"CHANGE OF PLANS"

The red panda still waits at the bus stop, swatting away the occasional bug in annoyance. Night has fallen. He stands on the sidewalk, barely illuminated in orange by a nearby street lamp. Retrieving a cigarette from his pocket and placing it between his lips, he goes to light it with a match. The act is interrupted by an olive-colored station wagon pulling up to the curb; an Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. He extinguishes the match and returns the cigarette to its pocket. The panda opens the passenger door and gets in.

"Took you long enough." The panda twines, closing the car door.

In the driver's seat sits an irritated jackrabbit. "Cut the shit, pal." She barks. "I'm not even gonna begin to tell you what I've went through today." She starts driving again.

Maybe the panda needed that smoke after all. Once again, he pulls the cigarette out and lights it with another match before cranking down the wagon's window.

"Maddie says the bank's off." The rabbit states as she adjusts her eyeglasses.

The red panda puts a hand up in confusion. "What the hell?" He snaps. "What did we come all the way out here for?"

"Says she has a better idea, wanted everyone there to talk about it." She says.

"What? Another bank three states away?" The panda asks, rubbing his eyes in annoyance.

The rabbit shrugs. The duo share a few seconds of silence as she continues driving.

"Those two in that van saw me on the way here." Speaks the panda.

The rabbit gives him a stunned glance before returning her eyes to the road. "And?"

"That Shepherd tried to turn me into Swiss cheese." He says. "The badger's dead. I shot him."

"You're shittin' me! You killed him?" Her shock grows. "I didn't know you brought a piece along."

"I didn't." He explains. "Poor guy picked me up after my ride broke down, he caught one. I took his." He opens his jacket, revealing the grip of a revolver jutting from his pocket.

"Shit." The rabbit says empathetically. She pauses for a moment, and a smile grows on her face. "Your ride, huh?"

The panda turns to her. "Yeah. My ride."

She continues smiling as they pull into the hotel and park out front. She turns off the engine and puts her keys in her pocket. "Come on, I'll show you to the room." The two exit, and he follows the gray hare. The panda leaves a thin trail of smoke from his cigarette as he walks. Both of them climb upstairs to Room 203, and the rabbit knocks on the door. It opens, and the two enter. The room itself is painted in varying shades of beige, with the furniture sporting similarly drab colors. It looks like it hasn't been renovated since the seventies. The room is clean, at least. Inside there are two others. A cottonmouth is leaned back on the couch, in proximity to the door. He is fiddling with a deck of cards by himself. The rabbit shoots him a funny look.

"Boss didn't wanna play." The snake says in a sad tone.

On one of the twin beds, which are both covered in dull orange sheets, a chubby armadillo woman lays on her back watching television. Neck-length blonde hair drapes from her head. She turns her attention from the TV to greet the newly arrived duo.

"There he is!" The armadillo exclaims cheerfully. "Everyone! Have a seat."

The armadillo scoots to the edge of the bed, facing the coffee table. The rabbit sits next to the snake, who doesn't change his position. The red panda pulls up a wooden chair to sit with them.

"Now that Kamal's here, we can discuss the plan." The armadillo says.

Kamal pipes in. "Tracy says you scrapped the bank job."

"That I did. We're thinking too big." She crosses her arms, gesturing with a hand as she speaks. "I think we can make plenty elsewhere."

The red panda furrows his brow. "Then why'd all of us come out here, Maddie? Plenty of small scores back east." He points a finger to the floor. "We're here, we should follow through."

Maddie adopts a serious demeanor and looks him in the eyes. "Forget it, Kam. I said it's off - it's off." Kamal ends his inquiry for now.

Tracy is next to question the armadillo. "So what now, Mads?" The rabbit asks quietly.

"We're not in any rush. I say we scope things out around here while our boys finish up their money van business." Says Maddie.

The snake finishes playing with his cards and sets the deck on the coffee table, next to the ashtray. "You, uh, heard from them, boss?" He asks.

The armadillo smirks. "You know how they are. We've done enough worrying about them over the years. They're probably holed up in some bar." She waves dismissively. "If we don't hear from for a few more days, Trace can look into it. Any more questions?" The other three exchange glances with one another. "Good." Maddie states and slides back onto the bed, returning her attention to the television.

Tracy picks up the deck of cards. "Come on Sammy, let's play some cards." She says. In response, the snake perks up excitedly. Tracy gestures to Kamal. "You wanna play, Kam?"

Kamal leans forward and extinguishes his cigarette in the ashtray. "Sure."