tube, into a loud machine, and red blood came out the other end that went back to his body. He was a horrible mess.

There came an incredibly strained, painful breath before Gordon looked up. "Oliv-ia, Basil…" his voice came as a whisper.

Olivia embraced her husband's head gently. "Gordon…" she said, even shakier.

The two shared a brief kiss before Gordon called for Basil to come closer. The young boy could not bring himself to look up at the mess that was his father. His father was supposed to be strong and happy. How could this be him?

"Basil, buddy…I-I'm sorry I…didn't make it. Did Santa…bring you gifts?"

Basil stared down at his own feet and nodded slowly.

Gordon took another heavy breath. "That's good. You've been…a good boy."

Basil nodded again.

"Basil…" Gordon adjusted himself as best he could to look toward his son. "I want…you to prom-mise me you'll…be a kind, great man when you grow up. Can you do that?"

Basil nodded. "I promise…" he said weakly.

"Good." Gordon turned back to face the ceiling and took another heavy breath. Then the monitor beside the bed began rapidly beeping. All the nearby doctors rushed in and started attempting to revive him.

It was no use. In another moment, Gordon was gone.

The light drizzling rain pattered off of the black umbrella Olivia was clutching so fiercely in her hands. Basil buried his face in his mother's side. And a bittersweet tune played as the casket was lowered into the earth. Finally, as the song drew to an end, Basil pulled himself from his mother. He rubbed his reddened eyes and sniffled.

"G-Goodbye, Dad," he whispered.

My Father Figure's A Raccoon

by Dusk19, StarlightFlower165 & White Hunter