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I was unhappy how the original plot was; unrealistic. Don't worry, I plan to have most of the same characters here. I am just rewiring and reworking the kinks. ","description_bbcode_parsed":"I am wiping the slate clean and starting over for Fox and Friends. I was unhappy how the original plot was; unrealistic. Don't worry, I plan to have most of the same characters here. I am just rewiring and reworking the kinks. ","writing":"The sun glistens as it stretches its rays throughout the clear, blue sky. Nothing obstructs the view or the sun. Four animals appear, relaxing in a grassy field by a set of trees and rushing water. They reveal to be a chipmunk, a raccoon, a bat, and a mouse. \nThe mouse’s blonde, messy hair reflects the sun as she dons a red dress. She approaches the bat, whose build is feminine like the mouse, and holds a book in her hands as she lies under an umbrella, shielding her from the sun’s rays as she sits on a towel. “Are you going to sit there and read all day?” the mouse asks.\nThe bat keeps her eyes fixed in her book, not bothering to look at the mouse. “Hey, you have your way to relax, and I have mine. Now move, Anne. You’re obstructing my view.” \nThe mouse grumbles and steps to the side of her. “You know, there are a lot of better things to do than just sit here and read, Bella.” \n“Oh, I know. I choose to read, though. I find it soothing along with the sounds of nature. Now quit talking. I’m on the best part.” Bella takes her focus off a sentence after getting hit in her hip with a plastic flying disc. “Hey!” \n“Sorry, Bella!” shouts the chipmunk from afar. He runs up to her. “Didn’t mean to hit you. I was practicing my throwing skills.”\nBella takes the disc. “Charlie, I swear if you hit my butt again, I will-”\n“Yo, what’s going on around here?” interrupts the raccoon, approaching the three rodents. “What’s with all the yelling?”\n“Roger,” begins Bella. “Tell this idiot to take his stupid plastic disc of his and go somewhere else.” \n“Hey,” Charlie starts. “I’m trying to have fun here while improving my throwing skills. We don’t ever get a break from fighting Team Rescuers, you know.”\n“More like taking a break from getting our butts whooped,” Bella implies. “Every time we encounter Team Rescuers, every battle result in retreat and defeat…”\n“Don’t be such a downer,” Anne says. “We’ll be sure to win against them someday.”\n“Someday,” repeats Roger, crossing his arms. “Good choice of words…” \n“Oh, I’m sure we’ll win,” Charlie adds. “Now, give me back my flying disc.” \n“Here!” Bella chucks the plastic disc away toward a collection of shrubs and trees. “Go get it and stop pestering me, Chipmunk Boy!” \n“Oh man… Come on.” Charlie frowns, then leaves to go search the shrubs where she threw his flying disc. \nRoger turns to the bat. “That was low, Bella.”\n“Hey, I just want to relax and read!” Bella shouts. “Now, if you all don’t mind, I’d like to get back to my book! Leave me be!” She brings her eyes back to where she was before, but she looks back at the mouse, who’s staring at her. “Well, what are you looking? Go on…” Anne steps away from her with a frown like Charlie’s. \nRoger puts his arm around her as they walk away. “Don’t mind Bella, Anne. She’s just a little cranky that Team Rescuers keep beating us, and we haven’t had a break like this for a while. It’s best we leave her alone.”\n“Whoa!” Charlie ceases his rummaging. “Uh, guys. You may want to get over here!” \n“If you want us to help you look for your stupid disc, forget it!” shouts Bella, still eyeing her book. \n“This is not about that… You really need to get over here now!” \nBella slams her book shut and puts it down before getting up. Roger and Anne start walking over. The bat stands next to the chipmunk, who remains frozen while staring. “Charlie, I swear if you dare trick me or- Oh my god!” Both the raccoon and mouse hurry over and gather to see what the chipmunk’s eyeing. The four animals notice an orange fox with a white secondary color for the paws, belly, and mouth. The body shows to be a male build with a blue bandana wrapped around his neck. The fox’s body lies across on his side with scrapes and bruises all around while remaining motionless. His eyes are closed. Three large scratch marks streak across his white belly while a couple of smaller scratches appear on his forehead as well as his hip. Blood oozes from the open wounds. \n“No way!” shouts Anne. “Is that the flawed fox from Team Rescuers?!”\n“It is!” adds Bella. “It is the flawed fox from Team Rescuers!”\n“Why is he here?!”\n“Wait,” starts Roger. “If he’s here, then Team Rescuers could be hanging around here.” He and the others look in the area. Bella scans her surroundings with her special vision ability. “Do you see those Rescue-jerks?”\n“Negative,” Bella responds. “No sign of them anywhere… The fox is all by himself, it looks like.”\n“That’s strange,” Anne says. “What’s he doing out here all by himself?” \n“Something’s definitely wrong.” Roger pulls the fox’s unconscious body from the bushes and into the clearing, lying him on his back. “He seems he’s badly hurt.” He places two fingers by his neck. “Still has a pulse.” He gasps upon seeing the fox move, causing the others to flinch as well.\nThe fox’s eyes remain closed. “Ugh… Team Rescuers… How could you… I thought you were… my friends…” \nBella stares at him for a few seconds. “Huh…? Any idea what that was about?”\n“Team Rescuers probably betrayed him,” Charlie guesses. “They must’ve left him out here to fend for himself, but got hurt.”\n“Poor fox,” comments Anne. “We should help him…”\n“You want to help him?!” exclaims Bella. “Help the fox that sided with the enemy?!”\n“If we help him, he may side with us,” Roger retaliates. “Anne, go and get the first aid kit!” Anne nods and runs away. “Charlie, get some water from the river. Let’s see if we can clean his wounds.” Charlie returns with a bucket full of water. He takes the clear liquid and pours it over the fox, cleaning some of the blood from the cuts. Anne comes back with a tin box and hands it to the raccoon. “Thanks. Charlie, help me dry him off.” The chipmunk runs back and forth, taking Bella’s towel and drying the fox off. The mouse helps Roger apply antiseptics to the injuries before wrapping them in fresh dressing. Soon, the fox’s forehead and torso are wrapped in bandages. “All right, let’s see if we can get him to the hospital. Anne, contact the boss; tell him everything about what happened.” Roger puts his arms under the fox’s body and lifts him up, carrying him away. His teammates follow him.\n“I sure hope the boss understands what we’re doing,” Charlie utters. \n“If he blows his top, I’m not going to be a part of it,” Bella says.\n“Maybe he’ll understand,” implies Anne. “He might…”\nBella looks to her. “You better be sure about it, Honey.”\n“Right now, let’s just get this fox to the hospital,” Roger tells them. \nBella sighs. “So much for our time off…”\n\n*** \n\nThe fox’s head rolls sideways against a soft pillow. His eyes ease open, but he can only see things are fuzzy. It takes a few seconds for his vision to recalibrate and clear, staring at the bright lights in the ceiling. The fox moves his body a small bit, feeling that he’s lying in a bed under a light blanket. He sits up and scans his surroundings. “W-where am I?” he asks. Sterile tiles line the floor, reflecting the glow from the ceiling lights. Machines clutter in the corners and beside the bed. The fox looks at his side, tracing the trail of small wires from the monitor to his chest, finding sensors placed where his heart and lungs reside. The sounds of the machine produced are a typical relaxed breathing, which is a single beep every three seconds. His ears twitch at the sound of the door opening, causing him to look up to see who has entered his room. He is shocked to find the mouse in the red dress appear before him. \nAnne stares at him. “Oh, good! You’re awake. I was very worried about you. How are you feeling?” She approaches him. The fox backs away a few inches, but he’s restricted due to the bed. The heart monitor emits a more rapid beeping every half a second. “Whoa, easy there. What are you jumping for? It’s all right.” She comes closer. “There’s nothing to-” The fox falls out of the bed and backs away more. “Relax, Kid! I’m not going to hurt you.”\n“S-stay away from me!” claims the fox. He holds his paw up to her. “Don’t come any closer!” Restricted by the wires, he rips them out of his chest, causing the machine to produce a loud, long, continuous beep.\n“Listen, I’m not here to harm you.” The mouse continues to approach him. “I just want to-” The fox extends his leg up to her, connecting the palm of his foot to her face, knocking her away. This gives the fox enough time to stand quickly and bolt out of the room. “Hey, stop!” \nSprinting down the crowded hallway while evading staff and carts, the fox struggles with his pain while attempting to lose the mouse. He stops short in front of an antelope wearing red scrubs, female in body build. “You’ve got to help me! There’s a mouse whose part of a villain group out to get me!”\nThe antelope places her hooves on the fox’s shoulders. “Calm down, Sir. Everything will be all right. Why don’t I help you get back to your room and you can tell me everything?”\nThe fox shakes his head. “No… I don’t need to go back to my room… I need to get out of here…” \n“Sir, everything will be all right. Just come with me and we’ll-”\n“Hey!” The fox turns and notices Charlie behind the antelope. “It’s you!” He looks behind after hearing another voice, spotting Anne after she has caught up. The fox pushes aside the antelope nurse and heads for the stairwell. After descending a couple of steps, one false move causes him to trip and tumble down the stairs. Yelling with agony, the fox remains on the floor, waiting for the pain to die down. However, the sounds of the animals above him cut his rest time short, forcing him to get up with some pain and exit the stairway. Entering the lobby area, he collapses to the floor, disabled by the pain of falling down the stairs. Crawling as his last resort, the fox makes his way across the lobby to the glass doors when he stops before a pair of black dress shoes. The fox slowly brings his head up to scan the figure in front. He traces the black shoes up, seeing grey suit pants, then a matching color jacket. A white shirt and brown, red-striped tie soon become visible. The fox finally sees the head of the entire body, revealing the animal to be a tan jackalope. The jackalope appears to have a male body with antlers coming out from his brown hair. Beside him are the raccoon and bat, who look down at him. \nThe fox, frozen with fear, keeps his eyes fixed on him. “Uh…” He then struggles as he’s grabbed by the arms and held down. In his view, the antelope holds up a glass booster shot before administering it to him. The fox struggles within the mouse and chipmunks grasps as he feels the needle piercing his fur by his neck. He remains pinned, still fighting with his “captors” when his struggle slows. Feeling the energy drained and darkness obscuring his vision, he ceases and lies motionless. He hears the antelope’s voice calling out to the staff as the last thing he hears before he’s completely out. \n\n*** \n\nThe fox comes to again, finding himself back in the hospital bed with the antelope over him, watching, as well as other spectators.\n“It’s okay, Nurse,” says the jackalope appearing in the fox’s view. “You can leave. My team and I can look after him.” The antelope disappears from the room. The jackalope then turns to the fox. “Are you all right, Young Fox?” The fox remains frozen, staring at him. “My team had informed me of your discovery in the woods.” \nThe fox starts to speak as he sits up. “I… I know what you want to do… Y-you want to capture me…”\n“Nonsense!” Bella shouts. “If we wanted to capture you, you would’ve been in a holding cell like a prisoner!”\n“Bella, stop,” orders the jackalope. “You’re not helping.” The jackalope moves to the fox’s bedside. “I know you’re familiar with Capital Corp, but you have nothing to worry about. We’re not here to hurt you. We want to help you.”\n“H-how do I know I can trust you?” asks the fox.\n“You can trust me.” The jackalope smiles. “We are not going to hurt you. I am Jack, head of Green Gadgets. If I’m not mistaken, you are the flawed fox of Heroto, correct?”\n“Z-Zach,” the fox says. “My name is Zach…” \n“So, Zach,” begins Charlie. “Do you mind telling us why you were out in the open unconscious and injured?”\n“I… I…”\n“Why don’t you start from the beginning?” Jack queries. “Can you tell us why you were out in the woods by yourself?” \nZach looks down at his half-buried stomach, trying to recount the events from before. “A few days ago, I decided to leave Heroto… I couldn’t take it anymore… I spent the next few days in the forest, living on my own… On my walk, I encountered a large beast and was attacked by it… I struggled to get away… However, I was saved when some arrows came flying out of nowhere and killed it… I was lying there for a few seconds before deciding to leave, but that’s when I collapsed and became unconscious… That’s the last thing I remember before waking up here…”\n“What do you mean you couldn’t take it anymore?” Anne utters. “What happened in Heroto?”\nZach sighs. “I… I was abused my whole life… Everyone labeling me a flawed fox… All because my biological parents were minors when they had me and my mental disorder… Everyone hates me… Team Rescuers pushed me away… The orphanage kicked me out… The kids from the orphanage tormented and beat me… Ignored me, too… The entire town loathed me… I wanted to leave, so I did… I just… I just…” Tears form in his eyes, then stream down his face. He shuts his eyes and covers them with his paws. “I just couldn’t take it anymore!” Zach begins to sob. “I just want it all to end!” Anne stands next to him, and puts her paw on him, attempting to comfort him. \n“Oh, you poor kid,” comments Roger. “I didn’t know you had it so rough.”\n“So, you’re on your own?” Charlie asks Zach. “No friends? No family? Nobody?” Zach nods, keeping his sad face.”\n“This changes everything.” Jack places a paw on Zach’s shoulder, causing him to look at the jackalope. “Hey, it will be all right, Zach. We’ll take care of you.” \n“Hey, Boss,” begins Bella. “Can I talk to you privately for a second?” Jack directs her to follow him. She walks with him out of the fox’s room as he’s being comforted by Anne and the boys. “Do you think it’s a good idea to help the fox? He’s been with Team Rescuers. What if it’s a trick?”\n“Possible,” Jack says. “But from what it seems, he has nothing.”\n“I don’t know we can trust him. I feel like it’s all deception.”\n“He’s not deceiving us. He’s being truthful.”\n“How do you know?”\n“I can read others, Bella. I’ve been in business for a long time, and I have developed the ability to tell when someone is lying or being truthful. When I looked at Zach, I didn’t see a face that was deceptive, but one that shows he is uncertain to live the future because of a horrible past. I’ll talk to the medical staff about getting him released so he can come home with me.”\n“And what about Team Rescuers? You think they’ll come try and rescue Zach? Do you want us to face them?”\n“No need for that. It’s better if you and the others stayed on guard here in Buscity. I highly doubt Team Rescuers coming to rescue Zach when they and Heroto despise him. You’re new assignment is to watch over Zach. Make sure he’s well-protected. He will be with us for a while.” He heads for the desk down the hallway. Bella stays where she is and takes notice of Zach as he slumps and stares at his stomach. \nZach keeps a frown on his face. “What do I do…? I have nothing… No family… No Friends… Not even a lover… I’m unwanted… Unloved… Flawed…”\nAnne rubs his back, trying to comfort him. “You’re not flawed, Zach. You’re just misunderstood.”\n“We will make sure you are cared for,” says Roger. \n“Yeah.” Charlie smiles to try and lighten the mood. “You’re with us, now. Forget those Team Rescue-jerks.”\nBella puts her paw on her chin and thinks. “I could get to know him a little more… But I should keep my eye on him in case he does something funny.” She enters the room again. “Hey.” Zach looks up at her. “How are your injuries?”\n“Not as painful as before,” Zach responds. “But they’re not as bad as my spirit…”\nBella puts her paw on the fox’s shoulder. “Listen, Kid. Everything will be all right. We’re here to look out for you in case Team Rescuers try anything funny. You have nothing to worry about. You should lie back and rest. It’s been a very rough day.” Zach does as she commands, lying back against the mattress with his head crushing the pillow. He closes his eyes, trying to fall asleep. However, he cannot stop thinking of his current situation.\n\n","writing_bbcode_parsed":"The sun glistens as it stretches its rays throughout the clear, blue sky. Nothing obstructs the view or the sun. Four animals appear, relaxing in a grassy field by a set of trees and rushing water. They reveal to be a chipmunk, a raccoon, a bat, and a mouse.
The mouse’s blonde, messy hair reflects the sun as she dons a red dress. She approaches the bat, whose build is feminine like the mouse, and holds a book in her hands as she lies under an umbrella, shielding her from the sun’s rays as she sits on a towel. “Are you going to sit there and read all day?” the mouse asks.
The bat keeps her eyes fixed in her book, not bothering to look at the mouse. “Hey, you have your way to relax, and I have mine. Now move, Anne. You’re obstructing my view.”
The mouse grumbles and steps to the side of her. “You know, there are a lot of better things to do than just sit here and read, Bella.”
“Oh, I know. I choose to read, though. I find it soothing along with the sounds of nature. Now quit talking. I’m on the best part.” Bella takes her focus off a sentence after getting hit in her hip with a plastic flying disc. “Hey!”
“Sorry, Bella!” shouts the chipmunk from afar. He runs up to her. “Didn’t mean to hit you. I was practicing my throwing skills.”
Bella takes the disc. “Charlie, I swear if you hit my butt again, I will-”
“Yo, what’s going on around here?” interrupts the raccoon, approaching the three rodents. “What’s with all the yelling?”
“Roger,” begins Bella. “Tell this idiot to take his stupid plastic disc of his and go somewhere else.”
“Hey,” Charlie starts. “I’m trying to have fun here while improving my throwing skills. We don’t ever get a break from fighting Team Rescuers, you know.”
“More like taking a break from getting our butts whooped,” Bella implies. “Every time we encounter Team Rescuers, every battle result in retreat and defeat…”
“Don’t be such a downer,” Anne says. “We’ll be sure to win against them someday.”
“Someday,” repeats Roger, crossing his arms. “Good choice of words…”
“Oh, I’m sure we’ll win,” Charlie adds. “Now, give me back my flying disc.”
“Here!” Bella chucks the plastic disc away toward a collection of shrubs and trees. “Go get it and stop pestering me, Chipmunk Boy!”
“Oh man… Come on.” Charlie frowns, then leaves to go search the shrubs where she threw his flying disc.
Roger turns to the bat. “That was low, Bella.”
“Hey, I just want to relax and read!” Bella shouts. “Now, if you all don’t mind, I’d like to get back to my book! Leave me be!” She brings her eyes back to where she was before, but she looks back at the mouse, who’s staring at her. “Well, what are you looking? Go on…” Anne steps away from her with a frown like Charlie’s.
Roger puts his arm around her as they walk away. “Don’t mind Bella, Anne. She’s just a little cranky that Team Rescuers keep beating us, and we haven’t had a break like this for a while. It’s best we leave her alone.”
“Whoa!” Charlie ceases his rummaging. “Uh, guys. You may want to get over here!”
“If you want us to help you look for your stupid disc, forget it!” shouts Bella, still eyeing her book.
“This is not about that… You really need to get over here now!”
Bella slams her book shut and puts it down before getting up. Roger and Anne start walking over. The bat stands next to the chipmunk, who remains frozen while staring. “Charlie, I swear if you dare trick me or- Oh my god!” Both the raccoon and mouse hurry over and gather to see what the chipmunk’s eyeing. The four animals notice an orange fox with a white secondary color for the paws, belly, and mouth. The body shows to be a male build with a blue bandana wrapped around his neck. The fox’s body lies across on his side with scrapes and bruises all around while remaining motionless. His eyes are closed. Three large scratch marks streak across his white belly while a couple of smaller scratches appear on his forehead as well as his hip. Blood oozes from the open wounds.
“No way!” shouts Anne. “Is that the flawed fox from Team Rescuers?!”
“It is!” adds Bella. “It is the flawed fox from Team Rescuers!”
“Why is he here?!”
“Wait,” starts Roger. “If he’s here, then Team Rescuers could be hanging around here.” He and the others look in the area. Bella scans her surroundings with her special vision ability. “Do you see those Rescue-jerks?”
“Negative,” Bella responds. “No sign of them anywhere… The fox is all by himself, it looks like.”
“That’s strange,” Anne says. “What’s he doing out here all by himself?”
“Something’s definitely wrong.” Roger pulls the fox’s unconscious body from the bushes and into the clearing, lying him on his back. “He seems he’s badly hurt.” He places two fingers by his neck. “Still has a pulse.” He gasps upon seeing the fox move, causing the others to flinch as well.
The fox’s eyes remain closed. “Ugh… Team Rescuers… How could you… I thought you were… my friends…”
Bella stares at him for a few seconds. “Huh…? Any idea what that was about?”
“Team Rescuers probably betrayed him,” Charlie guesses. “They must’ve left him out here to fend for himself, but got hurt.”
“Poor fox,” comments Anne. “We should help him…”
“You want to help him?!” exclaims Bella. “Help the fox that sided with the enemy?!”
“If we help him, he may side with us,” Roger retaliates. “Anne, go and get the first aid kit!” Anne nods and runs away. “Charlie, get some water from the river. Let’s see if we can clean his wounds.” Charlie returns with a bucket full of water. He takes the clear liquid and pours it over the fox, cleaning some of the blood from the cuts. Anne comes back with a tin box and hands it to the raccoon. “Thanks. Charlie, help me dry him off.” The chipmunk runs back and forth, taking Bella’s towel and drying the fox off. The mouse helps Roger apply antiseptics to the injuries before wrapping them in fresh dressing. Soon, the fox’s forehead and torso are wrapped in bandages. “All right, let’s see if we can get him to the hospital. Anne, contact the boss; tell him everything about what happened.” Roger puts his arms under the fox’s body and lifts him up, carrying him away. His teammates follow him.
“I sure hope the boss understands what we’re doing,” Charlie utters.
“If he blows his top, I’m not going to be a part of it,” Bella says.
“Maybe he’ll understand,” implies Anne. “He might…”
Bella looks to her. “You better be sure about it, Honey.”
“Right now, let’s just get this fox to the hospital,” Roger tells them.
Bella sighs. “So much for our time off…”
***
The fox’s head rolls sideways against a soft pillow. His eyes ease open, but he can only see things are fuzzy. It takes a few seconds for his vision to recalibrate and clear, staring at the bright lights in the ceiling. The fox moves his body a small bit, feeling that he’s lying in a bed under a light blanket. He sits up and scans his surroundings. “W-where am I?” he asks. Sterile tiles line the floor, reflecting the glow from the ceiling lights. Machines clutter in the corners and beside the bed. The fox looks at his side, tracing the trail of small wires from the monitor to his chest, finding sensors placed where his heart and lungs reside. The sounds of the machine produced are a typical relaxed breathing, which is a single beep every three seconds. His ears twitch at the sound of the door opening, causing him to look up to see who has entered his room. He is shocked to find the mouse in the red dress appear before him.
Anne stares at him. “Oh, good! You’re awake. I was very worried about you. How are you feeling?” She approaches him. The fox backs away a few inches, but he’s restricted due to the bed. The heart monitor emits a more rapid beeping every half a second. “Whoa, easy there. What are you jumping for? It’s all right.” She comes closer. “There’s nothing to-” The fox falls out of the bed and backs away more. “Relax, Kid! I’m not going to hurt you.”
“S-stay away from me!” claims the fox. He holds his paw up to her. “Don’t come any closer!” Restricted by the wires, he rips them out of his chest, causing the machine to produce a loud, long, continuous beep.
“Listen, I’m not here to harm you.” The mouse continues to approach him. “I just want to-” The fox extends his leg up to her, connecting the palm of his foot to her face, knocking her away. This gives the fox enough time to stand quickly and bolt out of the room. “Hey, stop!”
Sprinting down the crowded hallway while evading staff and carts, the fox struggles with his pain while attempting to lose the mouse. He stops short in front of an antelope wearing red scrubs, female in body build. “You’ve got to help me! There’s a mouse whose part of a villain group out to get me!”
The antelope places her hooves on the fox’s shoulders. “Calm down, Sir. Everything will be all right. Why don’t I help you get back to your room and you can tell me everything?”
The fox shakes his head. “No… I don’t need to go back to my room… I need to get out of here…”
“Sir, everything will be all right. Just come with me and we’ll-”
“Hey!” The fox turns and notices Charlie behind the antelope. “It’s you!” He looks behind after hearing another voice, spotting Anne after she has caught up. The fox pushes aside the antelope nurse and heads for the stairwell. After descending a couple of steps, one false move causes him to trip and tumble down the stairs. Yelling with agony, the fox remains on the floor, waiting for the pain to die down. However, the sounds of the animals above him cut his rest time short, forcing him to get up with some pain and exit the stairway. Entering the lobby area, he collapses to the floor, disabled by the pain of falling down the stairs. Crawling as his last resort, the fox makes his way across the lobby to the glass doors when he stops before a pair of black dress shoes. The fox slowly brings his head up to scan the figure in front. He traces the black shoes up, seeing grey suit pants, then a matching color jacket. A white shirt and brown, red-striped tie soon become visible. The fox finally sees the head of the entire body, revealing the animal to be a tan jackalope. The jackalope appears to have a male body with antlers coming out from his brown hair. Beside him are the raccoon and bat, who look down at him.
The fox, frozen with fear, keeps his eyes fixed on him. “Uh…” He then struggles as he’s grabbed by the arms and held down. In his view, the antelope holds up a glass booster shot before administering it to him. The fox struggles within the mouse and chipmunks grasps as he feels the needle piercing his fur by his neck. He remains pinned, still fighting with his “captors” when his struggle slows. Feeling the energy drained and darkness obscuring his vision, he ceases and lies motionless. He hears the antelope’s voice calling out to the staff as the last thing he hears before he’s completely out.
***
The fox comes to again, finding himself back in the hospital bed with the antelope over him, watching, as well as other spectators.
“It’s okay, Nurse,” says the jackalope appearing in the fox’s view. “You can leave. My team and I can look after him.” The antelope disappears from the room. The jackalope then turns to the fox. “Are you all right, Young Fox?” The fox remains frozen, staring at him. “My team had informed me of your discovery in the woods.”
The fox starts to speak as he sits up. “I… I know what you want to do… Y-you want to capture me…”
“Nonsense!” Bella shouts. “If we wanted to capture you, you would’ve been in a holding cell like a prisoner!”
“Bella, stop,” orders the jackalope. “You’re not helping.” The jackalope moves to the fox’s bedside. “I know you’re familiar with Capital Corp, but you have nothing to worry about. We’re not here to hurt you. We want to help you.”
“H-how do I know I can trust you?” asks the fox.
“You can trust me.” The jackalope smiles. “We are not going to hurt you. I am Jack, head of Green Gadgets. If I’m not mistaken, you are the flawed fox of Heroto, correct?”
“Z-Zach,” the fox says. “My name is Zach…”
“So, Zach,” begins Charlie. “Do you mind telling us why you were out in the open unconscious and injured?”
“I… I…”
“Why don’t you start from the beginning?” Jack queries. “Can you tell us why you were out in the woods by yourself?”
Zach looks down at his half-buried stomach, trying to recount the events from before. “A few days ago, I decided to leave Heroto… I couldn’t take it anymore… I spent the next few days in the forest, living on my own… On my walk, I encountered a large beast and was attacked by it… I struggled to get away… However, I was saved when some arrows came flying out of nowhere and killed it… I was lying there for a few seconds before deciding to leave, but that’s when I collapsed and became unconscious… That’s the last thing I remember before waking up here…”
“What do you mean you couldn’t take it anymore?” Anne utters. “What happened in Heroto?”
Zach sighs. “I… I was abused my whole life… Everyone labeling me a flawed fox… All because my biological parents were minors when they had me and my mental disorder… Everyone hates me… Team Rescuers pushed me away… The orphanage kicked me out… The kids from the orphanage tormented and beat me… Ignored me, too… The entire town loathed me… I wanted to leave, so I did… I just… I just…” Tears form in his eyes, then stream down his face. He shuts his eyes and covers them with his paws. “I just couldn’t take it anymore!” Zach begins to sob. “I just want it all to end!” Anne stands next to him, and puts her paw on him, attempting to comfort him.
“Oh, you poor kid,” comments Roger. “I didn’t know you had it so rough.”
“So, you’re on your own?” Charlie asks Zach. “No friends? No family? Nobody?” Zach nods, keeping his sad face.”
“This changes everything.” Jack places a paw on Zach’s shoulder, causing him to look at the jackalope. “Hey, it will be all right, Zach. We’ll take care of you.”
“Hey, Boss,” begins Bella. “Can I talk to you privately for a second?” Jack directs her to follow him. She walks with him out of the fox’s room as he’s being comforted by Anne and the boys. “Do you think it’s a good idea to help the fox? He’s been with Team Rescuers. What if it’s a trick?”
“Possible,” Jack says. “But from what it seems, he has nothing.”
“I don’t know we can trust him. I feel like it’s all deception.”
“He’s not deceiving us. He’s being truthful.”
“How do you know?”
“I can read others, Bella. I’ve been in business for a long time, and I have developed the ability to tell when someone is lying or being truthful. When I looked at Zach, I didn’t see a face that was deceptive, but one that shows he is uncertain to live the future because of a horrible past. I’ll talk to the medical staff about getting him released so he can come home with me.”
“And what about Team Rescuers? You think they’ll come try and rescue Zach? Do you want us to face them?”
“No need for that. It’s better if you and the others stayed on guard here in Buscity. I highly doubt Team Rescuers coming to rescue Zach when they and Heroto despise him. You’re new assignment is to watch over Zach. Make sure he’s well-protected. He will be with us for a while.” He heads for the desk down the hallway. Bella stays where she is and takes notice of Zach as he slumps and stares at his stomach.
Zach keeps a frown on his face. “What do I do…? I have nothing… No family… No Friends… Not even a lover… I’m unwanted… Unloved… Flawed…”
Anne rubs his back, trying to comfort him. “You’re not flawed, Zach. You’re just misunderstood.”
“We will make sure you are cared for,” says Roger.
“Yeah.” Charlie smiles to try and lighten the mood. “You’re with us, now. Forget those Team Rescue-jerks.”
Bella puts her paw on her chin and thinks. “I could get to know him a little more… But I should keep my eye on him in case he does something funny.” She enters the room again. “Hey.” Zach looks up at her. “How are your injuries?”
“Not as painful as before,” Zach responds. “But they’re not as bad as my spirit…”
Bella puts her paw on the fox’s shoulder. “Listen, Kid. Everything will be all right. We’re here to look out for you in case Team Rescuers try anything funny. You have nothing to worry about. You should lie back and rest. It’s been a very rough day.” Zach does as she commands, lying back against the mattress with his head crushing the pillow. He closes his eyes, trying to fall asleep. However, he cannot stop thinking of his current situation.
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