It was dusk, and most of the Loud family were hitting the hay after a busy day. Luan was still sulking in her room, unable to leave it, while Luna was reclining in her bed. Despite all the shit she had to endure these past few days, she was content knowing that she and her best friends were cool. Having her own room didn't hurt.
In the eldest sisters' room, Leni was lying on her belly and happily rocking her leg in rhythm with a pop song playing on her phone, while Lori was sprawled out on her bed and staring at the ceiling with an enervated look.
"Two days. Literally two days of nonstop work." She moaned. "My limbs feel like linguine, but they're as heavy as freaking dumbbells!"
"I know, it was so much fun. I can't remember the last time we spent so much time together." Leni nodded. "We should totes continue it. The summer's still young."
Lori sent her a venomous glare but she was too exhausted to reprimand her, even verbally.
"The only downside was…gosh, I don't want to sound mean, but the Taylors have lousy accommodations." Leni frowned but perked up just as quick. "We should give them a home makeover! Let's call Chelsey! She's a home makeover wiz! I'm sure Renee will love her!"
"Sure…" Lori muttered sardonically. "Sacrifice someone else to that she-demon."
Elsewhere, despite her face still being a bit swollen, Lola was resting in her new bed, oddly happy, all things considered. It helped that Lisa was being strangely courteous tonight. She made her roommate's bed and was fluffing up her pillow right now.
"If you're willing to hear out my advice, I would not gamble with my allergies. Even a moderately higher quantity of Ananas and the consequences could have been far more severe." Lisa said, while in the background, Fenton carried a dome-shaped thing covered by a sheet and opened a secret hatch.
"Yeah, yeah, thanks for your diagnosis, Dr. Lisa." Lola deadpanned, barely listening to her. Fenton, meanwhile, closed the hatch and typed the secret code on a keypad.
"I'm just trying to look out for you. We are still biologically related and I want you to know that I will always appreciate you, despite the astronomical number of differences between us and your many unprovoked transgressions…um… not that any of them were particularly reprehensible?" The despondent genius fumbled as she came back and gave the princess a glass of lemon juice with ice cubes.
Lola paid no mind to her words and snatched the glass with a haughty scoff. "That's nice and all, but Kathleen's a much better sister than any of you losers, so I'm good."
"I shall respect your opinion." Lisa nodded and backed away.
By the time Lola finished drinking her juice, Lisa was gone. Slightly confused, the disfigured princess looked around and then over her shoulder, but Fenton was likewise gone.
Outside, Lynn Sr. and Albert were cleaning the backyard, both men crestfallen. Their day had started with hope, an opportunity to make the most important woman in their lives happy, only for things to spiral out of control and everything to go down the drain.
"Lynn, where do you want me to take these things?" Albert asked, carrying two fold-up tables under his arms.
"Just put them in the basement." Lynn Sr. said absentmindedly, picking up the grill. "I doubt we'll be using this stuff again any time soon."
He glanced at the remaining uncooked patties stacked on a platter. That was money well spent.
He heard a bark and saw Charles looking up at him and wagging his tail before eyeing the patties.
"You hungry, buddy?" he offered a weak smile and tossed him one, which Charles caught in his jaws.
"Eat your fill for all I care. I can't keep all of them in the freezer." Lynn Sr. was about to take the grill away when he and Albert saw the kids returning.
Charles looked up with the gnawed patty in his mouth, but Marceline appeared behind him and grabbed him by the ear to pull him away.
"Hey, dad? Where's mom?" Lincoln asked. Lynn avoided eye contact with the adults.
Lynn Sr. slumped his shoulders. "She went to bed early. Needless to say, she's very upset."
"Better leave her to get some rest. There's no point in trying to apologize now." Albert said somberly.
"Guys, I'm so sorry, okay?" Lynn blurted, her tone filled with shame and regret. "I know I screwed up royally."
"LJ…I…" her father didn't know what to say.
"Lynn… you gotta think before you act." Albert told her, not in an accusatory manner but as a matter of fact. "Leaping without looking will get your head bashed in."
Lynn glanced down again before her father put a hand on her shoulder.
"I know you were trying to tell your mother that Kathleen was bad news but this was not the way to do it." he sighed. "Now….everything got ruined."
"It wasn't her fault, Kathleen was trying to trick you!" Lana exclaimed.
"Lana…" Lynn spoke up. "Just don't. I acted without thinking and I have to own up to it."
The adults didn't know what else to say. They knew Lynn had good intentions but her impulsiveness got the better of her.
"Let's just sleep on it, everyone." Albert suggested. "Hopefully, we'll be in a better headspace tomorrow."
"Good idea. We have to find some way to make it up to Rita." Lynn Sr. agreed as they carried off the tables and grill.
The kids heard Lynn Sr. mutter, "I'm really gonna need a drink…"
After that, a silence ensued, only interrupted by Lynn's despondent sigh. Lana grabbed her hand in a comforting gesture.
"Pop-Pop's right, guys." Lincoln finally spoke. "We won't get anywhere dwelling on this failure, we gotta stay focused and see where things go from here."
"Sigh. We all know Kathleen will bother us tomorrow." Lucy added.
Ryan gave a light snort, glancing at Lincoln. "You're getting better at handling these dilemmas?"
"I had lots of practice this week." Lincoln grimaced. "At least this crap is done and over, without any mad science experiments added to the mix or-"
"Lincoln?"
"Lisa?!" Lincoln jumped as he realized she was with them and grew flustered, "Eh…I was meaning to say…"
"I understand what you were meaning to say and I agree." Lisa just nodded, her demeanor as sullen as usual, before addressing the rest.
"I heard about what happened, I'm sorry that our parents' anniversary didn't go in accordance with your plans."
"Gee, thank you so much, Lizzie." Ryan snarked. "Your sympathy is all we need to magically undo this mess-"
"Will you leave her alone?" Lincoln said harshly. "This wasn't her fault. She had nothing to do with it."
"He's right, Ryan." Lynn gave him an annoyed look, muttering, "Ain't her fault. It's mine…"
"So it's unanimous now? It is your fault?" Lucy asked.
"Lucy…" Lincoln warned her in a tired tone.
"Technically, it's all the little pink stool pigeon's fault." Ryan rubbed his chin. "So? Who's up for giving her a good beating?"
The others gave him unamused looks but Lucy raised her hand. "Does beating a voodoo doll made in her likeness with a sledgehammer count?"
"I'd prefer to use it on the real deal." Ryan sneered, when Lisa cleared her throat.
"Pardon my interruption, but I was looking for you?" she turned to Lynn and revealed that she was holding a small cream container.
"What's that?" Lynn squinted with suspicion.
"As I was meticulously rummaging through and destroying all my old inventions, I found something that might help with your…um, condition." Lisa said while pointing at her own head. "It's my fault that you've been afflicted with it, so I wish to undo it."
"Wow, wow, hold on a sec?" Ryan raised his hands. "How the hell do you know that shit is even safe?"
"Did you test it?" Lincoln inquired.
"Yes, I did. This ointment helps with hair growth. I had plenty of test subjects; Xoloitzcuintles, sphynx, rodents of the genus Heterocephalus, not to mention plenty of grandfather's comrades were more than happy to offer their assistance." Lisa explained before looking aside with shame. "Unfortunately, the first test subject wound up being myself when I mixed it up with sun scream."
"What do you mean?" Lincoln asked but regrated asking as Lisa turned around and lifted her shirt, showing a back covered in a carpet of short brown hair.
The others likewise recoiled in disgust, sans Lucy.
"Wicked." She said simply. "All you need are fangs and you could pass for a werewolf pup?"
Lynn groaned and threw her beanie away. "Fine, hit me up with this stuff. I'm tired of this scratchy piece of wool on my head!"
She grabbed Lisa's hand and dragged her towards the house. Exchanging looks, the others followed.
"Are we just gonna ignore Lisa's hairy back?" a queasy Lincoln asked.
"Agreed." Ryan deadpanned. "I'm all for forgetting that nasty sight."
They passed one of the remaining folding chairs, where Cliff had been napping for several hours. He yawned and stretched himself, before trotting towards the house so he could continue sleeping in his real bed. He leaped onto the front porch from the side but jumped in shock and cowered as he almost ran into Marceline. But the Savannah barely even noticed him. She was sitting and looking at the horizon.
Cliff noticed Charles too, just in front of the porch, pacing back and forth and staring into the darkness, like he was expecting something to happen. In all their years together, Cliff had never seen the bull terrier display such iron focus.
Inside Lynn and Lana's room, the group gathered around the jock, who was sitting on her bed and Lisa applied the cream on the former's scalp, with safety gloves.
"So how long does this stuff take to kick in?" the surly Lynn asked.
"Oh, the results should be almost instantaneous…" Lisa explained. "…and it's already working."
Lynn felt her scalp and there was short hair. This brought a smile to her face, and she grabbed two mirrors and used them to observe the back of her head.
"Alright!" A small tear went down her cheek, as the others, sans Lucy, congratulated her.
"You did it, Lisa. She won't have to hide under that dumb hat anymore." Lana beamed.
"Yeah, but need we forget that her stupid super-strength serum caused this in the first place." Ryan scoffed.
"I undid the affiliation I burdened her with, what else do you expect from me?" Lisa gave him an irate look.
"Nothing." Lincoln spoke up. "You did good, Lisa. At least something went right today."
"Correction, Subject Ryan." The kids jerked as they saw Fenton waddling up to Ryan. "I was the one. Who shot the serum. Into her system. When I was out of. Master Lisa's control."
"…oh, yeah?" Ryan recalled. "It was my sister's fault. I haven't made her suffer for that yet?"
"As I have no free. Will. That assertion is. Accurate."
"Now, if you don't mind." Lisa jumped down. "Fenton and I have other good deeds to do."
"Affirmative, Master Lisa."
"What good deeds are you talking about?" Lincoln inquired, upon which Lisa grew a bit nervous.
"Um…considering that my "mad science" has endangered your lives on two recent occasions, I thought it would only be courteous to lend my assistance to all my family members as compensation."
"If you wish so, then how about helping me next?" Lucy said. "I require several people to assist me in moving the planchette on my ouija board while I summon my friends from beyond."
"Your… what now?" Lincoln asked.
"Oh, you want to hold another séance, Spooky?" Ryan ruffled her hair. "Maybe see what the future holds in store for us?"
"Exactly." She smiled.
Lincoln gave her an odd look. "Lucy, I don't know how productive-"
Ryan elbowed him in the side and whispered, "Just let her have her fun..."
"Okay, I don't know anything about this "ouija board" but I'll try my best?" Lisa scratched her head.
"Do not worry. I can download all. The necessary information. Online. Master Lisa" Fenton assured her.
"Wait a minute?" Lynn scowled while admiring her head in the mirror. "When's the rest of it going to grow back?"
"At a natural tempo, I'm afraid." Lisa explained. "My special ointment only spurs the growth of hair two and a half inches long."
"What? So I'm stuck with this haircut?" Lynn lamented. "I look like a total lesbo?"
"Oh…what does that term refer to?" Lisa asked, any terminology linked to romance being foreign to her.
"Doesn't matter, we have séance to hold. Time's of the essence." Lucy spoke up. "Kathleen could be here first thing in the morning."
Lisa and Fenton obliged and the goth said goodnight to her team.
"Rest easy tonight, for I'm confident that I will gather answers that will help us in our quest." Lucy said with utmost confidence as she left.
"Oh, victory's ours for sure now." Lynn snarked in response.
Now it was just the four of them and Lynn looked into the mirror again, sighing.
"Cheer up, Lynn." Ryan sat next to her on the bed. "Worst case scenario, everyone will just mistake you for a boy for a while?" he told her, earning a cross look.
"I'm sure it's more practical while playing sports?" Lincoln shrugged. "Easier to wear headgear?"
"I think it looks neat." Lana chimed in.
"Ughh…at least I won't have to wear a freaking beanie in July." Lynn groaned. Better something than nothing.
"Hey, I know what will make you feel better." Ryan put his hand around her. "Three words. Late-night basketball."
"You're staying for a sleepover?" Lana asked with a smile, while Lincoln massaged his forehead. Why didn't this guy just move in with them already?
"I'm all for it any day, any time." Ryan shrugged. "Marcy's with me, so there ain't nothing tying me back to my home. Renee? Hell no, I relish any chance to get away from her."
"Yeah, that's a nice thought but unless you've forgotten, mom confiscated all my sports stuff." Lynn reminded him. "All because she thinks we abused your sister."
Ryan's smile faltered. "Alright, new idea. Lori's weak and tired? We can prank her all night and suffer no consequences."
"Please don't…" Lincoln groaned but to his dismay, both of his sisters grew big smiles at the prospect of torturing the eldest Loud.
"I'm afraid that's off the table as well." They heard Albert and saw him leaning on the door frame and shaking his head. "No sleepovers."
"What do you mean, Pop-Pop?" Lynn asked and her grandfather gave her an apologetic look.
"Your mom's orders, kiddo. She really wanted to ground you, but I managed to convince her to just suspend your privileges for another week."
"WHAT?!" Lynn blurted. "Another week?"
"Sorry, LJ." Albert put his hand on her shoulder. "Best I could do given the circumstances. And this includes no friends coming over. Ryan shouldn't even be here."
Ryan snorted. "I'm all for breaking rules. Makes it more exciting."
Albert chuckled. "Can't say I condemn that. I see you and LJ are tight but you really gotta head home now."
Lynn deflated but Ryan patted her back, already concocting a diabolical idea.
"That sucks, but hey? We can still squeeze some fun out of it." he told her.
"How?"
As if on cue, they heard someone rummaging through the drawers in the bathroom and lamenting out loud.
"Ugh! There have to be some painkillers here?" an irate Lori searched the drawers when her grandfather came up behind her.
"Lori, I hate to bug you at this late hour but we need you to do something?"
Lori snapped her head back and made an overdramatic groan before facing him with an enraged glare.
"WHAT? I worked my ass off building that pasty twerp's treehouse in the sweltering heat while being slandered by that rock-and-roll bimbo!"
"Well, now you can give the pasty twerp a lift back home." Ryan appeared next to Albert, carrying Marceline in his arms.
"In your dreams, creep!" Lori snapped at him. "I can literally barely walk and I owe zilch to you!"
"But you still owe me." Lynn came up and pulled Ryan into a one-armed hug. "It's two hours till midnight, so you're still my slave."
Lori's face contorted in utter horror and she turned to Albert, but her grandfather could only shrug apologetically.
"Sorry, Lori. Your mom's asleep, your dad had a few too many shots and you know I don't see so well at nighttime."
"Right, and I'm just too young and vulnerable to be walking home at this hour." Ryan whimpered and pressed his hand against his forehead melodramatically.
Lori twitched and pursed her lips as her face was turning scarlet when Lynn offered her a chauffeur hat. "And dress for the occasion."
Meanwhile…
Within her wardrobe, which was basically a large room overstuffed with expensive clothes, inside of her clubhouse (a.k.a. a second, smaller mansion adjacent to Tisdale Mansion), Kathleen admired herself in her diamond-encrusted wall mirror. She needed to do something to rinse herself of the horrors of attending some middle-aged plebs' grill party, so she spent a few hours trying out various clothes that had been stored here for who knows how long ago after being worn once, if at all.
The one she was currently wearing, however, was a very recent addition. Kathleen had to admit that she looked fantastic in a black fur coat and wondered if she should wear it at the next tedious charity event she would have to attend to maintain her public image, and more importantly, please daddy.
"Nah, too much…" she said to herself as she prepped the collar around her neck "…more "red carpet event" than "humble philanthropist trying to do…ugh… good". She shuddered at the last word.
She couldn't wait to finally get that call from the overweight crone and her subby, telling her that they had accepted her gracious offer. Why wouldn't they? Especially after what Luan and Lynn did to her in front of their own eyes.
But if need be, she could pay them another visit and twist the knife a bit further and/or exploit their own inherent human greed. Kathleen watched her wily smirk, never ceasing to be astounded by her own cunning.
"Excuse me? Ms. Tisdale?" she heard the timid voice of one of her butlers, whose name escape her, and turned to see him standing at the door.
"What?" she scowled.
"Um…your special guest has been waiting for you all day at the pool? I told him that he couldn't use it without your permission but he threatened to beat me up?"
Kathleen rolled her eyes. She almost forgot about that nitwit.
"Also, there's a delivery waiting for you?"
Kathleen grinned. At long last.
"I'll deal with it. Move it, drone." She pushed her way past the butler and went down the stairs. The pool wasn't far away from her clubhouse, with the automatic night lights illuminating the area which was always decked out for an extravagant pool party.
There, she found the cretin sprawled out on a pool float, wearing swim trunks and shades, and holding a coke.
"This is the life…" Lyle exhaled with delight.
Kathleen was ready to kick him off that float before noticing a deliveryman standing next to the stereo system, along with a large crate.
Smiling, Kathleen approached him. "Ah, I assume it's my new home security?"
"Yes, Ms. Tisdale." The man nodded nervously and gave her his clipboard. "Sign here please?"
Kathleen did so and returned it, upon which the man tipped his hat and bolted away. "Good luck. You'll need it."
The crate shook and Kathleen could hear barking from inside it. She rubbed her hands, eager to see just how ferocious these pooches were.
But first things first, she had to deal with her leeching lackey. As she approached the pool, Lyle floated towards her.
"Enjoying ourselves?" she asked with mock courtesy.
Surprised, Lyle lifted his shades and flashed her a crooked grin. "Oh, you're back? How did it go?"
"I see your hair transplant went well?" She idly noted. Now he was slightly less repugnant to look at.
"You bet it did. I gotta thank you for giving me my rouged good looks back!" Lyle laughed crassly and threw his coke into the pool as he ruffled his new hair. They even restored the original faux-hawk style, hence why he was only slightly less repugnant to look at.
"Good…now, if you don't mind." Kathleen smiled sweetly as she held up a dart and stabbed the float.
Startled by the loud pop, Lyle went under and gasped for air as he resurfaced and shook his head dry.
"Hey! What the hell was that about?!" he lamented before coughing up water.
"The hair transplant was a show of goodwill." Kathleen lectured him. "Any further rewards will come after you do some actual work."
"But aren't we partners?" Lyle asked as he pulled himself out, almost slipping back into the pool.
"Sure we are." Kathleen rolled her eyes. "But that does not entitle you to any of my property. I'm the millionaire, while you? Well…you're just an insignificant thug who has to earn his keep."
Angered, the soaked Lyle drew a breath to argue but Kathleen stopped him.
"Revenge? Remember? You want your revenge, right?" she reminded him.
"Of course I want that." He blurted curtly.
"Then you will have to play by my rules."
"But you don't have a plan yet?" Lyle recalled and smirked. "You're "improvising"."
Kathleen felt the urge to smack him but managed to hold herself back. "I am, and the first step is to put my targets… in a more manageable location. I've offered the Louds a week-long vacation at my summer home."
"And they took it?" Lyle assumed it must be so.
"They will." Kathleen's face darkened. "Lynn and Lincoln barged in and tried to slander my good name. Luckily, that pea-brained wannabe-boy roughhousing me in front of everyone did not help her case. Not to mention ruining her parents' anniversary party and driving all their guests away."
Hearing that, Lyle burst into uncontrollable laughter. "She did that? Man, how dumb can that broad get? She'll be grounded forever!"
"I'm sure you're an expert in that field." Kathleen thought. "If only, they are far too spineless for that. But once they accept my offer, it won't matter much."
"Why wouldn't they take it?" Lyle gave her an odd look. "What moron would pass up the chance for a free vacation at a rich bozo's place?"
"That's what I'm counting on, now please be useful for once and help me open this crate." Kathleen held up a crowbar and pointed at the crate.
"Unless widdle Lyle's too weak for the task?" she cooed mockingly.
With an angry grunt, Lyle snatched the crowbar away and jumped on top of the crate.
"As if! Easy peasy!" After some difficulty, he managed to pry it open but fell over in the process, crashing into the stereo.
Kathleen ignored his pain-filled groaning as two black dogs leaped out of the crate, barking and growling.
Rubbing his aching head, Lyle rose up but squeaked in fright after seeing the dogs.
Killer and Fiffy looked at Kathleen and barred their teeth. Lyle ducked behind the crate as the dog started zeroing in on them.
"Sit." Kathleen ordered and pointed down, but the dogs wouldn't listen and started barking and snarling at her.
Frustration crept into Kathleen's features. Her face contorted and her lips curled back into an enraged snarl outclassing the dogs.
"I said….SIT!" she roared, her voice echoing across the premises.
The Dobermans dropped their ears and whimpered, before sitting down obediently.
"That's better." Kathleen smirked with satisfaction. "Disobey me again and you can eat your own feces for a week."
She turned to Lyle, who was trying to collect himself. "It's all about asserting yourself as the alpha, which means direct eye contact and no signs of fear."
"Eh…good to know." Lyle tried to save face while clutching his chest. "So why did you get the mutts?"
"A property such as mine needs proper guard dogs and the last two proved inefficient." Kathleen sneered as she picked up a grappling hook from a nearby table.
"See this? That brat Lana managed to escape from my meeting, right under their noses. Sneaky little twerp." She said begrudgingly. "Fortunately, these ones are trained to be impeccable guards or so I was told. They'll have time to prove themselves."
"If they don't…" Lyle saw a sinister glint in her eye as she tugged on her dark coat "…well, I always have room for another fashion accessory."
Lyle's eyes widened in shock. "That's messed up, Kathleen…"
"…aren't you worried about catching fleas?"
Kathleen shrugged. "Meh. I had it dry-cleaned."
"…I'm just saying, what's your talent again? Lynn's great at sports, Luan's a prank wiz, Lizzie's a diminutive mad scientist, Luna plays the guitar, even Pinky won a lot of pageants…"
Lori dared not look at the house she came to associate with torment and humiliation as she parked her still dented car in front of it, while also trying to block out Ryan's incessant chatter.
"Meanwhile, your talent is… what? Setting a new record for highest phone bill?"
"I'm a great golfer! So there!" she finally snapped back and threw her chauffer hat away.
Ryan gave her a pitying look. "Ah, so you excel at a sport practiced by geezers? Figures."
Lori worked hard to remember that this hideous creature was actually a 12-year-old boy and that she would land herself in lots of trouble if she punched him across the street.
"We've arrived at your residence, sir." she replied through clenched teeth. "Now get out."
"Awww…but I have more questions?" Ryan said with mock disappointment. "Is it true that the real reason you're so sour all the time is because some chick named Carol is better than you at everything?"
Then again, a bruised ass was easier to dismiss. So Lori grabbed him by the collar and gave him the boot. Marceline jumped after him.
"Go die in a hole!" she snarled and hit the gas.
Ryan got up and wiped the dirt off his face before sending her an evil grin. "Oh, I'm gonna remember that!" he shouted.
"Yeesh, nobody can take criticism these days." He mused before noticing Marceline meowing in a worried manner and pushing him towards the door.
"Oh, sorry." He picked her up. "You haven't had dinner yet. We'll fix that."
As he carried her in, Marceline kept her eyes peeled but fortunately saw nothing and relaxed as Ryan closed the door.
But they were anything but safe. They were being watched from just across the street, as a dark figure lurked in the alleyway, narrowing his good eye.
So there was no doubt this was where the ugly one resided, by its lonesome no less. He kept that in mind as he slinked off, always amazed how a little darkness could render him invisible to the hairless apes and allow him to walk among them.
Back at the Loud house…
Down in the basement, the most sacred of rituals was being held…
…at least from Lucy's perspective.
"Oh, great, all-knowing spirits. Please impart your infinite wisdom on us naïve mortals…"
Luan, eager to break the rules once the adults were asleep, and Lisa tried not to groan as the goth recited the same chant for the fourth time. They humored her, the latter out of guilt and obligation, the former just to please her little sister and because she was bored out of her skull.
"What challenges await our family in the near future?" Lucy asked, wearing her fortune-teller hat.
"Or…just tell us how to stop our sister Lynn from making idiotic decisions?" she added.
"Pfft…now that's a riddle for the ages." Luan rolled her eyes.
"Shush…I sense their presence. Do you?"
"Eh…sure we do." Lisa played along. "The surge of…spiritual energy is stupendous."
"Yeah, ditto."
The three moved the planchette across the board, while Fenton wrote down each letter it stopped on.
After it was done, Lucy turned to the robot, who had written down "GBZGL" on the whiteboard, below "AFTYG", below "ZHKGI", below "WDGHK".
"So, what does it spell this time?"
Fenton scanned the word and said, "Another word. Not found in the. English lexicon. Or any language."
"Can you decrypt it?" Lucy asked.
Fenton ran his data before saying, "No results. In any language."
"Hmmm…the connection in the spirit realm must still be fuzzy. We'll have to try again."
The genius and prankster let out long sighs, while Lucy retained her focus.
Watching them from atop the stairs was Cliff, hunkered down and flicking his tail idly before looking up at the window and seeing the moon. It made him wonder if Charles was still standing in front of the porch.
Going back into the living room and through the cat door, he found Charles vigilantly guarding the house, his gaze glued on the horizon.
Just how dumb was that mutt, the cat thought? There was no way a wolf would stroll into a town?
But just as Cliff was about to knock some sense into him, a low growl escaped the bull terrier's throat, making the feline nervous. For a few moments, nothing happened, just the continued sound of crickets and other nocturnal critters. Cliff was on the verge of relaxing, figuring that it was a false alarm but then Charles growled even louder and bore his teeth.
The black cat's blood ran cold as he gazed into the darkness and saw an eyeshine. A single eyeshine. Every fiber of Cliff's body was screaming at him to run for the cat door, but no brain signal could seemingly reach his legs, which were frozen stiff.
Out of the darkness emerged One Eye, his expression and posture indifferent. He was casually trotting towards them and sniffing the air, as if the former were invisible to him.
Charles stood his ground, his neck hair bristling as he clawed at the ground and growled, while Cliff was utterly petrified. To his horror, Charles was moving closer to One Eye, utterly dwarfed by the enormous wolf. Cliff bit his lip, knowing this was it for his canine companion, and promptly closed his eyes shut and looked away.
Charles barked and barked but One Eye just moved past him, unfazed by his squeaky barks. Dumbfounded by the wolf's brazenness, Charles saw him scoping the house and sniffing, which only enraged the bull terrier further.
Not hearing sounds of carnage, Cliff dared to look and saw One Eye rearing up on the window, which was covered by the blinds. Snarling, Charles charged at the wolf and sunk his teeth into his left heel.
Cliff jolted back in fear while One Eye just sent the dog an annoyed glare and kicked him away. Charles tumbled around and slammed into the tree. Woozy, Charles stood up on wobbly legs and growled as the wolf continued circling the house.
Again, he charged at the intruder and this time chomped down on One Eye's front paw. This got the wolf to growl and Cliff screeched and bolted through the cat door.
Snarling and shaking it, Charles clung on to the wolf's paw, determined to hold him away from the house, only to get lifted into the air and One Eye flung him away like a mosquito. Squealing, Charles flew through the air and crashed into his doghouse, utterly demolishing it in the process.
Seeing that the pesky vermin was down and out, One Eye turned his attention back to the house. Yes, their scent was everywhere, it was one of the runts' two dens. If it was more than two, that bumbling bird would get one of his wings clipped.
He smiled to himself and lifted his leg up. Now it was just a matter of catching them off guard and he already knew where to strike first.
The next night, the ugly one would die.
Poor Charles thought that he was going to do some Rin Tin Tin shit and the only thing that saved his life was his complete insignificance in One Eye's mind. Lucy might not get any prophecies from the spirit realm, but we all know now that Ryan will certainly get sidetracked from helping the Louds deal with Kathleen.
And if you're wondering, the grappling hook Kathleen found comes from the time Ryan and Lynn snuck their way onto her property as ninjas to eavesdrop on her meeting with Lori, Leni, Luna, and the twins, and they were forced to leave it after running off in a hurry. Glad I could finally address that loose end. And the ironic thing is, one of Kathleen's Dobermans did catch Lana as she was trying to sneak away but she used her "friend to all living things" powers to instantly befriend the vicious guard dog and give him a belly rub. Too bad it directly led to his and his partner's demise XD