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  Jamie decided to throw in a compliment just to keep her from getting testy. “He’s growing up real fast. The little joeys gonna leave the nest soon enough.” Everyone present was a little surprised to see a look of horror in the boy’s eyes.

  Maggie rubbed Ricky’s head to calm him down. “What’s all this talk about leaving? You’ll scare the poor boy. Ricky’s just a babe. Cut him some slack, girls.”

  Gertrude–one of the tubbier of the bunch–took the chance to speak up, “Now, Maggie, you have to let go eventually. All our boys are out playing. Why, just recently, my little Beckley kicked one of them golfers right into the drink. Never saw it coming! He’s a real kicker, he is! Can your boy kick, Maggie?”

  Maggie huffed. “I don’t see how kicking any human proves anything! My boy has sensitive feet!” Ricky backed up his mother by nodding profusely.

  Jamie rolled her eyes. “Sensitive feet have nothing to do with it, Maggie. You’ll smother the poor boy if you’re not careful! I mean just look over there at Julie Sue.”

  Of course, everyone looked. Julie Sue was one of those mothers who was hard not to look at. She was getting on in years and she had let her body blow up to some degree. But the worst thing about it was that her son–who could no longer be considered a child–was hanging halfway in and halfway out of her pouch. It was one of the most awkward arrangements that anyone had ever seen.

  As everyone expected, Maggie was out rightly insulted. “What makes you think anything of the sort would happen to me?”

  Gertrude answered, “Face it, Mag, poor Ricky is gonna just keep growing up and never move out of your pouch. And don’t you be blaming his sensitive feet when it happens!”

  Maggie covered her boy’s ears. “Stop talking like that; you’ll traumatize him!”

  Jamie huffed. “Come on, Maggie. Why don’t you just let him out for a bit? Let him get to know the other boys.”

  Gertrude agreed, “Yeah, Mag, just let him play outside of your darned pouch for a change. Get him some grass between his toes!”

  Maggie was usually the most stubborn of the bunch, but she was not used to being backed into a corner like that. She turned to look at Julie Sue again which only made her shutter. Even she figured that kid needed to get a life. The kangaroo grumbled and guided her son’s head up to look at her. “Okay, baby, these girls won’t leave me alone. How you feel about hopping around with the other boys?”

  Ricky was not really sure what to think about that. He was so used to spending time with his mom, but then again, the thought of playing with other boys did sound fun. He decided to meet her halfway. “Can you come watch me?”

  Maggie smiled brightly at that response. “Of course, I can!” As she hopped away, she said, “Now, don’t do anything too rough with them. Oh, and don’t kick anything. Don’t run too fast either. Come to think of it, maybe we should just watch them play rather than join in.”

  Jamie winced as they hopped away. Gertrude grumbled, “If she keeps this up, she’s gonna need a bigger pouch.” Everyone nodded in agreement.

  ~~~~~

  Chapter 6 – “The Bad Boy”

  The flock of females was in a tizzy over the new boy duck that had been seen near Gallow Lake. Serena fluttered as she told the other girls about him. “Oh, I’m not joking about this at all! They say his name is Tucker, and he waits around Gallow Lake–all handsome and stuff. When a girl comes by, he calls you over, and who knows what happens then!”

  Mary giggled. “His name is Tucker? That’s so cute! Where did he fly from?”

  “Nobody knows, but I hear he’s one of those bad boys. You know the type: quiet, handsome, takes what he wants. I almost drop eggs just thinking about him!”

  The flock giggled so loudly that it could be heard for quite a distance. Mary was the worst of it. She was normally the shy type, but this mysterious duck from Gallow Lake had really overtaken her thoughts. She asked, “Have you seen him? Is he still there?”

  Serena quacked, “Oh, I’m sure he is, but between you and me, I don’t think I have the guts. Only a few girls I know have been there, and well, they never wanted to leave is all I can say! That boy has charm beyond reason! It’s almost scary!”

  “He sounds so dreamy!”

  “Come on, Mary! You know you wanna go see him so bad!”

  Mary blushed. She really did, but like Serena, she was scared of what the bad boy was like. Did that mean that he was not nice, or was it just a euphemism for being dirty? She was not sure but really wanted to know. “I gotta go. I’ll see you girls later!”

  All the girls giggled, especially Serena, as she flew away. “Face it, Mary! You won’t know unless you go see him!”

  Mother was less understanding. “I absolutely forbid you from seeing that duck!”

  Mary huffed. “But Mother!”

  “No ‘buts!’ I’ve been hearing some pretty strange things about this Tucker fellow. Women seem to have been disappearing lately. I don’t want you going over there!”

  “Mother, this isn’t fair! You can’t keep controlling me like this! I’m not a duckling anymore!”

  “I’m only telling you this because I care about you! Stay away from Gallow Lake!”

  Mary lowered her head. There was something so hurtful about being restricted like that at her age. It just was not fair. Begrudgingly, she nodded to her mother duck; however, she had no plans on actually obeying.

  The next day: Mary flew over towards Gallow Lake. She was not going to do anything; she just wanted to look at him. At the very least, it would be a chance to tell her friends what he looked like.

  As she got close to the lake, she landed on the ground. It took a few glances before she saw the single duck in question. True enough, he did look quite handsome, but he also looked very lonely. Devilish thoughts ran through her mind.

  She suddenly heard him call to her, “Hey, pretty duck! Come down and play with me!”

  Her heart skipped a beat. Was Tucker calling her? Something was just so alluring about it. Was she really going to do it? She decided that she was not going to let her mother control her anymore. This had to be done. Mary flew right over and landed in Gallow Lake.

  “So, you’re Tucker, right? I’ve heard a lot about you. Where you from?”

  Tucker said not a word; he just looked at her with those pretty duck eyes. She blushed at first, but then something just felt off about it. She asked, “Are you all right? I’m not bothering you, am I?” He remained silent. The more he did not talk, the more Mary was suspicious.

  She swam up close and gently pecked him on the beak. Her heart sunk within her. “Oh, no. Oh, God. You’re not real.” She turned and flapped her wings. “He’s not real!”

  She took off into the air, quacking at the top of her lungs, “He’s not real! He’s not real!” A loud bang was heard from nearby, and Mary fell back to the water with only one final thought: she should have listened to her mother.

  ~~~~~

  Chapter 7 – “Pride”

  Richard was relaxed. He felt the grass between his claws as he idly drug them across the ground. He gazed up slightly at the friendly sun. It was hot but pleasant all the same. It was brief moments of peace like this that could really raise a lion’s disposition.

  The cool wind that blew through his fur, the distant sounds of wildlife… it was things of that nature that made him smile. There was no reason to move; all he had to do was lay there and relax–just let the whole day pass him by with no troubles in the world. That is, until he would hear those familiar paw-steps coming his way.

  Richard grumbled and turned his head away from the offending sounds. The stark voice of his mate blared out at him with all the charm of a dying cicada, “Of course. It’s so typical! Lying down on his fat ass again, while I’m off working all day! Just typical!”

  The husband groaned and covered his ears. “I need the rest, Nancy! I have the entire pride lands to worry about!”

  “Oh, far be it for me to interrupt such an important
session of you worrying! Lord knows, we’d all be doomed if even one of your muscles were suddenly to move!”

  Richard grumped to himself as he stood up. “All right, I’m up. Are you happy now?!”

  “Yeah, I’m happy. I spent all day waiting for that one glorious moment when my dear and wonderful husband would… stand up! Help me drag dinner over, would you?”

  Richard was shocked. “You mean you didn’t bring it up the hill?”

  “Oh, then forgive me. I spent half the day trying to find and kill one. Where are my manners?”

  “Hey, you act like you do all of the work! My life isn’t sunshine and roses either, Nancy! I’ve got hardships too! In case you haven’t noticed, I just happen to be king around here! That’s a lot of pressure!”

  Nancy rolled her eyes. “King, my ass. I do all the work around here.”

  “Killing food is women’s work! Leave the important stuff to the man!”

  She scoffed and walked passed him. “You men are all the same! You sit at home and do nothing all day, and you actually think you’ve done something! Do you wanna know what happened to me today?!”

  Richard asked under his breath, “If I say ‘no,’ are you still gonna tell me?”

  Nancy cursed under her breath and went on to say, “I was trying to kill an antelope for you, and two of those damn hyenas came by and nearly took the thing from me! I could have been killed!”

  Richard thought about that for a moment. He then asked, “The antelope wasn’t torn up too bad, was it?”

  Nancy could only glare at him. Only a moment later did he realize why. He groaned and turned away from her. “As if I wasn’t in constant danger.”

  “Oh, I have no doubt that everyone in the pride lands would love to steal your noble title of furry lump.”

  “Are you gonna get me my damn food or not?!”

  “Get it yourself!”

  “Maybe, I will! Maybe, I’ll do it just to get away from your nagging for one second in my life!”

  “Go on! See what it’s like to actually do something for a change!”

  Richard made his way down the hill. His grumblings were full of various swear words that are too inappropriate to mention. Was this all there was to life: a job that was not going anywhere and a wife that would never shut up? It seemed to Richard that there just had to be more to all this than what he was given.

  In the distance, he spotted Pauline. She was a pretty lioness that always seemed to have an eye for him. It was true that he had thought about it many times but never had the guts to go through with it.

  The voice from the hill cried out, “Hurry up and get that carcass up here, you lazy good-for-nothing!”

  Richard winced and decided to do as told. Something told him that if he did cheat on her, he would be dead within a few days.

  ~~~~~

  Chapter 8 – “The Bully”

  Going out into the forest should never have to be as nerve racking as it was. Jack never thought so anyways. The poor bunny had gotten to the point where he never wanted to leave home. “Please don’t make me go!” he would plead to his mother. “You don’t know what it’s like!”

  Mother rabbit shook her head. “Now, Jack, you need to spend more time with the other rabbits! Honestly, I don’t know what’s so horrible about it. Is there something you aren’t telling me?”

  “N-no. I just don’t like it there. Don’t make me go!”

  She nudged him away from the warren. “You’re just shy! Go on! I’ll see you later!”

  Jack moped to himself as he hopped into the forest. This area was usually pretty safe and was a good meeting place for the bunny folk of the area. The only problem was that there was someone who would always meet him part of the way.

  “Prepare to get eaten!” cried the horrible voice from an unknown location.

  Jack stopped and trembled. “Go away! I’m not afraid of you!”

  The voice laughed. “I don’t care if you’re afraid or not; I’m still going to eat you!”

  “Please, just leave me alone! This is supposed to be a safe place. Just… Just go away!”

  The voice bellowed out from right behind him, “Die!”

  Jack nearly had a heart attack. He jumped around and stared Bobby Badger right in his big, scary eyes. “Please, don’t eat me! I’m scared! There I said it! I’m scared!”

  Bobby laughed and pushed the bunny over. “You should have seen your face! It was priceless!”

  The poor bunny was panting out his sorrows; he was thoroughly unable to calm himself down. Bobby growled and asked, “You haven’t told anyone about me, have you?!”

  Jack quivered, “No! No one! I promise!”

  “If you do, you’ll regret it!”

  “I won’t!”

  The badger poked him roughly in the chest and jeered, “You’re nothing but a nothing, you little twerp! Someday, when you’re older, I’m gonna eat you for real!”

  The poking was pretty bad, and the threatening remarks did not make it feel any better. Jack was completely at the badger’s mercy–which seemed to be the case even when he was at home. He coughed and tried to swat the large badger paws away. “Agh! Stop it! That really hurts, Bobby! Please, stop!”

  The badger did anything but stop. In fact, he poked even harder. “Why don’t you make me?! Hey, why don’t you tell me your name again! I love hearing it!”

  “No!”

  Bobby jabbed into the bunny’s chest even harder. “Tell me your name!”

  The bunny screamed out, “Ow! Okay! Okay! It’s Jack!”

  “Jack who?!”

  The bunny’s eyes filled with tears. “Jack… Rabbit. My name is Jack Rabbit.”

  Bobby broke out into a fit of laughter. “I still can’t believe your mother would be that stupid! It’s like you don’t even have a name. She’s just calling you what you are! You really are a nothing! You don’t even have a name!”

  Jack silently cried to himself as he lay there. The whole thing was as humiliating as it could be, but unfortunately, it was nothing new. This is what he always had to deal with, and it was all he thought about regardless of where he was. Jack took the chance to run away. He could hear Bobby calling to him from behind, “Remember, Jack Rabbit! You’re a nothing! Nothing but a nothing!”

  Jack sat under a tree. His friends were there, but he was too upset to play. The only things on his mind were those final words, “Nothing but a nothing.” He knew that it was a lie. He knew that Bobby was just trying to make him feel terrible. But despite that, he could not help but wonder if it was true.

  Of course, he thought about telling someone. There were a lot of bigger or older rabbits that could do something to stop Bobby. Jack was just too scared. Even though it was ridiculous, it always felt like Bobby was always there watching for him to slip up. All the help in the world would be useless if he was already dead.

  What was he to do? He was just a little rabbit. Jack felt terrible, and he saw no end in sight. Was this how it was always going to be? The rabbit sat there and cried, for in that moment, he really felt like a nothing.

  ~~~~~

  Chapter 9 – “On the March”

  The loud announcements never seemed to stop. “No talking! No deviating from the trail! Never stop marching! Always remain three antenna’s length apart from each other! Remember: you… are… nobody! Together, we… are… everything!”

  Number Fifty-Six groaned at the constant repeating of that mantra. It was almost enough to drive nearly anyone into ripping their own head off. No wonder most of the ants only survived about ninety days. If the constant danger did not kill you, the monotony would.

  The groaning ant looked behind him. Twenty-Eight was following him at the approved distance. Before speaking to his friend, Fifty-Six checked around him to see if he was being watched by any of the officers. “Hey Twenty, you ever wonder what it would be like to just… leave the trail?”

  The other ant responded, “Are you crazy?! That’s cause for execution! Heck
, I bet even the queen herself would do it.”

  “Why is a little excursion so wrong? There are so many other areas of this structure that I haven’t seen.”

  “What’s wrong with what you have already seen?”

  Fifty-Six shrugged. “What do you mean? I don’t call the rear end of another ant very scenic.”

  Obviously the ant up ahead heard the remark and rightly took offence. “Hey, will you two knock it off? You’re gonna get all of us in trouble!”

  Twenty-Eight sighed. “You might wanna listen to him and button your mandibles.”

  Fifty-Six continued to groan. A passing officer yelled him back to his senses. “Straighten up! You are marching for the queen, boy!” Fifty straightened up for the time it took to get out of sight.

  Twenty went on to say, “That was pretty close. Are you gonna stop bugging me about all this excursion nonsense?”

  It was almost as if Twenty-Eight was ignored. Fifty went right back onto his own topic. “Did you hear what happened to Trail Nine the other day?”

  “It’s not my place to know. They don’t want you dealing with anything that’s not associated with your own trail.”

  “I heard they all died. Poison, I think.”

  “So what? You want to go bury them? We got our own ants to deal with.”

  “Well, it kind of makes you think: we could be walking into poison right now. Nobody buries the poisoned. They just get left there to die alone.”

  “Well, who would wanna go in there anyways?! It’s all contaminated!”

  “I don’t wanna go in there to begin with! I just think this whole trail thing is gonna get us killed someday, Twenty. And what then? We just get left out on the ground to be swept away by a broom someday?”

  Twenty snapped, “Okay, just shut up! You’re making me depressed!”

  Fifty returned with an equal demeanor, “Well, at least I can see it bothers you too! Come on, Twenty, let’s just ditch this trail and find our own paths!”

  An ominous voice asked from the sidelines, “What was that?!” Fifty-Six gulped. It was one of the officers. “Did I just hear what sounded like an individual?!”