Tarry Not the Final Quest

**"Tarry Not the Final Quest"** is the ninth episode of *Revolution* and the 84th episode overall.

The episode was released on March 27, 2022.

In the episode, the Toons seek shelter in the ruins of a former great house of Cartonia. Both the Free and Toontown make preparations for revolution.

## The Episode

—Antlerstag—

—Lyme, Cervidium—

—April 15, 1051—

Doctor and Bradley and Slate were given a day of recuperation and recovery from their ordeal on the roof of Antlerstag, apparently on direct order from the Macaw of Psittancyna. The Doe was not supposed to have to obey him, but it appeared the Doe Mother coerced her.

Doctor ate ravenously when the opportunity came. His frostbite subsided as he rested by the fire, and Dr. Czufran Monet, despite her sinister ways, treated him for pneumonia and hypothermia.

“This is pointless,” he overheard her mutter to one of her assistants. “Keeping them alive when we know they’re going to die.”

Doctor was not even surprised to hear that. He didn’t die on that tower, but the end of his life was still approaching.

Slate was isolated from Bradley and Doctor so that his ashy flurry would affect no one else.

As night fell on the second day of Doctor’s recovery, he and Bradley were pulled from their imprisonment and brought before the Macaw. He had opulent chambers in one of the antler-towers. Slate was not there.

“Your friend is still ill,” the Macaw stated when he saw Doctor and Bradley dumbly looking around the room. “I’ve dispatched my own doctor to look after him. Dr. Monet is…a rather wicked woman.”

Doctor nodded in agreement. The Macaw had them sit with him at a dining table set for three.

“Eat, please.”

Doctor did not protest. He was still starving.

The Macaw was wearing the same crown from two days ago. It was pinned in place, otherwise the tall diadem would go toppling with any slight movement.

“Why are you wearing that?” Bradley asked. “We know you’re royal.”

The Macaw cocked his head, as if to accentuate the crown’s lean.

“Because I like it. This crown has been in my family for generations, from even before the War.”

Doctor gazed at it. The Diary Pig never encountered the Macaw and never remarked upon his crown in the Diary of War.

“How do you pronounce Psittancyna, anyway?” Bradley asked, accenting a butchered pronunciation. “We’ve never really known for certain.”

The Macaw was amused by the question.

“In Cartonian, it’s ‘sit-awn-sin-uh.’ Emphasis on the ‘awn.’”

“Huh,” Bradley said. “I always thought it was ‘puh-sit-ann-seen-uh.’”

The Macaw chuckled and removed his crown. He set it on the table between them.

“Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Macaw Kittevnis of the House of Psint-Annenburg-Volta-Antillea.”

Doctor gaped.

“What?”

“I said my name is Macaw Kittevnis—“

“Yeah, you don’t have to repeat it,” Bradley said tiredly, “I won’t remember any of that.”

“Call me Kitt, then,” the Macaw said serenely. His intonation was slow and precise. More than anyone Doctor had met in Cartonia, Kitt’s voice was the most crystalline. It was soothing, even.

“Why do you have so many last names?” Doctor asked.

“Tradition,” Kitt replied. “When the first parrots took the throne of the Psittacorum, the dynasty in destiny was the Psints. But they neared extinction and married into the wealthy Annenburg family. They joined the names, and the monarchy continued. The dynasty did not end, it merely became the Psint-Annenburg dynasty. Once again, the family approached termination. The Voltas merged with us. And again years later with the Antilleas. Four families, but one dynasty. Psint-Annenburg-Volta-Antillea.”

Doctor squeezed his temples. That was a lot of names.

“I am a direct descendent of Macaw Lucia, if you’re familiar. She was Macaw during the War.”

“Sounds familiar,” Bradley yawned. “I can’t say for sure.”

“Our knowledge of the War is limited,” Doctor admitted. “We only had one written record.”

Macaw Kitt leaned forward, edging the crown out of the way.

“Really? Tell me more. I am so curious about this place—Toontown. It’s fortuitous you survived the attack in Yefoxerinburg.”

Doctor and Bradley ignored his question. Both had the same thought.

“Have you heard about the others?” Doctor asked.

“Where’s my wife?” Bradley demanded.

“Ah,” the Macaw said. “Right. I should have started there. The Free rescued a decent number from the House of Intended Design, and split them up. The two horses, I believe, died at the House…”

“Cornelia and Ulysses,” Bradley clarified. “That’s horrible.”

“Mm. The ducks are all dead too, killed by Scuridian pirates.”

“*WHAT!”*

“And Hyla Sensitive too,” Kitt noted. “Burned at the stake a week and a half ago.”

Doctor was nauseous. He pushed his plate away. The news was damning. *Six* were dead. Hyla was a new mother. Her children would never know her. Did Kilo know?

“What about my wife? Alice?” Bradley pressed.

Kitt raised his eyebrow.

“So, your marriage is true. I thought it was a rumor.”

“It’s true. Where is she?”

Kitt sighed.

“No one knows. Five are unaccounted for. It’s a real mystery. So, I’ve told you what I know. Now tell me about Toontown.”

Doctor was unnerved by the Macaw. Whose side was he on? It wasn’t clear, which made him untrustworthy.

“What do you want to know?” Bradley asked in a guarded tone.

“Everything.”

The Macaw’s eyes were alight with curiosity, but something else too. Greed? Desire? What was he going to do with their information? Doctor didn’t say a word, because he couldn’t trust him. The last time he placed trust in a Cartonian, it was Doe Halley trying to get them to trust her so she could betray them. Doctor was not going to fall prey to another betrayal.

“Can you be more specific?” Bradley requested.

“Well…what’s the weather like?”

Bradley gaped. Doctor held in a laugh.

“Depends,” Bradley answered, shirking a snicker. “There are six neighborhoods and the temperature varies depending on which one you’re in.”

“Six neighborhoods,” the Macaw repeated. “Divided by species?”

“Sorry,” Doctor interjected. “I’m not comfortable answering these questions right now.”

“Oh,” Kitt said, dejected. “Bradley?”

Doctor nudged Bradley under the table.

“Yeah…maybe not tonight.”

“Pity,” Kitt sighed. “Well, I’ll be in the city for a few weeks through the beginning of May. I hope you’ll seek me out when you are comfortable answering more of my questions.”

Doctor had latched onto what he just said about the date, how May was a few weeks away. He had wondered how much time had elapsed since they left Toontown in late March. Not too much time, about a month.

And yet, enough time for six Toons to be killed.

—Toontown—

—April 16, 1051—

—The Next Day—

Constance Miller stopped by Kilo Byte’s house on her way to meet with Commandant Hans Einfach, her dreaded weekly one-on-ones. Even after she attempted to kill him and dueled in his office, he kept her as Colonial Governor. Annoying.

“Here, take a look,” Kilo said when she went downstairs to his lab. The babies were being cared for by a nurse making house calls. Toons helping one another as the world caved in around them.

Kilo showed Constance schematics for a Toon-operated Cog. The word “Toonbot” was written across the top. Of course that was what it’d be called.

The Toonbot had the appearance of a Sellbot Cold Caller, with grey skin instead of blue. Kilo said that was because it’d be cheaper to manufacture and not paint. Constance didn’t care what they looked like, as long as they were capable of defeating the foxes for the Toons.

“It’s unnerving,” Constance said, “to think we’re going to have Cogs again.”

“It is,” Kilo agreed. “But I promise you their wiring will ensure they only harm foxes.”

Constance nodded. She trusted Kilo and his sharp-as-a-tack brain.

“Clear it all up, Kilo,” Constance instructed. “The foxes are evicting more and more Toons. I’m going to ask Hans that your family be permitted to stay because of the infants. He hates me, so he’ll say no.”

“Sounds about right,” Kilo snickered. “Don’t worry. I’ll pack everything up.”

Constance saw a picture of Hyla on each wall, so that no matter where Kilo was he could see her and she could see him.

“She’d be up for the task, wouldn’t she?” Constance mused. “She’s a genius.”

“More so than me,” Kilo said. “I can’t wait to see her again.”

“Me too,” Constance said. “I miss them all.”

*Especially Eileen.*

—The Death Fields—

—*Formerly Tabitha, Felexa*—

The city of Tabitha was completely destroyed. It lay in charred ruins. Almost all of its buildings had collapsed. Those that survived were being reclaimed by the earth. The entirety of the city was ensconced in the Death Fields. Nobody lived here. As the group drove toward the safehouse, they had to be careful to avoid triggering bombs still buried beneath the surface. Land mines were lined here during the War, so Benjamina told Eileen.

“I never knew the capital of Felexa was destroyed in the War,” Eileen said to Usa. She was driving the truck, and Eileen was sitting with her. Alice and Piggy were in the back, while Mickey was lying down in the bed with the medic Flo. Benjamina was driving alone. The Toons refused to be separated. Eileen was so protective of the others now. No one else was going to die; she was determined to make that the truth of their fate.

“Where’s the safehouse?” Piggy asked, leaning toward the front seat. “It’s getting dark.”

“Right over there,” Usa pointed. “No better place.”

Eileen squinted at the horizon. There was a large square house on a hillock. A fat tree had fallen over its roof, crushing the upper floors. No lights were on, which was to be expected because the place looked abandoned and derelict. That seemed to be the preferred aesthetic of the Free. Eileen wondered if it was unoccupied or filled with the Free.

“The city was not destroyed during the War,” Usa said to Eileen. “It was razed during an uprising against Stag Barrow in the years after. He used the most horrible weapons and poisonous gas to obliterate the city. It ruined the land, and the cats left.”

“Why would he do that?” Eileen wondered. “He killed everything.”

“For Stag Barrow,” Usa replied, “the War did not end with the surrender of Ursus. He struggled to control his conquered territories, losing much of it to Vulpus as a result. With Tabitha’s uprising, he snapped. It wasn’t long after that he was dethroned by his wife.”

Alice hooted in laughter.

“Love that.”

“Don’t get too excited,” Usa said grimly. “Doe Katarina was no kindness.”

The trucks approached the large house with the broken roof. As they got closer, Eileen could see that not only was it in worse shape than it appeared from afar, but it also had vestiges of elegance. This had been an important house back before the War.

“What was this place?” Eileen asked. Usa smiled.

“I thought you’d know. This is Talonclaw Castle.”

*Talonclaw Castle*. The home of the Felexan royal family, the Lazoys. Eileen could picture the family tree in the Diary of War. She could imagine the fear and fright that overcame the Lazoys as their home fell under siege when Vulpus turned on them. None of them had reached Toontown. They probably died at the Dam when it burst.

It began to rain once they were out of the trucks. Eileen craned her neck toward the sky. She hadn’t seen rain since the Exodus in Toontown. The town was never rainy, a unique feature of their climate. It was not the same up in Cartonia, but this was the first time she’d seen it here.

“Let’s take shelter,” Benjamina called. “Flo, do you need help with Mickey?”

“I’m fine,” Mickey announced. “I can walk alone.”

They hurried through the broken front door of Talonclaw Castle.

“Down to the dungeons,” Usa pointed. “They’ll be dry.”

The palace was empty. No people, no furniture, no remnants of the family that lived here. The only thing left was the skeleton of the building itself.

The dungeons were dark, but Usa and Benjamina lit flashlights. Flo had a large kerosene lantern.

“Here, let’s go in this one.”

Usa walked through a doorframe that appeared to have been melted at one point. The cell was big enough to hold them all.

“Stay together for body heat,” Benjamina said. “It’s going to be a cold night.”

“How long are we here for?” Eileen asked, sitting against the cool wall.

“A few days,” Usa said. “Others are coming. This is a good place to regroup. Rest for a while. The foxes will be looking for you on the roads. They won’t come here.”

“You say that,” Alice said, “but why wouldn’t they? If they’re smart they’ll look in all the places they’d never look.”

Usa cracked a smile.

“They say Talonclaw is cursed. Nobody wants to come here, not even the Vixen Queen.”

“Cursed?” Piggy repeated, glancing at the door. “Ghosts?”

“Something like that,” Usa said and scooted aside. She shone her flashlight on the wall, where markings were just visible. Eileen peered at them, but couldn’t tell what they were.

“It’s a poem,” Piggy said, who was closer to them. “Re…requ…what the heck does that say?”

“*Requiem aeternam*,” said Benjamina.

“*Slept upon a throne of light*,” Usa continued. “*Gone as a blessed blossom, plucked from the cold of night*.”

“*Pity not the souls below, tarry not the final quest*,” said Benjamina.

“*All will see the heavens glow, freed in eternal rest*,” finished Usa.

“What is that?” Eileen asked. “It’s beautiful.”

“And what’s ‘Requiem...’what you said?” Piggy asked.

Usa rubbed her palm over the words.

“It’s Psittancynesian for ‘eternal rest.’ The legend goes that Doe Deirdre inscribed these words when she was imprisoned here. That doorframe was melted when she escaped. She was one of the first BioFreaks ever.”

Some of that the Toons knew. She was a known BioFreak, wife of the Stag who betrayed her. One of her allies, another BioFreak, was a Founder of Toontown. Eileen would have never known she was imprisoned here, and that this was her cell.

“Deirdre was a badass,” Benjamina uttered. “She burnt the shit out of the Stag and got her revenge. I admire her.”

*Tarry not the final quest*, Eileen repeated in her head. This to her felt like the final quest. The last charge in her battle for freedom. There was certainly no greater evil than the foxes. If the Free could just cut them down…

What if this quest lasted decades? What if the Free was victorious and there was another quest after this one? Would her saga continue? She dreaded to think of more years like this, endlessly fighting and struggling.

Mickey cried out and clutched his heart. He fell against Flo, who sprung into action. She eased him onto his back. Mickey seized, tears springing from his eyes. Eileen instinctively moved the lantern closer. Flo felt his pulse, then his heart.

“He’s having a heart attack. Everyone, out!”

—The Rook of Vulpus, Vista, Vulpus—

—April 17, 1051—

—The Next Day—

Queen Vella was eager for word on the retaliation against the Scuridian pirates for killing the Beckers. At last, Skulksmarshall Tick Hunter was able to provide her with such an update.

“We have sunk twelve Scuridian pirate ships in Vixen Bay and the Western Fox Ocean. Thirty-nine pirates have been captured, and three were present at the vineyard during the slaughter.”

“Well done!” Vella applauded Tick, who bowed graciously. Rook was sitting with her at the table in the war chamber of the castle. Jewellia was seated by the door, continuing her knitting. She was onto another scarf now. That’s all she had the mental capacity to knit. Once she tried a blanket and it actually reduced her to tears.

“Of the three interrogations,” Tick went on, “none knew that they were killing the wanted heirs. Apparently the vineyard owners put up a fight and tried to protect them, and the pirates just killed them. Simple as that. They took another vineyard employee hostage. A duck.”

“Nonetheless,” Vella said with a wave, “have them hung.”

“Of course, Majesty.”

Tick had provided her with footage of the sinkings, which she watched with glee. She nudged Rook and pointed when the largest of the black-flagged boats went under. He seemed distracted.

“Pay close attention here, Majesty,” said Tick. He gestured at the screen, where one ship got away from the Vulpus Armada. As the other boats chased after it, the pirate ship seemed to be protected by a maelstrom. It kept the Armada at bay, and almost appeared to be following the pirate ship.

“That’s strange,” Vella remarked.

“In my expert opinion,” Tick said, “having analyzed the footage numerous times, I am of the belief that the ship was being protected by a water-controlling BioFreak on board.”

Vella gave a disinterested shrug.

“An escaped duck, then? All the water BioFreaks we’ve created have been ducks. It’s not hard to get on board a pirate ship from the Mallardian region’s ports.”

“Except,” Tick said, leaning over the table, resting on his fists, “*all* BioFreaks are accounted for.”

Vella glanced at Rook, but he was looking down at the table. What was up with him?

“What are you saying, Tick?”

“The Free are making their own BioFreaks.”

He slid a clipboard across the table. It was a list of all the water BioFreaks created. They had all been checked off as being on land and in their cells. The two at the very top, Cale Metfin and Evelyn Quin, were crossed off. Deceased.

It hit her like a bolt of lightning.

One of them survived! One of them escaped the *Chipper* explosion and came back to Cartonia with the fleet! That’s how the Free knew about the heirs within a day of their arrival, how they were freed from Yefoxerinburg with advance warning. The pirates had taken one duck hostage, and it wasn’t one of the Beckers. It was either Evelyn or Cale!

“One of those freaks survived!” Vella shrieked, slamming the clipboard on the ground. “Evelyn or Cale, Evelyn or Cale.”

She laughed. “I know it’s Evelyn. Cale’s too meek to pull any of this off. Evelyn was the smart one. I bet she stowed away on *The Imperial Conqueror*, eating our food…lying in wait.”

“What are you…talking about?” Tick asked, staring with concern. Vella espoused her theory. Tick nodded with wide eyes.

“It makes sense…”

“I can’t believe we’ve been blind to it this whole time!” Vella cried. “I want whoever it is dead! *Find her!*”

“I will, your Majesty!” Tick vowed. He gathered his papers and the clipboard and hastened from the room. She could already hear him barking orders to the soldiers posted outside.

Vella rounded on Rook, who had remained silent throughout.

“What the hell is going on with you?”

Rook stared up at her. Vella waited, but he never said anything. She rolled her eyes and stormed out. Jewellia trotted after her.

“He’s acting strangely,” she remarked. “See if you can figure out why.”

—Talonclaw Castle—

—*Former Felexa*—

—April 18, 1051—

—The Next Day—

They were twelve days away from revolution. Usa Uhuru was starting to make final preparations. She sent Benjamina away from Talonclaw to summon a meeting at the castle between the Big Four of the Free. Usa was one of them, but three others were working alongside her. When they congregated at the castle, she’d divulge to at least one of them the secret of the lost Harmony Crown.

Mickey Elias survived his heart attack, thankfully. Flo was still tending to him. She had extensive medical training, but she was not a doctor and did not have access to the equipment of a hospital. She was making do with what she had and what could be found in the rubble of Tabitha.

Usa sat in the rain on the steps of Talonclaw Castle. The Toons were downstairs with Mickey, trying to keep his spirits up. In her mind, Usa ran through the four-pronged revolution.

First, an enormous citizen invasion of Vulpus and the capital of Vista.

Second, a direct strike on the Vixen Queen through infiltration of the Rook of Vulpus.

Third, destroying the Antlerstag experiments and shutting down the BioFreak program. The original plan was to burn the palace, but with the three Toons imprisoned there and the difficulty of getting to Lyme…that may have to be adapted.

Fourth, coordinated uprisings in every city, town, village, and hamlet across Cartonia.

Everyone must rise in revolution against Vulpus at the exact same time. Each prong of the plan was led by a different leader of the Free. Usa was overseeing the fourth, hence her wayward years and why she was in charge of the heirs. They fit most perfectly into her part of the plan, even though she was wrong to include them.

The Toons didn’t know what the revolution plan was, and they didn’t need to. It was best to keep them isolated from it so they didn’t get hurt.

*Twelve days*, she thought to herself. It was incredible. Just twelve days. Then, revolution!

—

Mickey was recovering well, and for that Alice Carver was very grateful. For a terrifying instance, she thought Mickey was going to die in the dank dungeons of Talonclaw Castle. She couldn’t even picture the obituary back in Toontown: “Beloved Mayor Perishes In Castle of the Lazoy Royal Family.” No one would believe it had they not seen the foxes take him away.

Eileen was getting some rest. Piggy was drawing with a stick of graphite. Usa was upstairs, contemplating something.

“Hey,” Alice said to Mickey. “Are you awake?”

“Yeah,” Mickey grunted, “but I’d like to sleep.”

“Are you in pain? Should I get Flo?”

“I’m fine,” Mickey said. He was propped up on all of their jackets. He didn’t close his eyes, prompting Alice to say, “Penny for your thoughts.”

Mickey heaved a sigh.

“I was selfish for coming here,” he said. “But I was curious. Bradley invited me, and I didn’t protest. I wanted to see what had become of this place. I’ve always wondered, all those years, what sort of place our ancestors fled and what it would look like now. I got to see it. Wish I hadn’t.”

He angled his head at Alice. “I knew I was old and my health was failing, and yet I accepted your husband’s invitation anyway. I put you all at risk. I never considered I’d die here, and now I think I will.”

He covered his face with his paws. “I just want to go back home.”

“I want that too,” Alice said, but she frowned. “But I cannot leave here without Bradley.”

Mickey took her paw and held it to his chest.

“Alice, if I become too much of a burden, you must leave me behind.”

Alice pulled her paw back.

“Don’t get noble on me, Mister Mayor. We’re sticking together, remember? We all get out, or none of us do. I’m not living the rest of my life worrying about you in *Felexa*.”

The two laughed, incredulous at their situation. Alice often felt as if she had stepped into a page of the Diary of War.

“This could have been your house, or something like this,” Alice said. “People in Toontown always said that you could have been a king.”

Mickey smirked.

“I was merely charismatic, not effective.”

“I would have voted for you, had I not been kidnapped.”

“That’s touching,” Mickey laughed. “Some real sweet sentiment there.”

“Alright, I’ll leave you to rest.”

She leaned over and kissed his forehead. She then went to join Piggy Pie with her drawings.

—Toontown—

Over the past few days, the Toons had been forced out of Dreamland, Melodyland, the Brrrgh, and the Docks. The humid Gardens was the least desirable neighborhood for the foxes, and so that’s where everyone was being dumped. Toontown Central’s evictions were beginning, forcing everyone west. Makeshift homes were constructed as quickly as possible in the marshes near Sellbot Headquarters.

It was a horrible time. The homes were mostly made out of tents, and so there was no running water or electricity. Toons were not equipped to live a life in squalor. Despite being evicted and living outside of Toontown, they were still expected to come into the town and work their jobs, some in the very shops they had been forced from. Many shopkeepers were turning the back rooms of their stores into mini apartments. This was plausible for those living alone or with one other, but not families.

Constance saw the rosters on Hans Einfach’s desk. There were plans for the foxes to take over every single Toon building, including eventually the Gardens.

Vidalia VaVoom organized a home-sharing program for the Gardens to give proper roofs to those most in need. Several altruistic Toons gave up their homes entirely and moved to the tent villages so that others could stay in their house.

Both Vidalia and Constance had been evicted from their homes. They were sharing a tent in Sellbot HQ. They went to work together in Toontown Central. Constance convinced Hans to hire Vidalia as her assistant. Constance was still unclear what exactly her day-to-day responsibilities were as Colonial Governor, but Hans seemed to appreciate the fact that she kept the Toons at bay from him. They went to her for all problems, leaving him unencumbered with Toon miseries.

On their way back from Toontown Central, Constance and Vidalia made their rounds to the tents to ensure that everyone had adequate food and supplies.

Near the Oak Street tunnel, the Pie family had sheltered. Potbelly Pie was murdered in the pogrom, leaving only Muddy, Hamlet, and Truffle Pie. They looked worse and worse every time Constance saw them. Two brothers dead and their sister lost to Cartonia. Loss plagued them.

“Do you need anything?” Constance asked Muddy. He just shook his head, staring despondently at the grass. Hamlet and Truffle were leaning against one another, their expressions blank.

Constance proceeded with Vidalia into the tunnel. The foxes had boarded it up but with all the evictions the Toons had no choice but to tear it down. No one cared. Many were living inside the tunnel, but Constance preferred the chance of sunlight to this dark entombment.

Near her own tent in Sellbot Headquarters, Constance was stopped by a tall brown cat. It was Drema Yawn, the only other known BioFreak in Toontown. She had been of tremendous help to the Toon Resistance back when the Toon/Cog hybrids called Togs were imprisoned in Toontown Central. Her ability to induce sleep had prevented the Togs from communicating with the Chairman of the Cogs.

“I’ve heard of your new resistance,” Drema said to Constance. “I want to help.”

“Thank you,” Vidalia said. “Your abilities are very valuable.”

Drema was not exactly public that she was a BioFreak, but she didn’t shy away from her affinity for sleep and dreams. Her earrings were homemade dreamcatchers.

“I can inflict a sleeping curse upon the foxes whenever we make our strike. Depending on how far I cast the net, some Toons may fall asleep too, but I can do my best to channel toward the foxes alone. We could shut down the communications tower in the Brrrgh, for example.”

Constance was intrigued. The new resistance’s plan was not even half-baked, but Drema would be an invaluable asset.

“Hold that thought,” Constance said, “until we can speak again in more detail. I have a few more tents to check.”

Drema nodded and turned toward her own tent, where her young daughter was having dinner, eating out of a can.

“Drema?” Constance said suddenly, remembering how Hans had demanded she name all the BioFreaks. “Just curious…are you and Slate the only BioFreaks in Toontown?”

“No,” Drema replied. Constance bobbed her head toward the daughter.

“Oh, right. Your daughter.”

Drema coyly shook her head.

“There is another.”

Vidalia’s eyebrows shot up. This was news to Constance as well.

“Who?”

“I’m not sure,” Drema said. “Perhaps there isn’t, but I do know this. Three BioFreaks came to Toontown 320 years ago. My ancestor, Sophie Riffick. Slate’s ancestor, Azure Oldman. And a rabbit named Trent Mallon with the rumored ability to change the color of his fur. He became Mayor, and I believe he still has a living descendent.”

Constance and Vidalia glanced at each other.

“How would we find this BioFreak?”

Drema gestured at the displaced Toons milling about their tents.

“Start asking rabbits.”

## Production

### Continuity and Story Arcs

The House of Psint-Annenburg-Volta was first introduced in the season 4 episode “Too Close to the Sun,” where it was described as being a merger of three noble parrot families. Since the War, a fourth has joined, thus birthing the House of Psint-Annenburg-Volta-Antillea.

Talonclaw Castle was featured again, the former royal residence of the Lazoy Royal Family.

“Requiem Aeternam,” the poem Doe Deirdre inscribed on the wall of her cell in the fourth season episode “Requiem Aeternum,” was featured again. The Free have committed it to memory.

Mickey Elias’s health worsened, and he suffered a heart attack.

Vella Vixen realized that either Evelyn Quin or Cale Metfin survived the *Chipper* explosion.

Drema Yawn, one of Toontown’s only BioFreaks and direct descendent of Sophie Riffick, returned after a long absence. She last appeared in the second season episode “By a Preponderance.”

Trent Mallon, who last appeared in the season four finale “Until I Die,” is rumored to have a living descendent among Toontown’s rabbits.

## Trivia

* The title of this episode references the poem Doe Deirdre Elkton inscribed on the wall of her cell in Talonclaw Castle in the *War* episode "Requiem Aeternum." The poem is an original: "*Requiem Aeternam / Slept upon a throne of light / Gone as a blessed blossom / Plucked from the cold of night / Pity not the souls below / **Tarry not the final quest** / All will see the heavens glow / Freed in eternal rest."*
	+ The line was quoted by Benjamina as she and the Free recited it from memory: "*Pity not the souls below, **tarry not the final quest**."*
* This episode was written in one day, along with "All the Queen's Men," both completed on December 12, 2021. This is the only instance of two episodes being written in a single day.
* The Antillea part of the House of Psint-Annenburg-Volta-Antillea is named after the Antilles islands in the Caribbean.
* Macaw Kitt’s full name, Kittevnis, is named after the Caribbean nation St. Kitts and Nevis.