Mallie's POV:
After a few moments of me showing I can turn into a wolf, and then there being silence, it was broken when I heard Wendell, or Prince, start talking to Tony. "Anthony, I know that as my new manservant you will never let me down, and willingly give your life to save mine, but I wonder if you'd like to swear a formal oath of allegiance." He said. Tony takes out what looks like a carving, and then smiles. "Destiny has brought us together, that much is clear. My destiny is to rule the Fourth Kingdom, of course, but what's yours?" He asks curiously while looking out to somewhere else. "Someone as lowly as inconsequential as yourself," He starts again. "may yet have an important part to play, even if it is catering to my every whim whilst, I'm trapped in the dog of a do-" I see Tony look around and toss, what he had in his hand a few moments ago, into the water with a little splash
Wendell heard it though "What was that?" Tony tried to act like nothing ever happened "Nothing. Fish, I don't know." He lies, a let out a animal scoff, because I'm in my wolf form, at the phony lie while shaking my head.
Wendell caught it and looked at me, I turned my head to look at him, I get up from my laying position from off the floor and shake off my black coat, I walk over to him and sat down, I'm a bit bigger then him but not by much.
I look up at the sky to see it dimming, "Alright, let's go try and get some sleep." Virginia, Tony, and Wendell went down below deck while me and Wolf stayed up on deck.
It was beautiful, absolutely breath taking, the night sky you can see so many wonderful stars, that you get to sleep under. "They are magnificent, aren't they?" Wolf says to me, I nod my head. "Welp, good night!" I bid. And let darkness consume me.
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It was finally morning! I have so much more energy now that I've slept, and by the looks of it Wolf feels the same, I shake myself off and start going to every side of the boat to look around, it's amazing!
I look behind me and see my tail, my tail, I want it, I start chasing my tail trying to catch it, I start growling at it getting frustrated that I can't get it that easily.
I heard Wolf howl, which then made me start howling, he starts going off about how last night was, and talked about how it's amazing to sleep ander the stars.
I then hear Wendell come up, but I paying no attention, and continued to chase my tail. "What're you doing?" He asks sounding a little sick, "I'm chasing my tail, what does it look like?" I chase my tail answering his question, "But why?" I stop for a bit to catch me breath, "For fun, of course." I answered truthfully to the question.
He shakes his head at my answer, "Why," I looked at him confused "It's perfectly normal of a animal that share some characteristics as a dog." I explain to him.
He then walks away, still feeling a bit sick. I shrugged and went back to chasing my tail.
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Some hours went by and I went to get from Wolf down deck, he was gonna make dinner. I found him in the bathroom, about to shave, "Hey Mal." He acknowledged.
"Wolf? You doing something about dinner or not?" Tony asked. "Ugh, yeah, uh-huh." He called out. He looked at himself in the mirror, "I'm making myself beautiful for Virginia." He sang laughing at the end. He gets ready to put the (i don't know what it was) knife to his right cheek to start shaving when the Queen came up on the mirror. "Hello Wolf, Mallie." I get up, from my seating position, and whimper, I don't want this anymore, I don't want it, I don't want to hurt my new friends, I don't want her poisonous hands on Wendell either.
"Oh, oh, go away, leave us alone!" Wolf whisper shouted trying not to alert our friends up top. "You agreed to obey me." The way she said it was like she was trying to control us, as if we're tamed animals, "No!" Wolf denies, while I growl. "Yes. I control you." She told us. "No!" He denied again, "Why can't I see your companions?" Her voice still soft, but still controlling. "What magic is going on?" I growl a little louder. "Magic? Well, I..." Wolf starts, looking to me.
We then hear Tony coming down talking about food, "No, we weren't talking to anybody. I was making dinner." He tells Tony me and him running up the stairs.
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The boat ride was calm, I was laying on the roof, relaxing, when I hear Wolf "Oh, no." I look to where he was looking and saw the Queen's castle. I felt my heart sink, like a boat after an attack.
"Hey, hey, hey, it's Acorn's boat! It moored right there, look." Tony screamed, getting our attention. "Watch the finger!" He scolds Virginia, who almost hit his gold finger, "Right there, right there." He said pointing to the boat.
I heard Wendell start talking again and saw him looking at the castle, "Anthony, something really strange is happening. I feel, I feel, like I'm two people at the same time." We both turn to him. "I have to go back to that castle." He explained. I let out a whimper. "You can't, it's dangerous, who knows what might happen to you out there when you can't defend yourself." I told him. "It's an old ruin that castle, why go there? Let's go on to Acorn's boat." "No! I'm sure my human body is there. And Mallie I will be fine." I looked to see if it was true, I look into his eyes and find there is in fact truth to his words, and with that I nod and he jumps off the boat.
Tony tries to get him back but got no response. Tony let's it go, I go down under to try and turn back to my human self since I don't want to scare people off. I feel the same pain but it's a little numb now, I find my old clothes that I had.
We arrived to shore not long after I changed back. And asked the boats man if he's seen him. "Acorn's been here all morning. He left less than half hour ago." Virginia let's out a groan of annoyance, "With the rest of the stuff that was on the boat?" "Yep." He answered. "When's he coming back?" "He's not." He informed us. "He swapped this lovely boat for my horse and carriage, I reckon I got a great deal." "Well which way did he go?" Virginia asked looking around.
"He said he used the road through the forest. If you hurry, you could catch him." "Good idea that idea let's go, let's go!" Me and Wolf agree trying to leave so we won't be so close to the Queen's castle. "No, but hold on a second, what about Prince?" Tony worried. "He's off he wants to be on his own. See, my heart is breaking, but let's follow the mirror." Wolf said. "Ton, you said so yourself, he's been nothing but a nuisance."
After a bit of arguing Tony said to give him fifteen minutes, and left.
It's been well over fifteen minutes, and I was starting to pace if he didn't find Wendell then the Queen will. "Dad?" Virginia called out again. "Tony!" Me and Wolf yell. "Hey!" We all trun to see Tony. "Did you find Prince?" I asked. "I defeated the trolls," He proclaims aloud, "that's the good news." At that statment I froze, my smile disappeared, and my left eyes twitched. "What?" I ask grabbing his shoulders. "Is there any bad news?" Wolf and I ask. "Do you think that boatmam might have, a chisel?" He hesitates. "Dad, what exactly is the bad news?" Virginia asks her father.
He takes us to a shore line, and I couldn't help but gasp. Wendell and the trolls, were gold!
"I think he'll come apart from the others pretty easily." Tony tries to comfort.
After we got Wendell out and onto a cart that had wheels attachs, we were on the trail to catch Arorn, and get back the mirror.
I was sitting on a rock while Tony was cooking bacon so we can make sandwiches. My mouth is pooling just thinking about it. Wolf was talking to himself, practising what was said in the book he was reading.
I close my eyes and listen to what's around me, I then hear sizzling and I smelt the air and it was the bacon burning!
I snap my head up to see that Tony was not paying attention, but was looking at Wendell glumly, "Tony!" Wolf and I yell. "You're ruining the bacon, we can smell it burning!" Wolf yelled. Wolf and I run towards the bacon to try and save it.
"Bacon!" Wolf worried, "I feel terrible." He admitted. "Look at him." He gestures to the golden statue of Prince Wendell. "It was a simple magic fish spell gold fish mistake, Tony, it was almost predictable." Wolf tries to comfort him, "But I've killed him!" Tony gestures to Wendell. "Oh, things have a way of bouncing back here, I wouldn't worry about him too much." "Really? You're not just saying that?" "I'm afraid I am just saying that." Wolf confesses. I groan, "Why did you have to say that." I whine.
"Watch this simple Prince alertness test." Wolf then grabs a stick, "Come on, come on! Come on, fetch! Fetch!" He tries, but nothing happens, Tony and I look at him not amused at all.
Wolf throws the stick, and it takes everything in me to not bark and go get it.
"That's not funny." Tony scolds him I nod in agreement, "It could get funnier if we keep on doing it." We just sit there and look at him till Virginia comes up to us, asking why we're sitting here. "We're making sandwiches." Said Tony.
"We're making sandwiches." Wolf and I repeat. "Look, the mirror is getting further away all the time, if we lose this trail now we're never going to get home." Wolf looks at her, "Oh, but Virginia, breakfast is bacon, and nothing sets my nostrils twitching like bacon in the morning." Wolf tells her.
"Mmm, little pigs parading up and down with their curly corkscrew tails!" I say excitedly some saliva coming out of my mouth. "Ah! Bacon sizzling away on an iron frying pan!" He gives me my food, a sandwich full of bacon. "Ah! Basted, roasted, toasted, nibble it, chew it, bite right through it, wobble it, gobble it," Wolf starts off, "Wrap it round a couple of chicken and am I ravenous!" I finished for us, and then we dug in.
I didn't care really for the bread I just wanted to bacon, I imagine the little piggies, like how Wolf said, just with their little tails, at the taste of the cooked bacon I howl happily.
I stop and see Virginia and Tony look at us, "Let's finish these on the move." They both go to leave, "Hey, Wolf have you told Virginia about what happened last night?" I ask Wolf excitedly, realisation hit him and he said no, but he quickly got up and called out to Virginia.
I watch and scratched behind my left ear, I walk over to the gold statue of Wendell, "Hey I know you probably can't hear me because...well...you know," I talked to him for a while, or at least the statue of him, until we had to leave.
🐺
After a while I take my sandwich back out and start eating again. Wolf stops causing me to bump into his back. I look over his shoulder and see a elderly lady.
"I am but a poor old lady, spare me some food." She asked us, but I wasn't ready to do that sort of good yet.
"Sorry," I say. "we're down to our last six bacon sandwiches." Wolf says. She then asked Tony but he said he only gives to register charity, then she asked Virginia and she gave her one.
"Virginia, you're such a soft touch." "Yeah, soft touch." Wolf agrees, "Hey!" "Since you have been kind I have a lesson, for all of you!" She says, "Take this stick. Break it." She instructed Virginia. Break. "And this one." Break. "Put these three together. Now try to break them." Virginia takes the last one and tries to break it, but it doesn't. "I can't." The lady chuckles "That is the lesson."
Me and Wolf look at each other pointing to the sticks. "That's a good lesson."
"Oh wow. I think maybe that was only worth one sandwich." Tony comments. "When the students are ready to teach your appears." She tells him.
"You didn't go to my school." Tony shakes his head. "Um, excuse me, miss?" Virginia asked nicely. "Did you happen to see a dwarf driving a cart?"
"Very early this morning, he took the main road through the forest, but you must not. You must leave the path." She warns. Me and Wolf looked at each other confused. "Wait! The roads the only safe thing in the whole forest." "Not for you. Someone is following you. They intend to kill you." Like a brick to the head I realized what, more like who, she meant.
"Whoa, wait, what is this intent to kill?" Tony asked confused. "There's a man who controls this forest, The Huntsman." Wolf begins. I nodded. "We've heard he serves the queen." I inform them.
"But he certainly wouldn't expect us to leave the only road and going to the forest itself." Wolf continues, "Why not?" Virginia asks. "Because only a fool would go into the disenchanted forest." I say. "Well let's not." Tony's voice cracked.
"Okay, from now on we will lead. You step where we step." We both scratch ourselves.
🐺
hopefully you actually like this
but still
stay jiggy
word count 2397