Advent Of A Gunslinger

Axel watched with bated excitement along with the rest of the crowd…

Once the curtain was parted, the two minotaur gals from before--Smoky and Peachy--were done fully in clown makeup and started their show. First, Peachy began to tell a few jokes.

“Hey ya’ll! What do ya call a bovine with no udders?”

The crowd was silent for a moment, waiting for the punchline…

That’s when Smoky stepped in front of her and shouted, “Soy milk--woah!” and immediately after, she slipped on a prop banana peel and fell on her back.

The act caught everyone’s attention, and caused them all to start laughing. Even Axel--the hippogriff truly did find joy in such silliness, despite the pain and hardships that he had endured throughout his life. For once, it was nice to be able to kick back and relax without that fear bearing down on him.

As the show continued, the girls brought out balloons. Clarabelle spoke to the hippogriff. “How you enjoyin’ this so far, hun?”

By that point, Axel had finished off the cobbler and was clapping along with the crowd as they all watched the two minotaur gals create animals like griffons and changelings out of balloons. “Hell yeah I am,” he said with a smile on his face, “These take me back to a much simpler time…ooh! Did they just make a chimera?”

Clarabelle looked up, and sure enough, Smoky had created the lion-goat-snake creature out of nothing but a single, blue, tubular balloon. “Oh wow! They did it for real!”

After a few more tricks, prat-falls, and creampies to the face, the pair of minotaurs exited the stage, and closed the curtains for a brief intermission so that the next act could get ready.

In the meantime, Clarabelle would pose a question to Axel. “So…once you head out again, what are you plannin’ta do, hun?”

“Make things right…” he said under his breath, “Rid that scum from this here planet.”

“...Might I offer a suggestion?”

“...?” That was unexpected--to the point where he hesitated for a moment. But Axel was still willing to listen. “What do ya have in mind?”

Clarabelle exhaled, and spoke candidly in a low tone. “...Don’t leave none of ‘em alive, Axel. Make sure you kill every last one of ‘em so none of ‘em tryt’a make a comeback of any kind. I made the mistake of runnin’ from my past, so I don’t wanna see you end up the same way…”

The gunslinger paused for a moment as he thought over what she had said. Of course he intended to leave none left standing, but hearing such sentiment from Clarabelle’s mouth…hit him differently. That’s when he called to mind the background information that Clarabelle provided to him when they first met regarding her parents…

“...Ms. Clara, is there somethin’ achin’ you that you wanna talk’ta me about? Somethin’ important regardin’ yer past?”

Clarabelle sighed and turned to face him directly. “Well…remember when I told you my family was taken from me when I came home one day?”

Axel swallowed his fear as he felt his heart drop. The hippogriff lamented the direction in which the conversation had started to turn. “...Yeah?”

“Well…the ones who caused it…while I’m not 100% certain, I recall seeing orange fur at the scene…” Clarabelle explained while scratching the back of her head. “I’m not sure if it has anything to do with who you’re currently after, but that’s clearly what I remember.”

Axel tilted his head downwards, gritting his teeth. “So it’s damn true, ain’t it? The Felidae dun’ fucked with just about everyone I know. I’m gettin’ real sick’a their shit. But at least I know what I’m fightin’ for…”

Since he wasn’t responding right away, Clarabelle tilted her head with a worried expression on her face. “Erm…Axel? Are ya alright?”

“Alright…?” He tilted his head upwards with a small smile on his face, “I’m just peachy-keen. I appreciate the fact that ya went ahead and told me about yer past. That…musta took a lotta guts outta ya.”

“...I haven’t told anyone else these details to be quite frank,” she went on, “I’ve…always felt uncomfortable sharing my hardships with my co-workers and my customers. It’s much easier to move on and try and live a happy life, you know?”

“Even so…” He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in close for a hug. “I’m not gon’ letcha live like this. I’m gonna murder each and every one’a them dingos. Just you watch. I just need’ta get prepared…”

After a moment of consideration, Clarabelle smiled to herself and looked down at the gunslinger. “...I think you’re ready for what Madame Martha has to offer, Axel.”

He tilted his head. “Eh? Whatcha mean?”

“You’ll see…” she replied while patting him on the head once more. “You’re going to love what she has in store for you and your friends. Weapons and armor that you’ve never seen before.”

“...” A big grin appeared on his face. “Oh hell yeah. I can’t wait’ta see it.”

Clarabelle giggled in response to his enthusiasm. “Of course. Excited over new toys to play with--you really are a Remy, aren’t you? For now though, relax a bit. I…have a surprise for you later…” she sheepishly put her hands together with a nervous smile on her face. “If you’re interested…”

Axel cleared his throat and rolled his eyes. “Ahem. Erm…I’ll think about it. Dependin’ on how I’m feelin’ after I check in on my friends and mah sister.”

“Of course. You know…I wish…” But before the minotaur lady could finish that thought she shook her head. “...Maybe it’s for the best that I don’t spell that out to him.”

He tilted his head. “Eh?”

“Nothing. Sorry,” she said with a forced chuckle, “Pay me no mind dear. Just lost in thought for a moment.”

“...Uh-huh…”