NFTF: Max and the Rabbit, a short play -- Scene III

Max and the Rabbit

Scene III

Bucephalas, Ghost of Rabbits, dashes and darts through underbrush and dry brown California grass in a night choked with smoke and ash, chased by Max The Wonderdog. Max, protected by Malop, blessed of Fenrir, transformed by Kerberos, has only stumbled once on this run. In the midst of that stumble, he planted his face in a pile of cow manure; shaking it off, he retains no speck of the shit -- but he did ingest something small, something not tasty, something powerful. Another dog, not so protected, would be in grave danger. Max is the Wonderdog, and as he runs he begins to see things, he begins to see patterns he's never noticed before. He begins to understand and perceive things he has never even realized were there. But most of all, he sees that there are three rabbits, now. 

One of the rabbits runs straight and true. He follows it.

The second rabbit runs to the left, bounding off of logs and trees as it goes. Max follows this rabbit, as well.

The third rabbit veers to the right, curving in its path and always seeking higher ground. This rabbit, too, is followed by Max The Wonderdog.

He is aware of all three rabbits, all three Wonderdogs, simultaneously. He, all three of him, thinks aloud:

Max: I will tell Mommy about this when I see her.

He pushes himself, bounding ever faster after this triple-headed rabbit, aware that the second rabbit, running to the left, has shot up a curving, winding mountain road; Max The Wonderdog follows, even as the rabbit leaps into the back of a small blue car which is slowing to a stop just before a curve in the road. Max lands in the back of the car as the driver is setting the emergency brake. The car shakes physically with his landing, as the driver opens the door and stands, looking at the road ahead.

Veronica: Whoa, Max! Are you okay? What was that, were you dreaming?

Max gives Mommy a kiss.

Veronica (cont.): Oh, thank you for those kisses.

Max: I love you.

Veronica: I love -- wait, what?!

Edward: Honey, you're right -- they're children.

Veronica: Did you hear that?! Max just said he loves me!

Edward: What?

Edward looks into the car. Max smiles, panting. 

Veronica: He just spoke.

Edward looks at Max.

Edward: Max? What do you see up the road? Tell me and I will give you a biscuit.

Max licks his chops, looking from Edward to the road ahead and back. He smiles. 

Veronica: I swear, he spoke.

Edward straightens, looking ahead. Rocks can be heard falling behind them and to the right. The ground shakes, a tremor. Pebbles and dust run down the embankment on the left.

Edward: That doesn't change the fact that there are two children on the road ahead. 

Veronica gets out of the car, stands with the door open.

Veronica: What are they doing?

Edward: I hope they're sleeping.

Veronica: Are they wearing monster masks? They look weird.

Edward: I don't know. Grab Max, make sure his lead is on; we'll take him with us.

As Veronica does this and Max The Wonderdog goes with her, so Max The Wonderdog also chases the first rabbit North and North and ever North, smelling creatures he longs to kill, creatures intent on hurting his pack. He understands, now, that these creatures are part ancient wolf. He knows that their scent is that of a wolf corrupted. He senses Mommy -- Veronica ? -- in greater danger than when she howled -- how did she howl like that ? -- earlier. He sees the rabbit leap over a ravine and he leaps and they are both in the air for longer than he expected. He sees himself near the blue car on the left, approaching strange shapes on the side of a bend in the road ahead as the earth shakes again; he sees himself on the right, curving upward and he is aware that that place is another place and Max The Wonderdog

follows as the rabbit shoots up a hill to the right, curving onto a street and then down another street with Max on his heels. Bucephalas, Max realizes. Bucephalas, named for the horse of two famous men -- but then they are nearing the end of the street and the familiar smells tell him where they are even as the rabbit leaps into the back of a small blue car and Max follows in time to leap into the car as he is stepping out of it, lead by Mommy Veronica in his nice vest on the lead because Alpha is limping, broken in the leg and the door of the house opens and there is the silver-furred Grammie and the silver-furred Doc and their arms are open and the house is full of good smells and music and there, behind them, come the rest of the pack: the tall one with no fur on the top of his head but white fur on his jaw, and his bitch and their pack: the young humans and Mojo who watches him so closely. There, also, are Alpha's litter-mates: the sister with the light hair and the sister with the dark hair, as well as the sister's man in his boots with the markings on his arms. All of the pack are so happy, so worried about Alpha's leg, everyone is giving Max the Wonderdog so many good dog loves, and Mommy is telling about how brave he was, and Mojo is sniffing his ass and inside the house dinner is waiting before they all begin their journey. Max the Wonderdog understands that this is where they've been headed all along. He understands that this is the goal with which they left the den, and that something, somewhere, took them down the wrong path. Not all of the pack is here, Vermommyca is crying a little as she says, no, she hasn't heard from her Dad (I remember him, he was loud and angry, Max thinks), and

Mojo: You. You.

Max: Hello, Mojo. Your ass smells nice today.

Mojo: You. Take my mommy? Take my mommy?! NO. YOU CANNOT HAVE MY MOMMY!

Max: Calm down, I have my own.

Mojo: You will never have my mommy. 

Max: I can't believe I used to hump you.

Mojo: You! You!

Max: Is that a kitty over there?

Mojo: Where?!

Mojo's mommy has to grab his collar to hold him back from chasing the kitty, and everyone heads inside to eat and then load the cars,

Grammie: And then let's get the hell out of Dodge, okay?!

The Pack cheers.

Max: Yay! What's Dodge?

The Pack stops cheering.

Veronica: Oh. My. God. I think Max just spoke.

Edward: Honey, I'm the one on morphine ...

Bald Littermate: I think I heard something, too. Tad? Is this one of your clever plans?

Edward: I don't work at Pixar. I don't have the technology to make dogs talk.

Boots and Tattoos: What do you people think we do in there other than draw pictures all day?

The Pack laughs.

Veronica: Maxwell. Did you talk? Can you talk?

Max the Wonderdog is smiling. He licks his chops.

Grammie: He's hungry. We're hungry. If he can talk, maybe he'll read some Walt Whitman to us while we eat. Inside, everyone!

Max the Wonderdog sees them all head into the house and he goes with them as he lands behind Bucephalas, still bounding after the rabbit as they crest a ridge and leap down toward the floor of another valley, closer and closer with every step to Vermommyca. Bucephalas calls to him as they run, and Max the Wonderdog, never tiring, answers.

Bucephalas: You will have to choose, soon, Maxwell. 

Max: What must I choose?

Bucehpalas: Which path to take. Which rabbit to follow.

Max: Those other two rabbits follow paths unreachable. They connect to our path, but too far back to find now. I can only go forward. I chase you, Bucephalas.

Bucephalas: But where do you chase me? Should we attack the creatures and the evil tree lady?

Max sees them clear in his mind: surrounded by hungry little corrupted wolf-like creatures, the tree lady has giant splintery teeth in her evil puppymaker, and the oak in her cries out in anguish as she leaps after a fleeing soldier who does not smell of this time, pinning him to the ground and ripping into his belly and his testicles and tearing off his male parts to eat and eat and eat as she laughs and bites his tongue from his mouth and the little creatures pull down a fleeing nurse to bite her parts and she is screaming help me please help me someone oh god oh god no

Bucephalas: Or shall we help the travelers on the ridge?

Max sees an old man who smells of horses on the ground, reaching for a branch as three of the same wolflike creatures tear into his flesh and a woman and a man -- very familiar -- stand back to back, slaying creatures by the dozen but never slowing the onslaught

Bucephalas: Or shall we go right to Mommy?

Max sees a barn full of blood and wire and torn flesh, not the kind for eating, as Mommy is surrounded by mirrors and there is that bad man Max knocked down, but behind Mommy is a darker man, obscured in shadow behind a post, whispering, whispering, and the human bitches and bitch pups -- girls? girls -- still living watch as another is sliced thin to add to a growing pile of wet, stinking flesh that radiates hot as the sun like a ball of pain and fear, focused on by those watching their friend / sister / aunt / daughter get sliced, screaming and alive, even as the obscured whisperer makes Mommy think she is in a different place but the pain and fear are growing stronger, stronger, burning white-hot

Bucephalas: Choose, Maxwell. Your road forks here.

Two rabbits split off again from Bucephalas, one bounding up toward a ridge, high on the left, toward the three warriors surrounded by creatures; the second rabbit bounds down to the right toward a trail leading into an open, firebound field (trees growing rapidly turn this to forest if they can survive the fire, he senses) toward the oaken monstrosity and her trail of wounded, dying, unmanned men, and toward the lone soldier fighting toward her, the flames at his back; the third rabbit is Bucephalas himself, springing up the slope of the hill ahead of them toward the dairy barn on the other side where Mommy (stronger than she knows) is trapped and crying, unable to break free of the web in which she is caught, a warm bite of brains halfway to her mouth.

Max: I choose the best choice. The only choice. And the wisest choice. I choose --