CHARLOTTE'S REIN (A fanfictious fanfic)

[Moosh da Outlaw]

Okay, so.
My name is Moosh. Just Moosh. Don't call me anything else.
I've decided to share a Stranger's Wrath fanfic i've started writing recently. I don't know if i'll continue it or not, but if anyone is interested in reading it i'll continue adding more each week. So without further ado...


Bandits, battles and violence...
...this is

- CHARLOTTE'S REIN -


-19 years ago-


The forest was alive with groaning timber, clashing trees and flames that licked her ankles and scorched her flesh. She had to run, had to flee this dying place, where the ground was as hot as an oven and the fire threataned to burn a hole in the sky! She forced herself forward, for her life and the life of the tiny bundle in her arms depended on it.
Suddently she saw it- a clearing, a gaping hole in the rumbling mass that was once her home. It was just yards away, so very close-
A flaming branch plummited down from the burning canopy and crushed her torso, and she screamed as the tiny bundle was thrown through the air and landed with a soft thump beside a badly singed tree.

By the end of the night, a fourth of the forest would be consumed by the flames that crawled inevitably forward, only to be washed away the next day by a rainstorm. And at the end of this catastrophie, the outlaw leader known as Buckner 'Bleached-bone' Royalle was skill pacing in his hideout, as he had been the night before.
Buckner resembled Blisterz Booty, only he was at least a foot shorter with pale, chalky skin, which is how he earned the nickname 'Bleached-bone'. He wore a thick black vest that was always buttoned up, and a pair of regular tan pants- he wasn't a fancy dresser. His left eye was covered with an eyepatch and his other eye was large, red, and, most of all, intimidating.
As buckner paced restlessly, eight outlaws burst into his shack and gave a hasty salute. Those who didn't salute learned respect the hard (and excrutiatingly painful) way.
Buckner swiftly glanced over at the crowd; two shooters, four cutters, and his own two sons, Willie and Clyde. They were both complete morons and stood at the back, looking anxious. Buckner gave a long sigh before speaking.

"You managed to contain the fire?" He asked in his cobbly voice.

"Yea, but we lost three boys doing it. The rain did the rest."

"And you took care of that pitiful-excuse-for-a-dumbass?" He hissed, remembering how the fire started. Apperantly, a foolish flamer had been fiddling with his weapons and accidentally set a tree ablaze.

"He's at the bottom of the river now." The shooter chuckled.

"Good. You can go now."

Just as the outlaws turned around, Buckner's son Willie spoke out.

"No, wait, we found something!"
He trotted over, his fat stomach swaying with each stride, and held up a small grey creature by one of its hind legs. It wailed and kicked piteously as it struggled to escape Willie's grasp, but to no avail.

"We found it in the forest."

"What is it?" Willie's brother, Clyde, piped up.

Buckner leaned closer towards the creature, looked it over quickly, and his red eye bulged.

"Its some sort of steef! Look, its got four legs! Oddammit, boy, stop holding it that way, you'll break its leg off."

Buckner snatched the infant from Willie's grip and whispered to it, his eye soft.
This was one side of his father that Willie truly hated. His father, the infamous Buckner 'Bleached-bone' Royalle, who could easily crush the skull of anyone who got on his nerves and not ask any questions, had a suprising disposition: he had a soft spot for children. All children exept his own, of course.

"Poor lil' bay-bee, left all alone in a fire..." Buckner tickled the baby's bottom lip, and Willie rolled his eyes. How could anyone treat anything that way?!
Willie glanced over at the other outlaws in the room, who were catching eachothers eyes and shuffling their feet akwardly. Willie coughed.
'Damn, this is embarassing.' Willie thought, 'If I knew he'd act this was in front of other people I would've just left that thing behind.'

"Go away." Buckner said, motioning towards to the door with his free hand.
Everyone filed out of the room and, as Willie left, he could still hear his father speaking quietly to the baby;

"Charlotte... a pretty name for a pretty girl... yeah, i'm talking to you, my little Charlotte..."

Willie had to summon up all the self-control in his body not to turn around and throttle his father.
Not that he would be strong enough to, anyway...

[Zozo the Zrilufet]

Just wanna pop in to say this is a good 'fic. Well yeah, I got kinda emo after no one commented on my good one sooo....Yeah. I take it the next chapter takes place in the future?

[MA]

carry on writing! dont worry about half of these miserable buggers not posting, its good! i wish more people on this site wrote in this style, rather than the same old-same old bang bang your dead crap.

[Moosh da Outlaw]

I've decided to carry on writing anyway, for anyone who enjoys it. C:

CHAPTER 2

It was late, and every outlaw in the camp was asleep- minus one, of course. Charlotte never did pay attention to the time, anyhow.

She bit her bottom lip and sat down on the ground, exhausted from her close combat practice. With long, slender fingers the female steef pulled a leather glove off her left hand, examining the deep cuts and holes bore within them. She gripped a large wooden splinter thrust deep into her palm and yanked it free, almost crying out with pain.

One down, many more to go, she thought angrily as she continued pulling bloodied splinters from her flesh. This training better be worth it.
Her target had been a tall strip of wood she had found in the canyon by the Mongo River. She spent the entire evening and most of the night tearing at it with her teeth and claws as though it were an enemy. It had been a big mistake, as now she had splinters in her hands and gums.

Charlotte pulled the final wedge of wood from one of her fingers and slipped her glove back on, cursing as the leather touched her open wounds. Then she stood and trudged through the canyon and towards the outlaw camp- her home.

Charlotte flexed her fingers painfully as she walked, her eyes occasionally traveling over to her reflection in passing puddles. She wore the same clothes every day; khaki pants with dozens of pockets, an olive green tank top with a faded wine-red 'throw' poncho over her sholders and a pair of plated steel boots for extra kicking power.

Charlotte approached the camp (it was cleverly hidden in an abandoned gold mine, behind some bushes) she felt a chill run down her spine and the hairs on the back of her neck rose. She turned slowly, spotting a tall shape moving through the forest. It didn't appear to see her yet. Charlotte quickly entered the camp without looking back. Somehow she knew that something big would happen soon; but what it was, she didn't know.

[Moosh da Outlaw]

Just wanna pop in to say this is a good 'fic. Well yeah, I got kinda emo after no one commented on my good one sooo....Yeah. I take it the next chapter takes place in the future?

Yeah, it does, but there will be a few chapters that take place a little farther back. C:

carry on writing! dont worry about half of these miserable buggers not posting, its good! i wish more people on this site wrote in this style, rather than the same old-same old bang bang your dead crap.

Thanks! I'm glad some people enjoy it.

[Oddey]

I love this story! I hope you continue. And you are a very good writer.

[Venks]

Nice nice. Keep up the awesomeness!

[Moosh da Outlaw]

I love this story! I hope you continue. And you are a very good writer.

Nice nice. Keep up the awesomeness!

Thanks so much! I really appriciate all the comments.

The next chapter or two might be a bit boring (I still have to explain some things before the story really gets started, y'know) but after that I promise things'll really get interesting.
c:

[Moosh da Outlaw]

The town of Fowlsburgh was a small Clakker town about four miles from the outlaw camp. It rested in the heart of a large canyon called The Autumn Pass, which was aptly named for its reddish-brown cliffs and winding rivers. The town itself was peaceful and quaint (as quaint as clakkers came, anyway), and just happened to be Stranger's latest stop.

The bounty hunter looked over the small town quickly; it was just like any other Clakker town he'd been to before, nothing special. No doubt the Clakkers here were just like any other Clakkers. He sighed and walked casually towards the little village and, the moment he entered, the atmosphere seemed to freeze. Clakkers stopped and stared, as still as stone. It was though time itself had stopped running.

A few Clakkers shuffled and muttered to one another without taking their eyes off him, but didn't return to what they were doing. Wondering if he had missed something important Stranger turned and looked around, but all he saw were buildings and cliffs. They were staring at him. Stranger walked forward slowly, their eyes following him with each long stride, until he caught sight of a bounty store sign hanging haphazardly over an old, practically dececript building to his left. He turned towards it and every Clakker within twenty feet of the crumbling development stepped away quickly.
Don't think about it too much, Stranger thought as he pushed open the Bounty Store's waterstained door. those damn featherheads jus' don't know how to mind their own buisness.

He stepped inside.
Stranger had to admit that the bounty store clerk's reaction wasn't the same as the clakkers he'd seen outside. But it wasn't much better.
"HELP! Murder! Oh, oh!" It screamed, diving under its desk. "Don't kill me, please, the moolahs' in the back, don't hurt me---"
"I'm not gonna hurt ya, ya stupid bird! I'm just here for a bounty!" Stranger yelled, obviously taken abak. There was a long pause. Then, finally, the clakker poked its head out from under the desk.
"No kiddin'? Oh, sorry."
The clakker regained his composure and adjusted a few stray feathers around its beak. "Sorry fer' that, its just... aw, never mind."
He reached down and pulled out a huge stack of papers from a drawer. It was at least a foot and a half in height. "Bounties have been real bad lately, you never know who you can trust, y'know..."
"Those are all the bounties?" Stranger asked, suddently looking sick. How could be possibly bag all those outlaws?
"Well..." the clakker began, "these are mostly members of Buckner's gang. Their crime rate is through the roof, almost all his boys are hardened outlaws. I can show you the worst ones first, if you like."
"Who's this 'Buckner' fella you talked about?"
"Buckner is the leader of one of the biggest gangs this side of th' Mongo. They've robbed every wagon train and almost every person around these parts, and they've got a reputation for being some of the worst villans this towns' ever seen. Buckner himself is old now, but his gang's so big that nobody's gotten close to him before."
"What's he pay?" Stranger asked.
The clakker sorted through the mound of papers on his desk and carefully pulled a large bounty poster from the bottom of the pile. Then he carefully set a pair of reading spectacles on his beak and began reading.
"'Wanted. Buckner 'Bleached-Bone' Royalle.' The pay is..." the clakker's eyes widened, "Whoo, alot!"
Stranger snatched the poster from the Clakker's grip and looked it over quickly. That's alot of zeros. He thought, stunned. With this much money he'd be set for life.
"I'll take it."
"Ya sure?" The clakker asked wearily. "His gang's more than a hundred' strong, and you're not the first person who went after him---"
The clakker stared, stunned, at the swinging wooden doors behind where the Stranger was only seconds before.
"Damn fool." The clakker muttered before getting back to his work.

[Oddey]

So awsome I would throw up. But I won't. I'm sure that you would rather have a comment than a youtube video of me throwing up.

[Moosh da Outlaw]

Soft evening light was cast on the Autumn Woods outside the town of Fowlsburgh. Tall, gnarled oak trees dominated the landscape, casting long shadows over a small trickling stream. A single bolamite crept out from under a rock. It crawled forward cautiously, its beady eyes flicking from side to side, and, deciding that the area was safe, continued onwards.
SNAP!
Stranger pounced from the bushes and onto the ledge with ease, peering down at his feet. The bolamite lay on its back, twitching as volts of electricity from Stranger's freshly-fired Zappfly coursed through its tiny body. He reached down with a large, gloved hand and scooped the bolamite up, depositing it in his bag.
Stranger raised his head and cast his gaze all around, his ears pricked. The only sounds he heard was the quiet trickling of the stream and the drumming of his own heartbeat.
Is this forest really so empty? He wondered. If this is the only ammo i'll find here, maybe this isn't such a good idea. Stranger reached under his poncho and pulled out Buckner's wanted poster. One glance at the reward offered was all he needed. He had to do this.
Stranger leapt over the small brook and began running as fast as his legs would allow until he was bounding on all fours, trying to keep as quiet as he could. With the forest this silent, an outlaw could easily hear him coming. He had to be careful.

---

"You sure you're goin' the right way?"
"Of course i'm sure! I know where i'm goin'!"
"Then how come we ain't there yet?"
"We'll be there when we be there!"
"Thats improper grammar!"
"Huh, like I care!"
Charlotte stared unamused at the two outlaws walking in front of her, a look of anger on her face. Dumbasses, she thought. If they don't stop fighting and start moving i'll strangle them both.
"I told you, its this way!"
"That'll take us towards the town, idjit!"
"Ain't that where we're going?"
"What? No! Where the hell have you been leading us?"
"Towards the town!"
"BOTH OF YOU!" Charlotte exploded, her pupils dialated with anger. "Stop arguing like old ladies and move your damn legs, or i'll break em' off myself! Now which way to that wagon train you talked about?"
The outlaw to the left, a cutter, gulped. "Uh, uh, t-that way."
The outlaw shooter next to him nodded furiously. "Yeah, yeah! That way."
"Well get movin'!" She roared, kicking the cutter in the pants. The unfortunate outlaw yelped and hurried forward without taking his eyes from the path ahead.
"Idiots!" She hissed. "Complete idiots, thats what you are! How did I ever get stuck with you two?" Charlotte rubbed her eyes and groaned, obviously frustraited. The cutter had claimed that he had seen a wagon train full of moolah parked by the side of a trail out in the forest. The shooter backed him up, and Buckner made her follow them to the spot to see if there was anything worth stealing. Unfortunately these perticular outlaws had the shared attention span of a two-year-old and had already forgotten where they were going and what it was they had seen in the forest to begin with.
"I don't know if this is a good idea." The shooter piped up. "Its getting late, what if we get lost?"
"I'm not an idiot," Charlotte sighed. "We won't get lost."
Five minutes later the trio came to two seperate paths in the forest.
"Okay, which way?" Charlotte asked. The cutter stepped forward, examining each path.
"Uhm..." He muttered... "...uh..."
Charlotte slapped her forehead.
"Okay, look, just stay here." She said. "I'll go left and see where it leads."
The two outlaws huddled together inbetween the two paths as Charlotte trudged away.

---

Stranger skidded to a hault, suddently aware of a new sound; voices. Outlaw voices. He ducked his head and pushed himself through a patch of tallgrass, creeping closer to the voices.
"It was this way, wasn't it?" A cutter asked a shooter.
"I don't really remember..." The shooter admitted.
Stranger slowly placed a twittery little chippunk on the end of his bow and fired at the ground in front of where he hid.

---

Waste of time... Charlotte thought, returning to the path. There's nothing even around here... Some inner sense told her to hide. Charlotte looked back and forth quickly before noticing a tall oak behind her. The branches were low and thick with leaves. She clamored quickly up its side and hid among the plants, peeking through a small hole in the brush.
She watched the two outlaws, who were talking to eachother again.
What am I doing up here? She thought with a sigh. There's nothing to worry about. Its just two idiots...
A chippunk hopped out of the tallgrass. No, it was launched.
Before she could yell a warning the two outlaws scurried over towards the chattering rodent.
"Look at it, just babbling and babbling..." The shooter said.
"Yeah. But I wonder what its doing here. Chippunks don't usually live---"
As quick as a flash something tackled the cutter to the ground with minimal force, causing him to yell out in shock. Standing behind it was a tall man in a cowboy hat with a lionlike face, startling green eyes and a sun-bleached poncho. He held out his arm and a bolamite seemingly flew from his wrist, wrapping the outlaw in its stickly web. Taking a second look Charlotte realised that the man had a specially-made crossbow around his lower arm.
The outlaw shooter raised his rifle and fired two shots, each of which he easily dodged. The man grabbed the outlaw cutter in the web and swung him around, slamming the shooter to the floor. The shooter groaned softly, unconscious. Dropping the cutter the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small can. He pressed down on its lid.
Pop! Pop!
Both outlaws were sucked into his container.

Charlotte staired in horror.
Oh no, She thought. A bounty hunter...

[Oddey]

Awesome! I like the way you describe the fight instead of the normal "It was a big battle but the _____ won."

[Moosh da Outlaw]

Awesome! I like the way you describe the fight instead of the normal "It was a big battle but the _____ won."

Thanks, i'm glad you like it.

Chapter 5


Charlotte's breath caught in her throat. No, she thought, no, no, no...
The strange lionlike man lifted his head and sniffed the air, and swiftly turned his head in her direction, towards the tree where she hid. Charlotte backed up slowly, careful not to shake the branches, and leaned against the tree's thick trunk. She held her breath and struggled to keep still.
Please go away, just leave me alone...
To her horror he turned and started walking towards her, a curious look on his face that was almost recognition. Charlotte's heart was beating so fast that it almost burst from her chest, and she bit her tongue in frustration. She wasn't scared of him particularly; what she was scared of was being found and not getting to warn her gang of what was coming. Those seconds of leaning against the trunk felt like hours to her.
Then, to Charlotte's immense relief, the man seemed to lose interest. He slipped his can in his pocket and bounded into the forest, heading in the direction of the outlaw camp.
Argh! No!
She clambored down from the treetop and ran after him on all fours, careful to keep her distance. The man didn't notice that she was less than a hundred yards away; at least, if he did, he was extremely good at hiding it. The sun had almost fully set as she ran through the forest, casting its final rays on the winding Autumn Forest.
At one point the man took a turn and went the wrong way, and Charlotte smiled to herself. This guy may have been a threat, but at least the camp was well hidden. Charlotte swerved quickly to the right and came to a tall cliff at the end of the forest. She pushed away some bracken under a ledge, revealing the entrance to the abandoned gold mine where the camp was hidden. She peeked inside, saw the faint glow of firelight at the back of the tunnel, and stepped inside.
"That was nice of you."
Charlotte stiffened, her eyes wide.
"Shit." She breathed, standing shock still. Then, slowly, she turned her head to face the bounty hunter.
The man emerged from the shadows, his face impassive, with one arm held out in front of him. On the mount of his crossbow was a fuzzle, its mouth dripping with foam.
"You one of Buckner's boys?" He asked, his eyes cold. Charlotte wanted to shout 'I'm a girl, smartass!' but she knew better than that.
"Whats it to you?" She inquired, reaching behind her. Grabbing the rifle strapped to her back she pulled it forward, tensed, and prepared to fire it if the need be.
That seemed very likely.
The man stared her in the eyes, long and hard, and Charlotte resisted the urge to look away. Finally he lowered his arm.
"I don't fight girls." He growled.
"I can't say the same for you." Charlotte retorted, her rifle still pointed at his stomach.
"Move," He threataned, "or i'll shoot you."
Her brow contracted. "Why are you here?"
"Why do you think?" He asked.
"For Buckner, or maybe me." She said. "And I have no problem killing you."
"Then do it." He dared.
Charlotte's trigger finger slowly moved towards her hand, unsure of what to do. Seconds ticked by.
Without warning Charlotte threw her rifle to the ground and sprang at him.

[Oddey]

Yes! The next chapter is here!

[Moosh da Outlaw]

Night had come. Soft, cold winds blew through the treetops, gently carassing their thin green leaves, and a final ray of sunlight burst free of the coming darkness before being lost forever in the starry sky.
Charlotte bowled into the man as hard as he could, slamming him to the ground. He was startled by her attack only momentarily and he quickly recovered himself. Closing his fist, he swung forward and punched her in the jaw, hard. Charlotte spat out a tooth that had been knocked loose and jumped back as he tried to kick her in the stomach, snarling as she did. The two circled eachother menacingly, teeth bared.
"Who are you?!" She demanded, diving forward in an attempt to slash his throat with her claws.
"Who are you?" He countered, ducking to the side before she could get to him.
"I asked you first!"
She grabbed his leg as she hit the ground and threw him to the side. Even though she was half a foot shorter than he was, she was just as strong and quick. The man learned that the hard way. He tripped and fell with a loud thump, and had to arch his back to keep her from ripping open his stomach. Charlotte twisted herself to her feet and grabbed her rifle just as the man was loading his bow. He fired two fuzzles and smirked. Nothing could outfight a fuzzle!
The little brown monsters careened around her body, biting as they went.
"What-" she grabbed the fuzzles as they traveled around her leg, "-the-" she threw them to the ground and stepped on them, "hell?!" The fuzzles scurried off into the grass, wimpering.
Charlotte was now thoroughly pissed off.
"The name's Stranger." The bounty hunter said with a grin as she lunged at him once again. Charlotte managed to swipe him across the face, leaving four thin, glistening trails of blood. She spun around and crept towards him on all fours, her jaws snapping angrily. Stranger backed up a few steps and reloaded his bow with a bolamite. She darted quickly to the side and he fired, but he only managed to wrap up her left leg. It was still enough to trip her, though, and she fell painfully forward.
Charlotte lay motionless on her face, eyes closed.
Unsure of whether or not he had knocked her out, Stranger stepped forward gingerly, his arm still out and his bow loaded with a thugslug. She made no move to stop him. Stranger smirked; that was easier then he thought it would be. He lowered his arm and slipped out his bounty-holding can.
Suddently Charlotte sprang to life, grabbed his wrist as though to shake his hand, and swung him around. He fell on his back and the can rolled out of his hands and into the bushes.
"Son of a--"
"I'm Charlotte!" Charlotte snarled, leaning over him. She stepped backward.
Crunch! came the metallic, unmistabable sound of somebody stepping on a can.
"No!" Stranger roared, lifting his arm. The thugslug on his bow hit her inbetween the eyes and she fell backwards with a soft thump.

---

Stranger paced back and forth, one hand over his eyes. His sharp, unbrushed teeth clenched painfully together in raw fury. In his hand he held the small, crushed remains of his bounty hunting can. He wouldin't be able to go after Buckner tonight.
He looked over at Charlotte, whom he had wrapped up to her neck in gooey bolamite webbing. With a grumble he grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and began dragging her back through the forest. If he couldin't turn Buckner in, he thought, as least he could turn her in for some moolah.

[Oddey]

Nice chapter! That was some fight to imagine. And cool how Stranger's bounty can is broken.

[Moosh da Outlaw]

Here's a reference for Charlotte, seeing as I haven't really explained her character much. C:
I also drew a picture for her and scanned it, but I don't have any artistic abilities at all, so don't expect anything amazing. I might color it later:

http://img243.imageshack.us/my.php?i...can0002mw2.jpg

(That thing by her foot is a turtle, I drew it just for the sake of having it there. )

Name: Charlotte (doesn't know her last name)
Breed: Steef
Gender: Female
Age: 26
Fur: Pale greyish-blue
Hair: Darker grey
Eyes: Green
Height: 6'5 (Stranger's height is 7'0, I think)
Running speed on all fours: 50 mph
Clothing: Olive green tank top, red 'throw' poncho over sholders, tan khaki pants with alot of pockets, steel-plated boots
Tattoos: I didn't mention it before, but she has a red tattoo of a fish and a black x below it on her right sholder
Personality: Usually quiet, but can be easily angered by stupidity or when under pressure. Often gets carried away with her insults and ends up making mistakes with whatever she's doing
Weapon: Rifle, painted with red and black stripes (its pretty)

[Moosh da Outlaw]

Chapter 7

It was dawn.
Rumbling torrents of water crashed down from the side of the Autumn Falls less than a mile behind the Outlaw camp, churning and sloshing before being dumped into the Mongo river. A fall down these treacherous waters would surely kill a man, and it had already claimed the lives of countless dozens, clakkers and outlaws alike.
A single ledge jutted out of the cliff at the side of the waterfall and tall figure leaned against a tall oak tree growing from its middle, patiently waiting. This was Willie Royalle, Buckner's son. He had bored, half-closed eyes and was wearing a white, heavily stained shirt with unmatching pants and sandals. He inhaled deeply from the four cigars at the side of his mouth that were held together with a rubber band; he was a very, very heavy smoker.
What the hell is taking that little bastard so long? He wondered, sneering. As if on cue a short, hunched figure hobbled onto the ledge, moving painfully slow.
"What took so damn long?!" Willie demanded, standing up to his full height- 12'5. Like Buckner, Willie had the temper of a rabid wolf. On steroids.
The hunched figure peeked up at him with small, jewel-like eyes. "I'm not as young as I was before." He reminded him.
"Yeah, whatever." Willie yawned, glairing down at him.
The outlaw elder's name was Johnathan. He was one of the oldest members of Buckner's gang, and was known for being an expert on outlaw politics. During his youth Johnathan had been well-renown as a professional assassin, but now he spent his days as Buckner's personal advisor. He had unusually small eyes that flashed like gems in the sunlight and an evil smile that sent chills down Willie's spine.
Johnathan flexed his fingers against his oak cane that he kept with him at all times. "I have been thinking about what you said," He said in his queer musical voice, "And I have a solution to your problem."
"What?!" Willie asked eagerly, taking another deep breath from his cigars.
"First," he said, "you'll have to kill Clyde. You can't have any competition."
Willie nodded; killing his brother would be easy. "Consider it done. Then what?"
"This is what."
Johnathan reached in his pocket with a bony, wrinkled hand and produced a tiny glass vile. Inside was a milky grey liquid. "Two days after you kill your oaf-of-a-brother, pour this in Buckner's drink. He'll be dead before he even lowers his glass."
Willie snatched the vile from the elder's grasp and slipped it in his own pocket. "Now I suppose you'll want something in return?" He asked dully. He couldin't think of anything Johnathan would want, but he knew that the old geezer wouldnt've helped him for free.
"Oh, you know," Johnathan shrugged carelessly. "Second-in-command, half the loot, and," he added quietly, "Charlotte's head."
There was a pause. Willie leaned against the tree again, deep in thought. He had wanted to be the one to have sold Charlotte's head; many outlaws hated her because Buckner treated her better than everyone else, and she always ended up with more moolah. Win some lose some, Willie thought.
"Deal."

---

Charlotte opened an eye.
"..."
Then she opened the other.
She was dimly aware that she was moving; more specifically, being dragged. Soft morning sunshine shone through the oak leaves swaying rhythmically above and gleamed in her eye, causing her to squint painfully.
"What the fvck?" She groaned as she felt a throbbing pain steadily building in her forehead that reminded her of a hangover. "Did I get drunk last night? And what the hell is going on?"
"Hmm." Somebody chuckled behind her. She turned her head and caught a glimse of a tall man in a cowboy hat and poncho dragging her along by a thick strand of bolamite webbing. Her memories came back in a flash.
"Let me go, you jerk!" She screamed, thrashing violently. The more she thrashed, the more she realised just how much trouble she was in. She couldin't move her arms or legs- she could only wiggle and squirm her body like a fish out of water. She was also being dragged towards the town of Fowlsburgh by a Bounty hunter, and she had a pretty good idea why.
"What the hell! This ain't how you treat a lady!" She howled like a wounded bear. "I have rights! I HAVE RIGHTS, DAMMIT!"
"For Odd's sake, shut up!" Stranger yelled, haulting. "I don't care about your oddamn rights! And your an outlaw, you don't have rights to respect anyway! Now shut yer mouth!"
Charlotte took his advice and closed her mouth, looking pissed and defeated at the same time.
A few uneventful minutes past.
"Did you hear that?" Charlotte asked, eyes wide.
"I ain't falling for any tricks." Stranger growled.
"No, i'm serious. Wait! Did you hear that?" She turned her head the other way. "There! In the bushes!"
"There's nothing there." Stranger sighed.
"A spyider! In the bushes!" She cried.
"What, like a bolamite?"
"Not s-p-i-d-e-r," She said, reciting each letter, "s-p-y-i-d-e-r. There's one in the bushes! It'll eat us alive!"
Charlotte started thrashing and panting, her eyes growing wider each second.
"Stop gettin' all upset over nothin'. I don't even know what a spyider is." Stranger said, scratching his head.
"Waah!" Charlotte screamed.
Stranger almost screamed himself out of suprise.
At that second a huge eel-like head supported by a neck as thick as a tree's trunk burst from the bushes, hissing and spitting with rows of small, sharp, and numerous teeth.
"Spyider! SPYIDER! Look what you did, smartass! You've condemned us both to death!" Charlotte wailed...

[Oddey]

I like this spyider thing! Very beleiveble to be in Oddworld. As usual great chapter!

[MA]

bloody hell! just read all the stuff i missed from my last post to now, i had a bit of a domestic on these forums.
anywho, i love it! and i love your style of writing for the fight scenes! its inspired me to carry on with mine (tar for the post).
i know i dont have to say 'keep writing' 'cus i know you will anyway...ah heck, keep writing!!

[Moosh da Outlaw]

I like this spyider thing! Very beleiveble to be in Oddworld. As usual great chapter!

Thanks! I tried to make the spyider as Oddworld-ish as possible. C:
Its hard to explain what they look like so i'll have to draw one.


Chapter 8


Stranger stared in fascinated horror at the gargantuain monster emerging from the bushes. The longer he looked at it, the more disgusted he became, and the more he wondered if he was actually asleep.
Its neck was the thickest part of its body. Perched at its top was a long, thin face with evil red eyes on either side of its head. Its arms and legs were abnormally long and thin and seemed to offer little support for its upper body, which was so thin that its ribs and hip bones shown through its flesh. These bizzare attributes were coupled with a long clubbed tail that swung and broke through a tree as it was standing there.
"Untie me." Charlotte said quietly, her pupils dialated with horror. Stranger was still frozen with suprise.
"Untie me!" She demanded. Stranger hastily pulled a pocket knife from the side of his ammo bag and cut through her bindings. She slowly brushed the bolamite webs from her sholders, standing as ridgid as a board.
The spyider stood up to its unbelievable height and hissed, its foul, humid breath stinging Stranger's eyes.
"What should we do?" Stranger whispered. No matter how hard he tried, he couldin't draw his eyes away from the eel-like beast.
"We should run, I think." Charlotte replied, slowly backing up.
"Will it help?"
"Spyiders can run twice as fast as we can," she muttered, "so I don't think it'll help much."
The spyider's large head slowly tilted downwards to face them, its beady red eyes wet and glistening. A loud rumble sounded in the back of its throat, and unexpectantly it struck out with its small teeth the way a snake strikes its prey. Charlotte gagged with suprise and took off running through the forest on all fours. Stranger closely followed.
Leaves and underbrush whipped their faces as they ran in raw terror away from the snarling monster that relentlessly followed. It sprang through the trees with catlike agility, its heavy tail crushing branches as it whipped from side to side.
"There!" Stranger yelled, pointing towards a hole in the side of a cliff. It would be a tight squeeze, but they would both be able to hide. Stranger grappled up the side of the cliff and dove inside just as the Spyider struck, its heavy head rebounding off the side of the wall with an angry howl. Snapping its jaws hungrily it rounded on Charlotte, who had to duck and weave to avoid its slamming tail.
"In here!" Stranger shouted, motioning for her to come. Charlotte swung herself around and the spyider's large paw came crashing down on the spot where she stood a second ago, causing football-sized rocks to plummet past her head. She crawled inside the hole as fast as she could, her limbs trembling. Behind the hole was a cave about the size of a large closet.
"This w-would've been r-really cool to see if it wasn't t-t-trying to kill us." She stuttered, her jaw trembling with fear as she sat down. She laughed nervously as she caught sight of the spyider outside of the hole, scrabbling at the rocks as it tried to dig inside. Its mouth was frothing with foam as it hissed and spat.
"What th' hell was that?" Stranger breathed, swiping his arm across his eyes to remove the sweat on his brow.
"I already told you," Charlotte said quietly. "Its called a spyider."
"I know that, but what was it?"
"I don't really know what they are, but they only live around this area. I think they're some kind of lizard. They're called spyiders because of their long, ugly legs."
"Ah."
The spyider gave up trying to hunt the two steef and wandered off into the forest in search of less elusive prey. Spyiders were partially the reason the Outlaw camp was hidden in an abandoned mine; the entrance to the mine was just big enough for an outlaw to fit through, but it was too small for a full-grown spyider. Young spyiders could be easily killed, so they weren't much of a threat.
"We should wait here until that spyider is long gone." Charlotte said, peeking out of the hole at where the spyider had vanished. Stranger merely nodded in agreement as the monster's hisses and snarles died off in the distance.

[Moosh da Outlaw]

bloody hell! just read all the stuff i missed from my last post to now, i had a bit of a domestic on these forums.
anywho, i love it! and i love your style of writing for the fight scenes! its inspired me to carry on with mine (tar for the post).
i know i dont have to say 'keep writing' 'cus i know you will anyway...ah heck, keep writing!!

Thanks so much!

[Moosh da Outlaw]

Clyde Royalle leaned over the edge and stared into the toiling mass of water churning at the base of the Autumn Falls. Feeling curious, he broke a large branch from a nearby tree and threw it into the rapids, watching in stunned silence as it snapped against a jagged rock before being swallowed forever in the swirling water.
"Damn." Clyde breathed, turning to his younger brother, Willie, who was standing next to him. "Did you see that? Crash! There was nothin' left!"
"Yeah," Willie said. "Them falls are dangerous."
"No kiddin'!"
Clyde was often referred to as a juggernaut by other outlaws; standing at a colossal 15 feet high, he was the biggest outlaw in Buckner's gang, and virtually unstoppable in a fight. He had been known to break entire trees in half just by slamming into them. He was also very enthusiastic and easily distracted by shiny objects, such as broken glass and tin cans.
"So," He said exitedly, "what did you want to show me?"
"Actually, I don't have anything to show you." Willie admitted.
"Oh."
"But I do have somethin' to ask you," he said.
Clyde switched his attention from the frothing water below and to his brother's face, his dark eyes bright.
"What do ya think about the way things're being run around here... you know, Buckner."
"What about him?" Clyde asked quietly. They rarely spoke about their father by themselves.
"Well, i'm just wonderin' if you think its time fora' change." Willie said casually.
"I don't know," Clyde shrugged. "I guess everythings' going fine."
Mindless oaf, Willie thought.
"Really?" Willie said, looking very suprised. "Everything's perfect?"
"Well, not perfect, but..."
"Tell me," He said, "when was the last time dad's payed you... like, really paid you, not the same amount everyone else is paid."
"...I don't know... a few... years?" Clyde said weakly. Willie nodded.
A long pause followed, filled with the scent of decaying fish and the rumble of tumbling water. Finally Willie spoke.
"So, should I tell em' you drowned, or that you were eaten by a spyider, you know, to make it more dramatic?"
Clyde blinked in confusion. For an entire minute Clyde thought hard, harder than he'd ever thought in his entire life, biting down on his lip in confusion as he tried to decipher what his brother had just said.
"Wait, what?" He asked, turning to Willie.
Willie stuck out his hands and charged, pushing Clyde off the cliff. He fell with a wail and a sickening slap as his body hit the water. For a moment Willie looked down at the quaking water where his brother had vanished just moments ago. Then he turned on his heel, his hands behind his back, and strolled off into the forest, humming a happy tune to himself.

-----

"I think its safe," Charlotte said, poking her head out of the tiny cave where the two steef hid. There was no sign of the Spyider anywhere. With a sigh Charlotte shimmied out of the small hole and stood on the ledge, squinting as the late afternoon light beat down on her furry grey face. Stranger pulled himself out of the cave and stretched, his eyes tired.
"Finally," He grunted as he flexed his arms and touched his toes. He remained in that position for ten seconds or so before getting back up and realising, to his fury, that Charlotte had run away.
"No!" he shouted as he caught sight of her vanishing into the bushes. "You owe me a bounty can!" He charged after her like an angry bull, his fists pumping the ground as he ran. He smashed the bushes behind him disreguarding the fact that they were full of thorns.
Damn! How could I let her get away?

-----

Charlotte sprinted through the forest. The only things keeping her on her feet were the promise of returning to the camp and the fear of being pummeled to death by an angry bounty hunter. She blinked furiously as she struggled to take in her surroundings, which was difficult to do because she was running so fast. As she ran she caught sight of a small stream trickling nearby, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
So this is where I am, she thought. The camp is just yards away. Charlotte turned quickly and sprang over a fallen log, her eyes glittering as she caught sight of the abandoned mine up ahead.
"Thank Odd---WRAAUGH!!" She screamed as Stranger pounced and grabbed her legs, causing them both to slip and tumble face-first in the dirt. Charlotte started kicking him in the face as he tried to reload his weapon. "What the hell!"
In his struggle Stranger accidentally smashed the bolamite he was loading against his bow, causing yellow-green insect slime to drip down its string. He clenched his teeth together and rummaged in his bag for something else to use as ammo as Charlotte jumped to her feet. She grabbed a large tree branch and hit him over the head with it, which also threw him into a standing position.
"You broke my can!" he snarled as she discarded the branch and settled with trying to claw his eyes out. He jumped back, she jumped forward, and they both fell in a heap. Stranger gave up trying to load his bow. Instead he reached in his bag, grabbed a handful of whatever he could reach, and threw it. Two chippunks and a thugslug bounced off her sholders and rolled around on the ground, completely useless if not being fired by a weapon.
Charlotte grabbed his arms and flipped him on his back, kicked him in the stomach with her metal-plated boots, and made a mad dash towards the abandoned mine. She ducked inside and hurried down the winding tunnels, panting heavily from exhaustion and relief, Stranger still chasing after her. Suddently he realised that he had very few supplies and a broken bounty can- he wouldin't be able to invade a heavily-guarded outlaw camp tonight. Bristling with anger he skidded to a hault, and loathingly watched as Charlotte vanished down the tunnel and out of sight.

Charlotte grinned to herself and turned down the tunnel. She ran for a few more minutes before stopping and eyeing the door in front of her. It was made of heavy wood and had a small slot where an outlaw could look out. She slammed her fist against the door twice and waited.
After a brief scuffling sound the slot opened.
"What? Who's there?" An outlaw flamer asked, peeking through the slit in the door.
"S'me." Charlotte said, crouching down so she could see inside the slot. The flamer blinked back at her.
"Charlotte! Why didn't you just say so?" He asked, pulling away the shackles that held the door shut. It opened with a loud creak. "The boss' been lookin' for ya, better go see what he wants." He said, stepping aside. Charlotte entered the outlaw camp and adjusted her sholder poncho.
The outlaw camp was a large cave, lit by firelight from hundreds of burning torches around its side. The cave was the size of two football fields and was made up of multiple spyiderskin tents and shacks. At the back of the cave was a large wooden cabin draped with waterstained cloth that looked in danger of toppling over. This was Buckner's domain, a place most outlaws tried to aviod whenever they could.
Charlotte knocked gingerly on the cabin's door, deciding, in her head, not to tell him about the bounty hunter. With his bounty can broken he wouldin't be much of a threat, at least until he bought a new one.
"Get in." A voice growled from behind the cabin's door. Charlotte turned the handle and stepped inside, her eyes gazing around uneasily. Buckner 'Bleached-Bone' Royalle sat at the back of the hut, his eerie red eye unblinking as it looked her over quickly.
"Where were you?" Buckner snarled, his hands closing into fists around the intricate patterns in the armrests of his chair. Charlotte gulped fearfully.
"Here and their, y'know... sir!" She added quickly. Buckner's remaining eye closed into a threataning slit.
"Three wagon trains passed through the Autumn Canyon while you were gone." He spat. "And we had to let them go because you weren't there!"
"Sir, I--"
"SILENCE!" Buckner roared, jumping to his feet. In his hands he held his double-barreled rifle (more like a bazooka) which was pointed at her face. Its muzzle was so big that she could crawl inside it if she wanted to. "You weren't here! We missed three whole wagon trains! Three!"
Buckner threw his rifle to the ground with a furious roar and stomped back to his chair. Charlotte flinched, but she managed to stay calm. Buckner often threw fits like this.
Little did they know that soon they would really have something to roar about.
The door to Buckner's cabin swung open.
"Boss!" An outlaw mortar cried. "Boss!"
"What?!" Buckner demanded, standing up again.
"Clyde..." The mortar breathed, a mask of horror on its face. Buckner wilted noticably with an expression Charlotte had never seen on him before.
"Willie! Where's Willie?"
"Out there." The mortar said, pointing. Buckner bowled him to the side and charged out the door, calling out Willie's name. Charlotte sighed and walked out the door. She was completely unprepaired for what happened next.

[Oddey]

That is a great chapter and all but you may want to avoid posting 2 or more times in a row like that.

[Zozo the Zrilufet]

Well like Oddey said, try to avoid double posting, it breaks rules. But this still rocks my boxers, though I imagine a creature with the neck being the thickest part of its body would have some balance issues, same with a bony thing with a strong tail with smashing stuff...But its sooo cool, you make it all hiss and come to life and such. Pwns my Stranger fic, mines needs editing, that is, if I ever start it up again....Anyway, all is cool, and I wish to see whatever has happened to Willie's body.

[Moosh da Outlaw]

That is a great chapter and all but you may want to avoid posting 2 or more times in a row like that.

I won't double-post anymore. C:

Well like Oddey said, try to avoid double posting, it breaks rules. But this still rocks my boxers, though I imagine a creature with the neck being the thickest part of its body would have some balance issues, same with a bony thing with a strong tail with smashing stuff...But its sooo cool, you make it all hiss and come to life and such. Pwns my Stranger fic, mines needs editing, that is, if I ever start it up again....Anyway, all is cool, and I wish to see whatever has happened to Willie's body.

Thanks!
By the way, I read your fic and I really enjoyed it. You should seriously continue. C:

---

Chapter 10

The camp was utterly silent. No outlaw dared to break the quiet vigil that hung in the air; it seemed that nobody could accept the fact that Clyde was gone. A day had passed since Willie had dragged himself to camp, gasping and sobbing about his death. He told everyone with remarkable detail what had happened, how he and Clyde had been talking about the weather and such, when unexpectantly Clyde lost his footing and plunged into the water. There was a little suspition towards Willie when he said that they had been talking near the Autumn Falls. The water was so loud there that you could barely hear anyone speak, even if you were standing right next to them. It was hardly the place to have a chat. One look at Willie's face, however, told them otherwise- his eyes were so wide, so sad, that they had no choice but to believe him.
Buckner had reacted to his son's death worse than anyone thought he would. For the entire day he sat all alone in his cabin, staring at the floor. He refused to eat anything or speak to anyone, and he wouldin't give orders. Buckner's entire gang spent the day doing nothing- no plundering, no wagon train hijacking- nothing. The day after was exactly the same.
Willie leaned against the outside of his father's cabin, eyeing the firelight with his bored, half-closed eyes. Absent-mindedly he stuck his hand in his satchel and fingered the empty cigar box inside.
I'll have to get more, he thought with a sigh.
An outlaw flamer stepped up to Buckner's cabin, a bottle of liquor in his hand.
"What do ya want?" Willie asked, standing up. The flamer held up the bottle.
"Da Boss told me ta give em' dis." He explained.
"Buckner told you to?" said Willie with suprise.
"Yea, he said he wanted summat ta drink."
Willie snatched the bottle, causing the flamer to jump in suprise.
"I'll handle it, go back to your hut." Willie said, motioning to the huts and tents with his free hand.
"Huh! You're actin' like you run da place." The flamer sneered. His fear got the better of him, though, and he walked the other way as quickly as he could.
Willie chuckled at the flamer's remark knowingly- the fire-loving outlaw was completely unaware of how true he would soon be. Willie turned to the door. Then he reached in his pocket, pulled out the little vial Johnathan had given him, popped off its lid, and dripped its contents into the bottle. He shook it a few times before pushing open the door and stepping inside, an insanely-evil smile darkening his swarthy face.
Buckner was sitting in his chair, rubbing his forehead. His eye seemed redder than it usually did from lack of sleep.
"Here you go, Boss." Willie said, handing him the bottle. Even though he was his son, Willie always called Buckner 'Boss'.
Buckner grunted a thanks and drained the bottle's contents in one gulp, his upper lip twitching. There was a pause. Then, for the second time in a long time, Buckner spoke.
"Bring me Charlotte." He said.
"What for?" Willie inquired, twiddling his thumbs.
"I have a job for her. Now get goin'!" Buckner snapped, baring his teeth.
Willie nodded and ducked out the door, his lips curling in his trademark evil smile. Buckner's eye closed, and he suddently realised how utterly alone he felt.

---

Charlotte weaved through a cluster of tents and up to Buckner's cabin, followed by a small group of outlaws who were curious to see what he wanted. She thrust open the door and marched inside, her eyes bright.
"Boss?" She asked.
Buckner's eyes flickered upward to meet her gaze. Something seemed wrong about him; his eyes seemed foggy and disoriented, and his breathing was loud and rough.
"I've got a job for you." He said. When he spoke his breath sounded heavy, like the effort of moving his mouth was too much for him.
"Great! ...Uh, sir." Charlotte said, thrilled to finally have something to do.
"Yeah..." Buckner sighed, scratching his head. "Its time we got back to lootin'. We can't... give them clakkers anything to..."
Buckner's voice drifted off into silence, his eyelid fluttered, and his head rolled.
"Boss?" Charlotte gasped, jumping back. The other outlaws in the room looked around wildly, unsure of what to do.
"Boss... are you okay?" A cutter asked, scooting up to him and prodding him with a finger. He didn't move. "Sir?"
"Oh no..." Charlotte breathed. She stepped over quickly and shook Buckner's sholder; it felt swelteringly hot under her fingers. He didn't respond to their actions.
...oddammit! This can't be happening! Charlotte thought, stepping back. She walked quickly out into the camp without saying a word.

---

Willie stood outside his own hut, smoking four fresh cigars he'd found lying under his bed. He inhaled deeply and sighed with satisfaction, closing his eyes.
"Willie! Willie!" An outlaw mortar yelled running up to him. As the news reached his ears Willie smiled and took another deep breath from his cigars.
Soon, it would all be his.

[Oddey]

Cool chapter! The way Jonathon seemed to know exactly when Buckner would stop mourning was enchanting. Or just really cool.

[MA]

this is something i am definately gonna' be reading whenever i get the chance.
i will be constantly checking this thread for new chapters!
love it!

[Moosh da Outlaw]

"Shut up!" Charlotte yelled at the top of her lungs, slamming her foot down on the stone floor. Her efforts to control the chaos went by unnoticed amid the loud voices of a hundred outlaws all speaking at once. They were all asking the same thing; what happened to Buckner? Why did he die? Was it murder? And more importantly, who would be their new boss?
"I said, shut up!" Charlotte roared. A few outlaws around her quieted down, but soon started talking again. Losing her patience, Charlotte loaded her rifle, aimed it at the cieling, and fired.
BLAM!!
The bullet ricochet off the cieling and almost hit an outlaw sniper standing nearby. Every outlaw in the abandoned mine turned towards her as silt fell from the fresh dent above their heads.
"Listen to me!" She demanded. "We have no idea who killed Buckner; it doesn't matter right now. For the moment we should just find a new leader."
"Sounds suspitious, if y'ask me." A voice said from farther back in the crowd. It was Willie, leaning against his father's cabin. He took a deep breath from his cigars and sighed.
"What are you saying?" Charlotte growled, her hands closing to fists.
"Oh nuthin'," Willie said, looking up. "you seem eager t'choose a new boss, is all." He shrugged carelessly.
"I'm not being eager about anything." She said through her teeth, pissed that Willie was interrupting.
Willie sighed and twirled his cigars in his hand. "Didn't you just say 'we have no idea who killed Buckner, for the moment we should just find a new leader?'"
Many of the outlaws in the cave murmured in agreement and gave her an angry look; she sneered back at them, her eyes blazing with anger.
"You know I didn't mean it that way!"
"Did you?" Willie asked, standing up. He walked through the crowd towards Charlotte as he spoke. "You were the last person to talk to Buckner- it is suspitious."
"I had other outlaws with me, they saw I didn't do anything." She replied.
Unfortunately, the outlaws were so rowled up now that they ignored that fact. They all glared at her. Some even shouted insults. Charlotte laughed nervously.
"Aw, come on, you don't have enough evidence! And what about Clyde? You're the last person who saw him." Charlotte retorted. Willie shook his head sadly.
"Poor, poor Clyde. If only he were here, he'd know what to do..." This was a complete lie; Clyde was a moron, he would never know what to do. But it sounded good anyway.
Charlotte opened her mouth to speak, but couldin't think of what to say. Outlaws slowly closed in from every side, their weapons raised.
"What are you doing?! I'm not the bad guy---"
A shot was fired from someone in the crowd, the outlaws charged with a yell, and Willie yelled out "Getter boys, but be careful with her head! Yeeah!"
Willie glanced over at Johnathan. He was perched on a crate, watching the scene unfold with his jewel-like eyes. He grinned over at Willie.
"That was neatly done." he said. Willie merely chuckled.

----

"WHOARGH! What the HELL!" Charlotte roared, bowling into an outlaw with her head. They attacked from every side, the cutters jabbing her with their knives and the shooters, well, shooting. She ducked, placed her hands firmly on the ground, and slammed into the outlaws pommel-horse style. Her attacks weren't enough, however. She was going to have to run for it.
She grabbed a wooden plank on the floor and swung it, smashing outlaws aside with all her force. An opportunity to escape arose suddently; an outlaw mortar tripped, leaving a gap in the shuffling mass of bandits. She dove through the space and hurried down the tunnel, the sound of angry outlaws steadilty dying off in the distance.

...
...how could I let this happen...?
Charlotte didn't know how long she had been running, nor did she care. It was dark outside and rain was falling by the bucketful, soaking her to the bone and adding unwanted weight to her clothes. She collapsed in an exhausted heap and floundered around in the mud, her limbs convulsing from the cold. She was suddently aware of a pain in the back of her shoulderblade. She reached back and pulled a knife from her shoulder, grunting as the rain and mud flooded her wound.
She didn't want to go anywhere. I'll stay here, she decided. In the rain. In the mud. Wow. It really sucks to be me right now.
Unwillingly, Charlotte pulled herself out of the mud and lay under a ledge in the side of the cliff, panting.
She lowered her heavy eyelids and drifted to sleep.

[Oddey]

That was an awsome betrayal. I'm guessing Stranger is going to find her when she wakes up