CHAPTER 7: A FAMILIAR THREAT-
Rudy felt relief wash over him as he stepped into ChalkZone. The beautiful, though chalky, scenery was a welcome sight from the prison of a classroom he had been stuck in. He felt safe in ChalkZone. He always felt safer in a world where he could draw things in midair. If Mr. Cosmo ventured in here after him, he would be in for a nasty surprise.
Rudy never exploited his powers that much. He, even years later, only used them to do good things. Defending ChalkZone is certainly one. In the real world, he couldn't really do much to defend himself from Cosmo shoud the man decide to restrain him. But in ChalkZone, just a few scribbles and Rudy could fling him back into the real world.
He would stay in ChalkZone for a while, but that would not do him any good. It wasn't just the citizens of ChalkZone that would have an issue if they were suddenly in the opposite world. Rudy himself was not exempt from the rules. He would not be able to eat or drink anything in ChalkZone, really. It would dissolve before his body could digest it, and even if he could eat or drink, there was no way chalk had any nutrients that would help him.
Rudy took a step forward, putting his hand over his eyes and looked around. His first instinct was to locate Snap and tell him what was going on. Snap was often the first zoner he told revelations to. Very rarely did he break this trend.
He didn't see Snap, so he guessed he was probably at his house. He decided to walk there. It wasn't too far from here. He took another step forward before stopping himself, eyes widened in realization.
The portal...he forgot to erase the portal.
Rudy turned around and ran back to the portal. Mr. Cosmo said he'd be gone a while, but who knew if he was telling the truth? Rudy couldn't take chances. He reached his hand through the portal and felt around for the eraser. He couldn't hold back his gasp of shock when he found there was none. But how? He was certain he saw an eraser before. Where could it have gone?
He stuck his head back into the classroom and looked around for the eraser. His eyes trailed the room and finally he spotted an eraser. It was on the ground, resting up against the wall. Rudy reached down for it. His fingertips barely grazed along the top of the eraser. All he managed to do was knock it over onto its side.
"Come on...come on..." Rudy said as he pushed himself further through the portal to grab the eraser. He almost got it when he heard a call behind him.
"Rudy! Bucko!"
In surprise, Rudy moved his head up sharply at the sound of Snap's voice. His head hit the top of the portal. He let out a cry of pain and began to rub the back of his head and neck. Portals might be interdimensional gates between worlds, but they, at least on the earth side, were quite solid around the edges. Chalkboards aren't that soft.
Rudy turned around and saw Snap running at him. He couldn't help but be a little perplexed. Snap wasn't that close to him, in fact he was still a good distance away. Yet he sounded like he was right behind him. That...was never a good sign. Rudy wondered what could have alarmed Snap so much. It couldn't be Mr. Cosmo...could it?
The blue superhero kept calling Rudy's name as he ran over the grassy and chalky ground. When he got up to Rudy, he had to take a moment and catch a breather. He hunched over, his hands on his knees, and panted heavily.
"Snap?" Rudy looked at him, eyes wide and showing great concern. "What's wrong?"
When Snap got his breath, he started jumping up and down anxiously, waving his arms in the air and pointing off to the west. "It's Skrawl! He found this...big...destroying stuff! Skrawl trying to...control it! You gotta hurry, Bucko!"
Unfortunately for Rudy, Snap talked so fast he could barely understand him. The words slurred over each other, and there was barely a pause between words.
"Whoa whoa!" Rudy motioned with his hands in front of him. "Slow down! Now what's going on? You say it has to do with Skrawl?"
Snap nodded his head rapidly. When he spoke, his words slowed down somewhat, but he still spoke a little fast. "Yes! I was just wondering around, minding my own business, when something large, brown and furry, nearly ran me over! So I hid in the bushes, you see, and I saw Skrawl chasing after the thing, saying how he was going to harness the beast's power!"
Rudy snapped his head back. "What?!"
"Yeah! And that's not all!" Snap jumped up and down. "Skrawl's chase of the beast has caused it to stampede into town! A few buildings are a little knocked up and in one there's a huge whole in the wall!" Snap waved his hands wildly to emphasis that last statement. "Then the beast, when trying to escape Skrawl, just trampled over some other zoners, including Rapsheeba!"
"Is everyone okay?" Rudy asked worriedly.
Snap said, "Yeah, for the most part. Bruised, but okay." He latched onto Rudy, who was now much taller than himself, and gripped onto his shirt. Rudy had to bend himself backwards as Snap put his face close to his. "You gotta do something, Rudy! If Skrawl gets a hold of that thing...with that kind of power..." Snap began flailing his arms. "Rudy you gotta draw something!"
Rudy picked up Snap and put him down. "Okay! Where is this beast now? Do you know?"
"Yes! Follow me!" Snap said, grabbing Rudy by the arm and dragging him away.
Rudy followed closely behind Snap. He completely forgot about erasing the portal. He forgot about warning Snap about Mr. Cosmo. Right now, there was only one thing on his mind, and that was preventing Skrawl from attempting another scheme to take over ChalkZone.
What was with that guy, anyway? For five years, he has been trying to take over ChalkZone. He hardly ever tries anything different. It was either take over ChalkZone, or find ways to eliminate him and his friends. It was like the guy had nothing better to do.
He did used to fear Skrawl, at first, in the beginning. The jellybean, or potato, or whatever he was, did manage to trick him and many others into a museum and nearly dropped them into the Waitin' Sea, and they only won by pure luck and chance. But the more he faced Skrawl, the more predictable he became. He still took him seriously, no doubt about that. But his overall fear of the stubborn and repetitive zoner weakened over the years.
Well, Skrawl certainly was dedicated. Rudy had to give him that. To persistantly go after the same goals for years, that took dedication. He certainly couldn't say Skrawl wasn't focused. But it was still getting tiring having to clean up his mess all the time. It got to the point where he thought of a permanent solution.
He shook his head to get rid of that thought. No, he supposed to be a savior of this zone, not some kind of merciless bringer of justice. He couldn't do that. Such a thing was forbidden. If he did it, the citizens of ChalkZone would probably hate him, even if Skrawl deserved it.
His thoughts were interrupted by Snap suddenly grabbing onto his arm. Rudy, upon hearing Snap's cry to get his attention, looked over at where his blue friend was pointing.
Up ahead, he could see Skrawl. Oddly, he wasn't accompanied by his Beanie Boys this time. That came off as suspicious to Rudy. Skrawl rarely went anywhere without his henchmen. He wouldn't leave them behind on the pretense of them being stupid, because they weren't. As goofie as the Beanie Boys looked, they weren't incompetent and were good at their job. So what would be the reason to leave them behind this time?
He ignored that little detail to focus on what the jellybean was doing now. He was running around in a circle in a somewhat open field with very few bushes around it. Rudy looked to see what he was chasing.
It appeared to be some kind of bat at first. The huge wings flapped up and down, yet the creature did not take off. Rudy wondered if it had been injured or just wasn't meant to fly. When the beast turned around to bite at Skrawl, Rudy took quick notice of the face. Wolf-like in appearance. A bat/wolf hybrid? That wasn't what he was expecting.
He knew he had to protect this creature. He couldn't blame it for its earlier rampage. It was just scared and frightened. He needed to get it away from Skrawl. Rudy stood up straight and held out a piece of chalk. The light shining from its tip confirmed it was magical.
"Hey, back off Skrawl!" Rudy called out.
This caught Skrawl's attention. He lashed out and grabbed the beast by its tail. As it whined and struggled, Skrawl looked over in Rudy's direction and a wide sneer spread across his face.
"Well well well, if it isn't Rudy Tabootie and his comical sidekick, Snap!" Skrawl said nonchalantly. "What brings you two out here?"
Snap fumed. "Comical sidekick? I'll give you a comical sidekick, you hideous, growling jellybean!" Rudy grabbed onto Snap's cape to keep him from running towards Skrawl.
Skrawl glowered at the insult, but unlike the first time Snap called him that, he remained calm and didn't lose his temper. Instead, he pulled the hybrid creature closer to him and said, "While I would love to stay and chitchat, but I have more important things to do, chalk boy! So why don't you make like a little mouse and run through your maze that way!" He pointed in the direction behind Rudy.
Rudy pointed the chalk in Skrawl's direction threateningly. "Not until you release that zoner!"
Skrawl chortled at this. "Do you really think I am going to let my ticket to ruling ChalkZone go just because you asked me to, Master Tabootie? But if you really want it so badly..." With a display of strength, Skrawl lifted up the now enraged creature off the ground. "Catch!" He tossed the beast in Rudy's direction.
The creature's jaws split open wide and it let out a horrible high pitched sound as it focused its attention on attacking the nearest thing, in this case, Rudy. It landed on the ground and snapped its jaws wildly. It missed as Rudy and Snap jumped out of the way.
"Let's see you get out of this!" Skrawl gleefully said, rubbing his hands together and watching the fight begin.
The beast stalked in Rudy's direction. Its ears flatted against its skull. Its fangs were bared as it kicked the ground with its sharp talons.
Rudy pleaded with it, "I am here to help you. Please calm down. I know you're scared, but I promise I won't hurt you." These words fell on deaf ears as the beast leapt for Rudy.
Snap cried in horror. "Rudy! Draw something!"
Rudy had very little time to think of what to draw, let alone what to draw. And he knew that. As the beast closed the space between the two quickly, Rudy had no other choice but to jump out of the way. The beast landed on the space where Rudy once was, gnashing its jaws into the chalky ground. Rudy realized, in horror, that could have been him a second ago.
Snap jumped back as the beast now stood between him and Rudy. It, being closer to him than Rudy, decided to turn its attention on the little blue boy. It dove in his direction, jaws split wide open. Reacting quickly, Snap jumped into the air, the beast sailing just underneath him. They were so close, Snap could feel the fur bristle against his feet.
Gravity soon took control of the situation and he fell back down. Snap landed on the creature's back. He slung his arms around the beast's neck and hung on tightly. The beast began to buck wildly, but he refused to let go. He moved himself up so he could now hold onto the jaws. He held them tightly shut while his legs pressed against the wings, making it hard for the beast to take off into flight, if it had that capability.
"Now, Rudy!" Snap cried as he held on as tightly as he could. "I don't know how long I can hang on!"
Rudy's mind raced as he tried to think of something to do. He had to think fast. The beast was temporarily restrained by Snap, but he needed a longer lasting solution. If he didn't hurry, the beast could hurt Snap. At first, his mind was mostly blank; he was so pumped up with adrenaline that he couldn't think of exactly what he needed to draw. He just kept staring at Snap and the beast.
"Rudy!" Another cry of Snap prompted Rudy out of his thoughts.
"I'm coming, Snap!"
Rudy rushed over, pulling out his magic chalk. Without thinking, without knowing what he was going to do, he began to draw. He looped the chalk around the beast's snout, creating thin rope. He did this four times before then looping it two times around the neck, creating a sort of muzzle. He grabbed the two ends and started to pull.
Snap released his grip and jumped off the beast. He backed away, keeping a good distance between him and the bat/wolf hybrid. His eyes grew wide as the beast yanked and pulled hard, nearly knocking Rudy onto his knees. Snap rushed over and grabbed the ropes and assisted Rudy. The beast began to flap its wings a few times. The gust of air pushed against the two, but they continued to work together pulling the beast, trying to restrain it.
Rudy held on tightly, struggling to keep himself from losing his grip. The beast was being pulled forward. It pressed its feet into the ground, trying to maintain its position. A few whines and growls escaped its mouth. Rudy didn't want to do this, but there was no other option. The beast was going to attack him if he didn't do something to restrain him. If he could make the beast lay down, maybe he could then try something to calm it down.
The beast, however, was having none of this. With a sudden burst of strength, it yanked its head upwards. Rudy and Snap were thrown into the air. The beast snapped the rope from its jaws and let out a roar, spreading its wings wide.
As it did this, Rudy and Snap, after being in the air for a few seconds, had slammed against Skrawl. The trio rolled on the ground for a couple seconds. When they stopped, Rudy was laying on his back next to Skrawl, who had Snap laying across his head, blocking his view.
When Skrawl came to his senses, he let out a hiss, "Get off of me!" He grabbed Snap by the leg and threw him to the side. He then turned his attention onto Rudy. "And as for you..."
Rudy got up and got his magic chalk. He and Skrawl glared at each other, prepared for a fight. For a split second, they both forgot about the rampaging beast, instead their minds focused on each other.
They were soon reminded of the beast when they heard pounding feet to their side and the sound of Snap's cry.
"Look out!"
Rudy and Skrawl looked over and saw the beast rushing towards them. Its head was low, mouth open with teeth bared. Snap was on the beast again, trying to hold it back. This time, the beast was flipping its head so much Snap could not get a grip.
Realizing what was going to happen if they didn't get out of there, Skrawl and Rudy ran away. Thinking fast, Rudy drew a hoverboard. He jumped on it and he rose a couple feet off the ground. Rudy thought he was going to get an advantage, but then Skrawl grabbed onto the end of the hoverboard. His weight pulled down the hoverboard, making it harder for Rudy to rise higher.
He glared down at Skrawl. "Let go!"
"No way, chalk boy!" Skrawl declared. "I don't know about you, but I am not about to be trampled by that thing!"
"Why not?" Rudy said, raising an eyebrow. "You were fine with it trampling other zoners."
Skrawl growled, "Because the future ruler of ChalkZone can't afford broken limbs and a bruised body!"
Rudy couldn't believe this. Even in the midst of danger, all Skrawl could think of was becoming ChalkZone's ruler. He wanted to pry the evil jellybean off his hoverboard, but he stopped himself. Such an act would be something he'd expect Skrawl to do. He couldn't sink that low. Instead, he focused on keeping away from the beast long enough to try to figure out a plan.
Then he got an idea. It was tricky, but if executed right, it just might work. Looking to the side, he saw a patch of trees. They weren't too big, but they would do. He veered off in that direction. Just as he hoped, the bat/wolf creature came over towards him. Snap was still hanging on tightly, pulling on the beast's ears to try to put it at a disadvantage.
Rudy dove towards the trees as fast as he could. He narrowed his eyes, licking his lips. He waited for the right time. He could hear Skrawl's shouts for him to change direction. He didn't listen. As they reached a certain point, where he'd only have a few seconds left to react before he collided, he suddenly jerked the board upwards and flew up towards the sky.
The action was so swift that Skrawl didn't have time to react. He clung onto the end of the skateboarde for a few seconds, his stomach scraping against the bark of the tree as they went up. He found he couldn't hang on anymore and his grip loosened, then released form the hoverboard. He fell onto the ground in a heavy thud.
"Whoa!" Snap cried as the beast flapped frantically to change direction.
It wasn't enough. In a matter of seconds, the beast smashed against the tree. Its wings stiffened up for a few seconds, then wing limp as the beast slowly slid towards the ground. It landed on top of Skrawl. The two just laid there as Snap jumped off from the pile and went up to Rudy.
"That was some smart thinking, Bucko!" Snap said. He turned his head back to the two. "So, uh, what do you want to do with these two?" He asked as he rubbed his head thoughtfully.
"I..."
Then it dawned on him. There was something he had completely forgotten about. No, two things he forgot about. He stared at Snap, eyes widening. He looked as if an apocalypse was about to be brought down. He looked in the direction where the portal was. How could he have forgotten about it? He stared at it, looked back at Snap, then ran towards the portal.
"Where are you going?!" Snap called out after him.
"I forgot to erase the portal!" Rudy shouted.
At this, Snap let out a gasp. "You what?!"
"Hold on, this will just take a second!" Rudy said as he reached the portal. "After this, there's something I must tell you!"
Rudy was so focused on getting the portal erased that he didn't hear Snap's cry of pain as something heavy struck him. He didn't hear the footsteps racing towards him. He didn't hear Skrawl's shouts of frustration. And when he did finally notice the shadow falling upon him, it was too late.
Without warning, Rudy felt something heavy thrown against him. Despite the relatively small size of the portal, the force of the throw was enough to squeeze both of them through at the same time.
Rudy hit the ground of the classroom in a heavy thud. His head banged against a chair and he groaned in pain. He lifted himself up and rubbed the sore spot on his head. He got up onto his feet and went over to erase the portal. He didn't get far when he was suddenly pushed into the ground.
That's when he realized who had been thrown out with him.
"Hey, Master Tabootie...fancy meeting you here..." Skrawl sneered.