“Come oooooon, where is everybody?!” Groaned Casper, the impatient 9-year-old striped fennec fox. He had been looking forward to this day for nearly a month, and here he was being forced to wait just a little bit more. Casper was a seasoned cub scout, more than accustomed to following strict schedules, and to tackling the great outdoors. Weeks ago, during one of his exhibition hikes through the woods, he found the perfect oasis for him and his friends just outside of their suburban refuge. A clear lake fed by a waterfall, surrounded by a bunch of cool looking rock formations, and absolutely no adults to speak of. Last week he had finally bothered his seven friends enough to get them to agree to hike out there with him. They were supposed to meet him at the start of the trail at 10 am sharp, but it’s 10 o’seven and so far only one of them has shown up.
“Don’t worry, they’ll be here soon.” Said his soft spoken rottweiler friend Max from his perch on a stump. Despite being 2 years Casper’s junior, his naturally stocky frame far outsized the svelte fox. “Wanna bite?” He offered his granola bar. He didn’t really like granola, but he knew it was what seasoned hikers like Casper ate for some reason.
Casper’s narrowed eyes hesitated on his half-eaten bar, contemplating if he was too frustrated to eat…he was not. “Why is it…so hard…just to keep to a schedule?” He pondered out loud in between chews.
“Maybe they wanted to catch the 10 o’clock cartoons…aww I’m missing them now.”
“Hey!” A breathless voice yelled. The duo turned and saw it came from Owen, resident hefty brown otter cub. Despite his size, he had plenty of energy running up to the punctual duo. “Hi Casper, hi Max!” He chirped with a light pant.
“Good morning Owen.” Max replied.
“Owen, you’re late!” Casper barked.
“Huh? I am?” Owen blinked, his carefree smile unchanged.
“Yeah you are, we agreed on 10! And right now, it’s 10 o’eight!”
“Eight!” Owen giggled, mocking Casper’s grouchy voice. “You’re funny when you’re mad.”
Casper rolled his eyes, failing to hide a smile at the tease. “Augh, you could never be a cub scout.”
“Aww why not? Cub scouts get to eat a ton of smores!”
“There’s more to being a scout than smores! There’s learning survival skills, respect for nature, and hard work.” The fennec listed off with pride. “And being on time!”
“And bugs.” Max added dramatically before opening another bar of granola.
“Eeeeeewww bugs!” Owen droned. “…Can try a piece of that?”
“Sure.”
“You know we’re probably gonna see a ton of bugs, right?” Casper asked.
Owen gasped. “Oh no!” His look of despair lasted only a moment before he eagerly took a bite of granola.
“Well, it is the woods. But don’t worry, I got bug spray.” Casper proudly pat his oversized backpack.
“Alright!” Owen cheered through a full mouth. “You know…granola kinda stinks…”
“Yeah.” Max agreed.
“…Can I have another bite though?”
“Sure.”
“Hey guys!” Becky, the group’s tan desert hare, jogged up to them. “Sorry I’m late, I had soccer practice earlier…agh.” She stretched her back and legs when she stopped, a habit well ingrained into her from years of school sports. She and Casper were the oldest cubs in their neighborhood, and it especially showed in her more developed muscles and curves.
“Hi Becky!”
“Hi Becky!”
“Good morning Becky.” Owen, and Max said respectively, the first with a mouth full
“Well, at least you’re sorry.” Said Casper with a conciliatory sigh. There was a subconscious appreciation in his disciplined scout mind for fellow cubs who stuck to strict routines…it also may have helped that Becky was really pretty.
“Where’s everybody else?”
“Late. Probably too lazy to get up early.”
“Or watching the 10 o’clock Wonder Wulf!” Suggested Owen.
“Aww I wanted to see that…” Max mumbled.
“Pfffft, they’re lame.” Becky playfully scoffed. “I’ve been pumped all week for this! If it wasn’t for soccer, I’d be here hours ago if I had to.”
“Wow Becky, you’d be a great cub scout if you were a boy.” Casper knew there was a reason he liked Becky…a-as a friend of course.
“I dunno, cub scouts seem kinda boring.”
Owen snickered at Casper’s appalled face. But before the finicky fox could respond, a loud boisterous voice made him flinch. “Yoooooo!” Yelled Jackie, a small red panda who walked with the confident saunter of someone much bigger. A mischievous fanged smile peeked out from the shade of her baseball cap, clearly proud of herself. “Made you jump, loser!”
“Hi Jackie!”
“Good morning Jackie.”
“Hey Jackie!”
“Hey!” Casper barked, breaking the chain of friendly greetings. He put his paws sternly on his hips, and looked down on her with a toughened expression. “What took you so long, Jacqueline?”
Jackie's ears perked upon hearing her full name, she heard a challenge. She walked up to him, emulating his pose and puffing out her chest as much as she could, trying in vain to make up for her half-foot shorter height. It made Casper snort when she bumped chests with him, straining her neck trying to be at eye level. “I was eating breakfast!” She ended the sentence by standing on her tips toes to let out a bacon smelling burp in his face.
“Ugh, gross!” Casper shoved her away through chuckles. “You eat breakfast too slow!”
“And your butt cheeks are lopsided!” Jackie retorted with a shove of her own.
“Fight, fight, fight!” Owen chanted.
“They’re not gonna fight, Casper’s too nice.” Becky said with a charmed grin.
“H-hey! I could…beat her up…if I wanted!” Casper said, struggling through a giggly shoving match across the grass. “But scouts…don’t…hit girls!”
“Yeah, they only hit like girls!” Jackie quipped. She then wrapped her arms around his torso and tossed her weight, trying to knock Casper off his feet.
“W-woah, hey!”
“Are Casper and Jackie fighting?!” Gasped a new voice. In came running Theodore, a tan raccoon who was eager to see some Saturday morning violence.
“Kinda.” Max answered.
“I think Casper’s losing.” Owen added with a joyous smile.
“N-no I’m not! Owwwwww!” Casper cried out as Jackie sunk her teeth into his shoulder.
“Say I won!” Jackie briefly let off to give her demands.
“Owww! Ok, Ok, you win!” Casper sputtered.
“Thought so!” True to her word, Jackie released the defeated fennec boy, leaving him to rub his tenderized shoulder.
“O-ow…”
“Good job Jackie.” Becky gave her a high five as she pridefully swaggered by.
“What did Casper taste like?” Asked Theodore with a morbid curiosity.
“Like farts and crackers, blegh!” Jackie spat, her insults to the chef.
“Sounds better than this granola.” Said Owen, who had stuffed the rest of the bar in his mouth.
“Nu-uh, I taste like apple juice and pinecones!” Casper contested. “And Theo, do you know how late you are?!”
“Uhhh…a little late?” Theodore shrugged.
“A lot late! It’s 10:15!”
“Jeez, sorry! Jackie beat you up, not me!”
“Nah,” Owen said before finally swallowing. “Casper’s been grumpy all morning, even before he got beat up.”
“She didn’t beat me up!” A flustered Casper interjected.
“Even before I won?” Jackie snickered. “Jeez Casper, who peed in your cornflakes?”
“Casper just likes being on time.” Said Max, voicing a meager defense.
“Hehehe, ‘pee’…” Giggled Owen. Though the funny phrase triggered another feeling in him too. “Hey Casper, is it too late to stop at a bathroom?”
“Uh, yeah. It was too late before you even got here!”
“So then, where are we gonna pee?”
A mix of pride in his experiences and just a tiny bit of sadism brought a smile back to Casper’s face. “Real hikers go outside when they have to go! No matter where they are!”
Owen gasped. “Even poop!?”
“Yep! Everywhere’s a bathroom in nature!”
“Cool!”
“Eww, heh…” Max said with a soft, nervous titter.
“Eugh.” Becky seemed to share the sentiment.
“It wouldn’t be the worst place I’ve ever pooped.” Theodore chuckled.
Meanwhile, Jackie’s face lit up. “Oooooh! I’m gonna see all your wieners!” She looked at the boys with a devilish smile.
Owen laughed. “Yeah! And I’m gonna see your, um…what girls have!”
“Muh, coo-coo!”
“Yeah, that!”
“We’re gonna see each other’s…” Theodore trailed off, his eyes wavering with a cautious excitement.
The intimate talk made Max turn his red face away, while Casper tried to hide his nerves with a scoff. “Heh, scouts pee outside aaaaall the time, I’m not scared!”
Jackie turned to bump chests with Casper again, a mischievous titter rising in her throat. “I’m not afraid either!”
“Wooooooah!” Yet another new voice appeared. “Are you two gonna fight!” Huffed Emily, a brown eyed gazelle came running in.
Theodore lit up. “Emily!” He came in running for a hug.
“Theo!” The pair collided a rough, giggly brotherly type of embrace.
“Nah, Casper’s too nice to fight again.” Answered Becky.
“Casper’s too scared.” Corrected Max.
“He’s too weak!” Jackie added, moving to give the fennec in question yet another push.
“H-he’s trying to prepare for our hike!” A flustered Casper declared, swerving and just barely escaping Jackie’s attack. “Emily, you’re a whole 20 minutes late!”
“Sorry, I was just making sure I had enough sunscreen on before I left.”
“Hey, me too!” Theodore said. “You should be happy we prepared so well Casper!” He and Emily were two different species, but their identical faux-innocent smiles made them look related.
Casper was unconvinced. “You could’ve prepared on time! But at least you’re not the last to turn up.”
“Really?” Emily looked around, mentally counting everyone in the crowd. “Ohhhh, no Rachel. That’s weird, she’s usually all uptight about being on time.”
“Just like Casper!” Owen piped.
“They’re both nerds.” Jackie said.
“Hey! Nerds don’t hike!” Casper defended himself.
“But only a nerd would wear their nerd uniforms on a weekend!”
“It’s a scout uniform!” Casper wore the scouts’ tan short sleave button up, upon which were a smattering of his earned badges, with the adjoining brown cargo shorts. The only piece missing from his uniform was the tie, which he always had trouble tying by himself. “And it has extra pockets!”
“I kinda like the uniform,” Commented Becky. “They make boys look less gross.”
Casper’s cheeks gained a conflicted tinge. “Thanks Becky…I think.” He said, placing his paws on his hips and shifting to a more heroic scouty stance.
“Though it is kinda weird Rachel’s this late,” Becky continued. “What do you guys think something happened?”
“Maybe she woke up late.” Max suggested, his rock getting crowded as Jackie and Owen both took a seat.
“Or maybe she’s pooping!” Owen suggested. “And it’s one of those reeeeeally big ones where you can’t feel your legs for a while.”
The group erupted into a mix of snickers and disgust. “Gross.” Becky scowled at the mental image. Casper tried to hide his own chuckles after seeing her reaction.
“She should’ve just went outside, like a reeeeal hiker.” Jackie hissed the final two words sounding like a Western movie character.
“I once pooped outside when I went camping with my family.” Emily recounted with a chuckle. “It wasn’t that scary at all.” She added upon seeing the dismay in Becky’s face.
“Woah, so that means you can teach me how?!” Theodore asked, possibly only half joking.
“Only if I don’t have to look at your giant butt!”
“Not fair when yours blocks out the sun!”
“It’s Ok Becky, it’s only natural.” Casper said, keeping his tone soft to the frowning Becky. “I even packed some toilet paper just in case.” He pat his backpack with a wink.
“Thanks, but I should be fine…” Her smile had an uneasy glint.
Casper could sense her nerves, but that buck toothed smile still put a blush on his face and optimism in his tummy. “You’re gonna love the lake.” He said, reassuring her and himself.
After 5 more minutes of goofing around and waiting with highly varied levels of patience, the final friend made her arrival. “Hey, hey!” Rachel, a small brown bear cub came breathlessly running in, her short rusty-colored bangs bouncing on each step. “Oh my god, I’m sorry I’m so late.”
“Yo!”
“Rachel!”
“Heeeey!”
“Hey Rachel!”
“Hi Rachel!”
“Good morning Rachel!”
“Is that your sister?” Asked Casper. Trailing behind Rachel seemed to be a mini clone of herself, nervously nibbling on her finger claw.
“Oh…yeah.” Rachel said, her breath still running ahead of her. “This is my little sister, Mia.” She pulled the little bear in front of her. Mia was nearly a spitting image of Rachel, the same dark brown fur with hazel eyes, and the same thin frame minus Rachel’s developing figure. She differed in that her rusty hair was a princess shoulder-length, and her soft bashful face lacked her sister’s hardened confidence. “Don’t chew your claw…” Mia’s eyes flickered up to her sister apologetically as Rachel pulled the finger from her mouth. “Say ‘hi’ to everyone Mia.”
“Hi…” She spoke barely above a whisper.
“Hi Mia!”
“Hey Mia.”
“Woah, she’s like a tiny you!” The group greeted and commented.
“Is she coming with us?” Casper asked.
Rachel sighed, the classic ‘exasperated older sister’ expression fell on her face. “Yeah…sorry. My parents had to leave for something, so I had to take her. But I promise I’ll keep an eye on her. She’ll be on her best behavior, right Mia?”
“Uh-huh.” Mia nodded.
“That’s Ok I bet she’ll like the lake too.” Casper kneeled to the little bear. “You ever been hiking before Mia?”
Mia blinked at him, her expression shifting slightly from a worried shyness to a nervous curiosity. It wasn’t often she got to talk to an older boy. “…No.”
“Hiking’s really fun! We’re gonna walk through the woods to a pretty lake, and we’re gonna see a bunch of cool stuff, and play games, and have snacks! If we’re ever going too fast or your feeling thirsty or hungry, just me know. Ok?” He ended with a pat on her head.
Mia smiled, boys seem nice. “Ok.”
“Aww thanks Casper, that was sweet.” Rachel cooed, holding her sister’s shoulders.
“Yeah Casper, you’d make the best big brother.” Becky added.
Casper couldn’t help but fluster at the charmed girls. “W-well you know, sometimes I help the little scouts do stuff. It’s no big deal.”
“How come you’re never nice to me, huh? I’m little!” Jackie reached up to tug one of his oversized ears.
“Ow! Because you’re never nice to me!” He bat her paw away. “Alright…all 8 of us, and Mia are here now. Everybody ready?!”
“Yeah!”
“Yep.”
“Uh-huh!”
“I’ve been ready!” They all answered
“Ha! No you’re not!” Casper pulled a small canister out from one of his shorts pockets. “Bug spray! Everybody, stick your arms out!”
“Ugh, you’re such a nerd…” Jackie groaned but still gratefully held her arms out.
“Bugs?!” Rachel’s voice hit a terrified high pitch that made her sister giggle.
“Yeah, haven’t you heard of the woods before?” Casper shook up the can. “Better get your arms out.” He teased. Both Rachel and Mia did so promptly, the former with a fearful grimace, and the latter with a giddy smile.
After spraying everyone’s arms and exposed legs, Casper went down the next steps of his checklist. “Everybody have sunscreen on?”
“Yes.” The group collectively answered.
“Everybody had breakfast?”
“Yes.”
“Everybody have water?” The group gave mixed responses. Casper shook his head. “Good thing I packed extra.”
“Uuuuuugh can we go now?” An incredibly bored Theodore interrupted. “I promise we won’t die on the hike.”
“Yeah Casper, we know how to walk!” Jackie added.
“Hold on, hold on! Now,” Casper started to pace before the group like a sergeant preparing his soldiers for battle. “Hiking is more than just walking. We’ll mostly stay on path, but make sure to watch your footing. Some places could be uneven, or have deep holes, and rocks can shift under your feet. Don’t touch any plants you don’t recognize, don’t eat any weird berries, but if you do touch anything poisonous, or you get a scratch, come to me pronto! I got a first aid kit, and we wanna take care of it before any infections start! I also have-”
“Oh my goddddd.” Jackie groaned.
“Sssssshhhh!” Rachel shushed. “This is important! Make sure you’re listening Mia.”
“Thank you, Rachel.” Casper continued. “I also have water and snacks to keep us hydrated and energized, and I packed us sanitizer and toilet paper just in case anyone has to…you know-”
“What?” Now was Rachel’s turn to interrupt. “We’re gonna have to go…outside?!” Her outrage prompted chuckles.
“Well, yeah. No bathrooms in the woods.”
“Don’t worry Rachel, I’ll show you and Mia how to go!” Emily offered.
“No way! Not with all these bugs and boys around!” At that note, a red-faced, smiling Theodore avoided eye contact. “We’ll just wait until we get back.” Mia, unsure of what ‘going outside’ really meant, scanned everyone’s faces for a hint.
“Well, alright.” Casper resumed once more. “But, if you or anyone else needs to go, let us know so the group doesn’t leave you behind…yes?” He spotted Max’s politely raised paw.
“Um…w-we don’t have to go in front of everyone, do we?” Max shyly asked.
“Of course not, we’ll give you all the privacy you need. Scout’s honor.”
“What if we want to go in front of everybody?” Emily giggled.
“Hehehe, y-yeah…” Theodore seemed to cautiously like the thought.
“As long as you don’t kill us with the stink!” Casper snickered. “But for real, if you somehow do get left behind during your ‘go,’ stay where you are, we’ll find you.”
“Oh my god Casper, we get it!” Jackie was nearly frothing at the mouth.
“Alright, alright, I’m almost done! Uhhhh…just be careful. Now let’s gooooo!” With a wave of his paw, Casper led the group into the woods, and the Great Eight (+1!) was off.
