On Rainy Days

As Nate awoke from his slumber, he could hear and smell his mother's goings on in the kitchen. Wisps of fried Robin's eggs rose through the air and caught little fox in the nose. As Nate took in the smell of breakfast, he also noticed another smell. The smell of fresh, moist earth overtook the pleasant smell that pulled him from his slumber. He peered up at the ceiling from under his blanket.
Plop! A large drop of rain fell and hit him smack in the nose.
"Aw, jeez," sighed Nate as he shook the water from his snout and wiped himself dry with his paws. He looked up again. Plop! Another large drop of rain came down from above.
Nate jumped from bed and looked out his window. The wind was beating the trees around and the rain was beating the earth. A small stream rolled in front of the Fox house.
Nate hopped out of his bed and went to the next room, where his mother was fixing some robin eggs for breakfast.
"Mom! It’s raining outside!" he shouted.
"I know dear," she answered.
"Oh," answered Nate. He bounded into the kitchen and sat at the table, ready for a hearty breakfast. Kit brought him some raw robin’s eggs and some fresh fish. He quickly gobbled up all of the fish and eggs, and then jumped from his chair.
"Oh no you don't, Nate Fox. You're not going anywhere until you clean up your mess," she scolded him. Nate slunk back to the table and picked up his plate and put it into the sink.
"That's better dear. If you're going out today, you'd better put on your galoshes and a coat."
"Aw, mom," whined Nate.
"Nathaniel J. Fox," she scolded.
"Yes, mother," he said as he put on his galoshes and overcoat.
His mother fastened all of the buckles and made sure his coat was straight. Nate waited patiently for her to finish up so he could finally go outside. With her approval, he was quickly out the door.
Nate paused as he took a step out the front door. Rivers of muddy water were flowing this way and that. The streams in front of the Fox house were so bad that Nate Fox had trouble even standing still. He put out his left foot, paused a second to catch his balance, put out his right foot and paused a moment to catch his balance again.
He continued on this way for several minutes until he looked back to see how far he had traveled. When he looked back, he noticed his mother watching him through the kitchen window. He had only walked fifteen feet from the front door. If he didn't start moving a little faster, his mother would surely tell him to come in from the rain. He turned back around and started walking away from the house, this time a little faster than before.
As he bravely went away from home, something started happening to the earth below him. Nate tried to stop, but it was too late. He was slipping along the trail from his house down to the creek’s edge.
"Whoa!" ordered Nate, but unfortunately his feet and the ground beneath him ignored his command.
He began picking up speed as he slid through the forest. "Whoa! Whoa!" screamed Nate, but it was too late. He was a fox swishing through the forest, taking out everything in his way.
Nate became frightened as he sped through the forest. He knew he had to do something quick, so he sat down. As he did, he started to slow down, but he was still speeding along the forest floor. His momentum toppled him onto his back. All he could see was the sky and the trees moving around above him. He wished he was back home in his mother's arms, or at least there was something to make this all stop.
THUD!
"What was that?" thought Nate. Whatever it was, it brought Nate to a complete stop. Nate got up and looked around behind him. Gus was lying in a tall patch of thistles, face up.
"Gus!" called out Nate. There was no answer.
"Gus!" he called again. Still there was no answer.
He scampered over to Gus, avoiding the prickly thistle bushes in his way. "Gus, are you okay?"
Gus laid motionless in the middle of the thistle patch for a few moments. Nate looked at Gus and asked again, "Gus, are you okay?"
Gus Nottagator was coming out of a daze when Nate asked him. All he could see was fuzzy, twinkling stars and two, maybe three foxes whirling above him.
"Of course I'm not okay. What happened?"
"I accidentally hit you as I slid downhill."
"That explains these bumps on my skin," said Gus.
"Gus, those aren’t bumps. Those are your scales."
"You mean I’m a fish?" asked Gus.
"Heaven’s no, you’re a crocodile."
"I’m a whatodile?"
"A crocodile."
"A crocodile? I can’t be a crocodile. I’m an alligator."
"No. You’re a crocodile."
"When did that happen?"
"You’ve always been a crocodile, Gus."
"Oh, yes. Of course, I’m a crocodile. I remember now."
"Gus, do you even know where you are?"
"I’m sitting in a thistle patch with you."
"Of course," replied Nate.
Gus attempted to stand up, but fell back onto the ground, too dizzy to move.
"Gus, you just need to rest for a few moments," said Nate.
"That sounds like a good idea."
They rested for a few seconds, and then Gus decided to ask Nate a question.
"Is Albatross still in the grove?"
"Of course Albatross is still in the grove. Why do you want to know?"
"Oh darn. I thought this was all just a bad dream."
Nate Fox laughed for a moment and then decided he had better go and get some help for Gus.
"Don't go anywhere, okay? I'm going to get Skunk." Nate raced off to Skunk's burrow. When he arrived, he poked his head down what he thought was Skunk's front door.
"Booey, come quick," Nate shouted into the darkness.
Skunk's tiny body popped out from another hole a few feet away.
"Hello!" spouted Skunk, who was always anxious for visitors. Nate's head whacked the inside edge of the hole as Skunk's voice startled him.
"Ouch!" groaned Nate, "the reason I came over was to tell you Gus has been hurt."
"Oh dear," exclaimed Skunk, "What are we going to do?"
"Well, that's why I came over here, I thought you might have an idea."
"I'm not sure exactly what to do. Let's go see how bad he's hurt first," said Booey.
So that's what they did. They ran up, down, and across the hills of the thicket to where Augustus had been before. Nate stopped in the middle of the thistle patch and looked around.
"What’s the matter?" asked Booey.
"Gus was right here when I left him," said Nate.
"Are you sure he was right here?" asked Skunk.
"I'm sure of it," said Nate, rubbing his head, "he was right here just a few moments ago."
They searched around in the thistle patch, but there was no sign of Gus.
Off in a spot not too far from where he once got a knock on the noggin, Gus was walking around in a daze, staring at the pretty trees and pretty flowers. Gus didn’t have a care in the world. The wallop he had gotten from Nate Fox made him very dizzy. It was as if he was floating on air.
Meanwhile, Booey and Nate stood in the thistle patch, trying to figure out where their friend, Gus Gator had disappeared. They took turns calling out for Gus as Nate searched uphill while Booey searched downhill. Gus was too woozy to hear his friends calling, but Albatross could hear their call as he tended to his Azaleas. As always, Albatross couldn’t resist the chance to find out what was going on with other’s in the grove.
Albatross had finished his personal chores early and decided to follow the sound of Nate and Booey’s voices. He walked up the sandy ridge and down through the thistles until he found Booey and Nate.
"Albatross, have you seen Gus?"
"For once, I can say he has not run into me or my azaleas today," said Albatross.
"Gus," said Booey, "
Just then, Gus came wandering by, still in a daze.
"Gus!" Booey called out. Gus turned toward the funny little mammals and smiled, then turned back toward his own happy world.
"I don't think he knows who we are," said Nate.
"Finally," said Albatross, "something goes right for once!"
Booey frowned at Albatross and then hurried over to help his lost friend.
Gus smiled a happy smile once again.
"Is anybody in there?" Booey asked Gus. The former Gator just smiled happily for a moment or two then began giggling to himself.
"Am I in here? Hold on, let me check? Gus, are you in here?"
Gus paused for a few seconds.
"Yes, here I am," he said in a faint, far-away voice."
"Yep, Gus is here. Is anybody out there?" he asked in a small voice again. Gus broke out into an uncontrollable giggling fit.
"Yes, I am out here, but I'm still not too sure if you're in there," said an exasperated little Skunk. Gus began to lie down again, but Nate Fox quickly ran over and grabbed at him.
"No! Don’t let him fall asleep!" said Nate.
"Why not?" asked Booey.
"Do you want to be the one to carry him to Madger Badger’s place? He’s already heavier than a big old hickory stump," said Nate.
Booey grabbed Gus by one arm while Nate tugged on the other. They were in no way equipped to lift the crocodile formerly known as Gator off of the ground. They tugged and tugged as hard as they could, but only Gus's arms shoulders were budging.
"Come on Gus!" begged Nate.
"But I’m so woozy," said Gus.
"Just help us get to Madger Badger’s house and then you can sleep all you want."
They stumbled this way and that as Gus did his best to get from one place to the other. The cold, wet ground didn’t do much to help either. Nate and Booey slipped in the mud, trying to keep Gus upright.