Me: Hello there everyone!

Thunder: Hello!

Shade: Hi..

Me: Been awhile hasn't it? Well, there's a good reason for that. I've been busy as fuck with a lot of things. School mostly. Unlike most of you who are on break right now, I still have to go to school a-

Thunder: Well, you sort of ARE on break now, Tales.

Me: Good point. I was getting to that, Thunder, but thank you. On Saturday, this past one by the way, my aunt called me, telling me that my mother was (and still is) in the hospital. She has breathing problems and can't breath very much on her own right now, as well as this.. Thing that starts with a "B" that you get from smoking.. Whatever it's called.. And on top of that, she has the flu too. A very bad case of it. So, I'm taking this time to tell you guys, so if I don't update or things like that, you know why. I'll keep you all updated as best I can. But, you never know.

Thunder: It'll be alright though. You got us with you!

Shade: We really can't do a whole lot..

Thunder: We can try, Shade! We can try! Just being here is good enough, right?

Me: Yeah, yeah it is. Anyway, please enjoy this new story, everyone!

Chapter 1: Game and Deal

Coward's POV

I groaned from where I was laying on the cold wooden floor of Maple, Kyle, and mine basement. The villains; Katz, his kit, Kitz, La Quack, his kid, Quick, Cajun Fox, his son, Cooper and Veronica. They had appeared out of nowhere, and wished to play a bit of 'sport' with me. I had no choice but to agree to it.

As I laid there, I thought back on how this all began, how I ended up defeated by villains both my father, Courage, and I defeated.

XXX

~Flashback~

The sun was big and bright, there was no clouds in the clear blue sky, showing that today was going to be yet another warm day in Nowhere. I didn't really mind it too much. I had food and cold water, so there was nothing to really worry too much about.

Besides monsters attacking that is.

But, there hadn't been any monsters, aliens, demons, or something like that, in awhile. It made me wonder just what was going on? Normally something would attack our little house, or Kitz would come and try and kill me. La Quack and his son, Quick would too. But for the past too work, nothing had happened. No monsters, aliens, demons.. No Katz, no Kitz, no La Quack, and no Quick.

And that was a red flag to me.

"Something fishy is going on here... or my name's Stinky Loo. ...And it's not," I muttered, looking around.

"Coward! Come in boy! It's time to eat!" Maple's voice sounded from inside the house.

Smiling, I stood up and headed inside the house. My owner, her brother, Kyle, and their mother and father were sitting at the table already. Kyle glared down at me as I walked into the room, and took a set in one of the chairs.

"Stupid puppy," he muttered, and kicked me out of the set.

"Ouch!" I yelped.

"BOOGA, BOOGA, BOOGA!" he yelled, pulling out a mask to scare me with.

I screamed and ran into the other room. I heard Maple whack him on the head, and ask what he had done, and her mother scolding her for hitting her brother on the head.

Phew... Glad that's over, I thought.

I yawned and curled up on the couch, and closed my eyes, to take a.. puppy nap.

XXX

"Coward? Coward, wake up!" Maple said, shaking me a bit.

I blinked open my eyes and wagged my tail, happy to see her. "Yes?"

"Kyle and I are going with Mom and Dad to the store. Would you like to come with us?"

"That stupid puppy? Nah! Leave him here!" her brother spoke up, laughing.

She glared at him. "Let Coward pick for himself, Kyle!"

"Nah, it's fine. I'll hang out here if that's okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. And in anything so much as happens while you guys are out there..."

"Nothing will happen," Maple laughed. "We'll be bad will happen. I promise."

I chuckled. "Alright."

"We'll be back in about an hour, okay?"

"Okay."

And with that, they were gone, leaving me home alone. If only I knew what was in store for me, I would have went with them...

XXXX

I let out another yawn, as I woke up from another nap. I blinked and looked around to see where I was. I was down in the basement part of the house. How did I get here? I was asleep on the couch, and yet, I was now in the basement. Did Kyle do this as some sort of joke?

"Well, well, well, look who's finally awake."

I jumped and let out a small yelp. I turned to the voice who had spoken, and it made me let out a loud, Courage like, scream. Standing a little ways away was; Katz, Kitz, La Quack, Quick, Cajun Fox, Cooper, and Veronica. They all had sick twisted grins on their faces, as Katz walked over, and stood over me.

"So, remember us, dear boy?"

"H-how could I forget? Your all bad guys Dad and I beat!"

"Well, we got you right where we went you; Alone, scared, and lost."

I gulped. "W-what do you have in mind?"

"Before we kill you, pup, we're going to play a little sport before you die a slow and painful death," Kitz replied, from where he was standing with the other bad guys.

"We're going to play..." Katz grinned down at me, and I trembled in fear, wondering what sort of game he and the others wanted to play. Whatever it was, I sure I was in for one hell of a time. "...Dodgeball."

Isn't that the game they played with Dad? He almost lost that! How am I suppose to win? I can't scream as loud as he can! I'm only a puppy! This is gonna be hard.. I hope I can win this... Who knows what will happen if I don't...

"D-dodgeball?"

"Yes," Kitz chuckled. "We're going to play dodgeball, the same game my father, La Quack, The Black Puddle Queen, The Toe, Cajun Fox, and the Weremole played against your father years ago."

"Yes," Cajun Fox laughed. "Let's begin."

Oh, I just know I'm not gonna like this!

We began to play the game. Katz stepped up first and threw a dodgeball at me. I yelped and tried to dodge, but I was a bit too slow and was hit.

"Ouch!"

They laughed at my pain, and I pinned my ears back at that. Kitz went next and fired a cannon ball at me. That wasn't even a dodgeball! I screamed as I was slammed into the wall. Again, laughter. I let out a small whine as I pulled myself out of the wall. There was a small puppy-sized hole there. Cajun Fox stepped up next and fired food at me. Fruits, coca nuts, everything. I yelped and ducked. His son threw a full box of milk at me, and I began a little ball of wet fur.

Oh.. This is bad..

La Quack chuckled as he and his son went next. The two of them fired dodgeball after dodgeball, and I couldn't dodge them all. I fell to the ground, and they laughed once again. Kitz went over and ranked his claws down my back, making me cry out in pain. None of the villains tried to stop him. Quick went over and picked me up and threw me into the air. As I was falling back down to the ground, he pulled out a bat out of nowhere, and hit me with it, sending me yet again, into the wall of the basement.

Katz and Kitz teamed up and they threw all sorts of dodgeballs, and whatever else they could think of at me. I gave up trying to dodge. There was no need to. I already knew I wasn't going to win this. There was no way for me to. I couldn't scream and send them falling under the house as Dad had. There was just no way. I fell back, leaning against the wall, and the villains cheered, knowing they had won the game.

~End Flashback~

I heard footsteps coming towards me, and I began trembling, whispering a two letter word over and over. "No, no, no.."

I didn't want to die, not in such a pathetic position, curled on the ground, bruised and bleeding out. Yet I knew at this moment, while I was vulnerable, the person coming towards me had so many different ways of ending everything. I simply closed my eyes and began to let unconsciousness over take me.

A sharp kick in the ribs, forced me back to the awake world.

Katz's mouth formed into a grin as he stood over me, which I was holding my now aching rib cage in pain from the kick I was given. "Look's like you lost, dear boy."

I let out a small whimper and crawled a little ways from him, wincing slightly at the pain. "This game wasn't fair anyway. It was nine against one. It's not a game. It was slaughter.."

"And slaughtered you were!" Kitz chuckled from where he stood with the other villains. "Dad, let's finish him off. Unless you have other plans in mind for the son of the 'stupid dog'."

"We should cook him and have us a nice puppy soup!" Cajun Fox called out, grinning at the idea.

"Do painful experiments on him!" Veronica spoke up.

I trembled as I heard the ideas the villains were yelling. Oh please.. Someone help..

Katz hissed at all of them. "I have OTHER plans for this stupid useless pup.."

"And that would they be, Dad?" Kitz asked.

Katz chuckled. "In due time my son..."

The kitten shrugged. "Alright then.."

The grown cat chuckled once again.

I took this time to try and escape, though every time I moved pain would shoot through me like a bolt of lightning. I gritted my teeth so I wouldn't cry out, and continued heading for the door.

Katz, seeing that I was trying to escape, growled and followed after. "Going somewhere?"

I about jumped out of my fur, letting out a small yelp of surprise, and looked back at the red cat. I flattened my ears. "When Dad gets here.. Y-you and the others will be s-sorry.."

"Who says your father's going to ever come?" he asked, a devilish grin on his face as he spoke.

I shook my head, refusing to believe that Dad wouldn't come and save the day, like he always did with Muriel and Eustace. When he found out what the villains had done, he'd be here faster than a speeding bullet. He'd come and save me from them, I just know he would, and he will!

Wouldn't he?

"H-he will! I know he'll be here!"

The red-furred cat smirked and leaned down so he was face to face with me. "Not if he's... dead."

My eyes widened in fear and horror at the thought of my dad being gone. "W-what?"

"Wait.. I have an idea as to what we can do with the little puppy dog.." Kitz spoke up. He walked over and whispered his plan into his father's ear.

Katz grinned at the idea."I like that... I like the sound of that..."

I trembled as I watched the two cats. "W-what?"

The two cats looked back at me and just laughed.

W-what are they gonna do with me? I thought, shaking in fear, as I thought of all the things the two cats and others, could do. Drown me? Run me over? Burn me? Shoot me? Stab me? ..Worse? Oooh.. This is not good!

"Since you asked, I suppose I could tell you," Kitz meowed, still looking down at me.

I don't think I wanna know..

"I have a.. Oh what's the word? A proposition for you," the kitten sat, rocking on his ankles a bit and looking me straight in the eyes, "An offer you can't refuse."

I glared at the older animal, knowing him all enough by now that something huge was going to happen if I agreed to whatever he and Katz had planned for me. "...Okay, fine. Tell me."

He let out a small laugh at that. "I knew you'd listen, little puppy. So my dear pup, you have two choices. One: We let you go, and you can live your life in piece.."

I heard some of the others groan and start to complain about that idea. Yet, the kitten paid no mind and continued.

"But, one of your family members will stuff.. Tortured maybe.. Who knows.."

My eyes widened at the thought of something happening to Maple or Dad, or even Kyle.

"The next part is.." the cat grinned, looking down at me still, as I thought of what would be said next. What could be worse than that? "Is we'll let both Maple and Kyle live their lives peacefully with their family, and Courage, but you have to come and do whatever I tell you to do."

"So in other words, I have to be your slave?" I asked the kitten.

"Yes, you would have to." Kitz smiled darkly. "So, my dear little puppy, which will it be? Ether one of your family members gets tortured and maybe even killed, or you becoming my little slave? Either way, you will suffer."

I laid there in silence as I thought over the choices. Whenever monsters, demons, aliens, or some other thing attacked the little house, just like my father, I was the hero. I saved Maple and Kyle, and many others, from whatever danger fell. I never would put their lives in danger before.

And I refused to do that now. There was only one thing that I could do then...

"Alright.. I choose number two."

"I knew you'd see in my way, my dear sweet little puppy."

However, I had been unable to hear the final words that came from Kitz' mouth as a strange buzzing noise in my ears and my fading vision told me sleep was coming. I just hoped, prayed, that the villains would keep their promises.

But villains weren't really known for promises, were they? I would just have to hope that this would be the first time that the villains kept their promise to me, or it would have been all for nothing.

Sighing a tired sigh, I closed his tired black eyes, slipping off into sleep..

Me: And that's the first chapter of our little tale here.

Thunder: I already have a bad feeling about this.

Me: You should my little Pikachu, you should.

Thunder: Oh no. Poor Coward.

Me: Poor him indeed. Now, if you please Thunder.

Thunder: Sure. Don't forget to read and review anyone, and we'll see you all when we can. Bye for now!

Shade: Bye.

Me: See you all later guys.