AN: So, for my newest chapter of Adventures of the Smiling Critters, I'm going to be focusing on Kickin and Hoppy and their competitive rivalry! As they were supposed to have one simple camping trip with their friends, Kickin and Hoppy would soon find that their competitiveness would get them both into trouble!
Chapter 3
Competing For Survival
It was a bright and sunny day when the Smiling Critters walked through the forest to have another fun day together. Today, they all decided to have a camping trip, so they searched the forest for the perfect camping spot. Throughout their walk, they carried a bunch of camping supplies on their backs, such as sleeping bags, tents, and bags of marshmallows.
The Smiling Critters were looking forward to a day of rest and relaxation. However, relaxing was the last thing Kickin and Hoppy wanted to do. All they had been doing throughout the hike was competing with each other over the simplest things like finding the best camping spot or having races with each other. In fact, they competed with each other even before they left over who can carry the most camping supplies on their backs. Kickin and Hoppy's competitiveness slowly got on their friends' nerves, but the Smiling Critters kept telling themselves that it would all be worth it once they have their camping trip. It wasn't long before DogDay stopped in the middle of a clearing.
"This should be the perfect spot for us to camp!" DogDay smiled before putting down his backpack.
"Yay! Today is going to be so fun!" Bobby exclaimed. "Just a relaxing day with my friends!"
"Just don't expect me to relax! As long as Hoppy keeps competing with me, I will never slow down!" Kickin explained.
"Then that makes two of us, Kickin!" Hoppy said, feeling as competitive as her friend.
It was at that moment when Bubba facepalmed in annoyance as he was getting sick of Kickin and Hoppy's competitive nature at this point. "Come on you two. You've been turning everything into a competition ever since we left for this trip. Can't you just take a break for once?"
"Not until he/she quits!" Kickin and Hoppy pointed at each other in unison.
Knowing that Kickin and Hoppy won't stop anytime soon, their friends did their best to ignore their competitive challenges as they got their campsite set up. While everyone helped each other set everything up, Kickin and Hoppy quickly set up their tents to see who can set up their tent first.
"I win!" Both, Kickin and Hoppy exclaimed as they set up their tents at the exact same time.
At the declaration of each others victory, the two friends glared at one another.
"What are you talking about? I clearly set up my tent first!" Kickin argued.
"You might want to get your eyes checked! I'm clearly the one who set up my tent faster and better." Hoppy said.
Kickin let out a sigh. "Okay, so neither of us know who actually won. There is only one way to settle this!"
"Forget this stupid competition and join your friends on a day of camping like we have been planning for a week?" Bubba retorted, even though he wasn't getting his hopes up.
Kickin laughed in response. "Get real, Bubba! The only way to settle this is to have a tree climbing competition! First one at the top of that tree wins!"
"You're on, Kickin! And to make sure you don't steal this win from me, Crafty is going to be our judge!" Hoppy announced.
Hearing this caused Crafty to feel nervous. She wasn't used to judging any games and wanted no part in this.
"M-Me? Hoppy, I don't think I'm comfortable with-"
Crafty was soon interrupted when Hoppy wrapped an arm around her back. "Don't sweat it, Crafty! All you have to do is watch our climb up the tree and declare me the winner at the end. If you say I'm the winner now, I can help you on any drawing you want!"
"Hey! Don't bribe the judge! If anyone is going to win, it would be me!" Kickin yelled before climbing up the tree.
"Hey! No head starts!" Hoppy climbed after Kickin.
As Kickin and Hoppy had their competition, the Smiling Critters did their best to ignore them and have their relaxing camping trip. It was hard for Picky to look away though as she gazed in awe at how high they both were.
"You know, it's kind of impressive how high those two have come so far!" Picky commented.
"Yes, but their competitiveness is getting kind of annoying." Bobby admitted. "Is it just me, or are Kickin and Hoppy getting more competitive than they usually are? Aaaah!"
Bobby let out a scream when she suddenly got buried under a pile of leaves. She popped up from the pile before spitting leaves out of her mouth and looking up to see that Hoppy accidentally kicked down a bunch of leaves from the tree.
"Oops! Sorry, Bobby! Didn't see you there!" Hoppy apologized with a nervous grin, much to Bobby's annoyance.
It wasn't long before Kickin and Hoppy reached the top of the tree with them both declaring themselves as the winner. They both carefully climbed down the tree before rushing over to Crafty.
"Okay, Crafty! You have seen me beat Hoppy, right?" Kickin asked.
"Don't even try to confuse her! She clearly saw me win!" Hoppy argued. "Tell him, Crafty!"
"Um." Crafty looked from Kickin to Hoppy, not sure what to say.
Thankfully, Crafty was able to get out of this awkward situation when Picky showed up with a bag of marshmallows.
"Hey, that was a pretty intense competition! How would you two like to take a break and eat some marshmallows?" Picky offered.
"No thanks, Picky!" Kickin declined. "I gotta keep my energy if I want to beat Hoppy!"
Picky simply shrugged in response. "Oh well! More for me!" Picky reached a hoof in the bag before happily eating the marshmallows.
"Picky is right, you know." DogDay stepped forward. "You two really need a break from your games. Why can't you just relax like CatNap here?"
DogDay directed Kickin and Hoppy's attention to CatNap, who sat on a log, gazing distantly into the woods without a word. Before long, CatNap slowly turned around, staring at his friends in his usual creepy smile.
"Because sitting down and doing nothing is boring, DogDay!" Kickin said.
"Besides! Our competitions are all in good fun!" Hoppy defended.
"I know that, but this is supposed to be a day where we have a fun camping trip together. Listen, why don't you two just take a rest from all this and help us gather some wood for the campfire?" DogDay suggested.
"So, what you're trying to say is the first to gather the most wood and back is the winner, right?" Kickin asked, completely missing DogDay's point.
"What? No, I-"
"Alright! Prepare to eat my dust, Kickin!" Hoppy interrupted DogDay before he could finish his sentence.
With that, DogDay watched helplessly as Kickin and Hoppy ran deep into the woods. As his friends left, DogDay let out an annoyed sigh. He loved Kickin and Hoppy, but sometimes they could be too stubborn for their own good.
Bubba soon approached DogDay before placing a sympathetic arm on his shoulder. "Sorry, DogDay. I know you wanted us to have a fun camping trip."
DogDay sighed. "I'm sure we will! Once Kickin and Hoppy get back! I promise we'll have the best camping trip ever!"
Meanwhile, Kickin and Hoppy ran through the woods as fast as they could, picking up any sticks and twigs they could find. They grabbed pieces of wood, neither of them slowing down in the slightest. By the time they picked up everything off the ground, they carried countless sticks and twigs in their arms.
"Ha! I told you I would win!" Hoppy bragged.
"What? Do you even see the amount of wood I'm carrying? I'm clearly the winner here!" Kickin declared.
Seeing that this argument was getting them nowhere, Hoppy decided to settle this another way. "You know what? Why don't we go back to the campsite and ask DogDay who has the most firewood? He should be able to tell which one of us is the winner!"
Right when Hoppy was ready to return, she stopped in her tracks as she looked around the woods in confusion. She was so determined to beat Kickin, she didn't keep track of where she was.
"Uh, you know where the campsite is, right?" Hoppy asked.
"Of course I do! It's right-" Kickin paused before he looked around, feeling just as confused as Hoppy.
Upon realizing the situation they were in, Kickin and Hoppy realized that they had no idea which direction to walk towards.
"Okay, Kickin. I don't want to make this sound like a big deal or anything, but I think we might have lost our way back to the campsite." Hoppy explained.
It was at that moment when Kickin dropped the firewood in shock before he started to freak out. "Oh no! This is bad! What are we going to do? We're lost and no one even knows where we are! Is this our life now? We can't just stay in these woods and live like animals!"
Hoppy soon gave Kickin a deadpanned look. "Uh, Kickin? We ARE animals. Look, let's try not to panic. We just have to retrace our steps and we should be back at the campsite in no time!"
"Y-You're right! As long as we stay calm, we'll be able to find our way out of here." Kickin tried to calm down.
With that, the two friends began their trek through the seemingly endless woods. They both traveled for what felt like hours. No matter how far they traveled, they had seen nothing but tree after tree. Neither of them thought it was possible, but they now felt more lost than ever.
Thankfully, they both took notice of something that raised their spirits. It wasn't the campsite that they were hoping for, but it was a bush full of berries. They started to feel a little hungry at this point, so this could help tie them over until they find their way back to the campsite.
"Score! Looks like we earned a little snack break!" Kickin said, picking up the berries.
"Kickin, wait!" Hoppy suddenly raised her paws up in a warning. "I think those berries might be poisonous."
Hoppy's warning immediately caused Kickin to drop the berries in fear. If they weren't able to eat those berries, then they would have to search for something else to eat. It was at that moment when Hoppy suddenly gave a smile as she pointed in the distance.
"Hey, look over there!"
Kickin looked towards where Hoppy was pointing to see that there was an apple tree nearby. The only downside was that it just happened to be on the other side of a river. The rapids of the river flowed too fast for them to swim across, so they had to find another way to reach the tree.
"Guess we'll have to find another way across this river." Kickin guessed.
"Nope! You have to find another way across! I'll be able to get through this no problem!" Hoppy replied.
At that moment, Hoppy hopped in the air before landing on a tiny stone in the river. She hopped from stone to stone with ease, much to Kickin's surprise. After hopping through a few more stones, Hoppy made it to the other side, right next to the apple tree.
"H-How did you-" Kickin was too stunned to even finish his sentence.
"They don't call me Hoppy Hopscotch for nothing!" Hoppy grinned before hitting the bark of the tree with her elbow.
This caused apples to fall, so Hoppy grabbed one of the apples as it fell before taking a bite out of it. After getting over his surprise, Kickin awkwardly looked away as he tried not to look that impressed.
"Well, it was alright, but I can do better!"
"I'd love to see you try!" Hoppy leaned against the tree with one paw before taking another by of the apple.
Kickin took a deep breath before leaping onto the first stone. He stood perfectly still, doing his best to keep his balance. Hoppy couldn't help but let out a slight giggle, seeing Kickin like this.
"See! Not as easy as it looks, is it?"
"I'm just getting warmed up! I'll make it to the other side in no time! Just watch!" Kickin jumped towards the next stone. "Whoa!"
Suddenly, Kickin startled to topple over, but quickly recovered and regained his balance. Despite that, Hoppy was started to feel nervous about all this.
"Okay, seriously! I really think you should stop!" Hoppy urged. "Just go back, and I'll bring you a few apples on the other side!"
"Oh, you would like that, wouldn't you, Hoppy?" Kickin glared at Hoppy, despite the situation he was in. "I'm not giving up until I prove that I'm better than you at this!"
Ignoring Hoppy's warnings, Kickin leaped to the next stone. Unfortunately, he ended up slipping before falling into the river.
"Kickin!" Hoppy watched in horror as Kickin was being washed away by the strong rapids.
Wasting no time, Hoppy ran to the side of the river in an effort to save her friend. It wasn't long before Hoppy came across a large tree branch right in front of her. Seeing this gave her an idea, so she grabbed it and placed it right over the edge as Kickin was quickly swept away in her direction.
"Kickin, quick! Grab this branch!" Hoppy called out.
Upon noticing the branch, Kickin swam to the side before reaching out for it. Right when he grabbed it, Hoppy took the branch and spun it around, pulling Kickin to safety. Now that he was safe, Kickin took a couple of breaths before looking up at Hoppy.
"Th-Thanks! I owe you one!" Kickin said with a grateful smile.
"Don't mention it!" Hoppy replied.
Right when they both thought they were safe, the ground right below Hoppy's feet began to crumble. Before she could react, she was surprised when the ground was destroyed as she began to fall in the river.
"Hoppy!" Kickin gasped before reaching forward and taking Hoppy's paw.
This time, Kickin was the one pulling Hoppy to safety. Once she was safe, Hoppy breathed a sigh of relief.
"Guess we're even now!" Hoppy laughed before her smile suddenly faded as she put on a serious face. "Listen, it might be awhile before were able to see our friends again. If we're going to survive out here, we're gonna have to stop competing and actually work together."
"Finally, something we agree on! What do you say we look for food together?" Kickin suggested.
"Good idea! Let's do it!" Hoppy agreed.
In order to get some more food, Kickin and Hoppy worked together to create a net to catch food in. They both made their way to the side of the river before throwing the net into the water to catch some fish. Slowly but surely, the net slowly began to fill up with fish until Kickin and Hoppy dragged them to dry land. They repeated the process several times until they had enough fish to satisfy their hunger.
Once they had everything they needed, they built a campfire that they sat down near to relax. The two friends sat in silence, neither of them saying a word as they thought back to their friends. It had felt like such a long time ago since they last saw their friends. If they had just stopped competing and relaxed with their friends, they wouldn't have gotten themselves in this mess in the first place.
"So, what do you think we should do next to find the campsite?" Hoppy asked, breaking the silence.
Kickin sighed. "I don't know, Hoppy. Who's to say that the campsite is still around. It feels like we haven't been there in ages. I don't even know how long it has been since we left. Sometimes I wonder if we'll ever see our friends again."
"I know what you mean." Hoppy looked down in sadness. "We can't let this stop us though. If we're going to see our friends again, we have to do whatever it takes to survive!"
Kickin nodded in response. "You're right, Hoppy! We can't give up! We will survive and we will see our friends again!"
"That's the spirit! By the way, how about you give me some fish to fry up? I'm starving!"
"You got it!" Kickin turned to grab a fish.
However, Kickin didn't watch where he was going and tripped over a rock. This caused him to accidentally push the net over the edge and into the water, allowing the fish to swim away.
"No! No! No!" Hoppy ran towards the river to see that the fish were long gone by down. "A-All of our food is gone."
Realizing that he just messed up, Kickin tried to apologize. "Hoppy, I am so sorry! I must have tripped and I didn't realize how close the net was to the river."
Hoppy slowly turned to Kickin with a blank expression before it suddenly turned to a creepy grin. "Oh, it's okay, Kickin! We're only out of food! It's not like our lives depend on it or anything like that! In fact, I think I just found a way to prevent us from starving to death!"
It was at this point when Kickin started to get creeped out. He had never seen Hoppy so crazy before. He was so frightened, he struggled to even speak.
"A-And what way is that? Aaah!"
Kickin let out a scream when Hoppy charged right at him, baring sharp fangs. Thinking fast, Kickin dodged out of the way at the last second before Hoppy can grab him.
"What the heck, Hoppy?! What do you think you're doing?!" Kickin asked in shock.
Hoppy turned around with the same crazed look in her eyes. "I am not going to die out here! I still have one thing out here to eat, and that is you!"
"Really? You're going to eat me after all that we have been through trying to survive out here? I can't say I'm surprised by this, but if there were any of you guys who would eat me, I always assumed it would have been Picky. She was this close to nibbling off my fingers that one time." Kickin explained, pinching two fingers close together.
"This isn't anything personal, Kickin! This is just survival of the fittest!" Hoppy explained.
Kickin took a few steps back until he slowly drifted into insanity just like Hoppy. "Oh yeah? Too bad because I'm not going down without a fight either! If anyone is going to be eaten, it will be you!"
"Then show me you have what it takes to survive!" Hoppy said with a malicious grin before chasing after Kickin.
With that, Kickin ran away with Hoppy giving chase. However, Kickin was too fast, and the two of them were separated from one another before they knew it. Using this to their advantages, Kickin and Hoppy ran through the woods, setting up various traps in order to catch the other.
The more Kickin and Hoppy tried to survive, the more dirty and messed up their fur and feathers became. As countless traps were set up, Hoppy searched around the woods, her eyes flaring with fierce determination. She carefully sneaked through the woods, frantically jumping in surprise whenever she heard a rustle in the woods.
"I know you're out here, Kickin! Show yourself!" Hoppy yelled in the seemingly empty woods.
Suddenly, a creaking noise can be heard, and Hoppy looked up to see a cage falling from above her. Thinking fast, Hoppy rolled out of the way before dodging various snare traps that Kickin set up. Once she was sure she was safe, Hoppy allowed herself a moment to catch her breath.
That was a big mistake though as she suddenly felt herself being hoisted into the air. It was at that moment when Hoppy realized that she was trapped in a net. Rustling from a nearby bush could be heard before Kickin stepped out.
"It's over, Hoppy! I win!" Kickin taunted.
"You wish!" Hoppy yelled, revealing that she was holding a dagger in her paw.
"Wait, where did you get a dagger from?" Kickin asked in surprise.
"It's amazing what you can craft out here in the wild!" Hoppy replied before slashing at the ropes of the net, freeing herself.
Once she was free, Hoppy slowly approached Kickin, ready to pounce. Terrified, Kickin took a few steps back before suddenly falling in a pit trap that was covered by leaves. He slowly got back up to see Hoppy staring down at him.
"I got you! Any last words?" Hoppy asked.
"Actually, I have a few." Kickin replied, not giving Hoppy the satisfaction that she caught him. "Is that a soccer ball behind you?"
At the mention of a soccer ball, Hoppy, savage expression quickly turned to a look of surprise. "Soccer ball? Where?"
While Hoppy was distracted, Kickin took out a spear he crafted before plunging the sharp end in the side of the hole. With the spear in place, Kickin bounced on top of the stick end, allowing him to jump out of the hole.
Before Hoppy could realize what was going on, Kickin tackled her from behind, sending them both tumbling down a hill. Right when they hit the bottom, they were both ready to eat one another with Kickin's arm in Hoppy's mouth and Hoppy's leg in Kickin's mouth. They were both ready to bite down before they heard a familiar voice.
"Oh, hey guys! I was wondering when you would be back!" Kickin and Hoppy were surprised to hear DogDay's voice once again.
Shocked by this, they both stood up to see all of their friends near a campfire, roasting marshmallows. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. After all the time they spent in the woods, the campsite remained the exact same as they left it.
"Y-You're all still here?" Hoppy asked in disbelief.
"Well, yeah! We wouldn't miss this camping trip for the world!" Bobby replied as if the answer was obvious.
"We're sorry. We know we told you to get more firewood, but we found some while you were gone. Would you still like to join us?" Crafty asked.
After getting over his shock, Kickin started to feel frustrated that his friends were just relaxing after what he and Hoppy went through. "What do you mean, would we still like to join you?!" Kickin yelled in frustration. "Do you have any idea what Hoppy and I just been through?!"
"Yeah! Did any of you even try looking for us?" Hoppy asked, feeling just as frustrated as Kickin.
"What are you talking about? You were only gone about 10 minutes. Want a marshmallow?" Picky asked.
Hearing this left Kickin and Hoppy dumbfounded. It felt like they had been in those woods forever, but in the end, they went through all this stress and insanity for nothing.
"It sounds like you two could really use a break. Why don't you relax for awhile." DogDay suggested.
Deep down, they knew that DogDay was right. After what they went through, they could really use some relaxation for once.
"You're probably right." Kickin sighed. "Today has been a pretty rough day for the two of us."
"I'll say! I'm not even going to ask what kind of shenanigans you two got yourselves into this time!" Bubba said, noticing how dirty his friends were from all that they went through in the woods.
Relieved that they were no longer lost, Kickin and Hoppy sat on a log right next to their friends. Here, CatNap handed the two of them a couple of marshmallows on sticks without a word.
"Thanks, CatNap!" Hoppy thanked before roasting her marshmallow.
Throughout the rest of the day, the Smiling Critters had a relaxing camping day together, where they ate snacks, sang songs, and admired nature. All of this helped Kickin and Hoppy relax as they were both happy to spend time with their friends.
As the camping trip came to an end, the Smiling Critters woke up the next morning and packed up their camping gear to head back home. At this point, everyone enjoyed the camping day they had, even Kickin and Hoppy.
"I never thought I'd say it, but this camping trip ended up being kind of fun." Kickin admitted. "And to think that Hoppy and I would have missed it if we didn't compete with each other all the time."
"So, does that mean that you two are done being overly competitive with each other?" Crafty asked.
"Well, we can't make any promises, but we'll do our best to ease up on our competitions from now on." Hoppy promised. "Still, we're sorry we ended up annoying you guys earlier! We promise that you won't have to deal with anymore of our shenanigans!"
Right as Hoppy said that, she and Kickin were taken by surprise when two nets suddenly sprang in the air, capturing half of their friends in one net and the other half in the next. Surprised by this, the Smiling Critters looked around, confused as Kickin and Hoppy realized what was going on.
"Ooh! This is kind of awkward! Guess Hoppy and I weren't paying attention to where we set up our traps!" Kickin gave a nervous chuckle.
"I was wondering where I put that last trap!" Hoppy said with an awkward grin.
Upon realizing that Kickin and Hoppy were responsible for this, the Smiling Critters glared at them in frustration.
"KICKIN AND HOPPY!" the Smiling Critters yelled in anger.
This left Kickin and Hoppy sharing a couple of nervous looks with one another, knowing that they need to free their friends as soon as possible. As they tried to think of a way to let their friends down, Kickin and Hoppy knew that their friends won't let them hear the end of this once they get back home.