Just as a warning, there will be eventual slash, but it won't be heavy. Hopefully the story will be exciting enough if you want to stay and wait a while C:

Disclaimer, I wish I owned these characters, but I don't. :C


"Awright e'erybody! You get hiding and I'll call out when I'm seeking!" Cried Rango, turning around to face the wall of the saloon. Priscillia, Waffles and some children of Mud, former 'Dirt', looked at each other, looking around for a place to hide. Priscilla and a Horned toad boy hid under a large barrel together, and a small fennec fox hid with her younger porcupine friend beneath Wounded Bird's porch. All who was left was Waffles, who was very confused as to wear to go. He checked every place possible to hide, but there were already kids there.

Of course, he was an adult and he could say he wasn't playing in the first place. That it was a child's game. But Waffles really, really loved Hide 'n run home. The rules of the game were simple. Much like hide and seek. But once you were found, you had to run all the way back to the starting place where the counter was and touch it to be 'safe' and make sure you weren't the counter next round.

He heard Sheriff Rango get ever closer to the number fifty. Thirty. Thirty-one...

In panic, Waffles ran out of mud. Into the desert.

He didn't know why he did it, but the further away he was the better. That and he probably didn't here that Hide 'n run's bounderies were only to near outside of Mud. Still, he ran quickly, finding solace in a near by rock cave that tunneled underground. After a few moments of heavy breathing, Waffles sighed and gave a goofy smile of relief.

Sheriff Rango wasn't going to find him here, no sir.

Still, being the curious horned toad lizard that he was, Waffles decided to survey his surroundings, just in case Rango got close. He saw the tunnel went on quite a bit, and smiled triumphantly. He knew if the Sheriff came too close he could simply dive on into the tunnel and Rango would never suspect he was there.

Of course, all his thoughts drowned away when he heard a sickening rattle behind him.

Waffles gulped, and slowly looked behind him to see firey red eyes staring back with an intensity he had never seen before. Before he knew it, he was hoisted up into the air. He squirmed in the coils- Coils. Waffles' eyes widened in panic. Surely this couldn't be Rattlesnake Jake? He should have moved on in the Mojave desert after he and the Mayor had their 'Special talk', just like Rango said.

"Well... what do I have here?" The Rattlesnake bore his fangs in a sickening grin, looking down at Waffles, not expecting an answer. Of course, Waffles never really understood rhetorical questions. "Well- you do have a hat, and a rattlin' tail. B-but if you're refering to me you're holding a horned toad li-" He squeaked as the coils tightened around him, making him gasp for breath. Of course, that just made the coils wrap round tighter.

Waffles tried his hardest not to breathe in. "I wasn't wanting an answer." Hissed the snake, dragging the lizard deeper and deeper into the cave. Waffles thought it was for sure Sheriff Rango wouldn't find him now but he sure wanted him to. He was slowly blacking out, gasping for another breath but the coils just got tighter. The lizard saw a glowing orange light behind Rattlesnake Jake's silouette.

And then the world went black.

When Waffles woke up, he found himself staring at a fire, readily made. He looked around nervously, seeing the Rattlesnake wasn't here. But the cave was filled with tunnels, and he knew that if he picked the wrong one, he could be in much bigger trouble than just Jake. Rattlesnake Jake. He swallowed again, hearing the rumble of coils on dirt. He closed his eyes, trembling and wishing his pappy were here. Or Sheriff Rango.

"Wake up." The snake sneered, flipping Waffles onto his back. The lizard jumped, eyes wide and sitting up quickly. The Rattlesnake chuckled darkly. "Don't fake sleepin', lizard. I know when your breathin' changes." Wafles trembled, listening to every word he said.

"I- I didn't mean none by it-" he squeaked. "I- I wus just scared in case you wus gonna eat me." He avoided eye contact. Even Waffles' mind could comprehend at that moment he was speaking to a legend. Jake smirked, lifting his hat and leaning in close behind the lizard, intaking his smell of fear. "Naw, I already ate a few days ago. Still full after the Mayor." He cackled.

Waffles turned around too quickly and fell on his backside. Jake blinked in surprise but kept a harsh smirk on his face. "S-Sheriff Rango said you and Mayor wus just talkin'! Special talkin' more like!" Waffles said, not believing that Rango would lie to him; nor that the Snake would actually eat anyone.

Rattlesnake Jake's smirk widened visibly, and that made Waffles' pupils constrict. " 'Special talkin'? Is that the best he could do?" Jake grinned to himself devilishly, but took a moment to realize that the lizard did seem a little slow, more like a child. "Say, what else did he tell you. No more lies, I reckon. Or did he learn from me last time?" His fangs peaked out of his grin, making Waffles all the more uncomfortable.

"He-He just tells us stories about books. Good books too. Books seem mighty interestin'." Waffles said, eyes glued to the floor. The Snake rolled his eyes and made his way over to the other side of the fire, knowing that would make him look terrifiying through the flames. "Why don't you read then, boy?" The twang in his voice made Waffles curious, though he knew it was because his fangs were so big it was affecting his speech.

"I'd like to read, but pappy said it were a- a 'useless talent' that what he called it. Wus much better doin' work on a ranch." He beamed at the memories. "I loved pappy's ranch." The Rattlesnake looked over, a little annoyed as he had never had a place to stay for long, and this Lizard chose to stay in a small minded town instead of a family ranch? "Then why don't ya go back to it? There's all the water ya'll simple towns people need in dirt- 'Mud', ya'll can just take as much as you want and head on back." He seemed to be aggitated, coming towards Waffles. It made him back away against a wall.

Jake stared at him intensely. "Why don't you go back to were you wus from boy?" The twang hit Waffles again, but he was too scared to notice it. "I-I cant!" He stuttered, his eyes covered by his hands in fear. The Rattlesnake's tail wrapped around his body tightly, and his insides felt like they were going to burst. "Why?" Jake spat out some of his venom to the ground.

Waffles eyes filled with tears of pain. "Ain't nothing left home- Pappy's ranch burnt down and he wus shot just before it." He choked, desperate for any sort of breath. Jake's coils loosened as his eyes went wide. Slowly, he let down Waffles, who was catching his breath back and hugging himself.

"Yer pappy... got shot?" He asked, looking down at the lizard. Waffles nodded pathetically, breath finally back in his lungs. "Yeah. A whole gang came to the ranch wanting pappy's water supplies about a year ago when the dry started. Never knew who did it." The memory seemed painful, but Waffles tried his best not to show it. The Rattlesnake saw this and commended the Lizard for keeping his bravery. "Similar story with my pappy." Muttered Jake to make Waffles feel more at ease with telling him.

Waffles looked up wide eyed and beamed. He was glad he wasn't alone. "Wow really? That's so terrible!" Jake looked unimpressed at the Lizard. Why did he tell him again? "Ya'll seem too happy about that." He hissed, which made Waffles' face confused. He could see the thought process happening slowly like a hamster in a wheel.

"I didn' mean it meanly, Jake, sir. I'm just awfully glad I ain't the only one who lost their pappy in a terrible way." Waffles said, his little tail wagged side to side slowly. Jake rolled his eyes again. "So what, did yer pappy owe them any money or did they just want the water?" Waffles seemed confused by the question, and thought for a minute. Jake was about to comment on his slow thought process when Waffles finally answered.

"Pappy did know a few bad people. Like Momma. She always wanted money from pappy, so she'd send her boys to get it from him. And he always paid them. So I don't understand why anyone would shoot him." He said wonderingly. The Rattlesnake interrupted his thoughts and told him his. "Maybe yer pappy wasn't in on a -collection- day." He joked, chuckling.

But that seemed to trigger a reaction in Waffles. His eyes slowly got wide, like he realized something. Jake looked down at him, and if he could, he'd be raising his brow. "What's got you riled up all of a sudden?"

"Camping. Pappy took me camping and we wusn't back in time to give Momma the money." Waffles stared at the ground dully. "He wus shot next day. All makes sense now." He looked up, and almost smiled. "Thank you, Jake, sir. You helped me figure out what happened to my pappy."

Jake was taken aback by this. He didn't mean to 'help' the lizard. It was simply a joke, a mock even. Still, the lizard seemed content with his new found evidence so Jake simply nodded his head. "My name's Waffles!" Said the lizard cheerfully, forgetting the entire conversation. Surprised by the swift change in subject, Jake nodded again.

"We already know who I am." His fangs peaked out in a handsome smirk, looking down at the lizard. "Don't we?" Waffles swallowed and nodded his head. "Y-yes Jake sir. M-might I enquire, s-sir, why you're so close to Mud?" The Rattlesnake sneered a little, looking into the fire.

Waffles watched him curiously, looking to the fire then back at the Snake. Jake curled up a little, but all it did was made him look taller. "I'm callin' out the Sheriff." He chuckled evilly, looking down at the shocked lizard, pleased with the reaction.

"B-but I thought you and Sheriff Rango wus brothers!" Exclaimed Waffles, which let him have his head plonked by the barrels on Jake's tail. "You don't actually belive that bullsnake, do ya?" He hissed, making Waffles shink visibly. "W-well, ya did call him out to be a liar and he did look mighty guilty walkin' away into the night..." Jake groaned, he did not know any creature to have such slow realizations. Waffles was it? His name fit his personality.

"Say, Jake, sir? H-how long have I been here?" Waffles questioned gaining a glare from Jake. "N-Not that I dislike your company! But I was playing a simple game with Sheriff Rango and the others and I-" The Rattlesnake shook his tail, silencing him. "You been here a few hours now. I dun squeezed yer little body too tight and you passed out." He was not going to apologise for that one, the silence was wonderful while it lasted.

Waffles tried to figure out how far away it was from afternoon that day. "So- it'd be late in the evening now, right?"

Jake nodded his head. He spat again, away from the Horned toad and wrapped his coils around himself. It was late and he wanted to be up early to call the Sheriff out. Waffles remained looking confused and another emotion Jake wasn't sure of. He then realized loneliness. Slowly, he uncoiled himself and looked down upon the lizard again. "Don't tell me you have someone to nestle up to in 'Mud'?" He grimaced at the name change. He didn't like changes.

The Lizard shook his head. "N-no sir. But I do like to wish Rango an' Beans good night, and tell Miss Priscilla her favourite story, and keep Spoons company while he rounds up the last of his Road Runners." He sighed. "I just feel bad I won't be there to help them good folk tonight." He lay down, looking at the ceiling of dry sand above him.

The Snake seemed surprised that suck a slow lizard could do so many things without getting his mind jumbled up in a big, messy heap. But then he realized what Waffles was doing and he found it almost sickingly sweet. Jake betted that since his pappy died, Waffles became more protective of his friends and put them infront of himself, and he got the feeling that was what his pappy was like. Jake shook his head, looked over to Waffles to say something, but the lizard had already fallen asleep. Heaving a husky sigh, his tail wrapped around the lizard and it almost seem like he was cradling him.

Rattlesnake Jake emerged from the cave, and sidewinded his way to the town of mud where a posse was forming to look for Waffles.

"Now!" Shouted Rango. "When we do find Waffles, if he looks dead, or isn't moving, make sure to check with Doc first! He could actually be alive, but sleeping!" He tried to sound professional, but there was anxious muttering in the posse. "But Sheriff!" Cried a Mouse, "What if he IS dead, Sheriff?" Priscilla, oblivious that her statement would be mean, "If he's dead, are we gonna eat him?"

A loud cackle whipped across the air that made the whole town freeze. Rango looked up, knowing exactly who it was. "Jake." He said, as the town's people made room for the Rattlesnake, who was carrying a familar face. "Waffles!" Said Rango, having spotted the lizard immediately. "Let him go, you no good outlaw!"

"You forgotten who I am, 'Brother'?" Hissed Jake smoothly, holding Waffles high up in the air. "Or do you need some- remindin'?" He grinned, fangs piercing the black night with their white sheen. Rango swallowed, but tried to keep a calm face. "N-now I hope you haven't hurt him, Jake! Waffles is one of the nicest folks in this town and-"

"And what would you do if I did hurt him? Kill me, 'brother'?" He grinned, bringing the sleeping Waffles around to look at him better. He still had a goofy smile on his face. Jake pretended to grimace and lowered Waffles to the ground in front of him. He waited a few moments, then barked; "Well? Ain't nobody gonna pick this 'good' soul up?"

Wounded bird and Doc were quick to intervine, and Jake slithered his way to Rango, his coils wrapped around his tiny form. He whispered close to the Sheriff; "Now listen here, 'Rango', I'm going to be visiting this here town a little more often then I should, and when I do, make sure that there Lizard is around and talking'." He lowered Rango, but still managed to trip him up before stretching out into the dark sky, only his firey eyes looking down at the town folk.

"You know the 'Tradition'." He grinned, fangs white againsted the dark sky. "I'm gonna keep it. It's not going to be an innocent... yet." Before anyone knew it his tail was wrapped around a road runner, and he sped off into the desert. Spoons was shaking with grief. "My best runner..." He spoke softly, head looking at the ground. Ambrose was quick to lead him away and toward his home for cactus juice.

Rango looked towards Waffles. "Doc, has he... has he poisoned him?" He was afraid to ask for the answer. Doc looked up, and his expression was baffled. "Not a scratch on him Sheriff. He's just sleeping finely."

The Sheriff looked up and off into the black distance. What was Rattlesnake Jake up to?