This post is Rainbow Donk approved.

All good things must eventually come to an end, and that includes letting my readers boss me around on Fridays.  But before we throw the inbox in the dumpster, The Nest has one final letter to answer in the smashing second season of our Prompt the Squirrel series.  I begged asked for more participation this time around, and you all delivered as PTS2 featured 21 prompts in all, three more than last year’s inaugural run.  I can’t thank everyone who took the time to fill out a contact form enough for helping to increase the variety of my blog by challenging my creativity these past five months!

And I think Buster only died a few times in this series… though there’s still time to run up the score.

Our final entry for the 2016 edition of Prompt the Squirrel Fridays comes to us from Nest Follower Hall of Famer Gentlestitches, whose works of soft and cuddly art have won my heart for years and even proudly adorn my shelf!  Thanks to Aunt Sharon’s longtime participation here, her homeland of Australia is prominently featured on my blog, and today will be no different as this is what she sent me to work from…

My prompt is that Buster visits Australia and mingles with the “wild life”
Perhaps he could have a holiday which you call a Vacation? Not Pigadillo though as I would worry about him too much. 😀

Oops… looks like you’ll have to turn that invite down, Pigladillo.

Sure, I guess Buster could use a bit of a holiday from his hectic and grueling routine of regularly dying on my blog.  And I’ll bet he’d just love to visit his much cuter possie cousins in Oz… so I’ll just take some money out of The Nest’s bank accou….. er…. um…. wow, where did all of those moths come from?  Errrr, nevermind.  Looks like Buster will have to fly cargo on this trip.  Don’t worry, we’ll make sure to put him in an airtight suitcase…

Bon voyage, Buster! Hopefully you don’t end up getting rerouted to Bumfuckistan.

I’ve called ahead to make arrangements with one of the locals to pick Buster up and give him a guided tour of the land…

At your service, mate!

Wiki comes from a long line of experienced, Australian bushmen who’ve spent many years bravely wandering the outback….. um….. OK, that’s not true.  Wiki’s father actually worked the drive thru at Possum Hut… and to be honest, Wiki’s never even set paw in Australia before.  But he did watch a lot of The Crocodile Hunter when he was a teeny hyeeny, and has a kickass National Geographic guide to the strange critters from Down Under.  So basically, he’s perfect for the job, and Buster’s sure to get his our money’s worth out of this once in a lifetime international experience!

Welcome to Oz, Mate! Don’t worry, only 69% of the critters here will kill you!

WIKI: Alrighty, mate!  Are you ready to embark on a fair dinkum exciting adventure?

BUSTER: (Shakes head)

WIKI: Great!  Let’s get started!  Follow me….

Wiki leads Buster away from what passes for civilization and into the grasslands of deepest Australia.  It doesn’t take long for the tour group to encounter their first taste of the unique wildlife the continent has to offer…

WIKI: Oh boy!  Look at that ‘roo!!!

Ummmm, no. Not this Roo…

Yeah, that’s more like it.

WIKI: Go on up there and say hello to the l’il chap! (Wiki pushes Buster the kangaroo’s way)

BUSTER:  Ummmm….. hello there.  My name’s Bust….

YAY for poorly drawn kangaroos!

WIKI:  Aw, how cute!  They must really like you to give you love taps like that!

BUSTER: Cut me, Wik!  Cut me…

Further on out in the country, Wiki stops dead in his tracks and his tail perks up in excitement…

WIKI: Crikey!  Wouldja look at that, mate!

BUSTER:  What?  I don’t see anyth…. (Wiki points down, causing Buster to freeze in terror)

WIKI: Why, that’s the eastern brown snake!  Only the second most deadliest snake in the world!  Why, I’d reckon there’s enough venom in his fangs to kill off a whole plethora of possums!

BUSTER: Did you really have to say that?

Down snake…… down!

WIKI:  Oi!  Did he nip you, mate?

BUSTER: (Holding tender groin area, speaking with high pitched voice) I’m gonna need somebody to suck the poison out!

WIKI: Aw, there’s no time for that, mate!  You’re about to meet another of our wonderful little critters down here!  That’s a Sydney funnel-web spider on your neck!

Sweet dreams after reading this card, folks!

BUSTER: SHRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!

WIKI: Golly, mate!  That was a direct hit on your skull!  Lucky you he can’t liquify what you don’t have in your head!

BUSTER: Can’t we just visit some cute, non-lethal critters!?!?

WIKI: Oh, sure thing mate!  Come on over to these eucalyptus trees and check out our native koalas!

Cute koalas! Oh wait, they’re not on this tour…

BUSTER: What…. the….. fu…..

Welcome to the land down under, Motherfucker!!!!!

BUSTER: I knew I should’ve stayed at home and got run over by a street sweeper….

WIKI: Hope ya brought your swim trunks, mate!  It’s time to go swimming! (Pushes Buster into the pool of water that materialized out of nowhere)

BUSTER: Glub glub!

WIKI: Keep your eyes peeled for crocs!  Oh, and watch out for the reef stonefish while you’re cooling off!  One sting from that l’il fishie can be so painful that you might die from the shock alone!

BUSTER: If I can pry myself from this shark’s mouth, I’m going to beat you to death with your sissy bushman hat!!!!

WIKI: Sorry, mate!  I’m afraid there’s no refunds for this tour!  Shall I use my belt as a tourniquet for your lower torso?

Shark attack from a previous PTS post since I don’t have the time to draw a new one.

A battle scarred, barely alive Buster pulls himself out of the dangerous outback waters and follows Wiki along on the final leg of the walkabout… all the time stifling any murderous impulses that may be stirring in his spider-eaten brain.  Wiki stops dead again, causing Buster to shake his head and groan at just what might be up ahead that’s brought his hyena sherpa to full attention.

WIKI: Do ya hear it, mate?

BUSTER: Hear what?

WIKI: The call of the most dangerous, most lethal, most terrifying creature to ever patrol the Aussie outback?

BUSTER: You mean there’s something out there more dangerous than what we’ve encountered already!?!?!?

WIKI: Yes….. CRIKEY!!!!  There it is!!!!  Cover your ears, mate, or you’ll never make it back to civilization alive!!!

BUSTER: Cover my… what?  Huh??

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WIKI: (Covering ears with bigass headphones) It’s the dreaded Aussie Earworm!!!!!  Just a few seconds of exposure by the naked ears to its horrific soft rock sounds is enough to….. oh no, it’s too late for you, mate!

Next time, make sure INXS is in town…

And so concludes the worst outback safari evah.  Wiki was kind enough to ship Buster back to the States in several crates.  Most of him has managed to safely arrive already, though we’re still waiting to hear from his spleen which seems to have gotten lost somewhere near Antarctica.  A big thanks to Aunt Sharon for allowing me to show off the very best of Aussie fauna, even if the Australian board of tourism is probably in the process of blacklisting my blog as we speak.

Not to mention, I neglected to point out the other kind of local wildlife. Oh, Sheila…

And that’s a wrap for Season II of Prompt the Squirrel Fridays!  A sincere thank you to all 21 of you who helped make this year’s series such a success!  I don’t know what I’ll do to fill the end of the week void in the meantime, but come next March or so, I’ll be totally ready to open up the request lines for you all once again!  Until then, put those thinking caps on, and let your imagination run wild in 2017!

The ponies can’t wait to act out for you again!