It was impossible to say where the first thoughts came from.

It came every blasted time that ruffian mutt escaped her clutches. It was like a broken record. She'd run into the wretched beast, set up a masterful plan that would surely result in the dog's death, acquaint herself with a disguise that always seemed to fool the dog's idiot owners, get the dog into the perfect place for his demise…

Then he'd escape.

Every. Single. Bloody. Time! The mutt always found a way to escape, and she'd end up with another set of broken bones or another week getting her stomach pumped.

It was a travesty against nature! She was of the most superior mind! She was one of the few individuals that could see the world for what it really was, a cruel, waste of Earth that only supplemented the creatures enough resources until they faded into its crust as food for the worms! How on Earth did that drooling, whining, screaming dog always get the upper hand by the end of their meetings? He could barely care for himself, let alone for those two idiots who practically walked into her claws. Every time she'd be so close to ending their wretched lives, and yet, every time that dog found a way to crawl his way to another day.

Katya growled, her claws sinking into her armchair, the fabric letting out a squeak as the knife like point pierced through its flesh. She sat in her pets lounge, a dark, musty room where her loves could happily spin their webs in peace, and dispose of any evidence that happened to spend the night in another room. Right now they were busy sinking their fangs into a freshly cocooned truck driver who was unfortunate enough to become known to Katya's hospitality.

Katya turned when she felt a tiny pressure on her shoulder, a new spiderling crawled across her shoulder and down her arm. A finger stopped on her elbow which made a new path for the arachnid. "Hello, little darling." Kayta almost purred, her finger moving close to her face. The spider stared back at her with tiny yellow eyes, before facing the feasting spiders, their eight legs frantically moving in frustration. "Aw, jealous are we?" Katya gently petted the small creature, tenderly stroking its furry abdomen.

"Well, don't worry, my sweet. Soon enough you will be big and strong, like your brethren, and will be able to take down prey like them." Katya cooed, glancing back at the silky tomb. The body had stopped moving by now, and the spiders were gladly sucking up any vital juices that remained. Katya tutted in disappointment, "That one hadn't lasted long at all." The pain, the struggling, the pleading, that was her favourite part of the whole ordeal. It satisfied her in unknown beauties that could only be tempted to her mind. Every struggle and shaky breath was a slither of pleasure across her spine, as she'd slowly watch their light flicker with an unknown authority. If the blasted meal died too soon, it ended the only pleasure that Katya was able to feel in her rotten existence.

That was what she was meant to feel when she saw that dog struggle.

That was something she should have longed for, in sense the pleasure that would come when that wretched creature was begging and dying before her should be the most amazing sensations that would ever come to her spirit!

But that was what never came. Instead in the moments when that dog was at her feet, his life in the claws at his throat, Katya felt nothing. Nothing at all. Just a tired, unfeeling, empty void. Even the dog's whimpering did nothing to satisfy her. And when the damned mutt finally found his way out…

Katya felt her throat close as another poisonous hiss echoed, she beckoned the spiderling onto the chair and strode out of the room, leaving the spiders with a soft order to leave the room spotless when they had finished. There was no need for her to remain if there was no show from the food.

When she found her way to her personal room, she immediately sank into her duvet, staring up at the ceiling with furious contempt. It wasn't fair. Did she not deserve relief from her terrible state? Pain was the only reason she could get through the miserable months! It gave her power, it gave her control, it gave her reason. But even with the normal victims, she hadn't been able to get that rush that she so desired. For the past few months, her pleasure had been numbed, and not even the youngest victims, the ones who screamed and pleaded the most of all, had been able to crave the lust that overwhelmed her mind. Her mind was focused on one victim alone, the creature that she could even see in the cracks of her ceiling.

"You need to die, dog." Katya whispered. And he did, what was his purpose in life, to care for two idiots who offered nothing in return. Cor, they got him into danger half the time. What reason did he have to exist? The only use he'd have was to fuel Katya's needs, and reignite the desires that she could satisfy after her bane was finally vanquished.

He needed to die, there was no question. If his pain had offered no pleasure before, his death had to.

But how? Every scheme Katya had concocted before had failed and the dog still lived to be another waste of breath. Katya was no fool, there was nothing wrong with her schemes, they were full proof and had claimed many test lives in the past. The dog must have been just extremely lucky. It was an honest pain. Katya had been so gracious to allow him to die in her mastermind plots, it wasn't like he deserved to die in such a thoughtful way.

Katya paused, and sat up straight. That was right. He didn't deserve such a high class death. He wasn't worth such energy on Katya's account.

"No." Katya breathed in sultrily, "What he deserves," She opened her bedside drawer and pulled out her desired object, she ran her fingers slowly across the pistol's barrel and almost shuddered at the cold steel. "Is a commoner's death."

For the first time in weeks, Katya almost smiled.

…

The park was one of Courage's favourite spots. Well, as long as the birds didn't come.

Apart from that, it was a moment of Heaven. He could just sit on Muriel's lap, watch people pass by in similar contentment, and simply drink in the mellow summer warmth and crisp cloudless sky. Muriel sat on her regular bench, softly stroking Courage's fur as they shared the peaceful atmosphere. Courage resided flat on her knees, his legs hanging lazily over her calves. Muriel smiled her familiar smile, "Ah, what a fine day, isn't it Courage?" She said, her voice as tender a lamb's wool. "Such a lovely summer day."

"Uh huh." Courage agreed sleepily as he lay in the security of Muriel's lap. He braced slightly as he saw a flock of birds fly overhead, but when they simply flew on past, without making a face at Courage, he returned to resting in his owner's arms.

Muriel leant back and sighed, "Yes, not a care in the world." She yawned, "Oh, I could stay here all day." If it kept them away from Eustace and his mask, Courage would happily agree on that note. All he needed was Muriel and the warmth of her lap, and he'd be set for decades.

Sure enough, Muriel's eyes began to drift close in the soft heat. "I think I'll take a wee nap, Courage." She said drowsily, "Be sure to wake me up if I sleep too long."

Courage nodded slightly and sank back into his rest. Careful not to move too much as to not disturb his owner. He soon heard Muriel's soft snores and he too felt the tiredness begin to grow on him. The sun was like the stroke of an angel, lulling the dog to a hazy sleep while the warm glow drifted over his snout. Courage didn't get many moments like this, on account on how every other day consisted of him fending off monsters and cryptids out to kill him and his family, so he felt this these moments of peace were extremely well deserved. He snuggled into Muriel's soft dress and breathed in her homey scent. There was nothing on Earth that made him feel more at ease than this. Soon enough he felt his eyes begin to close, and he readied himself for a well-deserved doze.

Then, through his eyelids, the blurred purple vision turned black, and the warmth no longer shone on his face. Courage frowned in his rest and hazily opened his eyes looking up at the barrier.

His tired eyes burst wide. A shadowed red figure stared down at him, two burning yellow eyes staring daggers down at him. A line of purple streaks crosses like wire at her thighs and the line of her bust. Her long, pointed face stuck out at him like a sword. "Good afternoon, dear child." A smooth, but venomous, British accent said, "It has been a while, has it not?"

Courage's teeth began to chatter, his pupils shrinking to the size of pins. He spluttered in incoherent fright. "Eugh-Uh-Oh-Ah..."

A finger stood straight at the cat's lips. "Now, now. None of that." She said, picking up a small rectangular box by her feet, and opening the barred door at its front. A carrier cage! "I do not wish to prolong this day with your incomprehensible drivel. So, if you'd kindly step into the cage, you will make this much easier than it needs be." She held up the cage in a mockingly inviting manner.

Courage didn't waste any time. He jumped up and began to shake his sleeping owner's shoulders. "MURIEL! WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WE'RE-AHHH!" Katya's paw was too quick and Muriel slept too soundly, even dozing through when her precious pup was roughly picked up by his scruff and flung into the square prison. Katya sealed the door shut with a latch and began walking away, wasting no time on the woman. Courage screamed out for help, his eyes fixed on Muriel even as she grew further and further away. He called out for anyone, anybody to get him out of this danger.

"Would you stop that foul moaning!" Katya ordered, shaking the box roughly, making Courage clash against the metal surface. "This is nowhere, mutt, and no one is going to help you here!" Nevertheless, Courage continued screaming, what else could he do? He had to try something. Katya growled and forcefully slammed the cage against the ground a number of times, leaving Courage colliding with a density of stone and steel, he thought he could taste blood and naturally his cries for help faded to hopeless whimpers. "Good boy." Katya said with a cruel chuckle.

Courage stared painfully through the bars, his vision blurry from the rough treatment, he was sure he'd get a black eye from the collision. Past his whimpers, he heard the sound of a car door opening, and almost immediately felt gravity send his snout into another wall as the cage clattered across the trunk of the van. Though he couldn't bring himself to see, he heard the grin in Katya's voice. "And that, my dear, was your last glimpse of the sunlight. I do hope it was satisfactory." There was something off about her glee, though, it sounded impatient, almost…unsatisfied. "Lord in Heaven, why won't it come!" She hissed though gritted teeth. The door slammed shut and Courage was left alone in the darkness of the van. The dog whimpered as the van began to move, the cage slid across the trunk with every turn, sending Courage straight into another wall of pain.

A pain Courage was slowly becoming used to.

He whimpered and shrank into one corner of the cage, hopelessly trying to keep himself still as to avert the bangs and crashes that came with every sharp turn of the wheel. But the poor dog's arms were far too small and weak, and inevitably he found his face colliding with the steel again.

What did she want with him? Well, actually that was obvious, she wanted to kill him. But this? Kidnapping him in the middle of a public area and stuffing him into a van, this wasn't normal Katya, the cat was sly and enjoyed planning out her oddball ideas that almost ended up with Courage's demise. This was just like a horrendous everyday crime, that didn't seem like the cat at all, she prided herself as being above the everyday villain, being a villain of class and mystery, it was something she always boasted about in her schemes, so why was she resorting to simple kidnapping.

Whatever the reason, it was clear to Courage that he was in real danger.

No trace of sunlight peaked into the space, leaving the dog in pure ebony black. It was like Katya had covered every chance of light up with the densest tape, just to emphasise the dog's terror. Courage whimpered, what would Muriel think when she woke up and he wasn't there? Would she come looking for him? He hoped for her sake she didn't. If he was going to die, he didn't want Muriel to suffer Katya's cruelty as well. He just prayed that Katya had a hint of mercy in the dark pit of venom that was her soul.

He laid like that in the darkness for what seemed like an hour, whimpering and pleading while the van took more and more painful twists in the road. It was like a punishment from Hell itself, the pain just wouldn't stop, Katya must have chosen the densest metal and was taking the most curved roads to add to the dog's suffering. She was so awful. Why? Courage had never done anything to her, intentionally. And if he did, it was only because Katya was trying to hurt him or Muriel, and sometimes Eustice. Sure, cats and dogs were natural enemies, but Courage had no ill will towards Katya's species, heck he would even call her attractive, it was impossible to deny her beauty in the same way it was impossible to deny that the sky was blue, but her evil screamed out in daggers aimed at his heart, unknown hatred obvious in her every move.

He still didn't know why she hated him so much. It wasn't like he hated her, she just terrified him.

It must have been an hour when the murderous travel finally ceased. By that point Courage was bruised on almost every muscle and he could feel blood begin to run from his nose. He cowered into the corner of the cage with a whimper when he heard the door open, wincing when an unnatural light pierced into his vision. He felt the cage slide toward the light and heard a frustrated growl from outside his prison.

"Look at you." Katya said, bringing the cage to the level of her glare. "Such an abhorrent, repulsive sight, and you still can't…" She groaned throatily and began to walk. Courage saw the building outside the cage and felt his heart rush in panic. No! Not the motel! Anything was better than those spiders. He was so weak he couldn't cry out though, so all he found he could do was cry.

"Stop that damned snivelling, you cretin." Katya ordered as they entered the Motel, she slammed the door shut and began to walk down the halls. Courage could practically smell the pungent scent of death from every room in the evil place. "Are you a man or not? Have some God forsaken dignity for once!"

They stopped before a room near the end of the hall and Katya swiftly opened the door, immediately throwing the cage into the room. Courage cried out, almost missing the lock click that snapped around the room, trapping Courage in a room of certain death. The room was almost entirely empty, no bed, no table, no paintings, not even a web in the corners of the walls. The only thing that resided was a small box that lay near the wall.

"I keep this room empty for occasions like this," The cat said, as she neared the whimpering dog with claws gleaming like knives. "Only when I need to dispose of the worst specimens of life that take up this miserable planet's oxygen. And you," A paw lid through the gabs in the cage bars, tightly gripping the metal in silent contempt. "Are the most deplorable organism I have ever come across." Courage could only whine in response, it hurt too much to speak.

Katya unlocked the cage and grabbed Courage by the neck, harshly pulling him to meet her furious gaze. Her glare was filled with an impossible fury, her irises practically blazing as they locked on her prey. Courage struggled to breathe as her paw tightened around his neck, her claws damaging his soft flesh, he could practically feel the blood oozing around the sharp talons.

Katya felt the pleading in his eyes as he weakly faced her, heard the begging he couldn't muster from the tight grasp on his throat, his face was a compartment of dark bruises and hideous scrapes and a black eye was beginning to swell. He truly looked like the worst she had ever seen of him, and she hadn't even laid a paw on him yet.

Maybe that was why she didn't feel it yet.

"Damnit." Katya glowered, "You little, useless runt." She brought her free paw to Courage's cheek and hissed behind grit fangs. "Bleed for me." Suddenly, her claws unsheathed dangerously, and Courage began to scream as the claws dug deep into his skin, a burning agony sinking like a scorching poker. Katya was slow as she ran her claws down his cheek, watching on as her pristine claws ran red as she left deep tears of blood in the dog's fur. Then she did the same again on his chest, her claws leaving hideous scars in the boy's fur, then she repeated this on his chest again and again, until the once purple fur was painted by a thick layer of bloody mess.

The dog continued to scream, of course, he made sounds no one should make as his flesh was tattered by the cruel feline, screams and whimpers and chokes and sobs mixing together into something so agonising it was almost painful to bare listening to. Tears began to run down his cheeks which only added to his pain as the salt began to burn his wounds. To see the dog in such agony should have been causing Katya to erupt with delighted laughter. Such pain was a momentous pleasure in her mind.

But she still felt nothing, not even the desire to crack a smile

The feline grimaced in fury, forcefully ripping her claws out of the dog causing him to wail uncontrollably. She dropped him to the floor, letting him grovel and writhe before her while she examined the gore on her claws. Blood hardly showed against her scarlet fur, but it still dripped like a tap off her points, leaving tiny circles on the wooden floor. Katya stared at the blood and waited, surely it had to come now!

She watched the blood run slowly along her fur, every particle of red was the suffering of her enemy. Her teeth clenched, "Come on!" She desperately ran her tongue along the blood, taking it the metallic taste of the blood. This was something she had to savour, so many times she'd imagined tasting the pure terror of the mutt. It had to be something she'd relish.

It tasted vile. She spat it out onto the dog in outrage.

Katya snarled, putting all her force into a vicious kick into Courage's chest. The dog gagged violently, coughing and spluttering while he held back the urge to vomit. "You little bastard!" Katya yelled, staring down hatefully, "You dare rid me of my indulgence!"

Courage peered up at her in pain. What was she talking about? "I-Wh-"

"SILENCE!" Kayla yowled, pouncing on the dog in a frenzy. Her paws tightened on his neck, pinning him to the ground while she knelt above him. Courage could only twist and gag, pleadingly staring up at the blazing yellow orbs that burned through his hazy vision. "Your existence is meaningless, dog. You offer nothing to anything. Do you believe those owners truly give a darn about you?" The cat seethed, "That man, loosely termed, offers nothing but contempt for your very breath, and that wench practically handed you to me on a silver platter. You mean nothing, you deplorable hound. Nothing but pleasure to me in your pain." The cats paws began to shake on his neck, and Katya suddenly pulled on paw back in a primal scream. "And you can't even do that right!" Courage could only watch as the bloody claws sliced through the air, and soon enough his cheek.

He went limp, unable to bear the pain anymore, only able to lie their like a rug while Katya brought the claws down over and over again, more and more force put into each swing!

"Come." Slice.

"Come!" Cut.

"COME!" Tear.

Again and again, the cruelty persisted. Katya's eyes were mad and desperate, practically pleading for an unknown force that Courage couldn't bear to think about. He'd accepted his fate. Katya was serious this time. This was it, this was when he was actually going to die. By this point, he just wanted Katya to finish the job.

The cat huffed and wheezed, blood stained the whole of her arms and splattered all over her chest. The dog was essentially just a tattered piece of meat below her know, his once purple fur torn and raw under her fury. He made no sound apart from a few jagged breaths, and his eyes were only able to gaze despondently into the distance, almost like he could see purgatory itself.

And yet she still felt nothing.

Katya's mind was like a nuclear bomb. How? How would it still not come?! She had beaten this pathetic welp close to death, her body was covered in his blood, and she still felt empty! What did she have to do to get some damn satisfaction?! She exhaled deeply, then glanced down at the corpse like animal. It was time. If this didn't work, then she was doomed.

Katya let go of the dog and calmly walked over to the box, Courage followed her movements and he gasped for dear life. She opened the box and pulled out something that was blurry in his painful haze, something that glimmered under the dim light.

"Dog." Katya's voice sounded hollow and tired. "Look at me."

Courage whimpered, resulting in a small kick to his side.

"Now." Katya ordered, "I do not wish to waste any more time."

Reluctantly, Courage forced himself to face the murderous feline, blinking a few times so he could see clearly. His breath caught.

She was holding gun, a small pistol, aimed directly at his face. Katya looked upon him like he was an insect, insignificant and worthless. He heard the click as Katya readied her aim, "You need to die, dog." She said it like it was plain fact. "Do some good for once in your life."

This was actually happening. After everything Courage had been through in his life, this was how he was going to die. At the hands of the villain who despised him the most. And Muriel and Eustace wouldn't even know.

"I'm sure we both knew this had to occur eventually," The feline said with a flutter of her eyelashes, "Either I killed you, or you killed me, and we're both smart enough to realise you're too weak to do such a thing."

Courage would have never killed her, but only because it wasn't right. Not just by law, by his own standards. No one deserved to be killed like this. Nobody.

Katya laughed but she held her frown, "If it means anything, you brought me some mild entertainment throughout our exchanges, so maybe you weren't entirely devoid of purpose." She shrugged and knelt down to Courage, placing the cold steel of the barrel against Courage's head. He was too weak to cry, all he could do was clench his teeth and wait for it. "But still, these games must disperse with a victor. However, I can offer one last trace of mercy. Do you have any final words?"

'Please don't kill me' may have been fitting for Courage, but he knew that wouldn't do him any good. Katya wanted to kill him, and this was not a chance she was going to lose, there was no way he could escape, even if he could force enough strength to stand up there was no way he'd get through a locked door. He was going to die here, it was better if he just accepted the inevitable.

So, mustering all his strength, he focused on the only words that could ever have been of some use. The one sentence that could ever mean anything to him anymore.

"P…Please d-don't…hurt…them…" If he couldn't save himself, he could beg for them, they deserved so much more.

For a moment, Katya simply stared, then a familiar rage overtook her face again, red veins throbbing in her eyes. "You idiot." The gun was pulled back, then slammed against Courage's forehead.

All the dog could do was embrace the darkness.

…

Was this what death was? Darkness? No Heaven, no Hell? Just darkness?

It felt heavy and warm, Courage sank into the void, lying aimlessly as he floated through the black. It no longer hurt anymore, for better or worse, and it almost felt like he was wrapped in a blanket. Hm, not bad for an eternity.

A voice echoed in the darkness, something familiar, loving, but so distant. "Courage!" It almost sounded like Muriel, had Katya killed her too?! He would have wept if he could. How he had tried to protect her, he had! But it was all for nothing! Well…at least they could be together.

"Courage!" He was coming, he could practically smell her heavenly scent.

"Courage, thank the Lord!" He felt two hands embrace him, and he could almost see the yellow glow of Heaven.

"Eustace, he's awake!"

Then he opened his eyes, well as much as he could anyway. They were bruised and swollen slightly, but still Courage could make out the familiar sights. He was in his owners bedroom, tucked away in their bed while Muriel stood at the side, the brightest of smiles on her face.

"Oh, my darling pup, thank the Lord." She stroked his bandaged head tenderly. "I didn't know if you would…never mind, oh bless your soul." She kissed his cheek gently.

Courage smiled at the sight of his family, but his mind was in circles. How had he gotten here, just moments ago he had been with…

Wait? What had happened to Katya? She'd been right there, he could still feel the barrel against him. He tried to sit up but he winced as a pain crept over his body, he looked down to see his entire body was wrapped in bandages.

"Oh, don't strain yourself dear!" Muriel exclaimed, pulling the thick duvet over his body and tucking it down snugly. "You just rest now, you were in such a state after all. Lord knows it must have been such a nasty fall."

Fall? Courage craned his head in confusion, blinking his bruised eyes. Why did Muriel think he had fell? A fall hadn't torn his flesh to shreds! A fall hadn't pointed a gun against his head! Where has she gotten that idea from?

Courage tried to speak but his throat ached, no doubt from Katya's heavy grip. Muriel stroked the poor thing's head soothingly, "Oh, you poor dear, I'll get you some warm tea and a nice bowl of soup." She beamed, "You just focus on healing now." And with a final kiss on his head she left the room.

Courage sank into the pillows, content but insanely puzzled. How had he got there? The motel Katya had taken him too had been hours away. It certainly had not only been a dream, the pain all over Courage's form reminded him of that. So what had happened? Had somebody rescued him? Had he managed to escape somehow? Had Katya…no she wouldn't have…

Where was she?

…

CTCD belongs to Cartoon Network.