Author Note: A short story I wrote featuring Racingwolf's fancharacter, Newland. This story's time is deliberately left ambiguous. So exactly when this story takes place, it's up to your imagination. I don't know if I'll do a continuation of this or not.

sss

Rudy felt like an idiot. He knew he should have listened to Penny when she suggested that they find a way to mark their paths. He didn't think it was necessary because he 'had the magic chalk'. He sometimes used that as..well not really an excuse, but more to cheer them up. Well it sure wasn't doing a lot of that today. Rudy had made a few slip ups, which resulted in him wandering around this cave system...alone.

He had lost Penny and Snap a while back. There was a rockslide that came out of nowhere. They all managed to get out of the way in time, but he ended up separated from the others and he lost his magic chalk. He couldn't dig through the rubble to get to them. Penny suggested they all find an alternative route. She thought that maybe there was another way around the debris. Snap wasn't sure but he agreed that looking around was better than just breaking their backs trying to clear the rubble.

He wished he had gone with Penny's idea of leaving a trail. He had been looking all around this cave, trying to find any path that looked familiar. But he was so unfamiliar with this cave system that he couldn't tell if he was anywhere near any place he had been. He could be going around in circles for all he knew. After a while of walking nonstop, Rudy let out a frustrated groan and leaned against the cave wall.

How was he going to get out of this? He couldn't draw anything in here, not without the magic chalk. Even just a tiny piece of it would do. Yet he didn't even have that. The magic chalk he had was knocked out of his hands as he ran away from the collapse and it ended up buried underneath the boulders. He was not strong enough to live them, so he had to leave it behind. He had navigated ChalkZone without magic chalk before, but not like this. He always had an ally with him, and it was always in an open area and he could easily explore. But here, he was trapped, having no idea which way to get out. Oh if only he had just followed Pennys' advice and left a trail...

He looked all around the cave. His eyes had gotten used to the darkness, so he was able to see well enough to navigate without much worry. He needed to try a tunnel he hadn't before, and the only one was the middle one at a fork in front of him. He sighed softly, hoping that this one wouldn't lead him in some large circle. He made his way over, taking his time so he didn't trip over anything by accident. He had no idea if this tunnel would get him anywhere, but it was the only one he hadn't tried. At least so far. There was the chance that there were other tunnels he was missing.

After about fifteen minutes of walking, Rudy wondered when the tunnel was going to end. The other tunnels didn't take as long to walk in. Maybe this tunnel was the one he wanted. He tried looking out ahead, but he couldn't really see any signs of light. It was just nothing but blackness. But this did little to discourage him, and he moved along. He quickened his pace as excitement welled up inside of him. Maybe he would finally be out of this cave and he could get more magic chalk so he could help his friends, just in case they were still trapped by that time.

Suddenly, when Rudy made a sharp turn as the tunnel veered to the right, he slammed into something. It felt solid, just like the walls, and for a brief second, he thought that he just ran into some rock. But the solid thing also felt soft and unusually warm for a rock. He shook his head and rubbed it. He stared at the thing he walked into for a few seconds, trying to determine what it was.

Then it started to move. It shifted in a way that, at first, Rudy didn't know what it was doing or what could be causing it. He soon realized that it was rotating, and he started to notice the familiar features of legs and arms, tall, a clearly familiar shape. This was not some wild animal, but someone sentient, and tall, too. Then it suddenly dawned on Rudy on just how it was. As he began to see, though barely, more and more of the face, familiarity began to sink in, and Rudy's eyes widened.

It was Newland...

Rudy couldn't believe it. How did he get here? How had he been able to bypass his threat? What was he going to do? How far was he going to go this time? His heart started to beat a little faster. He felt a cold chill way down on him, focusing on his chest and underside. He felt nauseaous, though he tried his not to throw up. And when Newland now faced him, Rudy was uanble to stop himself from shaking a little bit.

"Rudy...?" Newland looked genuinely shocked at first, like he wasn't expecting Rudy be here at this time. But that shock only lasted for a second. It was replaced very quickly by anger. "You..."

Rudy wanted to say something, anything. But the intense anger radiating from Newland's eyes made it hard for him to speak. He attempted a few times, but he could only manage a small sound or two, and then he'd shut his mouth. He moved back from Newland, pressing his back against the tunnel walls. He moved to the side, going in the direction he needed to go. He tried to do this as quickly as possible. He had no idea if Newland was alone. Dooth could be laying in wait anywhere. He had to move fast. He couldn't allow himself to be caught. Not here, and not now.

Newland was not happy to see him. He had never seen that much anger in the man's eyes before. His lips were curled up in absolute disgust and contempt for him. There was a slight shaking to his body, and Rudy knew this meant that Newland was feeling a lot of rage right now. He was not safe here. He had to get away before Newland began to unleash that fury that he, himself had unintentionally provoked. He had a feeling that, before he made it far enough from the man, Newland was going to reach his boiling point before he got a safe distance away.

And he turned out to be right on that. He had barely gotten two feet from the man and already he heard a loud growl of anger, a stomp of the foot on the ground and, using speed Rudy didn't know existed for the man, he found himself face to face to him. The motion was so fast that Rudy let out a cry of fear. Newland glared at him and attempted to grip him as he had him cornered. He missed, but Rudy knew from experience he was not going to give up very easily.

"H-How did..." Rudy stammered, finally finding his voice. He took a step back, his body trembling. "..how did you..."

Newland gave a small smile. One filled with more anger than Rudy had ever seen. "What? You thought that your little childish game was going to hold me back?" His smile faded and his eyes narrowed dangerously, nearly into slits. "You forget who you are dealing with, you brat. After all the trouble I went through to bring magic chalk to that studio, did you really get the idea that the stunt you pulled was going to stop me forever?"

"I.." Rudy wasn't sure what to say.

"I can see you are at a loss for words. I guess you ran out of those childish ideas, then?" Newland gave a small, cruel chuckle before he took a couple steps towards Rudy, prompting the boy to slink back away. "Do you have any idea how hard it was getting that chalk to begin with? Do you know how much trouble I had to go through to have all of that arranged? And you..." His voice reached a deep level, a growly edge to it. "You took it all away."

Rudy's instincts were telling him to run. He was now in the right position to bolt away and get a head start. But he was so filled with fear that he couldn't make his legs move. The man took another step, closing the gap between the two artists. Rudy wasn't sure how this happened. He had no idea how Newland got back in. And he had a feeling he was not going to find out anytime soon. Newland was clearly not in the mood to just speak with him.

When Newland got closer, Rudy scrambled to get away. He backed away, heading down the opposite direction he had come from. Each step he took back, Newland took forward. The man quickened his pace a little. Rudy looked behind his back. He didn't know if this tunnel would lead to a dead end or not. But he had to get out of here. He couldn't stay here. He had no idea what Newland was going to do. With him that angry, he wasn't sure if he wanted to find out. If there was one thing he learned from their previous encounters, it's that he doesn't care if he hurts people. He proved that with Snap oh so very much.

Rudy asked in a shaky voice, "W-What are you going to do?"

Newland paused. He stared at Rudy with a somewhat blank expression. It made Rudy shudder. It was uncomfortable to look at. Newland's smile returned, this time a little more psychotic than he was used to seeing. "I...am going to make you cry." With that, he suddenly broke off into a run towards him.

Rudy let out a terrified scream. Completely defenseless without the magic chalk, Rudy turned as quickly as he could and ran. He raced through the tunnel, pushing himself as hard as he could. His feet pounded the ground hard with each step he took. He could hear footfalls behind him. He could hear Newland's ragged breath as he chased him. He could hear no more words from the man and he knew that meant that Newland was angry behind comprehension.

The tunnel was longer than Rudy thought, with sudden twists and turns that nearly caused him to crash. Newland did hit against the wall once or twice, but that did little to slow him down. Only seconds after he heard the thud, he'd hear the sound of his feet pounding the ground as he started to chase him down again. Rudy had to get out of this tunnel network and fast. If he could just make it to the exit before Newland reached him, he might have a chance to get away from him before he could do anything.

His chest felt like it was on fire. His mouth was getting dry. He smacked his lips a few times. He felt his heart pounding against his chest, feeling like it was about to explode. He needed to rest. He had to lay down. But no, he couldn't do that. He turned his head a little, just enough to see Newland rushing at him from the corner of his eye. He couldn't stop now. Not with that madman coming in from behind. No, he had to keep pushing himself. Despite the uncomfortable sensation in his chest, despite the soreness starting to spread in his legs, he had to keep moving.

He felt like such an idiot. Now more than ever. He should have listened to Penny. He should have been more careful when traveling through here. He should have brought more magic chalk with him. If he had just done something differently, he wouldn't be in this mess. He could have avoided Newland when he was in such an unprepared state. But now here he was, being hounded by the man, who was catching up to him by the second. Rudy might have more stamina, but Newland took bigger strides. And Rudy was starting to slow down...

Just then, he saw the light at the end of the tunnel. It was bright, causing him to flinch and look away. As they adjusted, he could see he was headed towards a mountainous part of ChalkZone. He didn't recognize what area it was. At the moment, he didn't care. He just needed to get out of this tunnel. Once he got outside, he could find some place to hide. He pushed himself and went a little faster, putting a little bit of distance between him and Newland.

But when he got out of the tunnel and onto the rocky ground, which had a thin layer of grass on it, he was horrified to realize there was no place he could run here. The tunnel opened up on what appeared to be the side of a tall mountain. He stood on a roundish platform, ragged along some parts, set high above the ground. It was sort of like a balcony, except it had no edges to protect himself from falling. Down below were jagged rocks and very few smooth places. The drop must be at least twenty feet, maybe thirty.

Rudy skidded to a stop at the edge. He looked down at the ground below as rocks broke off from the ledge he stood on, their clanging sounds being heard as they rolled down the edge. He trembled. He instantly realized he was trapped. He heard footsteps close behind him now. He started to turn around when Newland grabbed him by his shirt collar. Rudy gagged as he was hoisted off the ground and his eyes met the very angry Newland's.

Newland looked at him in disgust, like he was just some vermin he found laying on the ground. Rudy attempted to struggle, but Newland was a lot stronger than him. Eventually Rudy stopped struggling and just hung in the air, staring at Newland in fear.

"Looks like you ran out of places to run, you buck-toothed freak..." Newland hissed under his breath. "Now...here's your punishment..."

Newland raised him a little higher into the air. His arm tensing up, he threw Rudy across the edge. The boy landed in the ground, crying out in pain. He rolled across the rocky surface, getting a few small scrapes as his skin scraped against the ground. He coughed a few times as some dirt was kicked up into the air. He didn't have time to stand up when Newland rushed over and slammed his foot against his side, causing him to collide with the wall of the mountain. Rudy let out a cry as he landed on the ground. He put his hand on his side, feeling the horrible pain that spread through it.

Just then, he was suddenly yanked back. Newland had his hand around his right ankle, twisting it painfully. Rudy seethed and shut his eyes. He attempted to pull himself away. He gripped the grass in desperation. But Newland just pulled him back hard and Rudy ended up ripping out the grass blades. He released his grip on the torn pieces as Newland thrust him through the air, still holding onto his leg. Then shockwaves of pain spread throughout his body as he was slammed against the ground. His body smashed against the hard surface and he screamed.

Newland did this again and again. He kept slamming Rudy into the ground, harder and harder each time. Rudy let out loud grunts of pain and a few screams. His clothes started to get a little torn and dirty. Newland then dragged his battered body over to the side of the mountain. Giving Rudy a nasty grin, he began to thrust him against the wall, smashing his shoulder and side as hard as he could. Rudy cried out in agony, tears of pain forming in his eyes.

Then Newland dropped him. Rudy thought, at first, it meant was finished. He was quickly proven wrong when Newland kicked him again. Rudy cried out as he rolled across the ground. He let out a few whimpers and groans of pain as he laid on his back. He took in a shuddering breath as Newland came up to him. Rudy looked up at him pleadingly, but that did nothing to stop the professional artist. Newland raised his foot above him, his eyes holding no sympathy for the ten year old. Rudy tried to get out of the way, but he wasn't fast enough. The foot came down hard and fast.

Rudy's eyes widened and he let out a cry as the foot slammed against his stomach. Newland stomped down on his vulnerable stomach multiple times, applying as much force as he could. Agony wracked through Rudy's body, more tears of pain moving down his face. Newland sometimes alternated and stomped on his chest, knocking the wind out of him every time and making it hard to breathe. Even as blood started to trinkle down the corner of his mouth, Newland did not let up. He only stopped when Rudy suddenly sprayed blood from his mouth, splattering over his chest. Then Newland stopped and gave a satisfied smirk.

But he still wasn't finished with him. He grabbed him by his shirt collar again and slammed him against the mountain wall. Rudy attempted to struggle again, prompting Newland to tighten his grip. He pulled a fist back and he slammed it against Rudy's head. Rudy screamed in pain as his head was thrust to the side. He looked over at Newland, silently begging him to stop. Newland ignored this and kept going. He punched Rudy in the face as hard as he could, causing large bruises to form. Rudy kept crying out each time the fist collided with his face. Then Newland threw him into the ground again, this time causing the boy to land on his back.

Rudy let out small whimpers as he tried to climb up to his feet. His body trembled in pain. His face was stained with tears. He looked over behind him and saw Newland coming towards him. His eyes widened and he let out a terrified scream. He tried to crawl away. He only got a few inches when Newland pinned him down with his foot. Rudy looked up at him in fear.

"N-No..please...stop hurting me.." Rudy begged, shaking. "Let me g-go...please..."

Newland's response to this was a snarl and a fist against his back. Rudy cried out as Newland punched and slammed his clenched fist against his back. After punching Rudy several times in the back, the man got up and he kicked him hard, causing him to roll over and expose his stomach. Newland wasted no time. Holding Rudy in place with his hand, he punched Rudy in the stomach a couple of times before raising him above the ground. He glared hatefully at Rudy before pulling his fist back and punching him in the face again, causin the boy to fly back and skid across the ground.

Rudy laid on the ground on his back. His eyes were shut tightly as he whimpered and cried. His body trembled from the agony. He could feel blood leaking out of his nose from where Newland had punched him. He trembled hard as he saw the man approach him again. Unable to move out of the way in time and knowing Newland will not listen to anything he had to say, all Rudy could do was lay there and hope that Newland will leave him alone now.

The professional artist lowered himself to the ground. He was now on one knee beside Rudy. The ten year old felt terrified, not knowing what the man was going to do to him next. He hoped someone would find them soon before Newland could do anything worse to him. But, given the sort of luck he was having lately, he had a feeling that fate was not going to be so merciful on him this time around.

"I was so close to fame..." Newland said, his voice filled with venom. "You stole that from me. Well then, 'great creator'..." He said that with the highest level of sarcasm. "If you want your magic chalk back so badly..."

As he said that, he pulled out a piece of magic chalk from his pocket. Rudy was horrified to see that the edge had been sharpened to a point. It was then Rudy knew that Newland planned on doing this from the beginning. He must have followed him into the cave, and had only acted surprised to see him. He must have known that he was going to come down that way. Their encounter wasn't accidental. Newland had set a trap for him. And he had fallen for it, hook, line, and sinker.

Newland raised the sharpened chalk into the air, holding it so Rudy could get a nice long look at it. He reached down and gripped Rudy by the side of his face and forced his head to remain still. Rudy's eyes were glued on the chalk. He attempted to struggle, but Newland placed his leg over his body, partly straddling him so he couldn't move. Rudy's pupils dilated in fear as the chalk was placed over his head.

"You can have it back!"

Suddenly, Newland thrust downward with all his strength. Rudy let out a bloodcurdling scream as the sharp tip of the chalk slashed across his right eye, tearing into the flesh and causing fresh bloodflow. Newland moved back a little and looked down, clearly satisfied by what he had done. Rudy held his eye protectively, screaming, crying, and writhing on the ground. The sherea gony that swept throug his body was unbearable and he was unable to hold back his sobs.

He soon laid there, trembling hard in pain. His teeth were gritted. Tears moved down his stained, reddened cheeks. Dark red blood stained the right side of his face and moved down his neck and onto his shirt. He carefully moved his hand away and tried to open up his right eye. He could only manage to open it for a second, seeing nothing but red as blood poured into his eye, before he screamed and held onto his eye protectively. He looked over at Newland with his undamaged left eye, giving him a silent question of 'why?'.

Newland just smiled at this. Then he rushed over to Rudy and kicked him in the chest. Rudy screamed as he tumbled across the ground and landed in a heap on the ground. Newland came over to him and gripped his left arm roughly, twisting it hard. Rudy let out a grunt of pain, shutting his eyes tightly. Newland took the sharpened chalk and started to cut into his arm, jabbing the chalk into his wrist. Rudy's left eye opened up and he let out screams of shere agony as Newland continued to torment him, slicing up his left arm, moving down slowly, leaving a long, deep gash in his arm. Rudy tried to pull his arm back, but Newland was not done torturing him. He jabbed the chalk into his left arm again, this time time, in a new place, and repeated the process.

Warm blood covered Rudy's trembling left arm. The blood flowed from it rapidly, staining the ground. Rudy tried to move his arm after Newland released it, but it was so painful that he screamed in pain and let the arm drop back down. He looked up at Newland, wondering how long his torture was going to last. It didn't look like Newland was going to stop anytime soon.

The man went over to his right arm and gripped his wrist tightly. He forced the arm into the ground, holding Rudy's body down with his leg. He positioned the sharp chalk over Rudy's palm. Rudy's eyes widened in horror as he realized what Newland was going to do. He tried to yank his hand back, but Newland just tightened his grip on him, almost feeling like he was cutting off blood flow. Newland gave Rudy a cruel smile before he slammed the sharp tip of the chalk, still coated in his blood, into the middle of his palm.

Rudy screamed and writhed, sobs escaping his mouth as Newland pushed the chalk deeper into his palm. He twisted it around, causing more pain and more damage. He didn't stop until the chalk practically went out the other side of his hand. He pulled it out and then thrust it back in, making the wound on his hand even bigger, causing more damage and more blood flow. Rudy screamed as Newland twisted the chalk as hard as he could. He struggled to get free. But it was useless. Newland was too strong for him. Then Newland yanked the chalk out, which provided only miniscule relief.

"Let's see you try to make anymore unoriginal creations now, worthless scribbler." Newland said darkly.

Rudy laid on the ground, trembling in pain. He let out whimpers and he looked up at Newland. "P-Please...stop..." Rudy begged in a low whisper, tears flowing down his face.

Newland smiled evilly at this. He lowered himself down again and grabbed Rudy on the back of his shirt collar. He lifted him up, holding him in the air like he was just a cat or dog. Rudy hung there limply, staring at Newland in fear, whimpering softly. Newland put his mouth close to Rudy's ear and whispered into it. "Why should I...?"

Rudy stammered, "Y-You're going to k-kill me..."

"That's the plan." Newland said. Rudy's eyes widened in horror. "I already figured out a way that I won't get caught. And it will be nice getting rid of you..." Rudy's only response was to shake harder. "And in case you're wondering why I didn't just shoot you well.." He gave a quick chuckle. "It wouldn't have been as much fun. I like watching you squirm like the untalented maggot you are..."

With that, Newland raised his fist in the air again. Rudy let out a whine and he turned his head away, waiting for the blow.

"Rudy!"

Newland and Rudy froze at that voice. They turned their heads and looked down the tunnel they had come out of. Rushing towards them was Penny. She had a horrified look on her face when she saw what was going on. She quickened her pace and held up a piece of magic chalk, showing Newland that she was not defenseless.

Newland just sneered at her. He pulled Rudy closer to him and placed the sharp tip of the magic chalk against his neck. "Take another step closer and I'll..." He didn't have a chance to finish when something large slammed against him, causing him to release Rudy and fall into the ground. Newland shook his head, his magic chalk flung from his hand and rolling off the side. He looked over and his nose wrinkled in disgust. "Such an unoriginal bobble-headed freak..."

Standing before him was Corky, Penny's condor. As Penny rushed over to Rudy's side, Corky let out a loud hiss and spread her wings threateningly. She slammed her beak shut close to Newland, threatening to tear into him if he got closer. Newland growled at her and he moved around in a wide circle, staring at Rudy with dark intent. He never got a chance to get closer as Corky slammed her beak against the ground by his feet, causing Newland to jump back. Slowly, Newland started to back away.

Newland glared at the condor, looking obviously annoyed that he couldn't finish Rudy off. He bared his teeth and clenched his hands into fists. Though Newland was not impressed by Corky's appearance, though he clearly didn't show fear towards her, he knew better than to try to bypass her without magic chalk of his own. He took a few more steps back before moving his head so he could stare at Rudy.

At this point, Rudy was being held in Penny's arms. He pressed his head against his shoulder and cried hard. She whispered soft, comforting words to him. She had her arms wrapped around him and gently cradled him. Rudy wanted to hug her back, but he could only manage to slink his right arm over her. His bruised, bloodied, and battered body shook in tremendous pain. He turned his head and stared at Newland with his fear-filled left eye.

Newland glared hatefully at Rudy. Then he began to smile. He sneered, "I hope you take this lesson to heart, Rudy..."

Rudy shuddered and he pressed his face against Penny's shoulders. Penny held onto him protectively and shot back at Newland, "You're a monster!"

Newland laughed at this, but did not say anything. Giving one more satisfied look at Rudy, he turned and ran down the tunnels, leaving the two ten year olds and the condor alone.

Penny looked down sympathetically at Rudy. "It's okay Rudy..he's gone..."

Rudy held onto her as tightly as he could with his damaged arms. His tears stained Penny's shoulder, but she didn't mind. She held onto him and pressed him as close to her as she could. She rested her head across his shoulder, pressing the side of her face against his. Rudy whimpered and cried as she held onto him. His body shook as sobs wracked through it.

"He...he tried to kill me.." Rudy whimpered, sucking in a shaky breath. "And he h-hurt me...he wouldn't s-stop..."

"Shhh...it's okay..." Penny gently ran her fingers through Rudy's hair in an attempt to comfort him. "You'll be okay... Newland's not going to get you again.."

Rudy sobbed harder. He wanted to believe Penny. He really did. But after what happened... He wasn't sure if he could feel safe again. It was of no comfort that Newland knew where he lived and could break into his house again, just like he had before. He had never felt so terrified like this before. He felt so scared, he thought he was going to throw up.

"It h-h-hurts... It hurts so much..." Rudy whimpered. The pain from his injuries, particularly the one on his eye and right hand, were getting worse by the second. It was becoming harder for him to bear. In response, he cried harder. "A-And he enjoyed it...He just ke-kept going..."

"Snap is getting help, Rudy." Penny whispered gently to him. She gently rubbed his back and ran her hand along his brown hair. "He'll get here soon. We'll help you back to the real world. You'll be safe. I promise. You'll be okay."

Rudy didn't respond. He just continued to hold onto Penny the best he could. He sobbed into her shoulder, whimpering in fear and pain. Penny kept her arms wrapped around him, running her hand up and down his back. She whispered words of comfort to him in an attempt to soothe him. Then, slowly, Rudy's cries started to die down, getting fainter. From pain, fear, blood loss, and exhaustion, tiredness started to overwhelm him. Then, a few minutes later, he closed his eyes and fell asleep in Penny's arms.