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Fiend and Friends

As Katie and Alfie headed to the Clover City, they were being watched by Reilly, who couldn't believe how gullible she would be: trusting a gang of strangers on their advice seemed laughable, especially since he wanted to take her home himself. Sure, he was regarded as evil by everyone else, but he did have a soft spot for helping others. The only problem was that nobody believed he actually wanted to help, since they thought he would only cause havoc. As he watched Katie and Alfie head to a cornfield along the road, he transported his trailer into the back of the field and made his trailer invisible before listening in.

What came next was a rather loud grumbling noise, followed by a giggle as Katie realized that she hadn't eaten much before the storm. Seeing the corn nearby, she thought about possibly getting an ear to eat, but she held herself back for a moment. That's when she noticed the scarecrow on the pole, with his arms flopped over the support beams and his head drooped in apparent exhaustion. Remembering how much fun she had talking to the scarecrows when she was little, she asked the scarecrow how his day was going, only to gasp when he lifted his head and winked at her.

"Why, I'm doing wonderfully well, miss! I've always wondered when someone would come along!"

Surprised to see the scarecrow actually responding to her, Katie giggled while Alfie barked in shock, and the poor dog was so frightened that she hid behind Katie's legs. Katie was quick to apologize for her dog's behavior, and the scarecrow was even quicker to brush it off before asking if there was anything she needed. When she mentioned that she wanted an ear of corn to have on her journey, the scarecrow offered to give her an ear if she helped him down from the pole, which she agreed to do. While Alfie's leash was around her wrist, Katie ran to the pole before helping the scarecrow off, which wasn't difficult at all because he was mostly made of straw. After she dusted the scarecrow off and found out that his name was Shane, Katie smiled as he grabbed an ear of corn for her before she put it in her basket, and that was when he asked her why she was headed to the Clover City. While she talked about how she was hoping to find a way back home, Shane's smile became a shiver when Katie brought up Reilly.

"I might not know a lot, since my head is filled with straw, but I've heard that man is a monster! You'll really need more than Alfie to protect you from him, since they don't call him the Wicked Gypsy King for no reason!"

"Well, I'm sure the folks in Little Lad Land were saying that he's evil just because he's taller than them...in which case, I'm amazed they didn't think I was evil! I guess I'll have to see him myself, but until then, I'm sure I'll be fine."

While hidden away in his trailer, Reilly's frustration at Shane's warning melted away when he heard Katie's response. She seemed so innocent in her ideas and beliefs, and he wanted to jump out of his hiding place and meet her at that moment, but he didn't want to scare everyone. As Katie agreed to have Shane as her friend and traveling companion, Reilly started plotting where he could finally meet the visitor, only to smile when he saw them head off with Alfie ahead of them. He then whisked himself away to a location further down the path to the Clover City, all while Katie and Shane entered the forest with Alfie close by.

It was while they were in the forest that Katie found a statuesque structure that appeared to be crying, and upon closer examination, the two of them discovered that the figure was a man made out of rusted tin. With some quick thinking and a nearby oil can, the tin man was able to hug both of his heroes before introducing himself as Tómas, and he even made sure to pet Alfie. While Katie and Shane helped their new friend with all his joints, Tómas explained how he was made by a tinsmith who hoped to give him off to his daughter, since no other men in Oz would love her. Even with a bit of magic from the good witch, he was left without a heart and without a lover, and he rusted himself from tears of woe.

"Aww, that's a shame, Tómas. You know, I'm sure the Wizard in the Clover City could help you with your heart problem when we go there! In fact, I'll even ask him for you, in case you get scared."

"Oh, I'll gladly go with you, Katie, but the one you should speak up for is Liam, the lion. I've seen him pass by me and try to pounce on me ever since I rusted in this spot, but it's been a while since I last heard him. I..."

At that moment, Alfie sensed there was something big nearby, and she turned around and started barking at something before a massive lion pounced onto the path. In a flash, Katie picked up Alfie and held her close, trying to look brave as Shane stumbled behind Tómas. When the lion approached Katie and Alfie with a sneer and a growl, Katie decided to roar back at the lion, who quickly dissolved into a crying mess. Wondering if this was the very beast that Tómas told her about, Katie looked at the lion in confusion for a brief moment and reached up before feeling his mane, rubbing it as a way to comfort him.

"There, there... I'm sorry I roared back at you, Sir, but I had to do something before you could attack my dog!"

After the lion apologized in return for scaring Katie and Alfie, he stuttered as he tried to explain how he always lacked bravery and courage, as much as he tried to show his tough side. While Katie was confused about why a lion would apologize for being scary, she could see that this beast wasn't used to such behavior and continued to pet him, all while Alfie cautiously nuzzled against him. As soon as he was able to speak clearly without crying, the lion introduced himself as Liam before Katie invited him to join her and the other two on their journey to the Clover City, and he was a little hesitant before Tómas assured him that Katie could ask for courage on his behalf. That was enough to convince Liam, and before long, the four of them were arm-in-arm as they made their way out of the forest, unaware that they were being watched.