The Wizard of Oz - Male OC Insert

Chapter 8 - Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Dorothy, Elliott, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and Toto were walking deep in the dark forest. Dorothy was beginning to feel quite uneasy and scared upon hearing spooky noises.

"I don't like this forest." She said in a shaky voice. "It's dark... and creepy."

"Of course I don't know, but I think it'll get darker before it gets lighter." The Scarecrow hypothesized.

Dorothy turned to the Tin Man. "D-Do you suppose we'll meet any wild animals?" She inquired.

"Mmm, we might." The Tin Man said, and Dorothy gasped.

"A-Animals that eat s-straw?" The Scarecrow asked in a nervous voice.

"Some, but mostly lions, tigers and bears." Elliott explained, and the Tin Man nodded. Dorothy whirled her head to face the boy.

"Lions?" She repeated.

"And tigers?" The Scarecrow added.

"And bears." Elliott and the Tin Man said in unison.

Dorothy gasped. "Lions and... tigers and bears! Oh my!"

Together, the five began marching fearfully down the road, steadily gathering speed as they went.

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

They were abruptly interrupted by a tremendous roar. Out of the dark forest there suddenly appeared a lion, who was approaching them at high speed. Once it reached them, he got up on his feet and roared. The Scarecrow and the Tin Man cowered on the ground, while Dorothy and Elliott hid behind a tree.

"Put 'em up! Put 'em up!" The Lion said. "Which one of you first? I'll fight you both together if you want. I'll fight you with one paw tied behind my back! I'll fight you standing on one foot! I'll fight you with my eyes closed!"

He then noticed the Tin Man. "Oh, pulling an axe on me, eh?" Then he turned to the Scarecrow. "Sneaking up on me, eh? Why..."

He growled at the Tin Man, who finally spoke up.

"Here, here. Go away and let us alone." He commanded.

"Oh, scared, eh? Afraid, huh? How long do you stay fresh in that can?" He jeered, chuckling. "Come on, get up and fight, you shivering junkyard."

He then turned to the Scarecrow. "Put your hands up, you lopsided bag of hay!"

"Now that's getting personal, Lion." The Scarecrow said defensively.

"Yes, get up and teach him a lesson." The Tin Man interjected.

"W-What's w-wrong with... y-you teaching him?" The Scarecrow asked the Tin Man.

"Well, I hardly know him." The Tin Man replied.

Toto immediately began barking, which caught the Lion's attention.

"Well, I'll get you anyway, peewee." The Lion said to Toto as he began chasing the dog.

This shocked Dorothy as she finally came out from behind the tree to go rescue Toto. She picked him up as the Lion approached to attack him. Dorothy slapped the Lion on the nose in defense.

"Shame on you!" She scolded.

But when Dorothy had slapped the Lion, all the others were confused at what happened next.

The Lion's demeanor suddenly changed, and he began to cry.

"What did you do that for?" The Lion asked Dorothy through tears. "I didn't bite him."

"No, but you tried to." Dorothy replied. "It's bad enough picking on a straw man but when you go around picking on poor little dogs!"

"Well, you didn't have to go and hit me, did you?" The Lion countered. "Is my nose bleeding?"

"Well, of course not." Dorothy responded.

The Lion wiped his tears with his tail, but it wasn't much use.

"My goodness, what a fuss you're making!" Dorothy continued. "Well, naturally when you go around picking on things weaker than you are. Why, you're nothing but a great big coward!"

"You're right, I am a coward!" The Lion nodded. "I haven't any courage at all. I even scare myself! Look at the circles under my eyes. I haven't slept in weeks."

"Why don't you try counting sheep?" The Tin Man suggested.

The Lion didn't seem to understand the question. "That doesn't do any good, I'm afraid of them."

"Oh, that's too bad." The Scarecrow shook his head.

Elliott looked at Dorothy. "Don't you think the Wizard could help him too?" He asked.

"I don't see why not." Dorothy answered, before focusing her attention back on the Lion. "Why don't you come along with us? We're on our way to see the Wizard now. To get him a heart." She gestured to the Tin Man.

"And him a brain." The Tin Man added, pointing to the Scarecrow.

"I'm sure he could give you some courage." Dorothy finished.

"Well, wouldn't you feel degraded to be seen in the company of a cowardly lion?" The Lion asked. "I would."

"No, of course not." Dorothy replied.

"Gee, that's awfully nice of you." The Lion said to Dorothy. "My life has been simply unbearable."

Dorothy immediately pulled out her handkerchief and wiped the rest of the Lion's tears away. "Well, it's all right now. The Wizard will fix everything."

"It's been in me for so long, I just gotta tell you how I feel."

"Well, come on!" Dorothy urged.

[Lion:]
Yeah, it's sad, believe me, Missy
When you're born to be a sissy
Without the vim and verve
But I could show my prowess
Be a lion, not a mow-ess
If I only had the nerve

I'm afraid there's no denyin'
I'm just a dandelion
A fate I don't deserve
I'd be brave as a blizzard...

[Tin Man:]
I'd be gentle as a lizard...

[Scarecrow:]
I'd be clever as a gizzard...

[Dorothy:]
If the Wizard is a Wizard who will serve

[Scarecrow:]
Then I'm sure to get a brain!

[Tin Man:]
A heart!

[Dorothy:]
A home!

[Lion:]
The nerve!

Then, the familiar song began, with reinvigorated spirit.

We're off to see the Wizard
The wonderful Wizard of Oz
We hear he is a whiz of a wiz if ever a wiz there was
If ever, oh ever, a wiz there was the Wizard of Oz is one because
Because, because, because, because, because...
Because of the wonderful things he does
We're off to see the Wizard
The wonderful Wizard of Oz!