The Great Pursuit

Talon notice everyone take a step backwards away from him. He took a sniff and considered the reason why as being the fact the curls of his hair were now hardening with the manure.

"Oh come on," Joss argued. "I know it stinks, but..."

His voice trailed off as the ground began to reverberate. Joss looked up to see the largest tomatoes he had ever seen, some rolling, others bounding, straight for him.

"Shiiiiiiiiiiit!" Talon shouted as he turned and ran from the giant vegetables. Or is it fruit?

Cass and Tanaka's jaws dropped, wondering what more this day could bring. Cass seemed to be delighted that Talon seemed to be the target. Jade was just relieved that the tomatoes seemed to find a new target.

His path took him through gladiolus that were about one and a third meters high, wildly waving his arms. A group of worker bees, which the botanists used for pollination, then harvested the honey produced, were buzzing busily about until they identified Joss as an attacker. They began to swarm around his head and followed him as he ran.

"Ouch!" he yelled, swatting at his neck. "Oh!" he took a direct hit to the lip. More stings followed, with Joss now swatting, and screaming, and running, followed by bouncing giant tomatoes.

Spying a lily pond ahead, Talon dove headfirst before Jade could yell, "Its not that deep!" That was true enough as Joss' backside was sticking above the waterline, which created a prime target for the bees.

The bees buzzed off as the first of the tomatoes bounded down upon Joss with a splat. The remaining three hit the target, one after the other, flattening Talon in the water. Red tomato juice eerily rolled from his body as if it were blood flowing from open wounds.

Cass bursted with laughter. Tanaka noted that Joss' evasive maneuvers were poor. Jade just felt sorry for the poor guy.

Talon stood up, his lips and buttocks considerably swollen, his flight suit soiled with tomato juice and seeds. With a finger raised in the air, Joss inquired, "Any one got epinephrine?" before falling backwards with a splash.