TITLE Kemosabe PAGE1(5 panels) Panel 1 Wide panel. Tall plains grass with a small figure about 1/3rd of the page from the right, moving towards the left with a trail of beat down grass behind him. TEXT BOX: We were sent into Azawad to find major Ansar Dine headquarters in Timbuktu. The French were planning a big move with the Malinese, coming up from Niger and Burkina Faso to push ‘em North out of the population centers. On our way out we must’ve got made. Panel 2 Wide panel, same size as 1, closer up on the figure, just barely showing definition. Can make out feline features and a jacket slung over their shoulder. TEXT BOX: We were hid out in the back of two covered flatbed trucks driven by locals. We made the ferry ‘n’ the ride was uneventful for the most part after that. The drivers ‘ad some trouble passing over Lac Garou. It’d been unusually wet for that time of year and the roads were unpleasant at best. Panel 3 Quarter Panel. Upper half body profile, from the left side, of what we see to be a Buff-colored LaPerm cat, very dull-furred and dirty, bloody and burnt. KENDAL SHARPE. The jacket is scorched in several places and a portion of his left ear is burnt black. He is holding the military-style jacket over his right shoulder by the collar, showing button-suspenders holding his pants up, with a large knife(not a machete) in a nylon sheath hanging down and tied to his thigh. TEXT BOX: Somewhere along the way we got made. Next thing I knew we were laid out on the pavement, the truck we’d been in was on its side and the cab was blown to shreds. The lead truck ran their ass off, probably because the driver panicked. I was on fire. Panel 4 Quarter Panel. KENDAL’s stature is lowered, his eyes just barely over the top of the grass and squinting. His ears are laid down and his jacket is dropped. TEXT BOX: First order of business was to lose my gasoline-soaked gear. No sooner’d I catch Johns out of the corner’a my eye than ‘e got shredded by some kinda machinegun fire. Me and Stachowski were lucky enough to land behind the truck in-cover. I think Ramos ended up under the truck. We never saw ‘im. Panel 5 Wide Panel. We can see the top of KENDAL’s head in the center, his ears poking up ever so slightly in the foreground, and out of focus. The background is in sharp focus, looking down from a hill. To the left there are some thick, thorny bushes. To the right, there is shallow standing water, with INSURGENT1(waterbuck-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterbuck) standing on rocks barely above the water; wearing an american t-shirt, headwrap, baggy pants, an ammo bandolier, and holding a cobbled-together sniper rifle(think 8mm german mauser with a rough-mounted russian scope and a sling made of hemp rope). In the center, walking towards the thicket is INSURGENT2(rock hyrax-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Hyrax); shirtless, shotgun shells on a belt, sunglasses and similar pants, with an Striker-type Shotgun. Also in the center, farther away than INSURGENT2 is a small shack, with a fire in front, and cobbled-together antennas coming out of the roof. TEXT BOX: ‘e wanted to run. I didn’t argue. ‘e popped ‘alf’a ‘is smokes and tossed ‘em towards the fire, hopin’ to block the sightline from ‘at machinegun. ‘e popped the rest on top of us to cover our escape… TEXT BOX2(moved to make space): ‘e must’ve misjudged ‘acause as soon as we got outta that truck I ‘eard ‘im bark an’ tell me to go on. It was one of us or neither of us… ‘n’ I ran. ________________ PAGE TWO(6 panels) Panel 1 Tall Panel. Looking down from above, INSURGENT2 walking toward the thicket , with KENDAL laying down taking cover in the high grass. TEXT BOX: I ran ‘til the sun started setting. I didn’t ‘ear any trucks, an’ never saw any signs of being followed. I guess ‘ey left me to the desert, ‘at or radioed everyone from ‘ere to Mopti to be lookin’ for a stray soldier. Panel 2 Behind KENDAL, barely able to see the outline of INSURGENT2 through the thicket of thorns. SFX: Clack-a-Clack SFX: Shuffle-shuff TEXT BOX: There was two of ‘em… one was closer, takin’ a piss on some thornbushes. If I could get to that shack I could radio for orders and exfil. Panel 3 Small narrow panel. KENDAL withdrawing a large, Spatchet-style knife from the sheath on his left thigh. SFX: (very small, lowercase, showing quietness) shifffffff… Panel 4 Behind KENDAL, maybe over the shoulder. He is in the motion of crawling on the balls of his feet and his hands, keeping quiet and keeping his belly off the ground, his shoulder blades doing that thing that cats’ shoulders do when they stalk. He has the knife tip-up in his left hand. SFX: Pissssssssssssssss Panel 5 Over the shoulder of INSURGENT2. Looking down into the bush, dick in hand shaking off There’s a faint shadow of KENDALL in the bush but not defined. SFX: Drip-drip Panel 6 Same. INSURGENT2 looking surprised and exclaiming, with KENDAL lunging halfway out of the bush now. INSURGENT2: ماذا؟! ________________ PAGE 3(5 panels) Panel 1 Behind INSURGENT2, we see the knife coming out of the left side of his back and KENDAL’s hand thumb-down over his throat. INSURGENT2 grabbing at his gun out of reflex. INSURGENT2: GHRK! Panel 2 INSURGENT1’s perspective, turning to look over his shoulder at the scene, exclaiming as we see INSURGENT2’s throat ripped out and falling dead. Panel 3 INSURGENT1 from the front, lifting his rifle and sighting it. KENDAL(Off-Panel) Shit! Panels 4 INSURGENT1’s POV through the scope. KENDAL running to the right and towards him. Panel 5 INSURGENT1’s POV. Some smoke and a puff of sand rising behind KENDAL as he runs to the left now MUCH closer to is. SFX: BANG ________________ PAGE 4(6 panels) Panel 1 From the side. KENDAL stabbing, INSURGENT1 blocking the knife with the butt of the rifle, swinging through it and knocking it out of KENDAL’s hand. SFX: Thwak! Panel 2 KENDAL catching INSURGENT1’s wrist to keep him from bringing the butt of the rifle back and clawing across his face. INSURGENT1: !الماعز الأبله Panel 3 INSURGENT1 has dropped his rifle and is grabbing KENDAL’s arms. SFX: Clack(as the butt of the rifle is hitting the rocks) KENDAL: RRREOOOWR! Panel 4 CU panel. KENDAL rakes his feetclaws down INSURGENT1’s shin, bringing them both falling with KENDAL heading onto his back. INSURGENT1: AaAAaaAaH! Panel 5 INSURGENT1 has both of KENDAL’s wrists held, has him on his back in the water, barely able to keep his nose above the surface. SFX: Splissssh! Panel 6 INSURGENT1 headbutting KENDAL trying to force his head underwater. SFX: THUD KENDALL Hck-ROOA-rgk! ________________ PAGE 5(5 panels) Panel 1 KENDAL catching INSURGENT1’s leg and beginning to roll him over. KENDAL: THE FUCK OFFA ME! SFX: SPLISSH Panel 2 KENDAL on top of INSURGENT1, maw wide open about to bite into his throat. Panel 3 A different rifle butt smacking right into the back of KENDAL’s head. SFX: CRACK Panel 4 Long panel. In the foreground we can see only the right half from the waist down of an Ansar Dine, presumably high ranking, with a large ornate Jambiya on his right hip and the tip of an equally ornate scimitar sheath peaking out from the edge of the panel. In the background is KENDAL, sitting in a bottomless chair, stripped naked, and tied down, looking beat to hell but with a broad defiant smile on his face. They are in a mostly-empty room, earthen walls and single-bulb electric light. TEXT BOX: It was a trap. Panel 5 Nearly complete mirror image of panel 5. Instead of being in a dingy dark torture room, he’s in ESTHER’s apartment/perhaps kitchen, handcuffed to a chair again, this time fully clothed, in very baggy men’s yoga pants that bunch slightly around his ankles. He’s still wearing a smile, but more amused than defiant, with a little lustful hunger in his eyes. ESTHER is in the Ansar Dine’s place, her hip cocked in towards the center of the page. ESTHER(Off-Panel) And how the FUCK is that supposed to explain you being here, pussycat? ________________ vVISUAL REFS FOR PARTICULAR ITEMS MENTIONEDv KENDAL’s SMATCHET KENDEL’s MANURIN73(in holster on right thigh): INSURGENT1’s MAUSER(much dirtier, rustier, perhaps even ducttaped): INSURGENT2’s STRIKER: