//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: American Fox // by madhat886 //------------------------------// ! Cassidy and Tala lead a company of soldiers a hundred strong through the swamp of Louisiana where they searched for the lizard men near the town of Bate's. From what they have seen the folks of Bate's are very distrustful of outsiders and likely are the ones who shot first and never asked questions later. Seeing how they reacted to Tala and the black soldiers with them. They're now traveling on one of the dry patches of earth acting like roads in the swamp. They setup a base camp away from the town leaving half the men behind while the rest joined them in searching the swamp. (1) "The men who lived around swamps are saying that they're seeing alot of gators around here," Cassidy said to Tala. "They been stalking us for the last 2 days," Tala said. "They also have strange coloring to them and seem to be more intelligent then normal." "How?" Cassidy ask. "They only coming close to the our camp at night without getting too close for the men to start shooting them. And then there was last night where, I saw something that looks like a gator walking like a man," Tala said. "With what we have seen that's no big surprise," Cassidy said. “There’s that hippo man.” "There's someone up ahead," Tala said spotting the figure walking towards them. "Well, well more hairless apes coming into our new home," a big and fat lizard man greeted them, who is wearing a black pirate hat with a skull and crossbones on it. "Names Kaptain Skurvy and you apes aren't going to have any better luck then the last group who came here." "Those were from the town of Bate, we're from a different place. We received word that lizard men had attack a number of the townsfolk but having met with them. It might had been them just attacking you on sight," Cassidy said. "Nice to see you apes have better heads on you then the last group. They came here all armed and just started shooting us. That's why I got Bazuka's and Kannon's with their sights on you," Kaptain Skurvy said. Around the company are dozens of other crocodile men like Skurvy carrying underarm a large cannon and smaller red crocodile men with large cannons with laser sighters. There are other crocodile men with them, with some wearing bucket helmets and wielding a large round shield. Kaptain Skurvy gave out a growl and the arm gators lower their weapons. "So what do you all want? I already know that we're in another world because of an event as you people call it," Kaptain Skurvy ask. "We're from Spookhouse," Tala said. "Oh more of you," Kaptain Skurvy said. "Wait more?" Cassidy ask. "Yes a woman dress in furs came to our settlement a few days ago. She told us all about this world and of Spookhouse that's she's part of, and how they would help us. Seeing how the locals around here shot at us first," Kaptain Skurvy said. "Wait we don't have any agents around here. Do we?" Tala ask Cassidy. "Who is this woman?" Cassidy ask. "Her name is Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind," Kaptain Skurvy said. "Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind, the folktale?" Cassidy ask. "That's right," a woman's voice said from the trees shouted out. A woman dress in furs stood on a tree branch before spreading out her arms revealing she's wearing a fur suit that has flaps on it's sides. The flaps are like the flaps of a flying squirrel with the flaps going from her arms down to her legs. She jumps off from the tree branch and glides through the air and landed in front of the Spookhouse group. "Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind the granddaughter of the original Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind, at your service," the woman said. (2) ! In Nebraska - Before Spookhouse was open to the public many people from other world who suddenly found themselves in this world, had to adapt quickly to the new world they found themselves in. The less human ones had to hide themselves from public view but some of them found a home with traveling circuses. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's Circus known as 'The Greatest Show on Earth' an American traveling circus, is one such place. Many of the acts on stage are people from other worlds who now made their living in show business. The current troupe of the circus is made up of several outworlders. One of them is Gooliope Jellington a 15 foot tall humanoid blob monster, who in her world she was abandon at a traveling circus. Now she's one of the big stars in the circus who draws in crowds, seeing the giant blob woman. Her friend Trixie a blue skinned woman with white hair who's magical act and fireworks wow crowds. She also does songs after the circus came across some musical instruments and speakers from what Trixie said is what looks like a truck with band equipment ending up in the middle of a field. The truck is used as a generator to power the electrical equipment using kerosene oil to power it. And later the mushroom oil from those glowing mushrooms, that have been replacing lit lamps. Then there's the Tickle family who are a family of clowns who found themselves in this world years ago. Joanna or Jojo was just a little girl when the event happen and now is a young woman. She still is a clown who does a show with her pet lion Goliath. Her parents Mr. and Ms Tickle helps with her show. There is also the clowns of Happytown who showed up around the time the Tickle family came to the world. In their world they had the goal to spread happiness and imbue positive mental attitudes around the world wherever they go. Big Top the leader, Badum-Bump his little brother, Hiccup, Tickles, Pranky, Blooper, and their pet elephant, Rover. Felicia who is a catwoman found herself with her musical group of other cat-women in this world. They were lucky to end up meeting and joining the circus. But they did had to change their taste in clothes as their human forms left much of their bodies furless, so they wore clothes that made it look like their cat parts are just a costume. She is also joined by her husband Jon Talbain who is a werewolf as part of their act. Others who found themselves alone and couldn't past for humans joined the freak show if they didn't had any talents for an act. Besides performers the circus have stumbled upon objects time to time over it's show run who came from other worlds. Some of them proved useful to the circus like the solar panels that help power the circus arcade tent. The arcade tent has all sorts of coin-operated devices for people to spend money on, some are what's already found in their world like the shooting gallery but others are from other worlds that they managed to get their hands on. Other objects they put into the oddities tent where people would pay to see objects from other worlds. Then there's the food truck which is a fast food truck from the McDonalds company which the man named Gill who came from a town of Springfield who has odd yellow skin. He said he was driving the food truck when an event struck him and her found himself in this world. Unlike in his world he didn't had all the bad luck he had, as he met up with the circus and join them. He dresses as the clown Ronald McDonald the mascot of the McDonald's company as he and some workers serve up food for the customers. They were traveling on the circus train to the next town when they came across a town that wasn't there the last time they traveled down that railroad tracks a couple of years before. The town look like any other town but for the fact that while some buildings look like any other building, there seem to be houses built into big trees around the town's center. And that the people who lived in the town are all bears who walk like humans and wear clothes. Luckily the town's train station lined up with the train tracks allowing the train to make a stop. The circus train riders all stared out their windows at the bears who in turn stared at them, having never seen humans before. In the radio room of the train, one of the circus workers gave out a call that a big event had happen and explained what they found, with the name of the place Bear Country. (3) !