A/N - A little explanation is probably in order. You see, i was talked into writing this for a good friend of mine and she refussed to leave me alone until i did it. So here it is. Now leave me alone!!!! This is only one of five Camp Lazlo stories i plan to do. If you like Beauty and the Beast and Camp Lazlo, then hopefully you'll like this story. If not... stop reading right now.

Ch1

"His Moosey Fate"

The night was growing more chilly with the promise of rain on the horizon, painting the Prickly Pine woods into a very spooky picture that none had seen in decades. Thick, foreboding clouds quickly rolled in over Pimple Back Mountain, blotting out the starry night sky above.

Not a soul stood out in this weather, everyone preferring to stay snuggled inside to enjoy the warmth and security in their cabins rather then see the lightening spectacle that seemed to grow more intense by the minute.

The first rain droplets fell soon after a mighty boom gave Camp Kidney a good shake, pounding harder and harder until the only thing visible through the haze was the distant glow from fellow cabin windows.

"It's really raining cats and dogs out there." A tall figure grumbled from behind his mug, gulping his hot coco one mouthful at a time. He smacked his lips when he downed the last drop, feeling all cozy reclining against his chair with both feet propped on his desk.

The shorter man in the room was also looking out into the almost indefinable scene outside. A worried expression crossed his features, his grip upon his clipboard growing firmer. "Sir, don't you think we should check on the scouts? I've never seen a storm this violent and-"

"Now, now Slinkman," Scoutmaster Lumpus interjected, "I'm sure they couldn't be happier fending for themselves. That's what campin's about after all. We don't want to spoil their fun… And I don't feel like getting wet for those annoying little-" Slinkman gave a sidelong glare, forcing his boss to swallow his last complaint. "Ahem. As I was saying… a little rain never hurt anyone."

Slinkman was still not convinced, returning his attention to the storm. Something about those clouds, the violence brewing outside, made an apprehensive shiver trickle up his spine. There was something wrong. Horribly wrong about tonight. He felt it in his very bones.

Still, even he did have a dread feeling in his gut, he wasn't given much time to dwell on it.

Algonquin Lumpus banged his mug on the desk, catching his assistants attention. "Be a dear and fetch me a refill. With extra marshmallows this time."

The mistreated assistant huffed some of his red hair from his eyes, giving a defeated, "Yes sir," as a response.

"Oh, and while you're in the kitchen, make me a turkey/ham/chicken cheese sandwich with a potpie slice on the side. And make it snappy, will ya."

"Yes sir." Slinkman rolled his eyes, taking up the mug to crawl dejectedly down the hall. "Some days just aren't worth it." The poor lackey moaned softly to himself, going about his tasks as if he were on auto-pilot.

Lumpus, on the other hand, reclined even more in his chair, throwing his hands behind his head with a smirk. This is the life, he repeated to himself, loving every minute he was Scoutmaster. He barely had to lift a finger around this place - pushing most of the responsibilities onto his assistant who, by all rights, did more and was severally under paid. But Lumpus wasn't going to tell him that any time soon. Oh no, why buy the cow when you could get the bugger to work practically for free. "Hehe."

Algonquin reached behind to flick his radio on, flipping through the stations until stopping on a catchy country favorite. "Rocky Top, you'll always be, home sweet home to meEEEEEE."

Kitchen

Slinkman cringed, breaking a plate and having his gritted teeth crack to hear his boss sing all the wrong notes. He then sighed upon noticing his soufflé fidget, then flop. "Like I said," He shook his head, "just not worth it."

Back in the office

Lumpus began to wave his fingers to the beat, exerting more energy than he had in an entire month. That is… until the music's signal faded out due to weather interference. "Rocky Ta - Hey, wait a minute." He turned his disgruntled brown eyes to the radio, resorting to slamming a fist onto its top. This did nothing to improve the situation, resulting in crackling the sound, bending the antennae and, eventually, spluttering a speaker out to pop the man right in the face.

"Slinkman! Have you been messin with this doo-hickey again?"

"No, sir." The assistant hollered in response. "It was perfectly fine this morning. Maybe the storms-"

Lumpus continued to smack the helpless electronic around, ignoring his assistants explanations, finally snatching it from the cabinet to send it hurling into a nearby wall. "Yeah, that'll learn ya to be useless." He continued to shake a determined fist at the shattered machine, though his victory was short lived. He had certainly proven he was mightier than a hand-held radio. Yet there wasn't much for him to do after triumphing over the device.

Folding his arms tightly across his chest, the winded man harrumphed. And what made things even worse was the fact he had that blue grass song stuck in his head. There was just no way to get it out without hearing the end. Curse his rotten luck.

Lumpus groaned, now becoming bored waiting on that slug to deliver his after-dinner snack. "Slinkman," he whined, "I've got hunger pains. What's taking so long? There's nothing to do." -A light knock resonated from the front door- "And there's someone at the door."

"Well, I'm a little busy right now."

The soft knocking persisted.

The Scoutmaster tapped a finger impatiently the longer nothing was done about the intruder. He finally had enough, snorting his way to the door, flinging it open to scream, "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"

He half expected to find Lazlo standing on the front porch, or even a Bean scout. Instead, his focus fell on a crooked looking old lady shivering underneath her shawl. Her face was weather worn, helpless, with a touch of warts and hairy moles dotting along her chin and nose. She was soaked from head to toe, her hapless gaze arching upward to make out the much taller individuals features. (Lumpus not being much prettier by any standards either.)

Algonquin arched a brow in confusion, wondering how and why some strange woman was out in the storm. And more importantly, why she was pestering him. "And you are?"

"Oh my…" She began in a fragile voice, tightening her grip upon both her shawl and small paddle (which she used for a cane), "I'm just a frail old thing. M-my car broke down just a little ways away, leaving me stranded in the rain."

Lumpus yawned into his open hand, cringing away from the stooped old bitty when she made a move to enter his cabin. "I was wondering if I might come in to use your-"

"Sorry lady, no phone here." He broke in hastily, inching the door shut.

"But I wont trouble you for long. Please sir, I'm very cold and tired. My legs wont hold me up for much long-"

"What's that Slinkman? There's a walrus loose in the kitchen."

Slinkman popped his head out to give a queer look, aware Lumpus was making excuss's - like always. The Scoutmaster shrugged his shoulders, ushering the old woman to stand aside, "Well, you heard the man, so… gotta go." And with that he promptly slammed the door.

Slinkman happened to be standing there, seeing the entire thing, removing his maid apron as Lumpus headed back to his office, "Who was that at the door?"

"Huh? Oh, no one important." Algonquin mumbled, dusting his hands off.

This didn't convince his assistant in the least, the shorter male side stepping his boss to take a gander for himself. He was shocked and appalled when he discovered the elder still there, trembling even harder when the wind blew against her hunched backside. "Holy bean! How could you just leave this poor lady out in the cold? Why, she's almost blue."

Algonquin simply shrugged, seating himself in his comfy chair. Slinkman took no time to help escort their "guest" into the living room area, racing past the Scoutmaster's office to fetch her something hot to drink. What he grabbed was the first thing he saw, which happened to be none other than his boss's mug. "Here, miss. Have some coco."

"Coco?" Lumpus squeaked, scrambling to see his drink being handed to that strange, ugly croon. Dashing the distance, he swiped the coco in-between transaction from hand to hand, slurping down the contents in three mighty gulps.

"Scoutmaster Lumpus! What on earth are you doing?"

"She's not getting my coco. It's miiiine."

This left both the assistant and woman to stare blankly at the grown man having a conniption fit. Slinkman at least had the decency to reassure the stupefied elder, taking her drenched shawl and offering a warm blanket in return. "Thank you, dearie. That would be lovely."

But again, Lumpus wasn't going to have any of it. He immediately seized his assistant by the arm, pointing to the door, "No. No, no, no, no! We don't have a phone, we don't have coco and we don't have blankets. Now get out. NOW!"

"How can you be so heartless?" She asked, backing away from the man that now had a diabolical glare directed right at her. "Look lady, I don't know who you think you are barging into my camp, demanding to use my things when I was just startin to get comfy, but rest assured I don't put up with weirdo's like you."

"Sir!" Slinkman yelped, yet his blood soon froze towards the snarl he received from his outburst, fearfully glancing back and forth between the two people. His sudden bout of defiance quickly deserted him, the lanky assistant remembering quite well the last time he had stood up against Lumpus's cruelty; hating how his superior bullied him into submission with his larger stature and strength.

Slinkman slowly began to back away from the selfish middle aged man, somewhat relieved but mostly ashamed at his cowardice when it came to Lumpus's childish tantrums.

The old woman hardly flinched when the Scoutmaster advanced on her, seeming to grow calmer the angrier her advisory became. "Out. You want help, go back the way you came."

"So that's how it is. You're just going to toss me out into the elements because I'm cutting in on your leisure time?"

"Yeah, ya got a problem with that, Quasimoto?"

Her appearance darkened, making her unsightly features more terrifying to behold. "I would think long and hard about your decision right now, young sir. Your heartless ways may be your undoing and-"

"Blah, blah, blah, and a whole bunch of other gobbeldy-gook. You," he pointed at the hag, "get off my property. And you," his attention on Slinkman, "Get my food."

"Mmm… b-b-but…" He knew his job was on the line by the glower he received, thus slumping his shoulders and letting loose a defeated sigh, "yes, sir." Slinkman whimpered, giving a sympathetic glance from behind his curly red bangs to the woman as he trudged obediently to the kitchen.

Lumpus was in the process of shoving her back out the door, until she seemed to exert strength that shouldn't belong to someone so delicate looking. "Very well," She grumbled, shaking off his hold, "you leave me no choice. I see you care for nothing and no one, not even your own scouts by the looks of this shabby excuse for a camp. You even harass this gentle hearted fellow who only wished to assist a poor elder such as myself."

"Listen lady, the only thing poor about you is your appearance." Lumpus bit back.

This accomplished in making the woman even more enraged, smacking his hands with her paddle, "You know, there's a few choice words I'd like to call you right about now but I'll refrain on behalf you'd probably take them as compliments. There's not the slightest hint of love or kindness in you, not even a shred. You're nothing but a… a big, selfish brute!"

"Why, thank you." Lumpus actually sounded flattered, sending the woman to growl in further frustration. "You see! I can't believe I even tried. There's nothing left for me to do but deal out your just reward."

Lumpus eyes instantly lit up towards that. "A reward? Well, why didn't you say so before?"

"Oh, you'll get yours all right." And with that she retrieved from nowhere a rather large hourglass, trickling purple sand from the top to bottom.

The Scoutmaster's original smile flopped, the disappointment clearly visible in his expression alone. "This is it?" He inquired, tapping the moose horned contraption, "You're giving me an egg timer?"

"It's an hourglass, you dolt!"

"Same difference."

"On the contrary." She sneered, "This is a magical hourglass that will-"

Lumpus gave one forceful shove, ending their conversation and leaving her to fall head first into the mud outside.

He made the crucial mistake in believing his dealings with the croon were finished; nearly leaping out of his skin when he heard a sharp hiss resonate all around the cabin. The floor boards soon began to rattle, the ground shaking, the window panes cracking, forcing the Scoutmaster to his scruffy knee's. "Slinkman! What did you do?"

His assistant didn't have a clue as to what was going on, he, to, was knocked to his hands and knees; dropping the food on the kitchen floor.

The lights instantly began to flicker, finally giving out, swallowing the entire camp in a dark cocoon. Only the lightning in the sky illuminated the area, flashing violently, hitting odd things outside to send sparks spraying every which way.

Slinkman was the first to regain his balance when the sounds of the screaming scouts caught in his ears, zooming to the back door just in time to see the splitting ground vein through Camp Kidney. The once dormant volcano that shadowed them all rumbled like a rising giant, expelling an ear splitting roar that broke through the scouts terrified voices. "Stay calm, Bean scouts. Head for the bus, immediately. We're evacuating."

When Slinkman went to check on the Scoutmaster, he found him huddled underneath the coffee table, sucking his thumb. "Sir, we have to get out of here. The volcano's gonna blow!"

No amount of pushing, pulling or reasoning could dislodge Lumpus from his hiding place. Not even the promise of a big juicy steak.

"Don't be alarmed," came an unfamiliar feminine voice from behind. Both men turned amidst the insanity to see the old woman who, somehow, had managed to get back into the cabin. The hourglass was still clutched in her gnarled hand, her expression calm despite the combined catastrophes raging outside.

With a wave from her paddle, her posture was soon upright, her limbs growing slender and lithe, losing the wrinkles, moles and other unsightly traits that made her hard to look upon. It was as if the ugliness melted away, leaving a beautiful woman with fair skin and gentle features. But her eyes were far from gentle when they focused onto Lumpus's cowardly display, hardening into both ice and stone, sending her lips to curl in a mocking sneer. "My, my. Aren't we the brave one in the face of danger."

"Slinkman… did that old woman just transform?"

"Yes sir."

Lumpus stilled seemed astonished. "And does she look angry to you?"

"Yes sir."

"You shouldn't have ticked her off."

Both Slinkman and the now youthful woman glared peevishly at the bumbling Scoutmaster. "You idiot! It's you I'm upset with." She slammed her paddle on the ground, magically propelling the coffee table to fly across the room; leaving Lumpus exposed.

"Um… uh… what can I say? Y-you caught me at a bad time." Algonquin stuttered, slowly coming to his feet yet still cowering behind his much smaller assistant.

"You certainly are the most pathetic specimen I've ever had the misfortune of meeting. In all my life, I've never met someone so vile, so despicable, so… so… there isn't even an appropriate word to describe the spineless sleaze that you are."

"Hey, I resent tha-"

"Be silent. You're voice is grinding on my last nerve." She simply waved a finger at him, which resulted in clamping his mouth tightly shut and forbidding him to open it again no matter how hard he tried.

Slinkman, taking this opportunity to step forward, tried to rationalize, "Please, Ms. … uh, Ms. …"

"The Leakey Lake Spirit." She offered.

"Uh… yes, Ms. Leakey Lake Spirit. Take no offense to Scoutmaster Lumpus's behavior. He treats everyone this way and-"

"That is exactly why I'm here." She carefully set the hourglass aside, lessoning the natural disasters so that she may be heard. "For years I've seen this creature reap misery everywhere he wanders. Prickly Pine Woods, Leakey Lake… he misuses and abuses everything, destroying delicate ecosystems for no other reason other than to sate his boredom. Well, I'm sick of it, and the other spirits of this region are too."

Lumpus began to tremble even harder the louder her voice became. His grip upon Slinkman was so tight the poor man had to dig his boss's nails from his shoulders. "Ms. Leakey Lake Spirit, forgive Scoutmaster Lumpus."

"And why should I? Give me one good reason… no, scratch that. Tell me one - just one -time he did anything for someone else."

"Well…"

"And he didn't expect to get anything in return."

Slinkman, of course, was stumped. He didn't remember Lumpus ever being nice to anyone and he certainly never went out of his way to help those in need. The assistant had to admit defeat, which only sent the Lake Spirit to sigh along with him for she also couldn't recall Lumpus display a kinder side.

Well… that wasn't entirely true. He had shown a crack in his hateful personality only once when he was a boy; he being a Bean scout at this very camp. It was a faint memory of him sitting on the lakes shore, skipping rocks on the water, sniffling sadly after parents day had come and gone. He had been alone the entire day, glancing every now and then over his shoulder to see his fellow campers smile and laugh with their mom's and dad's; leaving him with no one at all.

Perhaps there was more to this man. She was always a firm believer in the philosophy that there was good in everyone and, in fact, was not a spiteful person as she may appear now.

But the other spirits, the one's who had sent her on this errand, expected results. And she couldn't ignore the cruelty this man had shown her when first arriving.

The Leakey Lake Spirit had no choice regarding Lumpus's fate. Though he may be a despicable fellow due to shotty upbringing, he was a grown man now and he had to face the consequences.

So, with a heavy heart, the spirit rose the paddle above her head, seeming to exchange her earlier heated expression for a more sympathetic one.

Lumpus was desperately shaking his head from side to side, throwing himself to the ground, landing on his knee's in front of her, holding his hands up in pray to beseech her compassion.

She could faintly understand his apologetic mumbles, but she could also detect the lies underneath them too. He wasn't the least bit sorry for the dastardly deeds he had committed, only wanting to save face and avoid what ever penalty she would unleash upon him.

It was enough she started to rethink what it was she had in mind to do to him, considering to teach him a lesson rather then giving him a life spent in misery. (Though he would feel a great deal of misery either way.)

Eventually, she decided on the appropriate course, swirling the paddle repeatedly over his head.

Sparks soon began to crackle around his body, her movement became faster, intangible words slipping from her lips. The only thing she truly regretted about this curse was that it would engulf the entire camp, making the innocent suffer right along with the guilty party.

But what she started could not be undone. At least, not until the spell was broken.

The sparks quickly absorbed deep into Lumpus's fleshy skin, contorting him in unimaginable ways. The pain was almost to much for him to handle, especially when it felt as though his head was an egg shell splitting on both sides. He howled many times, breaking through the silencing spell, panting heavily when the sparks sliced back out of his body and infect the rest of the camp.

Slinkman, who had been a helpless observer, also succumbed to the magic, doubling over, his eyes burning, throat hoarse from the agonizing screams.

The same could be heard throughout Camp Kidney, the Leakey Lake Spirit closing her eyes to try and tune out the terrible noise she had created. When at last all became quiet again, she bent to become eye level with the still kneeling Lumpus. "You brought this upon yourself. The rules for your curse are as follows…"

Lumpus was still a little disorientated, only able to breath and listen.

"We spirits will make it very difficult for you or your camp to be disturbed. It is part of your punishment for disregarding life."

"Wh… what have you done?"

"I've only made your outside appearance match the inside. As for everyone else… they will share in your curse so that when ever you look upon their faces, you will remember that it is your fault they must suffer." She stood then, extending her arm to the hourglass that now began to glow, "This will be your reminder that time is precious. When it's sand runs out… you will die."

Lumpus's eyes soon shot wide open, his jaw nearly hitting the floor. He quickly stood, following the woman when she headed for the door, "No, I'm to young to kick the bucket. There's so much I haven't seen, so much I haven't done. I'm to young to… wait a minute. I don't feel any different. Why, I feel fit as a fiddle. I-" The spirit spun him around to face the wall mirror, ending his protest's dead in their tracks.

He ran a disbelieving hand down his long, hairy face, feeling around his muzzle, then his antlers, beginning to tear up to see she had turned him into a MOOSE! Plus, the horns had ripped his hat.

A faint groan came from behind, the Scoutmaster glancing to see his trusty assistant wobbly stand and was now a yellow slug.

Lumpus gave a girly yelp, backing up into the spirit. "This has to be a dream. No, a nightmare!"

"'Fraid not." She said.

"Then you have to change me back." He shook her a little, panicking, "I cant run a camp when I'm a moose. I have to be my handsome human self or else Commander Hoo-Haw will mount my butt to the wall for sure."

The spirit shrugged her shoulders, seeing Bean scouts running out into the destroyed camp either with joy or horror they were all various animals. "I always wanted to be a monkey." One shouted.

Lumpus, by now, was biting off every nail, not knowing what to do or how to fix this. Slinkman was also having a hard time adjusting to his new body, having to use a chair for balance.

"If you ever wish to be normal again, the cure is… well… not that simple for you I'm afraid."

"Anything, anything. I'll do anything!" Lumpus was practically hysterical.

The Leakey Lake Spirit shook him off again, taking a deep breath, "If you can learn to love another-" the Scoutmasters hopes slightly rose, "and earn their love in return… without bribes or cheating!-" I'm screwed, "then the spell will be broken. If not, hehe, you know what will happen." And in just a mere blink, she vanished out the door, returning to the unknown, leaving both males with mouths agape and staring blankly at where she once stood.

After a minute or two, and no one said anything, Lumpus took it upon himself to mutter, "Slinkman."

"Yes, sir."

"Fetch me a casket."