Disclaimer: "Courage the Cowardly Dog" belongs to John R. Dilworth.
Story based on C2ndy2c1d's AU timeline
Courage carefully lifted the watering can over to the garden and watered the plants, making sure each one received a good amount of water.
He was happy to see that the garden was growing and gave a mental cheer at seeing all the vegetables. He knew he would have to give it constant care considering the dry, hot weather of Nowhere, but it would be worth it!
Courage shook the can for the last drop of water, and took one more look around the garden.
Crunchy, yellow carrots…
Ripe, yellow tomatoes…
Crispy, yellow cabbages…
Plump, blue eggplants…
And one large, white pumpkin…
"Huh?" Courage said, tilting his head in confusion. He didn't remember sowing any pumpkin seeds so where did this one come from?
It appeared to be the only one growing in the garden though he didn't know if he should worry. This was the first time he'd ever seen a white pumpkin, but it did look normal…
Was it edible? Maybe Cajun Fox would know…
"Pfft! Of course you can eat it! Sure it's not the usual yellow, but it's still a pumpkin!" the fox said, inspecting the vegetable for any signs of rotting. Seeing none, Cajun Fox cut the vines and gave the pumpkin to Courage. "Now be a good dog and take this inside. A few more days to ripen and this veggie will be great for pumpkin soup!"
Courage staggered with the weight of the pumpkin, but was able to carry it into the house.
He paused at the doorway and curiously sniffed the air. There was a strong scent coming from the other side of the kitchen and he looked over to see a large pot on the stove. Courage deeply breathed in the scent and gagged. He caught the scent of vinegar and hoped that whatever was in the pot wouldn't be for lunch.
Courage placed the pumpkin on the table and turned back to head outside—
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
Startled, Courage looked around the room. No one else was here and nothing appeared out of the ordinary. He held his breathe and kept silent, but didn't hear anything else. Courage figured it was all in his head and turned back to head out—
CRASH!
Courage let out a yelp and quickly turned around. His eyes grew wide as he saw the vegetable no longer on the table—
"KHEKEKEKEKEKE!" cried the pumpkin, devouring the food in the pot. Courage's eyes popped out of its sockets at the sight of the pumpkin's carved face and he let out an ear piercing shriek before running out of the house.
He rushed over to Cajun Fox who was still inspecting the garden—
"Whoa, dog!" said the fox as Courage lifted them off the ground. "What's the matter with you?!"
Courage carried the fox back into the kitchen but was shocked to see the pumpkin back on the table, unmoving and faceless. The only thing out of place was that the pot had fallen off the stove, and the food had made a mess on the floor…
Or at least what was left of it after Weremole got to it…
"GRRRRR!"
"THE HELL YOU THINK YOU'RE DOIN' RODENT?!" shouted the fox, jumping out of Courage's paws and rushing over. "I slave over a hot stove all mornin' and you got the nerve to waste all that food on the floor!"
"GRRRRR!"
"It was already there when you found it?! DON'T GIVE ME THAT BULL!"
"RAWR!"
Before Cajun Fox could put in another word, Courage caught his attention and began to frantically point at the white pumpkin. He morphed into the carved pumpkin he saw earlier, laughing madly and making a show of eating the food.
He hoped the fox would believe him…
Though that hope was immediately dashed when all he received was a blank stare.
"Cute. How 'bout helpin' me out with the cleanin' and cookin'?" said Cajun Fox, giving Courage a pat on the head before turning back to Weremole. "AND DON'T YOU THINK YOU'RE IN THE CLEAR RODENT!"
"RAWR!"
Courage reluctantly complied with the fox's request and left to get the cleaning supplies. He glanced back at the pumpkin on the table and let out a distressed whine.
He just knew something bad was going to happen…
Or his name is Periwinkle Tinkle—and it's not!
Courage let out a yawn as he brushed his teeth. He could barely keep his eyes open and was beginning to nod off.
It had been a very busy day for him as he was forced to help Le Quack and Big Toe with their next scheme.
Something to do with a foreign princess…
Courage let out another yawn and rubbed his eyes. He rinsed, gargled, flossed, grinned at his reflection and ran his tongue over his teeth.
Minty fresh!
Satisfied, Courage put his toothbrush away and wiped the sink dry. As he left the bathroom another yawn escaped him so he hurried downstairs and down into the basement.
Another yawn escaped him as he stepped out of the bathroom. He hurried down the stairs and down into the basement.
…SNORE…SNORE…SNORE…
Courage jumped onto the bed, careful not to disturb Cajun Fox. The fox jolted at the sudden dip in the bed but didn't wake. The villain mumbled something in their sleep before turning over to their side.
He pawed at the sheets, spun around twice and settled down at the foot of the bed.
No sooner did he close his eyes he fell into a deep asleep…
Only to wake a few hours later, shaking and whimpering in panic. Courage felt his heart beating wildly in his chest and tried to calm down. He didn't realize that he was crying until a pair of paws gently held his face and wiped away his tears.
"Same dream, dog?"
Courage gave a sniff and nodded his head. Frowning, Cajun Fox got up, picked him up from the bed, and carried him out of the basement.
The fox had planned to make a small midnight snack for him to try and cheer him up, but when they entered the kitchen the two were surprised to see Katz drinking a cup of tea at the table. The feline raised a brow in question at Courage's state.
"Got anymore brew?" asked Cajun Fox. The feline gestured toward the kettle on the stove. The fox sat Courage down at the table and poured him a large cup of. Courage took small sips, but he began to feel a little calmer with each sip.
"Another nightmare?" asked Katz. Courage nodded and the feline gave a frustrated sigh while pinching the bridge of his nose. "This is the seventh one this past month! Are you eating something you're not supposed to before bed?"
SLAM!
Courage almost dropped his cup in surprise and stared at Cajun Fox. The fox was growling at the feline and looked ready to attack.
"There's nothin' wrong with what I give the dog!" said Cajun Fox.
"I did not imply anything about your cooking, but I would not be surprised if it was a factor," said Katz, giving the fox a cold stare. "Even I am amazed at what you consider is 'food' and often wonder if you know what you are doing in the kitchen."
Courage's jaw dropped through the floor. NOT GOOD! NOT GOOD!
It took a moment for Cajun Fox to process everything and by the end they were seeing red. Cajun Fox opened their mouth and was about to tell the feline to go—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Everyone froze and stared at one another…
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Expectin' any late night visitors?" asked Cajun Fox, giving Katz a hopeful stare. The feline shook his head and the fox groaned.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Katz stood up from his seat and walked out of the kitchen. Cajun Fox and Courage quickly followed and watched in alarm as the feline approached the front door.
"You got to be kiddin' me!" whispered the fox, following closely behind the feline. "Who knows who's bangin' at the door this late of night!"
Courage couldn't have agreed more and ran in front of Katz to stop them, throwing his paws out and vigorously shaking his head. The feline stopped to stare at him and for a moment Courage thought that—
WHOOSH!
CRASH!
Courage groaned in pain as he slid down the wall. Katz had only stopped long enough to kick him aside, and hard enough to send him flying towards the stairs. Courage groaned again as he fell off the wall and onto the stairs, thankful that he didn't tumble downward.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Courage could only watch helplessly as Katz opened the door—
"And zere was no one zere?"
"Not a soul! Sourpuss was pretty pissed and made us look around the house to make sure!"
"Could've been a prank—stupid punks got nothin' better to do, see?"
"Yeah! Stupid punks!"
"RAWR!"
"If you catch these punks give them to me. I'll give them a most 'pleasurable' death."
"If I catch these wretches I'll feed them to my spiders!"
Fortunately, no one was turned into spider chow…
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Unfortunately, the culprits continued their banging on the front door…
BANG! BANG! BANG!
And would not stop until someone opened the door…
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Night after night after night…
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The villains tried to capture the culprits…
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Pit falls, moats, land mines, nets, lasers, spider webs—nothing worked…
BANG! BANG! BANG!
It was as if the culprits disappeared into thin air…
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Tension among the villains grew with each failed attempt…
BANG! BANG! BANG!
But beneath the fury and murderous intent, there was an emotion that no one was willing to admit out loud…
BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
…fear…
Courage was careful not to wake anyone as he quietly walked around the room and laid a blanket on each of them.
The villains minus Weremole had gathered in the living room for the night. The plan was to ambush the culprits the second the banging started. A few hours in, however, everyone had passed out from the stress and lack of sleep.
Courage wished he could join them but it wasn't just the loud noises he's had to deal with at night…
After placing the last blanket on Black Puddle Queen, Courage returned to the attic to continue his research.
"Don't you have anything better to do at this hour?" asked Computer as soon as the monitor screen flickered on. "Last time I checked, you flesh creatures needed sleep to even function properly."
TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP—
"Is nothing ever simple with you?"
TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP—
"No surprise. A majority of recurring dreams usually appear as nightmares."
TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP—
"So long as the issue is unsolved, the nightmares will repeat until your deathbed."
TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP—
"Oh, you twit…You already know what your dream means."
Courage paused to stare at the screen.
Of course he knew what it meant. He didn't need to look it up on the internet to know the obvious message of his dream…
He just didn't know if he was ready to talk about it yet.
CRASH!
Courage jolted in his seat at the unexpected noise. He could hear the villains yelling below and quickly ran out of the room.
"NOOOOO!"
The desperate cry coming from the living room prompted Courage to sprint down the stairs…
Just in time to witness a caped figure behead Cajun Fox with an axe.
"AHHHHH!" Courage screamed, breaking apart into a million pieces and leaving only his eyes intact. He had unintentionally alerted the intruder of his presence and felt his heart stop as the figure turned towards him.
Courage noted that the figure was a man…
A headless man…
A headless man wielding an axe…
A headless man wielding an axe who was stomping towards him!
"AHHHHH!" Courage screamed again, piecing himself back together and barely dodging the swing of the axe.
He ran screaming all the way back to the attic.
SLAM!
"How rude!" said Computer. "The least you could have done was shut me down properly before running off!"
Courage ignored the machine in favor of calming his racing heart.
Sadly, his heart wouldn't be getting any rest tonight.
CRACK!
"AHHHHH!" screamed Courage, quickly backing away from the door.
"AHHHHH!" crackled Computer, forcing itself to shut down.
On the other side of the door, the headless man relentlessly hacked away at the door. Courage watched in panic as the axe broke further and further in.
It was only a matter of time…
Courage whimpered as he looked at the window. It was his only way out but it was going to be a painful one!
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
He rushed to the window and opened it. He took in a deep breath, closed his eyes—
CRASH!
And jumped—
WHOOSH!
THUD!
Courage groaned and struggled to lift his head. He laughed at how he was able to survive the fall head first though that didn't mean he avoided injury. It took a moment for the dizziness, nausea, and blurred vision to clear away before he took notice of his surroundings—
And couldn't believe what he was seeing!
Pumpkins!
Pumpkins!
Pumpkins as far as his eyes could see!
Why were there so many pumpkins?!
It was short of a miracle to see this many vegetables growing in the middle of Nowhere but Courage knew that there was something wrong about this.
He just hoped that these pumpkins weren't carnivorous.
CRASH!
Courage looked up and screeched in alarm. The headless man had smashed through the attic window and he barely had time to move out of the way before they crushed him on the spot. Courage tried to get up but dropped back down as the specter swung their axe at his neck. He swiftly rolled out of the way of the next swing, and rolled as far as he could away from the headless man and into the pumpkin field.
It wasn't a painless escape as Courage knocked into dozens of pumpkins but he didn't stop rolling until he was far away from the farm. Once he felt he was at a safe distance, Courage stopped to gather his wits and to rest his aching body. No doubt there are bruises all over his body but he was just glad to be—
Courage sat up and tilted his head. He could hear a faint thundering sound coming his way but he couldn't make out what it was. Again Courage tilted his head and perked his ears up. He then spotted something in the distance and tried to squint for a better view. Courage's jaw dropped as he put two and two together.
It was the headless man…
It was the headless man riding a black horse…
It was the headless horseman riding towards him!
"AHHHHH!" Courage screamed, scrambling to stand up. Despite how painful it was to move, he began to sprint.
There was nowhere to hide but fear drove him forward. Courage didn't dare look back but he was aware of the thundering sound growing louder and louder behind him. Even when he knew the apparition was close behind he still didn't look back. Courage was so focused on running that he didn't give notice his surroundings. If he did he would have noticed there was a hole in the ground up ahead and would have been able to jump over it easily.
Too bad he didn't notice.
Courage yelped as he fell into the hole. He tumbled down the dark tunnel and landed at the bottom which was several feet underground. The headless horseman didn't stop and Courage listened to them gallop further and further away. It seemed that the specter wasn't coming back and he would be safe for the moment.
The first thing he did was burst into tears.
He had escaped the headless horseman but there was no reason to return to the house. Courage wailed as he recalled the scene in the living room. Before Cajun Fox's death, Courage had caught a glimpse of the others and knew they shared a similar fate to the fox.
He was alone again.
Courage whimpered and curled up into a ball. He didn't know how much time had passed but eventually the tears stopped flowing and he was left feeling extremely exhausted. Courage would have passed out in that moment if only someone would stop poking his backside…
Courage stiffened and tried to shift away, but the poking continued and he knew that he wasn't alone. He trembled and expected something bad to happen; however, several seconds passed with nothing painful happening. Whatever was behind him continued to poke the same spot on his back over and over. Gathering his nerves, Courage reached into his fur for a flashlight, turned over and flicked it on.
"GRRRRR!"
For the second time that night, Courage burst into tears as he found himself face to face with Weremole.
Rather than risk death above ground, Weremole dug a tunnel back to the house. It was a struggle for Courage to keep up behind the villain, but to his surprise Weremole would often wait for him before digging deeper.
When they had reached the farm, Weremole dug a tunnel into the basement. Courage followed and tried to lift himself out of the hole, but it was difficult to do without further injuring himself.
"GRRRRR!"
Courage felt Weremole prod at his neck before biting down on it. He whimpered but went limp to make it easier for the villain to tug him out of the hole. However, rather than putting him down, Weremole carried him up the stairs. Courage didn't mind the lift since he felt extremely exhausted, but he couldn't rest just yet.
He needed to take care of…take care…take care of things in the living room.
Courage directed Weremole to go to the next room but they stopped at the threshold.
"DOG! RODENT!" shouted Big Toe, surprised yet relieved at their appearance. "Good to see you boys safe!"
"YEAH! SAFE!" shouted the Little Toes.
Courage didn't acknowledge the villainous foot as he was too busy staring at the figures behind them.
A headless Cajun Fox waved in greeting as they stood among the other headless villains.
"Must we do this now?" Asked Computer, annoyed at being powered back up for the second time that night. "Shouldn't you meat sacks be out in the barn cowering in fear?"
In response, Katz's body reached over Courage and started smashing the monitor with their fist.
"STOP! BZZT! STOP!" said Computer, screen flickering off and on. "You don't have to lose your heads over this!"
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
"We ain't in the mood for your sassin' you hunk of junk!" said Big Toe as the others pulled Katz away from the machine and dragged the feline out of the room. "Dog, me and the rodent will look after the boys and gal downstairs. Do what you got to do up here."
As soon as the villain left, Courage began his search.
TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP—
Headless horseman…
TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP—
Chopping off heads with an axe…
TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP—
Field of pumpkins…
Courage tried to remember anything else that stood out in the pass hours. His mind kept going back to the moment he first faced the apparition yet the extreme fear he felt at that time stood out the most. He replayed the memory over and over again until he could vaguely remember something significant.
When the headless horseman was coming towards him, he had caught a glimpse of a large shape on the specter's torso. A crescent shape adorned their front which clashed with their dark clothing. A shiver ran down Courage's spine as he remembered the sharp copper scent coming from the apparition...
TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP—
"Well this is rather unpleasant," said Computer as it browsed through the information. "It seems you are dealing with one of the Schveric Reapers."
Courage whimpered but immediately quieted down to continue listening.
"During the 18th century, the House of Schveric was well known throughout Europe for the hunting and slaying of witches. However, they were all killed by being known as Lorelei the Blood Witch. The only survivors were the sons of Luduvico Schveric, the head of the house at the time. His three sons were cursed to do her biding and bear her mark, a crescent moon drawn with her blood."
Courage looked at some of the pictures from the web. He immediately recognized the witch's mark as the same one he saw on the headless horseman. The second picture was a painted portrait of a young woman with fair skin and light yellow hair—Courage assumed this was the blood witch. The last picture was another painted portrait of four men with tanned skin and dark hair—Courage assumed the older look man was Luduvico and the remaining men were his sons.
"The eldest, Alwin Schveric, was beheaded by the very same axe he now uses on his victims. It is said that he searches for his head in the witch's fields to break her hold over him. Until then he is forced to collect the head of his victims to be cultivated in those fields."
TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP—
"The longer the body and head are separated, the less likely you will be able to attach them back. However, the chances of successfully finding the victim's head in the vast fields? Difficult to say but if you add the factor of an axe wielding spirit hunting for your head then your chances are as good as none."
Courage howled in despair.
TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP—
"My goodness, if you are willing to risk your life for your misfits then just follow your nose!"
The realization of Computer's suggestion hit him and he felt a flicker of hope.
TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP—
"You're welcome, twit. And might I suggest you begin your search as soon as possible. You have until sunrise to find their heads before the fields disappear."
The moon shone brightly overhead and lit their path as they trekked across the vast pumpkin field.
No one wanted to wait at the farmhouse. Courage tried to convince his headless caretakers to stay put but all he got for his efforts was a lump on his head. Now though he wished he had fought harder on the issue as they made no effort to be careful and stomped and kicked away all the pumpkins their path.
He cringed at the noises behind him and hoped that they wouldn't be found out right away.
Courage and Weremole led the way as they sniffed out the scents of the headless villains. Their scent was a bit faint and Courage had to really concentrate to distinguish it from the pumpkin scent. On the other hand, Weremole had no problem picking up their scents and was further ahead of everyone.
Courage noticed one or two white pumpkins among the sea of yellow. And as they walked deeper into the fields, more and more appeared until there were more white pumpkins than yellow pumpkins. The change was significant but it wasn't until he kicked a white pumpkin did he understand what it all meant.
"OWW!" shouted the pumpkin. "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, YOU FOOL!"
Courage shrieked and jumped back in surprise. Everyone quickly gathered around him while Big Toe kicked the vegetable far away.
"AHH! YOU'LL REGRET THAT, YOU FOOL!"
"A talkin' veggie," muttered Big Toe, shocked by the encounter. "You okay dog?"
Courage nodded but his mind was working on overdrive. He recognized the familiar attitude of the pumpkin and a feeling of unease grew within him.
He hoped everyone else was okay.
Weremole sniffed the pumpkins from top to bottom. The scent was faint but…
SNIFF! SNIFF! SNIFF!
There was no doubt that these were the heads they were looking for.
"RAWR!"
Courage didn't want to believe it as Weremole gather the four white pumpkins. Yet when he sniffed them he too recognized the familiar scents and whimpered in sadness.
They were too late…
Next to him, Black Puddle Queen's body knelt down and reached out for one of the pumpkins. He watched in confusion as they patted and knocked on the vegetable, but soon he became horrified as they suddenly lift the pumpkin and smash it down on the ground.
"Ugh!" cried Le Quack's head, coughing up pumpkin seeds. "Reine du Bourbier noir, pourriez-vous pas pu être un peu plus doux?"
Amazed, Courage watched the demoness toss Le Quack's head back to its body and continue to smash open the remaining vegetables.
"I think I'm gonna to be sick," said Cajun Fox's head, looking a bit green. The fox's body turned its back to everyone and held its head arms-length away as it began to throw up pumpkin pulp and seeds. Courage rushed over to help the fox.
"Why isn't my head attaching?!" growled Katz's head after falling off its neck for the third time
"It takes time!" snarled Black Puddle Queen's head. "You need to keep it in place and wait for it to attach!"
"Uh, don't think we got time for that fellas," said Big Toe, backing away from the group. "Think it's about time we make our get away!"
Confused, Courage searched for what made the villainous foot nervous and grew alarmed at the sight of a house in the distance.
That was definitely not there before.
His fear only intensified when he heard the familiar thundering sound coming from the direction of the house.
"AHHHHH!" Courage screamed, grabbing all of the decapitated villains and running. Big Toe shouted in panic and stomped alongside him while Weremole tunneled below ground.
"HURRY UP! HURRY UP!" shouted Cajun Fox's head while its body held it up to look back. "IT'S GETTING CLOSER!"
Despite the heavy weight he carried, Courage forced himself to run faster.
Better to regret pushing his body to the limits than losing his head!
Eventually, Courage could see the farmhouse in the distance but from the panic shouts of the villains knew that the headless horseman was close.
Almost there!
They were almost there!
ALMOST THER—
Courage collapsed a few feet away from the porch, skidding forward and dropping all of the villains. Big Toe squawked in shock as they tripped over Katz's body and landed on top of the stunned villains. Weremole came up ground but quickly went back down to try and buy them some time.
Courage needed to get back up and get his caretakers into the house. He needed to keep them safe until dawn. But no matter how much he tried he just couldn't move. His muscles ached and burned, and Courage could barely lift himself onto his knees before collapsing back on the ground.
"RAWR!"
Surprised by the fierce roar, Courage looked back to watch as Weremole confronted the headless horseman.
The villain had dug a trench as a line of defense and attacked the apparition when it attempted to crossover. It appeared to be working until Weremole bit into the horse's leg. The horse reared up in a rage, lifting the villain off the ground. Weremole tried to hang on, but with a fierce buck they were thrown off and landed on the ground with a sickening crack.
The villain didn't get back up.
Horrified, Courage watched the headless horseman cross the trench and dismount. The specter approached with axe in hand and stood above him. As the headless horseman raised their weapon, Courage closed his eyes and waited for the blow.
"KHEKEKEKEKEKE!"
Startled, Courage looked for the source of the noise and saw a white pumpkin with a carved face on the porch, laughing and whooping in glee. It hopped around the porch before leaping towards the headless horseman.
The apparition caught the vegetable by the stem and Courage tensed in anticipation, but it just stood there, holding the pumpkin at arms-length. Finally, the headless horseman moved to place the pumpkin on its neck.
What happened next both amazed and terrified Courage.
A fire had sparked inside the pumpkin, growing larger and larger until the flames spilled forth from its eyes and mouth. The blast of heat was so intense that Courage feared he would burn up and pressed his face against the cool ground.
Then the headless horseman spoke.
"HAHAHAHAHA! VILE WITCH! I'M FREE FROM YOUR WRETCHED CURSE! YOUR END IS NEAR AND MY FAMILY WILL BE AVENGED!"
The apparition laughed in manic glee before mounting its steed and riding out into the fields.
Courage couldn't be happier to see the sunrise and watched the pumpkin fields fade away under the morning light.
Everyone was still unconscious but he wasn't worried…
He wasn't scared…
But he was tired.
Courage spun around twice and settled down on the porch. No sooner did he close his eyes, he fell into a deep asleep…
And dreamed of Muriel and Eustace.
[End of "Headless Horseman of Nowhere"]