Sorry for writing such a confusing chapter last time, i'll try to do better.
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Charlotte sat up and stretched, squinting as bright morning light shone in her eyes. Her back ached from sleeping in a curled-position all night on a grubb-sized bed, which was only half her size. She sighed and looked out her window, where grbbs were already bustling with activity.
What was I doing again today? she wondered, rubbing her face.
Oh, yeah. I have a chuggler to kill.
She grabbed her rifle before stepping out the door (she slept in her clothes, so she didn't need to change) and was instantly pile-driven to the ground.
"Oddammit!" Charlotte snapped, kicking Mola off her leg. "Watch where you're going!"
"Come on!" Mola said exitedly, jumping to his feet and pulling her roughly along by her hand. "Chugglers' this way!"
"I'm coming, i'm coming," she sighed, groggily following him to the docks.
Stranger was already there, absent-mindedly throwing rocks in the water. Sitting on the docks were four grubbs, including Ophelia, who were busy fishing.
"The chuggler steals our fish," Ophelia explained. "So if we catch a lot of fish, we'll catch the chuggler."
"Can't we have breakfast first?" Charlotte yawned.
"If the chuggler takes the fish, then there won't be breakfast." Mola reminded her. Charlotte grunted angrily.
Stranger threw one last rock in the water before speaking. "How long will this take?" He asked.
Mola shrugged as he waded out into the water. "I don't know, as long as it always takes."
Charlotte sat down with her legs over the side of the dock, watching the wetland stretched out before her. The water was a cool aquamarine color, with thick aquatic plants swaying in its depths. Hungry pike circled the lures the grubbs had cast out, and a small sandpiper-like bird skipped along the shore, whistling as it picked up small reeds in its beak. The wetland was peaceful and serene, and showed no signs of being the home of a hungry monster; but, deep in the water, under a large rock, something huge and lumpy sturred as it caught sight of the grubbs fishing. It hissed and slid out of its hiding place, towards the grubb fortress.
"Are you sure there's a chuggler round' here?" Stranger asked boredly after an uneventful half-hour had passed. A grubb nearby reeled in his catch and deposited it in a bucket.
"It might've gone away. At least, I hope it did." He said, casting out his line again. Ophelia shrugged.
"Who knows? It could've been bored of stealing from us, the lazy jerk."
Unexpectingly, the grubb next to her's rod jerked violently, and he started reeling in his line.
"Its a big one!" He said, bobbing up and down. He gasped as he rod bent and snapped in half completely. "My best rod!" He cried, stairing at the stump of wood in his hands. "That was my best rod!"
Charlotte nervously reached for her rifle. Stranger, who also seemed to sense something was wrong, placed a thugslug on the end of his bow. The grubb threw the wood angrily into the water.
"I spend weeks making that rod!" He moaned, slapping his forehead with his little hands. He was so angry that he failed to notice the water churning under the dock below him. He sighed and looked down into the water. But it was too late.
The dock roared and shattered, sending shards of wood flying in every direction. The entire front half of the dock vanished in a giant, rising fissure of bubbling water and steam. Grubbs were thrown everywhere, screaming, and Charlotte dropped her rifle in suprise.
"Mi watter!" The chuggler gurgled as water dripped from its gaping jaws. "My watter! MI WATTER!"
"Chuggler!" Mola screamed, running back to the fortress. Charlotte shakily reached down and picked up her rifle, cocked it, and aimed. The bullet rebounded off the creature's thick leather armor covering its face, including its eyes. Its head swung as it sniffed the air, seeking them out.
"Go away!" A wounded grubb screamed, backing away from the monster. The chuggler rounded on the terrified creature and snapped it up in its jaws, swallowing it hole.
"Mi watter!" It howled, water gushing from its throat. It ducked down, inhaled a lungful of water, and emerged again, whining angrily. It pulled itself up on the remains of the dock, scuttling awkwardly on its long, webbed toes, and stabbed the ground with its makeshift spear.
The chuggler was clumsy on land, could only breathe water, and couldin't see- it seemed that the only thing keeping it on the top of the food chain was its size and violent nature.
Stranger fired a thugslug, and it bounced off its long snout, It growled angrily. "Yew steel ma fish! Gimmie fish! I killiee you!"
It dove forward. Stranger jumped back and fired a dozen stingbees at its neck, causing blood to drip. It howled and scratched at its wound, its mouth foaming with anger. It barrel-rolled to the side, towards where Charlotte stood. She didn't have time to think; she jumped in the air, and suddently she found herself clinging to the monster's back,
"Shoot its neck!" Stranger advised, backing up and firing more stingbees at the spinning chuggler. Charlotte reached back, grabbed her rifle, and fired. Nothing happened.
"No bullets!" She cried as the monster rolled, trying to crush her. She put the rifle against its neck and pulled back, strangling it. It wailed angrily and reared up, flailing backwards into the water. The chuggler thrashed around, desperately trying to free itself.
Charlotte's teeth locked together as she held her breath. Her head throbbed, her vision blurred, and she wouldin't be able to hold on much longer...
She broke the surface and sucked in air greedily, her lungs aching with pain. The chuggler pulled itself up on land and collapsed, its head rolling limply. In its struggle its mask had fallen off, and its small milky eyes swiveled fearfully. Its body shuddered, and it stopped moving.
Charlotte dropped the rifle and rolled off the creature's back, panting. Stranger kicked the chuggler's sholder. It didn't react.
"Damn," he breathed, pulling back the monster's gum to reveal large, shearing teeth that could easily break a steef in half. Charlotte stood up and squeezed the end of her shirt, removing the water.
"Yaay! You did it!" Grubbs cheered, pouring out of the fortress and surrounding the dead chuggler.
"I saw the whole thing!" Mola said. "I would've helped, but, y'know..."
"That was amazing!" Ophelia squealed. "That chuggler won't bother us anymore!"
'What should we do with the body?" Charlotte asked.
"I'll send some grubbs to burn it out in the canyon." Ophelia said. "But for now, lets go have fish!"
She skipped off to collect the fish they had caught earlier. Charlotte nudged the dead chuggler nervously with the butt of her rifle, then followed the others to the broken dock.