The Babbling Brook
Jessica stood on the bridge and looked urgently towards the forest. 'Come on Hare ... you promised you'd be here.'
'Beg pardon Miss Jessica?'
Jessica turned away and bit her top lip. 'Nothing ... it's nothing Griffin. I'm just a bit worried. Can you see anything yet?'
Griffin was staring forestward. 'Not yet , but they'll be here.' He rubbed his grey head against Jessica's leg and she stroked his fur. 'Please don't worry, I'm sure they will be fine.'
But Jessica wasn't so certain. Despite the attack by the Red Baron and the threat of the airship which had passed over them a few hours back and gone in a wide searching arc, their group had been relatively safe from threats, flying over it all, while Hare and Goldie and the rest ...'
'He ... they ... they're not dead. They're not dead,' she muttered. But what if they were? Hare had been trying his best, trying to be better ... for her. She felt sick, imagining him lying dead somewhere, maybe dying thinking she didn't love him. But ... Jessica suddenly realised that her feelings for The Hare ran deep. 'Damn you H ... don't be dead. Don't be ...'
'We see something!'
Jessica looked up as Icarus who had been hovering a hundred feet in the air, shouted down. He was holding SC in his arms and it was the black cat with the white markings whose eyesight even outstripped the birdman and the mortal tabby, who had been keeping watch.'
Icarus began to sink earthwards and as he reached ten feet above their heads, SC jumped and landed in George's outstretched arms.
'Coming out of the mist by the tree-line, about a mile away, a seven foot figure followed by others ... a muscular giant with rabbit ears!'
Jessica exchanged a look with the Golden Goose and both exclaimed at once. 'Frank!'
Jessica began to run in the direction that SC had indicated and before long she saw shapes emerging from the mist and there he was!
'HARE! HARE!'
The Hare saw her coming and his features morphed into sheer pleasure and relief. 'JESSICA!!' He dashed forward and swept her up in his arms.
Jessica threw her own arms around him and pressed her ruby red lips to his and they both kissed and hugged each other fervently.
They were still hugging when the Rabbitz caught up with them. The Velveteen Rabbit and Wiley were the first.
'Miss Jessica, how delightful to see you again!' declared the suave Velveteen Rabbit and Wiley whipped out a speech bubble shaped pad that he had found at the Goose's cottage and shyly wrote. 'Hello.' and marked a few xx's by it.
Jessica hugged them both and then found her knee being bumped by a tawny head. 'Jessica Bunny! I knew you'd be here.'
She looked down. 'Bambi ... is it? I think we met a time or two but ...'
Bambi nodded wearily. 'Yeah, you don't remember at the bar either. Never mind, we'll have a good talk, you, me and Hare, just when things calm down. I've got a few questions of my own.'
Jessica was just opening her mouth to ask the small deer what he meant when Future Hare and the others caught up and she found herself being taken in a bear hug by Goldie. After that she led them back towards the Babbling Brook and watched as a joyful reunion took place between the two groups.
Someone was missing though. 'Where's Oswald? Is he ...' she faltered, not wanting to hear the answer.
'We don't know,' Future Hare replied grimly, 'But we're going to wait.'
Hare turned towards him. 'We can't ... I'm sorry, but the mission ...'
'We wait,' his future self cut in, using a tone that would brook no argument.
SC jumped up into Jessica's arms so he was closer to everyone's eye-line. 'What about the ones pursuing you on the ground? We were followed by an airship but it lost us and has been flying ahead in sweeps.'
'They're behind us,' Cottontail told him, 'But Oswald led them away. It may take them hours to pick up our trail.'
The cat nodded. 'We can remain here just over an hour until darkness falls, then we need to head north and get to the country lanes to travel parallel to them under cover of night.'
'Straight on?' Goldie wanted to know.
SC shook his head. 'No, our old friend Toad has a militia in that direction, a mile or so ahead and we should avoid bringing trouble down on them.'
Future Hare was looking thoughtful. 'Actually I don't think we can. I have a way to get us to Domain City but we'll need help from Toad. There's something he has that we need, although ...'
'Yes?'
'It's in his mansion. A few of us could break in and use it without Toad knowing and then rejoin the rest.'
'Hold that thought mate ... we got eyes on us.' Goldie was drawing her knife.
Griffin whirled around. 'By the river bank! It's one of Toad's men.' Then he sprang forward and swiped towards the water with his paws, batting the intruder onto the bank where he lay stunned.
Goldie put her knife away. 'Problem solved then.'
The Golden Goose was appalled. 'We were supposed to be trying to not bring harm down on these guys.' He waddled quickly over and scooped up the intruder in his wings, tipping him back into the water.
Moments later the fish with the small tin helmet poked his head up above the surface and regarded the large group with frightened eyes. 'Blimey!' exclaimed Private Pike, 'Are you lot forces of evil? If so I oughtta tell the Cap'n so we can resist you!'
Both Hares knelt down by the water's edge. Future Hare spoke first. 'No, we're ... some of us are actually old friends of your captain who haven't seen him for a long time.'
'Or a not so long time,' cut in Hare, not to be outdone.
'We need his help uh ...'
'Pike ... Private Pike,' responded the fish and then his eyes bulged. 'Hold on a second ... I just remembered, Sarge said I wasn't to tell any possible enemy combatants my name. I'm not Private Pike, I'm ... Perch ... yes, that's right. Private Perch and if you lot are up to no good, you'd better be aware there are 14 armed and dangerous riverbankers and woodland creatures billeted a mile upstream and ... and ... I mean there's forty of us ... sixty ... and a tank! Oh blimey, me mum always did say I talked too much! Pike she'd say ... you talk too much! Uh Perch I meant ... uh because that's my name. I don't know any Pike!'
Both Hares smiled at each other and tried to reassure the nervous fish they were friends. He thought he could trust them but kept a cautious eye on the two cats, especially the grey tabby.