A/N: Two chapters and I haven't been flamed...yet...
Mayhaps the impossible hast happened and not a Coco-Hating soul hast come to hate me?
THANK YOU!!!
Thanks for the reviews. I was getting worried that the Crash section died.
To quote my friend, Mewmaster26...
"LONG LIVE THE CRASH SECTION!!!"
And believe me, there is one thing I must know before I can safely say that I know everything there is to know about the Crash Bandicoot series.
If you don't like Coco, that's fine. I have no grudge against you.
But portray her as a female dog (You should know what word I'm talking about here, if not, read some dog care books) just because you don't like her is just plain wrong. (Pure hatred is a different story, but I wouldn't go that far...)
I myself despise Rilla Roo and Nitros Oxide, but you don't see me running around calling them hideous names, do you? As much as I'm tempted to, there may, just MAY be some Rilla Roo and/or Oxide fans out there, and I wish not to disrespect them.
Thank you for allowing me to waste your time.
~Raiegki Leviathan of the Grassrunners
~*~
Disclaimer: See Chapter Two for details.
~*~
The entire hike was silent, except for the forest sounds of the area. With a twosome consisting of an adolescent female bandicoot and a former thief in exile, there wasn't much will to talk.
Sure enough, the old, rickety houses came into view after approximately ten minutes.
"There be the village." Dingodile grunted. "Go on."
"Don't you want to come in?" Coco asked.
"I be not allowed in there." Dingodile answered.
"That was years ago!" Coco retaliated.
"Exile be forever." He insisted, digging the claws on his feet into the dirt trying to hold back his frustration.
"Oh come on!" Coco snapped. "I can't go in there all by myself!"
"Why not!?" He retorted. "I cannot go any farther than the very post that marks the very beginning of thee village." He gestured to the gate to the town with two of his ebony-colored claws.
Coco was having trouble keeping her own anger inside. "Because I will BURN once they find out I didn't slay the non-existant dragon!" Pausing, she took a deep breath, knowing that arguing over something like this...over ANYTHING wouldn't do much, if any, good. "I need you to help set things straight." She finished more calmly.
Dingodile looked to the village, then to his forest, then back to the village again. Then he shifted his gaze towards Coco. "My apologies." He huffed, turning to go back to his burrow.
"You...YOU COWARD!!!" Coco yelled. "YOU'RE JUST AFRAID TO GO IN THERE, AREN'T YOU!?"
This made Dingodile stop and turn around. All the anger he was trying to restrain began to break loose. "It be not a matter of courage, lass, it be a matter of honor. I could have been killed those many years ago. Executed in front of the whole village. And I should have been, for I be qualifyin' for the ultimate punishment back then. I be havin' fifty gems in mine posession when I be caught by them guards. What kind of gratitude would that be to that blessed ruler, going back to his town. He saved me from dyin' in shame. In shame in front of hundreds of people. What kind of respect would that be, trying to slip by unpunished?"
"Crash is dead."
"What!?"
Coco gave Dingodile a stern look. "It's been years. No one's going to recognize you. Even if they did, they probably wouldn't be doing much about it. All I have to say is you're with me and you'll be safe."
"No. That be disgracing the merciful ruler. Even if he be dead."
Coco completely lost her temper and ran up and slapped Dingodile across the face. "It's always honor this, honor that, isn't it!? Sure, you give respect to others and you deserve credit for that. But dying by yourself, with no one by your side, no one to remember you... Your problem is, that you have no concern for yourself. No worries for your own fur and scales. Why don't you just go jump off a cliff if you're so worthless to the world?" Coco turned to face the village. "It's obvious that I can't make you change your mind. But remember, you were born for a reason. It's not too late to discover it. ...Farewell."
With that, she left the outcast behind.
~*~
"That be what happens when you be a thief, lass, a thief risks everything to get what he wants. Including his very own life. I understand what ye be sayin', but old habits be resillent. The past cannot be changed. It be immortal, and the past be what formed me into the very loner I be."
The forest was completely silent. The only sounds that could be heard were from the heavy footsteps of a lonely creature, who had long since forgotten his place in the world.
~*~
"It be the angel!" Someone shouted. "The angel be returnin' alive, not a scratch on her!"
"Me still thinks she still be a witch." Another voice answered.
"Silence!" Koala Kong yelled into the street. "She be NOT a witch. Ye be keepin' up thy chatter, and it be THY body burnin' in the village square!" He smiled as he saw Coco approach. "Good afternoon, lassie, that be fast. Slayed the dragon in a hurry, I recon?"
"Um..." Coco remembered Dingodile's wish to remain a "dragon". "Yes."
"Ah, that proves it." Koala Kong leaped onto a wooden platform in the center of the town square, hands tightly locked around Coco's arm. "Our prayers be answered! Heaven hast sent us an angel to free us of our misery!"
The entire village cheered.
~*~
"So, when will thee be visitin' that Cortex and punishing him with thy divine power?" Koala Kong asked anxiously, working on more horseshoes inside his shop.
"Soon." Coco promised, even though this was probably going to be one she wouldn't be able to keep.
"Ah, preparing thy holy might?" Koala Kong chucked. "Well, mayhaps tomorrow. Tonight, we celebrate. A feast in your honor!"
"Won't Cortex notice the celebration?" Coco asked.
"Nay." Koala Kong tossed a finished horseshoe in a wooden barrel. "He ne'er watches us. Only himself. The drawbridge to his castle be up all the time, except when his guards be comin' into town to collect food and money from us. Once a week, it happens. And the next day be tomorrow. No one in the village can swim, so we be drownin' in the moat should we try. Me thinks thou doest not want to watch me make horseshoes all day, so why not walk around town? Stop by a few shops?"
Coco was about to protest that she didn't have any money, but Koala Kong had almost literately pushed her out the door to his blacksmith shop and shut it behind her.
~*~
"May thee be helped?" The bookkeeper asked as Coco entered the book shop. Coco struggled to hold in the laugh. The shopkeeper was none other than Tiny the Tiger.
"Yes, well...do you have any books about castles?" She asked.
"Aye." Tiny climbed a ladder and pulled an extremely large book off a shelf. "This one be havin' lists of secret passages, maps, and history of e'ery castle in Australia. A good read, though it may take several weeks to finish. This be what ye be lookin' for?"
"Yes." Coco smiled. She took the heavy book from Tiny's hands, sat down at a table and began flipping through it.
Hours later, long after the sun had gone down, Tiny decided it was time to close up shop.
"Lass, the book seems to interest ye."
"Yes, very." Coco nodded.
"If ye like it so much, thou may keep it."
"Keep it?" Coco repeated.
"Aye. No harm in lettin' a little lassie like thyself havin' a free book every once in a few moons. Run along home now." Tiny urged.
~*~
Home...
~*~
End of Chapter Three
~*~
A/N: Whooh...so tired...gotta get to work on Chapter Four now. ^_~
Mayhaps the impossible hast happened and not a Coco-Hating soul hast come to hate me?
THANK YOU!!!
Thanks for the reviews. I was getting worried that the Crash section died.
To quote my friend, Mewmaster26...
"LONG LIVE THE CRASH SECTION!!!"
And believe me, there is one thing I must know before I can safely say that I know everything there is to know about the Crash Bandicoot series.
If you don't like Coco, that's fine. I have no grudge against you.
But portray her as a female dog (You should know what word I'm talking about here, if not, read some dog care books) just because you don't like her is just plain wrong. (Pure hatred is a different story, but I wouldn't go that far...)
I myself despise Rilla Roo and Nitros Oxide, but you don't see me running around calling them hideous names, do you? As much as I'm tempted to, there may, just MAY be some Rilla Roo and/or Oxide fans out there, and I wish not to disrespect them.
Thank you for allowing me to waste your time.
~Raiegki Leviathan of the Grassrunners
~*~
Disclaimer: See Chapter Two for details.
~*~
The entire hike was silent, except for the forest sounds of the area. With a twosome consisting of an adolescent female bandicoot and a former thief in exile, there wasn't much will to talk.
Sure enough, the old, rickety houses came into view after approximately ten minutes.
"There be the village." Dingodile grunted. "Go on."
"Don't you want to come in?" Coco asked.
"I be not allowed in there." Dingodile answered.
"That was years ago!" Coco retaliated.
"Exile be forever." He insisted, digging the claws on his feet into the dirt trying to hold back his frustration.
"Oh come on!" Coco snapped. "I can't go in there all by myself!"
"Why not!?" He retorted. "I cannot go any farther than the very post that marks the very beginning of thee village." He gestured to the gate to the town with two of his ebony-colored claws.
Coco was having trouble keeping her own anger inside. "Because I will BURN once they find out I didn't slay the non-existant dragon!" Pausing, she took a deep breath, knowing that arguing over something like this...over ANYTHING wouldn't do much, if any, good. "I need you to help set things straight." She finished more calmly.
Dingodile looked to the village, then to his forest, then back to the village again. Then he shifted his gaze towards Coco. "My apologies." He huffed, turning to go back to his burrow.
"You...YOU COWARD!!!" Coco yelled. "YOU'RE JUST AFRAID TO GO IN THERE, AREN'T YOU!?"
This made Dingodile stop and turn around. All the anger he was trying to restrain began to break loose. "It be not a matter of courage, lass, it be a matter of honor. I could have been killed those many years ago. Executed in front of the whole village. And I should have been, for I be qualifyin' for the ultimate punishment back then. I be havin' fifty gems in mine posession when I be caught by them guards. What kind of gratitude would that be to that blessed ruler, going back to his town. He saved me from dyin' in shame. In shame in front of hundreds of people. What kind of respect would that be, trying to slip by unpunished?"
"Crash is dead."
"What!?"
Coco gave Dingodile a stern look. "It's been years. No one's going to recognize you. Even if they did, they probably wouldn't be doing much about it. All I have to say is you're with me and you'll be safe."
"No. That be disgracing the merciful ruler. Even if he be dead."
Coco completely lost her temper and ran up and slapped Dingodile across the face. "It's always honor this, honor that, isn't it!? Sure, you give respect to others and you deserve credit for that. But dying by yourself, with no one by your side, no one to remember you... Your problem is, that you have no concern for yourself. No worries for your own fur and scales. Why don't you just go jump off a cliff if you're so worthless to the world?" Coco turned to face the village. "It's obvious that I can't make you change your mind. But remember, you were born for a reason. It's not too late to discover it. ...Farewell."
With that, she left the outcast behind.
~*~
"That be what happens when you be a thief, lass, a thief risks everything to get what he wants. Including his very own life. I understand what ye be sayin', but old habits be resillent. The past cannot be changed. It be immortal, and the past be what formed me into the very loner I be."
The forest was completely silent. The only sounds that could be heard were from the heavy footsteps of a lonely creature, who had long since forgotten his place in the world.
~*~
"It be the angel!" Someone shouted. "The angel be returnin' alive, not a scratch on her!"
"Me still thinks she still be a witch." Another voice answered.
"Silence!" Koala Kong yelled into the street. "She be NOT a witch. Ye be keepin' up thy chatter, and it be THY body burnin' in the village square!" He smiled as he saw Coco approach. "Good afternoon, lassie, that be fast. Slayed the dragon in a hurry, I recon?"
"Um..." Coco remembered Dingodile's wish to remain a "dragon". "Yes."
"Ah, that proves it." Koala Kong leaped onto a wooden platform in the center of the town square, hands tightly locked around Coco's arm. "Our prayers be answered! Heaven hast sent us an angel to free us of our misery!"
The entire village cheered.
~*~
"So, when will thee be visitin' that Cortex and punishing him with thy divine power?" Koala Kong asked anxiously, working on more horseshoes inside his shop.
"Soon." Coco promised, even though this was probably going to be one she wouldn't be able to keep.
"Ah, preparing thy holy might?" Koala Kong chucked. "Well, mayhaps tomorrow. Tonight, we celebrate. A feast in your honor!"
"Won't Cortex notice the celebration?" Coco asked.
"Nay." Koala Kong tossed a finished horseshoe in a wooden barrel. "He ne'er watches us. Only himself. The drawbridge to his castle be up all the time, except when his guards be comin' into town to collect food and money from us. Once a week, it happens. And the next day be tomorrow. No one in the village can swim, so we be drownin' in the moat should we try. Me thinks thou doest not want to watch me make horseshoes all day, so why not walk around town? Stop by a few shops?"
Coco was about to protest that she didn't have any money, but Koala Kong had almost literately pushed her out the door to his blacksmith shop and shut it behind her.
~*~
"May thee be helped?" The bookkeeper asked as Coco entered the book shop. Coco struggled to hold in the laugh. The shopkeeper was none other than Tiny the Tiger.
"Yes, well...do you have any books about castles?" She asked.
"Aye." Tiny climbed a ladder and pulled an extremely large book off a shelf. "This one be havin' lists of secret passages, maps, and history of e'ery castle in Australia. A good read, though it may take several weeks to finish. This be what ye be lookin' for?"
"Yes." Coco smiled. She took the heavy book from Tiny's hands, sat down at a table and began flipping through it.
Hours later, long after the sun had gone down, Tiny decided it was time to close up shop.
"Lass, the book seems to interest ye."
"Yes, very." Coco nodded.
"If ye like it so much, thou may keep it."
"Keep it?" Coco repeated.
"Aye. No harm in lettin' a little lassie like thyself havin' a free book every once in a few moons. Run along home now." Tiny urged.
~*~
Home...
~*~
End of Chapter Three
~*~
A/N: Whooh...so tired...gotta get to work on Chapter Four now. ^_~