Chapter 10: Looking on the Bright Side

Meanwhile, at the time when Becky started brawling with Edna, Avery had been yanked out of the tent by surprise before he could think about stopping his wife from hurting herself. His back had been turned to the crowd and on his wife when this happened, never knowing that someone from the horse race had taken his chance to seize the buzzard rancher by the back of his shirt, clasping a hand around his beak to keep him from yelling with the other arm wrapped around his waist.

"Quit yammerin' you bird brain," the sinister voice threatened in a whispering tone.

"Hmmr?" Avery asked, recognizing the voice of what sounded like Hunter Smith.

He tried calling for help, but to no avail, not even when there was not enough folks where Hunter was taking him. Almost everyone was in the dancing tent where the crowd noise and music blocked out other lower sounds, nobody seeing or hearing Avery being carried off into the darker alleyway.

Once Hunter had reached another area out of sight from the townsfolk, he threw Avery roughly to the ground, putting his foot on the buzzard's back and said to him:

"The boss would like a word with you!"

"Who?"

"He means me!" With the sudden voice came a light inside what Avery found to be a tent, illuminated by a large oil lamp on a table, lit by none other than….

"Edward Nosedive?"

The bald eagle in the dark blue suit and top hat sat beside the oil lamp, looking at Avery on the floor unamused, after Hunter removed his foot from him. Then Edward spoke to the buzzard farmer sarcastically with a smirk. "So how does it feel to finally win your first horse race, hmm?"

"Is that the reason you dragged me all the way here?" Avery scoffed, getting on his knees and dusting his shirt. "I ain't got time to hear what you got to offer, but I need to get back to my wife and child who are expecting me, so would you kindly tell your partner here to let me pass?" He turned around to leave, but blocked by Hunter who pushed him further to where Edward was seated.

"Come now, there's no need for us to get all hateful with each other here," Edward tried to sound insistent. "But let me remind you of who it is you're talking to." He clicked his fingers, signaling for Hunter to take something out of his pocket by surprise, then pinning it to Avery's shirt.

"What is this?" Avery looked down to see that it was a pin labeled VOTE FOR EDWARD NOSEDIVE.

"You see partner, I ain't such a bad guy that other folks claim to see me as," Edward suddenly turned from sarcastic to insistent when presenting that voting badge. "And let me assure you that I have no such hatred or resentment towards you and your family. But you have no idea how hard and distressing it is to help keep everyone and this city in check. Like Mr. Condor, I only want what is best for this community the same as you only wish to provide for your loved ones. But Mr. Condor can't seem to understand it from my point of view. Therefore, if you vote for me as the new mayor, I promise that I will see to it that you are given the best job I can provide you with. All you have to do is turn down whatever opportunity Mr. Condor offers you or else I'll be ruined."

"And what if I refuse?" Avery tested the eagle.

"Really now, is that any to talk to someone trying to be your friend here?" Edward remained calm in his seat, hardly moved by Avery testing him. "Of course, unless you'd rather live the rest of your lives in poverty with no bigger house and better food to eat, think it over as you leave and we can forget our past differences. What do you say?"

Everything was quiet as Avery looked at the badge with Edward's name on it, thinking it over right away. While a new and better job to help better provide for his family sounded like a real dream come true, he was smart enough to know that there was something about the eagle's sudden "friendliness" that sounded too good to be true. And he was about to prove himself right when he suddenly grabbed the pin from his shirt, tore it off and threw it on the ground hard enough to then get a shocking reaction out of Edward who's smile turned into a startled frown.

"No thank you Mr. Nosedive!" Avery protested, stomping his foot down. "There are some types of deals and briberies that should never be taken!" With that simple statement, the eagle's scheming smile had fallen.

"But Mr. Buzzard, surely we can still come to….."

"And I ain't as stupid and naïve as you think I am, not when I know a cheater when I see one. You think I don't know what really happened at the race or the dance?" Avery interrupted, stern as ever. "Is this how you plan to buy your way into any election, manipulation, cheatin' and bribery? I think I'll pass! Now if you don't mind, I got a wife n' child waitin' for me!"

Avery then turned around to leave the tent, caring less about Hunter beside him. The only thing that stopped him was when Edna had pushed her way through the curtains, showing to still be a complete mess from her fight with Becky back in the dance floor, holding Edmund's hand at her side.

"Edna, what happened to you?" Edward sat up straight from his seat. He paid no attention to Hunter who was trying to keep himself from laughing at her messed up appearance.

"IT WAS THIS BONE PICKER'S WIFE THAT MADE A FOOL OF ME IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE CROWD!" Edna snapped, pointing an accusing finger straight at Avery and causing him to back away from her in alarm, her beak almost touching his when she got closer like some kind of predator. "THIS WHOLE DAY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SPLENDID AND WOULD'VE STAYED THAT WAY IF YOU HAD NEVER COME INTO THIS TOWN!" She ranted some more, poking his chest twice.

Avery stared at the woman in outrage and disbelief. "WHAT?! You got quite a big mouth there….or should I say a big BEAK!" He snapped back, attempting to get around her. "I say it was YOU n' your husband that made fools of yourselves! And if you want my honest opinion, that's quite a good look for you….goes with your ridiculous hat."

"Why I…I never….ever…!"Edna hissed; face growing red from such an insult, refusing to acknowledge it as a fact. "You see what I mean Edward, he completely berated me!"

"That's my wife you're talking to buzzard," Edward stood up from his seat, ready to come to her defense. "I've been around your kind before to know what they are capable of."

"And I've grown up long enough to be warned about men like you!" Avery huffed at him. "You like to talk big about how rich, tough n' powerful you are…..how much better you are than everyone else who ain't as rich as you! But the minute when somethin' don't go your way, you'd do anything to hide behind the largest bodyguard as a shield to carry out your dirty work in silencin' someone like me!" He stopped a moment to catch his breath and move Edna out of his way. "We got plenty o' words for men like you, but right now, all I can call you is a fraud."

"WHY I…..I'LL!" Edna had then used both her hands to catch Avery by his shirt, getting ready to do whatever it was she had in mind until…

"THERE YOU ARE MR. BUZZARD!"

Edna was cut off when a voice boomed from the tent entrance, loud and demanding enough to bring silence on everyone inside, Clarence standing there with a displeased Callahan Condor.

"Your wife sent me to come find you. Edna, let him go, now!" The hawk sheriff had commanded.

"Then please take me to her sheriff," Avery wasted no time in running up to Clarence, after Edna released her grip on him. He knew that as these two being here meant neither, Edna, Edward, or Hunter would dare try to do anything horrid while they had been present. "I just wanna get back to my family and go home."

"Come and follow me while we'll leave Mr. Condor to handle the matters here," Clarence had insisted as he took Avery back outside, knowing that Callahan can take care of himself as he would try to have a firm, political talk with Edward and his family rumored to have been causing trouble to a few good folks in this community trying to have a good time.

Elsewhere in another part of the fairgrounds, Becky had been sitting on a chair inside the tent where Clarence had taken her after the fight she had with Edna, all messy, and holding a crying Baron in her arms, rocking him as gently as she could, pleading in her mind for him to calm down and for Avery to be found safe and unharmed, not wanting to be without a husband or have her child be without a father if the worst happened with him.

"Becky, are you ok?" Mrs. Hedgehog was in the tent with her, not wanting one of her dearest friends to deal with this kind of bad situation all alone. "I'm sure they'll find Avery." She couldn't do much but stay by her side and glance down at the baby buzzard boy, now seeing his tears soften up.

"I…I'll be alright," Becky stuttered between harsh breaths, clearly trying to draw back tears in front of Baron. "I suppose once the sheriff comes back, I should apologize for…."

"Nonsense darlin', nonsense," Mrs. Hedgehog tutted, patting Becky's shoulder for comfort. "If this is all on anyone, it's that stuck up Edna behavin' like a child. That goes for Edward too." She concluded.

"But…"

"She's right; those two are in the wrong here, not you."

Both ladies turned to see Clarence speak up and return to the tent entrance with Avery, alive and unharmed beside him.

"Oh Avery, I was so worried I'd lost you," Becky stood up and went over to him. "Thank you Clarence, but where did you find him?"

"Seems Mr. Nosedive thought he might have some kind of word with him about all the rumors that happened today with the race and the contests, but Avery refused to hear of his nonsense," Clarence didn't really like to lie to any of his friends, but he thought Becky deserved to hear the truth, whether they all liked it or not.

"Avery, I'm so sorry, I know that I shouldn't have…."

"Oh Becky, we can't let that dishonest pair get to us like this," Avery interjected, holding his wife as she still carried Baron. "Things might've gone a bit rocky here and there, but in the end, we still got each other. I won the race and you still won the pie contest….fair n' square."

"And you might say that as we speak, Mr. Condor is givin' Mr. Nosedive a piece o' his mind where I found Avery," Clarence had added, flashing a wide grin. "I say rather than ruin it for everyone at the dance hall, they sure cheered n' laughed for you the moment when Edna landed with her rump in that punch bowl." He started to laugh hysterically.

"And she sure was throwin' one heck of a mighty temper tantrum when unable to press charges against you," Mrs. Hedgehog joined in the laughter. "Don't think there's ever been another gal that ever done that to someone like her." She could see a weak smile form on Becky's face as she let out a sniffle.

"Ya'll are right, what do I have to feel sorry for?" Becky said with a whimper, suddenly hearing Baron start to laugh before yawning. "I'm happy that we decided to settle here with the friends we made on the way."

"Family and friends look out for each other ma'am," Clarence added. "Even if it means protectin' them from any high class ruffians."

Avery could feel a smile of his own start to form. Watching the friends he made in this town stand up for him and his family made his heart swell with pride and warmth. Even Clarence and his deputies were willing to stand up against any rich folks that were not showing respect and compassion towards those that were less fortunate, willing to put their careers on the line to do what's right. And that made the buzzard family more grateful than ever.

"Well, I suppose we should get right on home now," Avery insisted, despite the looming specter of Edward and Edna's treatment towards them hanging over his mind, wanting to ignore what they said before and tell himself that they were in the wrong about them. He knew they already made enemies of the Nosedive family after this, but if Mr. Condor was giving them some kind of hell for what he might've been told, maybe there was nothing to worry about for now. He could only hope so. "My wife looks like she could use a bath, get her clothes all cleaned up, and its passed Baron's bedtime now that he's showin' that he's ready to sleep."

"Understood, I'll go get your prize money and trophy to take home," Clarence let go of his friends as he went to go get the same awards won at the horse race, including the gold ribbon Becky won at the pie contest to which Edna tried snatching away from her before. "Better keep them someplace safe at home where nobody will find'em."

"Thanks for your support," Avery gave a meek nod, knowing he and his family had nothing left to lose for now. "We'll be seein' ya'll tomorrow then. Goodnight now."

The buzzard family said the rest of their goodbyes with friends outside, seeing that most of the townsfolk had left while others stayed behind to clean up the fair grounds. They would save their discussions for when they get back home, putting their son before everything else tonight. On the way home, Avery thought about the incident back in Edward's tent where he was worried that his life was on the line and might've been if Clarence and Callahan had not showed up in time. He was not willing to admit defeat and throw in the towel, not after the friends they made and the enemies that came with it.

An hour or two would now pass since the buzzard family got home safely without any further trouble, having parked the wagon in the barn safely and having time for Becky to bathe herself and put her clothes aside where she would wash them tomorrow, having no time to do it now when they were all tired out from the long day. Even Avery decided he needed a bath himself before they went to bed after tucking Baron in his crib for the night. Now he and his wife laid comfortably beneath the covers, having a minor discussion in the events that went on today.

"What is it Becky?" Avery asked, noticing that Becky seemed a bit dismal at his left side. "You wanna talk about it before I put the light out?"

Becky sighed before she was able to answer. "Oh Avery, I just can't believe I could lose my temper like that in front of everyone. I'm supposed to be a good mother to Baron by settin' a good example for him, but you saw what happened. How could I….?"

Avery chuckled slightly, shaking his head. "Oh Becky, you ain't got nothin' to feel sorry about, I assure you. Even Clarence and Mrs. Hedgehog agree. The worse that woman could've done was try to drag our son into it, so any lovin' Ma would've come to her child's defense and taught her a hard lesson. I even did the same towards Edward."

"You have, what happened?" Becky looked at him with worry.

"He tried to offer me a better job if I would vote for him in the next election by turning my back on our friendship with Callahan and all our neighbors," Avery replied, remembering how he could see through Edward sounding too friendly in what he was offering. "But I could tell his sudden friendliness was too good to be true. Mr. Pronghorn was right, that eagle's the last candidate I would ever wanna vote for as mayor of this town."

"Now that I think about it, I suppose there ain't nothin' to worry about no more tonight," Becky was starting to feel better, no longer feeling terrible about the dance floor brawl, finding it hilarious with how Edna sure made a mess of herself in the end and with Clarence refusing her request to press charges against her over something she and her husband started. "Oh, I almost forgot to mention what Mrs. Hawktail told me in the tent before Clarence found you."

"Really, what was it?"

"Well, I wanted to wait till we got home before I said anything, but she came by and wanted to check up and see if I was doing alright after the fight with Edna. To cheer me up, she brought up how she had morning sickness recently this week and went to see the doctors."

"And what did they tell her?" Avery was desperate to know if this would lead to anything bright and positive.

"She and Clarence are gonna have a baby. The egg now sits inside their home."

The news delighted them both, finding more reasons to look on the bright side of things.

AN: Oh my, it's been so long since I made an update to this story, I'm so terribly sorry that I haven't updated in a long time. I was going through a lot of things at home which was hard and I couldn't get myself together until now. Can't say what it is since it's personal, but hopefully I'm over it for now as long as I take my medication and do what is right with my physical and mental health. As for the story, the news of Ruby Hawktail bringing a life into her family home will be what awaits Baron in the future as he grows up.