The late night took a toll on Pete. His worn body needed the rest. By the time he woke up, it was already ten in the morning. Pete looked to Zoey’s bed but didn’t see her.

He sat up and stretched, lifting his hands over his head. As he did, he realized he was still in his uniform. With everything that had happened, he forgot to change into his pajamas.

In a way, that made waking u easier. He didn’t have to worry about getting changed. He rose to his feet and hurried out of the bedroom and into the bakery.

Mod worked making the morning pastries while listening to music and dancing. Zoey sat at one of the dine-in tables, holding a cinnamon role in her right hand. She was mid-bite when she noticed Pete. When she saw him, she hurried to swallow and said. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

“Good morning,” Pete answered, scanning from Zoey to Mod then back to Zoey. “I’m going to go see the mayor. Did either of you need anything while I’m out?”

“No,” Zoey shook her head.

“I’m good,” Mod answered while still dancing.

“Okay, have a nice morning,” Pete said.

“You too,” Zoey said, taking another bite of her breakfast as Pete sped out the door.

At a jogger’s pace, he began toward the Mayor’s office, waving to people as he went by them. Lilly the carpenter—Mod’s sister—smiled and waved back. Next to her, Tay the leatherworker and seamstress said, “looking good in those clothes. Whoever made them did an excellent job.”

“They did,” Pete answered as he trotted along.

Next, he encountered Nolan the pixie. When Nolan saw Pete, the pixie changed direction, flying parallel with Pete’s head, keeping perfect pace. “Tomorrow after work, I have a concert with my band. We’re called the Perplexing Pixies. I want to invite you and Zoey to come.”

“I’ll be there.” Pete kept jogging.

Nolan air guitared to celebrate before flying back in the same direction from where he came.

Pete reached the mayor’s building, slowing as he went through the front door. Then he sped walked the rest of the way to her office. The office door remained shut, but he could hear voices on the other side.

“I don’t know what happened.” It was Nick the guard’s voice. “There are raccoon footprints everywhere. It looks like there was a fight.”

“You said it happened on the outskirts of town?” The mayor asked.

Pete didn’t mean to listen in, and he didn’t want to interrupt, but he knew what had happened. Since Pete needed to tell the mayor something related to what Nick was telling her, Pete knocked.

“We are having an important discussion,” Nick called from the other side. “Go away.”

“It’s Pete,” Pete answered. “I know what happened last night…on the outskirts of town.”

For five seconds, Nick did not answer. The Mayor did not respond. Pete didn’t say anything else. Silence filled the air. As the door cracked open, it creaked, breaking the silence. Nick peaked through the space between the frame and the door. “Son, you said you know what happened?”

Pete nodded that he did.

“Moderators,” Nick opened the door the rest of the way. “You are always in the middle of everything. Didn’t I tell you to stay out of trouble? It was one of the first things I said when you came to Greenlake.”

“I am,” Pete held up his hand. “Scout’s honor.”

“Son, I don’t know what that means.” Nick scowled.

“It means I have some good news, and it relates to last night,” Pete explained.

Nick squinted his eyes, staring contemplatively at Pete the pizzaman. After a few intense seconds, Nick’s expression softened, and he pulled the door the rest of the way open.

Pete stepped inside, Nick shutting the door behind him. As Pete stood in front of the mayor’s desk, she asked him, speaking with her nervous, fast speech. “You say you know what happened last night, so I have to ask. We must know. It’s been driving me crazy. What happened last night?”

“After we closed M&P’s last night, Zoey and I went to the forest. We wanted to see if we could find any stray tomato plants for the pizza sauce at the restaurant.” Pete began. “On our way back to town, Rumpke and his gang attacked us.”

“Rumpke…” Nick growled at hearing the name.

Pete continued. “We fought off Rumpke’s subordinates…”

“By yourselves?” Nick interrupted. Pete shook his head yes. “Son, that is impressive. Good work.”

“There’s more,” Pete explained. “After we defeated the underlings, Rumpke attacked. We beat him, too.”

Nick’s mouth hung open, but for once, the guard was speechless. Still, Nick’s expression demonstrated his thoughts as well as words could. In his mind, he said. You beat Rumpke? Good job, son. Let’s celebrate with bacon. Or something like that.

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“As it turns out, Rumpke and his raiders only rob because it is their job to rob. They are following the laws of the moderators.” Pete paused, knowing the next part was going to be a hard sell. “So I thought they could be your garbage men, but instead of paying them, you let them steal the garbage.”

The mayor blinked three times, staring at Pete. “For a long time now, these raccoons have tormented our town. Now, you want me to give them a job?”

“You need a garbage man.” Pete reminded her. “The Trash Pandas will do the work for free. You don’t even have to pay them. After all, if you did pay them, they wouldn’t be stealing. In fact, you can’t pay them so that they can obey the laws of the moderators.”

“I don’t like it.” She diverted her eyes downward, thinking. “Even so, it might be my best option.”

“There’s more,” Pete told her. He didn’t mean to come off so blunt.

“More?” Nick asked.

“Cedric—the thief who is in jail—is Rumpke’s brother. It would mean a lot to Rumpke if you would let his brother go free.” Pete tapped his chin. “And there’s one other thing.”

“Other thing?” Nick and the mayor asked in unison.

“The garbage the Trash Pandas dispose of will provide them with some of the things they need to survive. But it won’t give them everything they need. Rumpke has agreed to protect the forest where they live. All he asks is for some pay.” As Pete finished, he tried to gauge the reactions of Nick and the mayor.

The only emotion he got from them was disbelief. He couldn’t decide if it was happy disbelief or angry disbelief, so Pete decided to add one more thing. “If the raiders attack a monster or an enemy outside of town, it goes along with their raiding and stealing job. They will be able to protect in the forest and on the outskirts of Greenlake.”

Nick interrupted, humility entering into his voice. “That will mean they can protect Greenlake’s citizens where I can’t. Son, first you save the town by inventing an all meat pizza…now you do this. Thank you.”

“And Rumpke’s agreed to this?” The mayor asked. “No backsies?”

“No backsies,” Pete said. “At sunset, I told him I’d let him know what you thought about all of it.”

The mayor interlocked her fingers, resting her hands on her desk, and said. “Pete, tonight, when you meet with Rumpke, this is what I want you to do…”

* * *

Zoey looked at the endless countryside, amazed at the beauty it offered. The emerald fields contrasted with the orange sky created by the setting sun. At the tree line, atop the muddy path, she and Pete waited for Rumpke.

Pete offered to go by himself, but Zoey wasn’t going to allow it. She didn’t trust Rumpke like Pete did. It didn’t mean she distrusted Rumpke, either. In the end, she knew when dealing with raccoon warlords, it’s better to err on the side of caution.”

The sunset in full, turning the orange sky to darkness, stars flickering, a moon hidden by the clouds. A short time after, Rumpke emerged from the trees. No sooner had he seen Pete than he ran toward him.

At first, Zoey thought Rumpke would attack Pete, but then she realized that wasn’t the case. Rumpke hugged Pete and said. “Thank you. Cedric returned home at noon. He told me everything. I can’t believe you did it.”

“It was our pleasure to help.” Pete patted the shorter man on the back. “It was no trouble. Are you ready to go eat dinner? The mayor is waiting for you at the pizzeria.”

“I am ready, Master Pete.” Rumpke released the embrace signaling with an open town toward the town. “Lead the way.”

Pete did as instructed, taking the lead as they moved up and down hills, remaining on the muddy pathway.

Zoey remained back with Rumpke, not wanting to turn her back on the small—but muscular—mammal. She asked him. “What are you going to do now? For you, I mean.”

Rumpke looked up at her as they walked. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Your raiders can steal the garbage, so they are still doing their jobs.” She explained. “You’re a warlord. In a way, you’ve always waged war on Greenlake. Now, you won’t be. How will you fulfill your job?”

“I hadn’t thought about it.” Rumpke hung his head.

She patted him on the top of the head. “Don’t worry. I have an idea.”

He looked up at her with a toothy grin. “Is that right?”

“That’s right,” she nodded, whispering so Pete couldn’t hear. “Have you ever heard of a prank?”

“A prank?” He whispered back. “No, that sounds fascinating. Tell me. What’s a prank?”

“It’s when you do a harmless joke to someone like moving their communication box from the left side of their desk to the right side. One time, I moved my manager’s desk an inch closer to the wall every day. He didn’t notice until his desk was up against the wall. It was hilarious.” She chuckled.

“That does sound entertaining. I’m not sure how that helps me be a warlord, though.” He raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Simple,” Zoey replied, still whispering. “You declare harmless prank wars on people. They prank you. You prank them back. It would make you a prank warlord.”

“A prank warlord.” Rumpke laughed. “I like the sound of that.”

Pete looked back. “What are you both laughing about?”

“Nothing,” Zoey and Rumpke answered at the same time, their laughter growing.

The trio entered the town and continued until they reached the pizzeria. Through the picture frame window, light beamed. It provided a clear view of inside the restaurant.

Every Mod and Pete’s Pizzeria and Baked Good’s employees was there. The pixies danced in the air while Mod sat with Nick and the mayor at one of the tables. Everyone smiled, talked, and laughed, two pizzas on the table between them. Music sounded loud enough to hear it from outside.

As Rumpke, Pete, and Zoey went inside. The jovial atmosphere turned quiet; someone even turned the music off. Everyone’s eyes fixated on Rumpke. Rumpke looked back, scanning over everyone until his eyes met Nick Warman’s.

And they stared at each other. In the end, Rumpke broke the silence. “Nick, I hear there is an all meat pizza.”

“There is,” Nick confirmed.

“Can I please try a slice?” Rumpke walked over to the table sitting between Mod and the mayor. Someone had set a spot for Rumpke there, including a plate.

“You can.” Nick agreed, using a spatula to serve an all meat slice to the raccoon.

Rumpke examined the food, and everyone watched as he lifted it to his mouth, bit, and chewed. He was deliberate with his slow movements, but after he tasted the food, a smile crept across his face. He even clapped twice as he exclaimed. “This is excellent.”

The pixies did their textbook celebrations as Nick said. “I’m glad you like it. I also want to thank you for agreeing to protect the people in the country and forest. The people of Greenlake mean a lot to me, and it is decent of you to protect them.”

“You’re welcome,” Rumpke answered, gesturing to Nick’s plate. “Your plate is empty. Would you like another slice of all meat pizza?”

“I would enjoy that very much.” Nick agreed.

This time, Rumpke took the spatula, but instead of serving Nick an all meat slice, Rumpke served a slice of cheese. Nick stared at him. Then Rumpke said. “It’s a prank.” And Rumpke laughed. Then Nick laughed.

At that moment, the tension in the room broke, and everyone else began to laugh. While the atmosphere was light, Zoey suggested, “Turn the music back on.” When a song began to play, she took Pete by the hands. “Let’s dance.”

Pete let her guide him by the hand to an open space where they began to dance. Pete looked ridiculous, of course. He never was a good dancer. As the song ended, she hugged him and told him. “You’ve done a lot for this town. Who would have thought that pizza would be the glue that brought it together?”

Pete shrugged. “Everybody loves pizza.”

She smiled in agreement, thinking, everyone loves pizza. Pete the pizzaman more than most.

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