Hello my lovely readers! We are back with a new chapter!
I am so sorry this one took so long to do. I've been taking a summer class and its a lot of material to cover. I appreciate your patience and now we have a new story for the summer!
Now, let's continue our story...
Season 2, episode 7; Fireside fun!
"Ok let's see…sleeping bags?" Audrey asked, looking over a checklist as Andy went through the different duffle bags.
"Check." He replied.
"Flashlights?"
"Check."
"Extra clothes?"
"Check."
"Bug spray?"
"Check."
"Ok, Monica has her potions for first aid. Uh, did we pack cooking supplies?"
"Yep. In that duffle." Andy replied.
"Nice. I got books, meals, s'mores materials, tents, pillows, sunscreen. I think we're good."
It has been a few weeks since the hero's last encounter with the Devil, as he tried to disguise himself as Josh to get to Audrey. Needless to say, he failed. Again. And he was sent back in defeat.
Since then, the group has been planning to get away for a bit, and Andy suggested that they would go camping. Naturally the boys were excited and were hyped to go. So the group began planning and before they knew it, the day came for them to go on their weekend camping trip.
Audie finished packing when she heard the door knock.
"Come in."
The door opened and Carmel stepped in, her new suitcase in hand.
"Hi, Audrey. Are you almost packed?"
"Yes, just about. Oh this is really exciting. It's been a while since I went camping." Audrey smiled. "Last time I went, I was with some friends from school."
"Oh, that sounds amazing." Carmel beamed. "I want to thank you for letting me and Joe come along. I-I really hope I can spend time with my boys…"
Audrey noticed she was twisting the helm of her dress, looking nervous. It had been a while for Carmel and Joe to adjust to parent life, as well as adjusting to freedom. They have spent time with the cups and learned about them, but Audrey could see that they won't have their first moments with them.
No thanks to the Devil.
Audrey placed down her blanket, walked over and gently grasped Carmel's hands.
"I know it can be scary and you want to make this right, and you are. You are spending time with the boys and learning about them. That's what a good mother would do."
"But I still feel awful for all of what happened. The deal, the fear, the abandoning." Carmel sighed. "It's because of a horrible choice I lost the chance to be with my babies. I-I missed it all; their first steps, words, everything."
Carmel felt hot tears sting her eyes as she sat on the edge of the bed, Audrey sitting next to her. There was a bit of silence before Audrey spoke up.
"I know it's hard to forget what happened. Trust me there are things I have done and said that I wish I could take back. But the good news is you are back in their lives and they missed you so much. Now you can be with them, as their mother."
"You think so?"
"I know so! And whatever deal that happened, I'm sure we can figure it out. But for now, we are going to have fun for the weekend. I think we all need it after all that craziness."
"I couldn't agree more. Thank you Audrey. I know one day you will be an amazing mother and your children will be so lucky to have you."
"Aww, thanks, Carmel. Now, let's finish packing. Andy and Josh are seeing how the boys are doing. I just don't want Elder Kettle to over pack."
"Why?"
Before Audrey could answer, there was screaming followed by a loud
CRASH!
"Oh jeez not again!" They heard Kettle groan.
"Elder Kettle, I told you not to pack your war stuff." Josh mentioned. "We are going camping, not a battle."
"One never knows what one will discover in the wild." Kettle sighed.
The girls looked at each other, before laughing. Good ol' Elder Kettle. Always wanting to go to war for fun.
After a quick laugh, the girls resumed packing, and double checking they had everything. They then headed upstairs to see how well they were doing with their packing. They came in and saw what was to be expected;
Cuphead was bouncing up and down on his suitcase trying to fit in an enormous amount of clothes, toys, and comics, while Mugman was finishing up as he was neatly folding his clothes in his suitcase.
"Ah, two little cups in their natural habitat." Audrey joked.
"Oh, hi Miss Audrey. Hi, mama." Mugman beamed. "Just finishing up before we head out. Wouldn't say the same for Cuppy."
"Don't, worry, almost, got it…" Cuphead grunted as he shoved the lid of his suitcase over the mountain of clothes. With all his might, he managed to shut it tight and clicked it locked.
"Whew. That's a work out." He sighed.
However, he spoke too soon as the suitcase burst open, sending everything in the air and all around the room. A sock landed on Audrey's head, a shirt landed on Carmel, and a stack of comics landed on Cuphead. The two hurried over and retrieved him from the pile, helping him up.
"Honey, we're only going for the weekend." Audrey pointed out. "Besides, you only need a few changes of clothes after swimming."
"I know, but I wanna be extra prepared if we encounter a large monster." Cuphead mentioned. "I once met this guy, who knew this guy, who knew this guy, who knew this guy, who knew this guy, who knew this guy, who knew this guy, who knew this guy, who knew this guy, who knew this guy, who knew this guy, who knew this guy, who knew this guy, who knew this guy, who knew this guy, who knew this guy, who knew this guy's cousin…"
Carmel chuckled as she took the shirt off her head. "Darling, I'm sure we won't run into any monsters on our trip. Besides, it's just woodland creatures who won't bother us if we leave them be."
"See, Cuphead? The last episode of Dirk Dangerous was just pretend." Mugman rolled his eyes. "He tricked the bad guy into doing weird things to save Patricia Pureheart."
"You never know what'll happen!" Cuphead warned his brother.
"Don't worry, we'll keep a look out for one. Now let me help you pack."
Carmel began to neatly fold the clothes and packed the right amount in his suitcase. She even encouraged Cuphead to bring two comics of his choosing for space, and helped him clean up the room.
She closed the suitcase and sighed. "There we go. All packed and ready for the trip."
"Thanks, Mama. That helps a lot." Cuphead smiled, hugging her. She gave him a gentle squeeze and kissed his cheek. Normally he would be repulsed by that, but he didn't seem to mind. He enjoyed hugging his true Mama.
Mugman then asked "Miss Audrey, do you and Mr. Andy need any help finishing packing?"
"Oh honey you're so sweet. I don't think we need any more help. Josh and Elder Kettle are loading the car. We'll be heading out after lunch and a bathroom break."
"Ok, Miss Audrey. I kinda feel bad we're not going to be close to home, but I guess it's ok."
"We'll only be gone for a few days and be home on Sunday evening. Besides, camping is fun; we'll go hiking, swimming, roast marshmallows, tell camping stories, and star gaze."
"That sounds awesome!" Cuphead beamed. "Do you think Papa, Elder Kettle, Mugs and I will go fishing?"
"I don't see why not. That would be a great way for some bonding and fish catching." Carmel smiled.
"I remember my dad used to take Josh out fishing for bonding time and he even told me that Josh asked for his blessing to marry me."
"That is so sweet. I'm glad you married a great guy. Josh is the one for you."
"Yeah. My mom said the same thing at the reception."
After finishing up some packing, they loaded the truck, had some lunch and managed to pile everyone in. Kettle then started the engine, and headed off with the family.
A few hours later, the gang arrived in the forest. They had to park near the edge of the forest and walk the remaining way. Sunrays peaked through the branches, woodland critters scurried about and the sun reflected off the lake, shimmering like diamonds.
The cups were walking with their folks while Josh and Audrey strolled together, holding hands.
"Man it is so nice out." Josh sighed. "I kinda forgot the beauty of nature, but nothing is more beautiful than you."
"Oh Josh, you're so sweet." Audrey blushed. "I still laugh at our camping trip when we were in college. You and Steve did the craziest of things; from jumping off a high cliff to go swimming, to attempting to eat the biggest stack of s'mores. I often wonder how Sasha can put up with him."
"I was surprised she actually accepted his proposal. But, the two are meant for each other, like you and I."
He gave her a kiss before hearing Kettle announce "Alright gang! We're here!"
He pushed aside a few branches and they arrived at their camping spot. It was a spacious area with different pathways, setting up right near the lake, a stone circle for holding a small fire, and trees that were evenly planted allowing the group to see the great blue sky.
"Oh wow! This is a wonderful spot!" Monica gasped. "It's so peaceful and amazing!"
"Why thank you. I know its a bit far from the cottage but I thought it would be helpful for us to be one with nature." Kettle mentioned. "But don't worry, we've come prepared."
"Awesome! Ok, let's set up the tents." Josh announced. "Maybe afterwards we can go swimming."
"Sounds like a plan."
The group then began setting up the tents. There was a bit of struggle, since Audrey and Josh were more used to the instant pop-up tents back home, but because they were in a different time zone and world, they had to adapt to putting up tents the old fashioned way. Luckily, Mugman, who was a Cub Scout in his troop, lended them a helping hand with their tent.
"And there we go." Mugman announced, as he unzipped the tent zipper. "Whew. That took a bit longer but it's ok."
"Thanks so much for your help sweetie." Audrey smiled. "I had no idea you were part of a Cub Scout troop."
"Yeah, I joined a few months ago before we met." He explained. "Elder Kettle wanted me to be more social and to learn different skills like making a fire, putting up a tent and other abilities. It's hard work but it's still fun, especially when I'm with other scouts."
"That's good. I know one of my friend's brothers used to be in boy scouts." Audrey recalled. "He had to learn similar abilities and had to go on a lot of camping trips."
"Didn't she say that on some trips, they would just wear the same thing and everything else would be neatly folded in the suitcase?" Josh asked.
"Yep, that's what she told us." Audrey smiled.
Andy, who was bringing his stuff over, overheard a bit of the conversation.
"Erm, sorry to barge in but who are you talking about?"
"Oh, one of my friends from school. She stayed at the university I went to before transfering over to another." Audrey explained. "Her name is Natty and her brother is a former boy scout."
"Awesome! Maybe I'll meet her someday." Andy mused.
And he did! Ah, love foreshadowing.
Once everyone got settled, they proceeded to change into their swimsuits and head to the lake. The boys were doing cannonball contests while the rest were chilling on their blankets. They were enjoying their time together without a care in the world.
However, unknown to them, a couple of eyes were spying on them from a bush nearby. Turns out, it was Bash and Shriek who spotted them. They peaked from their spot, the bush leaves on their heads and got a clear view.
"Well, look at that. The boss's fiance is there along with those other losers." Bash commented. "They thought they could try and hide away but we caught them red handed!"
"Erm, what color are their hands now?" Shriek asked.
Bash rolled his eyes. "It's a figure of speech, dimwit."
"But you said you caught them red-handed." Shriek pointed out. "I caught them in the act."
"Ohhhh!" Shriek realized. Then he asked "But why are they in an act? Are they in a show?"
Bash smacked the back of his brother's head, groaning.
"Ow!"
"Come on, let's get to the boss and tell him where his bride is."
They then rushed out of the bushes and headed for a secret compartment that led to the underworld. Elsewhere, the Devil was in his throne room watching a horror film. It was the classic setting of teens, camping in the forest. They were huddled around a campfire, telling scary stories.
"And then the monster clawed at the civilians, and all that was left were two hiking hats." The boy in the film concluded.
"Come on, Ricky, Get real! There's no such thing as a crazed monster!"
Just then there was rustling in the leaves and then that same monster appeared roaring at them. They screamed and began to run as the monster gave chase. The Devil was slumped on his throne, munching on some popcorn while Henchman sat next to him shivering under a blanket.
"Oh for goodness sake, Henchman. It's just a film." The Devil groaned. "No need to get all freaked out."
"B-but it's scary boss!" Henchman whimpered. "The monster is really terrifying! Why couldn't we watch A Night at the Opera?"
"Because we watched that fifty times last week! And I kept count!" The Devil snapped. "Besides, it was my turn to pick and I thought a thrilling horror movie would be fun."
As he proceeded to watch the film, there were faint screams that got louder and louder until Bash and Shriek came falling from the tubes and landed on their stomachs with a THUD!
The Devil groaned and made the film reel and movie vanish. Henchman peeked from the covers and took a sigh of relief.
"Ugh, you two bimbos again. What do you want now?"
"Sorry to bother you about your movie, boss, but we have some news!" Bash announced as the two stood up.
"Well? Get on with it." The Devil rolled his eyes.
"We saw your bride and the others in the forest." Shriek added. "And we saw them with red on their hands!"
"No, I said we caught them red handed." Bash corrected his brother.
"Hmm. What color are their hands now?" The Devil asked.
Bash looked at his boss perplexed. Did he seriously just ask that question?
"Kidding. I know what you mean." The Devil mentioned.
He snapped his fingers and his magic mirror appeared. He tapped the glass and it showed him that Audrey was indeed on a camping trip with the others. They were swimming in the lake, laughing and having fun. A scowl came over his face as he saw Audrey snuggle up to Josh as he wrapped a towel around her. She gazed at him with love and the two kissed.
"Ugh he makes me sick. I don't understand what she sees in him. He's just a nobody." The Devil growled.
"Duh, I dunno boss." Henchman chimed in. "She seems pretty happy."
"I'm sorry Henchman, did I ask for your opinion?" The Devil asked, annoyed, making Henchman flinch.
"Duh, guess not."
The Devil began to ponder trying to come up with a new plan. Then it came to him.
"Ohh I think I have an idea. We'll head to the campgrounds and scare them. Once they're on the run, I'll get my bride to safety and whisk her away back to my humble home. We'll plan our wedding and then get married in a week!"
"So, are we going camping?" Henchman asked.
"Of course we are." The Devil answered. "I will have my imps find us a spot near them so I can proceed with my attack."
"Oh boy! Camping! Oh it's so much fun!" Henchman squealed. "We can go hiking, fishing and swimming, and roasting marshmallows! We can tell campfire stories and sing songs!"
"We can do that after I scare them off." The Devil intruded. "Come along now I want to start preparing."
The Devil and his minions headed out of the throne room to begin his plot.
A few hours later, the group finished swimming and went on a small hike. Upon returning, they changed into some fresh clothes and sat around the campfire, finishing their dinner. The stars in the night sky began to shimmer and the moon hung high and proud.
The heroes were finishing their meal, campfire mac and cheese, sprinkled with chicken, bacon, and ranch seasoning. They additionally had some rolls, chips, watermelon and salad. As they talked the sound of crickets harmonized in the air and the wind gently rustled by.
Cuphead finished his food and took a happy sigh.
"Whew. That was good."
"I agree. Thanks so much for cooking, Elder Kettle." Mugman smiled.
"Of course my boy. Always happy to cook, especially when we go camping." He beamed.
"So, have you taken the boys out camping before?" Carmel asked.
"A few times, but nothing too long." Kettle explained. "They were still really young at the time I took them on their first trip. We only went a bit from the house just to make the road trip easier. But we still made time for camp stories and other fun activities."
"Ah that makes sense." Andy piped up, scooping more mac and cheese in his bowl. "You don't want to be gone too long otherwise they'll get homesick."
"Andy, isn't that like your third helping?" Josh pointed out. "Aren't you full?"
"Not me. I love food and my mother would say I'm a bottomless pit." He grinned. "I once ate three servings of Thanksgiving dinner and still had room for pie."
"But how are you so fit?" Joe asked.
"Back in school, I did a lot of athletics. My favorite sports were track, swimming, and baseball."
"Oh I see. You're that type of guy that can eat all he wants but still works it off for training." Audrey mentioned.
"Yep. People say I eat like Joey from Friends, who's cool, but I make sure I don't take it too far."
Once they had finished eating, Joe suggested "Hey anyone up for a few camp songs?"
"Sure! Always love a good tune." Kettle grinned.
"Awesome. I have just the thing." Andy reached behind his chair and pulled out a guitar and placed it on his lap. As he tuned it, Audrey was shocked.
"You play guitar? That's so cool. I had no idea you played it."
"Yeah, something I like to do in my free time." He explained. "Helps me relax and focus on something else than life."
"I know that feeling. When I get anxious, I play my cello."
"Sweet! I do have a song in mind if you guys would like to hear. Then I can take requests."
"Go for it." Josh smiled, wrapping his blanket around Audrey who leaned back in his embrace.
Andy finished tuning and began to play, music filling the air.
*New Song: On the Run from "Steven Universe" by Michaela Dietz and Zach Callison*
Andy: It's time to get moving, time for us to have some fun. There's no time to hang around, our adventure's just begun. We'll be thinking 'bout our friends as we chase the setting sun.
Andy: But we're leaving them behind, we're on the run. (We're on the run)
Andy; I don't care about what all the others say. (We're on the run)
Andy: Well I guess there are some things that will just never go away. (We're on the run) I wish that I could see that there's no better place than home.
Andy; But home's a place that I have never known. That's why we're on the run…
*End of Song*
When he finished, the group applauded and cheered for him.
"Wow! That was amazing!" Joe cheered.
"Splendid! Absolutely splendid!" Carmel beamed.
"Heh heh thanks." Andy sheepishly smiled. "I know I like getting attention on the track, but I try not to be like that with music."
"Hey, that was cool. I appreciate the tune." Audrey smiled.
"Thanks. Ok, let's make some requests."
They then gave him a few and the group sang songs like "She'll be coming around the mountain" or "Down By the Bay" their voices echoing in the air.
While they were singing, the Devil was not too far from there. He was a bit aways from them but could make it to their site by walking or in his case teleporting. Bash, Shriek and Henchman followed behind him, carrying some suitcases and other supplies. He looked around his spot, and took a deep breath.
"Mmmm so refreshing to be out here. Alright let's bring up my stuff."
"Wow, boss. I'm so glad that you're taking a liking to camping." Henchman pointed out. "I know it's just to get Miss Audrey but it's nice to go camping. Sleeping in tents, making meals from a pot on the fire, gazing at the stars."
"What? Oh no I won't be sleeping in a tent." The Devil announced.
Bash arched an eyebrow. "But where are you going to sleep?"
He simply snapped his fingers and imps began carrying a lot of things from the underworld; his bed, his bath, supplies to make a portable kitchen, his entire wardrobe of clothes (don't ask why) and a fancy hammock with two imps carrying a couple of fans.
As the imps began setting up, Henchman asked. "Duh, boss, what's with all your stuff?"
"Well, I am going camping after all and I want to be comfortable." The Devil simply put. "I don't want to be on the hard and dirty ground."
"But boss, the idea of camping and roughing it out is not having stuff like this on the trip." Henchman argued. "You need to be living in a tent, sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag and having dinners made on the campfire."
"Ugh yeah I am not that camping type of person. Besides, when I bring my darling Audrey here, she'll be greeted by a luxurious spot before I take her back to my kingdom."
"But some of the stuff you need to plug in. Where are you going to do that out in the forest?"
"Oh simple you plug it in the-hey there's no area to plug in my hot tub! And no place for my buffet! Ugh! The woods are the absolute worst!" The Devil whined. Taking a breath he claimed "Never mind that. We'll put my plan into action. We'll scare off those fools and I will then get my darling Audrey."
He and his minions began hatching their plans.
With the group, they had finished listening to Cuphead and Mugman's story of their high seas adventure with Britney Beard. Audrey couldn't help but smile along with the story. It was a great one, especially since she did experience it herself. Though they did add some things to the story that weren't part of the original adventure.
"And just before the sea beast grabbed us, we launched cannons at it, causing her to scream in pain making our escape!" Cuphead narrated.
"We then ran to the ship and she was close behind. We got on board and used our weapons to fight against her!" Mugman continued.
"Kaboom! Whack! Pow!" Cuphead shouted, creating sound effects. "The battle raged on. It was intense."
"But after a long battle, we did it, we defeated the sea beast and claimed our prize, heading home with the hearts of true pirates."
They took a bow as the grown ups applauded and cheered.
"Bravo! Bravo!" Andy beamed.
As they finished, Josh leaned towards Audrey and asked. "Say, didn't you go on that adventure with them? How come you didn't stop them?"
"I figured it's not a big deal." Audrey shrugged. "They know what happened. They wanted to make it more exciting, that's all."
Josh nodded and the two cups gave a small yawn, rubbing their eyes.
"Uh oh. Looks like someone's tired." Carmel giggled. "How about we call it a night?"
"Sounds good to me. I'm getting a bit tired as well." Monica added, stretching a bit.
Kettle then carefully spilled water over the fire, bidded good night to each other and headed to their tents. Carmel and Joe obviously shared one with the cup brothers, Monica stayed with Kettle and Andy while Josh and Audie had theirs. Once they got ready for bed, they snuggled under their sleeping bags and drifted off to sleep.
As Carmel and Joe settled in, they looked over at their boys, blissfully sleeping near each other, and smiled. It had been so long since they had been together as a family and now they were all reunited.
Carmel carefully approached them, and gently stroked their cheeks, making them smile in their sleep. She felt tears of joy sting her eyes, seeing her little boys with them once more. She then kissed their foreheads gently before snuggling with her husband.
Finally, a good night's rest for our heroes.
Or so they thought.
A few hours had passed and the heroes were asleep, gently snoring and dreaming blissful dreams. The only sounds that were made were the gentle wind and the crickets chirping.
Cuphead, on his back, drooling with his mouth open, was stirred awake by the sound of a small twig snapping faintly. He groggily opened an eye before drifting back to sleep. Then, there was another snap, this one a bit closer and louder. He turned over trying to block out the noise when he heard another one, this one snapping loudly.
Cuphead woke up with a start, panting as he looked around. His parents were still asleep and Mugman was snoozing while holding a plushie he brought home. He waited a second, wanting to hear if something would happen. To his surprise nothing did.
Calming down, he curled up back in his sleeping bag and went to sleep. However, it was short lived as he heard multiple snaps, startling him. He reached over and shook Mugman.
"Mugs! Psst! Mugs!" Cuphead whispered. Mugman fluttered his eyes and saw his brother terrified.
"Mmm. What's wrong, Cuppy? Bad dream?" He quietly asked.
"No. I heard something outside. It sounded real close." He replied, shaking a bit. "It might be a monster."
"Cuphead, for the last time, there is no crazy monster." Mugman groaned. "It was probably a creature scurrying about. Now let me sleep."
He rolled over to go back to bed when his brother shook him again.
"Mugsy please. I think there might be something out there. And it sounds close."
Mugman took a sigh. He knew Cuphead wouldn't stop this unless he proved him otherwise. Sitting up, he asked. "If I go with you and prove there's no monster out there, will you go to sleep?"
Cuphead nodded quickly.
"Ok fine let's go."
They gathered their flashlights and crawled from their tent. Once back outside, they stood up, flicked their flashlights on and headed out into the woods. They didn't go super far, still seeing the campsite a few yards away, and scanned the area.
"See anything?" Cuphead asked, his voice shaking.
"No, because it's not anything to worry about." Mugman assured him, a bit annoyed. "Look, you have to stop watching movies and listening to the radio about monsters. They're not real. The only monster around is the Devil and we haven't seen him in a while."
Cuphead pondered for a bit before taking a sigh.
"You're right Mugsy. I'm sorry. I guess I got caught up with the Dirk Dangerous episode."
"It's ok. Let's just go back and get some sleep."
"Ok."
The two began to head back when Mugman needed to tie his shoe. As he relaced it, he began feeling hot air breathing down his neck.
"Sheesh, Cuppy, no need to be so close. I know you love me, but can ya try and be a bit farther?"
"Uh, Mugs, I'm over here." Cuphead pointed out. Sure enough, Cuphead was a few feet in front of his brother. Then, a terrible thought came to mind.
If that's Cuphead, who's behind Mugman?
He stood up and looked and was face to face with a large bear, hunchbacked like a gorilla, razor sharp claws, twisted horns and pointed teeth. He gave a thunderous roar as the boys just stared at him.
"Oh, it's just a bear monster." Mugman sighed.
"Oh, that's good." Cuphead smiled.
It took them a second to realize what they had just said.
"BEAR MONSTER?!" They cried, now in absolute terror. The bear roared again, causing the boys to scream in terror, bolting back to the campsite.
They ran as fast as they could screaming for help. Unknown to them, the Devil was watching from afar, grinning wickedly.
"Oh this is too good. Now to have some more fun."
With the campers, they were happily sleeping when they heard the faint sound of screaming and crying for help. It got louder and louder until they heard
"MAMA! PAPA! AUDREY! ELDER KETTLE! HELP!"
Everyone sprang awake, startled by the noise.
"Huh?! What's going on?!" Josh asked.
"I don't know, but the boys are in trouble!" Audrey cried.
They scrambled out of their tents and rushed out, seeing the boys run as fast as they could. They ran into their parents arms, talking a mile a minute.
"Whoa! Whoa! Boys! Take it easy!" Joe replied.
"Oh sweet boys, what's wrong?" Carmel asked.
They were speaking so fast and so scared no one could understand a word they were saying.
"Dudes! One at a time!" Andy cried.
Finally, they both shouted
"BEAR MONSTER!"
Before they could ask, just then the monster that was chasing them appeared, startling the group. Joe and Carmel held the boys close, as Kettle gestured them behind him. Audrey got a bit scared herself, as Josh held her in a protective hug.
"Whoa! What the heck is that?!" Josh asked.
"I don't know, but I don't think it's looking for a nice hive of honey." Audrey shuddered.
Elder Kettle rushed back in his tent and got his pistol, aiming it at the bear.
"Beat it, creep! No one hurts my family!"
The bear snarled at him, slowly approaching them. Andy and Monica reach for their wands which were in their back pockets. Then the monster lept a them, Kettle was ready to fire, the couple holding their boys close and Monica and Andy pulled out their wands, blasting beams of magic at it.
It roared in pain, trying to attack the group. It was fighting the spells and was getting closer to the gang startling them.
"Oh jeez! He's getting closer!" Josh gasped. "That is not a normal bear!"
"That part we got!" Andy replied. "What do we do?! We can't let him attack us and we don't wanna let him rampage the area!"
Just then a thought came to Elder Kettle.
"Guys! I have a plan! But it requires our camping survival skills!"
"Alright! Let's do it!" Audrey announced.
They then began using their skills to take down the bear. They tied knots around rope while Andy and Monica held it off. Audrey drew in her sketchbook to make a swinging log trap and once that was set up, Mugman used his knife skills to cut the rope. It swung at the bear, slamming into it, and caused it to fall on its back with a thud. While it was dazed and on the ground, Cuphead threw the knotted rope around its legs, and Andy and Elder Kettle used the fishing rope to tighten the grip. Monica finished it off by using her magic, making sure that the rope didn't snap.
Once that was over, the bear grunted and snarled struggling in the trap. The group gasped and panted.
"Sheesh, that was way too close." Kettle sighed. "Everyone ok?"
"I think so." Josh replied.
"Someone wanna tell me where the heck that bear came from?" Joe asked. "I know bears aren't the friendliest of creatures, but that's only when you really aggravate it."
"Dunno, but from the looks of this one, it's not a normal bear." Carmel claimed. "I mean look at it. It has a hunch back like a gorilla and has…horns. Oh no."
Just then, they heard the bushes rustle, and the Devil, who was in his pink bathrobe and slippers, came out and was very ticked off.
"Are you KIDDING ME?!" He shouted, stomping over to the bear. "I made you to attack them and you failed?! Ugh! I put in so much time and effort to make sure you get the job done and you didn't succeed!"
"Well, that does make sense on where it came from." Audrey muttered.
"Guess we should have seen that coming but eh, no worries." Josh shrugged.
Carmel wasn't too thrilled to see him. As Joe held on to his boys, she shouted. "What is your problem!? We just wanted to have a nice camping trip and you ruined it! And why are you wearing a pink bathrobe?"
"I wanted to wear something comfy after my time in the hot tub." The Devil sneered. "I want to enjoy my trip, not feel sore and dirty."
"But how did you make the hot tub turn on?" Andy asked. "You're in the middle of the forest."
"I used my magic, that's how. I have all my stuff from my kingdom to have a relaxing time."
Shooting Audrey a lustful grin, he added. "And I'm more than happy to share with you, my darling."
"Ew! Hard pass!" Audrey gagged.
"Look, that's not the point! It was horrible for you to attack when we're on a trip!" Monica shouted.
"Well too bad, pixie! Evil does not sleep!"
"Says the guy who slept for ten hours after watching movie reels." Josh mentioned, rolling his eyes.
"Who told you!?" The Devil shouted.
As they argued, the Devil pulled out his pitchfork and tried to blast at them. Andy deflected it as it bounced off the trees before hitting the bear's trap, making the bounds vanish. The bear got up, stretched his legs and growled at the group. It began to slowly approach the group which they noticed and got defensive again.
The Devil wasn't too thrilled to see it escaped, as he didn't care and retorted.
"Glad you finally got your act together, you stupid bear! Now make yourself useful and attack them!"
The bear hesitated for a second, as if he was trying to figure out who to attack first. I mean, don't get me wrong, I know they attack just because, but this one was trying to figure out his move. There were a lot of people so it was hard to choose who to attack.
The Devil was not thrilled about it and shouted "Just choose the dumb blonde and end him! Why is it so hard for you to choose?!"
"Hey! Stop being mean to him!" Mugman shouted. "I know he's evil but you don't have to be rude."
"I can do what I want! I'm its master! And I'm telling it to attack!"
He then banged his pitchfork on its head, causing it to roar in pain, before shooting a glare at him.
At that moment, the Devil realized he had messed up.
He didn't have time to react as the bear slapped his pitchfork out of his hand, sending it flying out of sight and then proceeded to maul the Devil, as he screamed in fear. The group huddled together, scared out of their minds what was happening.
It wasn't anything gruesome. It was actually very comical, but seeing someone get beat up right before ya isn't super funny.
Henchman, Bash and Shriek arrived, and were shocked by the bear's attack and hid in the bushes.
Suddenly, in the midst of all that, Cuphead got an idea.
"Monica! Can you draw a circle around us? It could act like a force field to protect us!"
"I guess I can do that. Would be better not to get attacked." Monica nodded.
The group huddled closer, and Monica drew a circle around them. Joe wasn't too sure about this, not sure how a circle like that was gonna protect them, but he trusted Cuphead and decided to see what would happen.
With the Devil, the bear stopped mauling him, and moved away from him. He was banged up and his bathrobe was torn.
"Boss! Are you okay?" Henchman called.
"No." the Devil groaned, getting up.
"Boss, I think you should try and protect yourself." Shriek called. "Bears often attack more than once."
"Yeah, I'm with them on this one." Josh called. "I really hate you, but I do not want to see someone end you like this. You need to get a circle like we have."
"Are you crazy? A dirt circle won't stop that monster!" The Devil argued. "I'm running for my life!"
As he started to run, the group knew that was a bad idea and cried out
"No!"
The bear then comes back and resumes mauling the Devil as he screams his head off. The group winced at the beating, before the bear retreated.
"Don't run! Bears hate that!" Audrey called to him.
"Thanks for the tip." The Devil groaned in pain. Standing up, he started to limp away from the area. "I guess I'll just limp home, then."
"No!" The group cried again. Once more, the bear comes back and resumes mauling the Devil, as he screams off his head.
As the bear headed back, Mugman called out "They hate limping more than running!"
"Well, I guess I'll just have…" The Devil began but didn't have time to react as the bear roared and pounced on him, before retreating.
Oof this is not his day.
"I should have warned you about crawling!" Andy called out.
Just then, the bear roared and tackled the Devil again, making the group confused. After he left, the Devil wailed out
"What'd I do that time?!"
"I don't know, I guess he just doesn't like you!" Monica called.
"Pretend to be somebody else!" Josh suggested.
"Kinda hard to be someone else since he's the Devil, but eh, good try though." Kettle mentioned.
Now, as much as it was funny to see him get attacked, it was starting to make our heroes nervous, especially with how banged up he was. Normally they wouldn't care, but leaving him in the hands, erm claws, of the bear wasn't something to overlook. His bathrobe was practically in shreds now and he was banged up all over.
After a bit of pondering, Kettle mentioned, "Hey, as much as this is funny to watch, I think maybe we should try and help him."
"What?! Why?!" Carmel gasped. "I refuse to help him after what he's put us through!"
"I know, I know, but if you think about it, we would be just as bad as he is, if we don't help him."
"But Elder Kettle, he's the Devil!" Cuphead whined.
"Cuppy, I know he's evil, but like he said, if we don't help, we might as well as be mean and nasty like him."
"I hate to say this, but they're right." Audrey piped up. "I know I hate him sooo much, but leaving him to be severely pummeled, it wouldn't be right. He probably won't take it as an act of kindness but knowing we'd help him would help us rest easy."
Cuphead looked around and saw that everyone had the same look. After a second, he groaned.
"Uuuuugh! Fine! We'll help him!"
Monica then handed Mugman her wand and he tossed it over to the Devil.
"Here, draw a circle!"
Seeing that he doesn't have a lot of choices, he grabbed the wand and called out "Okay!"
However, as he finishes drawing the circle, the bear comes back and resumes mauling the Devil before retreating.
"That was an oval! It has to be a circle!" Mugman called.
"Oh for goodness sake! Let me." Andy sighed.
He levitated the wand and drew a circle around the nearly beaten Devil. Once he finished that, the bear approached him, glared at him, but saw the circle and knew he was beat. He shot a final glare at the Devil before departing.
The group took a sigh of relief. Finally, he was gone.
That gave Henchman, Bash and Shriek the chance to run to their beaten up boss.
"Boss! Boss! You ok?!" They asked, helping him up.
The Devil took a sigh before simply stating "Just take me home. I need to come up with a better plan. Camping is a waste of time anyway."
They had the imps gather his things, pitchfork included, and headed out, leaving the heroes in their campsite.
"Well, that was very eventful." Monica sighed, picking up her wand.
"Yeah. Gotta ask Cuppy how did you know how to do that?" Andy asked.
"Oh Audrey told me and Mugsy a fun story of these guys who were on a camping trip and they got attacked by a bear." He explained. "Though I think it was underwater."
"Ah I see."
"Well, I think we should go back to bed." Carmel suggested. "After that, I am worn out."
"Agreed. We'll take it easy when the sun is up." Josh nodded.
They bidded each other good night before departing. Andy pulled over Audrey a bit before asking.
"Ok, I gotta know. Did you tell him about that one Spongebob episode where they go camping?"
"Oh yeah. It's a classic and honestly one of my favorite episodes."
"Same! I love how they had articles about them, like 'I married a sea bear' and 'Sea bears and fairy tales are real'."
The two of them laughed before taking a happy sigh.
"Oh man, that's always so funny."
"Yeah. You know I'm glad we have a lot in common. Makes it easy to see how we're related and how I wanna be a great brother to you."
"Aww Andy. You're sweet. I just hope we can figure out where we came from and how we didn't know about each other for so long."
"I'm sure we will. But for now, let's take it easy. I'm beat after that."
They said good night to each other before heading to their tents. Audrey slipped in next to Josh and took a sigh. That was very eventful, especially with the bear attacking. It was funny to see him get mauled but she was glad it was over.
She snuggled next to Josh, took a sigh and fell asleep.
Oh man that was hilarious! Glad the Devil got what he deserved after ruining their trip! But now they can spend the rest of their time having fun. "Toon" in next time for another thrilling adventure!
As always, thanks so much for reading. Don't forget to leave a review but let's avoid the flames please :D