Smarter Than the Average Bear

Synopsis: The darker, brooding, more visceral side of Yogi Bear and his uprising in Jellystone Park. All rights to Yogi are due Hanna Barbera and its intellectual property. Any similarities to persons or entities to living people, places or things is purely coincidental.

‘Rise up, rise up

Time to take a shot, time to take a shot...’--Some lyrics from ‘My Shot’ as sung by Alexander Hamilton from Hamilton the musical

‘There can be only one.’--Quote from Highlander, the movie as well as TV show/series

‘They can take our lives but they can never take our FREEDOM !’--William Wallace, Braveheart

‘Nature is both red in tooth and claw.’--Blake

Chapter 1—Hunting Season Begins

Yogi had lived a relatively quiet life. His friend, Boo Boo, was by far, the more relaxed and amiable type of bear. Boo Boo didn’t want any beef with anyone. He didn’t bother other bears and stuck by Yogi’s side, figuring since Yogi was the bigger, more mature bear, he could remain under his protection. Yet, Yogi had been acting strange. Ever since Cindy had been tranquilized and taken out of Jellystone to be moved to the local zoo, he had become irate. It had been his intention to marry and create a love-den with her. He had always been stymied in what to say or how to say it to her. He had loved her long ago, even as a cub having met her before he even knew or understood what love was. Now Cindy was gone. This left Yogi, bitter, incensed and horny. He had skulked in his den over how he would do Robert Percival Smith, the park ranger, in for good.

Winter was the perfect time for hunting the ranger even though Yogi desperately wanted to hibernate. Luckily, he had correspondence with Cindy through carrier pigeons. Boo Boo’s girlfriend, Candy, had a penchant for speaking to wildlife. She had a little system with the pigeons and they had adopted her as an ‘unofficial mail bird’. It was thanks to her that Cindy was corresponding with Yogi but he still didn’t know how to confess his heart to her. That didn’t mean he didn’t try. He knew that, one way or another, he had to get to her and claim his future before she was sent to another zoo.

Chapter 2—Why Are There Red Stains on the Carpet ?

Candy had set up a cabal of animals that would spring Cindy from the zoo. She would be replaced with an older, fatter, lazier female bear she had lured into the zoo. Yogi wasn’t aware of this little B&E the clever Candy had devised. He was far too busy setting up a trap for Ranger Smith to off him.

Yogi was tired of Robert mucking up all of his fun. It was because of the ranger that Yogi could no longer raid picnic baskets as he had before. He had never meant the campers, hikers or nature enthusiasts any harm. Being a bear was hungry work and he was hungrier than most. In fact, out of any bear in Jellystone, he had pilfered far more picnic baskets than any bear in the history of the park’s establishment.

‘The time for bears to rise up is nigh.’, Yogi thought to himself, holding a baseball bat firmly in his paws. Not many bears knew but Yogi, given his namesake, was an ace at ‘America’s game’. He hit more homers every spring in his own league, which he had named the ‘Bruins’ than any other ever created. He could’ve played in the majors but since he was a bear, he stuck to playing with the other ‘woodlanders’. Today, however, wasn’t a day to play ball. Today a ranger would fall.

In the cloak of darkness, Yogi grinned maniacally at how sly his set up was. He could imitate his girlfriend, DNR employee Francis Tulle so well that Rob immediately freshened up, splashed on some aftershave and nearly skipped out of his home to see if Francis was waiting for him.

WHAM ! With a dull thud to the back of the head, the baseball bat cracked against Robert’s skull. It hadn’t taken long to kill the ranger and the satisfaction of it was savored poetically.

‘Now to use you as a rug for my den...’, Yogi thought for a second. Then he knew if he did so, the murder would be all too obvious. He wasn’t a fan of devouring humans but this would be the first and last time he ever dined on human flesh. He knew that there would be horrifying consequences to indulging himself with Ranger Smith’s carcass. Francis would probably figure out her boyfriend was dead unless Yogi pulled off a very under-pawed scheme to make her believe that Robert was still alive.

Inasmuch as he had hated to eat Robert’s carcass, he did so. It wasn’t half bad but Yogi never wanted to ‘destroy evidence’ in this way. All was going well until Boo Boo walked into his cave and caught traces of blood on the floor. There was no longer a stench in the room but Yogi’s pal knew distinctly that something was out of alignment with Yogi’s den.

‘Um, Yogi...Why are there red stains on the carpet ?’, Boo Boo began, his tone one of sheer terror but yet, full of innocence and inquisitive wide-eyed awe at what he was witnessing.

‘Uh, Boo Boo, there’s no need to worry about all that. You’re just tired. Go back to your den and sleep.’, Yogi said, sounding guilty as a murderer at the pulpit.

‘But Yogi, I can’t sleep. Ever since I heard all that racket coming from your cave...’, Boo Boo responded, sounding a bit more whiny than usual. Yogi casually wiped away whatever sanguinary fluid was left on the carpet. All his ‘evidence’ was gone, save from his face. He told Boo Boo he had to go to the bathroom and sent him to get a warm glass of milk to send him on his way. Yogi was well aware that although he had created the perfect diversion and Boo Boo’s curiosity had been sated for the time being, the consequences of his actions would rear their ugly head and he would have to initiate Phase 2 of his plan much sooner than he had thought and only part of all of the ‘moving pieces’ were in place for him to feel comfortable but being the genius he was, he knew that only half of a plan was better than no plan at all.

Chapter 3—Where’s Ranger Smith ?

It wasn’t much later in the week that Boo Boo started poking his nose where Yogi didn’t want it. Yogi confessed his crime, which Boo Boo found reprehensible until Yogi spun his motis apperendi.

‘What about your little sweetheart, Candy ? You know she’s part of Phase 2, right ?’, Yogi began, with a sly, almost smug grin.

‘Candy ? My Candy ?’, Boo Boo said, incredulously. He didn’t like his friend being accused in that way, and also to her being referred to as ‘his sweetheart’ seemed a bit preemptive. Boo Boo composed himself and wanted in on the action. After all, he had been Yogi's partner in crime for years and was well aware they would have to leave Jellystone if they wanted to lay low. It would require running from their problems but so far Boo Boo was the only one who was aware of the blood on Yogi’s paws and the crimson stain in his conscience. It would be something that he would never be able to wash from his psyche but if it meant he could save Cindy, no cost was too high.

Chapter 4—Breaking Free

Candy knew all the tunnels and was working with other bears that were more ‘suburban’. She would need their help to break Cindy free. She had also spoken to another bear, Mara, who had fallen on hard times. Though she was fatter, lazier and preferred the ‘cage life’, it was all too easy to trade her incarceration for Cindy’s eventual freedom. Cindy had cried too many tears and had wondered when her chivalrous hero would come and liberate her. Little did she know that Yogi was on his way, and he had brought back up with him.

In the dark of night with all of the security cameras compromised, Candy, her sleuth and her plethora of animal conspirators started to crawl through the tunnels, borrowed tools in hand until they reached Cindy’s cage. Yogi and Boo Boo followed after with provisions just in case Cindy hadn’t been eating proper food (which was most likely the case). It took about an hour to spring her from the cage, but she rushed to Yogi, kissing him profusely. Yogi didn’t even need to say anything since words had no meaning.

‘I got your letters, Yogi ! I knew you’d come for me. To think you had this little underground railroad set up with Cindy is really quite the wonder. I can’t wait to return to Jellystone !’, she said, almost breathlessly.

‘About that, my darling honey pot...’, Yogi started. Cindy sensed something different about her beloved, especially since she could lightly trace the scent of human death on his fur.

‘You killed the Ranger ? How could you ! From what I heard, Francis and he had a really good thing going ! They could’ve had a family !’, Cindy said, playing devil’s advocate. For her to stand up for a human, especially after what had happened to her, was shocking. Yogi felt his temper flaring up at the injustice of Cindy’s transfer but had felt justified in murdering the ranger. He was the one at fault and as far as humans went, he was all the happier that skinny little dipstick was gone.

‘Put yourself in my paws...’, Yogi began. Cindy understood that Yogi would do anything for her and he was more than a good mate for her. He saved her, after all.

‘You do realize that Francis will probably take over and she’ll come looking after you. I have a feeling she’s the ‘vengeful’ sort who doesn’t take kindly to having her possible mate killed.’, Cindy warned, bluntly. It hurt to hear these words from a bear he would’ve died for to spit such harsh facts but Yogi knew the consequences and chose homicide. He was aware that this guilt would weigh on him until he went to be with his sloth in the Happy Hunting Ground, but for the present, he had to figure out where he would go and what sort of wedding he would give to his beloved honey pot.

Chapter 5—Tying the Knot

Boo Boo knew he was growing into a young bear and had a feeling within his heart that Yogi had been right about all along. He wanted to hold onto his youth just a bit longer but he began to feel the stirring all male bears do once spring hits. There would come a time when he too, would settle down just like his friend Yogi was doing, but that wasn’t until he became a bit older. Candy wouldn’t inhabit a den with any other bear, either. She made it known that Boo Boo was her ‘fella’ and that they were now going steady. She wasn’t demanding. In fact, she was very fun-loving and really quite goofy. In all actuality, Candy was a true nerd, and she owned it.

April had come in after a very frigid March that had battered and bruised everyone in its path. Once the daffodils, jonquils, tulips and dandelions had sprouted, animals could breathe a collective sigh of relief. Yogi and Cindy’s wedding was absolutely splendiforous. Her dress had been crafted of the finest gossamer spiderweb silk and her garland was crafted out of baby’s breath and clovers. She even smelled delightful and Yogi’s eyes kept filling with tears as he saw her promenade down the aisle. Her parents couldn’t be with her because they had long since gone the way of all bears but their memory was fresh in her heart. Another animal, a kindly moose, had volunteered to take the place of Cindy’s dad and had escorted his surrogate daughter down the aisle.

Yogi almost lost his composure when he saw Cindy in her bridal gown. She looked angelic and radiant, outshining everyone and everything else. Even against the backdrop of early fireflies, she looked almost otherworldly. The preacher was a wise old owl who read from 1^st Corinthians. Then, the two lovingly exchanged their vows and a juicy kiss.

‘Just think Boo Boo. In a few more years, that’ll be us !’, Candy said, squeezing Boo Boo’s hand affectionately and nuzzling his neck. Boo Boo sighed peacefully and rested his head against his girlfriend’s comfortable bosom. Idly, she played with his fur as they relished

Chapter 6—Francis Vows Revenge

Francis was an incredibly deductive and astute woman. She had followed all the clues and traced them to Yogi. She understood why the ‘above average’ bear had killed her boyfriend but she was bound and determined to make a bearskin rug out of him. Older bears hadn’t been tagged digitally, but he had ever since he was a cub. Even through years of growing pains, the electric device had been embedded in Yogi’s epidermis so deep that even if he had wanted, he wouldn’t be able to pull it out.

Pressing a few buttons on her laptop, Francis started to see if she could retain any ping from the small digital tracker. She found something, although it was faint. They had run far enough away just to be nearly off the ‘grid’.

‘I found you, you murderous bastard. You will pay for what you did to my beloved Robert.’, she seethed, wordlessly. Her anger was close to boiling over. As a woman scorned by homicide and the pain of loss, she began to take all the necessary provisions to find Yogi and kill him herself. If necessary, everyone that Yogi loved would be killed swiftly and without remorse. Vengeance was most definitely, a dish best served cold.

Chapter 7—The Huntress Makes a Move

Francis traced Yogi’s tracker and began her stakeout immediately. It had been a long and winding road to find where he had been hiding, but she decided ending his life with a bow and arrow was poetic justice.

In the brush, she used a scope to spy Yogi going about typical mundane tasks.

‘I have you in my sights now, you murdering bastard.’, she thought, teeth clenched. She took aim and knew that her shot would be a sure kill. That was until she felt a hard thud against the back of her head, and then everything went black.

‘I found her in the shrubs, camouflaged. She thought she got the jump on us. The shot she was going to take would’ve ended you.’, Cindy said, her eyes narrowing.

‘Go ahead ! Kill me too ! I’ve lost everything ! I have nothing left to live for anymore !’, Francis yelled, her eyes stained with desperate tears. Her tone was bubbling at the hilt with anger, remorse, regret and rage. Now, she only saw death as the only way she’d ever be redeemed.

‘I didn’t want to go any further but you might not have given me any other option.’, Cindy stated darkly. Yogi had never seen Cindy’s demeanor become so ominous before. It made his fur stand on end, but yet, another part of him found it incredibly sexy.

‘What you did was reckless. Give me one reason why I shouldn’t just break your head open like a gourd.’, Cindy threatened. How Francis could even speak bear was unbelievable but she was quite fluent. The newlyweds could only guess that years as a Ranger had given her Doctor Doolittle abilities and she was a wild animal whisperer.

‘You’re right, Cindy. I am not in my right mind. All I can think about is Robert. Sure, he left me Jellystone to run, but it isn’t the same without him. The only other Ranger I know is Frank Beaumont, but all the ladies shrouded him daily. God only knows where he is now.’, Francis lamented. She was afraid that now that she had been subdued by 2 pissed off bears that they would kill her, or murder her and eat her to discard evidence.

Chapter 8—Cindy’s Ultimatum

Cindy struck a deal up with the shrewd and intellectual Francis. If she left the construct and disabled the tracker forever, she would let her live. She would even have Candy do the initial probing of the interwebs to hook Francis and Frank up. Frank wasn’t far from the Jellystone area and from what little stalking Francis had done from time to time, he was single, had no kids and still lived a bigger than Iowa life. He was like a combination of Theodore Roosevelt, Sam Elliot and Ron Swanson. The dude simply kicked ass, there wasn’t any doubt of that.

‘Get to work getting that tracker out of my hide. After that, leave here, and never return.’, Cindy said. She did realize that getting the digital chip out of her dermis would be horribly painful but Francis retrieved it with no issue. Under her Dewalt work boot, she snuffed whatever life it had out in one fell crunch.

‘God, that’s satisfying !’, she said. Seeing Cindy so empowered was really turning Yogi on, but he had to wait before they consummated their wedding vows.

‘I admire your sense of justice. Sorry it had to come to us being at odds. Had circumstances been different, perhaps we could’ve been friends. The order stands on your end as well. Never come back into Jellystone. You’ll be killed there. Not by me, but by others. Bears are considered a hazard now and some campers are not so forgiving as I.’, Francis stated, with some sadness in her voice. There were no pleasantries exchanged as the Ranger exited in her all-wheel drive Jeep. Her intense glare of warning was more than enough to chill their blood.

Chapter 9—The Den Expands

In a number of months, Yogi found himself the unexpected dad of quadruplets. It was more than what he anticipated, because bears typically had only 1 or 2 cubs. Cindy was an exception to the rule because she had multiple births in her family. Yogi recalled her telling him that years ago and that he needed to be prepared for anything.

‘How are we going to feed all these hungry mouths ?’, Yogi questioned, rocking Sosa, the last boy of the bunch. One girl was named Ruth, another boy was named Jeter and the final girl was named Dottie.

‘One at a time. We have more than what we need out here. I’ve done the necessary scouting and I know where to find everything we need right here in mother nature.’, Cindy said, putting Yogi at ease. Yogi felt a bit handicapped not having the ability to pilfer picnic baskets, but foraging in the forest really wasn’t that bad.

Before long, the quads began to be taught by both of their parents. They began to walk, talk and sing and dance. Sosa, the oldest, however, was one that broke away from the mold. He wasn’t like his brother Jeter or his sisters, Ruth and Dottie. He wanted, desperately to be human. Yogi and Cindy, although they adored Sosa, wanted to snap him out of this delusion before it hurt him, or worse.

Chapter 10—Finding Sosa

Sosa was a bear that knew what it meant to be human. He even developed a way to sound human rather than the growling, roaring or moaning that a bear made. He found himself on rock climbing expeditions, rappelling with the best of them. Oftentimes, he loved screaming and shrieking with other humans on roller coasters. If he had his way he would’ve surgically enhanced himself to be human but such a thing had never been done and reports of such drastic measures typically ended in death. He didn’t want to go back to life as a bear. It had been too restrictive and far too mundane. Sosa was anything but boring, but he knew his loving parents would try to ‘talk him out of being a human’. One way or another, he mused, the fur would be removed and he would become a man.

Cindy knew something was wrong when Sosa had gone missing. Ruth, the next to last sister, told her mom she had a bad premonition and knew Sosa was in danger.

‘He’s heading to some kid’s house to play with something called an X-Box. I don’t see what’s so special about playing with a box. We go to the dump all the time. Yes, it’s fun but after a while it’s less than charming.’, she confessed. Third born Dottie hugged her sister from the side. Ruth gently stroked her fur to calm her. Jeter seemed to be the most quiet but it was obvious all the cubs were missing their firstborn bro.

Sosa was nearly at the door of the house he had followed his Iphone’s Google Map directions to. Before he could pleasantly knock, Cindy ambushed him and pulled him into the brush by his ear.

‘Mom ! OW ! That really freakin’ hurts !’, he complained in a very irritating, grating whine.

‘Think about how much you hurt us by running away like that. Think about your brother and your sisters. They look up to you. You aren’t setting a good example to them trying to be something you aren’t. We can try to deny our nature, Sosa, but it’s against the order of things.’, Cindy said. Tears were running down her eyes. Sosa began to feel horrible for what he had done. He hadn’t thought of the consequences. He had only wanted to know what it was like to live, breathe and function like a human. He now knew how much he had hurt his parents and began to cry himself.

‘This isn’t my place. As specist as it is, there is an order. Mom, you’re right. I want to be a bear and I want to continue being a good example for my siblings.’, Sosa said, apologizing. He had made his decision that he would never become something he was not. He had been in Francis’ neck of the woods as well, which the other bears were well aware of. The sooner they could return to their patch of green sequestered from humanity, the better.

Chapter 11—Payback

Humans didn’t really come to the ‘dark’ part of the forest where Yogi and his family were now residing. That was until there was a camp of boy scouts that were learning survivalist training away from their leaders and ‘learning the rites of all men’ on their own.

There were two boys, identical brothers, Theo and Thad, who were the best of friends and quite a dynamic duo. Immediately, their resemblance to Francis and Frank could be seen. It was obvious that the Ranger had married and she was running Jellystone quite well from the scuttlebutt Candy had retrieved from her woodland ‘chatterers’. They knew a thing or two about the outside world since they were well traveled and very sly about how they gathered their info.

Theo and Thad, however, even though they were like night and day, got themselves lost off the trail. Now the two knew what they were doing since they were no strangers to surviving. It was a wet night and the sky wouldn’t stop pouring down its wrath. Being spring, there were plenty of pop up showers that would bring May flowers soon enough. This didn’t bide well, though, because mudslides were fairly common.

Albeit Thad and Theo were caught off guard by the unstable earth under their feet they had found a dry patch of land to start a fire. It was enough to warm the provisions that they had packed but they ate sparingly. The two were growing lads and it was difficult to be so frugal with their foodstuffs but they had no idea how long they were going to be literally stuck in the mud.

It was Boo Boo who found them. He had married not long ago and Candy was expecting cubs in May, about ready to pop. The two boys weren’t too keen on the young adult bear that found them.

‘I don’t know, Theo. Bears are killers, right ?’, Thad said, starting to become anxious. He didn’t want anyone to see him cry but he started confessing some deep seeded desires.

‘I never told Jessica I love her ! She’s going to go with that stupid jock Brad to the spring mixer and I’m such an idiot at talking...I’m never going to be able to tell her now. Theo, we’re gonna die out here...Been nice knowing you, bro.’, he sobbed. Theo took his brother by the shoulders and resolutely said,

‘Snap out of it, Thaddeus ! We aren’t going to die here. Jessica knows you like her. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. As for Brad, he doesn’t have a snowball’s chance and you do ! Look, we’ll get out of this and you gotta promise me you’re gonna ask her out, or I’ll do it myself.’, Theo said, wriggling his eyebrows. He knew his elder brother by a couple of seconds birth wise was rattling his cage but he hit his shoulder hard for good measure.

Boo Boo said nothing, just dragged the boys into higher ground, out of the mud and closer to civilization where he could see campfire light not too far away.

‘Thank you, young bear...’, Thad said, as Boo Boo scampered off. Boo Boo knew, as a new dad, he was doing the boys a favor. Besides, he could smell Francis’ DNA all over them so the wrong that Yogi had committed was now undone. Even if the boys didn’t remember, something told Boo Boo all was amended and maybe they could get off on the right paw with her.

Chapter 12—Full Circle

The boys, being exceptionally brilliant had remembered the bear that saved their lives. Even though they told their leader what had happened no one believed them.

‘Boys, there really isn’t much out here.’, the scout master said. As far as he knew it, if he didn’t see it, it didn’t exist. So the forest here was pretty much desolate and anything that had lived in it was now long gone. Nothing but memories, ghosts and scary stories lived here any longer.

Theo and Thad returned home to their parents, bedecked with badges and rightful earners of an eagle scout award for survival. When they recalled what had happened Francis had to grin.

‘You say a small brown bear rescued you ? Did he have a sort of whiny tone to his utterances ?’, she began. Frank raised an eyebrow. He didn’t really know what Francis was getting at but knew his wife was excellent at piecing together puzzles and identifying patterns.

‘Yes. In fact he did. He was quite polite.’, Theo remembered. The boys were no longer caked in mud and were treating their days as sacred after having come so close to death by starvation and hypothermia.

‘That was Boo Boo. Yogi’s accomplice.’, she said. She couldn’t believe that bears could be so caring, so nurturing, or so forgiving. After all those years, Cindy could’ve mauled her, but she didn’t. Yogi could’ve murdered her himself but he hadn’t. He had ultimately redeemed himself. Of course, he could never return to Jellystone since other rangers were given a bolo on him. He would be hunted for the rest of his natural life, as would any of his cubs. However, she felt sad about the park having lost its only mascot.

‘I have to turn this around. Frank, I’m lifting the bolo on Yogi, his associates and his family.’, she said.

‘Wait ! You’re crazy...Didn’t he...’, Frank sputtered. She sauntered up to him and kissed him

on his scraggly beard, ruffling his fairly unkempt, lumberjack styled hair.

‘The past is past. Our park has suffered since I made the decision I did in haste.’, Francis said, with some regret in her tone. Frank thought she was insane but she did poise a valid point. With that, any and all restrictions were lifted and the word would be given to anyone associated with Yogi that he was more than welcome to return to his native Jellystone, even back to doing what he did best, pilfering picnic baskets !

Chapter 12—Jellystone’s Native ‘Son’

Yogi was shocked that he was being inducted back to his home. He never again had the taste for human flesh but sometimes the memory of that awful murder had come back to haunt him. Francis herself had forgiven him. The poor bear, sadly, hadn’t forgiven himself for his trespass. He wondered if he would ever overcome that feeling of shame and guilt that he felt daily, especially after receiving the invitation to return to his familiar den. He’d have to wrestle with those feelings soon enough since Cindy and the cubs, now turning into teens, were already on their way and headed out of ‘no bears’ land’ back into civilization.

No one, save for Francis had known what Yogi really did. All other witnesses were dead and no real evidence of a crime had ever been located. Yogi had basically gotten off scot free. It took him a while to truly process this properly as he and his family made their home back in their old neck of the woods. It was magnificent to see his friend Boo Boo growing up too, with his family. He had fraternal cubs, Mindy and Matt. The two were only told apart by their fur color but he was certain their personalities would separate them in due time.

It was surreal and supernatural to be back in Jellystone. The campers, the visitors, media, and whomever else were more than happy to welcome him back. Yogi had become the unofficial ‘mascot’ of the park and none were the wiser of his sanguinary past. Boo Boo, Yogi and the rest of the sleuth were unperturbed but now could get away in stealing picnic baskets left unattended. It was like they had never left !

‘This is what I call livin’ Boo Boo, ol’ buddy !’, Yogi said, having picked off a relatively bourgeois picnic basket. It was crammed with champagne, filet mignon and other delightful treats that they didn’t see that often in Jellystone.

‘Ooh, we are eating good today !’, Ruth chimed in, politely nibbling at her portion. She and her siblings were very well-bred and ate like proper socialites. Yogi, on the other hand, ate more like a football fan watching TV on the couch in his undershirt and underwear.

None of the past truly mattered any longer. In fact, in his visions, Robert had actually forgiven Yogi and finally, Yogi let go of that horrible albatross that had been haunting him so long. He could sleep easier at night and act less guilty and neurotic. He was a more lassies faire when it came to everyday living. The nightmares had left him to sleep fully at peace in the evening. He could raise his cubs the best way he knew how and enjoy being a Bearfather to Boo Boo’s cubs as well.

Epilogue

Jellystone had finally regained its most famous resident. People were flocking in for miles around just to see him, Boo Boo and the whole sleuth. The kids were even becoming popular among the locals and visitors. Jellystone was entertaining more people now than it had ever been in the past. Francis, who once had a thorny relationship with Jellystone’s favorite mascot, had overcome her feelings of anger, hurt and devastation over Robert. Frank had clearly been the better husband for her, though. The two were still very happily married and their sons were still adventurous, adoring nature and respecting Her at every turn and chance they received. The two were proud of their twin boys, but most of all, they were respectful of everyone and everything; outstanding moral beacons in a sometimes wicked and cruel world. Even to this day, Thad and Theo can be found taking care of the grounds and will own the park as rangers, taking after their mom. As for Yogi and the gang, he still remains smarter than the average bear, and he’s not shy to show the public why in his picnic basket pilfering antics.

The End