Kimberly - Our Little Chop

"We need to help him now, Virginia. We have to make sure that he gets well. Come on, let’s get him onto the bed."

Virginia nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. Tony righted the bed, which Wolf had overturned in his search for the book. Then he grabbed Wolf under his shoulders, and Virginia, with the help of the elves, supported the weight of his feet and legs as they gently lifted him into bed. Virginia choked back her tears when Wolf whimpered weakly as they lifted him. Tony then helped Hansel to the only unbroken chair. He scooted them both up close to the fire and motioned to Virginia to lie beside Wolf.

"Keep him as warm as you can, sweetheart, I’m going to go get more water and see if I can put together some broth or something. He needs his rest right now, but we’ve got to get some food in him soon. I don’t want him to hurt himself when he wakes up." He waved a hand toward the window. "It’s still a full moon."

Virginia found that she was exhausted. She too had been up all night, although not under such dire circumstances. She snuggled up to her Wolf, cradling his head in her arms and whispering reassurances into his ear. She said all the things fear had kept her from telling him even after they were married. She told him just exactly how much she loved him and needed him. She told him how proud she was of him, and how happy she was to be having his baby. She talked of the plans they had made and the fun they would have painting the baby’s room, playing with him, teaching him to play catch… She choked back her tears as she reminded him that he had to teach the baby all he needed to know about being a wolf, and she prayed that he would get well. She fell asleep with his name on her lips.

Tony was not much of a cook, but he worked diligently and even remembered to look for herbs in the little kitchen. But he was afraid, in a witch’s house, to use anything he came across. Hansel, being a man and a hermit, was no help.

The elves had dragged the witch out to the smokehouse to lock her up securely until they could all figure out what to do so he was on his own. He supposed Wolf, and Virginia as well, would be able to tell the difference between rosemary and who-knew-what, but he wasn’t taking any chances. He let them sleep for awhile, then woke Virginia, who was feeling somewhat refreshed. He sent her out to the smokehouse to get a couple of elves to help her gather wood for the fire, then he brought a bowl of the broth to the bed.

He tried at first to wake Wolf and give him the broth but he was still too weak. He whined pitifully, but didn’t move or open his eyes. As gently as he could manage, he lifted Wolf’s head, raising him up and sliding in under him so he could prop him up with his body. Looking around sheepishly, he hoped nobody could see him. Raising Wolf’s head with one hand, he carefully fed him small spoonfuls of broth with the other. They had given him water earlier in much the same way, but he had let Virginia take care of that. Now he felt rather awkward.

"Well, I guess it has to be done and I’m the man to do it," he said. "After all, you’ve saved Virginia and me so many times, I guess I owe it to you. And yeah," he said, remembering their conversation before arriving at the cottage, "I am your father-in-law, and God help me, I do care… I kinda always wished I had a son." He patted Wolf’s head awkwardly and glanced around again. "Although I’d have preferred one without a tail."

He fed Wolf another spoonful of broth. He seemed to respond a little more this time, letting out a small sigh. He fed him the rest of the bowl this way, and while Wolf never really woke up, he did seem to Tony to be a little better, if he said so himself. Feeling absurdly pleased, he looked up to see Virginia standing in the doorway with a tired smile on her face and tears in her eyes.

"Daddy," she said, crossing the room to him. "Thank you so much for taking care of him like this. It really means a lot to me that you care about him too. Wolf is my husband and the love of my life, but you’ll always be my first love. You’re the one who took me to the park and taught me to catch and swim - and to dance, too, even though it made you uncomfortable. It means a lot to me that the two of you can get along. I know I don’t say it enough, but Daddy, I do love you!" She reached across Wolf, lying in his lap and embraced her father.

"So do I," a weak, muffled voice said from below.

"You’re awake!" Virginia cried, pulling away from her father. "Oh thank God - I’ve been so worried! How do you feel? Can you move - no, wait - don’t move. I don’t want you to open the wound again. Stay right where you are!" Virginia rambled on, holding both of his hands in hers. Tony was trapped cradling Wolf’s head in his lap, as Virginia was in the way and had just ordered Wolf not to move. He stiffened awkwardly. Now that Wolf was awake and it seemed that he would probably make it, Tony was profoundly embarrassed.

Wolf smiled up at him weakly. "I knew you cared," he croaked, in obvious pain. "You old dog you."

Tony rolled his eyes as if in disgust. "Now when are you gonna get up off that bed and pull your weight around here?" he asked, but he couldn’t keep from smiling.

Hansel climbed slowly and painfully back up the ladder from the cellar. He’d insisted on going down, despite his wounds and his obvious weakness. He said he needed to exorcise some of the very personal demons of his past in this place. He emerged with a white cat under his arm.

"I think I’ve found us a little leverage," he said, "to get the witch to help us out."

He joined them again around the fire, in visible pain, but somehow more at peace than Tony remembered seeing him before. He sat, stroking the cat in his lap, as they all caught up together on the paths they’d taken to get to this place and time. All, that is, except Wolf, who was still too weak to spend any amount of time speaking. He drifted in and out of sleep as they talked into the night, occasionally mumbling incoherently and pawing at his face with his now bandaged hands. Every time he opened his eyes they sought out Virginia. As soon as he saw her, he would smile a tiny smile and they would flutter shut again.

The elves returned from the smokehouse and it was decided that they should send a delegation to the palace. They would let King Wendell know what had transpired so that he could send someone to collect them and to better tend to Wolf’s and Hansel’s wounds. They did not want to deal with the witch until they had reinforcements.

Hansel remembered there being a magic well nearby. It was not nearly as powerful as the one the group had encountered in the Little Lamb Village, but it was sure to be a good restorative to help them recover and regain their strength. The remaining elves volunteered to go seek it out, promising to be back by morning. Tony found a couple more blankets and covered Hansel with one and himself with the other. Virginia snuggled under the quilt with Wolf, who awoke again long enough to nip at her with a weak but playful growl. With her arms wrapped protectively around her Wolf, and her father wrapped in a blanket by the door just in case, Virginia felt safe and at home for the first time in days. She drifted off, feeling Wolf’s breath on her cheek.

Tony would not sleep. He was as tired as he ever remembered being but he wanted to make sure that nothing further happened to his little girl. He had failed to protect her so many times in the past that, by God, he was going to make up for it tonight. Every hour or so he got up and checked on the smokehouse, assuring himself that the witch was still securely bound and not going anywhere. She had already exhausted herself trying to escape the bonds and spent most of the night snoring loudly. Periodically he would wake Wolf and Hansel – he remembered reading somewhere that after a blow to the head one shouldn’t be allowed to sleep for too long at a time. Each time that he woke them he would make Wolf have another bowl of broth. After a few bowls, Wolf began complaining rather grumpily, and Tony felt that this was a good sign – it was still a full moon after all, and he should have been out howling and prowling.

On his next trip to the smokehouse Tony grabbed a slab of unidentified smoked meat off of one of the hooks. I sure hope this is a regular everyday forest animal and not some little kid who came munching on her house, he thought, and cringed. He replaced the slab of meat and grabbed something more recognizable. It was chicken or pheasant or something and he felt more comfortable with that. Bringing it back to the cottage, he looked for a knife. Sadly the only one he could find was covered in Wolf’s blood. He set it aside, and instead tore bits of the foul into the broth pot with his hands. He found what he hoped with all his heart were nothing but ordinary potatoes, and dumped them into the pot whole. When he figured it would be ready, he woke them all and gave each a bowl of the soup. Wolf was able to prop himself up a bit – the most he’d moved since the attack. Virginia was thrilled but insisted on feeding him anyway. Wolf gave her his sweetest grin and didn’t protest. Until, that is, he tasted the new soup. The first few bites were heaven to him, and he began rushing Virginia, but soon a look of realization came over his face and he put up a hand, refusing to take another bite.

"What is it, Wolf? Don’t you like it?" Virginia asked, bewildered. "What am I saying? You’ll eat anything when you’re hungry. Wolf, honey, what is it?"

"It’s meat," he said quietly, hanging his head. She had never heard him say "meat" with this tone of voice before. Normally he said it with such passion and intensity that it gave her the chills. What was this?

"Yes, it is. Daddy got some chicken or something out of the smokehouse."

"It’s turkey," Wolf said matter-of-factly. "And I’m not going to eat it." He warded off her protest with a hand, looking up at her with a tortured expression. "I’ve sworn off meat, Virginia. Didn’t Tony tell you? I won’t touch it ever again. I can’t. What is a wolf going to do when the full moon comes around if his baby is his favorite dish, Virginia? I have to - I can’t be a daddy to a lamb unless I give up meat completely. I almost ate the cat earlier, when the moon was in control. I’m just thankful now it got away. But if I don’t kill my taste for meat now, I don’t know what will happen."

Virginia simply looked at him for a moment. She loved the little dent in his forehead - it told her his feelings even when he couldn’t - but when it deepened with worry and pain, it nearly broke her heart every time. She reached out absently and covered it with a finger, tracing over his eyebrow and down his jaw line to his chin, then rested the palm of her hand on his cheek. He leaned his face into her hand and looked up at her again. The expression on her face changed from one of concern for him to one of stubborn determination, and she stood, pointing a finger in the air.

"You are not - I repeat NOT going to be a daddy to a lamb. We have been through so much…" Virginia paused to swallow the lump in her throat. "We have been through so much to find each other, and so much more to get this spell broken. We have the witch - she’s tied up in the smokehouse - and we’re going to get her to break this spell." She took his face in her hands, looking him in the eye. "You are a wolf," she said. "And wolves eat meat. It’s nature’s way. You would be miserable without it. I know you. I know you’d give it up for the baby and me, but sweetheart, you don’t have to. I love you, Wolf. And this baby’s going to love you. This human baby. Or this wolf baby - it’s fine with me. I admit I was afraid at first - afraid that my baby might have a tail - but I’m not worried about that anymore. All I care about is that this baby is healthy, and happy, and ours. He is not going to be a sheep. He is going to have my eyes, and your dashing smile, and all the little girls on the playground are going to get butterflies when he walks by because our son is going to be the cutest boy in school! That disgusting old woman out there in the shed is not going to take that away from us. Never!" she said, and shoveled a spoonful of soup in his mouth. Wolf didn’t protest. He ate the soup, and smiled a weak version of that dashing smile she’d just mentioned.

"Wow, Virginia!" Wolf said in awe, as morning sun began filtering through the window. "I’ve never heard you like this! The passion! You really are one dynamic lady!"

"You know," she said shrugging, "I think you’re right. So nobody better ever try to mess with my family again, or they’ll have to answer to me!"

Tony looked up from the pot on the fire and smiled - he couldn’t remember ever being this proud.

They were all sitting around polishing off a second bowl of soup when the elves returned. They had found the well and had brought back as much of the water as they could carry. They used it to clean and redress the wounds, washing the old rags in it and applying it directly to the wounds. They also filled their soup bowls with it and Hansel and Wolf both drank it down. Soon Hansel seemed visibly better and the color began returning to Wolf’s skin.

The witch had awakened and was making quite a ruckus in the smokehouse, but with Wolf and Hansel still not well, and Tony as tired as he was, they left her there. They decided they would wait until Wendell’s people came to their aid before confronting her about the spell. Now that the elves were back to help out, Tony took the opportunity to have a little nap of his own and snored away propped up against the fireplace wall. The smoke smelled something like burnt marshmallows as he drifted off.

Wolf lay flat again, tired out again from all the blood he’d lost, and listened to Virginia’s dreamy creamy voice as she caught him up on all they’d discussed the night before. She told him how she’d come through the mirror after them and met up with the elves, and recounted what she’d learned from Hansel about the previous day. Wolf’s memory was foggy after the change had taken over, so Hansel and Virginia tried to fill in the blanks as much as possible.

Around noon they heard the sounds of an approaching wagon or carriage. Virginia went outside to greet the royal guards that Wendell had no doubt sent, only to be swung into the embrace of the king himself.

"Oh Virginia!" he cried, "I’m so glad you’re safe! And how is everyone - I hear Wolf was very badly injured! No worries, I’ve brought my personal physician along, and I’m sure we’ll have him fixed up in no time!"

Virginia was breathless by the time he finished so she simply grabbed the small bag he was carrying and led him inside. Two guards and the Royal Physician followed. They entered the cottage to find Tony and Hansel huddled round the bed, leaning in closely.

"What is it?" Virginia asked. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, no - come look!" Tony waved to them to join the little group. "Wolf just remembered - he found the witch’s spell book. We may not even need her help to break the curse!"

Rushing to Tony’s side, Virginia looked down at Wolf. He was smiling proudly despite the pain he was in. She smiled back. "Wolf!" she said, "that’s wonderful!"

They leafed through the book for a few moments but were having trouble making much sense of it. Finally the Royal Physician asked if he could have a look. In the Nine Kingdoms, Wendell explained to Tony and Virginia, a physician and a witch had certain things in common. They worked with a lot of the same substances and terminology, and all physicians were trained at least to a certain extent in the black arts, as they were called on often to reverse minor spells. Tony handed over the book and they all sat waiting expectantly.

Virginia periodically gave Wolf another drink of the magic water. With every sip he seemed a little stronger. In fact Hansel was already feeling so well that he had immediately surrendered his chair to the king. The king, of course, refused it and Hansel had settled back in, but they all took it as a good sign.

"C’mon Doc, what do you think?" Tony asked impatiently. "Did you find the curse in there? Do you know how to break it?"

"Well," the Royal Physician began, stalling, "I believe I’ve found the curse, yes."

"And?" Virginia asked impatiently, one hand resting absentmindedly on her belly.

"And I’m afraid there’s nothing here to tell how to break it. Apparently she didn’t intend ever to do so."

"Then get the old witch in here!" Wendell ordered his guards, and they went off to fetch her from the shed. Returning minutes later, they dragged the bound and gagged witch into the room. Hansel vacated the chair gladly this time and they allowed her to slump into it. This was the first good look Virginia had gotten of the witch and she stared at her openly, trying to understand how this old lady could hate her and her family enough to do this to her. Her face turned red and her blood boiled thinking about it. She stiffened at Wolf’s side and he squeezed her hand gently.

"Don’t let anger back into your heart. Don’t let hate rule you," he whispered to her, the hairs on his neck standing up in remembrance of his rage of the day before. "It’s no good. It’ll make you dead inside, just like her. She’s nothing but a sad old woman."

Turning, Virginia looked into his eyes. What she saw there was compassion. Wolf knew what the woman had done, and if possible, the implications were more terrible for him than for Virginia, and yet somehow he’d come to pity her.

"Wolf," she whispered back in wonder. "How can you forgive this woman after all she’s done to you?"

"It’s simple," he said, reaching up to wipe a tear from his beloved’s cheek. "I have you. I have you to love me and to inspire me to be a better person." He looked down for a moment. "I’ve seen my own dark side, Virginia, and it’s a terrible, terrible thing. But you believed in me and gave me a chance to become the person I was meant to be. Who does she have? She’s alone, Virginia, and there’s no more frightening place to be."

Choking back fresh tears, Virginia took his face in her hands. "You’ve got it all wrong," she said. "It’s you who makes me a better person." And she got up, gently untied the witch’s hands, and brought her a bowl of soup.

The witch grabbed the bowl with a suspicious glare. She leaned in over it, covering it with her arm as if afraid they would take it away again, and sniffed it cautiously. She pondered for a second, and, apparently deciding it was safe, she began shoveling it in greedily. While they waited for her to finish, Virginia pondered Wolf’s words. It was true – she seemed so sad and so afraid beneath her mask of hatred. She wondered how Wolf had gotten so smart and insightful. He knew her so thoroughly. Better than she knew herself. She thought back to all of the truths he’d revealed to her. When he’d thrown away the magic shoes he’d seen her desire to hide from the world. When he’d pointed out the nightlife in the forest he’d shown her how much she missed by turning inside herself. And in Snow White’s cottage, when he’d told her that if she couldn’t trust she might never be loved – that was when she’d begun to fall for him. He seemed to know her inside and out and he not only accepted, but he loved her for it. She’d always been afraid. Ever since her mother left she’d been afraid that if anyone ever really knew her – knew the things she kept inside – they’d never be able to love her. The night he’d proposed she’d been terrified. She remembered telling him how she was afraid to jump. He was so honest. He told her the truth – not that he’d catch her no matter what, but that even if he didn’t he’d be there to pick up the pieces. She’d felt herself slipping – allowing herself to open up to him and trust him. She began to realize that she loved him and it frightened her. That’s why she’d changed the subject. That’s why she’d picked a fight with him – to prove to herself that he was just like everyone else, and that he couldn’t be trusted. She was trying to protect herself - to rebuild the walls he’d been systematically breaking down.

Now she knew that he’d been right all along. She had finally begun to accept his simple words as the truth in her life. Wolf didn’t relate to all of the complications and baggage that the average person had. He identified a problem in his life, he evaluated the situation, and he set about correcting it. It was how he’d been able to rescue her so many times from so many terrible situations. It was how he’d single-handedly thwarted the Queen's plans and saved all of the royal families. It was also how he’d overcome his bad habits and become, as he’d said, the person he’d been meant to be. Sure, maybe he’d set out to change just for her, but it had been his own strength of will that had accomplished the goal. And now, even knowing that this woman may never agree to break the curse, he had compassion and kindness in his heart for her. He truly was amazing.

She reflected on their wedding. Wolf had been hyper all day. He’d run in and out of the palace kitchen at least a dozen times, making sure everything was being prepared perfectly. He’d frantically checked and double-checked every detail, making sure that nothing was overlooked. And then, just as the guests had gathered and the music began and Virginia’s heart started to pound, he’d become calm. Serene even. He’d seen the panic in her eyes as Tony gave her away and when he took her hand he squeezed it reassuringly and whispered in her ear. "I love you Virginia," he’d said. "This is forever."

Her heart suddenly stopped trying to leap out of her chest, and she knew that he was telling her the truth. She focused on that one thought throughout the ceremony, barely even hearing what the minister was saying. Wolf, on the other hand, had listened with rapt attention. His eyes grew wider and more eager with every word. When finally the minister had asked him if he promised to love, honor, and cherish her till death did they part, he was downright panting with anticipation.

"Do I?" he’d exclaimed. "I did the minute I laid eyes on her!" She’d laughed, but she knew deep inside it was true.

Virginia was shaken from her reverie by Hansel’s creaky voice. Apparently he’d been talking for some time, but Virginia was unsure how long. He was recounting to the witch all the years he’d spent imagining meeting her again. He’d dreamt of killing her, of avenging himself, for so long he had a whole speech prepared in his mind. But he would spare her, he said, stroking her beloved cat, which he held in the crook of his arm, if she would break the curse.

The witch glared up at him defiantly, spite burning in her eyes. Hansel held the cat up to her, reminding her that she was no longer in control of her situation. He handed the cat to one of Wendell’s soldiers, who carried it out of the cottage, presumably to the carriage. The remaining soldier placed a very firm hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, the hate in her eyes not diminishing, and sighed finally, knowing this was one battle she could not win.

"I cannot break the curse myself," the witch said finally. "Only the subject of the curse can break it, if they but know how." She looked at Wolf with obvious enjoyment.

"Well how then?!?" Wolf cried out. He tried to jump up out of bed, ready to go and break the curse immediately. He yelped in pain as he realized that that was not an option, and sunk back onto the bed.

"The spell seems to have been cast using a scrap of your clothing, Sir Wolf," the royal physician interjected, consulting the book. "I imagine retrieving that scrap will be integral to the breaking of the spell."

"Quite right," the witch replied. "The cloth was the catalyst for the spell, and is the key to breaking it."

"A scrap of his clothes…" Virginia thought aloud. "OH - Wolf - from the henhouse! It was evidence in your trial!" Wolf winced as if he’d been struck, again feeling that everything that went wrong was his fault.

"You must find Wilfred Peep," the witch continued. "Reconcile your differences, and get the cloth. Reconciliation is the only way to ensure that you will be able to reverse the spell. Hatred is very powerful and it makes the magic stronger. Unless he bears you no further ill will, Peep’s anger will destroy any chance you have of breaking the curse. You must take the cloth, wet it with the blood of the mother and the father of this firstborn child, and burn it."