GANG of HOPPERS
My brothers and I in the ZooKzin War
by Dori Hopps

Written by Dan Rush

(c) Zootopia 2016 Walt Disney Cooperation 
(c) Alex Gray from Harmarist Sheath & Knife comics

Chapter 22

Madagascar part 2

January 7th, 2042
Zootopian Task Force Julian
Madagascar
the port of Maramanga
Rattleback,Razorwire and Sabertooth Companies

     The Kzinti had obviously given up trying to hold us at the beach head. Though there were sporadic attempts by suicide squads in the last four days and attacks by “sappers” and snipers at all hours of the night, our task force made good progress in pouring equipment and supplies through the captured port of Maramanga to support the advances along our front lines pushing into the interior. There was one setback however....our attempt to drop an amphibious assault at the other end of the big island to spit the Kzinti forces in half met with a hellish pounding of artillery and determined resistance, so much so that it had to be abandoned....probably the first set back General Bugs experienced, though the old March Hare had a poker face that could melt steel so you’d never know if he was bothered. But you did know his feelings when it came to wounded mammals. He’d drop in on us often to fursonally pin medals on courageously wounded mammals. This day he awarded a battlefield promotion to this one rabbit from Bunny Burrough, a Marine Staff Sargent named Jimmy Howard who’d been wounded seven times when he and his squad of ten rabbits were cut off from their company near one current hot spot, the village of Mattaking. Staff Howard and his “Ten little hutch bunnies” took on....I guess....a battalion sized Kzinti Rhekosentai infantry unit and kicked their tails! Staff Howard got all his rabbits out, showing off with pride the loss of one of his big front teeth....

    “I left it in Tiger ass and damn do they stink of mange Sir.” Jimmy snarled at Bugs. “Gonna have to go to the BDS on ship and get a clap shot.”

     I never seen Bugs hug any mammal but I guess the Staff’s effort was worthy of a break in protocol....

     “Sir? Please? You’re not the one to cry, you can’t cry when we didn’t lose anyone and kicked their fricken asses.” Jimmy said as he slapped Bug’s back hard. “Beat them today, beat them tomorrow...like you say General? This hospital bed’s just a fricken bother.”

      Bugs and his staff popped up to salute the Staff and then he came over to see me...

      “Your work has been somewhat light this time out ay Doc?” Bugs said to me as he chewed on a carrot. “Here Doc.” Bugs said as he offered me a golden tube’r. “Fresh off the freezer ship. A good field Doc needs these fresh vitamins.”

     “Thanks Sir!” I replied with gladness. “I guess? Judging by the light numbers passing through here....that we’re being a little fortunate?” I said as I gestured around at the lightly occupied dispensary.

      “Nah....don’t count yer eggs yet Doc. They’re only getting smarter and more cagey. When this whole mess started, they were almost drunk on cat piss just to swarm us with waves of huge claws n teeth. Now they’re being choosy and that makes them even more dangerous...”

      I got a reminder of that as a wash of wounded came through the door, seven new additions of various species...some with mine impact and “shrap” wounds, seven cases of sniper fire and three seriously mauled when they got jumped. One thing the Kzinti were good at? Laying low in spider holes till the time to spring was just right.

       I took up an otter who was just driving a support truck to the front when a Kzinti came crashing through the front wind screen of his cab. “I quickly brought up my legs, pulled my knife and stabbed him through the muzzle...he was just a little faster on the chomp.” The otter said as he pointed to the bloody medical wrap at the end of his now shorter tail.

     I was working to put a cauterizing pack over the chopped end when someone tapped me on my back. I turned to see Owen wiggling his paw fingers at me with a grin on his face...

    “Good to see you back.” I said as I continued to work on the otter.

    “No hug? No joyous reunion Dori? I’m crushed.” Owen snorted.

    “I’m a little busy.” I replied as I handed Owen a green ampule. “Do something constructive you slacker.” I snickered as Owen jabbed the otter with the “feel good” juice.

    “So what did the doctors on the ship say?” I asked.

    “Low grade concussion.” Owen replied. “I spent three days with little sleep getting poked and screwed every five seconds with stupid questions and ridiculous tests. Care to brush me up on our situation?”

     I bandaged the otter’s tail up as I replied. “The force pushed ten miles inland and as expected? The Kizinti put up a solid resistance near the village of Mataking while their flanks have been probing with snipers and “arty” spotters to get behind our rear and harass us. Bugs tried an amphibious assault to divide the Kzinti and that ran into a saw blade. Our company, Razorwire and Sabertooth have been staying around the port providing security until the follow ups chopped from the 1st Division can take over. Powen’s on sharpshooter patrol, Nori and his squad are pulling “rover red rover” out in the zone beyond the port fence and Ori’s parked with an anti-tank gun crew on the main road approach. The Kzinti tried another tank charge yesterday...predictable results.”

     I saw Owen wince and got worried....”Owen? You sure you’re alright?”

     “After laying on a hard ship’s mattress are you kidding?” Owen stretched himself and “bunny hopped” around me! “See?! Absolutely fine! So are we going to spend the whole campaign coop’d up and playing spades all day?”

      “Unfortunately for you Sargent AWOL, your vacation’s over.” Captain Oakley said as he came walking through the dispensary. “Are you up for some work?”

       Owen saluted back....”Fully ready Sir!”

       “Good.” Oakley said with a nod. “We’ll be relieved in two days. All of you are going with the rest of the three companies. Kzinti resistance has really stiffened up around Mataking which means they may have pulled back from or abandoned their attempts to finish off King Julian and his subjects. Our companies are going to do a ride around the Kzinti flank and go for King Julian directly. We’re also to scout out, locate and silence any Kzinti artillery em-placements we run into along our way. Owen? I trust you all being farm bunnies that you have experience with trucks?”

      I chuckled...”He has experience crashing them.”

     Owen growled at me...”Well it’s true brother? I mean...Dad’s old produce truck, his brand new tractor....”

     Owen bopped me on the head...”That was when we were all crazy kittens, hush it Dori.”

     Oakley chuckled...”I think I can trust you all after I heard the story of how you swiped that Gator tank in boot camp. Your “head’s up” being able to conceal that monster and snag a General from his house shows you got what it takes. Gather up your brothers and their “taggy’s” (Taggy’s are soldiers under the watch of a lead soldier) and brief them all on the basics. We’ll do a full “Op in” and equipment “run” in two days.”

     The Captain saluted us and I chuckled as he walked off...”The factory back home better speed up jeep production.”

     “Oh shut up!” Owen snorted back at me. “I’ll go tell the others while you keep working.”

January 7th, 2042
Zootopian Task Force Julian
Madagascar
the port of Maramanga
Rattleback,Razorwire and Sabertooth Companies

Evening in the billet building

     “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Is the old saying right? I can attest that it also makes you blind. Linzi sent me the most sultry letters that a “wool rabbit” (a male rabbit with extreme horny-ness) can’t help himself....then again when your wife sends a picture of what she can do with a ship’s mourning rope and “spices” it up with a little wiff of “scent”.....

      “OH SNIT!” A voice yelped out which made me fly off the bed and flop onto the floor! Talk about super embarrassed!

       Steclind the fox stood covering his face and I sat like a scolded puppy. We didn’t say anything for like minutes till “Stecky” waved his paw. “No fouls Dori....sheesh if she’s worth it then by all means...except maybe lock the door? Put up a warning sign?” Stecky said as he grimaced at my.....”Pawdy work”...”Sheesh! Clean up on isle five?!”

      “Very funny Stucko.” I snorted back. “Who’s shaking the fricken bunk like an on-time Zootopia express train? I can always expect a wake up call at 2am every morning.”

      Steclind climbed up to his bunk and leaned over the edge as I...you know....”Police’d my wake trail”...

      “So?” He asked me. “Is she worth it?”

      I snorted....”Duh? Obviously.”

      Steclind snatched a picture off his wall and tried to show me his “point of interest”...”Hey?! I don’t want to see a naked pic of your girl!” I said waving a paw.

      “Why not?!” Steclind said with a toothy grin. “I’m not ashamed of her! Especially her tail....mmmmm....if the Gorge of Sarabi could sing? It could never outdo her respendent Amulthia....”

       I snickered....”Why is it that female foxes call their tails female names and not male names?”

      “I never bother to ask why and really do I care?” Steclind replied as he showed her off. It was a “tame” photo of her in a dance pose and her tail was noticeably longer than most foxes. The thing about fox pairs is it’s not so much the sex as it is the tails that are important to both male and female. Foxes spend more time in tail play with each other, which is why Steclind talked nothing of other attributes...

       “So?” He asked with a smile....”What’s yours look like?”

       I showed him a very tame photo of Linzi and he snorted at me. “Oh come on Dori? Are you that ashamed of her?”

       “I’m not going to show you a photo of my wife like that!” I snapped back!

      “Ok! I’m sorry! I didn’t know you were married ok? Forget I asked.” Steclind almost fell off his bunk....

       Then....I don’t know what came over me...I quickly flashed him the ship rope picture...

       “Wow...” The fox said as he waved his paw in front of his muzzle...” The force is strong with this one...she’s viral as a raging torrent.....and cute too.”

       “And now I feel totally embarrassed.” I said as I gasped.

       “Oh come on Dori...” Steclind said as he patted my head. “I’m sure she’ll give you many years of joy and kittens. Sheesh....wonder what she can do with ropes?”

      Then....the building shook!

      “KABOOM!”
      The Dispensary rocked! It shook so hard and so violently that I thought we’d been hit with a artillery round! I dove for the floor and covered up against debris as “Stucko” leaped from his rack, snatched his service belt! Fluck the clothing, all he had was his underwear....he grabbed his helmet, his M-1 carbine magnum rifle and picked me up off the floor!

     “Get your big goofy rabbit feet in gear Dori!” Steclind yelped!

      “Was that artillery?!” I worried as I gathered up my snell gun and gear. “That was huge!”

       As we tore through the dispensary, Owen caught me by my shirt! “Fricken truck bomb! They just bombed the front gate! We got sappers in the perimeter!”

       “Truck bomb?!” I worried....”Ori?! For them to even get to the gate, they had to bypass Ori’s crew! I shuttered to even think but no time to let that worry me....first thing?! Protect the wounded, protect the dispensary, get a defensive perimeter going...which Owen was already throwing together as me and Steclind ran outside to join the others already taking up places behind piles of sand bags...

     They were close and perhaps big enough in number as I looked out in the distance to see in the dim lights of the port my brother Powen and his gang of sharp shooters banging off magnum rounds from their M-14‘s and doing a flying retreat towards the dispensary.

     I watched one of our tiger Marines tackle a Kzinti in full feral, the two cats locked in paw to paw, tooth to tooth, scratch, claw and bite fighting until the Marine drove his K-Bar knife through the other cats neck and scrambled his brains. The Tiger marine snatched up and Tossed the dead Kzinti through the air only to get shot to pieces by other Kzinti in half-feral form!

      “FRUCK!” Steclind snarled as he racked his rifle bolt, aimed and started banging away at the fast moving Kzinti who’d turned their attention on our dispensary! “DIE YOU FRUCKEN CATS!” “Stucko” screamed as he shot through magazines as fast as he could!

       “BOOM!” “BOOM!” “BOOM!”...Seems some dufus in Kzinti planning forgot? We have fricken artillery! And those “Gun Bunnies” of Aiden were pouring stuff on the attackers in vast quantity and with deadly efficiency. We had to wrap ourselves up in balls of fur to avoid getting killed by our own snit!

       Somewhere out there was Powen and his crew of sharpshooters among the falling artillery shells! There was no coordinated call of fire, no accurate direction to the guns, someone just called in a screen around our dispensary and since the Kzinti were focusing around us? We were the center of the wheel of shells being dropped around us!

      Shots behind and over my head told me that those wounded inside who could stand and fight were grabbing rifles and shooting from the windows standing on their beds or propping themselves on the walls or a crutch...

     Feral formed Kzinti were trying to weave through the explosions, dodge the hail of fire coming from our positions, some getting a whisker hair close only to be shot through the head or blown apart by a shell or a storm of bullets.

    “DORI!” I hear someone scream my name! Paws snatch my uniform and I’m thrown through the air tumbling end over end as I feel the hot blast of an explosive concussion on my side. My face eats dirt, I get dust and rocks in my mouth. When I scramble back to my feet....

    I stare into the face of what’s left of “Stucko”....Steclind had seen a Kzinti hand grenade land at my feet. He threw me then threw his body over it....that quick and he was gone. I’m frozen, I just could not move, I don’t even see the Kzinti who though shot all to snit is coming down with his murderous teeth determined to chomp me in half before he dies...
  
    It’s Ori who blows his fricken grape apart with a shotgun. Ori then grabs me by my arm, jacks me to my feet then does the only thing that will snap me out of my shock...he grabs an ear and bites me hard enough to draw blood!

   “AHHHHHH! ASS HOLE!” I screamed but Owen throws me to the ground and keeps me pinned on my face until the fighting ends. A determined sapper brigade of eight hundred plus Kzinti have gone to their gawds with nothing significant to show for their suicidal bravery, at least on our side in numbers...

    But Steclind was significant.....to me. Sargent Steclind Fesityfurs who loved bright colored play balls. Who could play a good round of spades. Who was never fearful of telling anyone about his love or show off glamor pictures of her....

   Steclind...who without hesitation, threw his life away for mine. Can you blame me for crying? Can you blame me for getting pissed off seeing how a couple of Marine rabbits made fun as they.....as they collected his remains? I kicked the living snit out of one of those privates for flucking joking around with “Stucko’s” tail. So I took care of him myself and I cried over his bag the rest of the night.

Dearest Danisha and Amulthia,

      Yes....I include Amulthia in this letter because Steclind never spoke of you Danisha without equal love or affection for your tail which to your beloved was a gift from the gawdess Vulpix.

      I was with him when he died....in fact....it is because of him that I lived. I took care of him as only a friend should do so. A friend and a debt’r who can never repay what he did for me that terrible night.

     Danisha? He loved you. His every word and every breath of you was endless affection. He often talked of the dances you two would have together, how wonderfully perfect the ties of your tails were, how your every move filled his heart with joy and he threw it all away to save my life. I can never fully pay him nor compensate you enough for the weight of the loss you have suffered. But be comforted that I took the best care of him possible as a friend should.

With my broken heart and all my love
Dori Hopps

     “Come on.” Owen said as he gently pulled me up and away and walked me into the dispensary that early morning of the next day where he took my clothes off an put me on a cot...”You cared about me? Now my turn.” Owen said as he held my paw while he sat by my cot until I fell asleep. I think I slept all day into the afternoon of the 8th of January when I rolled up off the cot, threw my uniform on and went back to work as usual. Probably what “Stucko” would have pushed me to do.

January 9th, 2042
Zootopian Task Force Julian
Madagascar
the port of Maramanga
Rattleback,Razorwire and Sabertooth Companies
0500 hours

     “Sorry about “Stucko”.” Nori said with affection as he rubbed my back. “You ok?”

      I nodded, though not without a feeling of survivor guilt clinging in my head. I patted the zip baggee in my pocket where some cuttings off “Stucko’s” tail remained with me for the rest of the war, in fact I still have them all these years later in my family hoke chest. I take them out every year during “Fox-a-Falliah” on one of the seven days which remembers dead foxes. Fox lure holds that as long as their names are spoken of with good memory, blessings are bestowed upon them by gawdess Vulpix.

      We were “gearing up” for the move out now that a strong reserve force was settled in to protect the port and the action had shifted surely to the front line around Mattaking. Three companies in jeeps and armored lories would range out around the Kzinti defensive flank and make a run for King Julian and his subjects in the marshes and swamps at Bongalava some thirty miles from the port, a journey of actually sixty miles doing this end run “blister” march. It’s called a “blister” because that’s what it was going to be...”blistering” fricken hot as hell. Daytime was expected to be at worst 110 degrees and night time only tolerable between two and three AM.

      “Sheesh....Gunga fricken Din’s going to break his back.” Rerio Cutnail our Silver Sable fox medic snorted. “We better guard this water carrier like gold.”

      “We better keep good eyes on everyone to make sure they don’t get heat stress or stroke out.” I said as I checked my medical pack. “Anyone got more salt licks?”

      Lolcer Braveeye tossed me a package of them...”I have plenty.” He said. “You going to ride with your brothers? I’d split you all up if I was the Captain. A lucky shot would be a tragedy any parent couldn’t bear.”

     “You of all rabbits should know that busting up a brood is bad Ju Ju.” I replied. “We’re stronger and more able together...but the thought’s been through my mind and my brothers for sure would get super pissy and troublesome about it and the Captain doesn’t need pains in the tail hole does he?” I replied. I walked to our jeep where my brothers were taking turns spraying each other with bug repellent and some super, super high sun block and coat defender. This climate was going to dry the hell out of our fur and I expected on this trip that we were all going to be “patches” of bare skin before we reached King Julian for sure.

        “Dori? Take the helmet off and wear this floppy hat.” Nori said as he came up and pulled my helmet off. “Nothing like wearing a stupid oven on your brain bucket, though you corpse-mammals were experts?”

         “Floppy hats don’t stop bullets.” I replied. “You want your corpse-mammals to be protected to the max right?”

         “Yeah....” Nori replied. “Just not protected till they roast. Now strip down real quick so I can spray you over. Sheesh...I always have to do everything for you don’t I?”

         I pointed to my junk and snickered at him, which Nori replied with a quick rabbit slap between my legs which bent me over...

        “Ow....ass hole.” I snorted.

        “You asked for it.” Nori replied as he got me down to my underwear and sprayed me till I dripped of chemical residue...

       “OK! Enough Nori! Damn....drown me in this snit! Ugh....fricken stinks...you know we’ll be lucky to hit a water hole here....that’s not filled with gators.”

        “Actually? A blessing.” Nori replied. “I heard the Alligators here are King Julian’s subjects and they have been ripping the snit out of these cats. Finding a water hole with gators in it would be a good thing for us...if you’d do a little “tribute” work? Perhaps some dentistry?”

       “I’m not a dentist.” I snickered back. “We learned that Alligators favor mammals who will spend time preening their big teeth because alligators can do that and as they age...they lose their teeth to rot and as foxes adore their tails.....alligators prize a fill mouth of good teeth.

        “Powen on the fifty cal.” Owen said as we started to mount up in our jeep, which Owen had painted “Pa Pa’s wagon” in stencil on the hood for good luck. “Nori, side shooter....Ori left aft corner, Dori right aft corner...”

         “Where’s the crash bags?” I joked.

         “Fruck you, you little snit head.” Owen yelped back at me.

         “Where’s the life preservers and the crash bags?” Ori snickered. “Cheese n Crackers our life insurance doesn’t cover “Death by way of jackassery by your brother.”  

          Owen snatched an empty oil can from the floor of the driver’s side and threw it past Ori’s head! “One more crack out of any one and whoopin’s to follow!”

         “Spoken like a true Sarge.” Nori said with a smile. “Now we’re ready to go, Owen’s been properly calibrated.”

         The march column advanced at 0600 hours around the hole left by that big sapper truck bomb, first time I got to see how powerful it must have been. I turned to Ori and pointed at the hole...”Where were you and your crew when this happened?”

        “In a fire fight, what do you think?” Ori snapped back. Guess he thought I was going to blame him or rag on him for not stopping the truck full of explosives. 

       “I’m not going to dump on you Ori.” I said waving a paw.

      Ori wiped his forehead...”Sheesh! Not even seven and it’s already feeling hot? Anyone got a baster wand and some butter and onion? If I get devoured at least I want the Kzinti to enjoy me going down.”

      Nori huffed. “You ever played Devour?”

      “Duh...no, because it’s illegal. Even I respect the law most of the time Nori.” Ori replied. “You don’t even look like the type for that kind of game.”

      “Hmph!” Nori replied huffing. “That you know...but I won’t tell.”

      I snickered at Nori...”You’ve tried it.”

      “Sheesh....not since high school.” Nori replied. “Honestly Dori! It was only once and I got scared strait. How about you others since we don’t have anything better to do than eat dust right now? Anyone else tried devouring?”

       We all looked at each other for a moment then Powen raised his paw...

       “You?!” I asked. “No way! You Powen?”

       “Bet he tried to “science” the whole experience.” Nori snickered “Huh egg head?”

        “Wolf, dog, fox, Jackal, lion? Which pred gave you the ride?” Ori begged to know...

        “It was a cougar.” Powen said with a light smile. “She was sure good at it too.” Powen looked around and said softly. “It was Miss Latourno.”

        “It just had to be the science teacher.” Owen snickered.

        “Of course!” I chirped. “So? What grade were you in?”

        “I’m not saying any more!” Powen snapped. “Only to say that? She really knew how to perform like a true “Pred”....”

        For the un-knowing...."devouring” is something you’re really not supposed to do if you play “Predator and Prey” for if something goes wrong or you get caught in the act? The legal fines for both actors can be steep....not to mention the embarrassment of having to “explain your actions” in the local schools as part of “community penitence”

        “Devouring” is as it says....A predator “devours” his prey and some have said it’s the wildest most erotic experience any prey or predator in Zootopia could boast about....except....when it goes wrong.

         Early in my training for Corpse-mammal I had the unfortunate experience to have to sit in on two emergency cases of “Devour” gone wrong where the prey mammal slipped down the throat of his partner and ended up in the stomach juices being chemically burned alive. That’s why “Devouring” is a Zootopia felony offense and both mammals get “slammed through the tail hole” for doing it.

        Owen ceased our talking with a slap of a paw on his dashboard. “Ok...cut the silly snit and stay alert now...” He warned. “Everyone put your eyes on the clock and scan for anything, no more “snit snat” gum flapping.”

       Our march column was a coiled snake with flanking jeeps ranging out in a moving wheel spoke around us. We were equipped for speed movement so we had no heavy armor just jeeps, light armored lorries and a few support trucks. We also had two 105mm field gun carriers called “Priest” trucks with two “Aiden-Knight” artillery squads ready and poised to unleash hell at close range. As always were weren’t exactly naked in the air, we knew we had drones high up looking down on our progress, they just weren’t going to make themselves known until the Kzinti wanted to come and play. Perhaps they didn’t want to come out at the moment because? It was fricken ball soup hot! and I mean my little bunny nuts were roasting on the ever warming leather of my jeep seat.

      “Frick.” I huffed. “I think Ori’s right? We need to stop and do a butter baste. At least give the Kzinti some satisfaction in their taste buds than bunny sludge.”

       “They’re going to sniff us a mile away.” Nori snorted as he played with the towel he put around his neck to soak up the sweat. “Home summers weren’t this nasty.” Nori snarled as he slapped himself to keep the big bottle flies off of him.

        Ori reached out and tugged on my shirt. “You know all about this heat stuff Dori? You think the Kzinti will attack us in this heat?”

        “Our own Tigers don’t even want to move around in this broiler.” I replied. “We smaller mammals have good tolerance for this if we don’t do too much running around. Bigger mammals? They’ll drop fast if they don’t latch onto a good supply of water. I doubt they’ll come at us out here....heat for one thing....lack of shrub and scrub for another.”

       Owen patted me on the shoulder...”Hope you’re right. The only problem with your analysis Dori is that the Kzinti are known for not following anyone’s thoughts about them.”

January 9th, 2042
Zootopian Task Force Julian
March Column “Gouge Out"
Madagascar

ten miles Northwest of the port of Maramanga
fifty miles Southwest of Bongalava
0900 hours

       Intelligence estimated before we left Maramanga that we were dealing with seven thousand Kzinti between the port and Bongalava. My brothers and I were making bets that we’d face maybe two thousand on our flank march and perhaps as many as six artillery camps. So far on our operation...we didn’t face their dreaded rockets, we were damn sure they had something in reserve to throw at us at some point. A few as four good lobs of their big V-2's could turn our march column into a Sunday Buffet special with all the trimmings. We were all sick enough in the head to guess how many rockets would drop on our heads.

       “Flucken dust.” I chirped as I pulled a big cheese cloth scarf from my back pack and wrapped my mouth and nose to cut off the choking hot dirt and stench of motor exhaust from my throat. Unlucky of us all to be bunnies and right ahead of us was a much larger jeep full of wolves who were only too entertained to see us choke on the fumes from their larger jeep.

       A crack, the sound of a sonic crack in the air and the whole column slides to a stop!

       “SNIPER!” Some one screams out! “MEDIC!” I look and see Rerio bolting over the ground in his feral form with a small “snipe pack” strapped to his back. Foxes have another great advantage, they’re very good “low striders” able to almost flatten their bodies as they hug dirt and run. I watch as Rerio reaches one of our flanking jeeps, an occupant’s been shot. Rerio makes a “cut” motion to his neck...the poor mammal’s dead with a head shot. So while the Kzinti may not want to “come out and play” in this heat....it didn’t mean the snipers weren’t going to be busy.

       We’re all scanning every inch of the land around us, each lapping their eyes over where the others have looked...where is this nasty flucker? He’s smart.....or she perhaps? The Kzinti did have their females, their tigresses, as snipers and they were very good at the game.

       I look up at Powen who’s on our “magnum fifty cal” and he’s talking to himself...mouthing silently...guessing where the sniper could be....”Come on baby....show Daddy where you’re at....” Powen snorts as he tightens his grip on the “Ma Deuce”....

      Not another word flows from his mouth but the “Ma Deuce” speaks!

“BLAM!” A jet of exhaust gas and flame bark from the muzzle!

     One round? Powen just lightly mashed the trigger and a single fifty cal magnum round flew from the barrel and in the distance we all saw a big cloud of red mist pop from behind some scrub!

    “You jiggled your tits too much you bitch.” Powen snarls. He nailed a female Kzinti and blew her head to mulch. We all breath relief as we flop to the dirt take a break, drink water and hide from the sun where our jeep could give us some shade from its’ crushing heat.

     “Good shot Powen.” I said as I patted Powen’s shoulder. “Good eyes on that cat.”

     “Even with the sand color and scrub, they move too much and their stripes make them stand out like a flag.” Powen snorted. We all weren’t “coking and sipping” casually though. Nori and Owen were knelt “eagle eyes” at each end of the jeep and all along the column mammals were keeping alert....then another crack sounds out and a rabbit goes flying off a priest truck onto his back in the dirt!

    Reaction is instant! I bolt to my feet and run...thirty yards ahead and the whole column is lighting up around me! A crack in my ear, a bullet flies by my head causing me to dive for the Priest! I scramble back to my feet...stay too prone for too long and you die....I grab the wounded rabbit by his harness and drag him to shelter behind one of the steel track wheels....

    Rip the shirt open...clean through the guts....pull out a gut wrap and call for a private to come off the Priest!

    “I can’t! We’re going to unload 105!” The Private screams! The Priest shakes as the artillery piece in the back bangs off a round!

     Some one comes tumbling by me and Ori scrambles to help me wrap up the wounded bunny and stop the bleeding....

     “Sheesh! In this snit?! He’s as good as fricken done!” Ori snaps!

     “Not about to give up yet!” I yelp back. I snatch Nori’s radio off his shoulder and sqauk out....”Captain? Captain? Can we get a drone dusty?”

      “What’s you sit?” Captain Oakly replied.

      “Bunny with a gutt shot. We’ve stopped the bleeding, I got him stable but we have to get him out of here now! Can we get a drone dusty?” I beg.

       “Wait tight.” Captain Oakley replied as I felt the wounded rabbits paw clench tight to my own....

       “Sit tight Bro.” I say into the bunny’s face. He’s terrified....

       “I can’t feel my legs or my feet.” He cries....

       “Move your left foot.” I ask. “Come on....move it!”

       He strains then slackens. “I can’t....”

       “Take it easy bro.” I said as I gently petted his head...”We’ll get you out of here. I’m asking for a drone...”

       “Like they’ll care about me?” He sighs and winces....”They got plenty of rabbit meat....at least with fricken legs.”

       I get pissed....I slapped him! I just hauled off and slapped him right in the snoot! “I DON’T WANT TO HEAR THAT HEARTLESS BULL SNIT FROM YOU AGAIN MARINE! DO YOU HEAR ME?!”

      The rabbit balls like a baby....Ori grips my shirt....”Dori?! That was not right!”

      “Every Frith damn life matters Ori! You’re damn right it was right!” I snapped. I turn to the sobbing wounded bunny and cup his head in my paws....”You’re life matters if we number just a few hundred or a few million....you life matters to me frith damn it! We’re getting you home so don’t you pull this suicide talk bull snit with me!”

      The Captain’s words come back on the radio. “Dusty inbound Doc!”

      The wounded rabbit reaches up for me...snatches my shoulders and pulls me down into an embrace.....”I love you Doc! Wish my mother slapped me as hard as that...” He bunny kisses my cheek and I hold his paw as me and Ori run him to the drone under the cover of the column...

    “Stay tough bro!” I yelp to the wounded bunny as the drone begins to wind up for take off....”You’re going to make it!”

   One last sniggle of my paw and me and Ori back off as the drone and our wounded comrade lift off back towards the port...

    And just as quickly....a hidden Kzinti heavy machine gun barks out and rips both the drone and our poor comrade to bits of flying parts and guts.

  THE BUNNY WE LOVED SO WELL

I am a Zootopian Marine and my speech is rough and plain
I'm not much used to writing and I hate to give you pain
But I promised I would do it and he thought it might be so
If it came from one who loved him perhaps it would ease the blow
By this time you must have guessed the truth I fain I can not hide
Please pardon me for my rough soldier words while I tell you how he died.

It was in a sniper’s ambush, that devilish wicked demon’s shell
I was standing close beside him and I saw him when he fell
So I took him in my arms and laid him on the grass
It was going against all orders but they’d think to let it pass
'Twas a gutt round that struck him, it entered at his side
I didn’t think it fatal so save him I did my best to try.

I wanted him so much to live, he seemed so young to go.
This week he passed his birthday. he was just nineteen, you know.
When he felt himself worthless, I slapped fight back into his eyes.
I told him “Every life is precious! Don’t be in a rush to die!"

I prayed to Frith to give him strength, and encouraged him to go on.
Assured by his gentle kiss, I felt against the Black Rabbit we had won. But fate by mastery cold and cruel had stollen all our joy. As we watched with heart wrenching horror what those murdering enemy bullets destroyed.

I carved a wooden headboard as skillful as I could.
And if you wish to find it I can tell you where it stood
I send you back his hymn book and the cap he used to wear
The lock I retrieved with tenderness of his bright and beautiful tail hair
I send you back his tales of Prince Rabbit, the book he loved so well.
I turned its leaves together and send it to you with all the kisses of his fellows.  So now I've done his bidding, there's nothing more to tell
But I shall always mourn with you the bunny we loved so well.

Dori Hopps
In honor of Private First Class Matty Scotchbright.
January 9th, 2042

End of Chapter 22