“I hear chicken!”
“I smell chicken!”
“Get in my belly!”
Zack rushed forward, donning a white coat and a stethoscope. “It appears you need a doctor, gentlemen.”
The coyotes stopped, staring down at Zack. “Who are you?”
“Doctor Zacchaeus to the rescue. You can call me Zack. What’s this about hearing chickens?” Zack pulled a plastic thermometer from under his wing and jammed it in the lead coyote’s mouth.
“What is this nonsense?” another coyote asked.
“You heard the good man,” Jinx said, rushing beside Zack in his own white coat. “Oh goodness, you’re right. It’s not good at all, Dr. Zack. Look, their eyes are yellow!”
“And they’re feverish as well,” Zack said, pulling the thermometer from the coyote and shaking off drool before tossing it aside.
“What do you think it is?” Jinx asked, squeezing a plastic blood pressure cuff around another coyote and squeezing the bulb until the coyote’s eyes bulged.
“Hmm,” Zack said, shining a light in their eyes and pressing the fake stethoscope against their chest. “Elevated heart rate, yellow eyes, smelling poultry. I’d say it’s this terrible case of chicken fever going around. What say you, Dr. Jinx?”
“I quite agree,” Jinx said, pulling off the blood pressure cuff and tossing it aside. “I believe isolation, rest, and a solid diet of veggies for at least a week should do the trick.”
“Veggies!” the lead coyote said, jerking the stethoscope away from Zack and tossing it aside. “I am the mightly Wiley Coyote, and I am not ill. What say that instead of veggies, we put parrot on the menu.”
Zack and Jinx stared at Wiley. “Sir,” Jinx said. “Do we look like birds to you?”
“Oh goodness, this one has a severe case,” Zack said. “We might need to operate.”
“Ready, sir!” Kermit said, rushing forward with a plastic knife.
Wiley swiped the knife aside and growled, blowing back feathers.
“Say hello to my little friend!” Jinx said, pulling a bubble gun out of his coat and shooting a streak of wild bubbles Wiley’s eyes.
“Attack!” Zack shouted, pulling a bubble gun from underneath his own coat and shooting into the pack of coyotes.
Penne and Coco flew overhead, dropping beach balls on the coyotes. The coyotes scrambled, batting away the balls.
“They’re scrambling!” Jeff Musk said, peering through his new binoculars. “Activate rooftop artillery!”
“Release!” Georgie Boy shouted from the roof of the castle, where the ‘keet commandos set up archers. Nerf arrows rained on the coyotes as Jeff Musk and Ninja Harine advanced the turtle and lizard army, pushing the catapult carts they took from the chickens after the girls drew them into their ‘tea party’ and cleared the eggs to load the catapults with more efficient ammunition.
“Release catapult!” Ninja Harine shouted. Bouncy balls flew from the catapults, causing the coyotes to further scramble as they batted away the sponge darts and balls bounding wildly around them. Jeff Musk and Ninja Harine rushed in and out of coyote arms and legs with the reptile squadron, releasing cans of whoop up that sent confetti flying. Coco and Penne circled back around, dropping more cans of whoop up into the canine confusion.
“Final systems set up,” Charlie commanded. “Friendly forces, withdraw!” Charlie and the rest of the anipal army pushed controls on remote controlled cars and trucks expertly rigged with large spools that zoomed around the coyotes, wrapping them in bright yellow yarn. The coyotes yelped and howled, still batting at bubbles, darts, beach balls, and bouncy balls as the yarn weaved around their arms and legs, taking them down in a tangle of confusion.
“Victory!” Jeff Musk shouted.
Everybody cheered as Zack and Jinx approached Wiley, who was miserable and frowning in a tangle of confetti and yellow yarn.
“Now sir, we will discuss new terms and boundaries for our settlements,” Jinx said.
Wiley sighed and laid his head down. “Looks like meat’s off the menu.”
Zack cackled and pulled out his bubble pipe, sending forth another stream of bubbles. “For now it is, sir.”