User blog:MrAnimatedToon/Fanfiction - Good Boy

Warning: This fanfic contains a bit of violence and blood.

[It was a Friday afternoon at the Loud House. And the muddy tomboy of the family, Lana, was playing with Charles. Lana brought home all of the family pets, and she loved all of them. However, she felt the most attachment to Charles, since he’s the one who loves to play with her the most. They were in the backyard, wrestling in the mud, just how Lana likes it.]

Lana: (shoving against Charles; laughs) Gotcha now, Charles! You're going down!

(Charles growled toughly as he pushed against Lana, who responded by pushing him harder. Then Charles began to lick Lana's face, tickling her. She giggled at this, causing her to lose her grip and allowing Charles to tackle her down.)

Lana: Charles! No cheating!

(Charles just barked triumphantly as he leapt off Lana and started to dig into the mud, tossing into onto her in the process)

Lana: (rubs mud on face, lays back, and gives a relaxed sigh) Ah, there's nothing better than spending your day playing the mud with man's best friend.

(Charles barked as he jumped onto Lana and started licking her face playfully, causing her to laugh. Lincoln smiled at this as he watched from the back porch.)

Lincoln: Nothing like the bond of a young girl and her dog. [To The reader] When it comes to a big family, we sadly don’t have the same hobbies and interests as each other. However, when it comes to brightening your day, you can always count on your pets to give you a good time, and it just so happens that we have the best dog in the entire world.

[Suddenly, a squirrel comes down from the tree. Charles notices the squirrel and gets startled in fear. He tries to hide behind Lana.]

Lincoln: Okay... not really perfect as I say.

Lana: (annoyed) Oh come on, Charles! Don’t tell me you’re actually afraid of a squirrel. You’re a dog!

[Charles just stared at the squirrel in fear. The squirrel took one look at him and squeaked. Charles let out a frightened yelp and buried himself beneath the mud, whimpering.]

Lana: You gotta be kidding me...

[The squirrel scampered off.]

Lincoln: (to Lana) I didn’t know Charles was scared of squirrels.

Lana: (face palming) I know, right? I can’t believe my dog is a scaredy pants.

Lincoln: Aww, come on, Lana. Don’t be so hard on him.

Lana: (sighs) I’m sorry, but I don’t want Charles to be a scaredy cat! What if we get robbed? Or we get ambushed by some bullies like the two stinkers from Halloween?

Lincoln: Relax, Lana. We scared those bullies for good, remember? And according to Lisa the criminal rates in Royal Woods are very low. Speaking of which, didn’t you try to train him once?

Lana: (sarcastically) Yeah. And a lot of good that did. The only thing he was ever interested in biting was bacon! (under breath) I knew I should have trained Cliff instead.

[Charles growled in offense.]

Lincoln: Aren’t you being a little hard on him?

Lana: (sighs) I’m sorry. I just want him to be brave, and not let himself be scared that easily. If only bad people were made of bacon...

[Then, after she said that, an idea came to her mind. An idea that would make Charles to grow braver.]

Lana: ...wait. I know! I can train him!

Lincoln: But you did it before, and that didn’t work.

Lana: Yeah! But I have an idea of how I’ll do it! [She grabs Charles.] Come on, boy! Let’s do this!

[She and Charles enter the house, leaving Lincoln confused in the backyard.]

Lincoln: Okay… I want to see where this goes.

[Lana carried Charles into the kitchen where she placed him on the floor. She then began to rummage through the cabinets where she got out a box of dry dog food. Then she went into the fridge and got out a steak. She then turned to face Charles]

Lana: Alright Charles. I think it's time you learned how to be a real guard dog. [Holds out dog food box] Now this is one of our family's belongings. What are you supposed to do with one of those?

[Charles barked with excitement and rushed towards the dog food with a hungry look in his eye.]

Lana: NO! (Charles screeches to a halt) Charles, this is one of the family's belongings. It could be anything! It could be anything. It could be the TV or Lori's phone or Mr. Coconuts or Luna's guitar or Edwin. You know. Things that belong to me, Mom, Dad, Lincoln, and the girls. Things that don’t belong to robbers. Big men you've never seen before who want to take away our things. (holds up steak) Now THIS is a robber. What do you do to him?

[Charles just growled hungrily and began snapping at the steak.]

Lana: (laughing) Good boy! (places box on floor) Now here's Leni's fashionwear. (starts moving steak towards box like a walking puppet) And here's the robber coming to steal it. What should you do?

[Immediately, Charles started running... and leapt onto the box and began nuzzling his snout into the opening, trying to get the food out.]

Lana: (snatches the box from Charles) NO, Charles! [Facepalms.] Just imagine if I was Leni holding that fashion wear! [Charles puts attention to her.] Just imagine that the steak is a robber who's gonna try to attack me just for it! Would you allow some stranger to attack your owner?!

[Charles gets wide eyed at this statement. Then growls at the steak and attacks it aggresively.]

Lana: (excited) Yes! Go Charles!

[After Charles ends up eating the steak, he grabs the box and presents it to Lana.]

Lana: (cuddles him) There! Good boy, Charles!

[At that moment, the sisters came to the room.]

Lori: What is going on here?

Lana: (grins) Ladies, allow me to introduce to the new and improved guard dog of the family: Charles.

[The sisters all looked at Charles who gave a yawn.]

Lola: Pffft! Yeah right.

Lori: Lana, I don’t think that’s a good idea.

Lana: What do you mean? I’m training Charles to defend our home from robbers and bullies!

Luan: Yeah, but Charles doesn’t really seem like the type of dog to attack people. He’s too docile and playful to be that mean.

Leni: Yeah. Charles is perfect the way he is.

Luna: Don’t fix something that isn’t broken, sis.

Lana: (unfazed) You guys don’t understand. Charles is a great dog, but I want to help him become better. He’s gonna protect our family!

Lori: We’re just saying, Lana. This is the kind of idea that can easily backfire.

Lana: Come on, guys. What's the worst that could happen?

[The girls' attention turned to Charles who was digging through the dog food box again.]

Lisa: In that particular case? Him not becoming a very good guard dog.

Lana: Trust me, he will.

Lori: Whatever you say, sis.

[The sisters leave the room.]

Lana: (scratching Charles’s back) Don’t listen to them, boy. You’ll be the best guard dog in the world in no time.

[Charles let out a snore in response and Lana noticed that he had fallen asleep.]

Lana: (deadpanned) With a LOT of training.

[Then it cuts to a montage where Lana tries many ways to make Charles a guard dog:

-She uses a pack of bacon, puts the picture of a generic bully, and uses it to pretend Lana is being attacked by it. Charles quickly attacks it and starts to chew on it.

-She then uses a box of dog food and disguises it as a robber. She pretends it is stealing Leni’s purse. When she shows this to Charles the dog charges to the robber puppet and tears it apart, much to Lana’s joy.

-She grabs one of her leftovers and uses them to rub it on two puppets; one is a bully, and the other is a criminal. She shows them to Charles, and when the mere essence of the puppets comes to Charles’s nose, he starts attacking both of them.

Lana was happy that all of her work seemed to be progressing, and she was ready to do a final test. Then it cuts to the park, where she, along with Lincoln, Lucy and Lynn, were gonna do the final test to prove Charles is a loyal guard dog.]

Lana: (determined) Okay, boy, this is your final test to see if you can protect us from danger. And what better test subject to prove it, than the two stinkers who have been nothing but trouble before. (overly-dramatic) BEHOLD!!!

[Lynn and Lucy came out of their hiding from a tree. Lynn was wearing a dark khaki t-shirt, blue jeans shorts, and white shoes with three cyan stripes. And Lucy was wearing a white shirt, burgundy jacket, blue jeans, and white shoes. In other words, they were basically dressed as Hawk and Hank.]

Lucy: (blushing of embarrassment) I can't believe I agreed to do this...

Lynn: Hey. I'm the brunette and you're the one with black hair covering their eyes. Perfect casting if you ask me.

Lincoln: Guys, stay focused!

Lana: Okay, guys. Now you know what you need to do, right?

Lynn, Lincoln and Lucy: Right!

Lana: Okay… NOW!

Lynn: (grabbing Lincoln by his collar, deepening her voice) Okay, doofus! Give us all of your candy and no one gets hurt!

Lincoln: (pretending to be scared) Please, don’t hurt me! I don’t have candy!

Lucy: Then I guess we’ll have to give you a nice dose of knuckle sandwiches!

[Lynn and Lucy laugh wickedly. Lana is preparing Charles to attack.]

Lana: Okay, those two bullies are about to attack my poor big brother. You know what to do, right, boy?

[Charles growls determined.]

Lana: Good! Attack, Charles!

[Charles starts to charge up to Lynn. Lana was getting more excited every minute, she wanted so badly for her dog to protect her family. Finally, Charles comes close to Lynn, tackles her and… she starts licking her. Lynn couldn’t help but laugh at her dog licking her.]

Lynn: (laughing) Charles! Stop it!

[Lana’s excitement quickly turned into a flabbergasted look, and slowly turned into a disappointed one. Her attempts to toughen him up seemingly have failed.]

Lana: (in disbelief) I-I can’t believe it. I-it didn’t work?

Lucy: I guess he knew it was us.

Lincoln: Or maybe Charles is just not a guard dog.

Lana: (sighs in defeat) Forget it, guys. Thanks for the help anyways.

[Lana leaves.]

Lincoln: (concerned) Where are you going.

Lana: (depressed) I’m gonna find a mud puddle. To forget about my miserable failure.

[Lana walks away, leaving Lincoln, Lynn and Lucy concerned, and Charles in Lynn’s arms, just panting. It cuts to Lana in a mud puddle, feeling down.]

Lana: (sighs) Who am I kidding? Charles is not a guard dog. He’s never gonna try to attack someone unless they are literally made of bacon… maybe the others were right. This was a bad idea to begin with.

[Lana got up the puddle and was starting to head back to her siblings. However, a hostile presence grabbed her by the suspenders of her overall. It was a raven-haired preteen boy, with a black long sleeve shirt, red baggy pants, white shoes with three green stripes, and a gap on his teeth. His face had the definite desire to harm her.]

Rough Kid: (menacingly) Hello, little girl.

Lana: (scared) W-W-What do you want?!

Rough Kid: Oh, nothing. I just saw that red cap of yours, and I thought it would look so much better on me than it does to you.

Lana: G-GO GET YOUR OWN, YA CREEP!!!

Rough Kid: Wow! Way harsh, twerp. (smiles sinisterly) Maybe I should start by teaching you some manners.

[This last statement made Lana scared beyond believe. Unbeknownst to both of them, Charles was running towards the mud puddle where Lana was to play with her. However, he witnessed his owner being attacked by this bully. The kid had Lana’s cap in his hands, and was stopping Lana right on her tracks trying to recover her cap.]

Lana: (angry) GIVE IT BACK, YOU JERK!

Rough Kid: (puts the cap on his head) Ha! Make me.

[The kid punches Lana in the stomach, causing her to fall on the ground, and cry. Charles growls furiously at this, and is ready to charge on the kid.]

Lana: (in tears) H-H-HEEEEEEEEEEEELP!!!

Rough Kid: (smugly) Aww. And tell me, who’s gonna help you now?

[At that moment, Charles leapt through the air and threw himself onto the bully, knocking him to the ground. The boy struggled as Charles snapped at him aggressively, tearing away bits of his shirt in the process.]

Rough Kid: No, no! N-n-nice doggy! Nice doggy!

[Charles didn’t listen, and he kept attacking the bully. Lincoln, Lynn and Lucy, having heard Lana’s pleads for help, went to aid her. However, when they arrived, all they could see was their dog almost tearing the kid apart. Lana couldn’t believe her eyes. The way he attacked the bully and how he was defending her. She got star-eyed. Her training actually worked.]

Lana: (excited) GO, CHARLES, GO!

[Lincoln, Lynn, and Lucy however felt rather uncomfortable with what they were watching. It felt very different to see Charles attacking somebody.]

Lynn: Uh...guys? I don't really like what I'm lookin' at...

Lucy: Normally, I love when those around me embrace their dark side, but this behavior from Charles just feels abnormal.

Lincoln: O-okay, Lana! I think Charles has done enough. Call him off.

[But Lana just stared in awe, feeling proud of her dog.]

Lincoln: Lana! Call Charles off! Now!

[To his horror, Lana still didn’t listen to him, so he had to stop him himself.]

Lincoln: (horrified) CHARLES, STOP IT, NOW!!!

[Fortunately however, Charles obeyed him and stopped his attack on the boy, who had wounds all over his body, and was even bleeding in some of them. He was even crying.]

Rough Kid: (panting in fear) I... I-I’m sorry... I-I-I...

[Charles growls at the kid, whom after this, runs away in fear, leaving Lana’s cap in the ground. Charles grabs it and presents it to Lana, like he just brought the newspaper.]

Lana: That... was... AWESOME!!! [Starts to cuddle Charles] Good boy, Charles! Good Boy!

[Lincoln and the girls, however, were horrified.]

Lynn: I can't believe what I just saw...

Lincoln: Uh, Lana? Can I talk to you for a sec?

Lana: Sure, Lincoln.

[Lucy and Lynn immediately walked off with Charles while Lincoln sat down to talk to Lana.]

Lincoln: (sighs) Lana... I understand that you wanted Charles to be more of a guard dog and protect us from danger, but... don't you think he went too far?

Lana: What are you talking about? Guard dogs are SUPPOSED to do what Charles just did to that kid.

Lincoln: But you actually want Charles to hurt people.

Lana: Well, no. Not ALL people. Just anybody who we don't know and wants to hurt us.

Lincoln: Yeah... but the way he attacked that guy, it seems like he wanted to literally kill him.

Lana: Lincoln, you worry too much. Charles knows better than to kill somebody. It'll be fine. I promise.

Lincoln: (sighs) Well, I hope you're right...

[He then walked off, leaving Lana by herself.]

Lana: (cuddling Charles) Don't listen to him, Charles. (hugs him) You're gonna be the best guardian dog in the world!

[Charles licks her face, much to her glee. The next day at the Loud House's backyard, Charles was sleeping under the tree while Lynn was playing badminton with Lola. Lola accidentally throws the shuttlecock into Mr. Grouse's backyard, causing the grumpy neighbor to come out of his house.]

Lola: Oops.

Lynn: (groans) Nice going, Lola! Now I have to go and get my shuttlecock back before--

Mr. Grouse: (holding shuttlecock) My yard, my property!

Lynn: That happens.

Lola: (growls; to Mr. Grouse) You big hypocritical meanie! You gave us back all our stuff that you stole from us last Christmas, and now you're taking things from us all over again!

Mr. Grouse: Well, that was on Christmas, Loud! That is completely different, now-

[But before Mr. Grouse could finish what he was saying, Charles growled at him.]

Mr. Grouse: LOUDS! Control your darn dog!

[Without any of them noticing, Charles runs to the old man's backyard.]

Mr. Grouse: And you better be more careful with your stuff, Louds! Because one of these days, someone might get hurt-

[Suddenly, Charles leapt to Mr. Grouse and started to attack him. Lola and Lynn got shocked at this sight, and crawled through Mr. Grouse's fence to help him.]

Mr. Grouse: Aaaahhh! Get him off me! Get him off!

Lynn: (grabbing onto Charles and trying pull him off) Charles! That's enough! Stop!

[Lynn pull tightly onto Charles while he held tightly onto Mr. Grouse's shirt with his teeth. Eventually, she managed to yank him off, though Mr. Grouse's shirt got ripped in the process.]

Mr. Grouse: Gah! My shirt! [Covers revealed stomach and blushes.]

Lynn: Charles, what is the matter with you?!

Lola: Bad doggy!

[Charles, however, just growled at Mr. Grouse.]

Mr. Grouse: (scared) T-T-T-T-TAKE YOUR DANG SHUTTLECOCK AND KEEP YOUR DOG AWAY!!! [He runs away to his house. Charles just grabs the shuttlecock and presents it to Lynn and Lola, who just looked horrified.]

Lynn: …Charles.

[Later, Lincoln got the visit of his friends, Rusty and Liam. The boys sat on the couch, playing Muscle Fish. Upstairs, Charles rested by the staircase.]

Lincoln: That's it! Almost got it...

Liam: Oh no you don't!

Rusty: HA! Gotcha now!

[Charles began to grow tense as he listened to the boys playing.]

Rusty: Take that, Lincoln! Take that! And that!

[Charles misunderstood the situation and began to believe that Rusty was actually attacking Lincoln. Growling angrily, he rushed downstairs.]

Rusty: (close to finishing the game) Almost there... YES! Victory is mi--

[At that moment, Rusty was knocked onto the ground by Charles, who pinned him down and growled threateningly.]

Rusty: (scared) Uhhh... hey... doggy! H-how-

[Suddenly, Charles started to attack Rusty, much to Lincoln and Liam’s horror, who are trying to stop him.]

Lincoln: CHARLES, NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! (grabs Charles and starts pulling him) STOP IT NOW!

[Liam grabbed Lincoln and helped him pull Charles. They managed to successfully pull him off of Rusty, who got up to his feet shaking with fear.]

Rusty: (nervously) N-n-n-nice doggy...

[Charles snarled! Rusty screamed like a little girl and ran off into the dining room. The dog jump out of Lincoln's arms and took off after him. Lincoln and Liam immediately rushed into the dining room where they found Rusty cowering at the top of the trophy case and Charles barking and snapping at him from the bottom.]

Rusty: Um, I think I'm ready to go home now.

Liam: (scared) Y-yeah... me too...

[The two of them made their way out of the house, leaving Lincoln with Charles, feeling both furious for what his dog did to his friends, and terrified of what Charles has become. The next day, Lynn Sr. was in the garage, playing music with his friend Kotaro.]

Kotaro: Well, Lynn, that was a blasting success I must say.

Lynn Sr.: Heck yeah, it was!

Kotaro: You know, Lynn? I always wondered what it feels like to play a cowbell.

Lynn Sr.: Well, what can I say, my good Kotaro? The cowbell is a sophisticated instrument that can only be played by a professional.

Kotaro: Come on, Lynn! Just let me try it once.

[Lynn Sr. thought for a second. He really hated the idea of giving his cowbell to someone else, even if that someone was his best friend. However, he did an attempt to share it. After all, it wouldn't be for so long.]

Lynn Sr.: (hesitantly) Okay, give it a try.

[Out near the garage, Charles was digging a hole for his bone in the yard. Just then, his ears perked up at the sound of Lynn Sr.'s voice. He turned in the direction of the garage and saw a hesitant-looking Lynn Sr. handing his cowbell over to Kotaro. Believing that Kotaro was stealing the cowbell from his master, Charles charged towards the garage with a vicious look on his face.]

Kotaro: (ready to play the cowbell) And a-one. A-two. A-one, two, three--

[Charles leapt through the air and dug his teeth into Kotaro's arm.]

Kotaro: OW!

[He shook his arm frantically, trying to shake the angry dog that was biting and scratching into off.]

Lynn Sr.: NO! CHARLES, BAD!

[In his efforts to shake Charles off, Kotaro ended up dropping the cowbell in the process. At that point, Charles immediately let go of Kotaro's arm and dropped to the ground. He then picked up the cowbell and carried it over to Lynn Sr.]

Lynn Sr: (angry) Charles! What the heck?! Why did you attack Kotaro like that?!

Kotaro: (nervous) Y-you know what, Lynn? This was a bad idea, maybe I should just go.

Lynn Sr: Kotaro, wait!

[It was too late for that, as Kotaro got into his van and drove off. Lynn Sr. looks at Charles with anger. He went to the living room, where Lincoln, Lynn and Lola were sitting with worried faces on them.]

Lynn Sr: Kids, do you know why Charles attacked Kotaro like that?!

Lola: It's all Lana's fault! She did it so Charles could be more of a "guard dog" or whatever!

Lynn Sr: What?!

Lincoln: She's been upset by how Charles has been acting scared around things like squirrels and how he never listened to her during that whole "burglar" incident. So she's been training him to act more like a guard dog.

Lynn: The training did seem to pay off. A couple of days ago, this kid tried to steal Lana's hat from her and Charles attacked him! Lana might have been proud of him for it, but I sure wasn't! It was scary!

Lola: Yesterday, I lost Lynn's shuttlecock in Mr. Grouse's yard. He wouldn't give it back until Charles started attacking him!

Lincoln: And he also Rusty attacked for no reason and ended up scaring him and Liam away!

Lynn Sr.: LANA!!!

[Lana heads downstairs, and she finds her father, along with Lincoln, Lynn and Lola, looking ticked-off.]

Lana: (confused) What's the matter?

Lynn Sr.: What's the matter? Charles is the matter! He's been acting like a psychopath lately!

Lana: What?!

Lynn: He attacked Mr. Grouse and Lincoln and dad's friends!

Lola: Yeah! YOU RUINED CHARLES!!!

Lana: (wide-eyed) Wait, what? B-but he was only supposed to do that with people who wanted to hurt us!

Lincoln: Lana, please be honest; do you think someone like Rusty would like to hurt me or the others? I understand that you want Charles to be braver, but what he's been doing... he's gone too far! He's become more of a bully than the people he's supposed to protect us from! What if he ends up hurting one of us?!

Lana: (with tears in her eyes) N-n-NO! HE WOULD'NT! HE WON'T! HE KNOWS BETTER THAN TO HURT HIS OWN FAMILY!

Lynn Sr.: (sighs) Honey...

Lana: HE WON'T!!!

[She then ran upstairs, feeling very upset. Her father and siblings looked at each other and shook their heads. They had expressions both of disappointment and concern on their faces, worrying about both Lana and Charles. The next day, Lisa's friend Darcy came over for a playdate. She and Lisa were in the twins' room having a tea party with Lola. They had a few of Lola's dolls and stuffed animals set up around the table, including Darcy's giraffe Rafo. Cliff was also there, looking rather annoyed at having to wear a top hat.]

LOLA: (holds out teapot; speaks in an elegant manner) More tea, ladies?

Darcy: Yes please! (offers her a cup)

Lisa: Well, I don't normally appreciate giving up my dedication to science for trivial manners, but I do enjoy spending time with Darcy. And this blend of ground leaves and caffeine is quite delectable. So, yes please. (offers cup)

[As Lola poured the tea into Darcy and Lisa's cups, she noticed Cliff reaching towards the plate of cookies. She quickly put the teapot down and grabbed the cookies and pulled them out of Cliff's reach before he could get one.]

Lola: Lord Cliffton! Manners!

Darcy: (picks up Rafo and holds him towards Cliff; speaks in his voice) Remember, Mr. Kitty. Friends always share with another.

[Cliff flattened his ears and rumbled in irritation at the sight of the stuffed giraffe. In the hallway, Charles was walking when he stopped outside of the twins' door to catch what was happening inside. It appeared to him as if Cliff was about to get into a fight with another animal. Charles' expression hardened. Meanwhile downstairs, Lori was having a conversation with Teri and Becky in the kitchen.]

Teri: No way!

Becky: He didn't!

Lori: He did! And apparently, what Whitney said to him was--

[She immediately cut off by the sound of a little girl screaming coming from upstairs. Teri recognized the scream too well.]

Teri: Darcy?!

[She immediately sprang to her feet and rushed off, with Lori and Becky running after her.]

Lori: (groans) Lisa...

[The three teenagers headed upstairs where the rest of the siblings had exited their rooms (sans Lana who had been playing in the yard) and were gathering in front of the twins' room. Lori moved to the front of the group and approached Lisa.]

Lori: Lisa, what did you do now?!

Lisa: (frantically) Don't look at me! I don't know what happened! We were just playing and he came out of nowhere!

Lori: WHO came out of nowhere?

[She looked around the room. She saw Charles tearing a stuffed toy apart and then she saw Darcy sitting in the corner of the room. She was sobbing uncontrollably as Lola was trying to comfort her. Teri rushed over to her little sister and scooped her up.]

Teri: Darcy! Are you alright?! [Hugs Darcy tightly and pats her soothingly.] Shh, its okay, little sis. It's okay. What happened?

Darcy: (whimpering) I-I was just playing with Lisa and her sister... (sniffs) a-a-and then... a-a-and then...

[She could’ even finish what she was saying, as she started crying to Teri’s shoulder, who just comforted her. Lori was completely dumbfounded. She couldn’t believe that her dog could do something like this. Charles was the most docile dog she knew, so the fact he did something so cruel and violent left her horrified.]

Lori: T-Teri, I-I-I don’t know what to say! Charles isn’t really like this, he’s usually very playful. I don’t know why he did this to Darcy.

Lola: (angry) Oh, I know why.

[Everyone in the room turned to Lola. Then it cuts to Lana, who was in the backyard looking guilty and depressed. She’s been thinking of what Charles has done to their neighbor and her siblings’ friends. She didn’t want Charles to become a bully, or even worse, a killer. She just wanted him to be more protective of his family. But then, a thought came to her mind. She remembered the time Lincoln trained her for a beauty pageant, and how inferior she felt to the other pageant contestants. She remembered the words of her brother, and how he told her that she’s perfect the way she is... which only made her feel more guilty of the whole Charles situation. It made her feel like a hypocrite for wanting to change Charles from who he truly was, and it made her wish she never did so in the first place. But suddenly, an angry voice called her out from inside the house.]

Lori: (pissed) LANA!!!

[Lana decided to go. When she entered the house, she found her siblings, Teri and Becky with stern and disappointed looks on their faces.]

Lana: (nervously) Y-y-yeah?

Lori: What do you have to say for yourself?!

Lana: W-w-what do you mean?

Luna: You still think Charles would make a great guard dog?

Lana: Oh no. He didn't attack somebody again, did he?

Lola: DOES THIS ANSWER YOUR QUESTION?!

[She angrily tossed the stuffed animal that Charles was found attacking at Lana's feet. To Lana's horror, the ripped-up toy was Rafo! She then looked up at Teri to see her holding a sobbing Darcy in her arms.]

Lana: No... h-he didn't attack Darcy, did he?!

Lisa: No, he was just going for Rafo.

Lincoln: But nevertheless, Darcy could have gotten really hurt. And now her favorite toy is ruined!

[Upon hearing that, Darcy began to cry harder.]

Lincoln: (embarrassed) Oops, sorry.

Teri: (comforting Darcy) Shhh... It's okay, Darcy.

Leni: (picks up Rafo) Well, maybe there's still a chance. I do have my clothing materials up in my room. Maybe I can fix Rafo up.

Teri: (gives a relieved sigh) Thanks, Leni.

[Leni and the Homandollar sisters headed upstairs with the torn giraffe while the rest of the Loud siblings and Becky looked at Lana with disappointment.]

Lynn: Well, Lana, I do hope you're happy.

[She didn’t say anything.]

Lori: You don’t have anything to say?!

Lana: (depressed) You were right.

Lori: NO! I don’t want excu- Wait what?

Lana: You were right, okay?! I shouldn't have tried to train Charles to become a guard dog! I only wanted him to be braver, alright?! I never wanted him to become a monster!

(The Loud siblings were shocked by Lana's outburst)

Lincoln: L-Lana--

Lana: I'M SORRY! I just.. I just...

Lori: (sighs) We know. [kneels down to Lana and puts her hands on her shoulders] But we gotta do something to make Charles stop with this violent outbursts. Before we know it, he could do something worse.

[Just then, someone knocked the front door.]

Clyde: (from outside) Lincoln? Are you home?

LINCOLN: Oh no... not now!

(He opened the door wide enough for him and Clyde to see each other, but not enough for Clyde to come inside.)

Lincoln: (nervously) Uh, h-hey Clyde! W-w-what are you doing here?

Clyde: Ummm, I was just in the neighborhood and I thought I'd stop by to hang out. Can I come in?

Lincoln: Uh, s-sorry, Clyde, but now's really not a good time to have guests over. So, um, see ya!

[He immediately tried to shut the door but Clyde stuck his foot in to keep it from closing. Then he started pushing it open while Lincoln tried to push back.]

Clyde: Lincoln, what are you up to?

Lincoln: Nothing! Just... go home now!

Clyde: Lincoln, let me in!

[The noise got Charles' attention as he walked into the room. To him, it looked as if Lincoln was trying to keep somebody from breaking it. He began to grow tense. Becky was the first to notice him.]

Becky: Um, guys?

[The sisters turned around to see the dog looking ready to attack.]

Luan: Oh no...

Lori: Quick! Somebody get Charles out of here before--

[It was too late. Clyde managed to push the door open and Charles went running towards him, barking savagely.]

Clyde: (confused) Charles?

Lincoln: (desperately) NO! CHARLES, DON'T!!!

[Lincoln jumped to Charles, trying to get a hold of him, but he was slipping away. Luckily, the sisters came to help him get a hold of Charles. All Clyde could do was walk backwards, and regret coming there in the first place.]

Clyde: (confused and scared) W-what's happening?!

Lincoln: CLYDE!!! RUN!!!

[Charles was starting to escape from his owners' grip. Lana tried to hold him.]

Lana: (desperate) CHARLES!!! PLEASE! DON'T DO IT! STO-

[But something worse happened. Charles, in a fit of blind rage, actually bit Lana's arm, causing it to bleed. The siblings, shocked, let Charles go. However, when he turns around, he sees what he's done to Lana. She, while her siblings were attending her wound, looks at her dog with tears in her eyes.]

Lana: (heartbroken) C-Charles... h-h-how could you...

[Charles began to whimper upon seeing Lana bleeding because of something he did to her. And then he began to remember everything else he had done for the past two days. He now began to see the fear of the various people he attacked in his mind and he could hear Darcy's crying. Frightened, Charles began to back away, whimpering and shaking his head in frustration.]

Lincoln: (reaches towards Charles) Charles?

[Charles jumped back in fear, worried he would hurt Lincoln next. He then ran past the siblings and their friends and out the front door. Then he turned and headed down the street.]

Lincoln: (concerned) Charles! Wait!

[The Loud boy tried to run after their dog, but to no avail. Charles ran-off too fast to the other side of the block, and a huge truck passed by. Lincoln had to stop to not get hit, losing Charles out of sight. He entered the house to warn his sisters and friends.]

Lincoln: Guys! Charles ran away!

The sisters and Clyde: WHAT?!

Leni: (from upstairs) What?! What happened?!

[She quickly rushed downstairs, followed by the Homandollars. The first thing Leni noticed was Lana's wounded arm.]

Leni: Lana! (quickly takes a look at the arm) C-Charles! H-he didn't!

Lisa: He did.

Lucy: But I think by doing so, he has finally realized the faults in his unfortunate misdeeds.

Lincoln: Yeah, well maybe a bit too much. He just ran off when I tried to comfort him!

Lori: Where is he now?

Lincoln: When I reached the intersection, he was already crossing the street. I would have followed but this truck was coming!

[The others let out shocked gasps, fearing the worst.]

Lola: Y-you don't mean Charles is...

Lincoln: No, I don't think so. The truck didn't hit him. But by the time it had finished passing, Charles was already gone!

Lori: (determined) Then what the heck are we doing just standing here?! We need to find him!

Everyone (sans Lana): YEAH!

Lana: This is all my fault. I have to make things right with him. Let’s go!

Lori: (sternly) No, Lana. You stay here!

Lana: Lori-

Lori: No buts! I won’t let you come with a wounded arm. You stay here. (to Leni) Leni, please take care of her. Hopefully, we’ll find him soon.

Leni: Got it!

Clyde: You'll need all the help you can get! I'll come too!

Lincoln: Are you sure? After what happened?

Clyde: Lincoln, I get that what happened was a mistake. And I care about Charles just as much as you do. So I'm coming!

Lincoln: Thanks, Clyde.

Becky: I'll help too.

Teri: You guys go on ahead. I'll stay here with Leni and keep an eye on Lana and Darcy.

Lori: Thanks, guys. Alright! Let's go!

[The rescue party immediately rushed out of the house, leaving Lana, Leni, and the Homandollars.]

Leni: Good luck, guys!

[She then heard a sniffling sound. She looked down and saw that Lana was beginning to cry.]

Lana: (whimpering) Why didn't you let me go with them?

Leni: Because you are hurt and in no condition to go outside. You need attention.

Lana: But it's my fault! None of this would have happened if I hadn't trained Charles in the first place! I never wanted him to be a monster! I just... I just...

[Lana couldn't hold it together anymore and burst into tears. Leni got down to the floor and gently wrapped her arms around her little sister in a hug.]

Leni: Shhh... there, there. (gently rocks Lana) Don't cry, Lana. It's not your fault. The others will find Charles. (under breath to self) I hope...

[Leni started to take care of Lana’s wound. With the help of Teri, they bandaged the the wound and calmed Lana down.]

Teri: Why don’t you go with Darcy upstairs? So you can cool off a bit.

Lana: (sighs) Okay.

[Lana decided to obey and stayed upstairs… or so they think. Lana went to her room and started to form a rope with her blankets and put them out of her window.]

Lana: (to herself) They think I’m gonna just stay here and let my dog suffer through god-knows what? Yeah, right.

[However, as Lana was about to climb down, Darcy discovers her.]

Darcy: Lana? What are you doing?

Lana: Darcy?! (nervously) I-I-I was just taking a little air! Air is important for our health.

[She smiles nervously. However, Darcy was not fooled by this.]

Darcy: (deadpanned) Please. I may be four, but I’m not stupid.

Lana: (sighs in defeat) Fine, you got me. I was trying to get Charles back.

Darcy: But Leni and Teri said you should stay here.

Lana: I know, but… I want to make things right with him. It’s my fault that he’s been acting like that to begin with. He attacked my neighbor, my siblings’ friends, and he even attacked your Rafo. If we hadn’t done anything, he could have killed Clyde too. I didn’t want to turn him into a monster, and now he could be in danger because of me. Please, Darcy. Let me do this.

[Darcy thought about it for a few seconds and then let out a sigh of defeat.]

Darcy: Fine. But at least let me come with you.

Lana: No. You are staying here.

Darcy: But--

Lana: No! Enough people have already gotten hurt because of what my mistake. I don't want anything bad to happen to anyone else, especially someone like you. Think about how Teri would feel if you got hurt.

Darcy: (thinks about it and then sighs) Alright, Lana.

Lana: Thank you.

[Lana then climbed down the rope of blankets. Once she reached the ground of the backyard, she rushed to the front of the house and ran down the street. Darcy watched as much as she could from the twins' window.]

Darcy: Good luck, Lana.

[Meanwhile, somewhere in the woods of Royal Woods, Charles laid down on an old trunk. He was feeling guilty of everything that he’s done. He felt like at any minute he could harm, or even kill someone innocent. He felt that he failed his masters, and that he doesn’t deserve to be loved by anyone after what he did to Lana.]

[Elsewhere across town, the Louds and their friends had split up into groups and looking everywhere for their dog.]

LINCOLN: Charles! Here, boy!

Luna: (whistles) Come on, boy! Here, Charles!

Lori: Charles! It's okay! We forgive you!

Clyde: Here, Charles!

Lisa: If you come back now, I promise to stop taking bits of your fur for my experiments!

Lola: Lisa!

Lisa: What?

[Unknown to them, Lana was doing her own search for Charles. She felt pain in her arm, but she brushed it off, focusing on Charles.]

Lana: Charles!

[...looks on many garbage containers...]

Lana: Charles!

[...in the park...]

Lana: Charles?!

[But to no avail. The more she kept looking for him, the more concerned she became. Suddenly, she saw Lori and a couple of her friends. Not wanting to get in trouble (or, even more than she already was she hid on a bush. Cautiously, she peeked out from behind the bush without letting herself be seen and listened to Lori talking to her friends.]

Lori: So, you're sure you haven't seen Charles anywhere recently.

Dana: Sorry, Lori. I haven't seen him at all today.

Chaz: I did see a dog running free in the streets earlier, but I'm not sure it was yours.

Lori: (sighs) Well, thanks anyway. (turns to Becky) Come on, Becky. We've only searched half of the town by now. Let's just keep looking. Maybe Lincoln, Clyde, and the girls have found him.

Dana: We can help out too if you want.

Lori: Yes please! Thank you!

[The group of teens walked off in one direction, while Lana begin to think to herself about what they just said.]

Lana: (to herself) So, Lori hasn't seen Charles anywhere halfway across town. And I've already looked in all the place where he'd most likely be. And I don't know if the others have found him yet or not....

[She then turned around and look out into the distance at the border of the woods.]

Lana: There's only one place he could be hiding now...

[Quickly, she rushed off into the Royal Woods… woods. She goes looking for him through the forest, calling his name. Until she hears something in a bush. Thinking it could be Charles, she knees to the bush.]

Lana: Charles?

[But nothing came.]

Lana: (depressed) Charles… I’m sorry. I’m sorry for trying to make you so aggressive. You’re perfect the way you are, and it was wrong for me to try and make you such a bully.

[Still, nothing came.]

Lana: (showing her arm) Look! My arm’s okay. It was nothing, really! But please, come back to us… come back to me.

[But suddenly, a sound was heard from the bush… but it was a growl. But unlike Charles’s growls, this one was deep, and sounded a lot more vicious. A chill ran down the six year old’s spine, she backed off in fear, realizing something terrifying…]

Lana: (in her mind) That’s not Charles! That’s not Charles! THAT’S NOT CHARLES!!!

[Out of the bushes came out a giant bear. Lana backed away slowly as the animal eyed her. The bear slowly approached her, growling lowly and looking hungry. Lana found herself backed up against a tree. The bear snarled angrily and swiped at her! Its paw barely managed to scratch her stomach, but it did manage to rip a bit of her shirt off! Lana screamed in terror and quickly moved out of the way as the bear lunged at her, slamming into the tree! She then ran off through the woods with the beast chasing after her. Elsewhere in the forest, Charles' ears pricked up at the sound of Lana's screaming. Listening carefully, he recognized his master's voice. Then he heard the snarls of the bear. The dog jumped off the trunk and rushed into the woods to find Lana.]

Lana: (panicking) MOM!!! DAD!!! LYNN!!! SOMEONE, HEEEEEEEELP!!!!!

[Lana kept running from the beast, which only made the bear even hungrier even and more furious. Unfortunately, Lana tripped over with the fallen branch of a tree, which managed to hurt her wound. Lana was cornered by the bear. Tears were running down her face. Everything seemed hopeless for her. But when the bear was about to attack, something bit the beast’s back. It was Charles, growling at the monstrous animal, disposed to protect his owner.]

Lana: (concerned) Charles…

[The bear roared furiously against the canine, who responded by growling and barking just as furiously as the beast.]

Lana: Charles! NO!!!

[Charles snarled and rushed forward! He leapt at the bear and the monstrous animal swung its paw at him, knocking the small dog aside! The bear turned its attention back to Lana and prepared to bring its paw upon her, but Charles sprang onto its back! He buried his teeth into its shoulder and the bear let out a roar of a pain! It fell onto its back and rolled across the ground, causing Charles to lose his grip and let go of the bear's shoulder! The bear then got to its feet and advanced toward the dog, who leapt forward and grabbed onto the bottom of the bear's neck, biting into it! The bear shook its head back and forth, trying to knock Charles off.]

Lana: PLEASE! LEAVE CHARLES ALONE!!!

(The bear just continued shaking its head until it managed to knock Charles off. It then knocked the dog aside, sending him ramming into the side of a tree. Weakened by the force of the impact, Charles struggled to get to his feet. Seeing its opportunity, the bear approached Charles and lifted its paw, ready to finish him off.)

Lana: NO!

[She noticed a rock lying next to her and immediately picked it up.]

Lana: LEAVE. HIM. ALONE!

[She threw the rock at the bear, hitting it in the shoulder. The edges of the rock struck against the great animal's skin, cutting into it. The bear let out a roar of pain so loud it could almost be heard by all of Royal Woods. It turned its attention towards Lana, now looking very angry. Lana quickly took off, and the bear ran after her. Before Lana could get far, she tripped again over a root and fell on the ground, once again hurting her arm. She looked up in fear as the bear stood over her, ready bring its paw down upon her. But before the beast could strike, it let out another roar of pain as Charles leapt onto its shoulder and buried his teeth into the area where it had been cut. The bear shook itself again, once more trying to shake the dog off. It eventually succeeded in doing so and knocked Charles straight into Lana's arms. But Charles had managed to tear a bit away at the wound. The bear felt more pain in its shoulder, but it wasn't ready to give up yet. Just as it began to advance towards the girl and dog, it was suddenly hit in the face with a stick.]

LORI: (off-screen) Hey!

[Lana and Charles turned to see who it was. It was her siblings, along with some of their friends, ready to defend them both from the beast.]

LINCOLN: (holding a rock) Get...away...FROM MY LITTLE SISTER!

[He threw the rock in the bear's direction, striking the animal in the forehead. Angered by this, the bear now began to move for the small group of kids.]

Luan: Uh, guys? He's coming this way.

Lynn: (picks up a pinecone) Let him.

[She tossed the rock at the bear, hitting it in the face. The animal continued walking towards them, but Luna grabbed a stick and threw it. It struck the cut on the bear's shoulder and the bear winced in pain. One by one, the kids began picking up sticks and stones and throwing them at the bear. With each hit, the bear let out of grunts of pain and irritation. In the midst of the excitement, Charles jumped out of Lana's arms and ran behind the bear. Without hesitation, he buried his teeth into the larger animal's ankle. The bear roared in pain and kicked Charles away. Realizing it was too outmatched, the bear turned away and lumbered into the woods, grunting with discomfort. The group turns to Lana, who had a fainted Charles in her hands, a bleeding wound in her arm, and tears in her eyes.]

Lana: (whimpering) We... we need to take him to the vet... please...

[Lori takes Charles and Lincoln takes Lana to the car. It cuts to the Loud House where Teri and Leni are interrogating Darcy.]

Teri: (sternly) Darcy. I'm gonna ask you this one more time. Where is Lana?

Darcy: (innocently) I don't know.

Teri: Darcy, I am NOT playing with you! This is serious. Remember what I talked you about before that time you got in trouble for drawing on the walls and saying that the cat did it? You shouldn't lie about things to other people, especially the ones you care about.

Leni: Darcy, please. I know you're probably not telling us where Lana because you're trying to help her. But Lana's my little sister. And right now, she's out there somewhere with a badly-hurt arm and I don't where she is. How do you think me or any of my siblings would feel if she got hurt?

Darcy: (thinking to self) That's what Lana said too about me. (sighs) She's looking for Charles.

Leni: Oh no...

[Frantically, Leni pulled out her cellphone and immediately began calling Lori. The phone rang for a few seconds. Then Lincoln answered, since Lori was driving Charles to the vet.]

Lincoln: Hello?

Leni: (freaked-out) Lincoln, where are you guys?!

Lincoln: We're at the vet-

Leni: LINCOLN!!! This is no time for making bets! Lana is missing!

Teri: Uhhh, Leni? I think he means they went to the vet. I believe they found Charles.

Leni: Oh. (realizes what that means) Oh no.

Lincoln: Yeah, and about Lana, we already found her. But I think you guys need to come here.

[After saying this, Leni and Teri look at each other in concern, so they took Darcy home and went to the vet, where they found all of the Loud siblings and some of their friends at the waiting room. Lana was on her brother’s arms, crying from both the pain in her arm, and the concern for her wounded dog.]

Leni: (concerned) You guys are okay? What happened?

Lori: We found Charles and Lana, but they were at the woods, and almost got mauled by a bear. Luckily, we were able to save them both, but Charles was severely wounded, so we took him here.

Lana: Doc... Can I talk to him? I need to tell him something.

Doctor: Sorry, kid. But you'll have to wait 'till your parents come.

[She sits on a chair and sighs in despair.]

Lori: (puts her hand on Lana's shoulder) Don’t worry, Lana. I already called them and told what happened. They'll be here in no time.

[Lana just wrapped her arms around Lori and buried her face in her chest, not making a sound. Lori sighed sadly as she gently stroked her little sister's back. The rest of the Loud siblings and their friends looked on and at each other with concern. After a few minutes passed, Lynn Sr. and Rita finally arrived.]

Lynn Sr.: Kids, we're here! How's Charles?

Lori: He's fine, but Lana wants to talk to him, and she was waiting for you guys to come here.

Rita: I see. Lana?

Lana: I know. I'm in trouble. But please, let me talk to him.

(Both parents looked at each other for a few seconds, thinking it over, before turning back to Lana)

Rita: Well, from what your father and siblings told me, I'm not exactly pleased to know about what Charles had been doing for the past couple of days. And I've told you many times before to never go into the woods alone. (looks at Lana's injured arm; tone and expression softens) But I can tell from that that you really do care about Charles and wanted to make up for your mistake. And I think you got way more for it than you deserved. So yes. You can see him.

Lana: Thanks, Mom.

Lynn Sr.: You want us to come in with you?

Lana: No. I want to do this by myself.

[The parents nodded to the doctor. He opened the door and lead Lana into the room to a table upon which Charles lay. He had his eyes closed and was resting with a few bandages over the areas where he had been injured from the fight. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Lana looking at him with a sorry expression.]

Lana: Hey, buddy.

[Charles just whimpered and turned away from her with a guilty look on his face.]

Lana: Charles, it’s not your fault… it’s mine.

[Charles looks at her in confusion.]

Lana: I did this to you. Because of me, now everyone must be afraid of you. I should have left you alone when I had the chance. All I wanted was to protect our family, but all I did was ending up hurting them. [Starts to tear up] You’re a great dog, Charles. And I shouldn’t have tried to make you a guard dog. And now you almost got killed by a bear because of me. Because I refused to accept you for whom you are. If it wasn’t for me, right now we would be playing in the backyard like we always loved to do. I’m so sorry…

[Lana then turned away, with too guilt to speak anymore. She bit her lip tightly, trying to keep herself from crying. Just as she was about to break down, she felt a gentle licking against her fingers. Lana looked down to her right to see Charles nuzzling his head against her injured arm, whimpering with concern. The two of them stared at each other in silence. Then Lana smiled as she got down onto the floor and opened her arms wide.]

Lana: Come here.

[Charles let out a bark of excitement as he ran into Lana's arms and began licking her face. Lana laughed as his tongue tickled against her skin. Once Charles had stopped licking her, Lana then wrapped her arms around him into a gentle hug.]

Lana: Good boy, Charles… [sniffs] Good boy.

[A month has passed, and Charles has fully recovered from his wounds. So did Lana’s arm. In the Loud House, they were playing in the mud, enjoying going back to their old ways.]

Lana: (playfully) Now I got you, Charles!

[Then Charles did his old trick of licking Lana’s face, causing her to giggle and lose her grip, allowing Charles to tackle her down.]

Lana: (chuckling) No! Not again!

[Lincoln then came to the backyard, and saw the two mud lovers enjoying their time together, causing him to smile.]

Lincoln: I’m glad everything is back to normal now.

Lana: Yeah, I’m glad too. [Turns to Charles] From now on, this month will be just about you and me, Charles. You deserve it after all you went through.

[Charles barked happily, excited to spend time with his most playful owner. But then, the front door sounded open, and Charles growled, charging to the Living room. Lincoln and Lana looked at each other in worry.]

Lincoln and Lana: OH NO!!!

[The two siblings went to stop Charles before he could do anything to the person coming to the house. The person in question turns out to be Clyde.]

Clyde: Hey, Lincoln! Are you ready to go to Gus’ Games and Grub now?!

[Suddenly, he spotted Charles, who was running towards him. He got nervous and tried to run away. But it was too late. Charles comes close to Clyde and tackles him. Lincoln and Lana came to the living room to stop Charles, only to find their own dog… licking Clyde’s face like crazy. The young McBride couldn’t help but chuckle at this.]

Clyde: Charles! Stop!

[The two Loud siblings sighed in relief after witnessing this.]

Lincoln: Well, seems like Charles loves Clyde now.

[The three kids have a good laugh as Lana hugs her dog.]

THE END.

Trivia
1. This is arguably my longest, and darkest story yet.

2. This fanfic was inspired by three things. The first one was the episode Lock n' Loud, and the second and third one were two fanarts by vinzound: I will protect you! and CHARLES, NO!