Gabrielle - After Happy Ever After

“One table, two seats, preferably by a window. Can you do that?” she asked. Ivy elbowed her friend in the ribs.

“Ow,” Danielle said and turned to glare at her friend. Ivy looked over at the opposite wall.

“Yeah…um…this way, please,” the waitress said, pausing to smack her gum. The sound grated on Danielle’s nerves. She wasn’t having a good day. She didn’t need this.

Ivy sensed her friends growing agitation and shot her a look. Danielle rolled her green eyes and finally nodded. Alright, she would behave. Ivy didn’t press it. She really wasn’t in the right mood to put up with an annoying waitress either.

The two girls followed the waitress to a table next to a large glass wall. The entire wall was a window. Danielle should have paid more attention when she had asked. This place had only one real wall, back by the kitchens. The waitress handed them two menus, then left quickly.

“How can you be in a bad mood, today? We’ve finally reached New York. We’ve been driving for twelve days. I’m glad for a meal that’s not McDonald’s,” Danielle said.

“Well, you wouldn’t let me go to Denny’s or IHOP,” Ivy replied. Danielle made a face at the mention of the two fast food places. Ivy continued, “Fact is, I don’t really know why I’m in a bad mood. Just a feeling I have. Like somehow, I know something bad’s gonna happen soon.” Ivy said.

“I have it, too. The oogies. But right now I’m feeling more like I’m starving, myself. And I’m usually not hungry yet. I never eat dinner this early.”

“Then, call it a late lunch. We can pick up a snack later.” Ivy sighed again and picked up her menu. “What you gonna get? I never know what to order at places like this. The fanciest restaurant I’ve ever been to was either a Sizzler or the Olive Garden.”

The two girls continued their conversation all through their late lunch, discussing anything that came to mind, most of which was television-related.

“Wouldn’t it be cool if stuff like on Charmed was real?” Danielle asked, finally.

“I’d give anything to live in a place where stuff like magic and things were real,” Ivy agreed, wishfully. She closed her bright blue eyes for a moment, imagining it. “I’m gonna go for a walk. Try and shake off this feeling,” she said, rising from the table.

“I’ll go with you,” Danielle said, quickly. She threw down some money to pay for their food, then followed her.

The two girls started off into Central Park. It wasn’t even dark yet, but the shadows cast by the trees made it seem later than it was. It was colder here than either girl was used to. Ivy pulled her denim jacket closer around her.

“Okay. I don’t know about you, but my oogies are worse. Something is going to happen,” Danielle said with conviction.

Ivy nodded. She could feel it, too. Both girls knew that they were a little strange. Okay, a lot strange. And the cult T.V. that they watched didn’t help (both followed Buffy, Angel, Roswell, the X-Files, and Charmed faithfully). Ivy dreamed of things before they happened. Danielle got a strange feeling she called “the oogies” before things happened. And usually when Danielle picked something up, Ivy could sense it. They knew each other so well they could usually tell what the other was thinking ( although sometimes Ivy could do it so well that it creeped Danielle out). Ivy was blonde and blue-eyed to Danielle’s dark brown hair and green eyes. They had been friends since the 1st grade. They were both seniors in high school now. And they both craved some kind of adventure.

“This is a great park, you know. Kind of like walking in the forest,” Danielle said.

“Yeah,” Ivy agreed. Ivy froze. “Did you hear that?” she asked.

“What?” Danielle asked, stopping and turning to face her friend.

“Shhh,” Ivy silenced her. She cocked her head, listening for the sound she had heard. There it was again. The sound of something in the bushes. Something that was panting.

A moment later, a golden dog emerged from the brush. He stopped when he saw the two girls.

“Oh my gosh. He looks just like Sammy,” Ivy said, referring to her puppy dog.

“He does,” Danielle agreed. “I sure hope he won’t lick me in the mouth like Sammy.”

Ivy squatted down so she was on the same level as the dog. She held out her hand carefully, not intruding on the dog’s space, but letting him come to her. She had dealt with lost dogs before. Back home, she used to work part time at her friend Brianne’s kennel. She had only been bitten once.

“There’s leash laws here, right? Either he has a careless owner or he’s lost,” Ivy commented without looking at Danielle. The dog crept closer to Ivy and sniffed her hand. He licked her palm shyly, then looked up at her. Something about the way he looked at her struck Ivy as weird.

Seeing that Ivy hadn’t lost any fingers, Danielle knelt next to her and stroked the golden retriever. “Hi, doggy,” she said. “You’re a good puppy. Are you lost?”

The dog barked, glancing at Danielle. His eyes locked on hers and Danielle almost fell over backwards.

“Okay, the dog just looked at me like he understood me. Am I more nuts than usual?” Danielle asked.

“I don’t think so. Unless I am, too. Ask him another question or something,” Ivy suggested.

“Uh…okay. God, this is gonna sound so odd. Dog, if you understand me, go to that tree and sit down,” Danielle said, pointing.

The dog trotted over to the tree Danielle had pointed to and sat down. He barked at her again, as if waiting.

Danielle put a hand to her head. “Maybe it’s time to lock me up and throw away the key,” she said quietly.

“I’ll keep you company,” Ivy added, staring at the dog in shock. “Okay, dog. Bark twice if you understand.”

The dog barked twice, this time seeming impatient.

“Bark once for yes, twice for no. Are you really a dog?” Ivy asked.

He barked twice.

“A dog that understands English and isn’t a dog? Did we get sucked in the T.V.?” Danielle asked.

“Do you want our help or something?” Ivy asked, ignoring Danielle’s comment.

The dog barked once.

“You know what, if this weren’t so strange it would be cool. Maybe we should write this down and send it to Joss Whedon or somebody,” Danielle said.

“I don’t care what we do. I want in on whatever this is. Maybe magic is real. Oh, please let it be real,” Ivy prayed, raising her eyes heavenward.

The dog barked at them again and turned to go out of the park. He started off, then stopped and looked at them again.

“I think he wants us to follow him,” Ivy said.

“Why? Is Timmy in the well?” Danielle asked. “Sorry, couldn’t resist.”

Ivy again ignored her and hurried off after the dog. Danielle shook her head in disbelief, then ran after her. “If he ends up leading us to a pile of bones or something, I am going to be very upset with you, Ivy,” Danielle warned.

Ivy nodded absently. She hurried her pace a little more. She didn’t want to lose the dog.

The dog had stopped around the corner near the Grill on the Park. He looked at the restaurant, then back at the girls and barked.

“Great. We met a super-smart dog who has expensive taste in food,” Danielle groaned.

“Shut up,” Ivy shot back at her. “What is it? Have you been here before?”

The dog barked once. He ducked down and covered his head with his paws.

“Oh, I suck at charades. Danielle, help,” Ivy said.

“I thought you wanted me to shut up,” Danielle said, sarcastically, but Ivy knew she didn’t mean it. “Um…dark? Covering your eyes? Hiding?”

The dog barked.

“Hiding? Hiding from what?” Ivy wondered out loud. “Bad guys, duh. Warlock or demon?” she asked.

The dog looked confused.

“Human?” she rephrased the question.

The dog barked three times.

“What’s three? Yes and no? That’s not helping. More than one person?” Danielle asked.

The dog barked once.

“Okay. So maybe one’s human,” Ivy suggested, trying to piece everything together.

The dog barked once again.

“How many are there? Will I get to kick butt like Buffy?” Danielle asked hopefully.

“Please,” Ivy snorted. Danielle kicked her in the leg. “Ow. I still kick harder,” Ivy said, then jumped out of the way before Danielle could kick her again.

The dog jumped up and down to get their attention. He barked twice.

“Two? One’s human. So one’s not human?” Ivy asked.

The dog barked three times.

“How can one be not human and not not human?” Danielle demanded.

“Part human? Like Doyle?” Ivy suggested.

The dog barked once again.

“So he wants to hide from two people, one human and one part human, and he wants us to help him?” Danielle asked.

The dog barked once and whined with impatience, nudging Danielle’s leg.

“I think he wants us to hurry,” Danielle commented.

“Okay, where do we hide him?” Ivy asked, pacing as she thought. “Let’s take him to the car.”

“But I want to see what we are up against,” Danielle protested, falling into the role of heroine easily after the many hours of television she had absorbed.

“Right. Dog, you can stay in the car and we’ll come back and wait to see who comes looking for you,” Ivy said.

The dog didn’t bark. Ivy guessed that meant he didn’t like it, but wouldn’t protest. She hurried past the restaurant with the dog on her heels. She dug her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door to her truck. She held the door open for the dog and he jumped in. She closed the door after rolling down the window a little for him. She quickly hurried back to where Danielle waited. Danielle was crouching behind a tree and some bushes next to a park bench. Ivy joined her. It wasn’t long before someone passed.

“Do you have the scent or not?” an older man with balding hair demanded.

A younger girl with reddish hair looked at him and growled softly. “Don’t push me. I don’t want to be here. I just found out about this kingdom like a week ago. I never wanted to come here. The air stinks. So much smoke. I’m lucky I can smell anything else,” she replied.

Ivy shot a look at Danielle. Danielle opened her mouth to say something and Ivy knew it would be about what kind of person talked about smelling something, but she shushed her before she could.

The girl stopped. “Yes, I have a scent. I can smell the dog. He was just here. There’s some girls’ scents here, too. Mixed with the dog. He might have run across some people from that…oh, food,” the girl said, glancing with longing at the Grill on the Park.

“Not now. We get Wendell, we leave. No stopping. Marissa will give you a steak when we get back.” The older man sighed loudly. “Why do I keep ending up with wolves?”

“Because we’re the only ones who can put up with you. And not for long, I might add,” the girl said sharply.

“Was that a threat?” the man demanded angrily.

“No. It was a promise. Now, shut up and let me concentrate. This is a lot harder than it looks. There’s so many scents. Many appetizing,” the girl said, closing her eyes and sniffing. “Got it. Come on.” The girl and the older man started off past the restaurant towards the parking lot. They stopped next to Ivy’s truck.

“I have to hear what they’re saying,” Ivy said. She got out from the bushes and headed towards the parking lot. She ignored Danielle’s half-started protests. She had learned when she was much younger that the secret to getting into places where you didn’t belong was acting like you did. She strode up to the car parked next to hers and fumbled with her keys, pretending to be opening the door. She pretended to drop them and ducked down, listening closely.

“I’ve lost it. The trail stops here, but all I see are these things,” the girl said.

“I don’t see a dog in any of these cars. He must have gone back and hid in the Park. Wendell hasn’t been anywhere other than the Park, the Grill, our apartment, and my mother-in-law’s. He has to be at one of the four. And I would bet it’s one of the first two,” the man said, heading back into the Park.

Ivy straightened. Once the two were out of sight, she went over to her truck. She had to open the door to find the dog. He had squeezed down in between the seats where he couldn’t be seen in the shadows. Clever.

“I think you’re safe for now,” she whispered.

Danielle ran up behind her. “What happened?” she asked.

“They think he’s hiding in the Park,” she reported.

“So what do we do?” Danielle voiced the question that Ivy had been wondering herself. They both looked at the dog. He didn’t seem to know either.

Maive’s mind was an absolute blank. She knew she should try to do something, anything, but she just couldn’t. Marissa was right. She was nothing. The Coven had underestimated her and sent Maive. They had made a wrong decision and now everyone would pay for it. Maive didn’t even fight when she was tied up. She felt herself sinking into a dark place, almost like in meditation, but different and bad. And she didn’t fight it. There was nothing she could do anyway.

Maive felt herself being dragged along. After a few moments she was thrown into a cell. She fell back against the wall, but managed to keep her feet. She looked around her, but didn’t really care or register anything. She was in some kind of dungeon. It was dark and gloomy as a dungeon should be. Cobwebs all over. It looked like it hadn’t been used too often. Maive sat down on a wooden bench and let herself fall deeper into the blackness.

A sudden noise made her jerk back to herself and look around. She went to the door and looked out the barred window. She couldn’t see too well, but she could hear. And what she heard sounded like people.

“See, I knew it would lead to the dungeon,” a male voice drifted down to her.

“I never doubted you,” a woman’s voice replied. “You think she’s here yet?”

“I don’t know. It’s been long enough, hasn’t it?” the man pondered, his voice getting closer.

There was no response so Maive guessed the woman must have made a gesture of some sort. She moved over to see if she could see who was coming. A man and woman stepped into the dim lighting and Maive recognized them from her visions. It was Wolf and Virginia!

“Wolf!” she called, “Virginia!”

Wolf and Virginia hurried over to her cell door.

“How do you know us?” Virginia asked.

“My name is Maive. I’m a good witch, sent by The Coven to help. But I’m just an apprentice. I have visions and I saw you two,” Maive said in a rush.

“Where’s Wendell? What happened?” Wolf asked as he searched for some way to open the cell door.

“Marissa turned Wendell into a dog. Then she made herself young again. She’s too powerful. I don’t know how we’re going to stop her,” Maive said.

“Where’s Wendell now?” Wolf asked.

“He ran. I think he went through the mirror. Marissa sent the wolf-girl and Tony after him.”

“There’s no key or anything,” Wolf reported.

“Stand back. I can open it,” Maive said. Now that she had something to accomplish, some point in her even existing for at least just one moment, she could think again. She remembered a spell, taught to her early. A spell to break locks.

Maive chanted the spell and knocked on the door three times. The lock exploded and the door swung open. Maive smiled. At least, she could do something even if it was only opening a door.

Wolf and Virginia stared at her. Wolf scratched his temple and shook his head. “We have to help Wendell. Cinnamon can track him down and with Tony to keep her on task…” Wolf frowned. “We have to hurry.”

“I’m coming with you. There has to be something I can do to help fix this,” Maive said.

Wolf began to shake his head, but Virginia put a hand on his arm. “She might be able to help,” she said quietly.

Wolf looked at Maive who nodded emphatically. “Please. I’ve already messed up once by letting Marissa get this far. I can’t let her win,” she said.

“Huff-puff, all right. Let’s go,” Wolf said finally. The three turned and headed back to the larder and up to the mirror room.

Cinnamon really didn’t like this Tony. He wouldn’t be so bad if he would stop bossing her around like some kind of dog. It was past the full moon, otherwise she would have used that excuse to rip out his throat. No, she wouldn’t! She couldn’t think like that. She was a good wolf, why was she thinking like that without even the full moon. Could the witch be messing with her mind? That was the only explanation she could find that she even remotely liked.

“He has to be around here somewhere. You’re supposed to be able to track stuff. You’re a wolf. Why can’t you find him?” Tony demanded.

Cinnamon growled. “Because your stupid kingdom has destroyed all the natural air and I can’t smell through this. Plus, there’s no scent of his to find over here. The dog’s gone,” she said with finality.

Tony didn’t seem to notice her tone. “He can’t be gone. Where would he go? He wouldn’t run off into a city he doesn’t know, would he?” he pondered out loud.

“Well, then where is he?” Cinnamon asked.

Tony’s mouth quirked angrily. He turned and stomped off in the opposite direction. Cinnamon glared after him for a moment before following. The witch had said for her to follow Tony so she had to.

Wendell knew his castle wasn’t safe anymore. Wasn’t even his anymore. He must have the worst luck with evil witches than anyone in history. Even Snow White only had to face one. But Wendell had no idea how he could do anything from here. Even with the two girls to help.

I must get back to my castle, Wendell said to himself. It’s the only way. We managed to save the Kingdoms before with Anthony and Virginia. Maybe these two can do the trick this time. Wendell barked at the two and started back towards the mirror. The girls looked at each other, then ran after him. Wendell made sure to make use of his dog sense of smell. He could smell Anthony and the wolf-girl, but they weren’t nearby.

Wendell came to a stop when he reached the mirror. He looked back over his shoulder for the two girls. There they were. As soon as he was sure they were close enough to see where he went, he jumped back through the mirror.

“What the…?” Danielle asked, mouth hanging open in a big O.

“It must be some kind of…portal or something?” Ivy said, approaching the area where the dog had disappeared slowly. The two girls examined it. They could kind of see a room through the distortion.

“Well?” Danielle asked, looking at her friend.

“Here goes nothing. I hate this world anyway,” Ivy said and stepped into the mirror.

Danielle followed. The two were in nothingness for a moment before being thrown out on the other side of the mirror. Ivy put out her hands to catch her balance. Man, what a ride!

Danielle looked all right. Ivy looked at her questioningly.

“I’ve watched enough Sliders to prepare me, I guess,” she said with a grin.

“Shut up. I don’t have cable,” Ivy replied.

The two looked around them. They were in a room with many mirrors. The dog was nearby, waiting for them. When he saw them arrive he started towards one of the mirrors.

“I think he wants us to see something,” Ivy said, moving over to where the dog was.

Where the dog sat near them, in the mirror reflected was a young man. Danielle looked from the reflection to the dog and back again.

“That’s you?” she asked, pointing at the image.

The dog placed a paw on the image and the reflection of the young man placed his hand in the same spot. The dog whined.

“Did someone do this to you?” Ivy asked, kneeling next to him.

The dog whined again and growled a little.

“I’ll take that as a yes. But what do we do?”

The dog looked at her. He cocked his head as if to say he wasn’t sure.

“Great,” Danielle snorted. “Just peachy.”

Ivy opened her mouth to say something to her, but all of them fell silent when the door creaked open. A man entered first, not looking at them, but looking out the door. Two women followed him. He shut the door behind them and turned around.

“Wendell?” he asked, dropping to his knees and holding his arms open for the dog. The dog ran over to him. The man petted the dog and scratched his ears as he talked to him. “Yes, I heard you got turned into a dog. Don’t worry. Huff-puff, we did this before and we can do it again,” the man said with conviction.

“Uh…who are you?” the woman next to him asked the two girls. She was staring at them suspiciously.

“I’m Danielle. She’s Ivy. We found this dog in Central Park and he said he wasn’t a dog and he wanted our help and…” Danielle tried to explain in a rush.

“Said? You can understand him?” she interrupted.

“Well, no. But he barked once for yes and twice for no. We hid him from this weird girl and this old guy and then he led us here,” Danielle finished.

“Worked the first time,” the man agreed, speaking to Wendell. He looked up at the girls. “I’m Wolf. This is my wife, Virginia. And that’s Maive. We were going to look for Wendell when you brought him here.”

The dog, apparently Wendell, looked indignant at that statement.

“He actually brought us here,” Ivy said, and the dog looked happier.

“Older guy? That most be Tony and the wolf-girl!” Maive exclaimed from where she was standing over by the travel mirror. She turned to Wolf and Virginia and started to say something, when she fell to one knee, a hand on her head. “Oh,” she moaned.

“What is it? Maive?” Virginia asked, going to her.

Maive didn’t answer. She had her eyes closed and appeared to be unable to hear anything Virginia was saying to her. A few moments later, she opened her eyes and looked around the room at everyone. “These two must stay. They are going to help us defeat Marissa. How, I don’t know. But they will,” she said.

“Us?” Danielle asked.

Maive nodded as she struggled to her feet. Virginia helped her.

“This is just like one of my stories,” Ivy said to herself. She was beaming. “Yes!”

Virginia glanced from one girl to the next. How odd that they should seem so happy to be caught up in this. All she had wanted was to go home when she had gotten here. But they were different people.

“We’ll do whatever we can to help,” Ivy said in her most assertive voice.

Wendell barked softly and whined, motioning at the mirror.

“Oh, right! Cinnamon and Tony are out there looking for him. What do we do about them?” Wolf asked.

“I’ll go after them. I might be able to break the spell on them,” Maive volunteered. Maive stopped in front of the two girls. “I’m getting things from both of you. You both have the gift. But in your world it couldn’t be fully achieved. Trust in yourselves. Don’t doubt yourselves like I did. That’s your greatest weakness when fighting her,” Maive warned, them moved past them and stepped through the mirror.

“This is all too fast. What do we do?” Virginia asked in confusion.

“We fight the witch,” Danielle said simply.

Wolf nodded. “Right. Wendy, you need to stay somewhere safe. You wait here for Maive to come back. The rest of us will go after the witch,” he said. He looked at everyone for confirmation. Everyone nodded. “Huff, let’s go!” he said, leading the way out.

Ivy hung back by her friend. “What did she mean?” she asked in a whisper.

Danielle shook her head. “I’m not sure. I’m not sure of anything. Let’s just kick butt and go,” she said.

Ivy nodded and followed her friend as she left the room after Wolf and Virginia. But she knew there was more to it than that. So much more. What were they getting into? And would they be able to get out if they did manage to beat this evil witch? And would she want to?

Virginia’s mind was spinning. She had to just drop everything for now and concentrate. This was important. She could ask questions later.

Virginia followed Wolf’s lead closely, the two girls behind her. They snuck back out into the hallway and over to the stairs. They all plastered themselves against the wall when two guards came by. Virginia held her breath, hoping they didn’t see them. She waited until the guards were well past to breathe again. This was too much!

Wolf gestured to her to hurry up. They slunk down the stairs and hid beneath them. Wolf pushed them back behind him as he surveyed the courtyard. Virginia peered over his shoulder. The woman (who they now knew was the witch) was pacing back and forth, talking to herself. Virginia strained her ears, trying to hear what she was saying. It sounded like she was arguing over which kingdom to destroy first.

“What do we do?” Virginia whispered to Wolf.

Wolf pulled her back in the deep shadows. “We need weapons. If we can get the rose away from her we can kill her,” he said.

“Rose?” Danielle whispered.

“The magic golden rose. It’s what’s giving her all that power,” Wolf explained hurriedly.

“You’re going to need a distraction,” Ivy said. She looked at Wolf, then at Virginia. “I can do it.”

“No,” Wolf said, shaking his head.

Virginia knew that Wolf wouldn’t let some girl who had no idea what was going on get herself killed. But the girl was right. They needed a distraction.

“Wolf’s right,” she agreed. “I’ll do it.” Before anyone could stop her, Virginia ran out into the courtyard. The witch spun before Virginia even reached her.

“You!” she cried. The witch held up one hand and Virginia stopped dead still. “You may have broken a couple of my spells, but you have no idea what you are up against. You believe that I am like your mother. That I am evil and my only wish is to rule the Nine Kingdoms. You are almost right. But unlike your mother I will not be so stupid as she to depend on common people. Or to let you go free.” The witch locked her gaze on Virginia’s. Virginia wanted to close her eyes, to get away from that stare, but she couldn’t. “Oh, Virginia. You are so blind. Deep down you know the truth. No one loves you. No one wants you. Tony and Wolf pretend to because they need you. They are just using you. You know it. Don’t you? Don’t you?!” the witch demanded.

Virginia couldn’t move. She couldn’t even breathe. What if it was true? She had always been afraid that no one loved her, that no one could love her. Ever since her mother had left. Something about the witch made Virginia believe her. It was true! Virginia felt her eyes well up.

“See? You do know. Poor delusional Virginia. How could you be so foolish? Thinking that someone actually loved you. You know it’s not true. You know that it’s all a lie,” the witch continued.

The tears that had welled up in Virginia’s eyes began to fall. “Your mother was trying to spare you this. Did you know that? She was trying to kill you before you had to go through this. Wouldn’t it be so much nicer just to fall asleep and not wake up. To fall into the soft, cool, darkness. Would you like that Virginia?” Virginia nodded slightly. Anything was better than knowing that no one ever had and ever would love her. That even Wolf didn’t really love her. “Come here, Virginia. I will make it all go away,” the witch said, holding out a hand to her. Virginia slowly stepped towards her, holding out her own hand. The tears were coming in torrents now. Virginia sniffed. It would be over soon.

Ivy stared after Virginia in shock. She was going to do it! She could have, she knew she could have. Ivy mentally slapped herself. It was not the time to argue with herself. Now was the time to use the distraction Virginia had given them. No time to think at all, just time to act.

Ivy tapped Danielle and Wolf on the arm and motioned for them to snap out of it and move. Wolf glanced at Virginia and whined. Ivy was struck by how he seemed like her puppy when he was upset and worried. Again, not now. Ivy led the group and edged out of the shadows. She stayed low and tried to get behind the witch who was evidently weaving some kind of spell on Virginia.

Ivy stopped and looked back to see how Danielle and Wolf were doing. And saw that they had a problem. Wolf had stopped just off to the side and behind the witch. He must have been in her blind spot or something because she didn’t see him. Maybe she was too busy with the spell. That wasn’t the important part. Wolf had his teeth bared and looked ready to kill something, most likely the witch.

“That’s not true!” Wolf yelled.

Ivy winced. So much for the plan.

The witch whirled on Wolf. She held one hand out towards while keeping the other pointed at Virginia. “What would you know, you filthy animal?! You know that’s all you are. You’re just a nasty, nasty animal. How could you ever trick yourself into thinking that a girl like her could ever love a wolf like you?” the witch asked.

Wolf felt her compelling words. They sounded so… Wolf shook it off. That was her power! To look inside them and see their greatest fear and use it against them. But there was a problem with that. Wolf grinned and it wasn’t a nice grin. That spell wouldn’t work. A wolf didn’t particularly care about being called an animal.

Wolf let go of his human side and let himself be a wolf. It would have been better to be wolf on the outside, too, but it wasn’t the right time of the month and he didn’t have the time.

Wolf snarled, crouching low. He pulled his lips back from his teeth in what was almost a smile. He locked his eyes onto the witch’s. Even a human could understand these signs. The witch stumbled back a step. She managed to keep up the hand that was towards Virginia. Virginia didn’t move and didn’t seem to see what was going on.

Wolf pounced. The witch raised her other hand again and this time it glowed with magic. Wolf stopped in mid-air. The witch jerked her arm and Wolf was flung across the room to crash into a table in the corner. He yelped at the impact. But he forced himself to get up. He had to stop her. If he didn’t, she would kill Virginia. His Virginia. The mother of his unborn cub.

Wolf growled low in his throat, the growl building as he got to his feet. He could feel that he was bleeding a little, but he didn’t care. Wolf took slow, cautious steps towards the witch, circling slightly.

Before he could do anything, though, one of the girls (his mind slowly registered that it was the one called Ivy) ran out in front of him.

“Wait,” she said shortly to him, then turned to the witch. “You stop this! Boy, did that sound like a line out of a comic or what?”

The witch laughed. “You, little girl are easier to read than even Wendell. You…” the witch began weaving a new spell.

“Shut up!” the girl yelled. Wolf backed up a step. He could smell new magic and this time it was coming from the girl! “I don’t want to hear anymore of your bull! My greatest fear…blah, blah, blah. I’ve seen better bad guys on prime time. Danielle, am I right?” she said, shooting to her friend for help.

The other girl’s face lit up as she caught on and she ran to back up her friend. “No kidding. I’d be more scared of those crap werewolves on Buffy than her. And you can see the zippers on them!” she said.

Wolf didn’t understand a lot of what they were saying, but he could smell magic building. A different kind of magic than was already in the room from the witch. He had never liked the smell of magic, but this was different than any he had smelled before.

“You two think you can fight me with insults? You don’t know who you’re fighting. This isn’t a game or a T.V. show. You are not superheroes. You are just two girls who have watched too much television and think you can handle evil,” the witch said. She gestured at them, sending a glowing ball of magic at each of them.

Just before it would have hit, both girls raised their hands at the same time and deflected it with some kind of glowing magic shield of their own. The witch looked surprised. But so did the girls. The witch quickly covered her surprise. She seemed to be deciding something quickly. Wolf sensed something was about to happen and tensed for it.

The witch’s whole body began to glow and she began chanting something that Wolf didn’t understand. A blast of light shot out from her in all directions. It hit Wolf and then all was black.

Ivy groaned and put a hand on her head. Man, what a headache! She slowly opened her eyes. “What the…? Where am I?” she asked out loud. Ivy looked around, but all she could see was forest. She seemed to be all alone. She got to her feet. Maybe the others were nearby. “Danielle! Wolf! Virginia!” she called as she walked a little aimlessly.

It suddenly struck her that calling loudly into the woods might not be a good idea. She might attract something or someone she didn’t want to. Ivy stopped and tried to think of what she should do. She had no idea where she was, she had no supplies…

“Wait! My backpack!” she said to herself. Ivy slung her backpack around. She had completely forgotten she had put it on. It made sense. She never went anywhere without her backpack. Ivy unzipped all the pockets and dug through it. “Jerky, good. Paper. Pencil. CD player? Gee, that’s great. I’m lost in god knows where, but I can listen to Faith Hill. Book. Another book. Woah, that’s a library book! This is insane. Apple. Notebook. Pocket knife. Batteries. Keys. Wallet. I wonder what currency they use here. Wherever here is. Gum. Granola Bar. Receipt for somewhere. Hairbrush. Pony tail. Old sandwich, ewww. I’ve got to learn to take things out of here. Um…more pencils. Math homework? When did we get this? Oh, well,” Ivy sighed. That was about it. Her entire list of supplies. This was pretty sad. “I’m gonna die,” she said to herself. “Oh, shut up, Ivy. You’re not gonna die. You might as well get a move on and look for some kind of path or something.”

Ivy zipped up her backpack and started walking. She normally liked walking in the woods, but it helped a little to know if you were even on planet Earth. Hopefully, she would find someone that could help her.

Virginia blinked. What had happened? Did she loose her memory again?! No. No. She remembered now. The witch had placed a spell on her and… somehow she had ended up here. Where was here?

Virginia scrambled to her feet and spun around in a circle, looking all around her. Then she groaned. She had been here before. She was at the base of Snow White Falls. But where was Wolf? And those two girls, Ivy and Danielle, come to think of it? Was she all alone?

“Wolf?” she called over the rushing waters of the Falls. No answer. “Wolf!” she called louder. Still no answer. Well, she would just have to find her way back to the castle. She had done it once before. Of course, that time hadn’t gone too well and her father had been there. And Wolf had guided them.

Negative thinking was not going to get her anywhere. All she had to do was retrace her steps from before, but avoid the Swamp this time. She would meet up with the others at the castle. That had to be where they would go. Wolf would know that she would head back to where they had last been together and those girls would go there if they could find the way because that was the only part of the Kingdoms they had been before. Virginia took a deep breath and started off.

Danielle sat up. This was bad. Very bad. They had been hit by some kind of spell and from the looks of things, it had sent her somewhere. By herself.

Danielle scrambled to her feet and looked around. Yep, she was right. They had been separated. She began pacing as she tried to get her thoughts in order. For some reason, pacing had always helped her think better. When she thought at all. Danielle wasn't much of a thinker. She was more of a doer. Ivy was the one who thought about stuff. Although, she usually did so after everything was over. That’s why they got in trouble so much.

What was it that you were supposed to do when you’re lost in the woods? Stay put or look for running water? She knew it was one of the two. “Well, might as well look for water. I’m thirsty anyway,” she said out loud. Danielle picked a direction at random and started walking that way. If she was lucky, it just might be the right way. Danielle wasn’t lucky often.

Wolf sniffed before anything else. No Virginia! Also no Ivy, Danielle, or witch. Wolf opened his eyes and pushed himself up off the ground. He recognized this place. It was the Second Kingdom! “Oh, cripes,” was all he could manage.

Wolf wiped at some dried blood at the corner of his mouth. He was near the border. That was good. Maybe he could get back into the Fourth Kingdom before the day was out. Maybe he could find Virginia.

Oh, he had to find Virginia. She couldn’t believe what the witch had said, could she? He loved her with all his heart, she had to know that. Wolf would have howled, but he didn’t want to attract attention. Instead he broke into a run towards the Fourth Kingdom.