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Authors Notes--Hello! Animalia here with a commission for the lovely Mercy, who wanted a Robin Hood fic with a theme of tickling. This is my first time doing tickle-torture as a subject so I hope I was able to do well with it. If you like my work feel free to favorite/comment/like the story or to check out my other works. For those interested in commissioning me, you can find all my details in my Journal for that :)

A PUBLIC TICKLIN'

It was a beautiful spring day in the town of Nottingham, but nobody seemed to be enjoying it. Even with the sun shining away without a care in the world things couldn't have been gloomier for the poor townsfolk, and they had nobody but Prince John to thank for it. The cowardly lion had taxed the entire population into poverty while he rolled around on his bed of riches, and even when they had nothing more to give, still the orders came; pay your taxes!

You can't get blood from a stone though, and eventually people started getting to a point where they couldn't even afford to feed themselves, let alone that phony king of England. So what does said King go and do? Why, he turns his dog loose. Old bad news himself, the Sheriff.

With his goons in tow, they arrested anyone who couldn't fork over enough gold to pay for their freedom, and so one by one the good people of Nottingham were hauled off and locked away.

Well, eventually things started getting quiet- as in, so many people were getting hauled off that the streets were starting to look bare. Now, at this point that daft old lion- instead of accepting that there was nothing more to take from these people- decided that the 'logical' thing to do would be come down even harder. If jail wasn't working, then he'd have to start showing them that there was more to fear than just imprisonment or an easy death.

And so that coming Saturday, as the clock struck one in the afternoon on a day just like any other, their dastardly plan would go into effect. Lead by the Sheriff, a slew of rhino guards and wolf marksmen flooded into the towns square. All around people stopped what they were doing to watch as they surrounded the stocks, knowing no good could come from it.

Suddenly, the guards parted. Shacked at the feet, cuffed at the hands, and with the crossbow of a certain trigger-happy vulture in their backs, three of the previously imprisoned townsfolk were brought foreword to stand before the Sheriff.

Now, old Mother Rabbit, Mercy the Bat, and Ray the skunk were probably some of the least deserving people around to be receiving this kind of treatment, and to the see the trio cuffed and shackled, dirty and underfed, well, it didn't sit well with the rest of the people watching. Tensions were high, that was for sure, but if the Sheriff could tell he certainly wasn't letting on about it. He looked at the three with a slyness that was every bit as wolfish as himself, but just as he opened his mouth to speak, a voice from beside him suddenly called out, nearly scaring the life out of him.

"ALL GATHER IN THE TOWN SQUARE!"

"Oh, dagnabbit, Nutsy!" The Sheriff snapped, having nearly jumped right out of his britches. "I've done told ya' a thousand times now to knock it off with that yellin', and I ain't gonna tell ya again."

The bird sunk back under his cloak, looking a little nervous. "Sorry Sherrif."

"Birdbrain." the wolf muttered before turning back to the three prisoners before him, that devilish gleam returning to his eyes before he spoke out, loud and clear for all the curious ears listening.

"As I was saying. By decree of the royal court, these here criminals have been found guilty of tax evasion!"

A sea of disapproving murmurs rose throughout the growing crowd, and the Sheriff frowned as comments like 'Liar!" and "Your the thieves!" rose above the typical noise.

"Now, now!" he said, putting his hands up defensively, "you all know the rules; if you don't pay your taxes you go to jail. And these three have been given more than enough chances to-"

"To what?!" exclaimed a voice from the crowd, and the citizen parted to let an enraged Friar Tuck come to the front. "To be bled dry by you and that greedy, no-good, arrogant Prince John?!"

The balding badger was a long-standing resident of the town, respected and beloved by all, and it had torn him apart to watch as his friends slowly succumbed to the oppressive hand hanging over them. Every gold coin he managed to get his hands on was redistributed to the townsfolk in need, but it was never enough. The Sheriff and his men made sure of that.

"Now whatever it is your planning here today, you had better just-"

A gesture from the Sheriff and two of the rhino guards would step foreword to grab the older man, silencing him with a sharp elbow to the side.

"Save yer preachin' for church, Friar." The wolf would say before turning back to his men "And get these three in the stocks- I ain't got all day."

The exchange had both angered and silenced the crowd.

A single glance at them and one could easily see the animosity and the empathy raging within them, but with so many guards around and the Friar in the hands of the enemy, nobody else seemed keen on making another scene.

"As I was saying," The sheriff continued, turning back to the crowd. "since the usual punishments don't seem to be getting through to you people, the Kings decided to try something a little different. From this here point forward, all convicted criminals will be forced to endure a public ticklin' until a ransom - I mean bail- of $25 gold coins each is paid."

"But we don't have that kind of money!" came a cry from the crowd.

And that was the honest-to-God truth. There wasn't a pocket, jar, or secret stash in town that hadn't been raided by these rogues already.

"Well if ya'll chip in I'm sure you can figure something out. Until then.."

The Sheriff gestured to a couple of the guards and they ushered the prisoners forward toward the stocks.

Now, the stocks didn't look all that threatening at a glance. If you've ever seen a castle or medieval town then your probably familiar with them already- those rectangles of wood that peoples arms and heads would be stuck in, forcing them to publically stand in one spot to be jeered at and harassed. Nottinghams were no different, only these ones had holes for your feet, too, forcing the person wearing them to sit on an uncomfortable wooden bench. Unable to move, unable to stretch, they'd be completely vulnerable and immobile for however long they were forced to sit in that one spot.

The only exception to this was Mercy, the bat. The girl was so small in stature that her arms didn't quite reach the holes meant to hold them, and they'd had to work around it, eventually just tying her wings/hands behind her back instead of trying to make them reach. It left her in a bit of an awkward position with her head and feet locked into place, but that was the least of her worries right now. She was ridiculously ticklish, something she'd known ever since she was young, and she was already terrified about weather or not she'd be able to get through this.

"Be strong, you two." This came from Mother Rabbit, who was strapped in between Mercy and Ray.

She tried her best to offer her friends a smile, but in her heart she knew there was no way to properly reassure them. While 'tickle torture' didn't exactly sound the most threatening, she was afraid. Who knew what would happen? Her babies were back in the jail right this very moment, and while they were jailed will people she knew and trusted she couldn't help but fear for them. The amount they were asking, it just wasn't possible. It would take weeks, maybe months to come up with that kind of gold, and it would mean the entire town having to sacrifice on their behalf.

Ray, the skunk, nodded at her words with a look of conviction that betrayed the anger boiling within him despite his silence. His family had worked hard their entire life running the farm, and they'd always been loyal and dedicated to the crown- the true crown, that is. But after watching what had become of his home, after seeing the land go bare and seeing what it had done to his family, well, old Ray was filled with a shining defiance that was visible in every inch of him.

"Oh! Oh! Can I do one of em Sheriff? Please?" Asked Nutsy with an eager hop, figuring it sounded like fun.

"If he gets to do one then I should, too, boss!" Trigger spoke up, but the Sheriff only chuckled.

"Easy there fellas, there's enough to go around." the wolf would chuckle, snapping his fingers only to have one of the marksmen hold out a jar of long, white feathers. One-by-one they chose their 'weapon' and then made their way to their individual victims.

Mercy shrunk when the shadow of the Sheriff fell over her, and she visibly gulped under his wolfish smirk. From the moment she'd been forced into the stock her anticipation had been building wildly, and now that she was here facing him and knew it was coming, her frayed nerves could barely handle it.

The Sheriff seemed to sense her anxiety, chuckling as he twirled the feather in front of her face, brushing it over her nose and cheeks and delighting in the way she tried to squirm away from it. "What's wrong, girly? Afraid of a little ticklin'?"

Mercy didn't answer- not because she was trying to be brave or stubborn, but because her mind could only focus on trying to avoid the feather.

Wanting a bigger reaction, he suddenly moved it away from her face and up toward her large ears. Her squeal was instant as she flinched away from the touch. "Oh! Found a sensitive spot, have I? "he asked.

Mercy was already getting terrible chills up and down her spine and she could feel her body go rigid in anticipation for every brush of the feather. It was like every nerve in her body was crackling with electricity that just exploded whenever she felt herself about to be touched. But it got worse when he suddenly left her ears and went to her ribs.

Like before the reaction was instant, and she screamed in laughter and thrashed in a desperate attempt to escape, which just wasn't possible. She was completely exposed and unable to defend herself, and she found Mother Rabbits words fall away in her mind as she began laughing loudly, pleading for the Sheriff to stop.

"P-please!" she gasped out in between fits of laughter, "please s-STOP!!" But all this did was make the Sheriff grin in delight, no hint of mercy in his gaze as he ignored her cries.

Beside Mercy, Mother Rabbit was also in trouble. Trigger the vulture had immediately gone for the womans exposed feet, and while she was trying her best to numb herself to the feeling of the feather dancing along her toes, it wasn't long until she too was laughing loudly.

"Oh! Ha, ha, ha! You rotten bird! Ha, ha!!" she exclaimed, trying to insult and kick at her assailant but unable to muster to strength to do either, and instead her words were swallowed up by her laughter.

Trigger was particularly pleased about being able to punish a criminal. The vulture was always itchin' to punish an enemy and it didn't matter one bit to him what the morals of the situation were. As far as he was concerned he was doing a public service here, and so he was extremely thorough in making sure he tickled along her toes and the arches of her feet, twirling it's tip around her heals and ankles and assuring himself he was doing a good job the louder she laughed and wheezed.

Yup, poor Mercy and Mother Rabbit didn't last long. The two were smiling and laughing and from a distance a person might never have guessed they were in any sort of trouble.

Now Ray, well, he was a tougher nut to crack. Weather he just wasn't ticklish by nature or weather his anger kept him steadfast, the result was an iron-will that wasn't ready to break.

"Awww, that's not fair! Mine's broken!" Nutsy groaned, switching between Rays hands and feet and finding neither elicited a response even close to what Trigger and the Sheriff were getting.

Ray was rigid, fighting hard to focus . He didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing him break, and witnessing the vultures frustrations only reinforced his determination. He could hear Mother Rabbit laughing beside him, but what was even worse was Mercy. The girl was howling in laughter at the end of the line, gasping and shrieking as she thrashed helplessly.

"A tough nut, huh? Well, all nuts crack under enough pressure." the Sheriff would say, calling for a few of the guard.

Within moments four other guards with feathers had joined Nutsy, and finally Ray felt his resolve began to crumble. He fought hard, resisting as the five of them ran their feathers through his fur and went for all of his most vulnerable spots. His sides, feet, hands, and face were all under attack, and despite his best efforts he found his sides begin to heave as a low chuckle began to rise from his chest.

"AHAHAHA! YOU ROTTEN-HAAHAHAHAA- DOGS!!" he roared, his chuckles giving way to full blown laughter as he strained against the wooden planks.

Shame and anger flooded through him, but there was nothing he could do. For those watching the entire thing, it was grim.

Despite the chorus of laughter filling the air, accented by the laughter of the guards and Sheriff who were so clearly enjoying themselves, it was a situation that was relatable to every townsperson there. Every persons had that experience of being tickled too much by someone, and to not be able to escape it, to be stuck there wiggling and crying out for respite only to be ignored, it was something that just couldn't be enjoyable.

Of the three, it was Mercy who was predictably the worst off. The small bat-girl was gasping for breath in between shrieking and howling bouts of laughter, babbling barely coherent pleas for relief. Tears stained the fur of her cheeks and her entire body ached from the effort of struggling and laughing. She felt like she might even pee herself if things kept on the way they were going.

Mother Rabbit wasn't doing too much better. While she wasn't as sensitive to it all as Mercy was, the woman was older and she wasn't used to this kind of strain on her body. It was getting hard to breath and her sides were aching from contracting with her laughter. She just didn't have the youth or stamina for things like this anymore.

Yep. It seemed almost hopeless for those three, and neither they nor the townsfolk knew when they'd find a respite from it. On and on it went, until even the tough skunk, Ray, was hanging exhaustedly from his arm and neck holes, panting for air. It only found pause when a voice suddenly rose from somewhere in the crowd.

"Hey, Sheriff!" "Huh?" The wolf had barely turned to face the crowd when a small brown satchel came flying toward him, knocking him upside the head and falling to his feet.

It happened so quickly that neither he nor the guards got a look at who threw it, and the townsfolk who did catch a glimpse of the red-furred hand pulling back into the crowd did nothing to give away their identity.

"Alright! Which one of you-" began the Sheriff, only to be cut off by Trigger calling out from beside him.

"Look, boss, it's gold!" exclaimed the vulture, stopping to point at the sac laying near the wolfs feet. Nutsy would pause too, leaning over to get a look for themselves.

"He's right Sheriff! A whole bag!"

Looking down the Sheriff saw that they were right, but even as he scooped the bag up along with the few coins that had fallen out, he still couldn't believe it. How had they gathered so much so quickly? It had only been a half hour at best.

Convinced that it had to be sort he quickly sifted through the gold coins only to find they were all there, leaving him glancing over the crowd with a look of disbelief.

"You've got your gold Sheriff- now let these people go and release Mother Rabbits children to her at once!" called Friar Tuck from where he was still being hovered over by two of the rhino guards.

"Well, I-I." The Sheriff seemed at a loss for words for a moment, but he quickly cleared his throat and straightened up, cinching the bag shut as he turned to address the crowd.

"Well of course, Friar- I'm a man of my word, after all. These here prisoners are officially pardoned of their crimes- guards, set 'em free."

The padlock was undone and the boards were lifted as one-by-one the trio were pulled free and sat on the ground.

"You can come by to pick up the little ones whenever your feeling up to it." He would say to Mother Rabbit, feigning a tone of sympathy that was as fake as everything else about him.

After that, satisfied that he'd gotten the gold he was after, the Sheriff rallied up his goons and turned to make his leave, but not before pausing beside Mercy on his way out. The girl was lying back on the ground trying to catch her breath, wiping hastily at the tears on her face.

Noticing old Bad News watching her, she couldn't help but tense up a bit as she locked eyes with him. "Now don't you go fallin' behind on your taxes again, or we'll be playing again real soon, Miss Mercy." He'd say with a chuckle, still twirling his feather in one hand while holding the sac of money with the other. "Toodle-loo."

And with that the guards were led away, leaving the townsfolk to tend to their own.

At once Ray, Mother Rabbit, and Mercy were surrounded by their neighbors and friends. Some brought water for them to sip while others tried to help them to their feet, which their sleeping legs wouldn't permit them to do on their own, and several people offered Mercy their handkerchiefs or napkins to help dry her tears.

"I don't understand." Said Ray as he finished drinking deeply from a waterskin that was handed to him.

Mother Rabbit seemed to understand what he was talking about, and nodded. "W-where did all that money come from?" she asked, exhausted and confused.

"I'm not too sure." Admitted Friar Tuck as did his best to help comfort his friends. "All I caught was a glimpse of red fur from the crowd."

When nobody came foreword then to identify themselves as the hero, the group shared a knowing look.

"Bless him! Bless him and everything he does!" Mercy whispered, fresh tears of gratitude coming to her eyes.

"Aye." Ray agreed. "No matter what happens, that fox always seems to be lookin' out for us."

A soft chorus of murmurs went up in the group as they all agreed with this verdict. Robin Hood. There was a reason the stories about him would last for generations beyond his time, and this wouldn't be the last time the cunning archer would have to come to the rescue. But that, well, that's a tale for another time.