Scar's Mercenary (Story Ver.)

[Carl]

So basically, I've had this idea for a long time, and started trying to carry it out as an RP, which unfortunately died. So, what I'm doing now is writing it as a fic on my own. Hopefully I'll get the whole story out this time. As a fair warning, this story will be rather dark.

Before reading this, you'd be advised to read my short origin story for my character, Stoker, as he plays a major role in this story.

Without further ado, I'll get on to the story.

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Chapter 1: His Mercenary, Arriving

In the months after the deaths of Mufasa and Simba, things had begun to worsen in the Pridelands. It was a dark time for the pride. Sarabi and young Nala were taking the losses most heavily at that point, but things were getting worse for everyone. The former queen liked keeping to herself nowadays, and the cub almost always looked lethargic. What was the worst though, was the hyenas. There were literally hundreds of them, and they were always badgering the lionesses. Their presence was growing wearisome, especially as it became evident that Scar expected the lionesses to hunt for them! It was a hellish life to say the least, but there was nothing the lionesses could do against so many hyenas.

As the months dragged on, a year passed. Two. Sarabi became more and more cold during the years. Nala became a strong huntress. And the living conditions only grew worse. In the early part of the third year since the loss of the king and prince, a drought had set it, drying up the land and causing the herds to move on. The once lush Pridelands were now a cracked and barren wasteland, devoid of life besides the lions and hyenas at Pride Rock. Prey was becoming harder and harder to find, and the waterhole was slowly drying up. Soon, there would be nothing left.

The melancholy singing of Zazu, trapped inside the den with Scar, could often be heard on the tanning rocks nearby, where the lionesses still gathered, but only to sleep or otherwise laze about. Most discussions were held some distance from Pride Rock, often while the lionesses were out hunting. They figured they might as well talk, since there wasn't much to eat. On such occasions, the hunting party sometimes returned with new lionesses, whom Scar allowed to stay because "maybe they can hunt better than the rest of you."

Three of the younger lionesses in the pride, Atifa, Sethunya, and the youngest, a year younger than the other two, Nala, were out on hunt today. They had been with several of the other lionesses, but the older ones had given up and returned home empty handed. The three still out here knew that their pridemates would be punished if they didn't bring back some amount of food, so they were intent on catching something. This had led them far from their usual hunting grounds; it had taken them out of the Pridelands altogether. It wasn't much help, as all they had found was a vast desert, but they weren't ready to give up yet.

Nala scanned the horizon, catching sight of what appeared to be a small oasis in the distance. She squinted, trying to make out whether or not it was an illusion. There were a few trees around it, and that definitely looked like water. What was more, it looked like there were forms there. Perhaps it was some sort of prey animals.

"Look!" she said, alerting her companions, "Let's go check it out."

With that, she began trotting towards the spot. The other two lionesses silently followed after her, hoping it was something worth checking out. As they drew near, they could make out the forms near the waterㅡ they were lions, three of them. Two lionesses were conscious, and the other was a male lying on the ground. The flies buzzing around his mane made it clear that he was dead even from a slight distance. The hunting party stopped near the others.

"What do you want from us?" one of the lionesses asked. She was slender, with a lithe but muscular form, her fur was a tawny-tan color and there was a darker stripe atop her head. Her companion was equally built, but much brighter in coloration.

"Nothing," Sethunya said quickly.

"We've ventured out here in search of food. Our pride is starving, and the herds have moved on, so we've been going farther and farther out in our hunts. We saw you from afar and were hoping you were prey animals," Nala explained.

"We haven't had anything to eat in a while either," the apparently more talkative one replied, "Imamu was letting Sakina and I eat before him, and now he's... gone." She sobbed dramatically as she told them this, though it didn't seem to be deliberately so. The lionesses from Pride Rock exchanged a look. There was only one apparent solution to this current issue, but it was very gruesome, and none of them wanted to say anything about it.

"Wait... you three don't look like you're starving," the quieter lioness, who had been identified as Sakina, said.

"Well..." Sethunya began, trying to figure out how to explain it.

"That's because we've been eating our dead when we can't find prey," Atifa spoke up. The two strangers looked at her in shock and horror.

"You can't be serious," the more talkative of them said, her eyes darting to the body of Imamu.

"We've had no choice. It's not all lions though. There's a clan of hyenas living with us, so we more often end up having to eat their dead. Times are hard right now, but if you come back with us, as gruesome of an existence as it is, you can survive. Unfortunately, if we don't want to starve, we'll have to bring your... Imamu with us," Atifa went on. Nala and Sethunya remained quiet.

"No!"

"Zira... I think they're right. I think we have to go with them now," Sakina whispered to her companion.

"And we eat my Imamu?" the other lioness shrieked.

"He wouldn't want us to starve like this."

"He wouldn't want us to eat his body either! He deserves better than that!"

"Let's just go with them. Maybe the rest of their pride has found something else to eat and we can give him a proper burial," Sakina continued. After a long moment of silence, the other lioness nodded, tears rolling down her face.

"Alright, we'll go with them," she said at last.

"I'm Sakina, and this is Zira," the more brightly colored lioness addressed the other three, "We're all that's left of our pride."

"I'm Sethunya, these are Nala and Atifa," the creamy tan lioness introduced in turn, indicating each member of the hunting party with a paw. Sakina smiled at her, she seemed nice. Not to mention, the brown "freckles" on her face were quite cute, unlike the ones on her own face, and they made her seem more relatable. The hunting party from Pride Rock stepped over to the water of the oasis, getting a long drink each before trying to get back home. They had a long walk ahead of them.

☩ ☩ ☩

Everything the light touched was barren land and cracked earth, dead trees and small patches of dead grass. It was a sight that brought back unpleasant memories for the adolescent red lion standing on a plateau. There was even a large rock standing up in the distance like a tombstone marking the final resting place of everything. He let out a sigh of frustration and began walking towards the tombstone; after all, there wasn't anything else around so he might as well head for that.

It was a long and somewhat tiring jaunt, but it seemed to go more quickly than he thought, as before he knew it, the rock was looming above him. All around it were swarms of hyenas and spattering of lionessesㅡ a combination he found rather odd. Where a large piece of rock jutted out from the main mass of the tombstone, he could see a cave. It would be cool inside. On the rock in front of the cave stood a slender male lion who seemed angry with a lioness in front of him. He'd be the one in charge of this pride.

As the red lion surveyed his surroundings, he noticed a drying waterhole behind the rock. He would like to stay here for a little while, assuming there was anything to eat. He'd need to talk to the scrawny male atop the rock. His mind made up, the adolescent padded over to the rock, moving between lionesses and hyenas when it was necessary, ignoring the perturbed looks he was getting from them as he passed by. His presence was soon known by all, and the lioness who'd been being berated was dismissed. The male atop the rock looked down at the approaching newcomer, allowing the adolescent to glimpse a scar on his left eye.

"I'm afraid there's nothing here for you," the scarred male said, "but you can no doubt see that."

"Actually, I think there is something here for me," the newcomer disagreed as he reached the ledge the other male sat on and sat before him. "I've come to offer my services to whoever's in charge here."

"What services?" spat the scarred male.

"Are you in charge here?" the other asked to clarify.

"Of course I'm in charge, I am the king!"

"I didn't realize, forgive me Your Majesty," said the newcomer with a bow, "My name is Stoker. I'm traveling the lands in search of food, water, shelter, anything really. If you've any to offer, I'd like to partake in exchange for pretty much anything you might need done."

The king looked thoughtful for a moment, and Stoker couldn't begin to imagine what he was thinking. Finally, the king spoke.

"I think we can make an arrangement, follow me, and we will discuss the details of your offer away from prying eyes."

Saying nothing more, the king stood and led Stoker into the den on the rock. Upon entering, the younger lion found the inside to be little different from the outside, except that it was darker and a bit cooler. In a corner the skeleton of some animal lay on the ground with a bird trapped behind within it. Seeing the king, the miserable creature moved to the edge of his confinement, poking out his head.

"Scar, sire?" he asked, "What's going on?"

"Quiet, Zazu," Scar replied. Then he turned to the mercenary behind him. "You can stay here and share in our... spoils for as long as you prove useful to me. In fact, I'll even give you one of my lionesses, if you so desire. In return, I want you to keep an eye on those girls... they're quiet, too quiet of late, and I need to know if they are plotting anything. You see, they blame me for this drought, and I'd hate for them to, kings forbid it, rise up against me. In addition, you'll have to be part of the hunting party, and do anything and everything I tell you to while you're here."

"Yes Your Majesty, your will is my command," Stoker said with a bow, agreeing to the king's terms.

"Good. Then get to it."

Stoker nodded and left the cave, ready to begin his new role in the Pridelands.

[Carl]

Chapter 2: His Mercenary, the Curiosity

As the lionesses returned to Pride Rock, it was already dark. Nala and Atifa were dragging Imamu's body along, while Sethunya walked quietly alongside the new lionesses. She wanted to comfort them somehow, but there was no comfort here for anyone, least of all these distraught strangers. It was possible Scar wouldn't even allow them to stay. As they began climbing up to present their "catch" to the king, Sethunya moved in to help the other two lionesses. When they got to the top, a hyena rushed into the den to summon Scar.

As the king stepped out, the lioness called Zira threw herself at his paws before anyone could speak. He raised an eyebrow and looked down at her.

"Merciful king," she wailed, "please have mercy on our poor souls! I beg of you, don't let them eat my Imamu!"

Scar pondered for a moment. He'd only agreed to let Stoker remain because he could use a watchful eye on the lionesses, but wouldn't two eyes be better? Especially if he could earn the trust of one of his eyes. Obviously that rogue he'd taken on couldn't be fully trusted, but he couldn't exactly send the hyenas to spy on the lionesses. If those females were plotting anything, they'd never spill it around the likes of them. Maybe they wouldn't even around the male, but other distraught females would be more likely to win them over.

"I appreciate your efforts, but consuming this lion won't be necessary. There's been two hyenas die today that the pride can eat," Scar said to the hunting party. The lionesses stared at him in awe. What was he doing? This wasn't like him at all. Normally any meat was good, and they all knew that two hyenas wouldn't feed everyone. Zira's eyes widened as a grateful smile began to spread across her muzzle.

"I'll see to it that his remains are well taken care of," the king continued.

"Oh thank you! Thank you, I can never thank you enough!" the groveling lioness breathed, wrapping her forepaws around one of his legs. Scar's face twisted in disgust for a moment before he corrected it to a more neutral expression.

"If you can hunt, you'll be able to repay me in due time," he said simply. Confused and wanting to discuss his odd behavior, the lionesses of his pride began to make their way down to the join the others. "Now why don't you go and eat with the others, you look dreadfully starved," Scar told Zira, pulling his leg out of her grasp.

"Oh, yes, of course," she agreed, following the others. She looked over her shoulder at him with a look of admiration. Not many lions would welcome two strangers and treat them so well in times like these.

"Stoker!" the king called out suddenly. That's when the lionesses who'd been away spotted the young male standing near the rest of the pride. He'd apparently been talking with Sarabi, but upon hearing Scar's call, immediately dropped the conversation and moved silently past the lionesses and up to the king. What was a new male doing here? Nothing was adding up right.

"What's going on?" Nala asked her mother and Sarabi when they were close enough, "Scar's acting weird."

"Indeed. That lion you just saw arrived not long ago, and offered services to Scar in exchange for a place to stay and a share of our scarce resources. He alleges Scar hasn't given him any duties yet, aside from telling him to help us hunt, but I'm suspicious of him," Sarabi told the younger lioness.

"And notice his resemblance to Scar," Sarafina added, "his fur is the same hue, his nose has the same shape, his mane is black..."

"That's got to be a coincidence, he looks younger than me and we would know if Scar had had an heir, wouldn't we? He's always here, and even if he weren't there's nowhere he could have hidden a cub, and no other lionesses he could have mated with," Nala said.

"If that male isn't blood though, then why would Scar welcome him?" Atifa asked. As they had been talking in hushed tones, the newcomers had been led to the carcasses of the hyenas that had died and were starting to eat. One of the hyenas had been mostly scavenged already, and the other was as yet untouched. Nala noticed the duo were going for the untouched one. She and the others would have to pick at the bones when they were done talking.

"We don't know, but we'd like to find out," Sarabi replied, a certain tone in her voice.

"What are you suggesting?" Atifa asked, turning a suspicious gaze on the former queen.

"I'm suggesting someone get close to him and find out. If he comes to trust one of us then maybe he'll tell."

The younger lioness at first just looked surprised, but then she protested, "Won't he be suspicious, though, if one of us is treating him well and the others aren't?"

"Of course he would be, but we will not mistreat him. We'll give him no reason to be suspicious of us. In fact, I was thinking that maybe you and Nala could both try and win him over, with two of you trying, it's more likely that he'll open up to one of you," Sarabi continued quietly. The hyenas weren't within earshot at the moment, but the lioness wanted to be sure.

"We can do that," Nala said before the other lioness could respond. Sarabi nodded, and then motioned towards the "food."

"But enough of that, I'm sure you girls are starving. Why don't you have something to eat before it's all gone," the aging lioness said. It wasn't really a question. The younger lionesses nodded and made their way over to the carcasses as well.

☩ ☩ ☩

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

Stoker stopped before Scar, noting the body of the dead male before him. He could guess where this was going. He was young and muscular, while Scar was older and very slim. In addition, he was now essentially Scar's slave until his time here was through, so obviously he would do things the king didn't want to do.

"Bring the body this way," Scar told him. He nodded, approached the dead male, leaned over him, and bit down on his mane to drag him along. As Scar led him to some unknown destination, the adolescent had some time to reflect and ponder. In all his time since that dreadful fire, almost everywhere he went was always barren and dead. When he found a place that wasn't completely desolate, it too soon faded into decay. It couldn't be just bad luck, but there were no signs of anything unnatural occurring. Was it simply nature running its course, or was it something more?

He narrowed his eyes thinking about it. It was possible he'd imagined the supernatural elements of his life. Perhaps he was merely an unfortunate lion who had gone mad from a combination of grief, heat, thirst and hunger. He shook his head. The things he'd suffered were too real, the memory of the searing flames, the discomfort in every waking moment. Everything in his life had to be real, if it wasn't that was what would drive him insane.

He shook his head to clear away those thoughts. This was just a normal drought. It was an extended period of dryness all across the land, that was all he needed to know. If he was lucky, nothing would come of the things that had led him here, and he'd be able to continue living in some semblance of peace.

Scar stopped, some distance from the rock he called home, and so, Stoker stopped as well. There was a river flowing nearby, suggesting to Stoker that the body was to be cast in. Before he could ask, the king indicated the corpse and spoke.

"And so I am the merciful king, but the two of us still get a big meal," he said with a sly grin. Stoker raised an eyebrow at him. This wasn't what he'd expected.

"Cannibalism?"

"If we don't eat the dead of our kind, we'll starve out faster. Meat is meat, and cannot be wasted. If you don't want any, my friends the hyenas will gladly partake in your stead," Scar informed him, before taking a large bite out of the dead lion. His stomach rumbling, Stoker shrugged and joined the king. "Let me be clear that word of this is not to reach the lionesses. We let the river ferry him to the afterlife and that's all."

"As you say, my lord," Stoker said around a mouthful of lion meat. After all, he'd come here asking for food, shelter, and water, in exchange for whatever the king asked for him. So far, Scar had been holding up his end of the bargain, and so Stoker intended to hold up his. It was a feat that was proving to be difficult, however. In his brief discussion with the lionesses, they had seemed rather wary. They wanted to know why Scar had allowed him to stay at Pride Rock, and he couldn't tell them if he wanted to gain their trust. On the other hand, by refusing to tell them, he wouldn't gain their trust either. Was he just supposed to listen in on them or something? That's when a thought occurred to him. Perhaps the king could give him a fake excuse to be accepted here that they'd believe.

"Your Majesty?" he asked after swallowing a mouthful.

"What is it?"

"The lionesses kept asking why you were allowing me to stay. They don't buy that I'm only here to help with the hunting."

"And?" Scar asked, becoming slightly irritated.

"Well what should I tell them? If they don't believe me, it will be more difficult to find out if they're planning something," Stoker explained.

"Tell them the truth: you're here so long as you prove useful to me, however it may be. As soon as I have no use for you, you'll be gone."

Stoker nodded. Just omit the spying part. That would have to do, though it still might not win them over.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

[Carl]

I've noticed several typos in my previous chapters; I'd like to apologize, I'm bad at editing. There will be more of them, I hope they don't make anything difficult to understand. Anyway, I'm not too sure about some things in this chapter, but I've got to get on to the more interesting parts, so bear with me. Also, sorry for the slow update, this chapter has been mostly on hold while I've been focusing more on my other fic.
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Chapter 3: His Mercenary At Work

Deep within the jungle a young lion lay resting near the river, having just gorged himself. Times were good here, and the animals he'd fed upon in his childhood happened to be coming into the jungle a lot of late. They were stopping at the rivers and relaxing in a relatively predator-free environment. This lion wasn't like the others, and the prey animals didn't expect to find his kind here. Because of this, he easily climbed into trees and leapt down on the unsuspecting creatures when they stopped for a drink. For years he'd been able to live off of bugs, but now he could actually eat his fill. He'd caught himself a gazelle today, and having only eaten part of it, he'd finish it off tomorrow perhaps, or the next day.

"Hey Simba!" his meerkat friend called out to him as he rode up on the warthog Pumbaa's back, "Pumbaa and I just hit the grub jackpot! You coming or what?"

"Oh hey Timon. I'll come along, but I'm already stuffed," the lion replied, gesturing at the gazelle's body nearby. At the sight of it, Timon shuddered.

"Carnivores," he said, his expression becoming disgusted.

"I'm not made to eat bugs, Timon," Simba reminded him.

"They are easier to get though, no hunting involved," Pumbaa added with a grin, "Are you ready Timon? I'm starved."

"Yeah, let's go, Pumbaa. Simba," the meerkat agreed. At his word, Pumbaa turned. Simba didn't follow at first, instead turning to the gazelle he'd left.

"I'll follow you soon, let me just get this back first," the lion said, leaning over his kill and grabbing its neck to drag it away. A cool breeze rolled through the jungle, tugging at the young lion's mane. He smiled and then glanced in the direction of the place he'd once lived. He wondered how his mother was doing, how his childhood friend, Nala was. He sighed around the dead beast in his jaws and began carrying it away. It was his own fault he wasn't there anymore. He couldn't go back, and it was stupid to even think about what he'd left.

It would just upset him. There was no need for that kind of thing, all he needed was his two pals and no worries.

Hakuna Matata: this was the life.

☩ ☩ ☩

Sethunya, Sarafina, and Sarabi lay next to the two new lionesses, Sakina and Zira, trying to make them feel at home. Sakina had warmed right up to Sethunya, and though she was obviously nervous and shy, she made an effort to speak to the other lioness. The two were making fast friends, and Sarabi was glad for that. They needed to band together and treat these poor girls well. They had been through much, maybe even more than the lionesses of Pride Rock had been.

"Tell me, what happened to your pride?" Sarafina was asking Zira. The rougher looking lioness's face contorted into one of sorrow and pain and she cried out loudly.

"I'd rather not talk about it," she said, "It was awful."

"More awful than your mate being killed and his brother destroying the lands?" Sarabi asked bitterly despite herself.

"Sarabi...!" Sarafina hissed. She glanced back at Zira who looked more bitter herself now, staring at the ground to her left. "Don't be harsh, my friend, I'm sure they have been through quite a lot, remember, she and Sakina are all that's left of their pride."

Then, so that only the former queen could hear, hissed, "We need her to be on our side, and you saw how Scar was treating her. She'll be putty in his paws if we don't win her over."

Sarabi nodded and then turned a poor attempt at a friendly smile towards Zira, "Forgive me. I speak from grief."

Zira huffed, and mumbled something that might have been an acceptance of the apology.



Nearby, unaware of the tension between the two lionesses, Nala and Atifa sat next to Stoker, eyeing him as if he were the most handsome lion they had seen. To Atifa, he really was. To Nala, well she couldn't remember much of Mufasa's appearance anymore, and Stoker was more attractive than Scar, so he sorta was.

"Just look at that vibrant coat, and those big muscles," Atifa purred.

"Where are you from?" Nala asked.

Still caught off guard by the attention, Stoker shrugged at the pretty lionesses. They were both older than him, but they were acting like teenagers. The way they were fawning over him made him nervous and uncomfortable, but it was... uncomfortable in a good way?

"Uh... I was born someplace far away. I'm not sure exactly where, everything burned when I was a cub," he explained.

"Oh, how tragic. What about your parents, your pride?" Nala asked.

"They all burned up," he replied. Leaving out the part where he'd burned up as well.

"Oh. That's quite sad," Atifa told him, her eyes moving to the ground.

"SARABI!"

At the sound of Scar's call, the two lionesses near Stoker groaned inwardly. It was hunting time, so their little "trust building" experiment would have to wait for a while. They padded a few steps over to be near the older lionesses and the young male followed.

Scar walked among the lionesses, stopping before the ex-queen.

"I want all of you hunting today, and take him with you," the king said, flinging a paw in Stoker's direction to roughly point at him. His voice was filled with scorn. The adolescent curled a lip at his tone.

"Yes, my liege," Sarabi said bitterly, rising on her paws as the other lionesses rose and followed her while she sauntered away. As Zira rose, Scar rested a paw on her shoulder.

"You don't have to go. You've been through quite a lot, and deserve to stay here and rest. If you're scared of the hyenas, you may come into the den... but don't lay too close to me," he said, his voice still harsh. He'd really prefer if this lioness would hunt, but he wanted her to be loyal to him, unlike the lionesses he already ruled over, and so he had to make her think he liked her, that he was a caring, generous, and merciful king. He couldn't be bothered to sweeten his tone though, not in such bitter circumstances. But he didn't have to, for to Zira, he sounded merely regal and infinitely kind.

She purred, bowing to him, holding the king in such high regard. So kind was he to a stranger! A foreigner seeking a port in a storm that affected him so horridly as well! So generous was he to allow her rest and spare her Imamu's remains the horrid fate of being cannibalized! She smiled a toothy grin and followed as he strutted back up the rock and into the depths of the den.

She couldn't comprehend the hatred of him expressed by the lionesses who lived here. Their king was trying his best to make things pleasant for them, but they just threw sour looks in his direction as if they blamed him for this drought, as if they blamed him for the lack of food. But Zira saw him for what he really was. A saint among lions.


"Look at the way he manipulates her," Nala snarled as the hunting party walked aimlessly away from Pride Rock, "What is he planning?"

"What makes you think he's planning something?" Stoker asked quizzically.

"You're new here so you can't know," she reminded herself softly, trying to figure out the fastest and most efficient way of informing him. Finally she sighed and continued, "I guess I need to tell you of how he became king, and of his actions as king since that day. One day, years ago, Scar led the heir to the throne, Simba, his nephew, away. Simba was fond of his uncle, and no one had a reason to think that they weren't just going out for some fun. But then Scar came to Mufasa, the king at the time, and told him there was a stampede, and that Simba was there. Of course Mufasa tried to save his son, but in the end they both perished... Immediately thereafter, Scar ascended the throne, and brought the hyenas into our land. He never made them hunt, and has always forced us to feed them and ourselves. Then the drought came, and we had too many mouths to feed. Now the food is gone, and if it weren't for him, we wouldn't be in as bad of a position. He's always been known to be clever and manipulative, and he never takes interest in any of the lionesses. He has to be up to something."

"That's awful, but it can't be his fault the previous king and his son died if it was a stampede right? So all he's responsible for is the hyenas," Stoker tried to clarify.

"We can't know if he had anything to do with the stampede or not, because none of us were there. But Sarabi thinks he might have caused it somehow. The last king was her mate, and the heir... Simba was her son," Nala told him, her face becoming one of sadness at the mention of the name.

"I take it this princeㅡah, Simba, was it?ㅡ meant something to you?"

"Yes... he was my best friend. But it doesn't matter anymore, he's dead, and we have to find some kind of help getting out of this mess Scar created by bringing in the hyenas. For now, all we can do is try our best to survive," she said, trotting ahead to search out more food.

This discussion had gotten Stoker thinking, and feeling sorry for the lionesses. He wondered if he could challenge the king, and overturn his decree. If he could get rid of the hyenas, this place would be easier to survive in. Or, hell, he could take the lionesses with him and leave, even without challenging the king. He sighed. What was he doing? He wasn't supposed to grow attached to anyone, he just had to do his job and reap his rewards. But suddenly, that felt wrong. He felt like he needed to help these girls if he could, and he resolved to do just that. Maybe if he did that, just maybe he could have what he'd once lost again.

[Claws]

Wow I think this was really good, keep up like this!, I'm now impatient to read the next chapter of it

[Carl]

Thanks!! I really like the ideas I have in store for this, so I do intend to keep going. I do, however, apologize for the long wait you will have to endure before I get the next chapter out, as I foolishly started multiple fics at once.