Gabrielle - After Happy Ever After

Wolf sat down on the ground and leaned back against a tree while he thought. He needed a guide he could trust. But first he needed food and water and to rest for a little while. Not too long because the sooner he got back to Virginia, the better, but he couldn’t keep going forever.

Wolf sniffed until he caught the smell of water. It wasn’t too far. He got up and made his way down to a small brook. He bent and got a drink. This done, he ate the last of the cold meat he had brought with him and added to it some fruit from the nearby trees.

With some food in his stomach, his mind worked a lot better. Wolf snapped his fingers. He had it! Wolf howled into the woods, calling for another wolf. He waited a moment, then howled again. This time he heard a howl in response. Excited that his idea had worked, Wolf howled back, trying to help the other wolf find him. The wolf yipped a few times in response, promising to be there quickly. Wolf walked in the direction of the wolf’s howl, shortening the distance between them.

A little bit later, the wolf appeared from out of the trees. It was a young female wolf, as Wolf had known it was since he had heard her howl. She had reddish hair with hints of other colors in it and dark eyes. She sniffed, testing his scent. She made sounds deep in her throat. She didn’t completely trust him, but was giving him the benefit of a doubt.

Wolf made a short whining sound, telling her he needed help. He flashed his eyes briefly in that way he had. The female wolf straightened and extended her hand. “Hello,” she said.

“Hi,” he replied, shaking her hand. “Thank you for coming.” She shrugged. She reminded him so much of his sister. “My name’s Wolf,” he said. She smiled a little. “Yeah, huff, I know. Don’t ask me what my mother was thinking,” Wolf said. “It suits me, though.”

“I’ll bet. Well, I can’t talk. My name’s Cinnamon.” She paused. “What’s the problem?”

“I’m a little lost. I was wondering if you could help me. I need to find the golden rose bushes of Queen Gretel,” he said.

Cinnamon stared at him, open-mouthed. “You do know about them, right? It’s crazy to go after them,” she said.

Wolf nodded. “I know. But I have to. I owe it to someone. And a wolf…”

“Always keeps their word. So I’ve heard,” Cinnamon interrupted. “I suppose it’s as good a motto as any. But I still think you’re crazy. What could be worth going after that rose bush?”

Wolf hesitated, but figured it didn’t matter. He liked this Cinnamon. He sensed something about her that made him trust her and he trusted his instincts. A wolf could always trust his instincts. Well, except maybe during the full moon, of course. “Love,” he said shortly.

Cinnamon sensed something very strong coming from Wolf. He was a very complex wolf. Confusing. She shook her head to clear it. She had always depended on one person, herself, and had never been one to trust people easily, but for some reason she had answered Wolf’s call. She still wasn’t sure why. She was even more confused about the feeling she got from him. She had always been rather perceptive, not easily fooled or lied to. She sensed an unnatural urgency from Wolf and something else. Something that was not right. She didn’t know what it was, but she was sure it had something to do with why he wanted to find Gretel’s rose bushes.

Cinnamon was just too mixed-up. She had never been this confused before, except maybe the first time she had felt the full moon. She mentally shrugged and decided to just go along with the strange feelings that had gotten her this far. She hoped she wasn’t digging her own grave in the roses like some others had before.

Virginia hurried down the steps. She didn’t care what Wolf had said, she was going after him. She just needed to find Wendell and get him to give her a horse so she could catch up. Of course she had only ridden once before in her entire life, so it would need to be a placid horse, but it was still faster than walking.

Virginia pushed through the doors into the dining hall, hoping that Wendell would be down for breakfast. She was in luck. He was at the table eating and talking with her father. They both look up when she entered. Tony saw the look on her face and quickly stood.

“What is it? Is something wrong?” he asked.

“Wolf’s gone…” she began.

“Again?” Tony said in an almost whining voice, plopping back down in his chair.

“Dad,” Virginia said, giving him a look that could have killed. “He left a note. He’s going after the golden rose bushes of Gretel.”

Wendell dropped his fork. It clattered loudly. He stared at Virginia with wide eyes and an open mouth. “What?! Why?!”

“He went to an old woman and got her to do a spell that makes him unaffected by the full moon. But in return he has to get her a rose off one of Gretel’s bushes. He told me about them. I tried to keep him from going, but he said he had to. I had no idea he was just going to leave in the middle of the night like that, though. I have to go after him,” Virginia said.

“Uh uh. No. Not in your condition. Wolf’s…well, a wolf. He can take care of himself,” Tony said.

“And I can’t?” Virginia demanded, her hands planted on her hips.

“That’s not what I meant! I…” Tony stumbled.

“I am going after Wolf. I may be pregnant, but I’m not helpless. I’m not even that far along. I’m only about a month in. I’ll be fine. Wendell, I need a horse. Something that even Dad could ride.”

“Hey!”

“You can have any horse you like, Virginia, of course, but I would advise strongly against this. I’ll send a messenger after Wolf and get him to turn around,” Wendell offered.

“No. He won’t listen,” Virginia said, shaking her head. “I have to go. And no one is talking me out of it.”

“You were always stubborn,” Tony said, “but usually you had some common sense. At least wait for the rest of us. Wendell can send a few guards and I’ll go with you. Just…”

“No! Now if someone would point me towards that horse and show me where I can get some supplies….?”

Wendell sighed. He called a servant over to help her. Virginia was soon out the door.

“I can’t let her go off on her own like that. From the way she was acting and the way you responded, it’s dangerous. Can we send somebody after her at least?” Tony asked.

Wendell nodded in agreement. “Anything you want, Anthony. I don’t like this any more than you do. I’ll send some guards after them and tell them not to interfere unless they’re in trouble. Maybe she won’t be too upset,” Wendell suggested.

Tony nodded. He wouldn’t let anything happen to Virginia. If he didn’t know that he would just get in the way himself, he’d be after her. Hopefully she would talk some sense into that wolf and they would come home before anything bad happened. He silently prayed for the best.

Walking silently on a possibly long journey was not for Wolf. After a few moments, where he could tell they were both turning things over in their minds, he began talking again. “How’s the food out here, anyway?”

Cinnamon smiled. “Good if you can catch it,” she replied. “I can get a rabbit if you’re hungry?”

Wolf was a little surprised. He had never been asked a question like that before. Like he couldn’t do it himself. “I can catch a rabbit,” he said, a little indignantly.

Cinnamon heard his tone and realized she had accidentally bruised his masculine pride. She quickly covered. She wasn’t used to talking to other people. She didn’t meet many. “I know. Sorry. I just figured that since I know the area…” she began, trying to explain.

Wolf shrugged, dismissing it. “I’m always hungry, as my wife tells me. Feel free to catch a rabbit anytime you like,” he said.

“Your wife?” Cinnamon asked.

Wolf nodded and got one of those dreamy looks on his face. “Oh, yes. Virginia. Huff-puff, she’s just so…succulent. She has the creamiest skin and the most beautiful eyes. And she has the most wonderful smell,” Wolf sighed. “She is probably very mad at me right now. She didn’t want me to go after the golden roses. I hope she listened to my note and stayed there.”

Cinnamon shifted uneasily. It felt a little weird listening to him talk about his mate. She coughed a little. “Virginia? That doesn’t sound like a wolf name,” she said.

“Oh, no. She’s human. She’s from the Tenth Kingdom. King Wendell named her a hero for saving the Nine Kingdoms. He says I’m a hero, too,” Wolf said.

Now Cinnamon was even more confused. She stopped, placing a hand to her head. “Tenth Kingdom? Saving the Nine Kingdoms? I need to get out of these woods more often. When did this happen?” she asked. Wolf looked surprised. She could understand why. The discovery of a new kingdom and the saving of the Nine they had and she hadn’t heard a word of it.

“An evil queen was going to take over the Nine Kingdoms by poisoning all their leaders. She turned Wendell into a dog, well, actually she switched Wendell with a dog. That is, he was in the dog’s body and the dog was in his…” Wolf began.

Virginia kept one hand firmly wrapped in the horses mane. The other she used to steer. She kicked and kicked. She had asked for a placid animal, not a dead one. The stupid horse would stop moving if she stopped kicking. She knew she would be dreadfully sore when she reached Wolf. And he would be sorry for making her that way. Virginia gritted her teeth and forced the horse to canter. For one thing, it was a lot less bumpy than the trot and it covered more ground quicker. Hopefully Wolf hadn’t gotten too far. Virginia was half filled with anger at Wolf and half with worry for him. She sighed. This wasn’t the honeymoon she had had in mind.

Wendell didn’t know what to do. He had to tell Tony at least. This whole mess with Wolf and Virginia had been totally ill-timed. He needed them! And now that he thought about it, they had just discovered part of the problem on their own. The witch that Wolf had gone to was most certainly the same witch who had sent a letter to every ruler in the kingdoms saying if they didn’t sign over their kingdoms to her, she would destroy them. If she got the golden roses, she would be nearly unstoppable.

Wendell paced some more in his private audience room. He had sent for Anthony. Where was he? Wendell rubbed his temples. He was getting the worst headache. That’s when Tony entered, followed by the servant that had gotten him. Wendell waved the servant away and he closed the door after him.

“What is it, Pri…Wendell?” Tony asked. He still had a tendency to call him Prince. Wendell didn’t like it because it reminded him of his time as a dog, so Tony had tried to stop.

“I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news. I didn’t want to tell Wolf and Virginia and interrupt their honeymoon, but I’m afraid they’ve discovered it on their own. That witch that placed the spell on Wolf has threatened the kingdoms and if she gets that rose…” Wendell shook his head. “Plus, she somehow managed to get an agent of her own through the mirror. I’m not sure what he is, I just know he’s not human and that he’s up to no good in the Tenth Kingdom. I need your help.”

“Our help? Are you kidding?” Tony asked, incredulous.

“Yes. You saved the kingdoms once before, I can only hope you can do it again. You’re the only hope for the kingdoms,” Wendell said.

Tony covered his face with his hand. “Ooooh, I don’t like this. I’m going after Virginia. Do you have anything at all to help us save the kingdoms?”

Wendell stopped and thought. “I’m not sure. I will send some more guards with you. I can’t send many because most of them are protecting the borders. Queen Riding Hood is pretty upset about my pardoning of wolves and the Troll Kingdom is still in an uproar about the death of their king. It’s just such a disaster, Anthony,” Wendell finished.

Tony sighed. “I really should have seen this coming. What did I expect? Peace and quiet? Oh, no. Of course not.” he shook his head. “Life in the Nine Kingdoms.”

“I can’t believe I missed all that! A royal pardon for wolves! That’s amazing! You are a hero!” Cinnamon said.

“Not really,” Wolf said, a little embarrassed. “I just did what anyone else would have done in the same situation.”

Not me, Cinnamon thought guiltily. She wasn’t the best example of a good wolf. She basically didn’t care much for anything that didn’t affect her personally. Listening to Wolf’s story had awakened some questions that had never even occurred to her before. She balked away from them and concentrated instead on the actual story.

“You still loved this Virginia even after she was going to leave you to die?” she asked. “I don’t think I would have even wanted to speak with her if it were me.”

Wolf looked at her with surprise. “She’s my mate. Of course I still loved her. Besides, that’s not the point. The point is she didn’t leave me. She believed in me even if I wasn’t completely honest.”

Wolf didn’t really understand Cinnamon. She asked some questions that just didn’t seem right for a wolf to ask. He scratched his temple at the curious thought. She was a lone wolf; he had known that simply from the way she howled and the way she acted. He wondered if she had chosen to be that way. It was none of his business. He was grateful to her for helping him and glad of the company on the way. Huff-puff, he even liked her. She really was like his sister. But she wasn’t his sister and it wasn’t his job to stick his nose in her life.

Wolf’s stomach growled, making him forget his thoughts. The idea of a nice rabbit was looking more and more appealing. Fluffy, furry rabbits. Hopping right into his mouth.

Wolf shook his head, snapping out of it. He discovered his tongue had lolled out. He hurriedly wiped at the little bit of drool on his cheek and checked to see if Cinnamon had seen.

“You know, I think I’ll take you up on that rabbit. Huff, I bet I can catch one before you, your territory or not!”

Cinnamon cocked her head, thinking over the challenge. She shrugged. “Sure, but you’ll never win. By the way, you still have a bit of drool by your mouth,” she pointed, then spun and dashed off into the woods.

Wolf wiped at his mouth with a frown, then hurried off to find his own rabbit. He let his nose and his instincts lead him off into the trees.

Virginia let the horse stop and slid to the ground. Her muscles screamed at her, but she ignored them as she dropped on her knees next to the small brook and got a drink. She cupped the water in her hand and drank her fill, splashing some on her face before struggling back to her feet. That’s when she noticed the imprints on the ground. Someone had stopped for a drink here. She could only hope that it was Wolf and she was on the right trail. Something inside her, though, knew that it was Wolf’s tracks. She wasn’t an expert tracker, but she knew Wolf. He was close. She could feel it.

Virginia remounted the horse and hurried it to the fastest pace she could stand. She hoped fervently that she would catch Wolf before dark. She did not want to be in these strange woods alone at night.

The witch stooped over her scrying cauldron. In it she saw her Wolf running through the woods, chasing a rabbit. She was about to make him get back to work getting the rose, but stopped herself. She needed him to be in full strength. Let him have his rabbit. She was a little more worried about that she-wolf. She could present a problem later on. It would be better to get her on her side. Yes, that was safer.

The witch turned and took up her spell book. She quickly mixed the right ingredients and turned back to her cauldron. She changed the picture to that of the she-wolf and sprinkled the mixture over it. She coughed out a few words. There was a flash and Cinnamon appeared.

Cinnamon jumped in surprise, then quickly crouched into a fighting position, a growl building in her throat. She backed away, trying for the door.

“Stop,” the witch said and Cinnamon found herself frozen in place.

“Let me go, witch!” Cinnamon cried, struggling, but unable to move.

“I will. But first, I need your help. I want you to make sure that Wolf gets a golden rose and that he does not return to the Tenth Kingdom. Will you do that for me?” the witch asked.

“I’m not going to help you! Release me!” Cinnamon demanded.

“Fine. Go,” the witch said, waving her hand.

Cinnamon felt herself released and went right for the door. But before she could reach it, the witch threw dust over her. Cinnamon fell to the floor, unmoving.

“Listen closely, she-wolf. You will make sure that Wolf gets a golden rose and that he delivers it to me. And you will make sure that he does not return to the Tenth Kingdom no matter what. You will do as I tell you without question. Now awake.”

Cinnamon stirred and blinked uncertainly. She rolled up onto hands and knees, looking around, trying to figure out where she was. She began to climb to her feet, sniffing the air, looking for a familiar scent. She looked up and saw the witch and something snapped inside her. She stayed on one knee and bowed her head, making a small submissive whine.

“Good girl,” the witch said, placing a hand on top of her head. Cinnamon whined and rubbed her head against the witch’s hand. The witch patted her hair once, then withdrew her hand. “Stand up. I’m going to send you back. Do as I told you,” she said.

Cinnamon jumped to her feet, her own eyes flashing. The witch said another spell and waved her arm and Cinnamon disappeared. The witch smiled to herself and returned to the cauldron. She scanned the area, looking for her two pet wolves. Wolf had caught a rabbit and was preparing it with a careful, critical expertise. Cinnamon had joined him and they were talking and eating.

Something pulled at the witch’s consciousness. Something else was threatening her plan. Someone was following her wolves! She moved the image until she found her. A girl riding a brown horse. It was Wolf’s mate. She could prove the most dangerous of all to her plan. Something had to be done about her before she could reach Wolf. Her magic was strong, but true love was always stronger than any spell. Virginia might be able to talk Wolf out of doing her bidding.

“Deal with her, my she-wolf. Keep her away from Wolf,” the witch said. She waved her hand over the cauldron, switching to the image of King Wendell. She would check on the rulers. They should be getting worried. She smiled to herself. They should be.