"GET DOWN!!!!"
"Go, go, go. Hurry."
"Swift, there is nowhere for us to go. We're trapped."
"Trapped...Trapped?.....Traps?....That's it.
Hide in the traps. The animals will protect us."
"Ooouuu….ouuu….aaagh….aghh…..aaaaah!!!!!!"
"Monkeys, we need to. I know you built these to trap, but there is no choice. Hide us."
"EVERBODY SCATTER."
"YES…..YES!!! RUN! FLEE! HIDE!! BUT YOU CANNOT ESCAPE…..THE INEVITABLE!!!!"
"Aaaaaaaghhhh!!!!"
*Stomp*
"No, please. No, please. Noooo….."
*Crush*
"Watch out!! Don't….."
"Waaa...stish"
"He's got me. Aaaaaghhh."
"I got you. I won't let go."
"You have to. You have…"
"Ackroomph. Ackroomph. Ackrooomph."
"Ha…..ha...haaaaa…..
SWIFT, YOU CAME HERE SEARCHING THE TRUTH. WELL, MY FRIEND
You're staring right at!!!!!!!"
*Swish*
"Aaaaaaaghhh...*crash*
"WHO…..WILL STOP US? WHO, I SAY."
"YOU'RE MONSTERS. ALL OF YOU."
".....Takes one…..to know one."
"Show your face, Abby."
*Pew…pew…pewww*
"SHOW YOUR FACE, YOU COWARD."
"It's not real. It's not real."
"Valentine, what are you doing hiding behind this tree? Stop banging your head."
"It's not real. It's not real. This is all a nightmare, and Wolf will wake me up and say everything is okay. Then he'll give me those warm hugs he always gives and everything will be….."
"Valentine, Wolf is gone. This is not the Wolf you remember."
"Pew….pew…..peww*
"Aaaaaaghhhh!!!!"
*Stomp*
"You're wrong, Jade. How could you say such a thing? There is something that has happened to Wolf. I don't know what..."
"Aaaaaghhhhh!!!!!!"
"He's in there. They all are. I just know it."
"Valentine, we need to go now. They are all under Abby's trance or something, but since Abby won't make her presence known, there is not much we can do. It'll be okay."
"NO…NO IT WON'T. GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME, JADE.
I don't need your lamenting. I need your help, and since you can't give it; I know who can."
"VALENTINE, COME BACK. GET BACK HERE. IT'S NOT SAFE OUT THERE.
WATCH THE FOOT.
WHERE ARE YOU GOING?"
"...TO SAVE MY FRIENDS. AARON HAS TO KNOW SOMETHING."
"HOLD UP….HUUU…haaauuu. Hold up. Hold up. You're a fast walker, you know that? Anyways, if you're going to save them...then I'm coming too. Wolf was there for all of us whenever we turned, so why aren't we here now for him? Just didn't know it would take someone who was always so intent on running away from him, to show me how good of a shepherd he really was."
"Glad you're on board.
The Wolf protecting the sheep, and not the sheep saving the wolf. All we need is a staff."
"That's the thing, Valentine. You can't help Aaron create portals and collect all the ingredients."
"Why?"
"....Cause Aarons not here. He went down to Nowhere to bring back the Beasts."
"LOOK OUT!!!!!"
"Aaaaghhh!!!!"
*Stomp*
"That was a close one. We almost got molded into the ground by Wolf's foot. Thank you Avell...wait, you're not Avella. What are you doing out here?"
"I could ask you girls the same question.
It's not safe out here. The Beasts are out. Here, take my hand."
"They're not beasts. They are my friends, but if we don't help them, then the true Beasts….will….come out."
"What's your plan then, huh?"
"Well, we were going to find Aaron."
"...The Messenger guy!!!!!"
"You know of him?"
"Of course. He passes by my planet every once and a while. Or, at least he did. Back when magic roamed free. I asked around, and this tracked him to here, but I don't see him. We…wh…where is he? The state of my planet is in despair. I need him."
".....Everybody does.
Say, what about Laura? Maybe we can combine her teas with their blood or something. Jade, wasn't she with you in the Enclosure?"
"....The Tea lady?"
"You know of her as well? Is she also a secret portal walker from planet to planet?"
".....No. I only met her in passing. She was running through the fields, with tea in her hands, when I last saw her."
"That's perfect.
You wouldn't perhaps know where she is now, would you?"
"Actually, yes, I do."
"Great. Can you lead the way?"
"Umm, it'll be hard to do, cause she's actually...a little here...A little there…..Basically, a little everywhere, if you think about it."
"Oh!!
Ohhh!!!
Ooooohh!"
"Was she…..of importance?"
"In a sense, yes. Her miracle tea could cure almost anything. Now, only Aaron is the last person, but he only has a variation of it. Problem is, his variation is the destructive kind and not the healing kind.
By the way, what is your name, Foxtail?"
"Foxtail?
You…you….you saw my features as I dove to save you and help you up?"
"No worries. It's just that here in Dreamworld, or anywhere for that matter, there are not a lot of fox half-breeds, let alone foxes in general."
"....You're right. I come from a small clan on my planet. My name is Scarlett, and my queen has tasked me to find Aaron, find…..anything…and then return."
"Why not return with the king, then? He will be of much more use than Aaron."
"How could you say that? Nevertheless, my half-breeds never have had a king. It's been a long time since those words even have been uttered in our ears. Our queen is Kerina. The 'King' we did have, married Kerinas mother and then left to conquer other planets. Leaving wife and baby alone, he never returned. Why would I put my hope in that?"
"Scarlett, I promise you that although the king is dead, his son is a much different man. He…."
"I don't care. I came for the hope of Aaron, not for a fantasy king none of us need. If he truly is the king's son, then why hasn't he returned? Just direct me to Aaron, and I will be on my way."
"Scarlett, that's not what I meant. I didn't mean to upset you."
"I'm sure you haven't. You speak highly of the king, and I spak highly of the queen, but right now, they will both remain a fantasy if I cannot find Aaron."
"Wait, don't leave. I didn't even…"
"Raaaaaaaghhh!!!!"
"AVELLA, WAIT. She is not the enemy…"
"Ouwww!!! Ouwww!!!"
"Archhhh!!!!"
"Grrrr…Roff!! Roff!! Grrr…..grrr."
"Raawwwlll!!!! Rawllll!!! Rawll!!!"
"Valentine, you grab the fox, I'll grab the wolf."
"My momma said never to get between two dogs when they're fighting. Always use a broom to pry them apart."
"I don't have time for this. By the time we find a stick, they will have torn each other apart. Just pull Scarlett, and I too, Avella. Watch the teeth though."
"GRRRR…..GRRRRRRR.....GRRRRRRRR!!!!!"
"RAWWWLLLLL!!!! RAWLLLL!!!...Ur….RAAAAWWLLLLL!!!! SNAP*
"Stop it. This is not how two girls are to behave.
Off, this ones heavy. I can't hold her. She keeps squirming trying to get…."
"Owwrchhh!!!
"Aaaagh,, Stop it. Stop it."
"Come one Avella. She's not worth it."
"Let me go!!! Let me go. Give me back my tail!!!
FOXES DONT BELONG HERE. THEY NEVER HAVE…..AND THEY NEVER WILL.``
"SAME GOES FOR YOU, WOLF!!! I'LL WIPE THE GROUND WITH YOUR…."
"HEY!!! HEY!!! HEY!!!"
"Get hold of your animal, Valentine."
"She's jumping in the air too high. I can see her saliva drooling down."
"Avella, don't mimic. You are stronger than this."
"I can't hold…."
"Arrroummchhh"
"Owwr…Owwr…Owwwr.
Arrroummchhh!!!!"
"Rawwwwwwllllllll!!!!!"
"Valentine, on the count of three, we'll throw each of our animals at a nearby tree. That'll stop them. One…two….."
"Wait."
"Three!!!!"
"HEAVEEE!!!!"
"HOOOOO!!!!"
"Ouchh..ouchhh…owwr."
"Hurrr…..urhhh….urhhhh. urhhh"
"Scarlett, hey….*snap, snap*. Hey. Look at me. You'll be ok."
"Avella, look at me. Hey, nope. Look at me. *snap, snap*. Eyes on me. That's it. That's it. Good girl. I know you two are both dominant predators and can't stand being feet away from each other, but can you…..for just this once?"
"Please, put aside your ego's of who's stronger and who's not stronger. I don't care who is or who isn't."
"She bit me, and not just a tiny nibble either, but a hunk."
"Did you bite her?"
"Only in defense."
"Look, there are more lives at stake then just yours. Avella, you got your people to worry about."
"Scarlett, you got your people to worry about."
"Can't we focus on helping one side…and then once all is said and done, they can turn around and help you? Please? For my sake?"
"For my sake?"
".....I know it is uncommon for you two to work together, but every once in a while, two very different animals join forces each with their separate packs to combine as one. They then help hunt down a pack of prey, but then when the prey is grounded, the two species split back up, and each carries off their own rations. It's called a Symbiosis. For you two, the major goal is healing, and the well being of your people; but the common goal you both face is finding Aaron so that he can help. Now come on. Give me your hand."
"Give me your hand."
"If I have to put a muffler on your snout, then I will do so. I don't care if you're a lady or not."
"Same goes to you, Avella. You may have royal blood in you since Genie shot you, but I aint treating you no different."
"I ask again, 'What's the plan?'"
"Well, right now, there is no plan, but just a hail Mary. Since you two have bit each other deeply, we have no choice but to plead to Abby, asking her to make her presence known so that she can come heal you two. Here, I got you. You're stumbling."
"What about the others?"
"The others will be fine. They're in the traps."
"I know that, but what about the others? Who knows when Aaron will be back with the Beasts, and if he is, then Abby is the reason nothing can touch the Tyrolfers. She heals them the moment a bullet touches their side. If she has to step down to heal us, the others will be left vulnerable. Who knows what the Beasts could do to them. What if, the moment Abby leaves, her trance on them disappears, and they turn back into good healthy themselves. Then they truly will be defenseless."
"I told you it was a hail Mary, but don't worry. I'll think of something. Just like we haven't given up on them, we will not give up on you."
(Published eBooks for all of the sections in this book 4 up to the point of this section, so if you want to get them on early even before the full book ends, then have at it.) Pertaining to this book, we do find people willing to risk it all to save their friends but seeing that all of their plans are not working, they have no choice but to do a hail Marry. Not knowing what truly caused their friends to go dark, they think that if they can get Abby away from the monsters, then her trance will be lifted, and Wolf, Tyran, and Hopper, will go back to true form, all before Aaron comes back with the Beasts. *Fingers crossed*