Umm... Yeah... Sorry for the delay...

Omg, guys, I think I can see a light in this tunnel o_o! Only this and one more chapter left and then we're done with Bentleys story :O! Holy carp, it definitely turned out far longer that I anticipated :I! Just like this chapter; it's another really LOOOOOONG one again! In fact, I think the last chapter will be super long as well ^^...

Anyway, enjoy~!

*** Chapter Twenty-Two : The Laughing One ***

Half a year later...

Rango looked at his gang as they were passing through the woods in the bowl-shaped valley. Flitch, one of the two porcupine brothers, were leading a roadrunner carrying its owner across the saddle, dead as a doornail. His name had been Indigo Joe, a renowned murderer and roadrunner-thief, now a corpse worth five thousand dollars. A perfect sum to split in a gang of five members.

They were heading to cash in the bounty in a nearby town called Rattle City, but the fastest way to get there would be through a valley known as Rattle Pass. A valley not many dared to cross, for some reason. Even if neither Rango or his gang were especially afraid of superstitions, they couldn't help but to feel slightly paranoid as they followed the narrow forest path between the tall and lush trees. They felt as if someone, or something, was watching them from between the trees, and it made them all on edge. Fledge, the other porcupine brother, said something incoherent in Spanish, as he had yet to learn English.

"What did he say?" Rango asked Flitch, the one of the two brothers who actually COULD speak English.

"He said he thought he saw somethin' near those trees over there" Flitch translated, and Rango and Hicks slowed their roadrunners down to a halt.

Arrow, Rangos black roadrunner, squawked and fidgeted to keep moving, but her rider held her put. "Wait a sec, Arrow" Rango hissed and narrowed his eyes. Indeed, there were something between the trees further away, but they were too far away to see what.

Coral, the coralsnake who usually followed the gang by burrowing her way underground, stopped as well as the porcupines and looked, trying to see what he and Fledge saw. The ground here in the mountains were too hard and rocky for her to dig in, so these last days she had been more or less forced to slither around after the roadrunners, and to tell the truth; she hated it. Every one of her scales were aching and sore, and she couldn't wait to get to Rattle City and sleep in a real bed.

Suddenly, the shadow between the trees moved and got closer. Soon it was close enough to everyone to see that it was a roadrunner, without a saddle or bridle. It was tall and dark brown with an oversized plume on its head, and once it spotted the gang of bountyhunters, it came to a stop, stood still for a moment before turning around and running back where it came from. Rango and Hicks exchange a meaning look. Wild roadrunners were rare to say the least, especially up here! They were usually inhabiting the areas further down south, this one must have ran away from someone? The both made a mental note to ask the town once they got there.

Which they did not long after the encounter with the wild roadrunner; Rattle City wasn't an especially big and well-populated town, but the buildings were huge! Which they probably had to be to house all the rattlesnakes who lived there.

While Rango took Indigo Joe to the sheriff, an eastern diamondback named Bane, the rest of the gang hit the only saloon in town, which was big enough for two saloons. In a way, Bane reminded Rango a bit about Rattlesnake-Jake, which was probably due to the huge gun attached to his tail. However, Bane still seemed to have his rattle intact and was able to take the gun on and off as he wished. When Rango entered the office with the dead indigo colored lizard flung over his shoulder, Bane arched an invisible eyebrow.

"Bountyhunter, eh?" He said and almost jumped to the side when Rango nodded and dumped the dead outlaw on the snakes huge desk. "Who's this?"

"Sheriff, meet Indigo Joe!" The basilisk said and withdrew the folded wanted poster of the outlaw and slammed it on top of his chest. "My name's Rango. Me an' my gang will stay 'ere just for a couple of days to rest up, just thought I should tell ya"

"Indigo Joe, huh? Well, 'bout time someone caught this bastard..." The sheriff muttered and picked up the piece of paper with his tail. "I heard 'bout this one time when he killed an entire family, burned down their farm an' made it off with all their stock!"

"He's done that more than once, buddy" Rango said and nodded. "Now, five thousand bucks please, my gang's waitin' for me!"

"Sure, jus' hang on..." The diamondback nodded and began rooting in one of the drawers for his checkbook. "By the way, Rango, was it?" The basilisk nodded and folded his arms. "The same one who killed 'em Jenkins brothers with one bullet?" He paused and chuckled in amusement. "How's yer brother Jake doin'?" When the bountyhunter didn't answer, he looked up and saw that the lizard was staring at him with a pissed off, almost homicidal, look on his face.

"Are. You. Fucking. Serious?" He hissed out through clenched teeth, and the sheriff chuckled again.

"Relax, I was jus' kiddin' 'round with ya!"

"It ain't funny... One day I'mma git that bastard who said that!" He snorted and waited patiently while the snake filled out the check using an oversized pen. "Seven men, one bullet... Hah! Those stupid hayseeds who believed him gotta be inbreeds the whole lot of 'em!"

"Actually, I heard he's a very respected man nowadays, even the Grim Reaper respects him!" The diamondback sheriff arched an eyebrow again and handed Rango the check.

"Yeah, well, I actually know Rattlesnake-Jake, an' I know that he respects anyone who can point a gun at him without flinchin', which is a LOT harder than it sounds!" He tapped the brim of his wide, black hat to the sheriff before he left. "But I'm still gonna kill that copycat, mark my words!" The snake rolled his eyes after the bountyhunter exited through the door and looked down at the dead lizard on his desk.

"Bountyhunters..." He sighed and shook his head. "Always so edgy..."

Suddenly, the basilisk poked his head in again. "Actually, there's one more thing, sheriff!" He said, and the snake nodded, silently telling him to go on. "In case you've gotten a report 'bout a missin' roadrunner, we know exactly where to find it; we met an escaped 'runner while passin' through Rattle Pass!"

The sheriff frowned as he thought. "Nah, I ain't got no reports 'bout no missin' 'runners... Wait, did ya say 'Rattle Pass'? Did y'guys just ride through Rattle Pass? And the bird; was it big an' dark brown?" The bountyhunter nodded, slightly confused over the sheriffs questions. "Then boy, y'all can thank whatever lucky star guided ya that you're still alive an' kickin'! An' if you'd happen to see that bird again; shoot it!"

Rango frowned. "Shoot it? Why? I kill outlaws an' wanted men, not critters!"

"B'cause that there bird b'longs to a homicidal lunatic an' child murderer!" Just speaking about this son of a gun made sheriff Banes blood boil. "He lives out there in the valley, alone. No one knows exactly where his hideout is, but we're lookin'! The problem is just that he keeps settin' out traps for us, so there's always at least one of us who's wounded when we return..."

"Who is he?" Rango stepped inside the office again, curious. "An' is it b'cause of him that people avoid Rattle Pass?"

The sheriff nodded seriously. "Apparently, his real name is Bentley, but we all call him the Laughin' One..."

"The Laughin' One? Why's he called that?"

"B'cause of that laugh he always makes... I've only heard him laugh twice, but the second time I thought he was gonna kill me..." The sheriff paused and went silent while staring at the floorboards. "He ain't laughin' like a normal person should; he's crazy! A real nutcase!"

Rango arched a skeptical eyebrow. "Why're y'all after him then?"

"Why not?! He's a crazy, homicidal maniac! He's already killed two kids, an' god knows who else if we let 'im roam free!" Bane tilted his head at the bountyhunter as he got an idea. "Y'know, if it would be of any interest to ya an' yer gang, I myself have listed a reward for anyone who capture an' brings me the Laughin' One, alive!"

Rangos head perked in curiosity upon hearing the word 'reward'. "How much money are we talkin' 'bout?"

"Three thousand?"

Rango pondered for a bit, before nodding. "I'll go talk with my gang" He said and tapped the brim of his hat once again at the snake, and turned back to the door. "Is there somethin' else I should know 'bout him?"

Bane shrugged. "If ya wanna know more 'bout 'im, go an' ask Muriel. She was the caretaker of the two kids he murdered 'bout half a year ago, an' I reckon she knows more 'bout 'im than any of us do. The kids b'lieved he was their friend, y'know... That coward... Anyway;..." He pointed with his rattle over his shoulder, if he had one that is. "She lives on a farm outside of town, thatta way. On the edge of Rattle Pass."

Rango thanked for the information and left. He thought for a while if he should get Hicks to come along, but then changed his mind and went alone. Hell, if both him and Hicks showed up on her doorstep she'd probably die of a heart attack, as neither of them looked especially well groomed after a week in the saddle.

He found her farm, which wasn't really that big; just a house and a small barn inside a low wall of stones. On the outside were a few pastures where the critters roamed. He couldn't find anyone on the farm, so he went to the house and knocked on the door. The door was opened by a sad looking, blonde chipmunk, who flinched as soon as she saw the bountyhunter, just as he thought she would. Nowadays he had that effect on people...

"Sorry if I startled ya, ma'am..." He said and tapped the brim of his hat.

The chipmunk lady narrowed her eyes and looked prepared to slam the door shut any second. "Wh-who are ya? A-an' whaddya want, sir?" She asked suspiciously. Apparently, she didn't think too highly of strangers.

"The name's Rango, an' I'll be honest with ya; I'm a bountyhunter. Now, do yer name happen to be Muriel?" He said and tried to not sound too serious, even if it was a pretty serious matter he was about to bring up. She nodded slowly. "Good, I was told that ya knew more 'bout this, 'Laughin' One' fella ev'ryone's so eager to kill..."

"Are ya here to catch 'im?" She asked without skipping a beat, and when he answered 'yes, ma'am', she seemed to hesitate for a few beats before stepping to the side. "Please come inside, sir. Would ya care for some coffee?"

He raised an eyebrow at her sudden change in attitude, but thanked her and stepped inside. "Much obliged, ma'am!"

Apparently this Laughing One, or Bentley, was a young hyena, probably around 25 years old give-or-take. She wasn't sure where he came from, but he came from the south and according to the stories he told her two wardens Rosie and Roscoe, he had once come from somewhere in Africas rainforest. She didn't even know what he was doing up here in the mountains in the first place, but according to Rosie and Roscoe he had arrived to Rattle Pass almost exactly a year ago, and was living in a cave Roscoe once found when he went lost in the woods.

"An' Rosie an' Roscoe, are these the two children he...?" He didn't feel the need to say the last word, as Muriel quickly averted her eyes and stared down at her cup of coffee. She hesitated before nodding mutely. "Ya hesitated?" Rango noticed the hesitation, and Muriel looked up at him again. "Why did ya hesitate?"

"B-b'cause... B'cause I don't know if he really killed 'em..." She said lowly and looked down again. "I-it was winter an' it was gettin' close to Christmas. The kids said they would jus' go buy me a Christmas gift, but never returned. When I heard there was a snowstorm comin' I went lookin' for 'em an' met Bentley. He said he would go find 'em an' bring 'em back before the blizzard broke out, but he didn't. So, after the blizzard, me, the sheriff, deputy an' McKenzie, an ol' friend of the sheriff, went out to look for 'em, an' we found 'em... Along with Bentley, but we drove him away b'fore hearin' what he was tryin' to say! Our doc says they... Th-they froze to death... An' when Hugo, the deputy, an' I went into the mineshaft where we found 'em, we saw traces of a fire. There were all sorts of things in the fire; buckles, a knife and a spear blade, a broken compass..." She paused for a moment, and Rango was afraid that she would burst out crying, but she didn't. Luckily. "I... I think they got trapped in that mine when the blizzard broke out, a-an' he burned almost ev'rythin' he had to keep 'em warm..."

Rango nodded slowly as he listened to her story. I doubt even the sheriff knows 'bout this...

"Nowadays he's crazy. Really crazy! B'cause of him, I'm startin' to thinkin' 'bout movin' into town instead of livin' this close to Rattle Pass! But, he wasn't always like that though..." Muriel continued and slowly stirred in her coffee with her spoon. "I met him a couple of times when the kids wanted to drag him home to invite him for supper, an' I always thought that he was really nice, for an hyena! He did seem pretty childish an' with a really weird sense of humor, but I never thought he'd be able to hurt a fly even!"

Rango was silent for a while, before leaning his elbows on the table. "Muriel, may I ask ya somethin'?" Without waiting for a response, he continued: "It wasn't 'til I mentioned that I was out to catch the Laughin' One that ya actually stopped glarin' at me as if I was gonna shoot ya down at the spot, an' I thought it seemed as if ya really wanna help me to catch this sonnova gun who killed yer wards. But now it sounds more as if ya don't think he's that dangerous lunatic ev'ryone thinks he is, so what is it? What is it that ya want me to do?"

Muriel was quietly looking at him for a moment. "I want'cha to catch him, an' I'd gladly do anythin' I can to help, but I don't want'cha to bring 'im to sheriff Bane. Sheriff Bane an' the others in Rattle City just wanna string him up for ev'ryone to see!"

"Well, whaddya want me to do with him once he's mine then?"

"Help him" She said without hesitation, and he blinked in confusion. "Help 'im to git outta here, an' escape from sheriff Bane! I've never really cared much for his kind, I'll be honest, but if he real' tried to save Rosie an' Roscoe that stormy night, then I am in debt to him!"

Rango was quiet as he pondered about it for a while, but then he sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mrs Muriel, but sheriff Bane has told me 'bout a three thousand dollar reward if I bring 'im this guy alive, an' I don't think my gang would mind havin' some spare change..." He noticed the look on her face, which changed from surprised to angry in a wink. "I'm awfully sorry, but may I remind ya that I'm a bountyhunter, ma'am?"

"Git!" She hissed and motioned with her hand towards the door. "Git out!"

There we go with the hostility again... He nodded and stood up from the table. "Thanks for the coffee an' the chat, ma'am!" He put on his hat, turned around and walked out, ignoring the upset chipmunk behind him. In a way he almost felt a bit sorry for her; she had probably been certain that she would be able to convince his more soft side to help the poor lunatic in the mountains. Unfortunately for her, she would need more than three thousand dollars to do that.

He went to fetch Hicks, telling him that they would go on a little 'wacko hunt', while Coral and the porcupines stayed behind. At first, Hicks wasn't too thrilled about the idea, but after hearing about the three thousand dollar reward, he finally got up from the table and followed Rango out. While they made their roadrunners ready to leave, Rango told his accomplice everything he had gotten to know about Bentley, or the Laughing One, or whatever his name was. Hicks couldn't help but to cock an eyebrow at the basilisk lizard, but never said anything.

They weren't expecting to find much on their first search in the forest, hell they would be lucky if they even found one of his notorious traps! But they didn't, they didn't find anything during the three hours they spent in Rattle Pass. According to Muriel, he lived in a cavern, that must mean that his hideout had to somewhere along the edges of the valley, but they couldn't find it.

However, after they decided to call it quits and ride back to Rattle City upon seeing the dark clouds roll in over the village and hearing the low rumble of thunder in the distance, they finally stumbled across something. In fact, they didn't just find traces, they found him. Or correctly; he found them.

Rango was riding in the lead, once again feeling observed as he and Hicks made their way through the woods. He really didn't like these woods; they creeped the hell out of him! So with his hand on the handle on one of his guns and Arrows reins in the other, he continued on the narrow forest path, on edge and ready to draw at the slightest movement. Same as Hicks. But suddenly, he almost fell out of the saddle when Arrow tripped over something. He had barely gotten himself straightened out in the saddle when he heard a low, ominous cracking noise.

"RANGO, WATCH OUT!" He heard Hicks shout at him, but he could only turn his head and see the huge log come towards him at a dangerously high speed.

If the shadow hadn't dove down from the tree he had been in and knocked the basilisk out of the saddle, he would've gotten hit by the log and possibly been injured really bad. Arrow ducked for the log a millisecond after the strange, large creature had knocked Rango down to the ground, and jumped to the side when the log swung back. A loud, slightly maniacal laughter was heard and when Rango hurried to get up on his knees, still slightly stunned, he saw his 'savior'; a tall, strongly built, brown hyena. He had thick, wild grown hair on his head, and twigs and leaves stuck in the scruffy mane on his neck, and his clothes looked more like patched up rags and critter hides. The short, prickly fur on his jaw and chin had grown into an unruly beard and it was almost impossible to see his round, red eyes underneath his heavy, dark brown, dread-like bangs. Rango stared almost completely paralyzed at the hyena writhing in laughter just a few feet away, until he heard the familiar sound of a revolvers hammer getting cocked; Hicks had drawn his gun and was aiming it at the hyena, just waiting for a word from Rango.

"I think we might've found the Laughin' One, partner..." Rango said lowly and got up on his feet. The hyena stopped laughing for a couple of seconds and stared at the two men, but then continued even more hysterical than before.

"What's so darn funny?" Hicks growled lowly, quickly growing tired of the maniacs laughter.

"I-it's funny, hahaha, b'cause it took me a-hahahahaaa-all day t-to set that trap for G-Grumpy, hahahahaaaha, b-but instead YOU fell for it! Hahahaha!" The hyena crawled to his knees and clenched at his gut as he laughed. "G-Grumpy is smarter th-than a pair of, hahahahaa, BOUNTYHUNTERS! HAHAHAAAA!" He tossed his head back and laughed even louder.

Hicks and Rango exchanged glances while another low rumble echoed across the gradually darkening sky. "Grumpy?" Hicks asked skeptically.

"Maybe it's that roadrunner? The sheriff said it b'longed to this guy..." Rango replied with a low mutter and turned his head back to the hyena. "How did ya know we were bountyhunters?"

"Hahaha, Grumpy might be nothin' but a mean ol' sourpuss, haha, but he sure is a smart one!" The Laughing One laughed as if he hadn't heard Rangos question. "He always return home when it gets dark, but when I need him durin' the day, hahaha, he ain't NEVER gonna let himself get caught! But hey, I ain't in no hurry; it ain't like the mine is gonna move anytime soon! Hahahahaa!"

"Y-yer 'runner?" Rango blinked in confusion. "The mine?"

"We still haven't gotten that ring, y'know!" He abruptly stopped laughing and stared down at the ground. He was quiet for a long time, and Hicks and Rango exchanged another glance. "It's gonna rain. It's gonna rain a lot..." He looked up from the ground and stared straight at Rango and Hicks with a wide grin that showed off his sharp fangs. Both of the bountyhunters involuntarily flinched. "I know ya wanna drag my ass off to sheriff Bane, but I don't mind! After all, it's what he paid ya to do, innit?"

Rango nodded. "We ain't gonna get paid 'til he's got you, though" The hyena already seemed to know what they were here to do, might as well be honest. "He really wanna hang ya for the murder of the two kids, y'know"

"Me too!" The Laughing One nodded with a smile, which once again made Rango and Hicks flinch in surprise.

"Y-ya mean ya WANT him to hang ya?" Hicks couldn't help but to exclaim, beating Rango to it. After almost twenty years of being a bountyhunter, neither of them had EVER met, or even thought they'd meet, someone who would say that!

The hyena nodded again. "It would be safer. People die 'round me..." He once again stopped grinning and looked down at the ground. "I dunno why, though... An' I try to not kill 'em... But they still die..." Hicks felt a chill crawl along his spine as he clicked back the hammer of his revolver, ready to kill the hyena before he could kill them. But suddenly the hyenas ears flicked and he snapped his head up, staring up at the clouds through the treetops. "Uh-oh! Water!"

"What?" Rango exclaimed, just as the first drops of water began to fall from the sky. Both him and Hicks also looked up at the dark gray sky just as a lightning bolt split across the sky, shortly followed by a loud, angry rumble. "Alright, let's git this guy wrapped an'..." Rango started to say, but trailed off when he saw that the hyena was gone without a trace. With their guns ready and nerves on edge, the two bountyhunters scanned the forest back to back, ready if the hyena was planning on a surprise attack while the rain began to beat down harder.

"Hey, are ya two dimwits gonna stand there all day, or are ya comin' along?" They both flinched and nearly shot each other when they heard the hyenas voice from above, among the branches of a nearby tree. They looked up and spotted him perched on a thick branch, with some kind of sheet made from stitched together pieces of deerskin over his shoulders and head, which he seemed to have gotten simply out of nowhere. "Ya gonna catch a cold standin' out there in the rain, y'know!" The Laughing One had to shout to make himself heard over the rain.

"Are ya suggestin' that we should follow ya?!" Hicks snarled suspiciously, and the hyena nodded eagerly.

"It's a lot closer home than to Rattle City! If ya wanna avoid gettin' sick from yer lil' adventure in the woods, you're welcome to stay at my cave!" He snorted out a laugh from the shocked and suspicious looks he got from the two bountyhunters and their roadrunners. "Don't worry; I doubt you'll die! Nobody's died on me THAT fast! We all could take cover from the rain, then I'll follow y'all down to the town again!... Oh! Hahaha! That rhymed!"

Hicks and Rango slowly lowered their guns and looked at each other from under the brims of their hats. They needed to get somewhere dry fast, and it wasn't healthy for their roadrunners to be out like this in the rain either. Rango decided to accept the hyenas offer after Arrow impatiently nudged her beak against his shoulder, wanting to get out of the rain as soon as possible; or else she would go back herself!

The basilisk nodded and turned his attention back to the hyena. "Sure, why not? I reckon ya wont put up a fight when we leave again, right? Huh?" He looked back up at the branch, but the Laughing One was gone once again. Only to pop his head up from a bush about ten feet away.

"Hey, ya comin' soon?! I'm gettin' DRENCHED over here! An' do ya have any idea what wet fur smells like?!"

Hicks couldn't help but to smirk as he holstered his gun and grabbed Butchs reins; his golden roadrunner was nervously stepping around, getting worried by the loud thunder but luckily it wasn't enough to send the bird running. The coyote knew all too well what wet fur smelled like; not very pleasant!

Turns out, the crazy hyenas home, a cavern, was only about 100 feet away, but it was well hidden in the thick vegetation, and the thick vines that he somehow had managed to get growing over the caves entrance, helped in concealing the big, gaping hole. Rango gritted his teeth when he realized how close they had been to the cave all this time.

"Me casa es su casa!" The Laughing One happily announced as the trio, plus two birds, entered the cavern, but then he shrugged upon getting confused looks from the bountyhunter. "It's somethin' Spanish I picked up in a storybook once, not sure what it means. Sorry if I offended anyones mother!"

Rango and Hicks didn't reply, they had just begun to scan through the cave they just entered; to the right was an open fireplace built into the mountain, it looked as if it had been chipped out with a pickaxe, and since there was no smoke in the cave they figured it had to be a chimney leading away the smoke in the chipped out hollow as well. Somewhere they heard the rippling of water and soon Rango noticed an odd wooden gutter stretching from the darkness of the cave to the outside, in which water was flowing like a little creek.

There was a rug from a huge elk in from of the fireplace, and the fire was enough to light what seemed to be the 'house'-part of the cavern up in a dull, orange light. The walls were decorated with foreign paintings of odd patterns, drawn with color from plants on dried pieces of hide. It was a really cozy little place, they both had to admit, but it still didn't change the fact that it was inhabited by a homicidal psychopath. Though, the more Rango got to know this guy, the more he began to doubt what the sheriff had told him.

"Sorry 'bout the mess! I don't usually get guests, as y'all can guess!" The hyena laughed and hurried to brush some dust and pieces of scraps underneath the rug and grinned widely at his two guests as he pointed with his thumb to the darker parts of the cave, where the light of the fire didn't reach. "Over there is Grumpys corner, ya can leave yer 'runners there if you'd like! I doubt the sourpuss will be back home tonight anyway!"

The two bountyhunters nodded and led their birds over to the corner, where Rango noticed something that resembled an old, dried out creek, but he decided to make sure Arrow was somewhat pleased with her temporary staying before investigating. To his relief, he saw that the black roadrunner instantly nabbed the big pile of dried leaves, which had big, dark brown feathers spread around it, without even making an unhappy squawk about it. The only thing she seemed annoyed about was that it would probably take her all night to trim her feathers after being out in the rain for so long.

"Rango..." Hicks said while leaning his saddle against the wall and took the bridle off his roadrunner before turning to his companion. "Are ya sure we should trust him?"

"Nope!" The basilisk answered without skipping a beat. "But do we really have to? It ain't as if we have to befriend him or nothin'! All we gotta do is wait 'ere 'til the storm's over then drag this sonnova bitch back to Rattle City an' voilá; we'll have an additional three thousand bucks to split!" He chuckled as he watched the hyena scurry back and forth in the lit up parts of the cave, not even he looked as if he knew what he was doing! "It seem as if he ain't too bright, I reckon we'll have no troubles with him at all! An' if he would try somethin' funny, we'll just blast him, right? We're two to one, he ain't got the shadow of a chance!"

Hicks nodded and looked at the hyena, who earlier had been running back and forth and had now climbed up on the walls. While holding on with one hand, he used the other to hit a rock-like object against a piece of steel that seemed tied to the wall. Rango frowned, and his confusion grew even bigger when he managed to make out another gutter, this time made from some steel-like material, stretch along the roof of the cave.

"What the hell is he doin'?" Hicks growled lowly and let his hand rest on the handle of his gun. Rango didn't reply; he had no idea either!

Suddenly, a spark ignited the fluid the gutter, and bright flames instantly flared up, and followed the steel-gutter around the cave. The hyena lost his grip and fell on his back to the ground, and let out a roaring laughter after he regained his breath.

"Let there be light!" He laughed and crawled up on his feet, and laughed once again when he saw the shocked and slightly horrified looks on the two bountyhunters faces.

The flames in the gutter burned brightly and it helped illuminating the rest of the cave. Impressed, Rango looked around; on the wall next to the roadrunners was a dusty old saddle and bridle hanging on hooks made out of wood and rocks, and the channel with water he first discovered upon entering the cave had its base by a small waterfall high up on the wall, probably where this dried out creek by the roadrunners corner first had originated. He had to admit; the hyena had done a great job with the cave, and maybe he would have to take back that comment about him not being too bright.

While the lightnings lit up the woods and the rain poured down from the black sky, the three men sat in front of the fireplace and talked. There wasn't much else they could do. They talked mostly about the cave and what the hyena had done with it; using scrap metal from the abandoned mines in the mountains he had made the fire-gutter that was lighting up the cave, and the fluid that burned was a mixture of treesap, oil he claimed he 'borrowed' from the townspeople and water. There had been a small stream of water that ran through the cave, but as the spring came and the snow melted, the hyena had realized that the walls he had built around the stream wouldn't be able to stop the cave from being flooded so instead he built a gutter to direct the water away from the cave. And the fireplace did he dig out with an old pickaxe, which unfortunately broke after he finished the job (which he said took about five days).

Sure, this guy was really annoying with his bad jokes, random outbursts, weird answers and hysterical laughter, but the more he found out about the Laughing One, the more curious Rango got. The hyena didn't seem to want to talk about his past, as he would either shut himself up or drastically change the subject to something random when Rango tried to sneak in a question about his family and friends. Hell, he didn't even want to tell the two men where he came from! But then again, Rango already knew that he possibly was from Africas rainforest, after what Muriel told him. While they talked, he suddenly perked his head up and grinned widely.

"Hey, are you two hungry?! I'm starvin'!" He said and quickly got up on his feet from the spot he had been sitting on. "Unfortunately, I only have deer. But hey, they're nutritious and delicious! I'll be right back!" Before the bountyhunters could object, the hyena had vanished out through the entrance, where the thunder had stopped but not the rain.

Rango was quiet for a while, thinking, before turning to Hicks. "Soo, what do ya think?"

The coyote cocked a questioning eyebrow. "Think 'bout what?"

"'Bout this guy?" Rango nodded at the outside, where they could hear the rain beat down on the muddy soil, but not see through the vines. "Should we still turn him over to the town?"

"I think this guy should git diagnosed, that's what I think! An' why shouldn't we? We'll get three thousand for 'im after all..." He suspiciously narrowed his golden brown eyes and folded his arms across his chest. "What're ya thinkin'? Why did'cha change yer mind?!"

"What?! Hell, I ain't changin' my mind, Hicks!"

"Yeah ya did!" The coyote nodded, still with a suspicious scowl on his face. "I know ya far too well! Why don'tcha wanna turn 'im over now?!"

"Hey, I HAVEN'T changed my mind!" The basilisk replied slightly louder with a growl before lowering his voice again. "At least not yet. There's somethin' more I wanna ask this guy b'fore I decide if I wanna change my mind or not!"

Hicks was quiet for a while, but then he shrugged. "Alright, whatever ya say..."

Just then they heard footsteps getting closer on the outside, and the drapery-like vines were moved to the side as a soaked and disappointed Laughing One entered. "Alright, apparently I was all out on food... But it's alright, I mean, I'm just gonna end up in the noose soon anyway, right?"

"Umm, I've been thinkin' to ask ya 'bout that..." Rango said as soon as the hyena had sat down opposite to him. The hyena grinned insecurely and tilted his head. "How come, you've been settin' traps an' hid yourself from sheriff Bane an' the others, while you're willin' to both invite a pair of bountyhunters into yer home an' willingly ALLOW them to give ya to the sheriff?" And the fact that he seemed to WANT to be strung up was really creepy, but Rango decided to not trouble him with more than two questions at once, seeing how hard it already was for him to answer a single question.

The hyena chortled out a laugh and leaned forward. "B'cause Bane is creepy! Besides, it's REAL' fun to mess with them; they always fall for at least ONE of my traps, which aren't set for them in the first place!" He paused to chuckle and roll his eyes. "Those clumsy lil' fellas. But if they ever felt bad 'bout bein' clumsy, they should just remember that sloths sometimes fall to their deaths after grabbin' their own arms, thinkin' they're branches! Sloths are funny! Did ya guys also know that sloths-...!"

"But why decide not to mess with us?" Rango asked, cutting the hyena off before he got completely lost in his ramblings.

The Laughing One was quiet for a long time, before shrugging and letting out another chuckle. "I dunno, I guess I just ain't scared of ya guys! Even if ya DID came ridin' into town with a dead guy on a 'runner!"

Rango and Hicks exchanged a glance, thinking the same thought: That would be a first...

Then the basilisk turned his attention back to the hyena. "Why do ya want to come with us? It'll just lead to yer death anyway!"

"Yeah... But I've already told y'all why!" He scratched the thick mane on his neck and looked down at the ground, not smiling for once. "It would be safer for ev'ryone if I wasn't 'round! I don't wanna hurt anybody, but I still cause the people 'round me to die all the time! I don't want anyone else to die!"

"But do ya really wanna die yourself?"

The basilisks counter-question made the hyena flinch and look back up at him, only to turn his head away again and slowly shake it. "No... Not really..."

A heavy silence fell in the cave, which was only interrupted by the crackling of the fires and the pouring rain. It took a while until Rango decided to speak again: "So, Bentley is yer real name, huh?"

The hyena looked as if he was about to nod, but then changed his mind and shook his head instead. "Not really, my name is really somethin' else, but I've since long forgotten my real name, so people have just been callin' me Bentley!"

"So, we can call ya Bentley?"

"Absolutively!"

Rango nodded and smirked. "Good! Bentley, would the idea of joining a ruthless gang of bountyhunters utterly repulse ya, or would ya like to ride with us instead of gettin' lynched?" He noticed that both Hicks and the hyena jumped high from the question, and both stared at him in mixed shock and confusion. All he could do in return while waiting for an answer, was to smirk slyly.

"I KNEW somethin' like this was gonna happen!" Hicks growled lowly as he and Rango rode into town. "Again!"

The rain had left dark puddles in the street, in which the stars on the night sky were reflecting. It had been somewhere past midnight when the rain stopped and the two bountyhunters left, leaving the hyena behind in his cave.

Rango snorted and rolled his eyes. "The hell ya did! B'sides, when has this EVER happened b'fore?! WHEN did I last ask some crazy loner to join the gang?"

Hicks cocked his head at his companion. "They're called Coral, Flitch an' Fledge. R'member 'em?"

"Hey, may I remind ya that it was the Mexicans who approached US and ASKED to follow us!" The arrived to the livery stable, which was pitch black since nobody who worked there was awake by this late time so they had to leave their roadrunners in their rented stalls on their own. "An' Coral never really joined, she just started followin' us 'round after we kicked that Garcias ass an' now she sees me as some kinda father-figure!"

"Fine! You've never asked anyone, but do ya really think expandin' the gang further is a good idea?" Hicks said while tying Butch to a ring attached to the wall in the doorless stall. "We're already five, an' if we wanna make sure ev'ryone gets an equal share we might have to go after some real' big bountys!"

"What, are ya chicken or somethin'?"

"Of course not! But with another guy on the gang, we'll all git smaller shares of the bounty! I'll be honest; I don't really like the sound of that..."

Rango chuckled and gave Arrow one last scratch on the neck before leaving the stable with Hicks shortly behind. "Dont'cha worry, Hicks! You're forgettin' that with one more man in the gang, we'll also be able to take on some REAL' big badguys! An' it ain't just any guy; the Laughin' One from Rattle Pass! Hell, ev'ryone in the nearest towns knows 'bout this guy an' fears him for somethin' I doubt he even did! Plus, he seems real' smart, an' I bet we could find a use for a top brain in this gang" Hicks didn't object any further, to Rangos relief. He was getting really tired, and would KILL for some shuteye!

They would give Bentley some time for him to catch his roadrunner before they left, which hopefully would happen BEFORE it got out into the town and they made the entire Rattle City their enemy. And tomorrow, he would cash in the check and break the news to the others. He was really curious over how they would take it!

Bentley looked at the sun slowly rising behind the dark mountain tops from the hill he was sitting on. After a while, he turned his attention to the two little graves next to him again; Rosie and Roscoes graves. The two little snakes had been buried under a great oak tree on a hill just outside Muriels farm and he had even been attending the funeral half a year earlier, but from the shadows. He knew that if anyone had seen him, they would surely shoot him on the spot, no questions asked.

He chuckled lowly and turned to face the graves. "So yeah, I've got news for the two of you; the good news is that I found what you were searchin' for to give Muriel last Christmas!" He said as he withdrew a small package from his tattered coat, and placed it on Rosies grave. "I really hope she finds this, this lil' piece of silver was a real bitch to find! The bad news though, is that I won't be here to see the look on her face when she finds it; I'll be leavin' shortly, y'see. There's this bountyhunter who asked me to join his gang." He was quiet for a couple of beats, but then he shrugged and chuckled. "Well, it's a LOT better than to be hanged, that's for sure! Though I can't help but to worry 'bout the gang too. I've met them all, an' they're actually pretty funny people. Therefore I don't want them to die..." He did another pause.

The leaves of the oak tree rustled in a sudden gust of wind that blew, but Bentley ignored it as he stared at the two graves.

"But I've been thinkin', what if the reason y'all die is b'cause I tell ya my story? If ya don't know my story, wonder if you'll live then?" He thoughtfully rubbed his chin, but then he laughed again and stood up. "Oh well, I better get goin'! The guys are gonna leave, and the last thing I wanna do to Grumpy now after I finally caught him again is to force him to catch up to the others! He might run away again!" If he had a hat, he would have tapped it at them. "G'bye, kids! It would be fun to meet'cha again someday, man the stories I'll have to tell ya then!"

And with that, he turned his back to the graves and head towards Grumpy, who stood tied up next to a small tree, not looking too happy to once again be wearing a saddle. "So, buddy, what do we say 'bout actin' as if I'M the boss for once, just for the guys' sake?" Grumpy gave him an angry coo in response and tried to jab his beak into Bentleys arm. Bentley nodded. "Yeah, I understand; 'go fuck yourself, hyena!', am I right?"

He randomly chuckled once again and climbed up into the saddle, giving the two graves on top of the hill one last salute before riding away to meet up with the gang. His new friends. He was curious to see how long these would last!

Alright, just one chapter left now and I think y'all can guess what it's gonna be about, hehe ;)...

Anyways, I'll try to finish it before the end of the week! I wanna get this story over with before school starts again :S!