"Hey!" There's Xena's chakram!" Joxer breathed.

"Don't! You'll regret it!" Gabrielle warned. "She only said she was popping up the next village for a few supplies, not gone for a day or two so you could treat her weapons like toys."

"Oh come on Gabby, what could possibly go wrong?" Joxer replied casually. "And where's your sense of adventure? Haven't you often wondered what it's like to throw, just for a moment?"

"Welllll..." the blonde hesitated, curiosity overcoming her caution & darting a look down the road for any sign of her friend.

"It's not as though we're going to throw it very far," he offered, "Just toss it around a bit, see how it feels."

"Hmm, as long as we're careful," she said warily, unhooking the weapon from Argo's saddle and giving an experimental twirl, before chucking it to Joxer. "Doesn't feel too bad."

"It's all in the wrist," Joxer said confidently, as he cupped his hand to receive it from Gabrielle. "Ow!"

"All in the wrist, huh?" she smirked, as he stubbed his thumb on the weapon on catching it.

"Never mind that," Joxer said airily, trying a few casual tosses in the air. "Let the wizard have a go..."

The dynamic duo held their breath as Joxer aimed it at a huge rock close by, pulled his arm back and released it hard. Too hard.

The chakram sparked off the rock and screamed back the way it came, causing them to both hit the ground as it whooshed over their prone bodies, then cutting a road sign in two and ricocheting off towards a wood. They peered up warily and there was a series of muffled sounds from a nearby thicket, before the chakram banked back towards them, causing them to hit the dirt again, and finally getting stuck in a ditch and climbing bank. It quivered as it stayed in the turf, and Gabrielle and Joxer slowly got to their feet and looked at each other.

They both had the 'dragged-through-the-hedge-backwards look', in that they were both covered in loose grass, twigs, dirt and generally stained.

"Yeah, thanks a lot - wizard," Gabrielle said scornfully, brushing the undergrowth out of her hair and BGSB. "Let me have a go - you're a menace with it!"

She went to her backpack and retrieved her staff, swishing it about, and trying to restrain herself from bonking Joxer on the head with it. Picking the chakram up with her free hand as she held her staff with the other, she cleaned the mud and stains off it by rubbing it against Joxer's leather armour.

"Hey!" Joxer objected, on being used as a cleaning kit, which Gabrielle patently ignored.

She held it up to the light and nodded with satisfaction on being able to see no stains or damage to it. "You see, it's all about control and the angles. If one has control and you have a clear aim, then there shouldn't be any problems at all. Watch and learn..."

With one hand she held the chakram, with the other her staff, holding the staff at such an angle that she could loop the chakram over the top of her staff and rest it on it without it falling off. Watching both weapons keenly, she released her hold on the chakram and gripped the staff with both hands, slowly swinging it about. Joxer stood clear - just as a precaution - as she built up the speed and as it reached a blur, the staff released it.

The hum of the chakram as it sped away was clear and pronounced, and the two friends watched it fly off into the distance. There was a brief squeak, then it hit a small rock, the already stricken signpost which now collapsed to the ground, and then the huge rock by the camp, dropping an ex-rabbit at their feet, before sparking and flying off somewhere out of view.

"Ha! That's lunch organised!" Gabrielle cried triumphantly, dancing happily over the prone rabbit. "Now who's biting who, huh bunny?"

"Good shot Gabby," Joxer congratulated her, clapping her on the shoulders. "But where's Xena's chakram gone?"

"Damn. I meant it go into the bank again, I thought I had the angles just right," Gabrielle pondered, swishing her staff and trying to align her angles of shooting. "It's just like a sling shot, speed and accuracy are the key. Joxer, go fetch it for me would you please?"

Joxer climbed up the bank and looked to where the chakram had last been seen, then slid back down again and tapped the Amazon staff thoughtfully. "I've got an idea Gabby. What you need to do is shorten the length by about a foot, smooth down the ends of your staff so there are no splinters or anything and then rub it down with a good oil - scented for preference - to make it all supple and malleable."

"Why, will that help me fire the chakram father and more accurately?" the blonde asked eagerly.

"Nope - but that chakram you loosed just scalped Xena and I think her first instinct is going to be to take your staff and shove it up your arse..."

Please take the time to write to Jerry at studmuffin_jer@yahoo.com, and let him know how you liked the story!

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER:
Xena: Warrior Princess, Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer, and all characters who have appeared in the series, together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of StudiosUSA and Renaissance Pictures. No infringement of copyrights or trademarks is intended in the writing of this fan fiction. This story is copyright © 2006 by Jerry Hendy and is his sole property along with the story idea. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.