Ricochet Rabbit

### Nationality

American ( has Native American and Spanish heritage from his father’s side of the family)

### Spouse

* Melissa Starkweather ( main timeline)
* Denise Falconeri (*Blazin’ Trails Alter*)
* Diane Steelclaw (*Blazin’ Trails Alter*)

### Significant Other

Numerous, including:* Diane Steelclaw
* Denise Falconeri
* Melissa Starkweather
* Bunny Hug

### Children

* Lucky (adopted)
* Xiao Feng (Adopted)

With Melissa Starkweather:

* Caroline "Carrie" Rabbit
* Rosemarie Rabbit
* Bucky Rabbit

With Diane Steelclaw:

* Cheyenne Steelclaw-Rabbit
* Azar Steelclaw-Rabbit
* Catori Steelclaw-Rabbit

### Occupation

* Deputy in Hallowed Fields
* Gunsmith (young adult)
* Sheriff of Gopher Gulch
* Sheriff of Hoop 'n Holler

### Alignment

* Lawful Good ( has been known to swing to either Neutral or Chaotic depending on the case; main timeline)
* Chaotic Evil ( As the Albino Reaper, *Blazin’ Trails Alter*)

## Chronology

### First Appearance

* *No One's Perfect* (*Blazin' Trails* chapter 1)
* *Breaker of Barriers* (*Blazin' Trails Redux*, season 1, episode 1)
* *Humble Beginnings* (*The Life and Times of Ricochet Rabbit*, episode 1)
* *Best in the West* ( *Blazin’ Trails: Red Scorpion’s Sting*, episode 7)
* *Reaper, Where Art Thou?* (*Blazin’ Trails Alter*, episode 1)

### Last Appearance

* *So Long, Droopy* ( *Blazin' Trails* chapter 31)
* *Happy Trails, Sheriff* ( *Blazin' Trails Redux* season 7, episode 32)
* *Worth the Gamble* ( *Blazin’ Trails: Red Scorpion’s Sting*, episode 13)

**Ricochet Rabbit**is a white furred rabbit hailing from Carrottop Canyon, Texas. A member of the prominent Rabbit family, whose members consist of famous lawmen and women, he is a fourth-generation sheriff, blessed with the speed and heart of justice that burns in many of his predecessors, namely Ricochet Rabbit I, his namesake and original head of the Rabbit family. Though his journey to become sheriff was marked by several trials, including his sister’s murder, he would succeed in following his dream—he served as deputy and later as sheriff in numerous towns, most famously in Gopher Gulch and Hoop 'n Holler, alongside his deputy and best friend, Droop-a-Long Coyote.

He is one of the main protagonists of both the original *Blazin' Trails* series and its remake*, Blazin’ Trails Redux,* and is an integral character in many of the series’ spinoffs and related material.

## Personality

   Ricochet is held in high regard by many sheriffs in both Texas and around the country due to his dedication to living by the badge and following the law to the best of his ability. Like all sheriffs, he is tough on the outlaws he captures, but compared to many other sheriffs, he often hands down fair and manageable punishments, in the hopes that their time in jail time will change their ways. He also refuses to kill the outlaws he brings in, believing that doing so is murder. This no-killing rule he has towards outlaws stems from his murdering the outlaw who killed his older sister, Rose, when he was a teeenager; though spared jail time for the act, it taught him that taking a life was a serious matter and that doing so in revenge would only cause an endless cycle of pain and suffering for all involved. As such, he does what he can to avoid unnecessary deaths, and is known to regret killing in self-defense. His beliefs have even drawn some ire from the sheriffs of his time, including his father, who believes that criminals are irredeemable once they've committed a crime, no matter the severity.  However, his stances have also made him popular, and as such he's looked up to (figuratively) as an inspiration to sheriffs everywhere. With an impressive career under his belt, Ricochet is often touted as "the best sheriff in all the West", a title that he and Quick Draw contend over. He is feared by many outlaws (sans truly vicious ones like Drag-a-Long Coyote, Jr. and Serena Falconeri ), and his name can strike fear into experienced, hardened criminals. His status has also made him a popular target for attempted assassinations, although thankfully, none of their plans succeeded. His dedication to his job is both his strength and his flaw; it's mentioned that he loves his job as sheriff so much that it's part of the reason he's never had a long-lasting romance (something that both embarrasses and annoys him). While he tries to be an exemplary sheriff, he's not above finding loopholes if it'll help him nail a criminal, or being tempted to take the law into his own hands. He also has his own biases regarding types of criminals: he is known to hate horse thieves and former lawmen who became criminals, believing it to be the highest disgrace to the law. Similar to his grandfather, he tolerates vigilantes, bounty hunters, and heroes-for-hire with some restraint—though he believes that law and order should be upheld by people who have the badge, he also understands that people have to do what they can to survive, and recognizes that certain cases (especially personal ones involving family) can’t be solved through legal means.

Though a friendly, well-meaning person, he tends to fall victim to his various flaws. His family's prominence, not to mention his own feats as a sheriff, have made him arrogant and prideful. Even his professional rival, Touché Turtle, playfully makes jabs at Ricochet's posturing. He possesses a large ego, which isn't hard to back up, but it’s also not hard to bruise either. Ricochet is known for being a sore loser, and will refuse to end a competition unless he wins it for this reason. While he's not without empathy, he is notoriously blunt (which he rarely apologizes for, as he believes in "givin' it to 'em straight"), especially when it comes to other people's shortcomings. He can be demeaning at times, and at his best can be rude; at his worst, he can nitpick to where it becomes insufferable.

Ricochet is infamous for both his hotheadedness and impulsiveness; possessing a short fuse, it doesn't take much to set off his temper, and he’s also known for rushing headlong into conflict with half-formed ideas that he thought were good at the time. A trait passed down from his great-grandmother Reece, it’s said that when he gets angry, the whole town will know within seconds. His voice changes depending on both the situation and the level of his wrath; the angrier he is, the louder and faster he talks. Like his forebears, he holds onto grudges, and never forgets a wrongdoing. Occasionally, he’ll immediately go after the person who wronged him or his family, but when truly furious, he’s known to plot out his revenge in painstaking detail before committing to it. Once this happens, not even his friends or loved ones can stop him, and they’ve learned that it’s best to leave him be, for the person whom he’s targeted must have done something truly heinous in order to incur this level of anger. In this stage, he mirrors his father, who was nicknamed “Ricochet the Vengeful” for this similar level of anger. Anything happening to Droop-a-Long, Melissa, his friends, his children or innocents will immediately set off this wrathful side, and it often takes an outside influence to calm him down.

Though a popular celebrity, many people believe that he is an aloof, unapproachable person. Ricochet keeps to himself outside of work, occasionally hanging out with his small circle of friends. The reason for this is due to being very familiar with the taste of betrayal. To cope with his distrust of strangers, he developed a habit of pushing people away when it appears he's starting to let people into his circle, which left him with few people he can truly call friends. In his younger days, he figured it’d save him and the other person the pain, but when he grew older, he came to regret it, as it’s caused more misunderstands and fights than he’d like. His friendship with Droop-a-Long, which is arguably one of his closest relationships, was somewhat rocky in the beginning due to this tendency. He's not nearly as empathetic as Droop-a-Long, and is often the realist compared to Droop-a-Long’s optimist, but he is not as cold as the public believes him to be.

Ricochet forms strong attachments to those he's close to, and is emotionally dependent on them for stability; as such, he takes situations where his loved ones are hurt, dying or separated from him harder than most people, hence his solution. Due to his sister's murder, Ricochet's greatest fear is losing the people he loves to crime. In events where his loved ones are in trouble, he’s known to shut down mentally, as the grief and memories of his past render him immobile. Though sometimes he can come back on his own, those in his closest circle have to help him come back to his senses. Ironically, despite claiming that he's not as fearful as Droop-a-Long and that he does not have nightmares, he has nearly succumbed to his fears on several occasions and nearly quit because of them, as well as having gruesome nightmares about those he cares about. Denise Falconeri, Droop-a-Long and most of the members of his family know of his fear, and often help him through it. While he hates it when people hide their fears for his sake or become impulsive or irrational because of them, he is guilty of these same habits, with some of his family calling him out on it.

When he was first starting out as a sheriff, he did carry the species blindness that his grandfather and great-grandfather had, but as he grew older he was known to carry prejudices against certain predators due to his father’s influence, namely coyotes. When he eventually met and became close friends with Droop-a-Long, Ricochet disavowed that behavior and refused to engage in racist rhetoric with anybody, and it’s one of the few things that will instantly set him off. Sexism is another hot button for him, and he has no problem with punching a man three times his size for slapping and demeaning his wife, or going to bat for his niece when she experienced both that and discrimination for her relationship with Salvador. He has limited contact with his father because of this, as he recognizes that his father’s attitudes towards other races and women isn’t worth sacrificing his friendships or lifestyle over.

   Hotheaded, prideful and a wild card he may be, but there’s no doubt that Ricochet is a good person at heart. Though it takes him a while to notice that he's in the wrong, he's quick to make up for his shortcomings. He's compassionate, loyal and affectionate to friends and loved ones, and is very protective of them; some of his more explosive moments have happened because people have put his friends or loved ones in danger. Out of his friendships, he values his close friendship with Droop-a-Long the most, calling him his brother in all but blood, and is very protective of him. When it comes to his family, he exhibits a softer side and it’s clear that he loves being “Uncle Ricochet” to his numerous nieces and nephews, namely Roxanne and Mireya, the former of whom he helped raise for most of her life. Despite his impatience, he’s surprisingly good with kids and does his best to be attuned to what they need; this attitude is what helped him break through Lucky’s shell.

Though he’s the realist between him and Droop-a-Long, he’s not without empathy, and is known for offering a shoulder to cry on if someone needs it. While he has a few issues with trust, once one gets him to open up, they’ll find a person who is loyal to his friends and won’t hesitate to die for them. He is somewhat of a romantic, though he’d never admit it to anybody, and enjoys being affectionate towards those he’s close to, including cuddling or hugging. He doesn’t like being seen as adorable/cute, and aside from certain women in his life, will not allow anybody to call him such. He only allows certain people to scratch/pet his head for a short amount of time, because when done for too long he basically becomes putty as it relaxes him. While this is natural behavior for his species and is a sign of true, unbreakable trust for him, Ricochet becomes incredibly embarrassed when he catches himself acting in this manner. Droop-a-Long, who is arguably his closest friend, ended up being banned from doing this since the coyote thought it was hilarious, though it still doesn’t stop him trying.

Ricochet is rather mischievous by nature and possesses an occasionally naughty but good-natured sense of humor; innuendos are his favorite weapons, and Droop-a-Long is one of his favorite targets. He loves to tease his friends about their hobbies, and like many rabbits of his day, their love lives, although he knows when to hold back. Although he likes to tease his friends about embarrassing habits, he himself has several. For starters, he has a fascination with celebrities and movies and is known to talk about them nonstop when he gets started. Romance novels are a guilty pleasure for him , and he was an avid reader of D.C. Olivier’s; when he learned that Droop-a-Long wrote the stories, he offered to keep his identity secret in exchange for allowing him to read the story hot off the press. Oddly enough, despite having a devious sense of humor and having had numerous paramours in his life, he gets flustered when reading adult scenes in novels, hence his shock when Droop-a-Long’s secret writing career was revealed. in an alternate universe, he is an avid gamer and enjoys following the soaps. He is very athletic, and is stated to have a love of nearly any sport that involves running since he can show off his speed. When too excited, on a sugar rush or taking up a hobby, he can enter a state of hyperactive frenzy, which makes him dangerous to the people around him. Outside of sports, he likes trick shooting and has a fondness for pool and checkers. He hates playing card games with Droop-a-Long since the coyote always beats him, and he keeps himself away from a poker table because with his competitive nature, he could end up gambling away his career. Strangely enough, he doesn't like jokes made at his expense, which has been exploited by his deputy and his rivals. Ricochet also nicknames those he's close to, although he makes exceptions for two cases: if he feels that giving out a cutesy nickname would insult that person, or if they are a significant other of his friend's out of respect for their friendship.

In his younger years, Ricochet was a ladies’ man and according to his brother Rodney, “went through girls like water”. He had no less than thirty relationships over the course of his life, and because of his species blindness, he would date both in and out of his species. While a lot of his dates were prey animals like himself, he did date a few predators, such as cats. Similar to his great-grandfather Ricochet, he had a serious relationship with a predator: a red fox named Diane Steelclaw, who came from a prominent family renowned for their work in the railroad business. Their relationship was kept secret due to the standards and both of their fathers’ attitudes. Were it not for her father chasing him off when he found out who he was, Ricochet would’ve married her. Unlike what happened to his great-grandfather, though, this relationship resulted in three children that he never knew about until years later. Having wised up since his younger days, Ricochet looks back at his behavior with some shame, as his quest for love was based on superficial matters rather than building an actual relationship.

In addition to inheriting the family stubbornness, hotheadedness and shrewdness, Ricochet is known for being a huge adrenaline junkie, being bested by his great-grandfather Ricochet in that regard. Hot blooded and loving a chance to challenge his strength or break his limits, he will pull all sorts of athletics or maneuvers to nab a criminal or best an opponent. Such feats have earned him the nickname “Ricochet the Daredevil”, and his closest friends and family worry about whether his next stunt will be his last. He enjoys his professional rivalry with Touché Turtle due to their shared tendencies, and loves shooting competitions with Quick Draw.

Ricochet also has a love of food, and it's implied in several shorts that he possesses a voracious appetite. Droop-a-Long's cooking, noted to be the best amongst their group of friends, doesn’t help things. Ricochet himself can cook decently, but most of his food tends to be either bland or overseasoned; only Touché Turtle beats him in regards to worst cook. He has a huge sweet tooth, with cakes, donuts and chocolate in particular being his weaknesses, and he takes his love of sweets very seriously, even chasing Droop-a-Long out of town for selling them. He has tried to curb his eating habits by dieting, only to go right back and eat said food again, always blaming it on his insanely high metabolism. He has a fondness for bread, extremely spicy food, chili and of course, carrots, although rutabaga is another favorite vegetable of his. His most disliked foods are licorice and artichokes, and he is also allergic to peanuts . He loves coffee, but prefer having others make it for him due to his coffee making skills being even worse than Droop-a-Long’s, with many saying it smells and tastes like burnt rubber and mud.

## History

### Early Life

Ricochet was born in Carrottop Canyon, a rabbit community in the state of Texas, to Ricochet Rabbit III and Regina Rabbit. He's the ninth of twelve children and their sixth and youngest son, and the fourth to carry the name "Ricochet". According to his mother, his birth was the shortest out of all his siblings, taking only seven minutes, similar to how his great-grandfather was born. He was born on his great-grandfather's 50th birthday, and upon learning this, his great grandfather insisted that they name him after him.

   As a boy, Ricochet spent a lot of time with his older siblings and parents, but mostly enjoyed hearing stories from his great-grandfather, who regaled him and his siblings with his adventures. Out of the great-grandchildren, Ricochet was the elder Ricochet's favorite, something his father resented. His mother noted that Ricochet I was the only relative of the family he would sit still for, asking him questions about his adventures for hours. From the time he was three years old, he declared that he would be just like his great-grandfather, with a lot of honors, a cool nickname, and the best deputy a man could have.

Like most of the family, Ricochet inherited the family's speed gene, and was quick to pick up the "ricocheting" ability his father and grandfather were known for. It soon became clear that the son would surpass the father; several of his family members wondered if he was a second version of his great-grandfather, from whom he'd inherited several traits, personality and view wise. Inspired by his great-grandfather's and grandfather's stories, young Ricochet decided to become a sheriff, although he dropped out of elementary school in order to pursue this dream, much to his mother's detriment. Like his great-grandfather, he focused primarily on his speed, although at a young age he became skilled at using a gun. Ricochet was a mischievous prankster as a boy, but possessed a good heart, although at a young age he did display his trademark hotheadness. Out of his older siblings, he was closest to his older sister, Rose, who would play with her younger siblings and understood him the most. Although Ricochet didn't like taking a lot of responsibility as a boy, he took to his role as a big brother later on when his three younger sisters were born. He would later get to know the Edwards family when one of their sons, Isaiah Edwards, courted and married his older sister. Though Ricochet's father was wary of Isaiah at first, he later relented and accepted him into the family. Rose soon became pregnant a few months after their honeymoon, and Ricochet's family were excited to be welcoming a new member of the family.

Their excitement soon turned to tragedy. In 1849, fifteen year old Ricochet was leaving with his sister (who by then was heavily pregnant), having picked up an order for their mother. The two were ambushed by several men, who overpowered Ricochet. Rose fought back against the men, but was shot in the head and crumbled to the floor. Ricochet was beat up by the gang and robbed of his money and valuables, as well as suffering a broken arm and leg. However, he managed to make his way to his sister, where he discovered that she was still alive, but was also going into labor. Unwilling to leave his older sister in the street, Ricochet stayed by her side as she gave birth to her daughter, and she died shortly after. Ricochet's father, who had been out of town bringing a few outlaws back, had heard of the attack and ran to his children: he found his daughter dead, and his younger son holding his granddaughter in his arms, silently crying all the while.

Rose's death greatly impacted Ricochet and his family. Ricochet's father, already an intensely private man, became even moreso as years went by, and developed an unforgiving attitude towards criminals. Rodney would later leave home a year later, and Rachel, referred to as the "wild child" of the family, would taken in Rose's daughter, whom Ricochet's aunt Rosalinda named Mireya Edwards-Rabbit. Her husband Isaiah was devastated, and would carry this grief for the rest of his life.

Because the family was in mourning, Ricochet's father didn't go after the outlaw immediately, but Ricochet decided to take the law into his own hands. After recovering from his injuries, he hunted down the leader of the gang, eventually finding him at a lake. With his father's stolen rifle in hand, he shot the outlaw in the head the same way the man did his sister. Word soon got around fast, and the outlaw's widow demanded that Ricochet stand trial. Ricochet's father intervened, explaining that he'd planned to kill the murderer, but his son beat him to it. When the judge learned the whole story, Ricochet was cleared of the charge and spared prison time, but the experience haunted him.  He came to the realization that taking a life was a serious matter, as the outlaw did have a family and those who loved him, despite what he'd done. From then on, he resolved that when he became sheriff, he'd never kill anyone who took away his loved ones, though in his later years this vow was challenged. To ease his pain, he eventually left Carrottop Canyon and settled in another town , where he promptly took up a position as one of the town sheriff's many deputies.

#### Romance with Denise Falconeri

    By the time Ricochet was twenty, he became known as a ladies' man and a heartbreaker, although he'd had his own share of heartbreaks due to dating the wrong women. After his last, messy breakup with a woman named Charlene, he decided that he needed to leave for a while. One of his aunts invited him to her house in California, and he agreed to go for a week, although his heart still ached for the woman who'd broken it.

One night at a dinner party, he met Denise Falconeri, a wealthy female rabbit who worked with her parents in a restaurant. His troubles with Charlene were quickly forgotten as he liked her adventurous personality, and she took a liking to him as he actually liked her for who she was, rather than for her wealth. This led to a three year courtship; she was approved by his parents and vice-versa. Aside from his later relationship with Melissa Starkweather, Ricochet's relationship with Denise was serious to the point where he proposed to her. However, on the day of the wedding, there was a call regarding an assassin being spotted heading towards the edge of town. He gave chase, but ended up losing the criminal's trail. In doing so, he ended up leaving her at the altar, and he never came back. Hurt by this, Denise broke off their engagement and all contact with Ricochet, as did her family, who was enraged that Ricochet abandoned the girl he loved for his job. To make matters worse, the sheriff canned him for failing to capture him. Shunned and heartbroken, Ricochet eventually returned to Carrottop Canyons to recover from the ordeal with support from his family.

### Tenure in Gopher Gulch

After a year, Ricochet left his home and moved to the small town of Glower Gulch. Since the sheriff already had two deputies, Ricochet decided to find another job. Having had a keen interest in guns, and having become skilled at using guns since he was ten, he took up a job working as an apprentice to a gunsmith. Ricochet became so good at his job that he eventually took over the shop when the owner retired. Although he was good at building and repairing guns, his interest lay in the bullets. It is here that he started manufacturing special bullets that hid other weapons; these bullets, which held weapons such as smaller pistols, lassos and hammers, showcased Ricochet's creative, shrewd and trickier nature, but also showed how peaceful he was in subduing criminals. Word of these special bullets got out everywhere, and soon every sheriff across the West came to his shop to get their hands on the bullets.

Despite making a profit with these bullets, Ricochet still had his sights set on becoming a sheriff. Later, he trained a new apprentice, a brown-furred rabbit named Bucky O'Brien, to become his successor. When Glower Gulch's sheriff retired, Ricochet handed his shop over to his new apprentice and got on the ballot to be elected as the town sheriff. Many people doubted his skills, but he proved them all wrong when he caught ten criminals in under thirty minutes using only his speed and his trick bullets. Impressed, the mayor, J.P. Nuggets, named him the new sheriff. Ricochet became the first non-human sheriff in the town, and was beloved by many people for his passion and love for his job, and his speed and wits.

    During his first four years as sheriff, Ricochet had several deputies, although most of them were people he deputized for a short time. He had three deputies, all of whom had various personalities that played off of his own.

The first was a smooth talking parrot from New Mexico named Pablo Perez, who was his first redemption case. Pablo was a conman wanted by Mexican authorities for numerous counts of fraud and bribery. Ricochet arrested him, but instead of sending him to prison in Mexico offered him the position of deputy not long after arresting him due to sensing that he had a good personality. Ricochet, with the help of J.P. Nuggets, commuted his sentence and hired him as his deputy. Pablo's smooth demeanor and cool head under pressure balanced well with Ricochet's hotheaded and sometimes impulsive demeanor, though the parrot wasn't without his faults. The two worked for three years before Pablo later left to get married in his country of Brazil.

His second deputy was a headstrong ox named Arnold Ox, who hailed from Oregon. Unlike his relationships with Pablo, Sherman and later Droop-a-Long, Ricochet and Arnold didn't get along well and were often on adversarial terms. In addition to Arnold's temper, which was reportedly worse than Ricochet's, the two had differing views on how to handle criminals: Ricochet wanted to give the outlaws a fair trial, while Arnold wanted to kill them right them on the spot. Arnold stayed for several months, and was eventually fired by Ricochet due to him killing an unarmed man and tried to justify it as self-defense.

His third deputy was a small, timid sheep named Sherman Sheep, who came along in his fifth year as sheriff. While Ricochet and Sherman got along well, Sherman's timid nature and fear of blood and violence hindered his duties. Eventually, the sheep left because of the stress, leaving Ricochet to return to temporary deputies who all eventually left for various reasons.

#### Meeting Droop-a-Long Coyote

Seeing as there was nobody else who was eligible for the job, Ricochet was told by the mayor, who'd become a close friend of his, that he had to pick a deputy from another town. The closest town near Gopher Gulch was the town of Shadybrook, which was heavy populated with coyotes. As a rabbit, Ricochet was uneasy around coyotes and had a dislike for them, so he wasn't terribly happy with this news. At the mayor's request, however, he went to the town, although he hoped he could find either a human or a rabbit to serve as his deputy.

While in the town, he ended up bumping into a local, Droop-a-Long Coyote, who worked odd jobs around town. Though he was nicer than most of the coyotes in town, Ricochet paid him no mind, instead interested in finding a non-coyote section of town. He learned from a bartender that there was a town not far from Shadybrook that had the rabbit population he was looking for, called Carrot Top Taverns, but it was known as a place rife with crime. As he had no directions, he had to ask the locals, and the first local he encountered upon leaving the saloon was Droop-a-Long, who was cleaning the porch. Upon telling him what he was doing, Droop-a-Long explained that he used to be a guide there and that it was far too dangerous for him to go alone. Ricochet was determined to go anyway, but he decided to take Droop-a-Long with him so he could leave him alone.

    That night, however, Ricochet and Droop-a-Long were ambushed a few miles outside of Carrot Top Taverns by outlaws. Ricochet attempted to fight, but he was knocked out by the outlaws and suffered a near fatal injury where he was slashed across the throat. He survived the attack thanks to Droop-a-Long, who used one of his guns to send the outlaws running, and then rushed him back to town to be seen by a doctor.

Ricochet awoke three days later and discovered that Droop-a-Long had not only saved his life, but had come to visit him while he was recovering. They talked for a while, with Ricochet on much friendlier terms than he'd been before, and he also encouraged Droop-a-Long to follow his dream of being a sheriff. After Ricochet got out of the hospital two days later, Droop-a-Long invited him to spend a time recovering at his family's house, where Ricochet met the coyote's family (barring Droop-a-Long's older brother, Drag-a-Long Coyote, who had already turned outlaw).

Over the course of a few weeks, Ricochet and Droop-a-Long became the best of friends.Their friendship quickly became the talk of the town, as rabbits and coyotes hardly interacted. Though several accused Ricochet of simply using Droop-a-Long, and vice versa, Ricochet firmly explained that his friendship with Droop-a-Long was not born of ill intentions, as did Droop-a-Long. Droop-a-Long's family didn't have much problem with Ricochet, although Droop-a-Long's father was wary of him due to how he originally treated Droop-a-Long.

When Ricochet returned to Glower Gulch, he told J.P. that he'd decided to hire Droop-a-Long, and the mayor readily agreed. Before sending out the letter informing Droop-a-Long of his position, however, Ricochet wrote a personal letter on the back, explaining why he chose him and that Droop-a-Long didn't have to worry about being the perfect deputy, as well as apologizing for his previous treatment of the coyote. Droop-a-Long received the news a week after Ricochet left, and came to town several days afterward. The day Droop-a-Long was instated as Ricochet's deputy was also the day that the town was renamed to Gopher Gulch.

#### Service in Gopher Gulch

Ricochet continued serving as the town's sheriff, taking on numerous cases and training his new deputy in his new duties. It was during this time that both he and Droop-a-Long had to become accustomed to living together and learning of each other's habits, leading to several eye-opening experiences. He continued to catch more crooks, and Droop-a-Long himself made a few arrests on his own during his two years serving as the deputy of the town.

In one notorious case, Ricochet had to deal with a corrupt sheriff who was using underhanded methods to take on the town's crime rate.

#### Love Troubles

    During his sixth and final year in Gopher Gulch, Ricochet met the local postmistress, Melissa Starkweather, when he came to clear up a mistake that his deputy had made on an order. She hadn't thought much of him other than that he was shorter than she'd thought he'd be, but Ricochet fell for her at first sight, to the point where he'd made himself look like an idiot in front of her, which earned him some teasing from Droop-a-Long. After their first meeting, Ricochet found practically every reason to visit her, mainly so he could flirt with her. Melissa was slightly annoyed by him at first, but later welcomed the attention since nobody had really paid attention to her in school. Like everyone else in town, she had heard of his legendary speed and his captures of nearly seventy outlaws, and had thought that those were impressive; Ricochet, of course, bragged about them whenever he came around.

Despite people claiming she was "the sheriff's woman", Melissa often kept Ricochet at bay due to rumors of his engagement being ruined because of his job. Despite her affection for Ricochet, she wasn't about to become the next girl to be loved and abandoned by him.

Around this time, she met another rabbit named Curtis Jones, who was tall, muscular and very charming. In contrast to Ricochet, he was unattached to his job and was one of the few bad boy types that she'd found irresistable in school, but never went after because of her mother's disapproval. Curtis not only swept her off her feet, but also brought out her old tomboyish side, and she often did daring things, such as prowling to his house at night in outlaw territory, a stunt considered foolhardy at the time. Despite his best efforts, Ricochet was unable to draw Melissa away from Curtis, and she eventually left town in order to be with him. This heartbreak broke him, but thankfully, he had a new deputy who understood his pain and was willing to offer his comforts.

### Tenure in Hoop 'n Holler

Near the end of his final year in Gopher Gulch, Ricochet was asked to come to the town of Hoop 'n Holler due to an emergency situation, as the previous sheriff had left and crime was quickly taking over the town. After Ricochet and his deputy had restored order to the town, they were asked to come to the town immediately and serve as sheriff and deputy. Not wanting to leave the town lawless for long, Ricochet and Droop-a-Long quickly moved out of Gopher Gulch, giving the town's mayor, J.P. Nuggets, a week's notice that they were leaving. Although Gopher Gulch was quickly overrun by crime not long afterwards, the town was brought back to stability by Jasper Jackal, a window washer with a powerful sense of justice.

#### New Cases, New Problems

    Although Ricochet became known as one of the greatest sheriffs in the state of Texas, the town's previous sheriff was beloved to the point that the town wasn't accepting of Ricochet and Droop-a-Long, calling them "unwanted furries" and other insults. Despite being bothered by the insults, Ricochet buried his angry and hurt feelings, and forced himself to continue, taking up numerous cases and arresting numerous criminals, regardless of the town's feelings towards him. It would be two years later before he was accepted and just as loved as their previous sheriff, to the point where his birthday was made a town holiday.

#### Rapid Romances

    Even after the mess with Melissa, Ricochet still found time to date, although most of his relationships ended quickly.

One of his most notable and last relationships during this time was with Bunny Hug, his long-lost third grade sweetheart. However, that relationship ended due to Bunny Hug falling in love with and marrying Slapjack, the outlaw that Ricochet had been trying to capture. This particular loss caused Ricochet to become drawn within himself, and for a while, he refused to enter any more relationships for a while. This also make Ricochet become known as an unattainable bachelor for a while; although he was open to flirting with people, he wasn't ready to enter another relationship due to this reason.

#### Assassination Attempts

During his tenure as sheriff in both towns, Ricochet became known for attracting a lot of enemies, namely the outlaws he'd arrested. Several outlaws, such as A.T. Sam Jose, took their arrests personally, and try to murder the sheriff. Thankfully, Ricochet managed to foil their attempts, but one notable incident involved his deputy Droop-a-Long, who was hurt in the crossfire; this incident would haunt Ricochet for years to come.

    While at a party in Hoop 'n Holler, A.T. Sam Jose, a criminal that he'd arrested before, attempted to assassinate him during the party. It was foiled when Droop-a-Long rushes in and shoves Ricochet out of the way just as Sam Jose fires, getting shot in the process. A.T. Sam Jose takes off, and Droop-a-Long urges Ricochet to run, but the sheriff refuses, instead deciding to chase the outlaw down.

After an epic chase, Ricochet finally catches up to Sam Jose, and it is here that the outlaw learns just how grave of a mistake he made in shooting Droop-a-Long--Ricochet tells him that he's only going to sentence him to ten years for what he'd done, but that he won't hesitate to kill him if the outlaw says anything demeaning about Droop-a-Long. He then calls in Quick Draw McGraw and his deputy Baba Looey to keep an eye on him while he stays with his deputy, who is in the town doctor's care. Thankfully, Droop-a-Long survives his injuries, but Ricochet feels guilty that his lack of attention to his surroundings caused his deputy to jump in to save his life, which causes him to lose his composure the next day when Droop-a-Long wakes up. Droop-a-Long does the best he can to comfort the shaken sheriff, although when Ricochet leaves, it's apparent that what almost happened to his deputy affected him a lot.

Weeks later, Droop-a-Long is released from the hospital and returns to work, despite Ricochet wanting him to take it easy. Droop-a-Long complains of having been restless, and Ricochet blurts out that if he hadn't jumped in to save his life, he wouldn't have had to get put in the hospital. When Droop-a-Long asks Ricochet if he should've left him to die, Ricochet lashes out at Droop-a-Long because of all the worry and anger that had been gnawing at him for weeks--not only was he angry at Droop-a-Long for running out to save the day, but he was also angry at himself. Droop-a-Long then explains that he did it because he would never forgive himself if Ricochet died because he was too slow to stop the assassin, and that he'd take a bullet for him because Ricochet's his best friend. Ricochet is so moved by this, he becomes teary and he apologizes for blowing up at Droop-a-Long. Droop-a-Long apologizes as well for making Ricochet so worried, and resolves to never run out without his friend again.

#### Sworn Protector

Another incident that Ricochet was heavily involved in became known as the "Protector" case, which also involved his deputy, Droop-a-Long.

During a break from a recent case, Ricochet notices something odd with his deputy, and questions him about why he won't let him help him when he's obviously in trouble. An obviously nervous Droop-a-Long walks out of the saloon, prompting Ricochet to chase him and demand what's going on. Before Ricochet can get an explanation, two men make themselves known: Dave Reeves and Chuck Carstairs, who proceed to mock Droop-a-Long and degrade him to the point of making him cry. An enraged Ricochet tackles the two through the window of the bank and beats them both up, and has to be pulled away by his deputy before he can cause further damage to Dave. As he's dragged away to the jail, he vows to get revenge on Ricochet. The townspeople are shocked by this, but nobody moreso than Droop-a-Long, who is oddly terrified of Dave.

When they retured to the office, Droop-a-Long broke down and told Ricochet that he shouldn't have attacked Dave, as well as apologizing for bringing him into his problems. Ricochet calms his deputy down and tells him that he can tell him anything that's on his mind, and that he wants to help him. After Droop-a-Long swears him to secrecy, he tells him the story of how he'd met Dave and Chuck not long after they'd come to Hoop 'n Holler, and how they'd tricked him into following them before they and Dave's gang savagely beat him. They also told him that not only was he worthless, but that Ricochet would never defend him because he has nothing to his name. They blackmailed Droop-a-Long into silence by saying that if he told Ricochet, they would kill them both; he hid this incident for years but all of the abuse that he got from the townspeople has been eating away at him.

Ricochet makes Droop-a-Long promise that he'll never hide things like that from him again, and says that he'll handle whoever tries to hurt him. His talk with Droop-a-Long, however, brings up another incident when he treated Droop-a-Long similar to how Dave and Chuck did; namely, when they first met. This makes Ricochet feel as though he's unworthy of being Droop-a-Long's friend, and fears that he resents him as well. When he talks to Droop-a-Long about it, the coyote states that although what Ricochet had said back then was harsh, he forgave him and forgot about the whole incident, so he doesn't even hate him. Ricochet is relieved to hear this, and as the two prepare to have a TV night to relax, he silently vows to protect Droop-a-Long from those who try to harm him.

##### Under Arrest

    The next morning, Ricochet is arrested by the townspeople who believed that he was wrong for beating up Dave and Chuck. Although he believes that he's done nothing wrong, Ricochet complies and accepts his sentence, which is sixty days until either his release or until they decide what to do with him. With his arrest, Droop-a-Long is put in charge of affairs around the office, which worries him and makes him feel even more guilty.

Droop-a-Long visits Ricochet outside of the jail, and after getting his attention by throwing a package of tin-foil, Ricochet tells him about his circumstances. Droop-a-Long's guilt is compounded, and he tells Ricochet that he's thinking of leaving, but he's stopped by Ricochet, who tells him that there's no need for him to leave; although he'd worked for him for five years, Ricochet never saw Droop-a-Long as nothing but trouble and again reaffirms his belief that friends never turn their backs on each other. Relieved, Droop-a-Long tells Ricochet that he'll stay on, although Ricochet talks him out of trying to get him out of jail and tells him to worry about keeping order in the town. Droop-a-Long leaves, but not before telling Ricochet that he'd bought him a piece of lemon cake since he'd heard the jail food was terrible and he wanted him to eat. Ricochet remarks that Droop-a-Long was too sweet for his own good. Unbeknownst to Ricochet, Droop-a-Long goes against his advice and seeks J.P. Nuggets' help in freeing him, which induces the ire of Dave and Chuck.

The next morning, J.P. Nuggets goes to the jail to tell Droop-a-Long that he's granted Ricochet his release and full immunity, only to stumble upon the crime scene. He runs for the other jail, and demands to see Ricochet. After being startled awake, Ricochet learns that he's released, but at a cost: apparently, Droop-a-Long was murdered not long after he went to Town Hall to tell J.P. everything. Ricochet is shattered by the news, but composes himself long enough to leave the jail and head back to the office. It's when he sees Droop-a-Long's bloodstained belongings that he finally breaks, mourning for his best friend. The townspeople are just as saddened, and outside, Jeb mutters that something must be done. Later, a grief-stricken Ricochet informs J.P. that he isn't going to take up the case to find out who murdered Droop-a-Long, which shocks J.P. Meanwhile, Dave and Chuck celebrate their apparent victory over Droop-a-Long and Ricochet, not knowing that Ricochet has already been reinstated as sheriff.

##### Pushing through Grief

Grieving over his friend's death and his actions, Ricochet prepares to sleep off his guilt when he's stopped by a local named Jeb Forrest, who reveals himself to be a friend of Droop-a-Long's, and asks Ricochet if he's going to take this up as a case, as he believes that the people responsible wanted him dead. Despite Ricochet's distrust and annoyance, he begins to see Jeb's points and later chases him down to the local saloon after he leaves. He tells everyone that he's planning to take it up as a case, planning on stopping the people dead in their tracks before they can kill him and get away with it. In a surprising move, he also makes Jeb his temporary deputy to help him on the case. Unbeknownst to him, Zeb Forrest overhears this and reports to Dave of what happened, as well as the fact that Ricochet was released. Although Dave is angry, he decides to give his men one more assignment before leaving Hoop 'n Holler: to have the mayor grant them full immunity and get them out of jail. Dave also tells Zeb to do what he has to do if the mayor refuses.

Ricochet has a nightmare about Droop-a-Long's death, in which he was there to witness it and was powerless to stop it. His emotional state is no better the next morning, resulting in him snapping at Jeb who in his opinion reminded him too much of Droop-a-Long. Jeb tries to apologize, and this calms the sheriff, although it still brings up memories of Droop-a-Long with them. Ricochet confesses that he has his doubts about Jeb's friendship with Droop-a-Long and his desire to help, but Jeb reaffirms his friendship with Droop-a-Long and tells Ricochet that he didn't want him to give up on the case, as he admires him and knows that he'd never let something like that slide. This moves Ricochet and he apologizes for his reaction, and Jeb offers to clean up the office while he looks for clues.

When Ricochet goes to Town Hall to find clues, he finds the place is in an uproar and J.P. Nuggets has been injured. After getting him to the doctor, he learns that the mayor was attacked by Dave and Chuck's men, demanding that he sign release papers for their bosses to get out of prison. Ricochet suspects that they're the ones who killed Droop-a-Long, but J.P.'s next words set him off: the leader of the attack was apparently Jeb, as J.P.'s description matches him. Ricochet confronts Jeb about it, and when he attacks Jeb's friendship with Droop-a-Long, Jeb explodes at Ricochet for accusing him and doubting his friendship with Droop-a-Long. Jeb leaves, and Ricochet, feeling guilty for shooting off his mouth, decides to leave as well, heading to the saloon for a drink. Unbeknownst to him, Dave and Chuck are released, and they plan on making him their next target.

Ricochet pours out his problems to the bartender, Sam, who tells him that he can't protect everyone and can't control what happens, but he can do his best and let people fight the battles they have to fight. Outside, someone's shooting up his office looking for him, and Ricochet runs out to stop the chaos, only to find Jeb yelling at him. He learns that the man in question, Zeb, is Jeb's twin brother, and through Jeb's shocked response puts two and two together and deduces that he not only attacked the mayor, but was behind Droop-a-Long's death as well, and arrests him on the spot. Zeb gives up without much fight and apologizes to Jeb, who reacts with anger.

##### Daring to Hope

Ricochet questions Zeb Forrest, Jeb's twin, who was caught trying to shoot the office and kill Ricochet. Ricochet learns of what happened to Droop-a-Long and what Dave and Chuck planned to do to him; rather than being satisfied with the answers, he is exhausted and irritated. He later apologizes to Jeb for shooting his mouth off, and the latter forgives him. Ricochet then decides to go after Dave and Chuck, who are said to be by the county line about to escape.

Dave and Chuck, who are at the county line waiting for Zeb, are shocked to see Jeb and Ricochet there. They take off, and an epic chase ensues, with Ricochet successfully turning a huge amount of bullets back on Dave and Chuck when they reach the next town. Ricochet and Jeb arrest the two and bring them back to Hoop 'n Holler.

Dave and Chuck, however, aren't going to start talking that easily and start harrassing Ricochet, mocking his hopes about Droop-a-Long being alive. Already emotionally raw, Ricochet loses his temper and almost strangles Dave to death in the cell, claiming that he'll make him regret harrassing Droop-a-Long. He is stopped from doing it by Jeb, who tells him that Droop-a-Long wouldn't have wanted him to kill his murderer in revenge. Jeb decides to take control of things while Ricochet cools off, and finds the three more agreeable because of Ricochet's actions.

Jeb interrogates the three long into the night, putting together the pieces of Dave and Chuck's plan to kill both Ricochet and Droop-a-Long and take over their positions, but is struggling to figure out where the rest of Dave's men might be. Ricochet, who is unable to sleep due to his dreams about Droop-a-Long's death, learns the news about Dave's men heading to Youngsville. Ricochet decides to go after them, and Jeb suggests that he get a posse since they have no idea how many men there are. Ricochet leaves Jeb in charge of things at the office while he and his men set off after the rest of Dave's gang. When they make it to Youngsville, he learns that Bob and his men were there looking for Droop-a-Long, but not all of them left with him. Ricochet finds them a few moments later when they try to kill him, only for the posse to stop them. Ricochet makes them tell him where Bazooka Bob went, and after putting them in the hands of the Youngsville sheriff, track them down to the next town, which is Havenport.

When they get there, a shootout has broken out. By the time Ricochet and the posse get there, the fight was over, with all of Bob's men and the leader himself dead at Droop-a-Long and Marcus' hands. Ricochet is relieved to see that his deputy's alright, although he doesn't express it immediately due to both the posse being there and due to Droop-a-Long's injuries. He orders Marcus to get Droop-a-Long and Newly medical attention immediately.
After everything settles down, Ricochet tends to Droop-a-Long, who remarks that he's upset that Newly and Marcus will have to go to jail, but that he's grateful to them for saving his life and taking care of him. Ricochet, although he tries to be strong, completely loses his composure and breaks in front of Droop-a-Long, confessing how badly the incident affected him and how he almost gave up. Droop-a-Long comforts Ricochet as best as he can amidst his own tears. Feeling uncomfortable leaving his deputy in another town by himself, he stays in Haveport for the three weeks it takes for Droop-a-Long to heal. He appoints Jeb as sheriff in his stead until that time, who later sees Dave, Chuck and Zeb off to federal prison to serve their twenty year sentences. He and Droop-a-Long head back to Hoop 'n Holler at the end of the three weeks, and Ricochet hires Jeb as his full time deputy due to his service, which the farmer is overjoyed to hear.

### A New Menace

#### The Red Scorpion case

After the Protector case was wrapped up, Ricochet and Droop-a-Long were asked to track down Droop-a-Long's outlaw brother,
Drag-a-Long Coyote Jr., who'd gone on a robbing and killing spree. When they learned that Drag-a-Long had also killed the previous sheriff who'd been chasing him, the two set out to bring him to justice.

##### The Kid with No Name

Having received a tip of Red Scorpion's last known location, they walked to the saloon and came across a gray-furred rabbit beaten to the point of death. Horrified, they took the unconscious and injured boy with them to the doctor's office, where he received treatment. The boy awoke a day later and nearly attacked the pair due to them being law enforcement, but was stopped by the doctor who was treating him, stating that they'd rescued him. Even with this knowledge, he refused to speak to them, especially after he learns that Droop-a-Long is his uncle.

Ricochet decides to learn about what happened to the boy and why he was abandoned. Although the townspeople aren't forthcoming due to the attack on the saloon, Ricochet eventually learns of the boy's history, including a little bit from Lucky himself when he learns that he doesn't have a mother or a name. Ricochet decides to finally give him a name: Lucky, due to how fortunate he was to survive this long under Drag-a-Long's care. He then decides to find a family for him, something that Lucky isn't too pleased about as he feels he is just being sent away again. Droop-a-Long mentions that Lucky isn't ready to go with a family because of how broken he is and they need to teach him how things work before he goes with anyone, as well as someone to keep him safe. Since he opened up more to the sheriff than his own uncle, Droop-a-Long asks that Ricochet become Lucky's guardian in his stead. Despite feeling uneasy about it, Ricochet does get legal custody of him, and the three head back to Hoop 'n Holler.

Over the course of several months, Ricochet slowly forms a bond with the damaged Lucky, and finds himself developing a fatherly affection towards the boy, especially in regards to his nightmares about his father and how he'd been tortured. Despite his own feelings on the matter, and the fact that many people don't want a half-breed, Ricochet still plans on sending the boy to another family, believing that he'd make a childless couple happy. Lucky doesn't agree on the idea, however, and runs away only to almost get captured by outlaws. Ricochet sets out to save him, and successfully subdues them with Jeb's help.

The night afterwards, Ricochet and Droop-a-Long talk about what to do with Lucky. Droop-a-Long explains that he should adopt the boy because of how well he and Lucky get along, but Ricochet refuses, still trying to carry on with his plan. A little more prying leads to Ricochet revealing through an outburst that he knows the plan won't work, but he was still trying to be as selfless as possible, as well as feeling that he's not good enough to be a father to the boy due to him blowing the chances he had. Droop-a-Long explains that he has full confidence in Ricochet's abilities as a father, which is why he asked him to take the boy in.

Droop-a-Long's words help Ricochet come to a decision to adopt the boy, but a few days later, the leader of the outlaws that he arrested, under Drag-a-Long's orders, break into the office, injure and knock him out and kidnap Lucky. Droop-a-Long and Denise help him, and while Droop-a-Long and Jeb round up the men, Denise helps nurse Ricochet back to health. Droop-a-Long and Jeb manage to rescue Lucky, though the latter ends up getting shot in the arm during the firefight. A week later, Ricochet formally adopts Lucky as his son, and with the help of the townspeople, manages to build a house that he and Lucky can call home.

### Fourth Time's The Charm

A few months after the Red Scorpion's first appearance, Ricochet and Droop-a-Long received a major break during the spring. At this point, Ricochet had broken up with Bunny Hug after another case put her in the crossfire, and although he was relieved that he hadn't caused them both more pain than necessary, it brought up memories of his relationship he'd wanted to forget. By the time the town's annual Spring Fling had come around, he was in a sour mood over not having a date to the dance, namely because he'd been thinking of Melissa Starkweather, the woman who'd captured and thrown away his heart. His deputy Droop-a-Long Coyote offered to be his wingman for the evening, to which Ricochet scoffed. Unbeknownst to either Ricochet or Melissa, Droop-a-Long spotted Melissa checking into the hotel while he was picking up his tuxedo later that afternoon, and had begun arranging things so the two could meet.

The night of the dance, Ricochet reunited with his old friend Quick Draw McGraw, who was in town for that week for the annual shooting contest to be held the day after the dance. Unbeknownst to him, Melissa was there and was making talk with Droop-a-Long and Denise. Droop-a-Long had told her Ricochet, although he was chatting with Jeb Forrest and his old friend Quick Draw McGraw, would eventually like a partner to dance with when it was time for the waltz. Melissa at first wanted to refuse, but then she realized that she could use their help. After letting Denise in on the plan, Droop-a-Long set things in motion for the two of them to meet again.

Just as Droop-a-Long had predicted, the time of the waltz came around and Ricochet quickly found himself without a partner. Droop-a-Long told Ricochet that there was another girl who'd come to the party and she was without a date as well. Ricochet, annoyed and slightly bemused by Droop-a-Long's attempts to play wingman, decided to humor him and went to search for the girl. When he saw Melissa, he was stunned into silence, and likewise so was she. Neither of them had time to back out, however, as the dance had gotten under way and Droop-a-Long and Denise had disappeared. Ricochet, deciding not to be rude, asked Melissa if she'd like to dance, and she accepted. It was rather awkward, considering that they hadn't spoken to each other in years only to meet like this.

After an awkward dance, Ricochet approached Melissa, and asked her flat out what she was doing here in town and what brought her here. Melissa finally admitted that she had come to see him to both apologize and to tell him that she was ready for a serious relationship with him, if he would want her. She told him that tonight wasn't the only time she'd thought of him; it had been months before, when she'd seen him in Carrottop Canyon, and had even asked his parents for permission to pursue him. He was unable to respond to this, shocked that after ten years of pining for her, she actually returned his feelings. Melissa, though, took off fighting tears, terrified of his lack of response. The next day, Ricochet learned from Denise that she was going to return to Carrottop Canyon first thing in the morning.

Not wanting to lose her again, he ran up to her while she was waiting for her coach and grabbed her in a hug, confessing to her that she didn't need to ask if he would want her; he'd always wanted her, and despite all the past relationships he'd had, he'd never stopped loving her. His confession brought Melissa to tears, but right before she could kiss him, Droop-a-Long cut in, stating that they needed to bring it inside as they were causing a scene in the middle of the street. Melissa changed her mind then, and decided to stay for that day; as she was walking back in, she secretly thanked Droop-a-Long for his help, to which the coyote gratefully received. It wouldn't be until later that evening that Ricochet learned that it was Droop-a-Long who had orchestrated their entire meeting; although he was slightly shocked and embarrassed about it, he thanked Droop-a-Long for it afterwards.

## *Blazin' Trails Alter*

### The Albino Reaper

In one alternate scenario, Ricochet became a monstrous outlaw on par with Drag-a-Long Coyote in the original timeline. Rose’s death sent Ricochet into a spiral, and refusing to uphold a system that allowed criminals to get away with heinous murders, he turned to the outlaw life, with his targets often being corrupted lawmen or outlaws worse than himself. His outlaw moniker came about from how he leaves his victims, who look as though they’ve had their souls “reaped” from their bodies. He has spent decades evading the law with the help of both his old friend Drag-a-Long Coyote Jr., and the powerful Falconeri family. He makes an enemy of the sheriff of Shadybrook, Droop-a-Long Coyote, after he murders one of his brothers.

This version of Ricochet blends a few aspects from both Drag-a-Long Coyote Jr. and Serena Falconeri in the main timeline, while retaining aspects of his personality. He is callous, selfish, cold hearted, foul mouthed, and has a worse hold on his temper than he does in the main timeline, but this is not to say that he has no redeeming qualities. He is fiercely devoted to both his nieces and his wife, Denise, and has a good rapport with Drag-a-Long Jr. One moral that he kept is his low tolerance for men who harm women, as evidenced when he kills Melissa’s husband Curtis after he witnesses the older buck attempting to rape her.

### Steelclaw’s Embrace

A second universe, titled “Steelclaw’s Embrace”, features Ricochet eloping with Diane Steelclaw. Rather than be intimidated and chased off by Diane’s father, Ricochet comes back to rescue her, leading to both being exiled from their families—Elijah disinherited Diane after he discovered his daughter had run off with the sheriff, and his father had cut him off after he discovered that he’d gotten Diane pregnant. Despite this, Ricochet and Diane marry, and settle in another part of Texas to raise their children. In this universe, Ricochet still becomes a sheriff, though he had to deal with the stigma of procreating with a predator. He is also still good friends with Droop-a-Long Coyote, who in this universe marries Melissa Starkweather.

## Powers and Abilities

Ricochet is not known as the "fastest sheriff in the West" for no reason. His most powerful weapon is his speed, a hereditary gene passed down in his family from his great-grandfather, who was the fastest among the lot until Ricochet surpassed him. Ricochet often uses his speed to chase down criminals, disorient them, or by attacking them so fast that they don't have the time to react. How fast he can go is unknown, but he has been known to create sonic booms with his takeoffs, rip objects from their foundations, and create tornadoes, as well as dust trails miles high. His tornado ability, known as the "Ricochet Whirlwind", is one that he usually uses to confuse people rather than outright attack.

Due to his gene, he is stronger than most rabbits, but due to being a prey animal, he still has weaker bones in comparison to a coyote or a wolf. His size also puts him at a disadvantage as it's easy to throw him around; his most sensitive parts are his ears and feet. Injuries of any kind can take him out of commission for a while, but he heals fast, a trait that's commonly known among "animal folk" like him.  Being a rabbit, he also has excellent hearing, fast reflexes, and strong leg muscles as a well as a powerful bite; the latter two are attacks he uses if he's unarmed or captured.

    True to his name, Ricochet can ricochet off of walls, rocks, buildings and other structures. Often used to power his takeoffs, this ability is another trademark of his that many have tried to copy but with little success. He also uses this to evade projectiles or attack opponents by crashing into them.

Ricochet is also one of the few characters who can match Touché in terms of battle prowess, a feat that has yet to be surpassed. Similar to the turtle, he relies on an offensive strategy, but is known to use feints often in order to catch his opponent off guard. He also has a great memory when it comes to an opponent’s weaknesses.

Ricochet's other trademarks are his fast draw, shot accuracy and trick bullets. His trick bullets, which he manufactures himself, display both his ingenuity and his inner peaceful side. He uses the trick bullets during his arrests, although he'll forego his rule of sticking to non-lethal bullets if he's very angry. He's a natural marksman, never missing a shot except for one occasion, and is a talented trick shot.
Ricochet is unnaturally strong in comparison to most rabbits. He has been known to take on people several times his size and come close to winning; on one occasion, he fought three gorillas to the point where the leader had to step in to "even things". He practices judo, which he hardly gets to use on opponents, and is fairly skilled at it.

In one of the alternate scenarios presented in *Blazin’ Trails Alter*, Ricochet also became involved in the hero-for-hire business, where under Sebastian’s tutelage, he learned to wield a sword and practice Sabre. His speed and high battle prowess made him a natural swordsman, though he wanted to add his own flair to it and added guns to his arsenal. He eventually acquired a holy sword, known as “Exacting Vengeance of a Grieving Knight — Soulfire”, that not only allows him to use magic, but also communicate with, exorcise, and seal away the ghosts and spirits of recently departed people, as well as search within people’s bodies for their inner selves. Though not as powerful as either Touché or Dum-Dum, his speed with picking up the art led to him progressing quickly.

## Relationships

### Droop-a-Long Coyote

"*I'm blessed ta have them all in my life, I truly am. But...well, truth is, I haven't had a true friend in ages. An' out of all the deputies I've had, you're the only one I'd call that.*"

―Ricochet to Droop-a-Long, *Blazin’ Trails* chapter 31, So Long, Droopy

Ricochet's close friendship with his deputy Droop-a-Long Coyote is one of his most important relationships. They first met when Ricochet came to Shadybrook in search of a rabbit for his new deputy, and Droop-a-Long, having been chosen as the guide for tourists, helped him get to the rabbit settlement. Ricochet treated him rather rudely because of his prejudice against coyotes at the time, and would have ignored the coyote if he hadn’t been told that Droop-a-Long was the best person to get him to the settlement. Droop-a-Long's kind and selfless nature, and his role in saving his life, led to him not only disavowing that behavior, but also led to him befriending Droop-a-Long, and shortly after leaving, hiring him. The close, brotherly friendship that they would form would last for the rest of their lives.

Though he often calls him “Droop", Ricochet also calls him the more affectionate "Droopy". He very rarely addresses him by his title unless he's angry or is focused on the job.

Their opposite personalities cause them to clash occasionally, sometimes explosively. Ricochet has gotten annoyed with Droop-a-Long's clumsiness, cowardice and slow wits, as well as his deputy's teasing at his expense, while Droop-a-Long fears Ricochet's temper, gets annoyed with Ricochet's pride and arrogance, and thinks that the sheriff can be paranoid sometimes. In the beginning when they worked together, Ricochet’s tendency to push people away nearly caused Droop-a-Long to quit. Both also continually snark at each other, either playfully or derisively, but whenever their friendship is on the rocks, they always make up and apologize to each other. Despite their opposite personalities, with Ricochet being the hot to Droop-a-Long's cool, the two have common ground in several areas, namely their shared love of food and drink, music, and their views on family. Ricochet is also a staunch supporter of his deputy's relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Denise, which has embarrassed Droop-a-Long a lot. Although they have been friends for years, Ricochet notes that there are some things about the coyote that he never knew about, and that Droop-a-Long is full of surprises. He was shocked to learn that the coyote is insanely good at card games, and not only had a secret writing career, but was writing the steamy romance stories that Ricochet got hooked on.

Ricochet is fiercely protective of Droop-a-Long, and has been known to become very dangerous if his deputy is threatened or hurt; one such example was when A.T. Sam Jose’s assassination attempt, where Ricochet made it a point to tell the outlaw that if Droop-a-Long died, he would be coming for him. He can be overprotective of Droop-a-Long, but sees it as justifiable since he nearly lost him several times over their twelve-year partnership. After the Protector case, that protective side is amplified, where he’s notably less merciful to people who harm Droop-a-Long, and often has to be stopped by the coyote himself from killing the offending party. In the years after Droop-a-Long’s departure, though he knows the coyote can take care of himself, Ricochet admits that he can still feel worry over the coyote. To this end, Ricochet would often write letters several pages long to his friend, which Droop-a-Long describes as “one quarter life update, an’ three-quarters of interrogation”.

His relationship with Droop-a-Long was the source of much debate for years. Droop-a-Long's family had no problem with him (although Droop-a-Long's father, Drag-a-Long Coyote Sr., threatened to come after him if Droop-a-Long died because of his job), but Ricochet's family took a bit longer to accept Droop-a-Long as a friend, in no part due to Ricochet III’s prejudices. Their friendship formed at a time were such friendships weren’t necessarily outlawed, but were considered oddities and “pot-stirrers”, even amongst their own communities. This attitude was prevalent in the towns they served in, Gopher Gulch and Hoop 'n Holler, where they were considered oddities and even freaks for being such good friends, although Droop-a-Long would eventually become a fixture in both towns. Hoop 'n Holler had a reputation for being rude to animal folk, coyotes in particular.

Within animal folk traditions, predators only stuck close to prey animals coyotes they planned on eating. In other cases, truly rich prey animals could keep a predator as their personal “pet” or slave—predators deem this (and no-naming) to be the lowest form of treatment. As this was a common occurrence in Hoop ‘n Holler around the time the two started serving, rumors and accusations ran rampant. Ricochet was aware of this practice, and worked to put an end to it (Redux’s build-up to the Protector arc, titled “Unequal Yokes”, focuses on this exact issue, and in the remastered *Protector--Part 1,* he becomes physically ill at the thought of doing that to Droop-a-Long), but he ignored the rumors, knowing that his friendship with the coyote was genuine and not manipulative. He was unaware that Droop-a-Long was getting the brunt of the slander, or being targeted for the animal trade, however, which is why what Dave, Chuck and Lady Toussaint did to Droop-a-Long both angered and horrified him.

However, even these destructive rumors weren't enough to break the iron bond they share, which only became stronger over the years they've worked together. Out of all his deputies, Droop-a-Long is the only one he feels confident in showing his most vulnerable side to, knowing the coyote won’t tell his secrets or criticize him during emotional moments, which can lead to him seeking comfort in any way he feels he needs it (which sometimes results in physically latching onto people). While Droop-a-Long often looks up to Ricochet for guidance and inspiration, Ricochet looks to Droop-a-Long for stability, cementing Droop-a-Long's role as the "rock" of their friendship. The two share a close, brotherly love for each other, and several times, Ricochet has referred to him as being his brother in all but blood. Their friendship eventually became legendary throughout the community of Hoop 'n Holler. In both the "Protector" case and a ballad written years after they retired, they were referred to as "the unbreakable pair".

During the "Protector" case, which is seen as the true test of their friendship, Ricochet became very protective of Droop-a-Long, as evidenced by his furious reaction when he learned that Dave and Chuck had been harming him, and his personal vow that he’d protect the coyote from people like them. Droop-a-Long’s apparent death was enough to cause Ricochet to consider quitting and to lose his emotional stability, ranging from lashing out at people who offered him comfort, to nearly strangling Dave for mocking his hope that Droop-a-Long would be alive. When Droop-a-Long was revealed to be alive, Ricochet couldn’t hold his emotions back, letting out all of his anguish and guilt in a private moment he shared with the coyote. The case still affects him for years, as he has gruesome nightmares afterwards, but Droop-a-Long’s assurance and comfort would bring him back from the brink. In the remastered arc, Ricochet steels himself after a talk with his sister Rachel, and decides to go “to the ends of the Earth” to find Droop-a-Long, as a “foolish part” of him believes that the coyote is alive. Droop-a-Long stops calling him “Mr. Ricochet” and calls him by his name as a sign that he truly trusts the rabbit, much to Ricochet’s surprise and delight.

### Diane Steelclaw

Ricochet’s relationship with Diane Steelclaw was very passionate, and second to only Melissa, he considered her his true love. The two met originally while Ricochet was helping Quick Draw in Colorado territory; Diane, who was there to fire an unruly railman, got into an altercation with the ex-employee. Neither Ricochet nor Quick Draw needed to do anything, however, for she’d solved it by slapping the man with enough force to knock him into the water trough. This sight intrigued Ricochet, and the vixen was all he could think about during their stay, which earned him some teasing from Quick Draw. Unable to get her out of his mind, he sought out to find her, eventually meeting her at the town saloon. She recognized him from the train station, and invited him for a drink. They spent two hours talking, only quitting when the bartender kicked them out. What followed from there was a passionate love affair that lasted for nearly two years. When his schedule was free, Ricochet would travel up to see her, although always under the cover of darkness so he wouldn’t attract the attention of any other foxes. Though he hadn’t intended for it to be more than a fling, he found himself falling deeper in love with the vixen, and she with him. In his younger years, he had a rule of not having intercourse with women he was involved with so as to protect himself, but his love—and lust—would lead to him breaking that rule.

On his last week to Colorado, he’d purchased a small gold ring (which cost him much of his pay at the time) and headed up to see her. Diane had gotten permission to use her family’s vacation home in the mountains, so he rendezvoused with her there and spent two nights with her. His plan to propose marriage on the second night would ultimately be thwarted when her father, who’d been trailing them, burst in and caught them in bed together. Infuriated, Elijah chased him out with a rifle, literally running him to the town border and threatening to “fill him with holes” if he even thought about coming around his daughter again. With no other option, Ricochet had to flee, and the decision agonized him for years. Although he would later find himself on the rebound with Denise, and then later Bunny Hug and Melissa, Ricochet never truly forgot Diane, and he revealed in a private journal that had things been different, he would have married her.

Decades later, his ex would make his way back into his life courtesy of Melissa, who informed him that Diane, who was now divorced, disowned and terminally ill, had a final request for him: to raise the children that they’d had and he’d never known of because of her father. Stunned and feeling absolutely shocked, Ricochet had been in denial until he met his daughters and instantly knew they were his. With Melissa’s blessing, he took the time to help his daughters take care of Diane in her final two months, and held her hand as she passed away.

### Denise Falconeri

Ricochet’s relationship with Denise is best described as a rollercoaster, although ultimately, they formed good terms. He had met Denise during a trip to California—she had managed to escape a party, while he was at a bar ruminating over his latest breakup. He got her attention due to liking her for who she was, rather than for her wealth. This led to a three year courtship; she was approved by his parents and vice-versa, although Ricochet would make an enemy of her brother, Al Jr. (seen below). Although rumors of his playboy ways had plagued the early stages of their relationship, the young buck didn’t lose his confidence, and three years later, he proposed to her on Easter. Their wedding was set two months later, but on the day of the wedding, there was a call regarding a murderous criminal being spotted heading towards the edge of town. The sheriff who’d been assigned the case had fallen ill, and the people begged him to go after him. Ricochet, duty-bound and unable to look away from injustice, immediately gave chase, but ended up losing the criminal's trail; the only thing he found was the foundations of the town, and many people without their homes, which left him with the clean up effort. The case took over a week, and he was so absorbed into it, he forgot about the wedding until he saw the cuff links with the Falconeri emblem on them. He tried to call her father, only to get an angry Denise on the line, who was hurt that he’d not only left her at the altar, but didn’t even bother to call to tell her when he’d be back. She broke off their engagement and subsequently all contact with Ricochet, as did her family, who were enraged with him for this. For a while, Ricochet was broken over this, and although he later fell in love with other girls, namely Melissa, this mistake would haunt him for years.

Years later, Denise would appear in his life when he learned that his deputy was now dating her, and had been dating her for some time. Although he reacted with jealousy when he first heard it, Ricochet later gave Droop-a-Long his permission to continue dating her. He warned the coyote that he wouldn’t forgive any kind of abuse towards her, and he warned Denise of the same, letting her know that he has far less tolerance for women who abuse their partners. He eventually came around and became their staunchest supporter and defender, however, and through interaction with Droop-a-Long, the two went from cordial but awkward talks to being able to be around each other again, especially once Ricochet reunites with Melissa. Ricochet even helped Droop-a-Long and Denise get married, with him taking the ring the coyote had bought and asking Denise to marry his deputy. Although grateful for finally getting Droop-a-Long to ask her, Denise still teases Ricochet for the unorthodox method he used.

Although the two formed cordial relations and he looks out for her and vice-versa, Ricochet feels rather guilty about what he did to hurt her and her family, which he tells her years later, when Denise is married to Droop and is pregnant. However, she tells him that she was able to forgive him with the help of Droop-a-Long, and that she appreciates his help, and he likewise said the same for her.

### Jeb Forrest

Ricochet's relationship with his junior deputy, Jeb, got off to a rocky start at first; having come fresh off of learning of his deputy's supposed death, a vulnerable and emotional Ricochet was wary of those who wanted to help him. Not only was Jeb one of those who wanted justice for Droop-a-Long, he was also one of Droop-a-Long's few friends had that Ricochet didn't know about. Ricochet allowed Jeb to work with him on the case seeing as working alone was going to drive him insane, yet was still highly suspicious of Jeb, even accusing him of threatening to kill the mayor after the latter gave him a description that was similar to Jeb's. When it was proven that Jeb was innocent, Ricochet apologized for his rashness, and later came to respect him when Jeb proved that he could try to keep up with Ricochet better than Droop-a-Long could, as well as stopping him from nearly killing Dave Reeves with his bare hands after the latter mocked him. After the end of the case, Jeb was prepared to leave, but Ricochet kept him on.

Although their relationship is nowhere near as close as Ricochet's relationship with Droop-a-Long (to the point where Jeb jokes that he "plays" favorites), the two get along well, and Ricochet is just as protective of his second deputy as he is of Droop-a-Long.

### Melissa Starkweather

Ricochet regards Melissa as his second chance at love, particularly after the disasters that were his relationships with Diane and Denise. They met originally when Ricochet was the sheriff of Gopher Gulch and she was the postmistress. He was instantly smitten with her, and though he’d made a fool of himself when they’d first met, he later found every reason to visit her office so he could flirt with her. Melissa was slightly annoyed by him at first, but later welcomed the attention since she not only found him cute, but also enjoyed his company and was flattered that he actually liked her. The rumors of his playboy tendencies and hearing that he’d botched his own wedding, however, led to her keeping him at bay. She later left Gopher Gulch to be with a so-called “reformed” outlaw named Curtis Jones, a move that broke Ricochet's heart. Despite moving on to other relationships, he never truly got over Melissa, and in his heart he still loved her despite her rejection.

A little over a decade later, the two would reunite during Hoop 'n Holler's annual Spring Fling. Ricochet, who was fresh off of breaking up with Bunny Hug and had been sour over not having a date to the dance, was shocked to learn that she'd come to town--he found this out during the last dance of the night when he was searching for a dance partner, and she was the only girl available. After an awkward dance, Ricochet approached Melissa, and asked her flat out what she was doing here in town and what brought her here. Melissa finally admitted that she had come to see him to both apologize and to tell him that she was ready for a serious relationship with him, if he would want her. She told him that tonight wasn't the only time she'd thought of him; it had been months before, when she'd seen him in Carrottop Canyon, and had even asked his parents for permission to pursue him. He was unable to respond to this, shocked that after ten years of pining for her, she actually returned his feelings. Melissa, though, took off fighting tears, terrified of his lack of response. The next day, Ricochet learned from Denise that she was going to return to Carrottop Canyon first thing in the morning. Not wanting to lose her again, he ran up to her while she was waiting for her coach and grabbed her, confessing to her that he'd always wanted her and despite his failed relationships, he'd never stopped loving her. The two later became a couple, and Ricochet learned that it was Droop-a-Long who had orchestrated their entire meeting.

In the beginning, their newfound relationship had its rough spots. For starters, Melissa was worried that he was still angry at her for leaving him all those years ago, not to mention that her mother opposed their relationship and wasted no time in telling her so. He tells her that what she did hurt him back then, but what mattered was that they were together now, and let her know that if he can survive Denise’s family, he can survive hers. He in turn was worried that this could be a spur of the moment decision like his failed relationship with Bunny Hug, and her struggles with Lucky did set him on edge. However, Melissa surprised him with not only her patience in dealing with his love for the job, but also how serious she was about their relationship, as he’d walked in on her telling her mother to stop interfering with their lives. What truly cemented it for him, though, was watching her approach Lucky differently—firstly by apologizing for being forceful with him, and secondly by taking time out of her busy schedule to spend quality time with him. He’d been hesitant to allow another woman in if they weren’t going to treat his son well, and seeing her help bring Lucky out of his shell was not only relieving, but served as confirmation that he was with the right woman. One year after his best friend had gotten married, Ricochet would propose to Melissa on her birthday, though it was also rather unorthodox; he had a big romantic evening planned, but numerous mishaps occurred. When they were caught up in a sudden downpour that evening, Ricochet’s frustration exploded to the surface, and he actually ended up yelling that he wanted to marry Melissa. He was shocked by what he’d done, but Melissa, too overcome with emotion, embraced and kissed him and tearfully accepted his proposal. Though Ricochet was embarrassed by this (and his embarrassment was added on by Droop-a-Long’s teasing), Melissa thought it was hilarious, and stated that he could’ve proposed to her in a pile of mud, and she’d still have the same reaction.

Ricochet deeply loves Melissa, and dotes on her as much as he can, despite knowing she’s low-maintenance and doesn’t need material gifts to be happy. He puts her safety and well-being over his own, and worked himself to exhaustion during her first pregnancy due to not wanting her to work hard. In a private conversation with Droop-a-Long, he laments that he makes her worry so much, but he appreciates her support, her strength and her patience. He considers her to be the rock in their relationship, and never hesitates to tell her so. He loves to tease and fluster her because he finds her reactions adorable, and is known to love it when she turns the tables on him. In their later years, they sometimes act like newlyweds, much to their kids’ embarrassment and his oldest friend’s amusement.

Despite her leaving, or maybe because of her leaving, their relationship is built more on loyalty and trust, two things that both of them had to learn the hard way that it is earned instead of handed out; frequent communication is also key, as the two are similar in that they need others in order to get on with life. The only real enemy in this relationship is both Ricochet and Melissa have passionate and occasionally obsessive devotions to their respective jobs, especially later when they have a family.

She nicknames him "Ricky" by default, and his nickname for her is "Lissa", as he knows that she has a dislike for the nickname "Mellie", due to it making her feel like a child.

### Bunny Hug

    Ricochet's relationship with Bunny Hug is one of the rockiest relationships he has. The two were school sweethearts until Ricochet eventually dropped out of school, and reunited years later only for him to get heartbroken when she fell for the outlaw he was chasing, Slapjack Rabbit, and married him. About ten years later, and Bunny Hug returns to him, divorced and heartbroken, and asked him for a second chance. Droop-a-Long was against it, and so was Denise, but Ricochet decided to after much deliberation.

Although he still cared about Bunny Hug, Ricochet felt as though he'd eventually become ensnared in the same trap that Slapjack was in: forced to give up the life he loved and bow to her whims. This fear, and the fact that he wasn't as in love with her as he claimed, put a lot of strain on their new relationship. Although both his deputies warned against it, Ricochet didn't break up with her feeling as though it were out of duty. He didn't have to wait long to end his relationship with her, for another case involving his deputy brought her into the crossfire, and Bunny Hug decided that she didn't want to be a part of his life if it was going to bring her into harm's way. Ricochet had mixed feelings on their breakup; he was relieved to be free of her, but at the same time missed the feeling of having a girlfriend.

### Serena Falconeri

Ricochet held a mixed opinion on Denise's sister and Lucky's mother, Serena Falconeri. Initially, he had harsh criticism for her due to pursuing a life of crime and abandoning Lucky after his birth, leaving him at the mercy of Drag-a-Long, Jr. He would change his tune, however, when he learned that the outlaw he’d failed to catch on his and Denise’s wedding day had murdered her husband and son, and felt enraged on her behalf when he learned that Drag-a-Long had carried out the hit. When he learns that she saved Denise from almost being raped by Drag-a-Long, it causes him to see that she does have some love in her hardened heart after all, and when Lumiere saves Serena from Drag-a-Long’s wrath, he takes it upon himself to plead on her behalf to the judge. The two had a proper conversation in jail where Ricochet acknowledged his failure and his mistake in judging her too soon, and tells her that she has a chance to make it right with her family and to not screw it up. By the end of the arc, while the two aren’t necessarily close, they do have an amount of silent respect for each other.

### J.P. Nuggets

Entrepeneur-turned-mayor J.P. Nuggets is one of Ricochet's oldest friends. The two met in the town where Ricochet served as a deputy, and out of the humans, J.P. had the most faith in Ricochet's skills, and encouraged him to run for sheriff. For this reason, Ricochet considers the mayor a valuable ally.

### Lucky

Ricochet has a good relationship with Lucky, the boy he and Droop-a-Long rescued from Drag-a-Long's clutches. His original goal was to rehabilitate him and then reintroduce him to society, but when plans went awry (in Redux, a few people tried to harm him, resulting in Lucky snapping and defending himself), Ricochet extended his rehab period. Over the course of three months, he developed a good rapport with him that eventually turned into fatherly affection, but was hesitant to adopt him due to his fears of losing the boy to his job. Lucky's subsequent kidnapping at the hands of Red Scorpion, however, made him realize that he loved the boy like his own son, and he'd do anything to get him back. After Droop-a-Long and Jeb rescued him, Ricochet formally adopted him, with the boy taking his surname as a sign of being a part of the family; Ricochet also supported him adding the Falconeri surname to his last name once he reunites with his mother and the rest of her family. Though they clash occasionally, there's no doubt that they love each other dearly.

### Drag-a-Long Coyote, Jr.

Similar to his deputy, Ricochet has an adversarial relationship with Drag-a-Long Coyote, Jr.. Hearing of some of his deeds and how he treated Droop-a-Long and his family already made Ricochet view the older male with disgust, but Drag-a-Long's attempted rape and murder of Denise, as well as nearly killing Lucky under his care, and murdering Serena's husband and disabling her son, was what made him decide that Drag-a-Long was irredeemable.

### Alfonso Falconeri, Jr.

Ricochet has an adversarial relationship with Denise's brother, Alfonso Falconeri, Jr., who almost became his brother-in-law. Ricochet often calls Al out on his behavior towards people, but especially how he is towards his daughter, Roxanne, whom Ricochet raised in his place. While the two didn't like each other much when Ricochet was dating Denise, their relations worsened after Ricochet left Denise at the altar, and the two almost came to blows when he learned that Al was Roxanne's father. Al Jr. himself likens their relationship to that of oil and water, a sentiment that Ricochet shares.

In *Redux*, their relationship starts the same as it was in the original series, though later on in the series, their relationship gets better. Al begins to shape up his act and becomes a part of Roxanne's life again, mostly due to Ricochet’s sister, Rachel, who literally knocked sense into him to make him see that what Roxanne needed was a father, not a bank. Ricochet was wary of the buck at first, especially when he started coming around the Rabbit family house more often, and initially tried to scare him away, not wanting either his sister and his niece to get hurt. He softens up, however, when he sees that for all of Al’s faults, he’s a better father to Roxanne than most rich people he knew, although he still remained protective of Rachel, whom Al realizes that he cared about all along. Ricochet also became sympathetic when he learned that his mother, Regina, was responsible for Al not knowing about Roxanne's existence for nearly two decades, as she believed that they needed to break away from the Falconeri family for good, hence why Al, who was desperate and heartbroken, would eventually fall into Constanza Ramos’ ploy. Shortly after this, the two would find themselves sharing a similar goal in defeating Xavier Jones especially after he raped Roxanne and left her to deal with her pregnancy alone, and Al would be instrumental in not only providing support, but also proving that Xavier was partly responsible for the murder of Ricochet’s sister Rose, something that Ricochet feels that he could never repay. The true sign of their mutual trust is when Al goes to Ricochet and asks him for his blessing to marry Rachel. Ricochet does, but he doesn't hesitate to let him know, though, that if he did anything to break either Roxanne's or Rachel's hearts that he was coming for him. Al's response ("Don't worry, Rachel's already got a bullet and a pair of shears with my name on them."), however, cements that he's both changed his ways and knows just what he's getting into, leaving Ricochet to breathe easy.

### Ricochet Rabbit III

Ricochet’s relationship with his father is turbulent, though unlike his older brother Rudy, he is on speaking terms with him. While he doesn't outright hate him, he distances himself from the elder buck as he realized just how much his racism and sexism has affected the family, especially in regards to his prejudices against predators, which the younger Ricochet regrets following. They do have a few commonalities such as shared grievances with certain types of criminals, but often clash on how to handle criminals. While Ricochet believes that they deserve a second chance, the elder Ricochet believes that they should die regardless. Ricochet would eventually go from low-contact to no contact with his father when he learned just how his niece, Mireya Edwards-Rabbit, was being treated by the elder Ricochet, who in a desperate attempt to prevent her from dying, attempted to marry her off.

### Roxanne Falconeri-Rabbit

Ricochet shares a close relationship with Roxanne Falconeri-Rabbit, one of his older nieces, whom he helped his sister Rachel raise. In ways, he's like the father she never really had as her biological father, Alfonso Falconeri, Jr., didn't know of her existence of until she became a teenager. He was the first to support her dream of being a sheriff when it was met with scorn and derision from her family (namely her mother, who ironically was a daredevil for much of Ricochet’s life), and even trained her how to perfect her draw using his great-grandfather’s techniques. He’s very protective of her, and won’t hesitate to throw himself into danger if it means protecting her life.

### Mireya Edwards-Rabbit

Ricochet is also close with his younger niece, Mireya Edwards-Rabbit. As she is the last connection the Rabbit family has of Rose, who died giving birth to her, he is fiercely protective of her, often moreso than Roxanne, and is prone to spoiling her a bit more, although he knows when to rein it in.

### Quick Draw McGraw

Fellow Texan Quick Draw McGraw is one of Ricochet’s older friends, and the two often work together on cases where Ricochet has to go outside his jurisdiction to catch criminals. Quick Draw initially helped Ricochet bring in the notorious Goldtooth Gang back when Ricochet was first starting out as sheriff in a small town, and they’ve been occasional allies since. While they are often allies, they both share the titles of "fastest shootin' cowboy in the West" and "best lawman in the West", titles that neither will let go without a fight. Similar to his rivalry with Touché, Ricochet's friendly rivalry with Quick Draw is rather competitive, to the point where their deputies have to mediate it. His nickname for him is "Q.D.".

### Punkin’ Puss

Ricochet has an “odd” friendship with Punkin’ Puss, the mountaineering hillbilly cat who occasionally stirs up trouble in the mountain country. At first glance, it seems rather harsh, with both of them picking on and insulting each other—Ricochet’s nickname for him is “stubborn hillcat” and Punkin’s nickname for him is “smarty-aleck Westerner”. Occasionally, Ricochet has to mediate situations between Punkin’ and Mushmouse, and even notes that he has to take extra care around Punkin’ since the cat’s temper is more volatile than his own, and that “it’s bad news if he gets a hold his blunderbuss”. However, there’s no doubt that the two get along well, with their relationship being similar to siblings in that while they pick at and nag at each other, they'd definitely have the other's back if needed.

### Touché Turtle

Ricochet shares a professional rivalry and a good friendship with Touché Turtle, a terrapin hero for hire who occasionally returns to America for work. Though urban tales have formed on how the two formed their rivalry, it actually started when Ricochet, who read about Touché’s capture of a renegade criminal, issued a challenge to the terrapin, stating that while the turtle was fast, “us Ricochets are faster an’ never quit!” Touché answered his challenge with one of his own, daring the sheriff to test his bullets against his sword. The resulting duel revealed that both of them were not only well matched, but the first to actually give each other a challenge. Surprised at this, their long duel came to a truce, where Ricochet decided that whenever they crossed paths, they’d hold a mock duel to test each other’s skills, which Touché agreed to.

Though this was meant to be strictly professional, the two would eventually form a good rapport through these duels, and often hang out after their mock duels are over. When their egos are brought into play, however, their duels are known to last for hours, with Edith and occasionally Droop-a-Long and Dum-Dum having to break it up. They greatly enjoy their mock duels, however, with Ricochet noting that he takes pride in being the first to give the great Touché Turtle a challenge, and Touché noting that it's fun to have an opponent who keeps him on his toes. As Touché is more reserved than him, Ricochet enjoys picking on Touché--similar to his friendship with Droop-a-Long, is not fond of Touché turning that around him. As such, their relationship is like siblings, with Ricochet being the younger to Touché's older; while they'd annoy and talk trash to each other, if anything happened to the other, they'd make it their personal mission to help each other out. Though he'd never admit it to his face, Ricochet does admire Touché's tenacity, ingenuity, and determination, especially in regards to the hardships the terrapin faced in his life (the deaths of his mentor, first sidekick, and later learning that only he and his younger sister, Therese, survived Tabitha's onslaught) three things that Ricochet had lost when it came to dealing with horrible situations in his life. Similar to Punkin' Puss, Touché often goes to Ricochet for advice, appreciating Ricochet's brutal honesty when it comes to certain subjects, especially romance. Touché would have Ricochet to thank for him and Edith eventually getting together, as the buck (who'd noticed their flirting) literally smacked him upside the head and told him to shoot his shot.

Ricochet often calls him Toosh, like Dum-Dum does, but his personal nickname for him is “Tooshy”, first used to tease him (as Touché’s girlfriend, Edith, calls him this) and then as a term of endearment, which the terrapin was embarrassed by at first, and then gradually took in stride. Touché often calls him Ric, but similar to Droop-a-Long, he does use the rarely-used Ricky on occasion.

## Appearances

* *Blazin' Trails* (main character)
* *Blazin’ Trails Redux* (main character)
* *Blazin’ Trails Alter* (main character)
* *Blazin’ Trails: Red Scorpion’s Sting* (supporting character/guest star)
* *The Life and Times of Ricochet Rabbit* (main character)
* *If Likin' You Is Wrong and Other Stories* (main character)
* *Powerful Friendship, Iron Bond* (main character)
* *Ricochet's Day Off* (main character)
* *Sheriff of Two-Bit (arc) (supporting character)*
* *The Kid With No Name*
* *Saint Angel's Serenade*
* *Firsts*
* *Devils in the Details* (supporting character)

## Trivia

* Out of all of the Hanna-Barbera characters in the series, Ricochet had the most changes from his cartoon portrayal:
	+ Ricochet's famous catchphrase "PING-PING-PIIINNNGGG! Ricochet Rabbit!" is used very rarely in *BT*, and some criminals have mocked it, saying it sounds silly. It often appears in the sillier shorts for this reason. To clarify, iheartgod175 does like his catchphrase, but felt it would be annoying to keep writing that phrase in almost every time he talked, hence its omission.
	+ In the original cartoon, he had many powers (including being able to fly and breathe in space without the need for a helmet) as well as a vast array of bullets that suited the situation when needed. In *Blazin' Trails*, Ricochet kept both his speed and bullets, but was given more weaknesses, with much of them being species-related. He also doesn't have "powers as the plot demands" like his original incarnation.
	+ Another one of Ricochet's gimmicks was his trick bullets, which in the cartoon he buys from a sheriff's supply store. Every outlaw that he encountered in the cartoon knows of this, leading to many exclamations of "I hate those Ricochet Rabbit-type bullets!". *Blazin' Trails* had Ricochet pursue a career in being a gunsmith before he became a sheriff. His extensive knowledge of guns, and fascination with bullets, is expanded upon in *The Life and Times of Ricochet Rabbit*, which shows him working as a gunsmith. He created his own bullets in order to peacefully subdue outlaws, a fact he reveals to Droop-a-Long in *Breaker of Barriers*. Despite the success and fame, he passed on the trade to a new apprentice in order to run for sheriff of Gopher Gulch. As he was the original inventor of the bullets, however, he has a contract in place where he still gets some money off of future purchases, which allowed him to live a little more comfortably than most sheriffs.
	+ iheartgod175 admitted that she couldn’t find information on Ricochet's personality while researching on the wikis (including his own entries on official Hanna-Barbera material), feeling that unlike his deputy, his personality was ill-defined, and thus based his personality off of her own observations from watching the cartoons. In the cartoon, Ricochet is shown that, while having a friendly demeanor, is also known to have a sharper tongue and bigger ego (and shorter temper) than his long suffering deputy. He was also sharper than Droop-a-Long, though he also had occasional stupid moments. BT kept his large ego, expanded upon his flaws (namely, his temper, occasional shortsightedness, and impulsiveness), and gave him several failures alongside his many victories. Another thing that was changed was that he no longer talks about how good of a guy he is, as the author not only found it annoying, but wanted to show it in action rather than in word.
	+ Ricochet's partnership with Droop-a-Long changed drastically in BT. In the cartoon, it’s clear that while he does look out for his deputy, it’s a bit more professional than Quick Draw’s partnership with Baba Looey. In addition to this, he can also be rather harsh and demeaning towards Droop-a-Long (noting that Droop-a-Long’s lovability is the only worthy thing about the coyote and calling him a “monkey wrench in the wheels of progress” at one point) and even leaving the coyote to fend for himself in dangerous situations. The original short that kicked off *Blazin’ Trails, No One’s Perfect,* started because of an idea that featured Ricochet and Droop-a-Long actually being friends, rather than having a simple “boss and employee” relationship. BT features the two forming a close, brotherly friendship, and while Ricochet can nitpick and occasionally be wrapped up in his own world, there’s no doubt that he respects and cares about Droop-a-Long, often calling him his brother in all but blood.
	+ Ricochet's speed and ability to bounce off of stationary objects is explained in *Blazin' Trails* rather than just being a gimmick, like in the cartoon. *The Life and Times of Ricochet Rabbit* reveals that his speed is hereditary. It was passed down through the family by his great-grandfather, who possessed a rare gene that made him faster than most rabbits. Most of his family have it as well (and according to Ricochet, the speed manifests itself in different ways), but Ricochet's running speed is known to be the greatest as he surpassed his great-grandfather.
	+ Promotional materials for *The Magilla Gorilla Show* would feature Ricochet and Droop-a-Long in alternate colors (ie. Ricochet's purple hat being changed for a blue one, or having yellow fur with a pink hat and a blue starred shirt, etc.); other artwork would show Ricochet wearing a high-collared shirt under his regular vest, or with an open vest. *Blazin' Trails*mostly sticks with his classic outfit, though *The Life and Times of Ricochet Rabbit*has him wearing a green and red-star spotted vest during his early years as deputy (a reference to early promo art that featured him wearing this exact outfit), and he later switches to wearing an open vest and necktie in the later seasons after Droop-a-Long's departure. This change is also apparent in Redux, where Ricochet also gains an additional costume consisting of a black and red vest, red necktie, and a black cowboy hat.
	+ In Hanna-Barbera canon proper, Ricochet and Quick Draw never met. In fact, the closest the two came to meeting was in Scooby-Doo Team Up, and even then, Ricochet mostly interacted with Quick Draw’s alter ego, El Kabong. The author, who wrote another Western fanfiction featuring Quick Draw and Ricochet, wanted the two to meet, hence Quick Draw’s inclusion in Blazin’ Trails. While Ricochet and Quick Draw were allies in *Have Guitar, Will Travel*, the *Blazin' Trails*series introduces a rivalry between the two that was inspired by how both cartoons claim their respective stars as being "the fastest gun in the West". Due to their egos, this rivalry is often competitive, with their deputies having to mediate it. Outside of this rivalry, however, the two do get along pretty well and Ricochet is the only person who can call Quick Draw "Q.D.", as it's an old nickname of his that he only lets close friends call him by.
	+ Ricochet's rivalry with Touché Turtle stems from the fact that he got his start on Touché Turtle and Dum-Dum (which debuted two years before The Magilla Gorilla Show) as the antagonist, and he gave the turtle a hard time in his debut episode, "Rapid Rabbit". Early developments for Touché's appearances/interactions with Ricochet in the original BT were meant to be more antagonistic for this exact reason, but Redux introduced a friendly aspect to their rivalry. Both can be egotistical and never back down from a challenge, but they actually have a great rapport with each other and get along swimmingly outside of their duels. Ricochet greatly enjoy his mock duels with Touché as the terrapin is one of the few people who can match his speed and strength, and he takes pride in the fact that he can give Touché Turtle a challenge.
* Ricochet's personality in this story is used for several of iheartgod175's other *Hanna-Barbera* fics that he stars in that aren't connected to *Blazin' Trails* (ie. the *Punkin' Puss and Mushmouse* fic *Temporary Truce, For Love and Glory Relance,* etc.).
	+ His personality is a mix between all three of his forebears (Ricochet I’s wild yet compassionate nature, Ricochet II’s liberal thinking and shrewdness, and Ricochet III’s seriousness and stubbornness), with his great-grandmother’s temper for good measure.
* iheartgod175 originally cast Ricochet as the deuteragonist of *Blazin’ Trails* rather than the protagonist, which was evident in the first few stories. Part of this was due to him being the main focus in his own cartoon, and the second reason was because of her personal preference for Droop-a-Long. As the original story progressed, and iheartgod175 started to enjoy his character more, he was given more roles alongside Droop-a-Long, allowing both to have equal focus and spotlight.
* Unlike Quick Draw McGraw, who came from a blended family but never bothered to learn Spanish, Ricochet learned Spanish from his aunt on his father’s side, and while his accent isn’t perfect, he is able to translate conversations and hold conversations in Spanish. Because of his appearance, not many people think he knows Spanish, which has led to many a humorous moment where he’ll catch people insulting him in Spanish.
* On his father’s side of the family, Ricochet has both Native American (specifically, Cherokee) and Mexican heritage.
* He and Quick Draw McGraw both contend for the title of “fastest-shootin’ sheriff in the West”. Between him and Quick Draw, the mustang has the faster draw, but Ricochet has greater accuracy.
* The miniseries *The Life and Times of Ricochet Rabbit* and *If Likin' You is Wrong and Other Stories* reveal that Ricochet's full name is Ricochet Rabbit IV.
* His bright yellow sclera is a trait passed down from his mother’s side of the family. On his father’s side, nearly everyone has normal white sclera, though a few did have albinism and have red eyes.
* Ricochet's temper led to him having many nicknames, but the one he hates the most is "hare-trigger bunny". It was given to him by the citizens of Hoop 'n Holler within weeks of his tenure as sheriff, and it’s rarely heard because Ricochet ran a man out of town for calling him that to his face.
* In season three of *Redux*, Ricochet and Droop-a-Long learn that their families were connected in the past: the best deputy Ricochet's great-grandfather ever had was Olivier Coyote, and the renowned sheriff Olivier served under was Ricochet I. Olivier and Ricochet I were best friends and true brothers in every sense of the word, with the pair becoming an unstoppable force of nature in a time where friendships between rabbits and coyotes were banned. Their friendship only ended when Olivier was murdered by Red Scorpion’s Abraham Newcomb, an event that, while the elder Ricochet avenged him, gave him grief until the day of his death. The reason why neither man was outright named in their respective tales was due to the new sheriff, a racist cottontail, forcing Olivier's widow to secrecy, with specific instructions to "keep esteemed fellers like him (Ricochet) outta you curs' mouths", followed by forcing Ricochet I out of the town his late deputy lived in with a similar warning, which would sever their contact. Neither Janice nor Ricochet I abided by this rule nor forgot about each other; Ricochet I would continue to spread his "species blindness" to his family members (although his grief from the case made him unable to speak about Olivier without tearing up), and Janice would tell her son Leroy about Olivier, with her journals mentioning that she was grateful for Ricochet's friendship even after the horrible murder that robbed her of her husband. Following the revelation, Droop-a-Long notes that their great-grandfathers probably "badgered the Big Guy" to bring their families back together, which Ricochet agrees with.
* Ricochet's fascination with movies and TV was something that was hinted at in the cartoons; in *Two Too Many*, he urges Droop-a-Long to break him out of jail "the right way, like they do on TV", and in the short *TV Show*, he smooth-talks his way into becoming a TV star. This was incorporated into the original *Blazin' Trails*.
* Due to his speed, athletics is Ricochet's strongest suit.
* Ricochet is one of several Hanna-Barbera characters who was never given an official "birthday". He was given one in the series, and due to his popularity in town, it's mentioned that Hoop 'n Holler holds a celebration for it each year.
	+ Depending on the year, Ricochet's birthday is close to, or is on, Easter. In Redux, it's stated that when that happens, Ricochet often acts as the Easter Bunny for the kids.
	+ Early developments had his birthday being on April 16th rather than the 14th.
	+ In the short *Birthday Surprise*, Ricochet mentions that Droop-a-Long claimed his birthday was April 14th. This implies that for a time, Ricochet believed he and Droop-a-Long shared a birthday. They would have been the second pair of Hanna-Barbera characters to share a birthday (the first being Ruff and Reddy, who share a birthday with their creator, Bill Hanna).
	+ He shares a birthday with his great-grandfather, being born on his 50th birthday, which was another reason he was named Ricochet.
	+ He also shares a birthday with his two grandnephews and grandniece .
* Ricochet's blood type is A+.
* Ricochet's Zodiac sign is Aries (which falls on the dates of March 21 to April 19), and possesses many of the personality traits associated with the sign.
* Ricochet is ambidextrous, though his dominant hand is his right. He is one of three characters who are known to be this: his great-grandfather was, and his rival Touché is as well.
* In contrast to Droop-a-Long, who is reserved even with people he's close to, Ricochet is rather affectionate towards his friends and has a habit of giving them nicknames. In no particular order, these are the nicknames and monikers he's given his friends and loved ones:
	+ Droop-a-Long : Droop and often Droopy (although these are Droop-a-Long's most common nicknames)
	+ Melissa : Lissa
	+ Punkin' Puss : Punk (again, also a common nickname for Punkin' Puss)
	+ Caroline : Carrie
	+ Denise : Deni (a nickname that Droop-a-Long eventually uses)
	+ Touché: Tooshy (which so happens to be Edith’s nickname for the turtle)

## References

1. ↑ *It's Alright, Mr. Ricochet*
2. ↑ *Protector--Part 3'*s rewritten version adds an additional scene where Ricochet dreams about Droop-a-Long's death
3. ↑ *I'm Right Here*
4. ↑ *Taking the Bullet*
5. ↑ *Protector--Part 1*
6. ↑ *Protector--Part 4*
7. ↑ *Acting the Part*
8. ↑ *Guilty Pleasure*
9. ↑ *Game On*
10. ↑ *Powerful Friendship, Iron Bond*
11. ↑ *Firsts*, *Ricochet's Day Off* and *Room for Improvement* all explain Ricochet's love of Droop-a-Long's cooking
12. ↑ *Sugar Junkie*
13. ↑ The ending of *Firsts* has a scene that includes this very line
14. ↑ *Real Homemade* lists biscuits (namely carrot cake biscuits) as one of his favorite breakfast meals, *Firsts* had him list off several pastries, and one scene in *Birthday Surprise shows that he loves muffins*
15. ↑ *Room for Improvement*
16. ↑ *I've Got Your Back* is the first to reference it
17. ↑ *Firsts*
18. ↑ *The Life and Times of Ricochet Rabbit* eventually explains that this town was called Hog Holler
19. ↑ A reference to the original cartoon
20. ↑ *Firsts* details some of their experiences, but only the significant ones such as Droop-a-Long's coffee (and subsequent cooking skills) and Ricochet's dangerously hyperactive state
21. ↑ *Ricochet Rabbit & Droop-a-Long* episode 22: "Big Town Show Down
22. ↑ *Ricochet Rabbit and Droop-a-Long* episode 13, *Clunko Bunko*