Dazed and disoriented, he slowly woke up to the sight of leaning trees and uprooted bushes lying all around him; as if the area had been hit by a hurricane, and he had to shove broken branches off himself.
"Where am I…what happened…?" he shook his throbbing head as he got up on wobbly legs, his fur bristling all over his body. He twitched as mild electric jolts coursed through his body.
It was daytime and there was no sign of the accursed runts. The last thing he recalled was him savoring his victory, ready to deliver the coup de grâce, when something unexplainable happened….a light, he had been assaulted by a bright, blinding light… and then…
"I must have been out cold?" he murmured to himself. "But how? What happened-"
"Last night, I reported on the daring theft of a local's car, and how the thief covered their tracks while flaunting their deed to the public!" his ear flicked as he picked up a feminine voice in the distance, talking loudly. "But that's small fries compared to this!"
He lurched towards a familiar cleaning and saw a helicopter parked there, with a pack of humans near it. Wary as always, he clenched his teeth as he crouched down and kept himself hidden from sight. He knew those flying monstrosities usually carried humans with guns, using cowardly means to shoot down their prey.
"…forget about those phony crop circles in Kansas, this here warrants thorough investigation and worldwide attention! As could only happen in our own Midwest…" Katherine Mulligan announced. "The mind reels trying to figure out the cause behind this unexplained phenomenon. Could this be the work of alien visitors?"
"Impossible?" One Eye backed away, unable to believe his own eyes and ears.
"Um…Kathrine?" the cameraman asked and lowered his camera. "Don't you think there are more logical explanations for this? Like…I dunno, a storm, or tornado…or…?"
"Hey, hey! Keep the cam on me, Mark!" Mulligan snapped her fingers indignantly. "And who are you to question my investigative skills? If you don't want this job, I can always find a replacement!"
The latter gulped and obliged, "Sorry, ma'am…"
Hurrying to distance himself from them, One Eye tried to keep his composure in the wake of the alarming and uncanny sight. How did he understand their mindless gibberish all of a sudden? Did he hit his head after getting caught in that explosion or whatever it was?
Was this some kind of twisted human trickery? No, no, he was savvy about all their insidious tricks…but he had seen the runts disappearing into a blue light not once but twice, both times when they somehow got to drop on him. Was this the same thing, but on a much larger scale?
Lost in his thoughts, he jolted and stopped near a pathway as he heard more talking, and sure enough, it was more humans, a grownup and their small child dressed in waders and carrying fishing rods, talking to a man in a ranger uniform standing up from within his jeep.
"…daddy and me heard a wolf howling while fishing, are they dangerous?" the little girl asked, eliciting a hearty chuckle from the ranger. One Eye's neck hair bristled and he let out a low growl.
"Not at all, kiddo. They're very shy and timid creatures. If they smell us from a mile away, they bolt in the opposite direction. You should be more wary of your fellow campers' dogs, not all of them are well-trained and might nip ya."
Growling furiously, One Eye dug his claws into the dirt as his muscles tensed. He barely restrained himself back from jumping out and tearing that supercilious biped's head clean off. No, it was too risky, too many potential gun-wielding witnesses around.
Fuming, he kept his presence hidden and tore himself away from the scene, heading deeper into the woods, away from prying eyes, less more of the human's condescending commentary made his anger override any reason. Though he would make sure to remember the ranger.
"This is no mere dream or delusion…" he concluded quickly "…only humans have the capacity to be this conceited. Whatever happened last night, it…changed me. I understand their wretched language now... as if their intentions weren't obvious already." He spat in disgust but then stopped to consider this unexpected development.
"Hmmm…I never imagined slaying these vile creatures while also hearing them plead for mercy. This could be a very novel experience, one no beast had before."
Suddenly, he heard a familiar screech and looked up to see Raza hovering above him, also puffed up and covered in twigs and branches.
"Boss, boss, there ya are! I found it, I found it!" he announced in a raspy voice, trying to catch his breath. "I found the ugly runt! It and its pet are heading our way!"
"The ugly one?" One Eye couldn't help but smile. This should be a very intriguing reunion.
Waking up to the morning rays, Lana yawned and stretched her arms before rubbing her butt. She normally got out of bed in a chipper mood, thinking about all the fun that could be in store for her.
But her growling stomach gave her a sharp reminder of what had transpired last night and her brow dropped into a scowl; her anger at her mother and twin renewed.
Getting up and looking around, she was surprised to find her roommates all gathered around the bottom bunk adjacent to her own.
"Hey, guys. What's goin' on?" she asked with a yawn as she joined them, but nobody seemed to notice her.
They were focused on the occupant of the bed, who happened to be Lisa. What was she doing her? Did she get fed up with Lola and seek refuge in their room? Honestly, it wouldn't have surprised Lana if that was the case.
Lisa wasn't moving and had a rag soaked in warm water placed on her forehead, making the former raise an eyebrow. Did she get sick from Lola's copious use of perfumes? It sure made Lana feel sick on numerous occasions.
There was a strong sense of unease among the group, with Lincoln holding Lisa's hand and Lynn and Lucy watching her with dejected looks.
"How are we ever gonna explain this to mom and dad?" Lynn asked, sounding like she was on the verge of a panic attack.
"You mean Lisa or you-know-who?" Lucy asked, in a more even tone.
"Don't… talk about him right now!" Lynn hissed through clenched teeth.
"Hmmm…I know a zombie's weak spot is its rotting brain?" Lucy continued pensively. "Perhaps shooting him in the head with a silver bullet might do the trick?"
Lynn's left eye twitched and she seemed ready to explode, but all she could muster was a simple facepalm. Groaning, she dragged her hand across her exasperated face before throwing her arms up.
"You superstitious twerp! He ain't no zombie, and he ain't no werewolf either! Don't you get it? The cur didn't take the bait, we celebrated prematurely! Like an overconfident soccer team who's been on a roll all summer but then screws up when the big game comes!"
"Huh, I guess that could be true too…" Lucy admitted. "And I assume you're talking from experience?"
Clenching her jaw, Lynn had half a mind to smack the goth, when she felt Lana tugging her arm. "Hey, Lynn? What the heck are you talking 'bout?"
Lynn turned to her, surprised but too overwhelmed to worry much about Lana listening in on their conversation.
"Lana…we…" she fumbled over her words, glancing at the unconscious Lisa.
"Lisa…had an accident." Lucy said simply and Lana looked at the toddler while Lincoln continued holding her hand, looking absolutely distraught.
"Lisa, I'm so, so sorry…" he kept mumbling to himself. "I didn't mean to make you do this. I'm sorry I didn't try to stop you, I was so foolish…"
"Will ya stop blaming yourself for everything?" Lynn lamented. "It's not like you forced her to do it."
"But I did…" Lincoln deflated. "If I hadn't yelled at her-"
"Oh, for Pete's sake!" an exasperated Lynn cut him off. "The idiot nearly started a freaking zombie apocalypse, you had every right to be pissed at her!"
"Honestly, you forgave her very quickly given everything…" Lucy added with a shrug.
"Wut? What are you talking 'bout now?" a vexed Lana inquired.
"Long story, you don't know it cuz you suffered flu-zombie amnesia." Lucy answered, only confusing Lana further.
Lincoln didn't know how to respond to his sisters' rebuttal, his mind was in shambles. So much had happened in such a short time span. Just the previous night, their biggest worry had been Kathleen showing up and causing trouble for them, but now…
"But I should have seen the signs, it was so damn obvious…" he exhaled, still mostly talking to himself. Lynn scowled.
"Well…ya didn't, none of us did." Was her frank response. "Our folks, that rich bitch and the mangy mutt took up all our attention."
"What mutt?" Lana asked but was once again ignored, much to her chagrin.
Lynn glanced at Lisa, her face softening a bit. "We can't change that now…can we?"
"Your inattentiveness is. Irrelevant. Master Lisa excelled at keeping. Her intentions a. Secret." The group jumped collectively as a robotic voice entered their discourse.
Covered in leaves, twigs, and dirt but otherwise looking no worse for wear, Fenton stood on the railing of the balcony, his extendable arms lifting him as he lowered himself to the floor and waddled towards them.
"What's that creepy doll doing here?" Lana asked as the robo-fox reached Lisa and promptly scanned her.
"Vitals are in order. Brain activity: low."
"Thanks for the stats, captain obvious!" Lynn snarked bitterly but winced as Fenton's head rotated in her direction.
"Your gratitude is. Unnecessary. And unwarranted."
"What's that supposed to mean, rust bucket?" Lynn glowered.
"Even though this. Goes against my. Programming. I did not agree. With Master Lisa's goal." Fenton admitted. "But it was not. My place to. Question her."
"Oh…so you knew this was a bad idea, and yet you did bupkis?" Lynn was outraged.
Lincoln sighed dejectedly. Even the mindlessly obedient Fenton knew that Lisa's radical decision was wrong. He couldn't believe he was now wishing one of Lisa's inventions had a mind of its own.
Fenton turned to his creator. "But that is. Also irrelevant. For this was not. The outcome she. Desired. The Canis lupus was. An unforeseen meddler."
"Can't you do something to revive her?" Lincoln asked, borderline pleading with Fenton.
"Negative. Organic creatures cannot. Undergo a reboot. In the event of a. System crash."
A sense of bleakness overtook the group, except for Lana, who still didn't quite grasp what was going on.
"So… you're saying it's all up to her?" Lincoln figured sullenly, having watched a few medical dramas in the past.
"Correct." Fenton replied. "Based on past records. Of medical comas. I calculate that. At the earliest. She should wake up in. Two or three weeks. At the latest…"
The kids were surprised to see the robot pausing during his diagnosis, as if he himself did not wish to finish it.
"…her coma will last. Her whole lifecycle."
The siblings were stunned into silence, already aware of that possibility but having the A.I. state it out loud hammered in the hopelessness of their situation.
Lucy was the first to collect herself enough to speak, "So what do we do now?"
"Monitor her condition. It is the only. Contribution you can. Offer." Fenton stated. "As for me. Regardless of outcome. I've served my function. I've respected Master Lisa's. Final request. Now my existence. Is redundant."
The cryptic statement put the others on edge, diverting their full attention on Fenton, and nobody noticed how Lisa's eyes shot open.
"What do you mean by that?" an unnerved Lincoln asked the robot.
"Farewell." Fenton said simply and waddled towards the balcony before activating his jet boots and flying up.
Lincoln, Lynn, Lucy, and Lana rushed after him and watched as he turned into a mere speck in the blue sky. They barely made out him saying, "Initiate self-destruction. Codeword: Kamikaze."
"Of course?" Lincoln realized, failing to see his youngest sister sitting up and surveying her surroundings. "Lisa made sure to tie up all loose ends?"
Hearing her name, Lisa looked at the group.
"Did he just say "self-destruction"?" Lynn gulped and flinched, as did the others, but to their relief/surprise…nothing happened, only confounding them further.
Lisa didn't dwell on them, for her attention span was too short. For the first time in her life, her mind was at complete ease. No worries, no elaborate thoughts, just basic self-awareness and youthful curiosity. Though something didn't feel right. Feeling around on her bed, the toddler realized what it was and got up.
"Shouldn't there be a big explosion?" Lucy asked.
"I… think something went wrong?" Lincoln said and sure enough, they saw the speck again and it grew in size as it descended towards them, making the group fear for their wellbeing.
They backed away into the room and Lynn pulled the oblivious Lana along as Fenton landed on the balcony. The tension was so thick you could cut through it with a knife.
"F-fenton…" Lincoln stuttered nervously "…wh-why did ya come back?"
"It seems Master Lisa." The robot admitted. "Forgot to install. Self-destruct mechanism. In my chassis."
And just like that, the tension evaporated as the kids were left with dumbstruck expressions. Lana freed herself from Lynn's protective grip, fed up with being kept out of the loop.
"Look. If you won't tell what's going on…fine!" the peeved tomboy declared and walked away. "I'm gonna get a bite to eat, I'm starving."
"I don't know. How to proceed?" Fenton continued, in a tone that almost sounded embarrassed, when an enraged Lynn hoisted him by his arm.
"Oh, I know how to fix that!" she growled. "Just find me a bulldozer!"
"Hold on, Lynn." Lincoln raised his hand. "Let's think this through before-"
"Guys?" Lana's voice cut in. "Where's Lisa?"
Lynn, Lucy, and Lincoln's eyes widened, and the jock dropped Fenton as they turned around and found the bed empty, with the blanket thrown to the ground.
"Wasn't she like K.O-ed or something?" Lana pointed at it, while the others saw that the door had been left open and rushed towards it.
"Master Lisa is conscious?" Fenton said, feeling a sensation that could only be likened to excitement and relief. It occurred to him that there had never been a prior instance of someone going into a coma due to a translation-turned-IQ-tampering helmet malfunctioning, so there was no precedence for its effects.
The kids easily found their sister strolling through the hall and carrying a plush giraffe of all things. She didn't seem to be aware of them staring at her as she kept on walking, and to her sibling's shock, she was humming, prompting them to follow her while exchanging concerned looks.
None of them knew how to approach this and watched her skipping down the stairs, fearing her experience with the malfunctioning helmet might have left her with permanent brain damage.
"Lisa?" Lincoln finally found his voice as the toddler passed by a snoring Albert and looked up at them.
"Heya, Lincoln!" she waved at him, sporting a simple, blissful smile.
The others blinked and an awkward silence ensued before getting interrupted by Lana's growling stomach. Seeing nothing particularly odd now that Lisa was walking about, the tomboy followed her down the stairs.
"Ughh…I really need some chow." She made a quick turn toward the kitchen.
"You wanna meet my new friend?" Lisa asked chipperly but went unnoticed by Lana, making Lisa pout and her lip trembled as she hugged her toy.
"Lisa…are you feeling okay?" Lincoln caught up with her, followed by Lynn and Lucy. Fenton remained by the rails and assessed the situation.
"No…Lana won't meet my new friend." Lisa sniffed.
Her siblings were left wide-eyed again, more puzzled than ever.
"New friend?" Lynn squinted.
"Yes, she's campin' too!" Lisa perked up rather quickly and showed them her plushie. "She gave me Rafo and she's comin' here."
"Did…did that helmet work?" Lincoln wondered but any words escaped him for the moment. How should you speak to a person who just woke up from a coma and asses their mental state? Ask them what they could recollect?
"Lisa…do you remember what happened yesterday?"
"Sure!" she smiled.
"We're on vacation, first I went boatin' with mom and Lola, then I gave Luan bubble bath, then I gave Luna a pwesent, then I played with Lori and Leni on beach, then I went boatin' 'gain but with Lynn, then you and me walked together, and then we played with big doggy." Was her rapid-fire response and the others noticed that her lisp seemed even more pronounced.
Fenton understood what was going on. Despite receiving substantial damage, Lisa's helmet still served its function, his master's goal had been achieved. He already knew her vitals were functioning properly and now he knew that her low brain activity wasn't because her brain had been in a state of suspended animation but rather because she was only using it for the barest minimum, for she now lacked the mental capacity for anything but the bare minimum.
"My master no longer exists." He realized sullenly. But he shouldn't view this development as bad, it's exactly what his master had desired.
"I think her helmet worked?" Lucy came to the same conclusion.
Lynn rubbed her tired eyes as she watched Lisa giggling innocently. This couldn't be real?
"Seems it did…" Lincoln grimaced, faced with a surge of conflicting emotions. His sister was there in front of them, alive and well, but at the same time…she wasn't.
Consumed by his thoughts, he was startled by a knock on the door. Needless to say, everyone but Lisa assumed the worst.
Lynn's face contorted with anger and she punched her palm. "I swear… if it's that bitch Kathleen, I'm gonna cave her face in!"
"No, silly!" Lisa laughed. "It's my friend!"
They heard a knock again, and Lincoln noted that said knocking was coming from the bottom of the door, so whoever was doing it couldn't have been very tall.
Tentatively, he opened the door after Lisa failed to reach the handle. Sure enough, he saw a little girl with mocha skin and led sneakers, only slightly taller than Lisa.
"Hello, Wincoln…" she shuffled her foot shyly. "Is Wisa here?"
"It's that girl from the hospital?" Lincoln recognized her. What was her name again? Debbie? Denise?
"Darcy!" Lisa jumped out to greet her friend.
"Wisa!" Darcy was likewise overjoyed.
Lincoln, Lynn, and Lucy watched incredulously as the two toddlers embraced each other, with Rafo making a squeaking noise as it was caught in the middle of it.
"Lisa is hugging someone… willingly?" Lucy said in disbelief.
"I took good care of Rafo." Lisa said as she and Darcy both held on to the plushie.
"And you wead 'im a bedtime stowy?" Darcy asked. "And gave 'im a goodnight kiss?"
"Mmmhhmm…" Lisa nodded.
"And she's…happy?" Lynn noted as the two shared a giggle, fully realizing how little joy Lisa had expressed in a long time, now that she was faced with the sharp contrast.
"Yes, she's happy?" Lincoln observed this jarring mood shift in Lisa.
All the previous angst and self-loathing were just…gone, nonexistent, like they were never there in the first place, replaced with child-like wonder and exuberance. Lincoln and his sisters tended to forget that Lisa was in fact only three years old, and now she acted the part.
Whether he liked it or not, he knew this was their new reality with Lisa. If nothing else, he supposed he should be grateful that last night's escapade went as well as it did. Lisa wasn't left lobotomized, and they had escaped One Eye's clutches unscathed.
"One Eye…" Lincoln felt sick in the pit of his stomach and gazed at the horizon; the once sunny and placid atmosphere of the outdoors now took on a far more eerie and ominous aura in his eyes.
He turned to Lynn, hesitant to ask, "Do you think he…"
Lynn groaned and snapped her head back at the stupid question. "Earth to Lincoln! If we survived that explosion, no doubt that brute did as well."
"You can't kill an undead lycanthrope that easily. Even with a silver knife." Lucy shook her head, earning annoyed glares.
"Wha thu hell is that ruckus…" they heard a groggy Albert mumbling from behind them, accompanied by the sound of springs twisting.
"Pop-Pop, no!" Lincoln tried to stop him but it was too late, as they heard a sickening crack, followed by a long, agonizing noise that was somewhere between a scream and yodeling.
The siblings cringed, except for Lisa, who covered her mouth and giggled.
Turning to Darcy, she said, "Pop-Pop's funny."
Meanwhile, Lana was rummaging through one of the lower cabinets in the kitchen, her aching stomach urging her to find food she could scarf down immediately without having to cook or prepare it. She had zero experience with that anyway.
She grew a bright smile as she pulled out a big bag of potato chips, laced with garlic! Jackpot! That would surely give her nice, stinky breath for the rest of the day!
Opening it, she grabbed a big handful of chips and gulped them down while turning around, only to find the fridge door open and a thin, ratty tail sticking out from it.
Lana watched a familiar possum carrying a bunch of food items in her arms, her fur and whiskers messy and wearing a tired expression.
"Hey, what are you doing here!" Lana laughed and spooked the possum, who dropped the food and froze on the spot with a horrified expression as the girl walked up to her.
"Trying to smuggle food, ain't ya?" Lana joked, but what happened next was a surprise.
The panicked marsupial dropped to her knees and clutched her paws in a pleading gesture.
"Oy'm sorry! Oy'm really sorry!" she cried. "Oy 'ave ten hungry mouths t' feed an' they're sappin' me droy!
Lana dropped her chips and her mouth twisted into an oval shape.
"You talked!" she beamed in amazement, giving the sobbing possum pause. "You just talked to me!"
The possum stared blankly at her before eventually letting out a pitiful, sardonic laugh. "A tohkin' human? Heh, oy knew ooll the stress would eventually geh' t' me."
She yelped as Lana hoisted her up and spun around with her. "I know what's going on! You animals could talk all this time but hide it from us humans! That's what all the cartoons and movies say."
"Huh?" the possum made a face.
"But because I helped ya, you decided to share your secret with me." Lana pulled her closer, making the possum shrink. "It's such an honor."
"Ehhh…sure. Let's gao weeth that." The possum deflated. If her mind had indeed snapped might as well go along with the madness.
"Don't you worry." Lana threw the possum over her shoulder and patted her back. "Your secret is safe with us. And I know you have babies to feed, Virginia. I'll help ya smuggle all the food you need."
"Actually…" the possum sighed as she was carried along "…it's Della."
"It has to be here somewhere? Such a big mansion can't be hard to spot?" Ryan said as he and Marceline traveled through the pine forest.
"Meow."
"Yes. Either that or a bunch of flattened trees?" Ryan quipped as he kept searching. He hated wasting time, double trouble was brewing and he was stuck dealing with half of it while his team dealt with the other half.
"It's one of them." He thought he heard a small, high-pitched voice murmuring.
"They're goners for sure." A second, similar voice replied.
Caught off guard, the confused boy stopped and looked around but only spotted a pair of chipmunks perched on a branch, watching him, and they bolted away once Marceline licked her chops at them.
Narrowing his eyes, Ryan dismissed it and decided to move on, figuring his mind was playing a trick on him.
"…but at least we gave ol'Fang Face the slip." He continued. "Haven't seen him or his snitch in the sky all-"
"Have we reached Florida, eh?" he heard someone whine. From high above him.
With his mouth ajar, Ryan craned his head back and saw a flock of Canadian geese flying in a V-formation.
"Ask me that one more time and I'll peck your eyes out!" the leader of the flock retorted.
"Crap, I really need to lie down and rest." Ryan massaged his head and continued walking but halted as he heard a low growl.
Without warning, he and Marceline jumped back as a lynx appeared and screeched at them, making Ryan fall on his butt. Marceline jumped between them and hissed at the larger feline.
"Back off, human!" the lynx snarled. "You're not dragging us into your feud!"
"What?" Ryan watched slack-jawed as the lynx ducked behind the tree, grabbed her kitten in her jaws, and ran off, leaving the dumbfounded boy alone.
"Marcy?" he slowly turned to his cat. "Could you talk perfect English all along too?"
"Meow?" the cat titled her head.
Stupefied, Ryan let out a nervous laugh as he got up and put his hands on his hips. "Kay…kay…I know one day of isolation can't drive a guy bonkers, there must be something else going on? Maybe some real bad shit spilled into the waterways?"
"Yes, this is quite preposterous, is it not?" a new voice added, making Ryan jolt.
"What the…who's there?" he demanded, looking left and right but saw nothing.
"An age-old language barrier, finally broken."
Ryan turned around sharply after hearing a rustle but still couldn't spot the owner of the voice.
"Quit yapping, buddy, and show your mug?" Ryan said boldly, trying to hide his unease.
The brief silence was punctuated by a soft, gleeful chuckle but Ryan still couldn't pinpoint the source of it, making the hairs on his neck stand.
"How amusing. Your inferior senses still can't locate me even when I'm right in front of you. Tell me, how does it feel to be so hopelessly lost and defenseless without your precious guns and other commodities? That question has intrigued me for many years."
Ryan listened to the disembodied voice. It was a very deep yet smooth baritone with some kind of Transatlantic accent. If this was another talking animal, it sure didn't sound like a small one, or one who had a hankering for veggies.
"Oh, I get it." Ryan forced a laugh. "Trying to be all eerie and mysterious, are we? I wager you don't get out much, cuz that's such a tired cliché."
"Not as tiresome as your feeble attempts at feigning braveness."
The confidence drained from Ryan's face but he stood his ground and punched his palm.
"Enough with the pleasantries! How about you cut the theatrics and face me? Unless you're yellow."
His challenge was answered by another chuckle and Ryan realized it was coming from his right.
Slowly looking in that direction, he froze on the spot as he saw One Eye standing next to a tree just twenty yards away from him.
"Meow…" Marceline cowered behind Ryan's leg.
"Miss me, runt?" One Eye smirked with a twinkle in his good eye.
Ryan's hand instinctively went for his pocket but found it to be empty, making his blood run cold.
"Lost our little blade, have we?" the wolf stepped forward, his tone taunting. Even on all fours, he was at eye level with Ryan. "Like that would have made a difference."
Ryan stepped back, with Marceline clinging tightly to him. The former chuckled nervously and clutched his hands.
But of course. This had to be a byproduct of Lizzie's mad science. Why else would this talking animal business coincide so neatly with that blue explosion Ryan saw last night? Honestly, it made too much sense.
"Y'know… as far as Lizzie's w-wacky experiments go, you're not all t-that weird." he stammered, trying to digest what he was seeing.
"So that's the name of the trickster within your pack." The wolf replied with intrigue as he circled the boy. "I figure it must be the diminutive one with the spectacles."
"Heh, you learn fast…" Ryan snarked in a shaky voice before adopting a serious look. "But what's your deal? Why did you go through all that trouble to get me?"
"Why am I pursuing the vermin that tried to kill me?" One Eye humored him. "Hmmm…I'm not sure myself?"
"I think you got it backward, wolfy." Ryan tried to reason, carefully eyeing the beast's every move. "We were minding our own business and you attacked us, several times."
"Do you take me for a bloody fool?" One Eye's face darkened as he stopped, making Ryan's heart race. "You thought I would fall for the old poisoned bait trick?"
"Heh….we were kinda hoping you would." The sweaty Ryan shrugged, seeing no point in playing stupid.
With his claw, One Eye pointed at his damaged left eye and the scar tissue over it. "Or does my mangled face offer a better justification for retribution?"
"We didn't do that." Ryan scowled. "The kid who blew out your eye ain't no friend of ours. As a matter of fact, me and Lynn were fighting him when you crashed the party. Why don't you go after him?"
"I shall be the judge of that once I find them." One Eye sneered. "But as for you and your little entourage…"
He paused, letting the implication sink in with Ryan. It occurred to him that the wolf's newfound bilingualism meant he must have been in close proximity to his team when that explosion occurred.
"What about them?"
One Eye smirked. "I assume you've been looking for your companions?"
"Actually, I am. Until you got in my way." Ryan retorted, trying to think of a way out of this. His response seemed to amuse the wolf more.
"And what makes you think there's anything left of them to find?" One Eye said coolly, relishing seeing the boy tense up.
"Ha! Nice try!" Ryan said brazenly. "But I know a bluff when I see one."
"If that makes it easier for you to cope, be my guest." One Eye's tone didn't change. "But it won't matter either way…"
"…because you wanna put me down, huh?" Ryan asked, still not knowing what to do.
"You weren't expecting anything less, I assume. After all…you've all insulted me, humiliated me, and conspired to take my life …" One Eye explained as he inched closer to Ryan, forcing the latter to back away until his back was against a large boulder.
Ryan's heart skipped a beat as realized he was trapped and the wolf was encroaching on him, sporting a dark smile.
"…so needless to say, I have no other option but to end your miserable life. Your death will restore my honor as a hunter."
"Not much of a hunter if you couldn't catch little ol'me last night?" Ryan couldn't help but point out, sweat dripping down his face.
Curling his lip back in a snarl, One Eye slammed his paw against Ryan's chest, pinning him against the boulder and his claws cut through Ryan's shirt and into his soft flesh. Squirming, Ryan tried to pry it off him but couldn't make it even budge.
"On the contrary, I never ceased hunting you since our first altercation." One Eye insisted. "The raging river and the grizzlies were mere hurdles I had to overcome, which I did."
"I'll consent that you were a bit of a challenge, but challenging prey is all the more rewarding to catch." he added with a self-satisfied smirk.
He expected the pathetic child to swallow its ego and beg for mercy. But that did not happen.
"Alright, sheesh…ya win. Whoop-de-doo. But don't I get any last words?" Ryan shrugged with nonchalance.
This gave the wolf pause before he chuckled with delight. "Last words?" he considered it. "Well…I was hoping to finally hear one of you hairless apes beg for mercy… so proceed."
"Oh, I won't bother. You don't strike me as the merciful type." Ryan quipped and raised his empty hands, assuring One Eye that he had no trick up his sleeve.
"Actually, I just wanted to ask a question?"
"And what would that be?"
"Do you have something in your eye?"
One Eye was confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"This." Ryan swiftly jabbed his pointer in the wolf's good eye.
"Ah!" One Eye yelped and rubbed it, releasing Ryan and allowing him to slip between the wolf's leg and run away.
Tearing up, One Eye forced his good eye open as he frantically looked around. His vision was blurry but he made out the shape of Ryan running off into the distance.
Snarling with unbridled rage, the wolf gave chase, pursuing him through a shallow stream and into a patch of birch trees.
Panting, Ryan heard One Eye roaring, "You're just delaying the inevitable, runt!"
Ryan didn't respond. Instead, he saw the trees clearing out and realized he was running towards a small cliff. With no time to think, he jumped down, tucked his legs, rolled over, scrambled back up, and resumed running. One Eye followed suit and landed on the spot Ryan stood seconds ago, growling viciously.
To Ryan's dread, he realized he was going through a shallow gorge, surrounded by ragged boulders and bristlecone pines, and it was getting narrower. With no other option, he kept running, hoping that he wouldn't run into a dead end.
"Meow!"
Ryan saw his cat running in front of him, gesturing for him to follow her. Ryan didn't question it and obliged, hearing the wolf's pants and snarls not far behind him.
Marceline led him to a pile of logs wedged between a small pass in the gorge, pine trees visible on the other side. Seeing what she was doing, Ryan leaped through the logs and landed on rocks and rugged branches, while One Eye craned his head through the trunks.
Ryan pushed himself back as the wolf grabbed hold of his foot, but Ryan pulled it out of his shoe. Barking and thrashing madly, One Eye snapped his jaws and swiped at him but couldn't reach Ryan, as the latter rose up and ducked his way out of the logs, before running after Marceline.
One Eye let out a furious growl, unable to squeeze himself through the wall of timber. But his rage soon gave way to gleeful, taunting laughter.
"You have nowhere to run, runt!" he taunted viciously. "You'll be reunited with your cohorts alright, once I get my fangs on you!"
Not looking back and running deeper into the pine forest, Ryan tried to ignore the wolf's taunts. He knew a bluff when he saw one, and this was prime bluffing. At least he really hoped so.
Pushing those thoughts back, he figured the others already knew about One Eye and were scrambling on how to deal with him. Stopping to catch his breath, he petted his cat's head in gratitude.
"Good girl…what would I do without you…" he said between pants, and straightened himself.
"Meow."
Peering through the cluster of trees, Ryan was ecstatic to see blue. It was the lake!
Running onto the beach, Ryan and Marceline were met with a vast expanse of water but no immediate sign of human activity.
"We're close, we have to be." Ryan reasoned and they ran along the beach. "Now we just have to find that mansion before One Eye finds us again."
You thought I wouldn't go through with it, huh? Nope, Lisa did indeed turn into a regular, brainless, happy-go-lucky toddler, even if it was through torturous means. For all we know, if One Eye hadn't intervened and damaged the helmet, it might have malfunctioned anyway and fried her brains for real. And true to form, the old Lisa bungled things up one last time and forgot to install a self-destruct mechanism into Fenton, leaving him still alive but without a master or a purpose.
And of course, there's the other big change; One Eye can now talk with the humans, as can any other animal who was within the blast radius. Well…not Marceline, or Charles and Cliff for that matter, hence why the latter two got plastered and fell into the cellar, below the range of the blast front. I was waffling on that subject for a while but ultimately decided that I didn't want talking animal sidekicks permanently accompanying the protagonists (though we might still hear them talk at some point XD), but One Eye is one of the main bad guys, and there was only so much I could do with him as a feral beast before that got old, so I decided a while ago to have him become fully personified, and Lisa's subplot involving her former translation helmet was the ideal excuse to make that happen, and he might not go by the allies "One Eye" for much longer before he reveals his real name, especially since the animals Lana's sheltering seem to know him already and are terrified of him.