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The Raccoons: The Next Generation--Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

Justice lay in his bedroom alone at night, trying to assimilate in his mind what he had experienced in the course of one day. He turned 17 on February 22--the day that turned into the worst birthday he's ever had. His sister messed with the brake mechanisms on his bike, and that led him into getting into a fight and getting into trouble. Then he focused on the somewhat-positive events of the day--a message from far away, asking him to come to Procyon and battle an intergalactic fiend. He knew he had a special gift, but he did not know what it was, so he was more than determined to find out for himself.

First, he explored his natural talents. Like his mother, he was good at basketball; he can recall the basketball games he had won at school for the past few years. And from his father, besides having inherited his tendency to be accident-prone at all times, he also inherited an aptitude for music--hence his motivation to enter the school's talent show and win it.

"Justice," said Jody, walking into his room with a stuffed toy frog in her paw. "Can I have a word with you for a moment?"

Justice replied, "Not right now. After what you did to me earlier, I'm not ready to forgive you."

"That's what I came for. I'm sorry I tampered with your brakes."

"Really? Then what about all those other pranks you pulled off on me?"

"I'm sorry about them, too. I can't help it--it's part of my personality. If you don't like it, why didn't you ship me off to Austrailia, like you said you would if I pushed you too far?"

Justice glared at her. "I'm not shipping you off to Austrailia, Jody. Mom and Dad would be so mad at me if I did; I'm your big brother, and I've been told ZILLIONS of times that it's my responsibility to look after you and to make sure you don't get in all kinds of trouble."

Angered, Jody tossed the toy frog at him. She answered, "Gee, why don't you let it go just for once? All I was trying to say is that Mr. Ribbit is broken. Every time I squeeze him, he doesn't make a sound. Can you fix him for me? I'll be nice."

He picked up the toy frog from the floor and looked at it. He squeezed it a little; like Jody said, it didn't make a sound, not one croak. He then turned it around so its back is facing him and he opened it to reveal...two large batteries. He said, "What do you know? Here's the answer to your 'problem'--the batteries ran out of power."

"Do you have any new batteries?" asked Jody hopefully.

"Yes, an extra pair. But I'm using them for my radio."

"Not unless you can share them with me."

"I don't think so."

"Fine, then, suit yourself. MOMMY! DADDY! JUSTICE IS NOT SHARING THE BATTERIES WITH ME SO I CAN'T PLAY WITH MR. RIBBIT!"

"But they are radio batteries," insisted Justice. "And they belong to me!"

At the last word, he jabbed his finger onto the batteries, and much to his surprise it emitted an electric shock that caused him to drop the toy frog with a yelp; an aura of electric energy surrounded the toy for a moment, before disappearing. Jody ran over to pick it up, crying, "Now look what you've done! You broke him even more!"

Justice replied, "I-I didn't do anything to your stupid frog. Honest."

"Of course, you did! Now I don't wanna trust you for fixing my toys any more!"

When she cuddled the frog tightly to her chest, she heard a muffled voice saying, "I love you, ribbit-ribbit...I love you, ribbit-ribbit..." She realized that it came from the toy frog, and she started to smile. "Wow...Mr. Ribbit's talking again...Justice, what did you do?"

"I told you, I didn't do anything."

"But you did. You did something to make him talk. I'm really...surprised."

"Problem solved. And now that he's fixed as good as new, you can finally leave my room."

Jody nodded and left the room. Alone once again, Justice sat up to examine his paws; bits of electricity began to rise from his fingers. Thinking back to how he brought the toy frog back to life moments ago, he realized he had unknowingly charged the batteries using this mysterious power. This made him want to experiment even further.

Leaning over to his nightstand next to the bed, he reached out to turn on the digital clock/radio. The DJ on it announced, "Good evening, fellow jammers! You're listening to 104.7 The Heat, home of the hottest hits to burn up Evergreen's Billboard charts!"

He used his finger to zap the radio, and it changed to a radio announcer with a British accent. "...and now for this morning's weather report. There's going to be some rain in London, along with some fog, sunny skies over Chester and Leeds..."

He zapped the radio again; this time the radio announcer was speaking Japanese. Justice quickly turned the radio back off and got up to leave his bedroom. He muttered to himself, "So, I can use electricity to fix and change things. What's next, psychic powers? I bet I don't even know what Mom's going to make for dinner..."

Suddenly, his mind shifted to a vision of Lisa cooking a pot of spaghetti in the kitchen; the stove lit up in flames and started to cover everything in smoke. Justice gasped in shock. "Now I know what's for dinner tonight--a recipe for disaster!"

He zoomed down the stairs into the kitchen, where he found his parents preparing dinner. He shouted, "Mom! Dad! I have bad news. The stove's going to--"

"What's all this about you not sharing with your sister, Justice?" asked Bert. "She was asking you if she can have your batteries for her Mr. Ribbit toy, and you just turned her down."

"I know, I'm sorry. But can you please listen to me for a moment? I--"

"All right. We'll forgive you...but next time, you have to be nice to Jody."

"But Dad! Just listen! The stove...is going...to EXPLODE!"

"An exploding stove?" replied Lisa. "Calm down, Justice. I don't think ours is going to do just that. What could possibly go wrong?"

Just as she said that, the smoke alarm started blaring and they turned to see smoke coming out of the stove. Lisa screamed, "BERT! OUR STOVE!"

Bert and Justice quickly looked around for a fire extinguisher; they found one in a corner and started spraying it at the burning stove. After all the flames have been put off, Bert heaved a heavy sigh of relief. He said, "Whew...that was a close one. Had we waited another minute, the whole treehouse could've burned down and killed us all. Just how old is that thing, anyway?"

"You've saved our lives," muttered Lisa, hugging her son. "I'm very grateful you were there to warn us...but, how did you know the stove was going to be on fire?"

Justice shrugged. "I don't know, Mom. When I was upstairs, a picture of a kitchen fire popped right into my mind. I never expected it."

"Meaning...you have psychic powers?"

"Not just that--look what else I can do."

He walked over to the stove, opened the lid to the inside of the oven, and bent down to crawl into it. After a while, he continued, "Dad...when you asked how old the stove was, did you happen to notice a leaking gas pipe?"

"But that'll take forever to get it fixed!" said Bert. "Maybe I should have called a repairman..."

"There's no need to do that; I got it covered."

He zapped at the broken gas pipe and crawled back out to show that it's fixed as good as new--no cracks, no dents. Bert and Lisa were completely blown away.

Justice looked at his parents, who still had stunned looks on their faces. If he chose to keep those newly discovered talents a secret, why did he reveal them anyway? Then it hit him. He thought about what Dea had told him in her first message to him: "Those conceived under the light of the star, or born under it, will receive incredible powers beyond reasoning."

"Mom, Dad," he said, sitting down. "I think it's about time I had a discussion with you about what's been going through my mind lately."

Bert and Lisa sat down as well. Bert replied, "Which reminds me...how was school today?"

"Bad."

"Bad? Gosh, what happened?"

Justice struggled to bring up the events of the morning. "...on my way to school, the brake mechanisms on my bike fell off; I ended up crashing into the other students' bikes, and I was forced to pick them back up, before going to spend the rest of the day in detention. It was all Jody's fault..."

They turned to look at Jody, who had just entered the kitchen. She muttered puzzledly, "What?"

"Can you tell us more?" asked Lisa.

Justice nodded. He answered, "I got into a fight with a girl. And for once I didn't know she was T.P. Carlson's daughter until you told me."

"You could have just apologized to her and introduced yourself before she left."

"How could I? She probably won't apologize to me, either."

"But it won't hurt to do so."

"It will! And besides, she called me a 'penniless loser'...then again, I was raised to be a gentleman, so I must have forgotten about that...sorry about interrupting your meeting, Dad."

"Ahh, never mind that, kid," replied Bert. "Mr. Carlson did say they'll be back tomorrow. By the way, your mom and I had a talk this morning--it concerned you entering the talent show next week. And I'd like to say that I would absolutely love to see you live out your dream of being a rock star."

"Yeah, they'll be back tomorrow, and hopefully...say what?"

Bert got up from the table and ran upstairs. He continued, "I've got something that's sure to make you a shoo-in at the competition! Give me a few moments, will ya?"

Lisa, Jody, and Justice were left alone in the kitchen. Lisa then asked, "So...did anything else happen in school today, Justice?"

Justice replied, "Yes. I received a really strange message while I was detention. It was from a raccoon who calls herself Dea; she's the leader of the RSF and lives way out in Procyon. She told me the Imperial Commander took over her planet, and sent most of her people into hiding."

"That sounds like something straight out of a sci-fi movie," commented Jody.

"I know, but can't you please hear me out for even a second? This is serious. Now, Dea, she told me I had a destiny, a big one. It was because I was conceived under the Lost Star, and..."

"You really don't expect us to believe that kind of junk, do you?"

"It's true! I'm not lying. You see..."

He took the collar out of his pocket and placed it on the table. He went on, "She contacted me through Broo's old collar."

Lisa picked it up to examine it. She couldn't understand why her son insists on taking the collar with him wherever he goes. Could it be that he doesn't want to let go of the memories about the sheepdog puppy? Is it because it's something along the lines of a good luck charm? Or could it lead to something more?

Bert called out from upstairs. "Hey, Justice! Come on up to the attic! There's a great big birthday surprise waiting for you!"

"Coming, Dad," answered Justice. To Lisa and Jody, he continued, "I'll be right back. If you look hard enough at the star tag, you'll see what I mean." Then he got up from the table and went upstairs towards the attic, where his father was.

"Yep, he's definitely a weirdo," said Jody, rolling her eyes.

Lisa replied, "I wouldn't be so sure about that. If what your brother is trying to explain to us is true, then I don't know how we're going to handle it."

"Actually, he is right."

They were startled by the voice from out of nowhere, and Dea appeared on the star's surface again. Spotting Lisa looking down at her, she continued, "Justice's mom, I presume?"

"Yes," answered Lisa, nodding. "I'm his mother. Lisa Raccoon."

"Lisa Raccoon, mother of the Chosen One...I see he has told you what I had told him not very long ago, but you don't get the full picture. If you'll allow me, I will explain everything--about his mission and about his destiny. Are you ready?"

"I'm listening..."

Meanwhile, Bert and Justice were in the attic. Ever since he bought the treehouse years ago, Bert had brought all of his best stuff into the attic, especially his old ones, most of them iconic souvenirs from his past adventures with his friends. Rummaging into a large wooden chest, Bert said excitedly, "Oh, boy, you have no idea just how long I've been waiting for this day to come, do you? You're 17 now, and that means you're on your way to purchasing a one-way ticket to manhood!"

"And that's a good thing?" asked Justice.

"Sure, it's good! Even though it has its ups and downs. Ah, here it is. Feast your eyes...on this!"

He took out a large light-blue guitar with a leather strap attached to it and turned around to show it to him. Justice gasped in awe at the sight of the instrument, taking in every detail. "Is that a...g-g-guitar?!"

"You bet!" replied Bert. "What's the point in practicing for the upcoming talent show when you don't have a musical instrument to begin with? This was my most prized possession--I've had it ever since my friends and I did a one-time gig at the Forest Bowl back in the summer of '88. But the roots of my interest in rock-and-roll go back even further, all the way to my childhood."

Bert went over to a small cardboard box on top of a safe and opened it; he filed through its contents, until he pulled out a an old photo. He continued, "Here's a very old photo taken by Miss Primrose of Evergreen Elementary, from the last day at school. That's me sitting on the steps." He put the photo back and took out a high school yearbook, opening it to point to a picture of himself in his teen years. "And I was into the glam punk rock scene by the time I got to your age. The high school years were probably the best years of my life; girls were all over me like gravy on rice back then. Heh, such sweet memories...but things have changed since that era. I'm a married man now, with three children, one fully grown and one about to be fully grown...I'm not the party animal I used to be in my day....and that's why I'm more than willing to pass the baton down to someone in my family who knows a thing or two about rock-and-roll, and that person...is you. Happy birthday, Justice."

Justice smiled as he took the guitar from his father, pulling the strap around his shoulders; then he hugged him. He muttered, "Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome. I'm sure you'll make me proud one day. If only Freddie was here to see you..."

"...Freddie? Who's Freddie?"

Bert laughed. He said, "Oh, please, don't tell me you've never heard the story about the concert that saved the forest! I'm talking about Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of one of the greatest bands of all time--Queen! Sure, there are a lot of bands I can think of that we all like, but he was the best, and there's no denying that. And to think that he once visited the Evergreen Forest to help us out..."

FLASHBACK

Scenes of Cyril Sneer talking with the rock band KISS, as well as another one of the raccoons meeting Freddie Mercury, were shown.

"It was after Cyril challenged us to a Battle of the Bands, to determine the fate of the forest--if they won, we'd be forced to kiss our home sweet home goodbye. And with Cedric away at an accounting seminar, finding a good replacement to work the keyboard and backing vocals was tough...that is, until Freddie came along."

Then it shifted to a scene at the concert, with Bert, Ralph, Melissa, Schaeffer, and Freddie onstage.

"We practiced together until the night of the contest arrived; we seriously gave it our all, churning out hit after hit after hit to wow the crowds out there. And the best part? After the incident with my broken Fender Telecaster, Freddie lent me the Red Special for me to borrow! Now that's a moment I promised I wouldn't forget for as long as I live. Sure enough, we won in the end."

END OF FLASHBACK

"After that," continued Bert, showing him a newspaper article of the event. "He left the forest just as mysteriously as he came. Up until this day, we never figured out how he got here in the first place, but who knows? Maybe one day...he'll come back."

Justice nodded. "I would be very happy to meet him if he does. Even though he died back in 1991, his spirit will live on."

"True, true. Now let's get downstairs and show your mom what you've got! Oh, will she be so surprised..."

Bert and Justice left the attic and went back downstairs to the kitchen, just as Dea had finished explaining to Lisa about the history of the planet Procyon, as well as the true purpose of Justice's destiny. Noticing them, Lisa put the collar down and said, "Bert, you will never believe what I've just heard and seen."

"What happened while we were up in the attic?" he asked.

When Lisa told him the details, Bert stood still, dumbfounded. Justice said to him, "Now you know I have chosen a path that's much bigger than the career of a rock musician. I don't want to put too much stress on you at a time like this, but Dad...I've become a superhero."

Bert finally managed to spill out a few words. "...a super...what?"

"A superhero. Because of the powers I had acquired from the Lost Star."

"I-I-Is that true?"

"Of course, it is, Bert," replied Dea. "And you should be very proud of yourself for fathering a man who will not only change our world, but yours as well."

Justice went over to the table and picked up the collar. He said, "Dea, it's me again. I've finally realized what my true purpose in life is, that I was meant to save both worlds--yours and mine. And with this in mind, I gladly and wholeheartedly accept the mission."

"Really? You'd do it for us? That's soooo space-tacular!"

"When do we start?"

"Tomorrow night's an ideal time for the rendezvous; we'll come for you in a ship then. Remember, Justice--now that you know your potential in determining the fate of the universe, here's an important tip that you must take to heart. As much as I appreciate your taking up the task of protecting Earth from the coming invasion, we don't want anybody to know about the mission and the powers you gained. Your mother knows about it, and so does your father and your sister; you're more than welcome to tell your kinfolk...but not anyone else, unless they agree to keep it a secret. From now on, it's only between you, your family, and your close friends."

"Don't worry, I won't. The secret will be safe with me."

"And with us," added Bert, while Lisa and Jody nodded.

As soon as Dea's face vanished from the tag, Jody asked, "Do you think our family and friends will believe what we say when we tell them you've got superpowers?"

"Not to mention I've also been recruited," replied Justice. "But, one way or another, it'll be a long time before they can actually put the pieces together."

Meanwhile, back in the fortress, in a dark-looking office room, three pigs in military uniform were looking at the radar. The Imperial Commander walked into the room and looked at it as well. He asked, "Any updates on the invasion plans so far?"

"It's all set according to plan, boss," replied the first pig. "The vehicles and weapons have been upgraded and prepped, and all rockets and missles are ready to be used."

"And the Doomsday Machine?"

"It's almost finished."

The second pig added, "Now all it needs is one final upgrade for its arsenal to be fully stocked--the anti-matter electrical gamma rays needed to weaken Earth's natural and man-made defenses prior to the invasion."

"Brilliant! If I play my cards right, I should be able to invade Earth by next week, and once I do every other planet will know my true power when I am crowned Supreme Dictator of the Universe!"

"What about us?" asked the third pig. "Do we get to be co-dictators, too?"

"You? Co-dictators? Of course not, you private porkers! Only I could rule the planet alone, and nobody else! I've been dreaming of this very moment ever since I was a young aardvark; back then greed and tyranny were my favorite two words. So far I had conquered only one planet, but I need more...more, I tell ya! More planets to take over and more people to enslave! Enough isn't necessarily enough when you're an imperial commander like me. I can just see it now...golden statues erected in my honor...my flag being flown from every flagpole in the world...peasants kissing my feet and praising my name, shouting, 'Long live King Cyril the Great!' Ah, what a future that will be for me..."

Unbeknownst to the Imperial Commander and the pigs, Dea and her friends--Arc, Zeo, and Maia--were around the corner from the room, listening in on the conversation; moments before they entered the fortress, they had rendered themselves invisible so as not to get caught. Arc muttered, "King Cyril the Great? Ugh! I'd rather call him 'King Cyril the Ugly'!"

"Shhh!" hushed Dea. "We have to be very quiet, or else they'll hear us! Now...while the Imperial Commander is distracted, we're gonna make our way towards the laboratory, where the blueprint says the Doomsday Machine is being built. And he has a prisoner there, Professor Supernova, who he kidnapped from Ringtail City and forced him to come up with the design for the laser cannon. That leaves us with two goals--rescue the Professor and stop the machine from being completed."

"But what if we get caught again, like last time?" asked Maia.

"I promise you we won't. I've contacted Mayor Blackpaw and asked him to send in the Ballistic Commando Unit to back us up; once they sense something's wrong and we don't get out alive, they'll come barging in."

They silently waited and watched as the Imperial Commander left the room, and after making sure the pigs were still paying attention to the radar they made a run for it. They finally arrived at the door to the lab, but it turned out that it was locked. Zeo said, "Hey! We can't get in! How are we going to reach the professor now?"

"Allow me," replied Dea. She stood still and closed her eyes as a bright glowing white aura surrounded her; following this, she walked over and placed her paws on the wall beside the door, causing it to open up and reveal a hole big enough for them to pass through. "There, I've done it. Now let's get in before the hole closes back up!"

The four raccoons entered the laboratory, where an elderly male raccoon in a scientist's garb was busy checking the details on his notepad; outside the lab, beyond a pane of glass, was the laser cannon itself, pointed up straight towards Earth. Seeing the professor, Dea emitted a raccoon chatter and, hearing the noise, he looked behind himself to notice them. He said, "Dea? Arc? Zeo? M-Maia? Is that you?"

"Yes, it's us," replied Dea.

"Oh...thank goodness, you're here! For a while there, I was worried that I'd be trapped here forever."

"And we're going to get you out of this fortress, pronto."

"I wish I could follow you out of the lab and back to my home in Ringtail City, but because of these...chains..."

They looked down at the chains around his arms, legs and tail, all attached to a single large iron ball. He continued with a sigh, "I'm sorry, young kits. Ever since the Imperial Commander captured me several months ago, he had the bear guards put me in chains, hence making my escape from the fortress virtually impossible."

"That's okay, Professor. BROO will take care of it for you. Arc?"

Arc nodded and turned to the flying robot floating next to him. He said, "All right, little guy, you know what to do."

BROO barked and used its "nose" to fire a laser beam at the chains, melting them. The Professor laughed and exclaimed, "At last! I'm free! After months of grueling torture I am finally free! Thank you very much."

Dea replied, "No problem. In other news, I've contacted Justice again--he decided to accept the invitation and join us on the mission. Now we need a spaceship that can take us to Earth, so that we can pick him up."

"Hmmm...if I recall correctly, I had left mine in the jungle. I was collecting specimens of newly discovered plants when the bear guards caught me...so I was forced to leave it behind."

"Can you take us directly to it?"

"I'll try."

Out beyond the fortress, behind a barricade, were a large group of raccoon soldiers known as the Ballistic Commando Unit; all of them were wearing battle suits that come in many different colors. One of them, a male raccoon in a silver battle suit with matching visors, stood out waiting for an opportunity to raid the building. Just then, Dea's voice came crackling in from his communicator, saying, "Startail to Blackhole, come in!"

"This is Captain Blackhole," replied the raccoon. "What's the news?"

"We've actually managed to infiltrate the fortress and get to the lab, where we found the Professor. Now we're on our way out. Are you and your men still standing by?"

"Yes, and on duty, too."

"Any guards out there?"

He looked around, before spotting a pair of bear guards eating sandwiches from their lunch pails. "There are two, but from the looks of it they seem to be having some sort of lunch break. The coast is clear for now."

Dea, Arc, Zeo, Maia, and the Professor carefully snuck out through the window and headed towards the drawbridge. But they paused when they saw another pair of bear guards marching ahead and quickly hid behind a wall. The guards walked right past them, paying no attention to the heroes...until Arc began to sneeze. All at once, the guards stopped what they were doing and looked behind them, only to see nothing there; they simply shrugged their shoulders and went on their way. They did not know that the gang had used invisibility to blend in with the drab color of the fortress, and they reappeared again to continue walking towards their destination.

"That was a close one," said Arc.

Dea replied, "You should have put your finger under your nose before sneezing, Arc. Otherwise, we'd be dead meat."

"So what's the next step?"

"We head to Earth to pick up our volunteer, and anyone else willing to come along for the ride. Then we'll come back to Procyon and make a third trip to the fortress--only this time, we will attempt to deactivate the Doomsday Machine. As long as we keep quiet about this and make sure the entire mission is successful, there's no way the Imperial Commander will ever know."

Unfortunately for them, just as they were about to step off the drawbridge, the alarm started blaring and lights instantly came on. Hearing the alarm, the bear guards put away their lunch pails and ran towards the source of the commotion, their weapons at the ready. More bear guards heeded the alarm and ran over as well.

"The security's been breached," said Captain Blackhole, through Dea's communicator. "Get out of here now! We'll handle those bears!"

"Roger that."

The raccoons ran off, with the guards running after them. Back inside, the radar beeped, waking the three pigs up; what they saw next were five tiny red dots moving across the screen. The second pig said, "Oh, Cyril's definitely not going to like this..."

"What's going on here?" shouted the Imperial Commander, running into the room.

The first pig replied, "There have been raccoons in the fortress again, boss, and this time they've got one of our prisoners!"

He looked at the screen and noticed that they were right. "Those dirty ringtailed bandits are at it again! They just don't learn when to give up, do they?"

"O-Of course not."

"Well, don't you just stand there--GET THEM!"

The pigs jumped into their jeep and followed the bears to go after the raccoons. Soon, they all arrived back in the jungle, on the search for the Professor's ship. Looking at her GPS tracking device embedded inside her communicator, Dea said, "We're almost there to the S.S. Stardust, guys. It's about a quarter of a mile from here, close to the meeting spot we converged under yesterday."

They suddenly came upon a wide ravine, with a raging river down below. The bear guards, soldiers, and pigs were gaining on them from behind. Maia muttered worriedly,
"Come on, Dea, hurry! They're catching up!"

"I'm trying as hard and fast as I can!" answered Dea, struggling to channel her energy into her paws. "Ancient magic of the Lost Star, don't...fail me...NOW!"

She threw her arms out and sent forth her energy, which immediately turned into magic stardust and built an instant bridge out of itself. Once that was done, she led them safely across the ravine, but when the guards, soldiers, and pigs got on the bridge...

"Um, fellas?" asked the first pig. "Is it just me or is the bridge starting to disappear before my eyes?"

"Happy landings, suckers!"

The stardust bridge faded away and down came the guards, soldiers, pigs, and the jeep into the river. The raccoons procceeded into the deepest part of the jungle and found the spaceship, which bore a stunning resemblance to the old NASA space shuttle. But the interior within the ship was full of futuristic gadgets, buttons, switches, and other useful stuff--exactly what they needed for the trip. With that, they got in and blasted off into space, leaving Procyon behind.

"I'm setting the course for Earth right now," said Dea, adjusting the controls. "It might take 3.3 billion lightyears away, but it will be worth it. I almost forgot to tell you about the Chosen One, Professor."

"The 'Chosen One'?" answered the Professor. "You mean, that young lad Justice Raccoon? The one you've told me about while we were leaving the lab?"

Dea nodded. "As a starcoon, the last of my kind, I tend to keep the ancient traditions my own people held long before they became extinct. One of them is choosing couples whose love stood the test of time and blessing their future offspring by making a wish on the Lost Star; that way, it flies across the nighttime sky and spreads its stardust over them, symbolizing our willingness to share our powers with their sons or daughters. One night eighteen years ago, I chose three--Bert and Lisa Raccoon, Cedric and Sophia Sneer, and Ralph and Melissa Raccoon. Only two children were conceived under the light of the Lost Star, while the other two took until next year. Justice isn't the only one with a destiny, for he has a group of close friends who are on the same path to victory over the Imperial Commander. They will help us defeat him, take back what was ours, and ensure the safety and well-being of every planet in the universe. They will go to places they've never been to, seeing many new worlds and meeting many new allies. Their quest has been planned for them since their birth, and it will come to its fruition once they start setting out on the journey to prevent the Imperial Commander's influence from spreading across the galaxy. They are the children of the Evergreen Forest...the next generation...of the Raccoons."

Back at the fortress, the bears and pigs, their uniforms soaking wet, had returned with the news that they failed to catch Dea and the gang; obviously the Imperial Commander wasn't pleased with their actions. He shouted, "You call yourselves generals and majors, yet you couldn't catch raccoons!"

"We're sorry, sir," said one of the soldiers nervously. "You see..."

"Get out, you honey-licking airheads! From now on, you're demoted to nothing more than military tank polishers!"

Quick as that, the bear soldiers were gone. Then he turned to the pigs and continued, "I'm overlooking those general goofs, but I'm not overlooking you three bacon brains. Now, I've been hearing about this 'Lost Star', reputed to grant wishes to anyone who see it. Do you happen to know where I can find it?"

"I don't know," replied the first pig. "We lost it years ago. The only item that has as much power as the Lost Star now is a collar tag belonging to a sheepdog puppy named Broo."

They typed on a computer nearby and it showed an image of Broo, with the collar around his neck. "A puppy, eh? That shouldn't be so hard. Maybe we can go find him and take the collar away."

The second pig replied, "Yeah. But the bad news is that he died at a ripe old age; somebody else has the collar, and it's this guy."

A picture of Justice Raccoon appeared on the screen. The Imperial Commander almost spat out his cigar at that sight, but then he said, "WHAT? HE HAS THE LOST STAR? That furball's asking for a funeral, that's for sure. Boys, I want you to go to Earth and find that raccoon, wherever he may be. I want to own Earth by next week...and you'd better not mess it up this time. When the next week rolls around, I'll be one step further from being king of Procyon and one step closer to becoming king of the entire universe!"

He laughed evilly, his cackle echoing throughout the fortress and out into the night.
The third chapter of "The Raccoons: The Next Generation". Here's where things get even more interesting...

BTW, the part where Bert reminsces about the Battle of the Bands concert is a reference to :icongrenzer:'s "Forest Aid" comic.
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KrDoz's avatar
Great story coming along Jenny!

Liber Procyon!

I like how you used the Ballistic Commandos too!