Robin Hood . . . With a Twist
Something new :) Please enjoy!
Grey, stratus clouds covered Nottingham as Chris, Skippy, Sister, Toby, and Tagalong ran down the road, towards King Richard's castle, now inhabited by Prince John, the Sheriff of Nottingham, and their cohort security. Chris, a nine-year old gray wolf with black, shiny hair, thick, round glasses, and a large, goofy smile, grabbed Sister's hand, pulling her towards the brick wall, in the direction where Skippy's arrow had flown.
"Jesus, Skippy, you're a terrible shot, man!" whispered Chris, a hearty giggle escaping, as Sister laughed along. "I think you shot a bit high, brother!" This time, everybody chortled, and Toby fell to the bumpy ground, chuckling as he landed on his shell, rocking and rolling. Skippy, however, was unimpressed by Chris's jabs.
"Oh, yeah, Chris? You think you're a hotshot, huh? Then let's see you go through that gate over there, and search for that arrow, if you've got the nerve." Skippy stood frustrated and blushing, used to being the one in charge. Since Chris and his wolf father and mother had moved into Nottingham, however, the younger wolf's charm and impeccable source of energy had stolen the show, and he felt undone all the time now by Chris's "superior abilities". For example, the time that Chris had challenged Skippy and Sister to a foot race throughout downtown Nottingham, and Chris had even given the rabbit siblings a few moments' headstart. The five-foot tall wolf, who had been known in Ruddington as the fastest elementary school runner, had found the thick dust clouds of Skippy to eat rather quick, halfway before the three of them had passed Friar Tuck walking along the main street, "doing good". By the time Chris and Sister had arrived at the rabbit's tree trunk home, and were leaning against each other, panting and laughing while pointing at Skippy, looking on in shock at being beat so bad, the young male rabbit had already felt stinging touches of jealousy and envy.
Now, he felt quite the same thing, and so the dare that he had established and thrust forward, was a rapid reflex of his raging emotions. Chris agreed with a wide grin, jumping high, his feet touching each other before they hit the ground again. "Sure thing, Skippy. This'll be easy."
Sister, who had grown a little affectionate towards Chris, grew a little wary of his electric boldness. "Chris, Prince John will cut off your head if he catches you in his courtyard! You don't have to go in there. It's Skippy's fault, anyways," warned Sister, both paws holding Chris's left in a soft embrace, scared for her "boyfriend".
"Oh, don't worry about me, Sister. I've got my tunes," producing his Sony MP3 and sweet, rubber earbuds, placing one tight in his right ear. "I got MAGIC, baby!"
"Where did you get that?" inquired Sister.
"A present, my dear," said Chris, as he gave Sister a soft kiss on her right cheek, all fluffy and now a light red. The brave wolf rubbed behind her long right ear, and she moaned, rapping her big feet against the grass, almost falling over, until Chris caught her, and they both ended up laughing in hysterics.
"Oh, jeez," muttered Skippy. "Yeah, oh, jeez," echoed Toby, now standing tall, his own black glasses a little askew on his turtle face. Tagalong, however, liked Chris, and wanted to go with him. "Me, Chris, me wi' you!"
"AWWW!!!" cried Sister. "Taggy wants to come with." Chris bent down, and gave the purple-shirted Tagalong a big hug. "I can't this time, Tagalong. Too dangerous. I'll be right back." "Aww," cried Tagalong, but Sister put her arms around her baby sister's shoulders, cuddling her. "He has his reasons, Taggy. He'll be back."
Placing in the other ear bud, Chris pressed play on the MP3, and on came "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" from PM Dawn. Rump shaking and tail grooving, the little, suave wolf slipped through the cracks, and tightened up against the high, off-white brick wall. Shuffling slow, he kept his eyes peeled for any sights of enemy presence. At the edge of the wall, where the courtyard began, he peered over his left shoulder, and to his amazement, saw a lady vixen and a lady chicken playing a very funny game of badminton. Oh shit, thought Chris. I thought this was going to be simple.
"C'mon, Marian, my dear, next point wins," exclaimed Lady Kluck, as she volleyed. The little plastic piece came at Maid Marian, and, and . .
Goddamn! thought Chris. _That's Maid Marian?! The one everyone talks about? _ Even though Chris was just nine years old, he had reached a moderate peak of puberty, and he felt a stirring in his groin that was both painful and pleasant, as he continued to sneak around the brick wall corner, watching the graceful vixen, cast in a most sensuous purple dress, with a pink shawl covering the rest of her fine red furred body, with a bare piece of her plush tail poking out from the pink train. Chris's mind forgot about the missing arrow, and went straight to wondering where this dame had been all his . .
"Hey, Chris, what's taking so long?" whispered Skippy. "I thought you were some hotshot. Are you scared, or something?"
"I'm going," said Chris, with an air of disturbed impatience. When he could tear his wide blue eyes away from the dream vixen, at least a decade older than him, he looked around the grassy courtyard, spotted here and there with large trees, small statues, and the badminton field, where Lady Kluck and Maid Marian were battling it out for the match.
As Chris moved his gaze right, he saw a shimmer of gold and went "Aha!" to himself. Following the sensuous beat of PM Dawn, he tiptoed over to where the base of Skippy's arrow poked out of the dirt, some thirty yards away. At the same time, Maid Marian's lob had gone way too high, and had fallen right next to Chris, as he went to pick up the object.
"Well, hello!" cried Maid Marian, a large, pleasant smile crossing her face, as she bumped into the now-bewildered wolf, needless to say a little freaked.
"AHH!"
"Oh, don't be scared! I'm Maid Marian, and you're most welcome here."
Outside the wall and gate, the other four could hear Chris being caught by someone. "Oh, shit," muttered Skippy.
"Hey, Skippy, you can't swear. I'll tell Momma," warned Sister, pointed her left index at her younger brother's twisting, shaking mouth. Skippy's arms crossed and uncrossed, as soft, gray plumes of steam seemed to pour out of his shorter, lopped ears. "Oh, and Chris can, huh?" challenged Skippy. "That's right," volleyed Sister, her paws on her hips, a 'I'm better than you' sneer on her lips. "He's my boyfriend, and he can say whatever he wants."
Meanwhile, Chris was in a rather awkward situation, with both lady chicken and vixen oohing and aahing over him, near a copse of trees in the courtyard. Lady Kluck thought he looked rather noble, whereas Maid Marian was buttering him up with flirtatious comments. "So, where are you from, young wolf, and to why do you come? Not to ensnare chickens and vixens, I dare say."
Chris commenced to blush, and soon found that he could not stand without wobbling. POOF! Chris's rump fell on the lush grass, and a few pebbles. "Ow!"
"Oh, dear! We must assist our valiant friend, Lady Kluck." Both royal chicken and vixen reached a graceful paw towards one each of Chris's, and lifted him up. "Thank you," said Chris, blushing harder.
Tagalong had been sitting by the bottom of the gate for a few minutes now, and she sneezed hard. "AH-CHOO!!" Everyone started, and Lady Kluck whispered to Maid Marian, "Oooh, I do believe we are surrounded, my dear. I believe surrender is our one option."
"Good job, Tagalong," half-shouted Skippy with a scowl. "Hey, be nice, Skippy," came a stern command from Sister, while Toby peered out of his shell, afraid for the worst. "Prince John'll get us for sure now." "Oh, nonsense, Toby," replied Skippy. "The odds of Maid Marian sending Prince John and his cohorts after us are miniscule. Relax."
"Come here, children," called Maid Marian, her sweet, honey-slathered voice, leading the rabbits and turtle closer to the gate. "Please, come in!"
"She's awful nice, Skippy. Let's go in. Chris is okay. We'll be, too."
Chris, Chris, Chris, everything's about Chris, thought Skippy, flummoxed in his mind, crossing through the thick bars on the gate.
The children slipped through the bars of the gate, and hopped and paced towards Maid Marian, Lady Kluck, and Chris, who now was enveloped in the beauteous vixen's arms, half covered in her shawl, blushing. "H-Hi, guys. Hi, Sister!" blurted out Chris, a little embarrassed at his compromising position, as "O.P.P" by Naughty By Nature commenced to pump through his earbuds.
"What interesting music," muttered Maid Marian, bending down, and placing an earbud close to her ear. "O.P.P, yeah, you know me? What a funny saying! Ha Ha! Why, Chris, you do have unique taste in, if you call that, music. Albeit, it's not from around here. I can't quite place it."
Soon, all the kids, and Lady Kluck, wanted to hear it, except for Skippy. He gathered his arrow with the golden tail, and sat down with his hands folded over his thin knees, and his face slumped over.
The skies up above had turned a little brighter, and the sound of birds were singing a merry tune around the castle walls, as Maid Marian, Lady Kluck, Sister, Toby, and Tagalong made a huge fuss over their new friend Chris's strange, yet awesome, machine. "You said it was a present, Chris?" asked Sister, her head perked and ears the same. "Yeah, a present, from my family. In America."
"America!" exclaimed Toby. "I've heard of America."
"Geez, Toby, you believe him? You think he's from America?" quarreled Skippy.
Sister turned towards her brother, and scolded him, saying "How dare you question him!"
"Now, children, there is no reason to argue, please. Chris, what part of America are you from?"
"Massachusetts, near Boston. New England."
Skippy was getting impatient, and ready to leave. His enthusiasm had been drained for some moments, and he was more than ready to leave Chris, and this stupid conversation behind.
"C'mon, Sister, let's get going. Toby, what do you say? Taggy? Chris, I suppose you want to stay here and google eye with Maid Marian and Lady Kluck all day, right?" sneered Skippy, picking himself up, and dusting off his bottom, turning a 180, and hopping off towards the gate.
"Skippy! Chris? Do you want to stay?" asked Sister.
"Yes, but, well, I'd like you to stay, too. I feel very comfortable here."
"Of course he does! With a fine pussy like that in front of him, who wouldn't?" shouted Skippy, very angry, and irrational.
"SKIPPY! I'm telling Mama!!!" hollered Sister, in an embarrassed, and furious voice, as Tagalong followed in an echo, "I'm 'elling Mama!"
"Chris, I'll be back. You stay here. Skippy, you want to go home so bad, we're going now, and don't you argue with me! I'm your older sister, now you're going to get it. What a filthy mouth. Wait'll Mama hears what you said." Soon, the rabbit children, and Toby, had left the courtyard, leaving the three, Maid Marian, Lady Kluck, and Chris, sitting on a stone bench, on the left side of the badminton court.
"Well, what was that all about?" offered Lady Kluck, shaking out her feathers, looking at her friend. "I don't know," said Maid Marian, holding her younger friend, Chris's, paw, comforting him, where "O.P.P." could not. "Chris? _Chris? _ Are you okay?"
But all Chris could do was stare down, dumbfounded himself at why Skippy was being so hostile towards him. Was it the running race that he had flummoxed him so soon ago, or was there something more? "Yeah, I'm fine," mumbled the saddened wolf, who now rested his head next to her bosom. Up above, the sun had been overtaken by more grey clouds, and a soft, autumn breeze caressed the three friends, as they waited for Sister, and perhaps Toby, and Tagalong to return.