A canon-compliant drabble on The Amazing Spider-Man #104.
Gwen was sitting on a large rock, trying desperately to remain calm. Kraven stood atop the rock with confidence. "Do not be alarmed, Gwen Stacy! From his tone, I would say that Gog- likes you!" Kraven explained.
Gog sat behind Kraven, grumbling some nonsense.
"Then- keep him away from me, please." Gwen replied, scooting back from both of them. "You- You still haven't explained- What Kraven the Hunter is doing here." The blonde tried.
"You amuse me, woman. I know you merely stall for time." Kraven retorted darkly. "But who do you think shall be your shining white knight? Calkin? That fool Jameson?"
Gwen shifted her weight, facing Kraven to appear more interested in what he had to say.
"Still, because I've chosen you for my mate- It is good that you should know. You see, I once battled, Ka-Zar- The self-proclaimed ruler of this lost world- But soon after that battle was ended, and Ka-Zar had returned to this land- I began to brood. Then suddenly, I could bear it no longer! Clearly- So clearly I saw in my mind's eye- the landscape out of time. And Ka-Zar that ignorant, half-civilized savage- lording it over a secret universe of mastodons, cave-bears, huge reptiles- his great sabertooth at his side- Alone to pit my hard-honed powers against those of the forest primeval- And most of all, against the man who had made that world his own. Yet even as my hawk-like eyes surveyed the scene, I suddenly saw- The volcano-heated air struck me like a blast from an open furnace, as I descended toward a steamy swamp which lay before me- and sweat washed my brow as I hastily fashioned a crude raft- But at last, in the very midst of the marsh, and mist, I drew near- Some sort of- space ship!"
He monologued for another four pages and the author apologizes because she cbf to write all that.
"Each man must find his niche, girl... The place where he can stake his claim to fortune... To power!" Kraven barked, raising his fist upwards. "This land is mine... And no one shall wrest it from me. No one! Think it over, Gwen Stacy. Either reign as my empress, or else-"
Gog shifted and grumbled behind Kraven, taking the mad man's attention with him. "What is it, Gog? What's wrong? Why do you grunt so- mull about?"
The blonde grew worried about the sudden commotion, and Gog was taking off, persuing after something. "Gog! Where are you doing? Come back, you misbegotten- he's pursuing something which disappeared into the trees- but I didn't see who or what. Did you woman?" Kraven ordered, but Gwen ignored him, watching Gog take off into the jungle.
"Well, speak up! Did you?"
"Look not to a frightened girl for your answer, Kraven. Look rather- to me!" A blond figure leaped out of nowhere, running across the large boulder Gwen and Kraven were on. Gwen dodged the figure, and the blond tackled Kraven.
"Ka-Zar!"
Gwen calmly observed the two as they rolled off the ledge, the blonde peering over the edge as she watched them fight.
Ka-Zar smacks Kraven the Hunter around for a while, and the author still cbf to include another four pages of Kraven monologuing, but eventually, Ka-Zar accidentally kicks Kraven off a cliff.
Ka-Zar stood alongside his sabertoothed tiger, staring down over a cliff to Kraven's seeming doom for a long moment afterward.
The blond sprinted across the grassy knoll towards a relieved Gwen Stacy, still atop the boulder. "Oh, Ka-Zar- Ka-Zar, I'm so glad that you-"
"There is no time for words, girl! Not while the monster called Gog thrashes wildly through the jungle- On the trail of Spider-Man!
We don't get Gwen's response to the fact that Spider-Man is here for some reason. Eight pages of monologue from a blowhard and can't get any insight on Gwen's POV on this endeavor, and it's taken the author over six months to write this issue. -_-
Ka-Zar was running through the jungle with Gwen in his arms, his sabretooth tiger trailing alongside them. Gwen held onto the man tightly. "Then you saw nothing of the... Animal I sent to lure the giant from your side?" The blond beefcake inquired.
"I've already told you,... I didn't see a thing." Gwen explained. She was far from in the mood to discuss Spider-Man, she only cared about Peter. "All I care about is someone on our expedition. Do you know if he's safe? His name is Peter Parker... He's a college student... Weighs 160 pounds..."
Ka-Zar carried Gwen through a dangerous slope and a pterodactyl loomed over them ominously as he thought over her inquiry. "Hmm.. Ka-Zar suspects your friend was safe... At least until not long ago. But now... Ka-Zar cannot say. His fate is in the lap of the gods."
They rode atop his sabretooth tiger with Gwen still in his Ka-Zar's arms. The sabertoothed tiger leaped over some exposed tree root into an open field revealing Jameson and Calkin. Jameson jumped for joy like a schoolgirl, kicking his feet together underneath him. "Yahoo! It's Ka-Zar- And he's got Gwen!"
"We should have known that jungle man wouldn't let us down!" Calkin replied.
Jameson hugged Gwen, which the blonde reciprocated, observing their surroundings, looking for Peter.
"It's so wonderful to have you back, Gwen..." Jameson explained, smiling joyously.
"Ka-Zar did it. I'll tell you about it later." The blonde replied, distracted by Peter's absence. "But... Where's Peter?" Gwen questioned.
Jameson looked downtrodden all of a sudden, turning to look away from Gwen, unable to meet her eyes, sniffling.
"Mr. Jameson... Didn't you hear me? I said... Where's Peter?" Gwen asked, her eyes widening with alarm.
"I... I guess you didn't see, Gwen. That monster struck him... knocked him over a cliff, into the river and... And we lost him." Jameson explained, and Gwen fell apart, burying her face against his chest and crying as he held her.
"But I'll make it up to you, girl. I swear I-" Jameson looked behind him, alarmed, gasping and looking around frantically. "Huh? Gwen- Anybody- Did you see what I-? No- I guess you didn't. Heat must have gotten to me. Must've imagined it." Jameson concluded, alone, looking baffled as he scratched his head, a cigar suddenly appearing in his mouth. "It couldn't have been him! Not down here! It just cou-"
He was cut off by the beautiful sound of Peter Parker. "Hello people!" He said frantically, waving his arm, and Gwen ran across towards him, beaming happily.
"PETE! Oh, Pete- I knew you were safe. You had to be!"
"Great! But how-" Jameson inquired, still baffled.
"Some trees broke my fall- Hid me- but I've been out cold for hours!" Peter explained before Gwen threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Mmmm! I'd go through it all over again for another welcome-home like this."
"D-Don't you dare, Peter Parker! Don't you dare!" Gwen warned playfully.
"Didn't get any photos I see. And lost your camera. Alright, you two- break it up! You're necking on my time!"
A/N: *Gwen in the arms of a gorgeous, ripply man in a loincloth that saved her* "Where's Peter?"
Interesting! #RetconSinsPast
PPS: So sorry for my super late update, I wanted to heavily focus on a side story attached to All Kinds of Amazing, but I'm struggling to connect my ideas into something concrete. :( Feel free to hmu with any ideas.
