Unlikely Friends

Joanne and Bill had been archrivals since they were bunnies. Even now that she was a full-grown rabbit: hating Bill was still a normal part of Joanne’s life. In school, the two had always competed for top student in the class and were always arguing over who was right and who was wrong. As luck would have it, the two of them both went into the same occupation after graduating, so their wrangling continued.

Joanne was proud of her position. Not many rabbits got o be a Burrow Defender. You had to be smart, cunning, quick, and fit. Being a Burrow Defender was a great honor that most rabbits only dreamed of achieving. The team was made up of the best ten rabbits in all of Profuse Patch. Joanne loved her job except for the fact that she saw Bill almost everyday. The two of them were the best Burrow Defenders and could outthink, outwit, and outplay any of the others. However, their constant quarreling made it difficult for them to take care of their job. Joanne and Bill had just been having one of their heated arguments when the Chief, leader of the Burrow Defenders and head of all of Profuse Patch, called them into his office.

He took a deep breath and then began.

“I really don’t want to do this to the two of you, but there really is no other solution. If you only stopped hating each other, then you could actually get your job done. I know that the two of you are the best of the Burrow Defenders, but at least the others are capable of concentrating. I’m sorry, but you’re both fired.”

Joanne and Bill stared at the Chief in shock. How could he fire them? How could this happen?

“But-but…” Bill trailed off.

“I’m sorry,” the chief sighed.

Then he escorted the two stricken bunnies out of his office and out of the Burrow Defender’s Headquarters. Both Bill and Joanne hopped back to their holes in silence.

The next day, a warning was sent all throughout Profuse Patch. “A coyote has been ravaging and attacking isolated holes on the outskirts of Profuse Patch. Be extra alert for any signs of danger.” Joanne could not believe it. Here was a case she would have loved to take on and now she was fired. Joanne walked to headquarters to see what their reaction was. A notice was posted on the front door.

“One of our most professional Burrow Defenders has already been sent out to take care of the beast. This matter will soon be resolved.”

“And to think that could have been one of us,” sighed a familiar voice behind her.

Joanne, startled, spun around. It was Bill. Joanne gave him an evil glare and then hopped back to her home.

A few days later, Joanne was leisurely hopping around town when Bill confronted her.

“Did you hear?” he said with a hint of dread in his voice. “About the Defender they sent out? He’s dead. The coyote killed him.”

Joanne gasped. If the coyote had killed one of the Defenders, he was a very dangerous animal indeed.

“We could have taken care of him,” Joanne said wistfully. “Or at least I know I could’ve.” Bill rolled his eyes.

“Listen, okay. I’ve been thinking. That coyote is out on the loose destroying innocent rabbits’ homes and terrorizing the civilians of Profuse Patch. Whoever stopped him would be a hero, right? And we both know that this guy is one tough cookie and we’ll need extra strength to get rid of the coyote and keep Profuse Patch safe, right?”

“Right…” said Joanne. “But I don’t see where this is going…”

“Anyway,” continued Bill, “If we both worked together and stopped the coyote, the Chief would see that we are competent and that we can handle a job and he would let us have our jobs back!”

Realization dawned on Joanne. But, not wanting to compliment Bill, responded with, “Well, I suppose I could…It’s a rather complicated plan, but it could work. Alright, I’ll do it.”

“Excellent!” cried Bill. “We’ll be back in our old jobs in no time. Oh, and by the way, while we’re doing this, we’ll have to work together and act like a team. Once it’s all over and we’re back in our positions, things can return to normal. Agreed?”

“Agreed!” shouted Joanne.

---

Several days later, the unlikely pair found the coyote. He was big, he was ferocious, and he was dangerous. But to be a Burrow Defender, you had to be brave. Bill and Joanne had no shortage of bravery stored up within themselves. After surveying their surroundings, the two rabbits were ready to put their plan into action. Bill wandered down to the coyote, pretending to be lost. As soon as he came into his sight the coyote became alert and eyed Bill with intense curiosity.

“Well well, well. Look what we have here,” he snarled. “A poor little bunny, all alone and lost. Perhaps I can help the poor little bunny rabbit.”

The coyote’s mouth curled into an evil sneer. Bill pretended to cower at the sight of the huge animal and he hopped a few steps back. The coyote got up and advanced towards him.

“Don’t run away, my little precious rabbit, you juicy tender morsel.”

Saliva was hanging from his jaws. Bill whimpered. The coyote gave an evil sort of chuckle. Then he sprang at Bill, who was already dashing away. With the coyote hot on his little fluffy tail, Bill hopped faster then he ever had before, heading towards the iced over river.

“Don’t try to run away from me. It’s no use!” cried the coyote, “Because I’ll always get you in the end!”

Joanne was following the chase from her hiding spot. Bill had been the bait because he was the faster hopper between the two of them. Bill was almost to the river, he was nearly there! And then, the coyote caught up. He pinned Bill down to the ground with his cruel and vicious claws. For a moment, Joanne thought about what would happen if she just left Bill there. The coyote would eat him, Joanne would take care of the coyote after, and she would return home without any more Bill and all the glory. But then she snapped out of it. No, they were in this together. Joanne charged towards the coyote, sprang up onto his back, and savagely bit into his ear. With a howl of rage and pain, the coyote released Bill, giving the rabbit time to get away.

But it was not enough time for Joanne. The coyote shook his head wildly and sent her flying into a nearby shrub. Her head collided painfully with a branch and the world around her became blurry. She could see the shape of the coyote advancing on her now. So this was it, this was how she, Joanne, was going to die. But then she felt strong paws pulling her away from the coyote. It was Bill. He dragged her further and dropped her into a nearby hole.

“I can take it from here,” he said.

Then he was gone and Joanne could hear the coyote howling and knew that the chase was up once again. But Joanne didn’t want to just be left here in a hole and miss all the action. With much effort, she dragged herself out of the hole. She could see the coyote and Bill. They were almost to the river. Bill was hopping across the frozen surface. The coyote chased after him. Then, a loud crack was heard. The coyote looked down and saw that the ice was cracking underneath him. Bill dashed back to shore and the coyote tried to follow. But the coyote was much heavier than Bill and he gave a long mournful howl as the ice gave way underneath him and the river swallowed him up. They had done it! The coyote was gone! Joanne was overcome with an extreme sense of relief and happiness. Then she knew no more.

---

“Joanne. Joanne! Are you awake?” Joanne awoke in a brightly lit room with Bill leaning over her. She gazed groggily at him.

“Where am I?” she asked dazedly. “What happened?”

“You are back at headquarters,” said Bill, “in the hospital room. That was quiet a nasty bump you took on your head. I found you lying outside the hole, unconscious. You must’ve tried to climb out.”

“I did,” replied Joanne. “I climbed out so I wouldn’t miss what was happening. I saw the coyote disappear beneath the ice. After that, I can’t remember anything. I think I blacked out.”

“That must be it,” Bill said thoughtfully. “Oh, um, I wanted to thank you for saving my life back their. If it wasn’t for you, I probably would be dead.”

“You did the same,” said Joanne, “You saved my life, too!” Then they both realized that they were complimenting and praising each other. That was something they had never done before. Then they both started to laugh.

“We’ve been complete idiots,” laughed Joanne. “All this time we’ve spent arguing with each other has been such a waste!”

“I know exactly what you mean,” said Bill, “ Why can’t we just get over our previous problems and be friends? We should have been friends all our lives! Lets start over again!”

“Alright,” Joanne said with a smile. “Hi, I’m Joanne.” She held out a paw.

“Pleasure to meet you Joanne. I’m Bill.” He mimicked Joanne’s gesture and the two former rivals shook paws as friends.

“I think we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other,” said Bill, “Because we are both Burrow Defenders.”

“You mean we got our jobs back?!” Joanne cried out happily.

Bill grinned and nodded.

“Yep, and all of Profuse Patch thinks we’re heroes.”

“Well Joanne, are you ready to get up now and go back at work with me?”

Joanne got out of her bed and hopped next to Bill.

“I’m ready when you are, friend.”