threnodygrimblood - Tumblr blog

threnodygrimblood · 6 years ago

Text

The Family that Shouldn’t Be

Summary: With Muriel and Eustace dead, Courage finds himself all alone at the farmhouse. Fortunately or unfortunately for Courage, the villains he faced in the past begins to make themselves at home at the farmhouse, bringing with them much fun and mayhem the small pink dog can handle.

Rated T for just in case

It seems that every time I write a chapter, I expect it to be short only to find it longer than expected. This chapter was going to be a Valentine's chapter initially, but since I couldn't come up with an idea to introduce the Black Puddle Queen, I decided to rearrange some chapters around. I plan on writing a Christmas chapter. . . *looks at calendar*, which means I'll have to hold off on writing a chapter for Keeping Secrets for the time being so I can get the Christmas chapter written on time as I don't want a repeat of the Halloween chapter.

I also kept wanting to refer the Black Puddle Queen as the Black Widow Queen. I blame the spider for it. I also feel bad that I didn't give the Black Puddle Queen many speaking lines nor interaction with the others. I'll have to make that up in the next chapter.

All Courage the Cowardly Dog characters belong to John Dilworth.

The Queen Who Saves Courage From Love

֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍

"Oooh yeaah. That feels goooood, Pup." Cajun murmured.

It was shedding season for the furry occupants in the farmhouse, which was evident when fur of various colors began coating the floors. Le Quack and the Clutching Foot were out of the house; Courage had told them about the time he dug up the bones of a giant kangaroo monster, and how valuable they were. So, the two had headed off into the desert to dig up more bones to sell. Of course, those who remained at the house were sure that if they couldn't find any, then Le Quack being the con artist he is, will attempt to sell any regular bones they find out there.

Courage had found Cajun sitting on the front porch, struggling to reach his back with the brush. Understanding the strain of trying to brush his own back, Courage offered to brush the fur on Cajun's back for him. Courage would stop every now and then to pick out the clumps of hair from the brush's teeth and tried not to feel envious that Cajun's shed fur didn't come out loose as his did.

"Done." Courage announced once he was sure he got out all the tangles and knots, and there was no more loose fur.

"Thanks, Pup!" Cajun said and turned around to face the dog. "Let me brush your back for ya."

It's been a while since Courage had a proper brushing and wasn't about to turn it down himself. Turning, Courage waited for Cajun to begin. Once the fox did, Courage couldn't help but sigh as the brush went down his back in a slow, soothing motion that he couldn't help wagging his tail. Courage heard Cajun chuckle, but Courage didn't care, and he didn't care that a tangle got snagged as Cajun brushed it out.

"And you're done, Pup!" Cajun reported.

"Thanks, Cajun." Courage said. He was a little sad it ended, but he was also glad because his legs were starting to fall asleep, and Courage hated the sensation he gets when it happens.

Together, the two picked out the pink hair from the brush, and Cajun, in his cleverness, clumped the pink together to make a miniature Courage. Courage couldn't help giggle at Cajun's eccentric behavior. The little dog picked up the brush and headed inside as Cajun went to toss the fur that didn't get blown away by the breeze in the trash can out back.

Courage walked over to Katz sitting in the armchair, reading a new book, and asked, "Katz? Do you want me to brush your back for you?"

Ever since the incident with the spirit Big Toe and his goons brought, Katz had gotten moody. Well, a lot moodier than usual. Especially when Courage and Cajun were hanging out together, and Courage couldn't understand why it was since Katz wouldn't talk about it. Courage hoped that offering to brush the feline will ease his mood.

Katz studied Courage for a moment, turned back to his book, and said, "No, thank you. I can manage on my own."

"Are you sure?" Courage pushed.

"Yes, Courage. I'm sure." Katz said, his tail twitching in agitation.

"Okay." Courage said, feeling dejected.

Courage headed into the kitchen, where he found Cajun drinking water from a glass.

"Why so glum, Pup?" Cajun asked, concerned.

"I offered to brush Katz, but he turned it down." Courage explained.

Cajun snorted. "Ya have a better chance at brushing Le Quack than brushing the kitty."

It was a good thing Le Quack was there, or else he would've smacked Cajun with his mallet.

"What about Weremole?" Courage asked.

"When I mentioned havin' his fur brushed, he bolted for the hole he made in the ground. Probably doesn't want his fur harvested." Cajun answered.

Courage could see Weremole's reasoning when it came to his fur. After all, it's the antidote for when he bites someone and turns them into a weremole.

Cajun set his empty glass in the sink and announced, "Now that my fur is free of loose hair, I don't have to worry about clogging the drain. See you in an hour or two, Pup."

Cajun left Courage alone in the kitchen, and the dog let out a sigh. His thoughts keep returning to Katz, and Courage wished he knew why Katz was acting the way he was and that he could find a way to help him. Every time Courage asked about it, Katz would avoid the question or simply say he was fine, but Courage knew he wasn't. Courage wanted to cheer Katz up and wished he knew the cat's favorite food was, but he was evasive about it when he asked. Courage could make happy plums, and he was glad he got the ingredients to make it. But it would take time to make it so for now; Courage decided to make a pot of Katz's favorite tea and bring it to him before starting on the happy plums.

Courage had a pot of tea steeped the way Katz liked it on a tray along with a teacup, a bowl of sugar, and a little pitcher of milk. He took one look at the tray and decided that it could use a plate of cookies as well. Courage wished he had time to bake the cookies for Katz and hoped he would be okay with store-bought cookies instead. Courage pushed one of the chairs over to the sink and stacked pots on top of the chair to reach the top cupboard where the cookies are.

As he stood precariously on the cooking pots and hoping they don't go toppling over, Courage wished that Cajun placed the baked goods closer to the ground where he could reach them. After getting the cookies, Courage carefully climbed down his dog-made ladder, took one step for the table, and stopped.

There sitting at the table drinking Katz' tea was a human. "Mmm, this is delicious." the human said.

"Who are you?" Courage finally asked once he found his voice.

The human turned and looked in Courage's direction. "I'm the God of Love, Eros," he answered and took another sip of the tea.

Courage blinked as he stared at the human claiming to be a god, and he could see that his curly hair was the color of gold, he wore a white toga much like the Storm Goddess, and Goose God did. White feathery wings fluttered occasionally, a sling hung across his back, and a golden bow leaned against the table. Yes, Courage could see how this could be Eros.

"Ah, what are you doing here?" Courage asked as the familiar anxiety inside him began to rise in him.

"Someone asked me to do them a favor," Eros answered as he took hold of his bow.

Courage's heart began to thump hard against his ribcage, and the cookies were getting crushed between his paws. "Wh-what favor?" he stuttered.

"Oh, it involves you," Eros said as he notched an arrow. "Now hold still. I promise this won't hurt at all."

That had to be the first time someone told Courage that being shot with something pointy wasn't going to hurt, and he may have believed the God of Love if fear and instinct didn't run amok in the dog. As Eros let the arrow loose, Courage cried out in surprise and held up the cookie package as a shield. Amazingly, the packaging stopped the arrow from hitting Courage, while Eros himself stood surprised by it, Courage tossed the box aside, it hit one of the pots, causing them all to topple over with a loud crash, and made a dash for the kitchen door.

Courage heard Eros muttering as he pushed the door open, and he was sure the God was getting ready to notch another arrow. Courage hurried through the dining room, and he realized his mistake when he saw Katz halfway across the living room with a look of worry on his face.

"Courage? What is-" Katz was interrupted when an arrow sailed through the air and hit Katz in the chest.

Courage gasped in horror as Katz fell back, and he ran over to the cat. "Katz!" Courage screamed in fear.

Courage pulled the arrow out and searched for a wound and was relieved to find none. "Katz! Are you all right?" he asked once he turned his attention back to the feline.

Katz turned his head towards Courage and stared at him. Courage grew worried again and was about to ask another question when the feline pulled the canine into a hug and did something Courage never thought the cat would ever do to him or anyone else. Katz kissed him. Katz had kissed Courage and was now purring and nuzzling him!

Courage was so flabbergasted by his predicament; he nearly forgot the reason he was running in the first place.

"I guess this works out," Eros said as he walked into the room. "Now, be a good puppy and let me shoot you."

Courage couldn't get away anyway, plus Katz's hold on Courage had tightened as the cat hissed at Eros. Eros ignored the cat as he drew the drawstring on his bow back. It wavered about as Eros tried to find an opening to shoot Courage.

Frustrated at the cat's attempts to shield Courage, Eros said to the dog, "Can you please tell the cat to release you so I can use this arrow on you?"

Courage, of course, screamed again in terror at the thought of being shot. Cajun sopping wet, with a towel around his waist, came tromping down the stairs. The fox had forgotten his sunglasses in his haste to see what had Courage screaming in terror.

"Pup! What's the matter?!" He hollered.

Caught unguard, Eros turned towards the newcomer just as he released his hold on the drawstring. The arrow lodged into Cajun's chest, causing him to tumble down the stairs, landing in a heap near the grandfather clock. Courage winced when he heard Cajun's fall and managing to free himself from Katz's embrace somehow, hurried over to Cajun to see if he was alright.

"Cajun!" Courage howled soon realized he made a huge mistake as he kneeled next to the fox.

Cajun looked up at Courage stunned and, much like Katz did, pulled the dog into his grasp but licked his muzzle instead. Courage was aghast at what was transpiring, especially when Katz tried pulling him out of Cajun's arms with a snarl.

"Oops. I didn't expect this to happen," Eros sheepishly said as he scratched his head at what he did. "Thinking about it now, I should've just poked you with the arrow instead."

"Can you fix this?" gasped Courage as Cajun and Katz squeezed the air out his lungs from fighting over him.

"Sorry, but I'm needed elsewhere," Eros answered suddenly. "But don't worry, the effect of the arrows will wear off at midnight tonight. So good luck with those two. You'll certainly need it."

And with that, Eros was gone. Out the front door, that is. Courage howled in exasperation at the same time Cajun yelped when Katz poked him in the eyes. Katz cradled Courage in his arms and gave him another affectionate nuzzle. Courage let out a sigh. It was barely noon, and it was still many hours until midnight before Katz and Cajun returned to their old selves. He was sure he could find a way to handle the love-stricken cat and fox. How hard could it be?

֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍

"Courage is mine!" Katz growled.

"No, Pup belongs to me!" Cajun snarled.

"I love him!" Katz snapped.

"I love him more than you!" Cajun barked back.

Courage learned sooner than later that having to deal with two people struck by Cupid's arrows and falling in love with him was harder than he thought. Katz and Cajun had begun their bickering over Courage that the dog was worried that they would start a painful game of tug-of-war with him. They instead released their hold on Courage and began grappling over him. They were rolling on the floor when Le Quack and the Clutching Foot returned from their expedition.

They stood rooted to their spot, watching the unusual event happening before them. Big Toe and the other four toes began making bets on what was going on at the same time Le Quack asked, "Qu'est-ce que ç'est?"

Courage decided to take that opportunity to make a run for it, leaving the two very confused. Courage's chest heaved as he panted for air while pressed against the back of the house.

Courage's eyes caught sight of one of the holes Weremole made and thinking that it would make an excellent temporary hiding place, he scrambled towards it. Courage's back feet kicked up sand and dirt as he squirmed his way into the tunnel. Courage crawled through the maze of tunnels Weremole had made. He took a right and stopped when he came nose to nose to a snarling Weremole.

"So-sorry for disturbing you, Weremole." Courage stammered as he backed up. "I'm also sorry for coming into your home, but I'm trying to hide from Cajun and Katz."

"Grrr?" Weremole asked.

"They've gotten hit by love arrows, and I made the mistake of being in their sight when it took effect. So now they're both in love with me." Courage explained.

Weremole seemed to understand Courage's predicament and didn't say anything else about the dog being in his burrow. And Courage's reprieve didn't last long when dirt began raining down on top of him.

"Pup!" Courage heard Cajun's voice say behind him.

With a yelp, Courage crawled through the tunnels, not only forgetting that being a fox Cajun has a keen sense of smell but also was a burrowing animal as well. Behind Courage, he heard Weremole followed by a yelp from Cajun as the fox encountered the feral animal. Courage scampered up what he believed to be another way out of Weremole's home and had popped his way out, and his heart just about stopped when someone pulled him the rest of the way out the hole.

"Courage." purred Katz as he drew the dog into a hug.

Courage couldn't deny that the hug felt nice when it wasn't the two of them trying to pull him out of each other's arms. The gentle tender hug was short-lived when an orange paw shot out of the ground in reminiscence of a zombie coming out the sand that Courage screamed hysterically. The rest of Cajun popped out the field, and he shook to clear the sand from his fur and coughed. Weremole gnawed on one of Cajun's legs

"Pup? Why did ya run from me?" Cajun asked, and the hurt tone in his voice made Courage feel guilty.

"Because he has no interest in a mangy backwater fox like you," Katz answered for Courage.

Courage, of course, denied such a thing but couldn't even tell Cajun this as the fox stated, "I'll show ya what a mangy backwater fox can do!"

Both Courage and Weremole were flung through the air as Cajun tackled Katz to the ground.

"Oof! Courage cried out as he landed on his rump as Weremole landed on his back.

Weremole got to his feet and launched himself at the cat and fox. Courage didn't know what to do. Should he help them? If so, who would he help first? Certainly not Weremole, he was doing fine on his own. So that left Cajun and Katz, and he knew that he helped one, then the other would either be heartbroken or worse: try to kill his rival.

Courage jumped when he heard "Puppy dog." behind him.

Turning around revealed Le Quack. The duck watched the fight taking place as yips, growls, and curses rend the air.

"What is wrong with those two? Have they been afflicted with some, how do you say, brain injury?" Le Quack inquired as the Clutching Foot joined them.

Courage recounted to the two of how Cupid, Courage had said Eros' name, but since the Big Toe and his lackeys didn't know his actual name Courage had to use Eros' most common name, had shot Katz and Cajun with his arrows. How they both fell in love with him because he was the one they saw when the arrows took effect.

The Clutching Foot was disappointed that none of them got their bets right. Le Quack made a mistake to laugh at Courage's unfortunate predicament. Two shadows fell upon them and ending Le Quack's laugh as he looked up into the enraged faces of the fox and cat.

"Did you just laugh at Courage?" Katz asked with deadly calm.

The Clutching Foot knew trouble when he was saw and hopped away as swiftly as he could. Courage felt sorry for what was going to happen to Le Quack, but he also saw this as an opportunity to try and hide.

After turning their fury on poor Le Quack, Courage had run upstairs towards his bedroom and dove under the bed. He knew it was nothing more than a temporary haven. Time ticked by as Courage sweated, waiting for either of Katz or Cajun to show up. His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, and a small whine rumbled out his throat. Courage yelped when his legs grabbed, and while being dragged out, he dug his nails into the floorboards, leaving long grooves behind.

Once again, Courage was heft up from the ground and came face to face with Katz.

"What were you doing under there Courage?" Katz inquired, and before Courage could answer, his stomach growled again. Katz chuckled.

"Let's get something to eat," Katz suggested.

The cat carried Courage in his arms, and the dog couldn't think of anything to say as Katz headed down the stairs.

Katz placed Courage in a chair and patted him on the head before looking to see what was available for a meal. Katz paused when he spotted the pots on the scattered on the floor.

"Why are all these on the floor?" Katz questioned.

Courage had utterly forgotten about those! Scared of how Katz would react, Courage answered, "I made you some tea and thinking you would like some cookies I decided to use the pots to get them from one of the top cabinets because it's so high up and I'm small. I accidentally knocked them over. I'm sorry!"

"You made me tea?" Katz inquired, and looking at the table, saw the tray and teapot Courage had left there.

"I wanted to cheer you up and thought making your favorite tea for you would do the trick." Courage said as he blushed.

Courage didn't expect Katz to caress his face, and it certainly gave him an odd feeling in his stomach. "You're so sweet, Courage." Katz cooed and smiled at the small pink dog. "You sit there, and I'll put the pots away and get something for you to eat."

Courage watched Katz clean up the kitchen, took one look at the crushed box of cookies, declared it was no longer edible, and threw it away. Courage was shocked by that. Katz always had an issue about anyone wasting food, and here he was doing just that. The arrow truly messed him up.

Now Courage stared at the plate of cookies Katz had placed before him along with a glass of milk while Katz sat nearby, paws tucked under his chin as he watched Courage with his tail swishing side to side.

Courage could count on one hand the number of tense meals he had. He chose a cookie from the plate and took a bite. His mouth felt as dry as the desert outside as he chewed and hoped he didn't choke when he swallows. Courage did choke, but it wasn't because of the cookies nor from Katz never taking his eyes off the dog. It was simply because Cajun kicked the door in, startling Courage. It would've been terrifying if the door hadn't swung back and smacked into Cajun, causing the fox to let out a bark of pain.

Cajun pushed the door open more gently this time, and he walked in, rubbing his nose. The hostility Courage could feel from Cajun and Katz glaring at each other increased the tension so much that Courage wanted to get away as quick as possible. He shifted in his chair and made the best impression of a deer caught in headlights when the fox and cat turned their attention to him.

Cajun noticed the cookies on the table and said, "Oh, are you hungry, Pup? Let me cook you something."

He headed for the fridge when Katz stood up from his seat and said, "I was going to make something for him."

Katz and Cajun shoved at each other as they grabbed for ingredients for whatever it was they planned to cook for Courage. As Courage slowly and quietly got down from the chair, he began to start hating himself for continually running away as he quickly slipped out the backdoor and once again ran for it.

Courage stopped in the kitchen as he panted with his tongue lolling out. He was exhausted. His legs were tired and cramping. Courage desperately wanted to sit and rest, but he couldn't allow himself that. Not while Katz and Cajun were on the hunt for him.

He tried finding new places to hide, but Katz and Cajun always found him. Courage had wondered where the last three remaining villains were and learned that Weremole had grown bored of using Cajun and Katz as a chew toy and retreated into his lair. The Clutching Foot was hiding out in the basement, which left Le Quack's whereabouts unknown. Probably off somewhere licking his wounds.

Courage looked around the kitchen; it looked like a warzone. Katz or Cajun left the faucet on, and water flowed over the basin, leaving a giant growing puddle. Vegetables and fruit were thrown so forcefully the stuck to the wall and eggs dripped from the ceiling. There was an enormous head-shaped dent in the fridge door, and knives of different sizes embedded in the wall, table, and the kitchen door. Something charred, smoking, and inedible were all that remained in one of the pans on the stove. Courage cocked his head and listened for either cat or fox. Not hearing either nearby, he was sure he still had time before they discovered his current location, Courage walked around the puddle as he made his way over to the sink, hopped up and turned the water off. Courage jumped clear of the pool and tried to think of something, anything. He needed a new place to hide. Katz and Cajun found his hiding spots much too quickly. He gazed out at the miles of desert and promptly shook his head. Not only would Courage not be able to find suitable shelter out there, but he would need to bring provisions and something warm with him to last him until midnight.

Of course, he didn't have to attempt to survive in the desert. Courage could head to Shirley's wagon and hide there. But even then, he knew if he did that, she would possibly place a curse on the fox and cat, and that was something Courage didn't want for Katz and Cajun. He couldn't fault them on the way they were behaving. He could take the truck and hide in town. But they would hear the truck and find some way to follow him into town. And even if the people in town were able to mask his scent, they would tear the city apart looking for him.

Whoever asked Eros this favor no doubt knew what they were doing if they intended to get rid of Courage. Courage didn't want to think it, but he was sure the effect on Katz and Cajun were getting worse with their maddening desire to claim him as their lover. And he feared that one or both would kill each other or kill him if they couldn't have him for themselves.

Courage wanted to let out a howl of frustration but dare not lest he disclosed his location to the other two. As Courage racked his brain for a solution, he wasn't aware of the tall, beautiful woman emerging from the pool of water behind him. He heard not a sound as she raised her arms clad in black from the puddle. If Courage was aware of the newcomer, it was too late. A hand clamped his muzzle shut, the other hand wrapped around his chest, and back into the pool, she went, taking Courage with her.

֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍

"Where is he?" Katz growled as he stalked the grounds. He wasn't thrilled that the fox was also looking for Courage as well, but at least he wasn't with him now.

They searched everywhere they could think of where Courage could hide in like the chimney. The fox and cat checked all of Courage's hiding spots again, all except Weremole's den, Cajun didn't want to incur the feral mole's wrath again. Growling again, Katz approached the kitchen door. Inside, he paused when he spotted Cajun roaming the room.

Katz's eyes narrowed as he watched the fox. "What are you doing?"

"Pup's scent is the strongest here," Cajun explained.

Katz sniffed the air then made a face. He was amazed the fox could pick Courage's scent through such a repugnant smell permeating the air.

"Pup was here in the kitchen, and that's it. I get nothin' near either door. It's like he vanished in thin air." Cajun continued.

Katz scoffed. How stupid can the fox be? "That's preposterous. Someone can't vanish into thin air." he voiced.

As if on cue, they both jumped when they heard Courage screaming in terror. Fear for what could be happening to the dog and hot anger for whoever is causing those screams had both Katz and Cajun racing out the back door following the shout to the back of the barn. They ran around the end of the massive structure merely to skid to a stop when what they across was not Courage. Still, a stereo with a speaker belting out a recording of Courage screaming and next to it was a small pile of bombs with a timer attached to one already counting down. They barely had time to react when the timer reached zero, followed by the bombs going off in a massive and loud explosion.

֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍

Let's take a moment to change locations and divulge where Courage is. Courage's current situation was that of a tropical paradise. Leaves from palm trees fluttered in the gentle salty breeze, and a quaint little resort settled further up the beach. The beach itself was clean and warm, and it was here that Courage laid in a lounge chair looking at the sea. The water hitting the surf and seagulls calling was quite relaxing. But not by much.

"Why am I here?" Courage wondered aloud.

"The Black Puddle Queen brought you here to keep you safe." Le Quack answered as he walked up to the lounging dog.

Courage next asked, "Why are you here?"

"The Black Puddle Queen thought it would be best that you had someone to keep you company. Drink?" he offered the coconut cup he held in one of his wings to Courage.

Courage thanked Le Quack and took the drink from him. Le Quack jumped into the other lounge chair next to Courage's and took a sip from his straw.

"But why are you here?" Courage asked again.

"Would you rather have Big Toe or Weremole here?" Le Quack asked himself.

Courage knew for sure that if Big Toe were here, he would be trying to rob the tourists and the resort and ff Weremole were here, he would either dig tunnels everywhere or try to eat the people here.

"Not really." Courage answered.

"There you go." Le Quack retorted.

Le Quack drank more of his drink while Courage just stared down at his. He was grateful the Black Puddle Queen helped him get away from Katz and Cajun and hoped that they would be alright. After all, he can't fault them for their behavior. But still, Courage's paranoia continued to run rampant as he expected to see a plane appear in the sky or a submarine to surface in the ocean. Courage was amazed his fur hadn't started falling out from the whole ordeal. He sighed and took another drink.

Le Quack noticed and asked, "What is on your mind, Puppy dog?"

"I'm worried about Katz and Cajun," he answered.

"How so?" Le Quack asked.

"I expect to see Katz and Cajun showing up even though I know they don't have a clue where I am. I also don't want them to kill each other over me."

"They'll be fine." Le Quack reassured Courage, paused, then added. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" Courage inquired. Le Quack just cackled in response, which caused dread to settle in Courage's stomach. "What did you do?" he pushed.

"I did not appreciate them beating me up, so I left them a little present." Le Quack answered

"What present?" Courage asked.

"Nothing too terrible, just a few bombs rigged to a timer." Le Quack told the dog.

"Bombs?!" Courage yelped.

"Don't worry your fluffy little head off; the explosion won't kill them. Hopefully. It should be a lesson to them that Le Quack always gets the last laugh." Le Quack stated.

As the duck began laughing his diabolical laugh, Courage added this new information to his list of things to stress over. He prayed that Katz and Cajun were doing fine.

֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍

"You both were acting like Courage was in heat the way the two of you were chasing after him and attacking each other." a blush coloring the Black Puddle Queen's cheeks as she spoke those words. "You both became a danger to him, and to save him, I took him somewhere safe."

It was a little past midnight when the Black Puddle Queen talked to the two then left through the bucket of water that was in the living room. Now it was creeping up on one in the morning as Katz sat in the armchair, and his body racked with pain as he pressed an icepack to his eye. Katz had bandages wrapped around his wrist and hand holding the icepack, around his forehead and wounding about his left ear, and his chest. The gauzy material was also around the quarter end of his tail and both his legs.

"Why am I the only one with the cone?" Cajun complained.

"Will you desist your persistent whining?" Katz inquired. He slowly turned his head to the fox sitting in the rocking chair next to him. Cajun's whole body seemingly encased in a cast with a cone securely around his head.

"I'm only whinin' 'cuz I'm the only one wearing this cone," Cajun said.

"You are more injured than me," Katz answered.

"I wouldn't be if someone hadn't used me as a shield," Cajun growled.

It felt like a headache beginning to blossom in Katz's head, and he slowly rubbed his temple to ease it.

"Please do shut up before I turn your cone into a fishbowl." Katz sighed.

"Turn it into a martini cup, and I'll drown happily." Cajun chirped.

Katz's lips twitched as he tried not to smile at Cajun's remark. The two were silent for a while more before Cajun asked, "When is Queenie gonna bring Pup back?"

"In a day or two. She thinks Courage should relax a bit before returning home." Katz answered.

Katz and Cajun were alone in the living room. The Weremole was in his home underground, the Clutching Foot retired to the basement soon after finishing their story, and the Black Puddle Queen went to check on Le Quack and Courage at wherever it is she put them. She still wouldn't disclose their location to them. "Just in case." was her reasoning.

"I don't blame her for thinking Pup needs to be away. The Pup must've been freaking out by our behavior the whole time." Cajun stated.

"Yes." Katz agreed with a heavy heart. The explosion had thrown them quite a distance and knocked the two out for several hours. When they came to, Weremole and the Clutching Foot was helping the Black Puddle Queen tend to their injuries and barely being able to move were confided to the chairs. It was around this time the arrows' effect wore off, and neither Katz nor Cajun could remember any of their actions; it was akin to being in a drunken stupor, minus the hangover. But after seeing the state of the house of the living room and being told what the grounds looked like, they knew it wasn't good. They were both equally horrified by how they were acting when the Clutching Foot, Weremole, and the Black Puddle Queen recounted what took place. How did the Black Puddle Queen know what was transpiring? She was watching what was happening through any open water on the farm accessible from her realm.

For Katz, it was bad enough that he has to compete against Cajun for the dog's love without the help of Cupid's arrows, but to fight over Courage like he was some prize to be won while under the influence of the arrow. . .it made the cat physically ill. The cat felt so downtrodden over the whole thing that he was ready to concede to the fox.

"The sucky part of the whole thing is that I don't romantically like Pup." moaned Cajun.

"What?" Katz perked up, and his heart skipped a beat at the fox's words.

"I said I ain't interested in Pup in that way," Cajun clarified.

"But you're so nice to him all the time," Katz stated.

"Just cuz I'm nice doesn't mean I love 'im," Cajun affirmed.

"You're not nice to me." Katz pointed out.

"Hard put bein' nice to someone who constantly tries to cave my head in or tries to disembowel me." Cajun retorted with a growl.

"Touché," Katz said.

"Now that ya know I ain't interested in Pup, ya can pursue him romantically," Cajun told the cat.

"Wh-what?" Katz stammered.

"Have you become hard of hearin' suddenly? I said you can try your paw at startin' a relationship with Pup." Cajun reiterated.

"What makes you think I. . . love Courage?" Katz pressed.

"Well, for starters, ya stopped callin' him 'dog' and started callin' him by his name. Secondly, winnin' that fish plushie at the County fair is somethin' someone would do for the one they love and thirdly, the way ya hesitated when ya used the word 'love.' Now I ain't a genius, but I ain't stupid neither, and I can see that ya love Pup." Cajun explained.

If Katz's fur weren't already a shade of scarlet, he certainly would be that color right now. He thought he hid his feelings for the dog so well.

"Am I that transparent?" Katz questioned.

"Possibly," Cajun answered. "I always thought you hated all dogs."

"I do," Katz confirmed. There is one such dog that will always fill him with hatred whenever he thinks of him. "I'll admit that I hated Courage for continually thwarting my schemes and for defeating us when that farmer called us to help destroy him. After returning to my motel to lick my wounds, I pondered on what was it that made Courage able to defeat us time and time again. So, when I learned of the farmer and his wife's passing, I thought it an opportunity to learn more about Courage."

"Ya never expected to experience it firsthand with all the spooky stuff that's been happening after gettin' here," Cajun confirmed.

"Quite." Katz agreed. "I'm still unsure when my acrimony for Courage changed to affection, but I know seeing you with him tended to make my blood boil."

"Wait. Ya mean to tell me the reason ya abused me all the time is cuz ya were jealous of Pup and me?" Cajun asked, stunned.

"Yes," Katz answered solemnly.

Cajun stared at Katz for a minute then began cackling, "Hahahaha- ow! Hahahahaha- ow! Hahahahahahaha- ow!"

Katz threw his icepack at the laughing fox and hissed when pain flared in his wrist. The icepack bounced off the cone and flopped to the floor. Katz glared at the icepack like it just insulted his mother and moved his leg to drag it back to him, but seeing how it was further than he expected, he quickly gave up as he was too much in pain and too tired to make an effort to retrieve it.

By then, Cajun was done laughing and gasping from pain, he said, "I never pegged ya for the jealous type."

Katz merely grunted in response.

Cajun then asked, "Why didn't ya make your move on Pup yet? Worried that the other villains have a thing for him too?"

"Would they?" Katz asked in return.

"I can't speak for Weremole and Le Quack. Black Puddle Queen is more of the seduce 'em and eat 'em type. Though I'm sure, the Clutching Foot ain't interested seein' how dog saliva is the cure to get rid of him and his lackeys." Cajun answered and then added, "Even if one or all of them love Pup romantically, he ain't gonna reciprocate it back."

"What makes you say that?" Katz inquired.

"I'm pretty sure Pup has romantic feelings for ya too," Cajun answered.

Katz blinked his yellows eyes at the fox. Surely, he's jesting. "What makes you say that?" he couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Besides Pup only reactin' to your name when that water creature had its hold on him, he runs to ya anytime somethin' spooky happens." Cajun pointed out.

Katz took that moment to analyzed Cajun's words. Yes, Courage responded to Katz's voice and as for running to him. . .back when the dummy transferred his soul into Katz's body and vice-versa, he couldn't move at all, and he couldn't speak unless someone used the trigger and handle inside the dummy's body, but he could hear, and Katz did hear Courage run into the room calling out his name. And Courage did come to Katz when the dog thought Cajun was planning to cook him. Could it be true?

"I see that wheel in your head turnin', pussy cat, and ya shouldn't be afraid to try and confess to Pup, or else it'll be too late, and you'll regret it," Cajun stated. "Christmas is right around the corner; ya should get somethin' special for Pup and Valentine's is comin' up too so ya should think about doin' somethin' romantic with Pup on that day."

"I never pegged you as a romantic," Katz said.

"If ya made an effort to get to know me, ya would've known." Cajun countered.

Katz certainly didn't want to agree with Cajun, so he grunted in reply as he slowly pushed himself up. "I think I'll make my way to bed. The sooner I sleep, the sooner I am healed and can clean the house before Courage comes home."

"Sounds like a plan." agreed Cajun.

Once Katz was on his feet, he watched as Cajun rocked back and forth in the rocking chair, grunting as he went and flopping forward onto the floor. Katz heard a muffled "Ow," come out of Cajun as he laid face-first on the ground.

"Do you need help?" Katz asked, dreading having to help Cajun as he felt the ache in his body.

"Just flip me on my back, and I'll sleep here on the floor," Cajun answered.

Katz slowly worked on getting down on his knees, with his already sore arms and with more grunts and groans, managed to push Cajun onto his back.

"Thanks, pussy cat," Cajun sighed gratefully.

Katz took a few steps towards the stairs, stopped, and meandered over to the couch. He grabbed the blanket draped on the sofa, dragged it over to where Cajun laid, and placed it on top of the fox.

Cajun was surprised by Katz's gesture but didn't show it. "Thanks again, pussy cat." he chirped.

"You're welcome," Katz said.

Katz pivoted and made his way to his room once again. Once he climbed up the steps and was in his room with the door shut, the cat flopped onto the bed, too exhausted to care if he wasn't laying in it correctly. Katz fell asleep almost instantly, but before he did, he had to wonder why Cupid decided to show up and hit him and Cajun with his arrows.

֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍

Now, who was it that asked Eros for the favor in the first place? Well, it so happened that Eros returned home to the heavens only to be greeted by a God and Goddess.

"How did it go?" the Goose God inquired.

"Did Courage and the one he loves have a good time?" the Storm Goddess asked.

"I didn't hit Courage with my arrow," Eros admitted.

"What?" they both asked incredulously.

"I hit the cat and the fox with my arrows, and they both fell in love with the dog," continued Eros.

"WHAT?!" they both screamed.

"I wanted to thank the dog for helping me get with Trucky." the Goose God bemoaned.

"And I wanted to thank Courage for reuniting me with my Duncan." the Storm Goddess added as she hugged her precious Duncan. "So, Goose God, and I thought Courage spending time with the one he loves would be a nice early Christmas present from us both."

"But, you somehow managed to screw it up?" the Goose God demanded.

"I may have told the dog I made a mistake when I shot the fox with my last arrow, but I actually knew what I was doing. The dog will get with the cat in due time." Eros told them both.

"So, are you going to make Courage and the cat fall in love with each other?" the Storm Goddess asked.

"Seeing how they already are in love with one another and don't need my help, I'll let them get to that point on their own," Eros explained then left.

Yes, he knew Courage and Katz were in love with each other the moment he set eyes on them, and he could tell the cat was bitter towards the fox involving the dog. So, he gave a little push to get the ball rolling with this seemingly love triangle the cat thought was going on. He stayed and watched the whole thing with his iron arrows ready to cancel out the love his arrows created if things have gotten out of hand. Courage and Katz will become a couple in time; they certainly don't need outside help for that. After all, who knows love better than the God of Love himself?

#Courage the Cowardly Dog #CtCD #CtCD fanfic #fanfic #Courage/Katz #Courage #Katz #Cajun #The Black Puddle Queen #Weremole #The Clutching Foot #Le Quack #love #arrows #The Family that Shouldn't Be #The Queen Who Saved Courage #ThrenodyGrimblood

61 notes · View notes

threnodygrimblood · 6 years ago

Text

The Family that Shouldn’t Be

Rated T for just in case

I feel like I went off-topic at the start of this chapter before bringing the Clutching Foot in. . .maybe? Either way, I hope it isn’t too confusing for my readers. Also, I will, on occasion, call Big Toe as the Clutching Foot since it's one of the other names he's called. I can't wait to start on the next chapter with the Black Puddle Queen.

All Courage the Cowardly Dog character belongs to John Dilworth

The Clutching Foot Who Brought Terror

֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍

Courage clutched the flyer tightly in his paws as he gathered the. . .well, courage, to ask Katz if they could go to the County Fair. It was always a Bagge tradition to go even if Eustace didn't enjoy it. Plus, Courage hadn't seen Scarecrow in a while, and it would be nice to see a familiar face. Swallowing hard, Courage crept over Katz.

"Katz?" Courage said. Katz looked away from his book to look at Courage. "The County Fair is happening right now, and I was wondering if we can go."

Courage waited for Katz to say speak, but before the feline could, Cajun seemingly popped in from out of nowhere, startling the dog. "The County Fair? It sounds like fun! I'll go with ya, Pup."

Courage supposed he could go with Cajun if Katz didn't want to go. Before Courage could say anything, Katz spoke up, "I have nothing better to do, so I will accompany you to the County Fair."

"Nah, it's okay, pussy cat. You seemed so enthralled with your book that Pup and I can go by ourselves." Cajun insisted.

"That's the thing about books. You can put them aside and come back to them another time. You would know this if you read a book other than a cookbook." Katz countered as he closed his book and set it on the table.

Courage could feel the tension in the air, and he was curious to know why Katz and Cajun couldn't get along. He was sure it was more than clashing personalities.

"I want to bring along Le Quack and Weremole," Katz stated as he got up from his chair.

"Why?" Cajun inquired.

"I don't trust to leave Le Quack alone at the farmhouse, and I don't want Weremole to eat someone he shouldn't," Katz answered.

It wasn't hard finding Weremole and Le Quack. Weremole was, of course, was outside in what Cajun had dubbed Weremole's den. Weremole didn't have anything better to do, or so he said. Courage was sure that Weremole didn't have any rabbits to eat and no doubt wanted to eat someone, and Le Quack was down in the basement working on a new scheme. Le Quack was reluctant to come along but really didn't have a choice in the matter. Much like he didn't have a choice in where to sit.

When Courage opened the truck door, Le Quack hopped in and got settled, but Katz insisted, quite forcefully, that Courage sat in front, leaving Le Quack to sit in the back with Weremole. As soon they arrived at the fair and Katz parked the truck, Courage jumped out after Cajun, who was laughing at the fluffy state Le Quack turned out from riding in the back.

Courage spotted Scarecrow getting ready to operate the hayride, he turned to Katz and said, "I'll be right back." and walked over to Scarecrow.

Scarecrow looked up, saw a familiar face, and smiled. "Ah, Courage! It's been a while." He looked over to the truck and frowned. "Were are Muriel and her husband?"

Courage's ears drooped. "They died. . . months ago." Courage answered

Scarecrow's expression changed to one of sadness. "I'm sorry to hear that. How are you coping with their passing?" Scarecrow asked.

"I got some friends living with me and helping me out." Courage explained.

Scarecrow looked back at the villains and frowned. "They don't look. . . trustworthy," he said.

Courage smiled awkwardly. Scarecrow wasn't far from the truth. "Well, I trust them with my life." unlike in the past.

Scarecrow still wasn't sure, but if Courage and Muriel were willing to give him a second chance after what he had done to the Bagges, then he would trust the dog's judgment. Scarecrow smiled and said, "Well, I trust what you're doing. Don' be a stranger if you need anything at all. I also hope you have fun at the fair."

"Thanks, Scarecrow." Courage said, waved goodbye, and joined Katz and the others again.

"Who's that?" Cajun asked.

"That's Scarecrow. We met him in the cornfield last year. He was sad because he wasn't scary enough, so he believed becoming bad was the way to become scary. He tried to protect Muriel from Eustace and me. He locked down the house, set up traps, turned the basement into a panic room, and locked Muriel in there." Courage explained.

They looked over at Scarecrow, driving the hayride. "He don't look big and tough now," Cajun commented.

"After I rescued Muriel, I tried driving us away, but he chased us into a cornfield. Crows weren't afraid of him, so I got other crows to attack him. Muriel and I forgave him for meaning well and got him a job here." Courage finished.

"You are too nice, doggy." Le Quack told Courage as he walked past him.

"Ain't a bad thing," Cajun said as he followed after the duck.

Katz glanced down at Courage and inquired, "What do you want to do first?"

That was an easy answer. The first thing Courage wanted to do was ride the carousel. It was by his definition safer than the other rides, he did enjoy the Ferris wheel, but even the thought of him stopping at the top and the bar meant to keep him locked in breaking off and falling to his death usually left him with a death grip on the bar. So here was Courage, riding on the carousel giddy with laughter as the ride went round and round.

After the ride finished, Cajun had managed to convince Courage to ride the roller coaster with him lucky for Courage; it wasn't one of those tall coasters with a lot of loops. It still made the dog queasy after the ride ended. After wandering around with the villains looking at food and games, Cajun stopped at the dart booth. They watched the fox miss the balloons.

"You are, how you say? Bad at this." chuckled Le Quack.

"What a gyp! I hit that one balloon, and it didn't pop!" Cajun growled.

Le Quack continued chuckling at Cajun's misfortune, and Courage was sure he heard Katz chuckle softly too. Moving on, Courage stopped at the booth with the fishes. He did enjoy getting a fish and always gotten one every time he came to the fair.

Before Courage could hand over money to booth operator, Cajun spoke up, "You're gonna get a fish? Ain't ya worried about pussy cat here eatin' it in the middle of the night?"

Katz glared at Cajun, and Courage knew that the feline was planning to cause the fox harm. As the booth operator handed Courage the ping pong balls, he knew what he had to do to defuse the situation. Courage threw the balls haphazardly at the fishbowls until they were all thrown.

"Bad luck, Pup." Cajun sympathized.

"At least he didn't get ripped off as you did," Katz said with a smirk.

"Oh, haha, go ahead and laugh at my pain." Cajun sniffed then picked Courage up. "Pup and I are gonna drown our sorrow in sweets."

"But. But. . ." Courage began protesting, not wanting to leave Katz, Le Quack, and Weremole behind.

"It'll be fine, Pup. They'll follow us. At least Katz will not want to see me get ya into trouble." Cajun reassured Courage.

Courage resigned to his current fate and looked over his shoulder to see the others were indeed following after them. Cajun set Courage down near the funnel cake stand and ordered one for himself,

"What about you, Pup? Do ya want a funnel cake?" Cajun asked. Courage had his eyes set on the cotton candy stand nearby. Seeing this, Cajun paid for his funnel cake and bought a cotton candy for Courage. Le Quack bought a donut for himself, they sat on a bench and watched Weremole sniff the ground before rushing towards the cornfield. They watched the stalks rustle and heard a squeal followed by a snarl.

"Guess Weremole found himself lunch," Cajun observed.

Courage bit into the cotton candy and perceived that Katz wasn't with them.

"Where's Katz?" Courage asked Le Quack.

"No idea." Le Quack retorted.

Courage's brows furrowed as he puzzled over where Katz has gone to. Could he have gotten bored or tired and went back to the truck? It was a possibility. Courage finished his cotton candy and was licking the remnants off the paper cone when Katz came strolling over to the group. Courage glimpsed something in Katz's paw.

The feline stopped in front of Courage, and holding the object out to him said, "Here."

Courage eyed the item in Katz's paws and saw it was a small goldfish plushie. Katz cleared his throat and stated, "I suspect you wanted to get one of those goldfishes greatly, and I'm sure you would want one to feed and watch, but this is the only solution I could think of where you won't have to suffer heartbreak when it does. And you can cuddle with it when you're asleep. . ."

"Where did ya get it?" Cajun asked.

"At the ring toss booth. It wasn't hard landing them onto the pegs." Katz said with a shrug.

Courage focused his attention more on Katz's face than the exchanging happening between him and Cajun. Courage was sure that Katz was abashed about getting the plushie for him. But why did Katz have to be abashed about doing something kind for him? Courage couldn't figure Katz out. He seemed to switch between being aloof to being kindhearted towards him but still act cold towards the other villains.

Not wanting to be rude and appreciating the gesture, Courage said to Katz, "Than you, Katz."

Katz almost smiled, but it never made it on his face because of Cajun. "So now that you won Pup a prize, does that make ya both boyfriends?" he inquired.

The animosity in the air was very heavy, and Le Quack hurried away from the fox. Katz tossed the goldfish at Courage. He fumbled with it until he was able to catch it. Katz, in the meantime, stomped over to Cajun his paw shot out and gripped the fox's throat. A strangled sound wheezed its way out his mouth as he clawed at Katz's tight grip. Katz ignored Cajun as he dragged the fox over to the high striker game, he slammed Cajun against the long narrow frame and the fox clutched his throat as he coughed and wheezed as Katz slowly sauntered away.

"What is your problem?! Can't ya take a joke?!" barked Cajun.

Katz ignored Cajun as he grabbed the hammer out of the startled high striker operator's hand and swung it down onto the lever. The puck shot up, taking Cajun with it, and his head slammed against the bell at the top. Courage had followed after Katz and gasped aloud when he witnessed what he did to Cajun and hurried over to where the fox fell.

"Cajun? Are you okay?" he asked, and Cajun answered back with a pained groan. Courage turned his attention to Katz and said, "That wasn't very nice, Katz. Why do you always have to be so mean to Cajun?"

Katz stared at Courage, scoffed, and handed the hammer back to the operator. Courage sighed as Katz walked off, sure he was heading for the truck. What had started as a nice day ended in misery as Courage and Le Quack helped the injured Cajun back to the truck with Weremole trailing behind. Katz was already sitting in the truck sulking. After the rest of the party got into the truck, they were heading back home.

The running engine was the only sound rending the air. Having recovered a little from Katz did to him, Cajun stared out the window.

"Thanks for the head injury," Cajun growled.

"If you can string together words into a sentence, you're fine." Katz retorted.

Courage was getting anxious and hoped Cajun didn't say anything to push Katz more. When the farmhouse came into sight, Courage noticed that Katz was slowly the truck to a halt far from the house. Peering up at Katz, Courage saw the cat's eyes narrowed as he seemingly glared at the farmhouse. Stretching as high as his tiny legs could stretch, Courage glanced over the dashboard, and his eyes widened at the giant hole where the front door once was.

"Why does it look like someone blew the door in?" Cajun asked.

"Do we have a robber in the house?" Le Quack inquired, looking through the window.

Courage let out a gasp. The table holding Muriel and Eustace's ashes. Did it get ruined from the possible explosion?

"Oh no." he whimpered.

Courage scampered over Cajun's lap, worked the door open, jumped out, and hurried towards the house, the villains' calls to wait or to come back falling on deaf ears. Heart pounding, Courage rushed over to the table, ignoring the debris on the floor. Courage climbed onto the chair set near the table, and after checking the contents on the table heaved out a sigh. Other than a few shards of wood and one picture frame knocked over and the rest seemingly out of place, nothing was really disturbed.

"Courage!" Katz snapped, resulting in the dog turning in Katz's direction. Katz walked over to Courage and said, "Please don't go rushing off into danger like that!"

"Why? I've done it plenty of times." Courage reminded him.

Katz was about to reply, but a noise in the kitchen halted it. The villains headed for the kitchen, and Courage followed after them. Katz opened the door; they entered and stopped short, and Courage looked around Katz's legs, and his jaw dropped. Big Toe and the other four toes looked up from the meal on the floor.

Katz, of course, saw a mess on what was once a clean floor and the refrigerator door wide open. He could about feel his eye twitch.

The Clutching Foot looked up at them all, and Big Toe asked, "What?" followed by a chorus of "Yeah, what?"

Surprisingly it was Cajun that spoke up in anger. "What? What?! Your eating what I was planning on making for dinner! And you left the fridge door wide open! Your gonna spoil everything inside!" Cajun slammed the door shut. He opened the freezer door and fished for the ice cube tray and headed over to the counter. Courage walked around the Clutching Foot to help Cajun.

"What are you doing here, Big Toe?" Le Quack asked.

"We needed to do lay low, see?" Big Toe answered, followed by, "Yeah, lay low."

"Lay low from what?" Cajun asked as he placed the ice pack on top of his head.

"We did a heist, see? And this is the only place we could think of to hide out, see?" Big Toe answered. The Clutching Foot stomped over to bag near the table and grabbing the end of the pack with his teeth, tipped out the contents inside. Gemstones of various sizes and values and three statues of different height tumbled on the floor. Le Quack plucked one of the gems off the floor and examined it closely.

Cajun whistled. "That's a lot of rocks."

Courage picked up one of the statues and inquired, "What are you going to do with them?"

"Sell 'em, see?" Big Toe answered.

"Well, I hope you plan on cleaning this mess you so graciously made and fix the gaping hole out front." Katz hissed.

"Me and the boys can lick the floor clean, see? But we gonna need some help with the wall, see?" Big Toe informed the cat.

One of Katz's eyes twitched at 'lick the floor clean.' He heaved out a sigh, pivot, and walked out of the kitchen. Everyone watched the cat go, but it was Courage who went after Katz.

"Katz? Where are you going?" He interrogated as he followed Katz out of the giant hole.

"Away from here before I do something I may regret," Katz answered back.

"When will you be back?" Courage questioned further.

He received no answer as Katz slammed the truck door shut and drove off. Courage whined softly. All he wanted was a lovely day at the County Fair with Katz, but when that didn't happen, he hoped Katz's mood would improve when they got home, but no such luck. With a sigh, Courage looked at the destroyed wall and knew at least one way to make Katz feel better.

Katz returned quite late that night. Driving didn't settle his anger, especially since Di Lung almost drove into him. And Di Lung shouting, "Watch where you're goin', ya fool!" as he drove off in the opposite direction had Katz digging his claws into the steering wheel. Katz headed to the one place where he could, at the very least, feel better, his motel where his spiders still reside.

Being with his spiders did give Katz a little peace of mind, and he had come across someone vandalizing his once precious motel. . .and well, no one is going to miss one human. Katz certainly won't. After seeing his spiders, Katz went to his new club, Klub Katz. He quite liked the name that he decided to use it again since the last time he used it was on an island that very few people came across. Now Katz was home, and all he wanted to do was sleep. Katz was pleased to see the hole fixed, and a new door put up as he walked into the living room. The only one Katz could see still awake at this hour was Cajun. The fox sat in the rocking chair, looking bored as he flipped through the channels.

Katz took a step towards the stairs when Cajun spoke up, "There's a plate in the oven for ya if ya haven't eaten yet."

"I'm stunned that you saved me some dinner," Katz replied.

Cajun scoffed. "I wouldn't not after what ya did to me, and even if I were 'kind' enough to do so, I would do something get my vengeance on ya. But Pup insisted we saved dinner for ya and made sure I didn't over spice it."

That was considerate of Courage. Katz glanced around the room and commented, "I see the Clutching Foot cleaned up the house."

"Nah, the only thing the Clutching Foot did was lick the kitchen floor clean." Katz made a disgusted face. "But, Pup mopped the kitchen floor, swept the floor in here, tidied up, and fixed the wall."

The anger in Katz began rising again. "You made Courage clean up all by himself?" Katz asked slowly.

"I ain't that heartless. At least to Pup, I ain't anymore. And since Pup's short, I helped fix the parts he couldn't reach and help put in the door." Cajun told the feline.

Lucky for the fox, Katz doesn't have to wring his neck. "Why are you up? You're usually asleep by this time?" Katz inquired, trying to be a little bit civil to the fox.

"The Clutching Foot decided to become roommates with me in the basement, and all five toes snores. Loudly." Cajun explained. "I may curl up on the couch and sleep there later. You're so lucky to sleep in a bed with Pup, who probably don't snore."

"Indeed." Katz agreed. "But he does have nightmares and will on occasion wake screaming from terror."

"Still better than constant loud snorin'." Cajun shot back.

Katz gave Cajun a rare smile and headed for the kitchen. Katz heated his dinner, ate alone, then washed and dried the dishes, putting them away, and headed for the stairs. He quietly entered the room and got into bed and looked over at Courage. Katz was sure he felt his heart skip a beat when he spotted the fish plushie he got for Courage cradled in his arms. A red paw reached out to touch the sleeping dog but drew back. Katz laid down and fell asleep.

The next morning was pretty average, save for the new addition, or addition in the farmhouse. Once Courage was awake and had gone down to the kitchen for breakfast, Cajun asked if he could help make breakfast seeing how there are now five more mouths to feed. Courage was more than happy to help. The whole tome, Courage could feel Katz leering at them, and not only did it make him uncomfortable, but he wasn't sure what they did to deserve it.

Breakfast went along fine and without any disastrous result. Around lunchtime was a different matter. It came to Courage's attention that Katz was reading the same newspaper, which, in his countless hours of observation, knew he was still feeling moody. Hoping that making the cat another cup of tea would cheer him up, Courage headed for the kitchen. Once he stepped inside, he spotted Cajun at the sink, and something was. . .off. The fox had his back to Courage, and he could hear Cajun slowly run a knife sharpener over a blade.

Courage fidget in his spot, not wanting to get close to Cajun to use the stove. He jumped when Cajun spoke. "Ah, Courage. I'm glad you're here."

Cajun's voice sent chills down Courage's spine, and after swallowing the lump that formed in his throat, he asked, "A-are you getting ready to make lunch?" Courage didn't have a clue as to why Cajun was making him so nervous.

The sound of the knife sharpener stopped abruptly, "Why yes, Courage." cooed Cajun as he set the sharpener down on the counter then spun around. "And you're to be the main course!"

Cajun laughed a malicious laugh as he held up the now sharpen gleaming meat cleaver. Courage made a good impression of a fluff ball as he screamed and ran out of the kitchen swiftly, leaving the door swinging in his wake. Courage rushed over to Katz as the cat peeked over his newspaper.

"Dear boy, what has gotten you into a state of terror now?" he inquired.

Courage hopped in place as he tried to explain through his babble about what transpired in the kitchen. As Courage finished his tale, Cajun walked biting into a carrot.

"What's all the screamin' about?" he asked. Courage belted out another scream and ran out the front door. "Was it somethin' I said?" Cajun asked.

Katz didn't answer. Instead, he got out of his chair and strode over to Cajun as he rolled the newspaper up. He proceeded to whack the fox on the head with the paper. Cajun yelped and tried to defend himself with the carrot.

"What did I do this time?!" demanded Cajun.

"Courage informed me that you were going to cook him for lunch." hissed Katz.

"What?! What insanity is this?" Cajun wondered.

"Are you going to deny it?" Katz interrogated.

"Of course, I am! First off, none of my recipes call for a dog of any kind, seein' how they are a distant relative of mine, it feels a bit like cannibalism to me. And second, I was out in the garden harvestin' some of the crops for lunch." Cajun defended and held up the carrot as evidence. "So either Pup is lyin', or there's two of me, and the second one is a lot more murderous than me."

"I hope you have a doppelganger because I would have to hurt you very badly if you tried to hurt Courage in any way." Katz threatened.

"Story of my life," Cajun grumbled and took another bite out of the carrot.

Courage was trying his best to hide, but it was pretty tough when he couldn't stop shaking, which in turn caused the bucket to rattle. He couldn't understand the villains. Courage thought they were no longer trying to kill him. But after the thing with Cajun in the kitchen, he soon had Weremole to contend with, the feral creature chased him around the house, his teeth gnashing until Courage took refuge in the barn.

And as Courage tried to catch his breath from all that running, Le Quack showed up, lit a bomb he had, thrown it in, and locked the doors on Courage.

Courage fumbled around for the bomb, quite glad that not only was light coming from the loft door, but the lit wick on the bomb helped him find it and put it out before it exploded. Lunch was tense for him as he sat very close to Katz, hoping the cat didn't mind, which he didn't seem to as he didn't say anything to it or tried to push the dog away. That seemed to lure Courage into a false sense of relaxation. Courage decided to take a bath after lunch to help calm himself further. He presumed Katz didn't like him sitting close to him. The cat had entered the bathroom, and when Courage asked him what he was doing there, Katz proceeded to grab the dog by the top of his head and attempted to drown him in the tub.

Courage thrashed about until he was successful in getting out of Katz's grip. He gasped for air, and as Katz reached for him again, Courage whimpered as he scrambled out of the tub. His wet paws made it difficult for Courage to open the door, but Katz approaching gave him the incentive, and he tore the door open and ran out. Tears pricked Courage's eyes as he wondered why now after the villains have been living with him, they decided to try and kill him. He thought they changed after he saved them countless times, and they rescued him once.

Villains will never change; it seemed. Determine not to stay around when the Clutching Foot decides it's his turn to go after him; Courage peeked from his hiding place and seeing no one in sight took haste running from the farm with no destination in mind. The dog ran until he was close to collapsing, being out in the burning sun until he spotted a familiar object approaching quickly. When Courage arrived, panting and sweating, he found himself at Shirley's wagon. He hesitated to climb the step and seeing if Shirley was home. Would she attack him as the villains have?

Courage didn't have time to ponder further, the door open and Shirley appeared.

"Ah, Courage. It's been a long time since we last met. Come in and have some tea with me." Shirley offered.

Not only was Courage parched, but he couldn't say no to the gypsy without the possibility of incurring her wrath. He hopped onto the step and walking into her wagon, which felt a lot cooler than outside. Courage sat at the table as Shirley prepared the tea and set the cups down.

"Thank you." Courage said, taking the drink and gulping it down.

"You're welcome," Shirley replied and took a sip from hers. "How are your Muriel and the stupid one doing?"

Courage with a sigh set the glass down and told the gypsy in detail about their passing months ago.

Shirley listened to Courage's story and feeling commiserating for the pink dog said, "I'm sorry for your loss, Courage. If you ever wish to communicate with your Muriel or the stupid one, don't hesitate to seek me out. I'll charge you a small sum for it."

Courage smiled and felt a little calm. "Thank you, Shirley," he replied.

Shirley nodded in response then asked a question that made Courage tense up, "Have you been living all alone?"

Courage shook his head. He explained that some villains he encountered in his past came to live with him for one reason or another. How the months that followed, they never once tried to harm him and how they ever saved him from a water creature that was similar to the Black Puddle Queen, but all that seemed to have changed today.

"I just don't understand." Courage whined. "We were living happily, then all of a sudden, they tried to kill me today." Katz's trying to drown him hurt Courage the most.

Shirley was ready to come up with some curses to help Courage out, but first, she needed more details before she could start. "Has anything changed recently?" she inquired.

"Well, the Clutching Foot arrived yesterday. He wanted a place to lay low because he had just robbed a place and stolen a couple of gemstones and three golden statues." Courage answered.

Shirley seemed to perk at the mention of the three statues. She got up from the table and rummaged around the contents in her trunk. Once she found what she was looking for, Shirley brought it over to the table.

"These statues, Did one of them look like this?" she questioned as she set the worn paper on the table.

Courage scanned the drawing and gasped. It looked exactly like one of the statues that the Clutching Foot had stolen.

"Yes, one of the statues look like that." Courage answered.

"Well, the good news is that none of your new questionable friends were trying to kill you," Shirley explained.

It was like a terrible weight on Courage lifted only for a new one to settle on the dog.

"What's the bad news?" he asked because there is always bad news.

"The bad news is that your friends are possibly in danger," Shirley told him.

"What?" Courage squeaked.

"A spirit lives in the statue. The spirit strives on terror and will take on the form or something or someone the person is afraid of." Shirley explained.

"Except for the Clutching Foot, I've been living with the villains for months. It doesn't explain why it took the forms of Katz, Cajun, Le Quack, and Weremole." Courage stated.

"Maybe you're still afraid of them subconsciously." Shirley offered.

It could be. Courage has seen Katz angry plenty of times and seen him take it out on Cajun most of those times.

"Why would the villains be in danger? There's nothing they're afraid of." Courage said.

"Anyone would be afraid of being eaten," Shirley answered.

Courage almost spilled his tea. "What?" he whispered.

"This spirit eats those it terrorizes. Which was lucky for you when you ran away." Shirley said.

"Oh, no." Courage whined. He needed to go back and save his frie- no his family. He finished the tea and quickly said, "Thank you for the tea, Shirley." he hesitated and added, "How much do I owe you for the information?"

"Free of charge just this once," Shirley answered.

"Thank you again." Courage replied. He said his goodbyes to Shirley and took off back home, hoping all the way that he's not too late to save them.

Courage didn't notice the distance it took to get home being a fretting state the whole way. It felt quiet when he got home; the door squeaked open much too loud when he pushed it open. Courage's heart thudded hard as he walked into the house, and out of habit, Courage called out, "Katz? Cajun?"

He wasn't surprised when he didn't get a reply. Courage spotted the basement door slightly ajar, and with the knowledge that the villains were in danger, he made his way down the stairs. Halfway down, Courage heard an unfamiliar voice speak, "Hmmm, who to cook first? Not the giant foot, it'll be last. Hmmm, maybe the fox."

"Whoa, whoa. I already been cooked once. I have no desire to be cooked again." Cajun stated.

"And it's that fear of being cooked again is what will make you a delicious appetizer." the evil spirit tittered.

Courage hurried down the rest of the stairs, almost losing his footing twice and once in the basement found the villains tied up except for Weremole, who seemed to be locked in a chest. The chest shook around, and Courage could hear Weremole growling and hissing from inside. A cauldron similar to the one the villains chained Muriel over sat in the middle of the room, and a lovely woman carrying Cajun over her head strolled over to the cauldron.

"Can't we just order you some take out instead?" Cajun offered.

"Cajun fox stew sounds better." the spirit stated.

With a cry, Courage rushed over just as the spirit tossed the screaming fox into the cauldron. Courage leaped and tackled Cajun before he hit the bubbling liquid, and Courage skidded across the ground hard.

"Oh, Pup. I'm so thrilled to see you." Cajun said with a tiny frighten whimper.

"I'm amazed you came back." the spirit said.

"I couldn't let you eat the villains." Courage stated.

The spirit winced slightly at that. "Even after four of your friends tried to kill you?" the spirit inquired.

"I know now that it was you who took on the forms of Cajun, Katz, Le Quack, and Weremole and tried to kill and possibly eat me." Courage said.

"I told ya I wasn't tryin' to cook Pup!" Cajun hollered at Katz.

"Now is not the time for that." Katz hissed back.

"Such bravery. How I loathe it." sneered the spirit. "Luckily, your friends have their little fears that are keeping me from returning into my prison. Did you know the giant foot is afraid of you, dog? It fears you will lick it as you did once before. We already know one of the fox's fears, but the cat's fear is the juiciest I've ever tasted. Would you like to know what it is?"

Courage watched as Katz seemed to freeze at the spirit's words. "No, I don't care what Katz is afraid of. All I care about is saving them from you." Courage told the spirit.

"Even though you still fear them?" the spirit asked with a grin.

"What?" Cajun asked.

Courage could hear the hurt in Cajun's tone, and looking at the other villains staring back at him could see the pain in their eyes.

"You are still afraid even though we done nothing to you the whole time we've been here?" Le Quack asked.

Seeing the smug look on the spirit's face and knowing he had no way out of it, Courage confessed, "How can I not? You are all villains, you all done something terrible in one or another to Muriel or Eustace or both or me, and it's hard to forget when someone or something incurs Katz's wrath." a determined look crossed Courage's face as he stared into the spirit's eyes. "But the spirit refused to mention that I'm afraid of other things and other villains I encountered in the past, it just chose to take on your forms because it was convenient."

"You mean something like these?" the spirit asked. With a wave of its arm, the windmill vandals, the dummies, and the other creatures they encountered recently showed up.

Courage shook at the sight of them but kept his resolve as he continued. "They scare me, but they are are a lot less terrifying than the thought of losing my family to them."

A stun silence filled the basement. "Family? What family?" Le Quack wondered.

"You mean us?" Cajun asked.

"Yes. I never hesitated to save my loved ones from danger, and none of you are the exception. And I decided we were a family after you rescued from that creature." Courage admitted.

"Oh, Pup. I'd hug ya if I could." Cajun said, his tail wagging.

"Such a strange hodgepodge family this is." Le Quack stated.

"What about us?" Big Toe spoke up.

"As long as you don't try to take any of the others hostage to force me to do a heist or any other terrible thing to me, then you can be part of the family." Courage told him.

The previous villains disappeared as the spirit wailed. Courage and the villains turned towards the spirit as it doubled over, taking on the forms of four of them.

"That's unnerving," Cajun commented.

"You wretched little dog! Those positive emotions are like poison to me." the spirit hissed.

"No matter how many times someone or something comes and puts my family in danger, I will continue to face those things to save them." Courage promised.

"We'll do the same for you." Le Quack said.

"Yeah." Big Toe and the other four toes agreed.

The spirit let out a shriek and disappeared. Courage put the fire out the fire under the cauldron first then using his teeth gnawed through the ropes on Cajun since he was closer. Cajun let Weremole out of the chest as Courage freed the others.

"Now then, do you have any idea where that spirit came from?" Katz asked Courage.

"One of the gold statues is its prison." Courage answered.

Everyone turned towards the Clutching Foot. "How were we suppose to know, see?" Big Toe said.

"Yeah, how were we suppose to know?" the other four toes agreed.

"Well, take it back where you got it from," Cajun suggested.

"We can't see? They'll know it's us, see?" Big Toe said, followed by four, "Yeah."

"I'll take it back." Le Quack offered.

"Ain't ya worried about being arrested?" Cajun inquired.

"No prison can hold Le Quack." the duck stated.

"Make it quick," Katz said.

The Clutching Foot and Le Quack went back upstairs first to gather the stolen goods, and Cajun said to Courage, "I'm gonna make ya dumplings for dinner tonight."

"Yay." Courage cheered as his tail wagged.

Courage and Weremole were the next to go upstairs, and once they were gone, Cajun turned to Katz.

"So pussy cat, what are ya afraid of?" Cajun asked Katz.

Katz's ears flattened against his head as he narrowed his eyes at the fox. "Why should I tell you?" he questioned back.

"Fair's fair since you know my fears," Cajun stated.

"And I won't hesitate to light a fire under the cauldron again and make cajun fox stew." Katz countered.

Cajun held his paws up in defeat. "Okay, I get it. I won't ask again."

Cajun left, and after making sure he was all alone, Katz whispered, "What I fear is losing Courage to that fox."

#Courage the Cowardly Dog #CtCD #Courage the Cowardly Dog fanfic #CtCD fanfic #Courage #Katz #Cajun #Le Quack #Weremole #the Clutching Foot #The Family that Shouldn't Be #fanfic #ThrenodyGrimblood #Katz/Courage #The Clutching Foot Who Brought Terror #Shirley #Scarecrow

42 notes · View notes