Ellie's Flames BOOK 2

12: Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Beast!

Ellie's POV

"Dude, are you sure he's this way?" I ask, taping my finger on my thigh nervously as we walk. "We're cutting our rendezvous time a little close now if we want to make it to Evie's in time."

"Don't worry." he says, not slowing his trot. "I can smell something."

"If Ben's smell is moving this much, then I doubt he's asleep or stone." Carlos reasons. "Maybe he just can't hear us."

"True." I agree. "And then, shouting might actually help us."

"BEN!" Carlos calls, cupping his hands around his mouth. "BEN!"

"Oh, boy, something stinks!" Dude says out of nowhere, stopping to turn to us. "And it wasn't me this time!"

Something---or someone---suddenly roars. Loud. A furry figure wearing blue and yellow jumps out from behind a tree. Dude screams and runs away, the rest of us clustering in a group as the thing approaches, studying us with an air of anger.

He growls threateningly once more, as if deciding he doesn't like our look, then lunges for Gil. Carlos yelps and pulls him out of the way in the nick of time, sending the thing ramming into a tree.

"Thanks!" Gil says to Carlos.

"Don't mention it." Carlos pats his shoulder.

The thing whips back around toward us, recovering quickly. He runs for me, but I pull a move I remember learning from Jay recently when someone bigger and stronger than you is charging. I run for him as well, ducking at the last second and coming up from my roll on my knees. The weirdly-familiar looking thing runs right over me, tripping over a log and sprawling on its face.

"Oh, my gosh---" I gasp out, recognizing him finally when I see the Beast crest on his jacket. "Guys, it's Ben!"

"What?" Jay yells back. Ben growls low in his throat, drowning out my voice as I repeat it, then he suddenly sprints for Harry. Jay grabs his jacket and pulls him backward, sending Ben past them yet again. I remember when Endora turned all the guys into Beasts, but this is different. Now it's like he can't remember who he is, and is fully an animal. With Dori, all the boys grew in size and suddenly had fur, but Ben is roughly the same size, not nearly as imposing as Endora's Beasts.

"You need some serious nose adjustments!" Harry pants out as Ben stalks us, crawling up a tree root to get above our group.

"I'm not so sure." Carlos says. I get to my feet, dusting my knees off and joining them.

"Guys---" I say, spreading my hands in front of them to stop them. "It's Ben."

"Ben?" Carlos asks. Ben seems to calm a little bit, but is still freakishly set on hunt mode. "Did Audrey do that?"

"Huh. I thought I recognized those pants." Jay says.

Ben growls, but he seems to be coming back to himself. He keeps glancing down at his hand, which I now see has a large splinter poking out of one of the pads on his paws.

"Ohh, he's got a boo-boo!" Gil realizes. "That's why he's so cranky! You know, my dad said his dad did not handle pain well at all."

Ben's growl turns into a snarl, set on Gil.

"You're good with animals!" Jay suddenly says to Carlos, his fist raised as if expecting a fight. "Do something!"

"Wha---" Carlos huffs through his nose. "Yeah, one dog." He mutters, but he climbs around the tree roots anyway, approaching Ben slowly. I notice that Harry is slowly edging himself behind me. Against my will, my lips twitch as I fight a smile.