"Good morning!"

Flaky screamed as she turned around to see who had said that. All she saw was a yellow bunny with a giant smile and pink slippers.

"Oh...h-hi," Flaky told the bunny with a small hand wave.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you!" The bunny said as his smile disappeared.

"Oh, it's alright...I'm just that way, you know?"

"I guess so. Oh, where are my manners?"

The yellow bunny extended his hand towards the red porcupine.

"I'm Cuddles," he told her.

"F-F-Flaky," she replied as she shook his hand.

"Whatcha doing out here in the park today, Flaky?"

"Oh. I was just...watching the birds."

"Ooo! That sounds fun!"

"Really? Most people don't find it so...fun."

"Well, I find anything fun!"

"R-really?"

"Yeah! Hey, can I watch some birds with you?"

"Oh! Well...sure, I guess..."

"Wa-hoo!"

"Hey, Cuddles!"

Cuddles and Flaky both turned to see a purple beaver walk towards them down the sidewalk.

"Hi, Toothy!" Cuddles said with a wave. "Are we still up for checkers tomorrow?"

"You know it!" Toothy replied.

"Great! See you then!"

Toothy then kept going down the path, whistling a tune as he did. He then felt something hit the back of his head. He turned around and saw a soccer ball slowly rolling away from him.

"Sorry!" He heard from the distance.

"It's alright!" Toothy called back as he picked up the ball and hustled over to the pink chipmunk and blue skunk who were by the goal.

"Hey, you wanna play with us?" The chipmunk asked. "Our friend Nutty will be by soon, so we'll need another player!"

"Sure, why not?" Toothy replied. "I'm Toothy," he then introduced.

"I'm Giggles," the chipmunk replied.

"I'm Petunia!" The skunk chipped in.

"Nice to meet you, ladies!"

"Nice to meet you, Toothy!"

Suddenly, they all heard really fast laughing that sounded like a lunatic. They looked and saw a green squirrel running towards them. He looked like he had candy stuck all over him.

"Ah, there he is!" Petunia told Toothy. "Nutty! We're over here!"

The squirrel then jumped over to the group and continued to laugh like crazy.

"Hoo-hoo-hoo! Hey guys!" He told them. "Let's play!"

"Alright!" Giggles told him. "Let's play boys versus girls, since we have enough of both!"

Nutty then saw as she picked something up off the ground. His eyes widened as he saw her hold a giant, white jawbreaker! He then started jumping even more as he ran to her, took the jawbreaker, and ran away!

"Hey!" Giggles called out. "Nutty, we need that to play!"

Nutty wasn't listening, though, as he ran through the park carrying his new sweet snack. He finally stopped and sat down on a bench, still staring at his prize. After licking his lips, he then took a big lick of the candy. He immediately backed away and spat when he realized it tasted awful!

Sighing in disappointment, Nutty threw the jawbreaker away in the trash. He then slowly walked back towards the soccer field.

"Did you see that?" Lifty asked as he looked at the trash with shock.

"Yeah!" Shifty replied with equal shock. "That idiot threw away a perfectly good ball!"

"Hm...how much are those things worth?"

"With the right buyer and the right fib, I'd say $500!"

"Ooooo! I like the sound of that!"

The green racoon brothers then gave their signature sneaky laugh as they got out of their van and went to the trash can. After digging out the soccer ball, they wiped it off a bit before agreeing this would be perfect to sell.

"Now we just need to find the right sucker..." Lifty said to himself.

"How about him?" Shifty replied as he pointed across the street.

Lifty looked and saw a brown bear with a red robe and hat, as well as a lit pipe, pulling a red wagon that had a small toddler with a propeller hat.

"Perfect!" Lifty said happily.

The brothers laughed again before running to the bear.

"We're almost to the park, Cub!" Pop told his son. "Then we can play!"

Cub replied with a loud giggle of happiness. Pop smiled as he kept on walking. Suddenly, two green raccoons showed up in his path and stopped him.

"Good morning, Sir!" One greeted as he tipped his hat. "Would you be interested in a new soccer ball for your adorable son?"

Pop stared at the men, as well as the ball they were holding. It looked like it was in pretty good condition, and it wouldn't hurt to give Cub something else to do at the park.

"How much?" Pop asked.

"Just the low price of $500!"

"What?? That's a rip-off; no, thanks!"

"But, Sir, this isn't just any soccer ball; it was made by the finest ball makers in Europe!"

"Huh? Europe?"

"They certainly know soccer over there! And with the whole euro-to-dollar thing, it seems more expensive to us."

Pop looked at the ball again before looking at Cub, who was staring at a passing butterfly with amazement. Pop then sighed.

"Okay," he told them. "Here you go."

The raccoons smiled as Pop pulled out the money from his wallet and handed it to them. After they quickly grabbed the money and gave him the ball, they ran off towards a van parked nearby.

Shrugging, Pop gave the ball to Cub, who then looked with amazement and began bouncing it in his hands. Pop smiled and kept on walking.

When they finally got to the park, Pop stopped the wagon by a bench and sat down. He looked at Cub, who was still bouncing the ball up and down. Pop smiled as he thought of how worth it it was to buy that ball.

"What's shakin', Pop?"

Pop turned and saw a yellow bear with a big, orange afro walk his way. Old-school disco music could somehow be heard as he slid and danced his way over.

"Ah! Good morning, Disco Bear!"

Disco Bear stood in front of Pop and continued to dance around as the music continued to play. Pop looked down at Cub and saw him giggling as he moved his head to the beat.

"Alright, that's enough of that!"

Disco Bear clapped twice and the music stopped. He then proceeded to sit on the bench next to Pop.

"You can't seem to stop that grooving, can ya?" Pop asked as he took his pipe out of his mouth.

"Well, it's in my blood, man! But for once, I need a breather; I can only shake and bake for so long!"

The bears then chuckled as Pop relit his pipe.

"Hey, that kiddo's got a nice soccer ball, don't he?" Disco Bear asked as he looked at Cub.

"That he does; just got it for him. It cost quite a bit, but it's worth it to see him so happy!"

"You know, I danced past some kids earlier who were looking to play soccer; maybe Cub could give them the ball and play with them?"

"Hm. What do you say, Cub? Wanna play with some other kids?"

Cub replied with a loud squeal of joy as he tossed his new ball in the air.

"That's a yes!" Pop said as he sat up and grabbed the wagon. "Lead the way, DB!"

"My pleasure, man!"

DB clapped again and the music resumed. He danced back the way he came while Pop and Cub followed. After a while, the bears found themselves at a makeshift soccer field, where they saw a pink chipmunk, blue skunk, purple beaver, and green squirrel.

"Hey!" Pop called out. "Need a soccer ball?"

The animals then looked towards the bears and saw the toddler in the wagon who had the ball. They all smiled when they saw it.

"Wow! Thanks, Mister!" Petunia said with glee.

"No problem, kids; now, have fun and stay safe, okay, Cub?"

Cub responded by jumping out of the wagon with the ball and running towards his new friends. The animals all laughed with glee as they ran to the soccer field.

"I'll be goalie first!" Giggles told them all.

"So will I!" Nutty jittered as he bounced to the other goal.

"I can be the referee so Cub can play!" Toothy told everyone. They all nodded with smiles and agreement.

They all got into their positions and got ready for the game while Pop and DB sat on the side and watched.

Toothy threw the ball into the air and jumped out of the way. Instantly, Petunia jumped towards the ball, knocking it towards the boys' goal with her head.

The ball flew right across the field and right towards Nutty. Laughing maniacally, he reached up to catch it. All he could do, though, was topple backwards as a sharp pain hit his face!

He picked up the ball and rubbed his forehead. After laughing it off, he threw the ball across the field. That's when Cub decided to look at a butterfly going by. He stared at the bug in amazement.

"Cub, look out!" Pop called.

That's when Cub turned behind him and saw a blur of black and white come at him. Then, nothing.

After a loud SPLAT, Giggles gasped as she saw a blur of light brown and dark red go towards the goal! She reached up, anyway, to catch it. When she did, she looked and saw what she was holding: the bloody and deformed head of the child she was playing against!

She shrieked in fear as she threw the head away from her. Petunia was confused as she kicked the ball into Nutty's net and then felt something hit the back of her head. She turned around and saw Cub's head rolling next to her!

After shrieking, herself, she ran away from the decapitated child. Nutty, on the other hand, had no choice, again, but to take the soccer ball to the face. This time, though, he kept flying back, seeming to pass through the net. When he finally landed, he slowly sat up and looked around. He saw Pop and DB and gave a nervous chuckle before he fell apart into pieces.

Pop and DB screamed in panic as they looked at each other with fear! They could hear even louder screams as they looked and saw Giggles and Toothy running towards the woods, covered in Cub's blood. That's when they ran into a tree and fell down. After slowly rubbing their heads, they heard cracking right above them. They looked up and saw a giant branch falling down towards them!

Petunia shrieked when the branch crushed her friends, breaking their necks and causing lots of bleeding! She then ran to Pop and DB, who were panicking, as well!

"What the heck are we supposed to do??" Petunia cried as she started breathing heavily.

"I-I don't know!" Pop replied with a shaky voice. "This is insane!"

"Let's find a doctor or somebody!" DB suggested as he quickly ran off. That's all he could say before he felt himself slip! After flying in the air for a few seconds, he landed hard on his back and head, leaving him groaning in pain.

Pop and Petunia ran over to help. After a quick look, a few things became obvious: he had slipped on Nutty's sliced bits and his head had a giant crack that was oozing blood!

"Call an ambulance!" Pop told Petunia. "And be careful!"

Tears falling down her eyes, Petunia nodded and ran towards a phone booth nearby. After getting inside, she picked up the receiver and called 911.

After explaining what happened, the operator told her somebody would be on the way. She then hung up and leaned against the booth, crying as she did. That's when she stepped out of the both and started walking back towards Pop. The next thing she knew, a blur of white and red came at her!

Pop watched in horror as the ambulance plowed into Petunia, flattening her into a blue and red pancake! The driver didn't seem to care, however, seeing as how he kept driving forward.

Finally, the driver, a tall, blue moose, jumped out of the driver's seat and towards DB. After taking a quick glance of the bear, he placed his hands on his chest and kept pushing, trying to revive his heart.

When that didn't work, he picked the bloody bear up and put him into the ambulance. He then looked behind him and pressed the gas pedal. That's when he felt himself go forward, instead. He looked out the windshield and saw the bear in the red outfit pinned against a tree, crying in pain.

"Oops!" Lumpy called out. "Sorry!"

He then shifted into reverse before driving backwards and towards the hospital.

Pop slowly looked at what was left of his lower body; a pile of bloody mush and bones. He then cried as he thought of everything that had just happened since the soccer game started.

He didn't know it, but this is just a normal day in Treeburg.