Ricochet Rabbit

Ricochet "Ric" Rabbit is a white furred rabbit who serves as sheriff in the towns of Gopher Gulch and Hoop 'n Holler. He is one of the main protagonists of Blazin' Trails.

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 having to kill criminals in self-defense. His beliefs have set him apart from other sheriffs and have even drawn some ire from them, 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 McGraw contend over. Among outlaws, he's feared by many of them (sans truly vicious ones like Drag-a-Long Coyote, Jr. and Serena Falconeri ), although many have tried to kill him in order to become famous; 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.

Though a friendly, well-meaning person, he tends to fall victim to his various flaws. He's arrogant and prideful and is known to brag about his skills and career at a moment's notice. He possesses a large ego, which isn't hard to bruise and is known for being a sore loser. 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, especially when someone makes a mistake (ie. Droop-a-Long), and at his best can be rude; at his worst, he can nitpick to where it becomes insufferable.

Another flaw of Ricochet's is his hotheadedness; possessing a short fuse, it doesn't take much to set off his temper. Sometimes, he becomes angry enough to contemplate murder, especially if someone he cares about has been hurt or killed, and once this side comes up, even his friends can't stop him. He's also impulsive, often rushing headlong into conflicts because he's angry or going with a half-formed plan because he thought it sounded good at the time. He also has a habit of pushing people away when it appears he's starting to let people into his circle, which has made people mistakenly assume that he is an aloof person. While he gets on people for allowing their emotions to control them, Ricochet himself is guilty of this same habit, with Droop-a-Long having to hold him back.

Despite these flaws, 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. He's not nearly as empathetic as Droop-a-Long, often tending to see things in gray, 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 and reassurance; as such, he takes deaths of loved ones, his friends being in danger, and separations harder than most people. His solution to this is to push people away before they can get too close to him, believing that it will save him and the other person the pain, hence why he has such a small circle of friends.

Due to his sister's murder, Ricochet's greatest fear is losing the people he loves to crime. In events where his closest friend and his niece were thrown into near-death situations, he shut down mentally, as the grief and memories of his past rendered 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. He's known to hide his fears despite hating it when others do it for his sake, but his closest friends can pick up on the cues.

Ricochet is rather mischievous by nature and possesses a sly, 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, although he knows when to hold back. Although he likes to tease his friends about embarrassing habits, he himself has several: he loves celebrities and movies to the point where he will not stop talking about them, ended up enjoying a romance novel of Droop-a-Long's , and in an alternate universe he has a love of video games, and watches soap operas as well. He is fairly athletic, although 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. Strangely enough, he doesn't like jokes made at his expense, which has been exploited by his deputy. Ricochet also nicknames those he's close to, although he'll make exceptions if it sounds ridiculous.

Ricochet also has a love of food, and it's implied in several shorts that he possesses a voracious appetite, which is not helped by Droop-a-Long's cooking. Ricochet himself is a decent cook, though most of his food tends to be either bland or overseasoned. He has a huge sweet tooth, with cakes, donuts and chocolate in particular being his weaknesses. He has tried to curb his eating habits by dieting, only to go right back and eat said food again; his excuse for breaking it is that he has a high metabolism. Aside from sweet pastries, he loves eating bread, extremely spicy food , 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 also loves to drink coffee, though he prefers it when others make it for him. Though he is quick to make fun of Droop-a-Long's coffee-making skills, his coffee is even worse than Droop-a-Long's, with many saying it smells and tastes like burnt rubber and mud.

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. 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, but 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 1850, 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.

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.

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'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 mostly uses the trick bullets during his arrests, although on  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 due to most of them trying to kill him.

Droop-a-Long Coyote
Ricochet's friendship with his deputy Droop-a-Long Coyote is one of his closest relationships. When they first met, Ricochet treated him rather rudely because of his prejudice against coyotes at the time, but Droop-a-Long's kind and selfless nature, and his role in saving his life, led to him not only changing his attitude towards coyotes, but also led to him hiring Droop-a-Long. The close, brotherly friendship that they would form would last for the rest of their lives. He normally nicknames him "Droop", but is also known to call him the more affectionate "Droopy"; he very rarely addresses him by his title unless he's angry or is 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. 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.

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's father losing a friend to a coyote. In both Gopher Gulch and Hoop 'n Holler, they were considered oddities and even freaks for being such good friends, although Hoop 'n Holler had a reputation for being rude to "animal folk", coyotes in particular. Traditionally, coyotes only took rabbits in if they considered eating them later, or sometimes the positions could be reversed, with a rabbit keeping a coyote as a "pet" of sorts (to coyotes, this is the lowest form of treatment and is no better than slavery). Many people made accusations and spread rumors that Ricochet was only using Droop-a-Long or that Droop-a-Long was planning to kill Ricochet. Ricochet was somewhat aware of this (as he cuts Droop-a-Long off during his explanation in Protector--Part 1), 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, however, which is why what Dave and Chuck 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. Ricochet confides in Droop-a-Long when he's at his most vulnerable, as he feels he can trust Droop-a-Long with his secrets and not criticize him for showing his emotions or 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 and reassurance, cementing Droop-a-Long's role as the "rock" of their friendship; a key point of this was during the "Protector" case, where Ricochet is grief-stricken and nearly gives up due to believing that Droop-a-Long died. 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".

Ricochet is fiercely protective of Droop-a-Long, and has been known to become very dangerous if his deputy is threatened or hurt; an example of this was the Protector case, in which he not only beat up Dave Reeves and Chuck Carstairs, who made Droop-a-Long cry, but also nearly strangled Dave to death after he'd mocked his hopes that Droop-a-Long would be alive. He can be overprotective of Droop-a-Long, but sees it as justifable since he nearly lost him several times over their twelve-year partnership.

Denise Falconeri
Ricochet had met Denise during a trip to California to recover from a messy 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. Aside from his later relationship with Melissa Starkweather (seen below), 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. For a while, Ricochet was broken over this, although he later fell in love with other girls, namely Melissa.

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, although he warned her that if she did anything to hurt Droop-a-Long, he'd never forgive her. He eventually came around and became their staunchest supporter and defender. 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 one of his first true loves. They met originally when Ricochet was the sheriff of Gopher Gulch and she was the postmistress. He was instantly smitten with her, and their first meeting, he 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 nobody had really paid attention to her in school; however, due to knowing about his ladies man tendencies and hearing that he'd botched his own wedding, she kept him at bay. She later left her job to be with a bad boy rabbit 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.

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 relation ship 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's opinion on Denise's sister and Lucky's mother, Serena Falconeri, is mixed. He had at first criticized her due to her pursuing a life of crime and the fact that she abandoned Lucky after his birth, leaving him in the hands of his cruel father. In a conversation he has with Denise, however, he explained that he did have some pity on her due to the deaths of her husband and son, deaths that he felt that he could've prevented. 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. He does warn both Denise and Droop-a-Long that should she come in his territory, he'll treat her like any other outlaw, and won't hesitate to defend himself or his family if she tries anything against them.

J.P. Nuggets
Entrepeneur-turned-mayor J.P. Nuggets is one of Ricochet's oldest friends. The two met in the town where Ricochet was the deputy. J.P. had faith in Ricochet's skills as a deputy, and partly encouraged him to go out and become the new 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. Originally helping to nurse him back to health and reintroduce him into society, Ricochet later came to develop a fatherly attachment to the boy, and with Droop-a-Long's blessing, eventually adopted him. While they sometimes clash as fathers and sons do, there's no doubt that Ricochet loves his adopted son very much, and will not tolerate anyone hurting him.

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, who Ricochet is protective of. 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. Denise herself likens their relationship to that of oil and water.

Ricochet Rabbit III
Like most of his siblings, Ricochet is not especially close to his father, though unlike his older brother Rudy, he is on speaking terms with him. Ricochet sometimes believes that his father is closed minded, and regrets that he followed his father's prejudices towards coyotes when he was younger. They share a hatred towards people who abandon their families, and sheriffs who go rogue, but they 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. In addition to this, the older Ricochet has refused to interact with his granddaughter, Mireya Edwards-Rabbit, due to his pain over his daughter's death, which makes Ricochet feel as though his father is being a major hypocrite.

Appearances

 * Blazin' Trails (main character)
 * 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 

Trivia

 * Ricochet had the most changes from his cartoon portrayal:
 * Ricochet's famous catchphrase "PING-PING-PIIINNNGGG!" is used very rarely in BT, and some criminals have mocked it, saying it sounds silly.
 * 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 his speed but was given more weaknesses, with much of them being species-related. He also doesn't have "powers as the plot demands" like the original.
 * In the cartoon, Ricochet buys his famous trick bullets from a sheriff's supply store, and every outlaw knows them to be his signature move, leading to many exclamations of "I hate those Ricochet Rabbit-type bullets!". Blazin' Trails had Ricochet pursue a career in being a gunsmith due to his knowledge of handling guns, and here 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, he still gets some money off of it, which allowed him to live a little more comfortably than most sheriffs.
 * Much of Ricochet's personality in the story came from bits in the cartoon, which showed Ricochet having a sharp tongue, a large ego, as well as a bit of a temper.
 * 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 trait passed down from his great-grandfather the patriarch of the family, 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, 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.
 * 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).
 * 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.
 * Ricochet's love for his job has become a joke in-universe, to the point where many people joke that his job is his wife. When he eventually reunites with and marries Melissa, many remark "Guess the job's got new competition".
 * Another moniker for Ricochet is "hare-trigger bunny". It was given to him by the citizens of Hoop 'n Holler within weeks of his tenure as sheriff, due to his short-temper. This moniker is rarely heard because Ricochet ran a man out of town for calling him that to his face.
 * Although he hides it well, Ricochet does have a dorky side for movies and books. The chapter Acting the Part is mostly dedicated to showing Ricochet's more exuberant side.
 * Due to his speed, athletics is Ricochet's strongest suit.
 * Ricochet is one of the few Hanna-Barbera characters who doesn't have a "birthday". He has one in this series, as it's mentioned that everyone in town celebrates his birthday.
 * Depending on the year, Ricochet's birthday often falls close to or is on Easter.
 * 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).
 * 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
 * Peter Potamus : Petey
 * Punkin' Puss : Punk (again, also a common nickname for Punkin' Puss)
 * Caroline : Carrie
 * Denise : Deni (a nickname that Droop-a-Long eventually uses)
 * Ricochet is the fourth generation of a family line of sheriffs, and his views towards crime are taken from his grandfather as well as his great-grandfather.
 * 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.