On the Great Tomato War

As sister winter moved into the grove, the vines in Albatross' garden were heavy and ready for the autumn harvest. The cook, brisk air was only the first sign of a hard winter to come, and it was nearly time for Albatross to enjoy the fruits (or rather vegetables) of a hard summer's labor.
"Ah, I love the smell of autumn in the morning," he sighed as he picked a ripe squash and brought it up to his nose. He plopped it into his basket, followed by a beet, and then a tomato and then a few potatoes for good luck. After he filled his basket, he took it inside and dumped the contents into the wash basin. He looked down into the basin and then back towards the garden.
Even thought it was still early in the morning, he decided it was time for lunch. He put the basket aside and started rinsing the vegetables. He cut them up and threw them into a large stockpot. He carefully rinsed the vegetables and chopped them into tiny bits. He then added the crawdad he had taken away from Nate Fox, who had been fooling around in the stream. It was only right that little Fox be reprimanded for his foolish behavior.
Soon, the stockpot was filled to the rim with all sorts of vegetables and crawdads. He then poured in a few cups of water and set the pot on the fire. He sat himself down and waited for dinner to cook. Having left his chores unfinished this late into the year was surely going to cost Albatross. He figured he could always finish his chores later tomorrow. He sat and watched the large stockpot. As he did, his eyes grew heavy and he nodded off to sleep.
Outside, however, the day's activities were just beginning. Gus Nottagator was traipsing about, trying to figure out something to do with his day. He passed by Albatross' garden and gave it a good look. That was the exact moment inspiration hit him. Cucumbers and Squash and corn and tomatoes and all kinds of other assorted vegetables. Surely, this was an adventure waiting to happen.
Augustus Nottagator made his way through Albatross' garden and looked around. Tomatoes hung off the thick green vines, ready for picking. August tugged gently on a ripe tomato and it fell into his hand. It was round and firm. Another tomato sat on the ground next to the vine. It was brown and squishy. Gus set down the firm, round tomato and picked up the brown, squishy one. Gus picked it up and tossed it from one paw to the other. As he did, it became even squishier. Finally, he took it into his left paw and reared back. He flung it into the sky as hard as he could. It came down, hitting the ground with a huge KER-SPLOOP! Tomato guts splattered all over his feet.
"Oh yeah!" he shouted. He picked several more tomatoes until both of his arms were full. He ran off to Booey's house and immediately tossed one high into the tree. It splattered on the trunk right beneath Booey's kitchen window. Booey poked his head out only to find another tomato squishing against the side of his house above him. Bits of tomato rained down on his head.
"Eww! Gross!"
Gus flung another tomato at Skunk. Skunk quickly snapped his shutters closed in the nick of time. The third tomato splattered against the shutters with a loud bang.
"Alright, you had better stop!" Skunk shouted from inside the tree. THUD! THUD! THUD! Three more tomatoes hit the trunk of the tree.
"I mean it!" he cried.
"Why don't you make me?" shouted Gus.
But Skunk had already decided on a plan of attack. He sneaked through the hollow part of the tree and out the trunk at the base. He circled around behind Gus. Gus stood there with a good dozen or so tomatoes at his feet. Skunk slowly inched towards Gus and the tomatoes.
"Take that!" shouted Gus as he heaved yet another tomato up at Booey's house. The tomato swooshed through the air, missing the tree completely.
Then it happened. The thing to end all things. The deed to end all deeds. And the beginning of the tomato war to end all tomato wars. Skunk bent down and grabbed a tomato. He took the tomato and threw it directly at Gus. It made a deep thud as it exploded all over his back. Chunks of tomato goop and bits of seed spat out in all directions. Gus stopped and turned around to face Booey.
"You!" he shouted. Gus reached for another tomato and hurled it at Booey, who had already began running away from Gus Nottagator's next tomato bomb. It whizzed by Booey's ear as he cut into the woods. As Booey sped off, tomatoes continued to fly by him. They got closer with each throw, but none hit Booey as he ran away from Gus.
Just ahead sat the oak tree where the Fox family lived. Without a knock or a proper introduction, Booey flung open the front door of the Fox house. He let himself inside, quickly closed the door behind him, and fastened it shut. THUD! THUD! THUD! Three tomatoes knocked on the Fox's front door.
"What on earth is going on?" asked Kit.
"Gus is chasing me!"
Then another thud came at the front door, followed by a series of loud knocks. It was Gus pounding on the front door.
"Let me in!" he screamed.
Kit peeked out the kitchen window to see Gus standing in a "here comes a tomato pie right in your eye" pose. She spoke up.
"You are not coming in here until you drop every last tomato, Augustus."
"But I…."
"No buts. Drop every last one."
"Okay, now you can come in," she said.
"A-ha!" he shouted as he barged in the front door and squashed a big brown tomato squarely on the top of Booey's head.
"Sweet revenge!" he proclaimed.
"Augustus Gator! Come here this instant!" scolded Kit Fox.
She wagged a finger angrily at Gus. "If you ever do that again, you will never ever be allowed to set foot in my house. This means no games of fiddlesticks and foxglove, marbles or couch wrestling. It also means no cheese and broccoli casserole and no baked trout."
Gus' lower lip began trembling. "No baked trout?"
That was probably the worst thing Kit Fox could have said to Gus. He loved baked trout more than life itself. He quickly turned and apologized to Booey, then he apologized to Kit Fox. Before Kit or Booey could accept his apology, his mind wandered again. He daydreamed about Albatross' wonderful garden and the ripe red tomatoes that squished in his mouth when he bit down on them. He also thought about how they squished against the side of Booey's treehouse. He smiled.
"We have got to go back and get some more tomatoes," said Gator.
"No you don't. You're going to fetch those tomatoes and bring them in here. I don't want them going to waste. I will make some homemade tomato soup."
Nate licked his lips, then darted out the door, rounding up the tomatoes that had rolled this way and that.
"But those are my war tomatoes," cried Gator.
"Actually, they are Albatross' tomatoes. I also want you to go over to his house and apologize to him. After that, tell him we are making soup and he is invited."
Gus sighed then started helping Nate gather up the tomatoes. He returned with two handfuls, dropping them on the kitchen table.
"I'll be back," sighed Gus.
"Also, tell Albatross that you are to be his waiter tonight."
"But…."
"No buts, Gus. Go tell him."
Gus sighed and then nodded his head.
"The two of you go with him and see if Albatross needs anything else," she added.
"But mother, I didn't do anything," pleaded Nate.
"You help Albatross because you can, not because you are being punished."
Gus, Nate, and Booey went out to Albatross' house, only to find it empty. The garden was a mess, with squashed vegetables strewn everywhere. As they investigated the garden, they saw some of the Otters stealing tomatoes. Nate shouted at them and they scampered off with several tomatoes.
Gus chased them along the creek while Nate went to the garden and grabbed some tomatoes and threw them high into the air. He figured the otters could use a good tomato bombing.
KER-SPLAT! The first one splashed against the ground just in front of Gus and the otters. Quickly, Booey joined in the fun, while Gus continued chasing the otters around the stream bank.
"Garp!" said Gus as a tomato thrown by Booey hit Gus right in the snout. He began chasing Booey around the grove. As they ran around, Nate had two targets to shoot at, not to mention the two Otter pups that were bounding around in the weeds near the stream bank. He threw tomatoes at anything that passed, as if he was at a shooting gallery.
Meanwhile, it was time for the Opossum twins to tend to their morning grooming. They had started to pull bugs and burrs and mud out of each other's fur. It wasn't long before all the noise attracted Opaul and Opaula's attention, too. With all the noise, they couldn't resist the chance to join in on the fun.
Before too long, the rest of the Otters joined in and it became the Otters versus everyone else. That is, until the Badger pups joined in. It was a thunderous sound in the grove. Yelps, chatters, twitters, barks, growls, and hisses filled the forest air.
Only Kit Fox was not involved.
"Look at me!" screamed Gator from atop a large rock pile, "I am the King of the Forest! Can you believe it?"
All arms stopped launching tomatoes. All yelps and barks quieted for a moment, looking at August Nottagator doing a dance atop the rock pile.
"Get him!" shouted Nate. As if he was the general of a great forest army, everyone began lobbing tomatoes of all shapes, sizes, colors, and squishiness at Gus. That was the shortest time for a King the forest had ever seen. King Gus darted for cover.
He ran toward the old oak tree, screaming all the way.
"Somebody please help me!"
Kit opened the door to see Gus running toward her house again.
"Oh no you don't!" commanded Kit.
"You can't leave me out here," begged Gus. Several tomatoes began flying toward the Fox house in general and Gus Nottagator in specific.
"Everyone is chasing me!" he shouted. He hid behind Kit.
Kit Fox looked around at the flying tomatoes and held out a single outstretched paw, commanding the entire band of creatures to stop. Sure enough, the tomatoes stopped flying.
Gator peered innocently around her body, using her as a shield.
"Everyone, it is time to quit throwing tomatoes at Gus."
Opaul Opossum stepped out of the greenery to state his case for throwing tomatoes at Gus. "But you can't go and do that, you don't even know what he did done tah us up dere on dah cliff. He told us he could take us all on. It's his fault, Wuddenja knowed it?"
"Is that so, August?" Kit asked him.
Gus didn't even have to open his mouth. The look on his sorry little face said it all.
"Well, I guess it is just time to let bygones be bygones."
I agree completely," said Gus.
Except for one thing," added Kit.
"what's that?" asked Gus.
"You still have to get Albatross and bring him back for dinner. Then you have to apologize for all the messes you have made and for all the vegetables you have ruined."
Gus let out a grown.
"You made your mess, now you have to clean it up."
"But…."
"No buts."
"Okay," he sighed.
"Gus, there's just one more thing."
"What's that?" he asked.
Kit bent down and picked a tomato up from the ground. She raised her tomato-clenched paw high over her head. With one quick swoop, she squished it over his head.
"That's for getting me pelted with tomatoes my dear. Now you can go."
All of the animals cheered Kit Fox. Gus stood there as the tomato dripped down his face and over his body. He trotted off towards Albatross' house without any further argument. He apologized to the old bird and then they returned to the Fox house, where everyone was cleaning up the grove and having fun. Kit was cooking up soup.
All shapes and sizes of forest creature were gathered at the Fox house, inside and out. There were more dinner guests than there was room. Some ate in the living room, some in the kitchen, but most ate outside. They ate grilled cheesy-worm sandwiches faster than Kit could make them. They also helped themselves to large bowls of tomato soup. All was good in the grove once again.